Ay, now a single musket rings,
Swift comes the hissing lead,
I see the silver eagle's wings
Above the column spread.

Stand, stand to arms!

The Portuguese guests, with the habitual politeness of their nation, praised this rugged performance; yet to show how their finer taste was ruffled by such rough music, they immediately entreated the youngest lady of the house to accompany her guitar with her voice. She ap. peared at first embarrassed, and held down her head as if in deep thought, but in a little time assented, and, taking up her instrument, sung the following impromptu with tones of thrilling sweetness :

Oh! pale is the Lusitaña's* cheek;
The serenader may not seek

With song to soothe her restless sleep;
Her downcast eye is fixed to weep.

The invader's spear gleam'd o'er the land,
Her brother fell by Maneta'st brand,
Her father died in Evora's fight,
Her mother fled to the angels bright.
And the Lusitaña lived thrall

To the robber priest within her hall.

Oh! pale is the Lusitaña's cheek;

The serenader may not seek

With song to soothe her restless sleep;
Her downcast eye is fixed to weep.

The lady ceased for a moment, and then, casting a timid glance at Guillelmo, continued her song, but with a more hurried strain of music.

But, lo! the English warriors came,
With hearts of pride and eyes of flame.
On Coa's banks their shouts arose, ́
By Coa's stream they slew our foes.
That fight hath well avenged our dead,
And now the robber priest has fled;
The Lusitanian girl can smile,
Her sadness now she may beguile.
Gone is the paleness from her cheek,
The serenade she loves to seek;
Gone is the Lusitaña's pain,

If the English stranger will remain.

As the last words trembled on her lips, the lady's eyes again met Guillelmo's; but apparently disappointed at their expression, she turned her head away, and, touching a few low notes changed her measure, and sung the following lines:

This is the valley of wrath and sorrow,
Here no pleasures await the morrow;
Griffone, Griffone soars on high.

And grief attends his mournful cry.

* The thus marked is liquid.

† A name given to General Loison by the Portuguese country people.

When the Estrella's snowy height,
Seen by the tempest's fitful light,
Seems to laugh with dreadful glee
Amidst the stormy minstrelsy,

While down its sides, with foam and spray,
The mad'ning torrents leap and play,
Then Griffone loves to roam
Round the thunder-shaken dome.

His wide-spread wings appear to sleep,
As slowly o'er the abyss they sweep,
But his eye is searching the gulf below,
Where glides in secret his serpent foe,
The wizard snake, whose fatal power
Rendered vain the lofty tower,
And in that hour, so sad and wild,
Fulfill'd the spell, and slew the child.

This is the valley of pain and sorrow;
Here no pleasures await the morrow.

THE WINDSOR BALL OF THE LATEST FASHION.

WERE this a fashionable periodical, readers would of course expect that our ball was a court-ball, something in honour of the Queen Victoria, or of the birthday of any gay and gallant aristocrat just entering upon the farce of life; but as our aims are of higher flight, we beg leave to intimate that the present paper is of a sublime, philosophical, and moral character. As a picture of manners it is no doubt, unique ; and our only hope is that it will be found to be worthy of the age.

It is impossible that anybody can have forgotten the announcement in the newspapers that there dwelt in one house, situated in the New Road, Windsor, a party, consisting of two females and two males, whose united ages amounted to two hundred and ninety-two years; and that they were about to give their friends an entertainment upon the occasion, the occasion of their aggregate beating the grand climacteric by ten years. Of that entertainment, of which, strange to say! no mention has ever been made in the Morning Post, Court Journal, Morning Advertiser, or United Service Gazette, we are the historians.

Cards having been issued in due form to all the old friends of the parties in the neighbourhood, and even so far off as London; the principal room-that called the Methusalem chamber-was tastefully fitted up with evergreens as a ball-room. The time-piece over the mantle was stopped, so that there might be no hint or sound to hurry people away at hours too early for the finished rites of hospitality; and two beautiful plaster figures, bought from a passing Italian artist, were disposed at each end of the saloon, supporting candelabra in the most graceful manner. The first was a Cupid, decorated by the fair hands of the two ladies with a girdle of fig-leaves, formed of green silk, and fringed with a lighter shade of primrose trimming; the other a Terpsichore, about whom was most fancifully arranged by the two gentle. men a highland kilt, at once emblematical of her modesty and dancing propensities.

Thus was the scene prepared by these elderly persons; and, though the young and giddy may laugh at their doings, yet is there but little difference between the follies of seventy and seventeen. For

as a fine old writer sayeth of the world, common to us all, "What is all this worlde? It is nought else but a stage, where every one acts his part, and then makes an eternal retreate withouten returne. Heaven's encloistered powers broken doune, and they see all the dullful tragedies of unrecalled time, and marke the unspeakable wickedness of mankind. How many follies are acted upon the stage! For the moste parte plays the buffoon, and all their life is but a pleas. ant comedy; and with the Ethnick they crye oute Ede, bibe, dorme; post mortum nulla volnplas.' But when all men have acted their parte on this universal stage, then comes all-commanding deith, and swiftly cryes to every one, Awaye! gette you gone! your parte is played! So, with his imperiall dart he streakest all kindnes of creatures withouten respecte, and then with his ruthless hand he draweth the darke curtaiyne of the grave over the pale body of mankinde."

Sensible of the truth of this writing of the moral and somewhat lachrymose Grahame, the inmates of New Road could not but feel that their time to cat, drink, and sleep, ought to suffer no postponement, and sooth to say, the majority of their invited friends were much in the same predicament; and the belief that there were no post mortum pleasures, was with them a strong inducement to seize the present happy moment for gaiety and enjoyment.

The company was select. Belonging to the navy there were a yellow admiral, a commodore with only one wooden leg, and a retired captain, a shy and bashful junior of sixty-four. The army fur. nished a more numerous quota of Major and Brigadier-Generals, Lieutenant-Colonels aad Majors, on half-pay for the last thirty years, since before the Peninsular war and Waterloo. A superannuated clerk or two, who had belonged to public offices, and left on good allow. ances, an ancient physician, and a variety of other personages of the male sex, made up that division of the party. Of the fair were widows with excellent jointures-highly.insured life annuitants-a class who, it is well known, never die. The former wore generally flaxen wigs, and looked as much as possible in their prime; the latter had darker ringlets, and, though of the same standing, appeared rather older. There were maiden-aunts, whose grand-nieces were beginning to think of the conveniency of husbands, and in short, considering the numbers present, there were as much false hair, as many false teeth, as many points derived from the mantua and dressmaker, as many deceitful busts and bustles, (not to mention the calves on the gentlemen's side,) as could be found in any three rooms of equal size within her majesty's dominions. But dress not being a theme with. which we are intimately acquainted, we shall again take leave to borrow the opinions of the quaint and worthy author already quoted, which may be read with benefit by the be-whiskered dandies, old or young, of the present. "A man is to be commended if he be cleanly, and chiefly in his linens; his haire [i. e. if he have any, and of which few of this company had any large assortment]-his haire well dressed, his beard well-brushed, and always his upper lip well curled with a frusado upstart, as if every haire would threaten to pull out his eyes; for if he chance to kisse a gentlewoman, some rebellious haire may happen to startle in her nose, and make her sneeze, so by this meanes he applies both physic and courtesie at one time. Then he may freely say, 'God bless you, lady;' receiving back the chirping echo of I

thanke yo u sir.' "How kind and cordial were these ancient manners of which the latest remains were witnessed at our Windsor Ball!! As our sketch must of necessity adopt a desultory form, we shall merely state that as the company arrived, and left hats, cloaks, shawls, and goloshes in the lobby, the extra waiter hired for the occasion, wittily remarked to Martha the charwoman ditto, that she need not care where or how she disposed of these articles, as they were all old enough to take care of themselves; which jest being quite new at Windsor, gave Martha a fit of laughter and and coughing.

Tea and coffee were handed round, and the most beauish and gallant of the visitors had opportunities to display their several accom. plishments and qualifications. Nothing, it is true, can be more absurd than a coxcomb beyond youthful years, who fancies that he is not only acceptable, but a conqueror and heart-breaker among girls in their teens, and acts accordingly ; but it is not quite so ridiculous when your girls are sexagenarians; and, after all, the man who really loves, does not leave off, either naturally or of necessity, its glowing colours, warm feelings, and romance, at fifty or at sixty either.

But to our groups: in one corner you might see Doctor Pulse gravely chatting with the Widow Tancred, whose weeds were not six months old, nor herself much above half a century; in another, reclining on a sofa, the Reverend Rector of Slow, and the fair Lady Rougemont, one of the wealthiest of the annuitants alluded to; and in a third, with his timber-toe foremost," the gouty old commodore" entertaining a circle with his sea-jokes and sallies. Let us overhear their conversation.

WIDOW TANCRED." My eyes are sadly ill, doctor; horribly ill, since my cruel loss. I have hardly ceased from weeping; and, indeed, suffer so much that I am sure I could not describe all my disorders to you. No appetite, no sleep, doctor."

DR. PULSE (touching her wrist.)-"Your pulse is not bad, however." WIDOW T." Alas! alas! perhaps it is good. It is much agitated when I speak of this subject. Since I had the misfortune to lose my boloved husband my health has gradually declined. Nor is it to be wondered at; my life is so changed, so altered! He was younger than me, my dear George was and we were so fond of each other. I must confess that he was much given to contradict me, and put himself into fits of passion about almost everything. But our daily quarrels were soon made up, for his heart was so good! and he was sometimes so tender! Oh, I shall never, never see him more! Since the hour of his death my health has been altogether deranged. 1 am devoured by sorrow and ennui. I have no relish for any. thing on earth. I fear I never shall be what I was again. What would you advise?"

DR. P.- Dear madam, do not distress yourself. Your complaints are not incurable. Solitude is not proper for you. You ought to make an effort, and not think of flying from the world and social pleasures. Why, even marrying again (added the doctor significantly, for he was a widower) would be preferable to suffering in this manner."

"MRS. T." It is strange; but, do you know, I have really been thinking of that myself."

DR. P.-" And perfectly right."

MRS. T." In short, my esteemed friend, the matter is arranged;

* Candour obliges us to say that we think we have stolen the hint for th is bit of dialogue from some French author but who we forget.

but my long widowhood (six months!) has ruined my health. I have lost my embonpoint, and become quite thin. I wish to regain a little of my former appearance. A thin widow! You comprehend me, doctor! I don't like to have the looks of a sick and ailing person. I desire only to recover some of my former freshness and plumpness. There is surely something wrong in my system?"

DR. P. (with symptoms of irritation).--" Yes--yes, ma'am, there is evident weakness about you; but, if you seek regular advice, I am ready to afford it."

MRS. T.-" And do you think you could make me quite well?" Dr. P.-"No doubt of it."

MRS. T." And the regimen, doctor? and the regimen ?" DR. P. Good nourishing food, ma'am. Small supper-parties. Leave off sighing; it occasions pains in the breast. You must calm your mind upon the affair you mention; and, to prevent agitation, it would be quite as well to bring it to a speedy conclusion."

MRS. T.—“ Oh, sir! I am infinitely indebted to you. I would not hurry such a matter for the universe; but now that you think it so essential to my health, I may tell you, between ourselves and the post, that it cannot take place till the week after next!"

Aud what is the rector descenting on so oratorically? By Jupiter, the subject is love! and his reverence is more eloquent than ever he was in the pulpit, though he is a celebrated preacher.

Hearken how he dissertates like a second Coleridge.

Why should we not seize every rational and innocent happiness in our power? Why let our pleasures glide away like the sands in the hour-glass, softly, imperceptibly, grain after grain, till all are gone, and only a vacuum is there? In life, dear Lady Rougemont, we cannot turn up the glass."

A gentle sigh from the lady.

"And what is there in life to be compared with those delights which are shared with lovely and faithful woman? I, a divine. speak from a volume of pure divinity. Woman is the chief of creation. Adam,' Heale tells us in his Anatomie, Adam was moulded out of the dusty clay of the earth. Eve was formed of the purified body of inan. Neither was she made out of the lowest parts, that so she might seem his inferior; nor out of the highest, that therein she might challenge superiority; but out of the middle of his body, of a rib of his side, that thereby she might appear his equal, and be taken for his fellow-helper. Of a rib also of his left side, where the heart as in his privy chamber resteth itself, and which the arm of his beloved darling naturally embraceth. Adam lost, as far as we read, but a bare bone: he received it again branched into many bones, bewrapped up in tender flesh, twisted on curious joints, full of lively spirits, flowing with warm blood, characterized with azure veins, in proportion absolute, beautiful in colour, lovely to be seen, lovely to be talked withal, like all things," No Hamlet that ever graced the stage, delivered the famous soliloquy on the perfections of man in so touching a tone, and so impressive a manner, as the rector poured this his borrowed eulogy on woman into the lady's listening ear. Again and again she sighed, and he went on most sententiously to finish his quotation.

"For as a princess preparing to come into her imperial city, hath her harbingers sent before, her house adorned, her court replenished, her attendands ready, and all things for her entertainment prepared; so it was convenient that before the queen of the worl