CONNOR. Leave our presence, or we shall cause thee to be arrested as a Traitor. CUCHULLIN. The caitiff wretch breathes not that durst arrest me. Were one of your underlings to attempt it, nay if a legion of them were so bold and insulting, I would tear them to pieces as the ferocious hawk mangles the hedge sparrows. The gallant hero, with heart swelled with the madness of choler, retired to the castle of the red branch, and the monarch, still meditating on revenge against Connel and Cuchullin, called his nephew, Fergus unto him. CONNOR. Fergus, my beloved nephew, and the heir of my throne, and kingdom, surely thou wilt not refuse thy uncle, to conduct the sons of Usnach hither. FERGUS. I am ready to do aught consistent with the laws of honour, and the high dignity of our house, for you, Sire. CONNOR. Thank you, nephew, I see thou hast gratitude, and natural affection for your sovereign and uncle. True it is, that you are our proper ambassador; and Naisi will be flattered to see the Prince next the throne, soliciting his return to Ullin of pellucid streams, and oak-shaded glens. The sons of Usnach will have no hesitation in coming with thee. When you land at Donaghadee conduct your friends into the house of Barach, one of my officers, who will make you all welcome, and then escort you to Emania. FERGUS. Dearly do I love the heroic sons of Usnach, there is not a man living I would suffer to injure them. On him whom I should find endeavouring to betray the generous Princes I would inflict the severest punishment. Wo to the man that shall deceive them! CONNOR. Hasten hence, nephew, and after you return and have seen BaRACH, come hither with the sons of Usnach, whether it be night or day. Fergus told his friends, that he had undertaken the mission, and that they might rely, on his faith and honour, in his conduct towards the noble exiles. He took with him only his two sons Illan the fair, and Buine the ruthless red, as well as Callon his shield-bearer. They set sail immediately after, and bore away for sea-circled Mona of gentle hills. Meanwhile the king, fully intent on destroying the sons of Usnach, concerted measures with Barach, his vile confidant, who was to administer poison to Fergus, lest his guaranty might frustrate the king's deadly vengeance against the devoted Naisi. After a pleasant voyage, the noble minded Fergus, and his sons arrived in the neighbourhood of the children of Usnach's residence. Thus stationed were the heroes; they had three booths of chase* on the margin of a lake. As soon as Fergus came into the harbour, he sounded the Irish hunting horn with all his might. At that time Naisi and his beloved spouse were seated at the polished cabinet, playing chess. NAISI. Hark! hearest thou that sound, dearest Deirdre? It is as welcome to my ear as if it were the strain of Ullin's native music.-It is "the call of a man of green Erin!” DEIRDRE. No my love, it is not the blast of a man of Erin; it is the shrill sound of an Albanian horn. NAISI. I cannot be mistaken; no! it is the horn of Prince Fergus, I would recognize its sounds on the hills, among a thousand trumpets, its very echoes speak the beloved name of Erin; all the rocks are musical with the sweet reverbation, Erin! Erin! Every thing has enchantment and magic that reminds me of my native land. [Fergus approaches nearer, and then sings a favourite plaintive air of Naisi, to his harp.] * In the season of peace, the hardy amusement of the warriors were hunting, and hurling; the latter, a manly exercise peculiar to our nation. Their intellectual amusements were poetry and music, and their recreative pastime, was the noble game of chess. Ah! listen my dearest, to that strain of Erin's harp! My soul feels rapture in responding to its touching sadness, and to the well known and dearly remembered notes, that breathe the wildness of passion, and the soft tones of the heart. Haste, my brother, Arden, to the beach, and welcome the noble Prince Fergus to the dwelling of exiles. DEIRDRE. My beloved spouse! well I knew the chase blast of Fergus Roy; but I had my reasons for concealing my conviction. NAISI. Why didst thou conceal it then, sweet Queen of my heart? DEIRDRE. Because, Naisi, I have had, for sometime, fearful forebodings in my dreams. Even last night, the delusive visions of sleep were pictured with ominous portents. I thought I was seated on a high rocky precipice, over-looking a stormy ocean; suddenly you were at my side; and I beheld three Cuckoos* coming towards us from Emania, having three drops of honey in their beaks, The CUCKOO is considered, by the Irish peasantry, as a bird of good and evil omen. There is a popular superstition among them, that it is a portentous presage to hear the song of this bird, which in our country is the gay messenger of spring, fasting.-One of our Bards addressed the Cuckoo thus "Delightful visitant! with thee, I hail the time of flowers, And hear the sound of music sweet, Thou hast no sorrow in thy song, No winter in thy year."-Logan. It is truly pleasing of a spring morning, while wandering through meadows of emerald and gold, in Ireland, to hear this singular bird announce the return of spring, in reiterated notes, whose music cheer the imagination, and exhilarate the heart. As American zoologists have said very little of this strange bird, we will give our readers a sketch not found in Goldsmith, of it. The history of the Cuckoo, has been fraught with as many fabulous tales, and as subject to extravagant inventions, as that of the bird of paradise. The fictions which were once currently believed respecting this bird-such as that it devours its parent, that it changes its nature with the season, and becomes a sparrowhawk, are now entirely exploded. But where it resides in winter, or how it provides for its supply during that season, still continues undiscovered by European naturalists. The Irish Cuckoo, which is somewhat less than a pigeon, shaped like a magpie, and of a grayish colour, is distinguished from all other birds, by its round prominent nostrils. After having disappeared during the winter it discovers itself in Ireland, in some ancient grove, of oak, or ash by its well known call. Its note is heard earlier or later, as the season appears to be more or less forward in vegetation, and the weather more or less inviting. The Husbandman is regulated in his sowing of grain, and progress of tillage, by the cheerful notes of the Cuckoo ; in these he has more trust than in the Almanacs, as he considers them more infallible, than any other human calendar. The farmer is never deceived by the Cuckoo-barometer, as to the temperature of the air. This bird is silent for sometime after its first appearance in our groves, and begins, at the approach of spring, feebly, and at very distant intervals, to give its call, which as the summer advances, increases both in frequency and loudness. This is an invitation of love, a wooing song from the male, which generally sits perched upon a withered oak, or bare bough of ash. His note is pleasant, though monotonous, and from an association of ideas, seldom occur to the memory, without reminding us of the charms and pleasantness of summer. It has been ascertained that this bird makes no nest of its own. The female steals, like a thief, to the nest of some other bird, generally the water wagtail, or hedge-sparrow, where she greedily devours the eggs of the unfortunate owner, and lays her own in their place. She usually lays but one, which is beautifully speckled, and of the size of that of a blackbird. This, the fond foolish hedge-sparrow, hatches with great assiduity, and when the young one is excluded, finds no difference in the ill looking changeling from her own. This bird at the approach of winter entirely disappears, and its passage can be traced to no other country. Some naturalists suppose, that it lies hid in hollow trees, and others that it passes into warmer climates. We think that the most probable opinion on this which I imagined they had dropped in the palms of our hands, from whence they extracted three drops of our blood, and then flew away. NAISI. How do you interpret that dream, my darling Princess? DEIRDRE. Why, that Fergus comes unto us with a message of peace from Connor; but though the words of dissimulation are as sweet as honey, they are mixed with the poison of treachery. Naisi, put no trust in Connor's guileful promises, for deadly malice and rancorous revenge, have rendered his heart callous to the feelings of honour and compassion. Go not, oh, I conjure you! in the name of love, to Erin. NAISI. We shall talk of this again, sweet pulse of my heart; but here comes my friend, my gallant companion in arms, Fergus the heir of Ullin's crown. As soon as Fergus entered the tent, where Naisi, Deirdre and Ainli were, they all exchanged embraces. "What are the tales of our beloved native Erin?" said Naisi. FERGUS. My affection be unto you, O, my dear cousins! and to you, Deirdre, of the graceful form, and beauteous countenance. The best tales, I have, are that Connor longs to see you brave warriors, gracing the ranks of his chivalry;-and you too, charming Deirdre, whose loveliness, and Calypso-like symmetry, blend the softness of the woman, with the splendour of the Goddess, he wishes to see shining a radiant beauty among the ladies of his court. I come under condition and guaranty from Connor, for you all. The same order of knighthood, and the same blood, forbid even a doubt of treachery, or a breach of faith, must remove suspicion, and banish fear from your minds. DEIRDRE. Never, with my consent, shall the sons of Usnach return to Connor, the dark-souled monarch. It is not meet for my husband and brothers to go to Ullin, though that fair clime is dear to my regrets and remembrance; besides their sway here is as great as that of Connor in Erin. FERGUS. But fair Deirdre, a residence in the green Isle of our birth, is preferable to dominion in a foreign land. The sight of strange clouds and foreign fields pains the Irish eye. NAISI. You say true, cousin Fergus, here I miss the perfume of the Irish rose, the balmy fragrance of Ullin's atmosphere, and the modulated melody of my native streams of crystalline transparency, flowing through shamrock-clad meadows. FERGUS. You may be confident in going with me, for who in all Erin, not even the supreme monarch, durst molest the first cousins of Connel and Cuchullin* the great champions of Erin's chivalry, whose very name makes kings tremble? subject is, that as quails, and woodcocks shift their habitations in winter, so also does the Cuckoo; but to what country it retires, or whether it has ever been seen on its journey, are questions which we acknowledge ourselves totally incapable of answering. * The sons of Usnach, were the children of the fair Ailbhi, the sister of Deiten and Fincaemh, the beautiful daughters of Caffa, the arch Druid of Ireland, who flourished about a century before the birth of Christ. The following genealogical puem, a literal translation from the Irish, contributed from the late WILLIAM LEAHY, Esq, to the transactions of the Dublin Gaelic Society, proves the kindred of the sons of Usnach to the illustrious Connel Carnach, and Cuchullin. "Fincaeva, Deitin, Alva the serene, Who stood unrivall'd in resplendent mien; Were NAISI, Ainli,-Arden's conq'ring might:- Swept the wide field, and made whole hosts retire." Dundalgan, was the Irish name of Dundalk, the capital of the county of Louth, of which we shall in course, give a local and historical description. It was the patrimony of the renowned Cuchullin. NAISI. We have full confidence in your honour, and in the valour of our Cousins, and the prowess of our own swords; we will, therefore, return with thee to Erin. At these words the lovely Deirdre looked pale and dejected, they depressed her spirits and dismayed her hopes; something told her that a fatal catastrophe awaited Naisi and herself in her native land. In order to dissipate her fears, Fergus thus spoke. "If, Naisi, all the men of Erin were against you, it would avail them not; for no protection would shield, or sword, or helmet be to any, that would be against you, and I with you." NAISI. True, valiant star of heroes, with thee and our Cousins, all Erin, in arms, would not frighten me, and to prove my conviction, we shall go with you to night to Erin. Deirdre, prepare to embark, for I am as impatient to respire the balmy breeze of Erin, as the bee is for the morning sun to light it to the honey-drooping blossom. DEIDRE. I should not refuse to follow you to the sandy desert, but sorrowful are my forebodings, gloomy are my thoughts; I see dangers dire through the mists of futurity. My heart is eloquent in terrible warnings; but heaven grant that my fears are but the delusions of an evil-predicting imagination. (TO BE CONTINUED.) LITERARY AND BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF IRISH AUTHORS AND ARTISTS.-No. X. GEORGE FREDERICK COOKE. "The rival muses own'd th' alternate reign, CHARLES Phillips. The elaborate and amusing biography, which WILLIAM DUNLAP, Esq. of this city, a gentleman whose elegant pen and graphic pencil have enriched and -adorned the literature, and the arts of America,—has given the world of that extraordinary and eccentric genius, GEORGE FREDERICK COOKE, combines in the unfading garland with which he has decked the memory of the great Tragedian, every flower worth gathering; so that we can glean but a few fresh leaves and a little modest verdure, for our humble biographical wreath, in so exhausted a field. Other writers, too, have explored the recesses of Cooke's private life to degrade, or to distinguish the character of the man and the performer; and rancorous malignity and friendly enthusiasm have been equally sedulous to discover and record his merits, and his failings, while vicing with each other in the endeavour to arrest public attention by the gloomy and exaggerated portraiture of his vices, or the emblazoned delineation of his virtues. Indeed the history of George Frederick Cooke is now so universally known, that even inspiration could scarcely illustrate it with any new lights, or succeed in either darkening the shades or brightening the lights of the character, which popular fame has drawn of him for the judgment of posterity. The genius of Cooke having thrown a dark cloud over all competition, must necessarily have attracted the hornets of envy, and furnished an incentive to malevolence as well as admiration; the one was as eager to depreciate and defame, as the other to celebrate in the glowing eulogium of friendship, and George Frederick Cooke. exalt to the eminence of virtue; and never, perhaps, have those opposite interests been more actively employed than on the reputation of the subject of this memoir. The sterling talents of the performer, extorted the pity of rigid morality, which generally threw a veil over the frailties of the man, and thus hid them from the gaze of stern censure. Hence Cooke's fame was borne, by the approbation won by his unrivalled powers, safely through the extremes of obloquy and adulation, and the very attempts of ENVY to obscure his merits, only served to give an additional glow of refulgence to their lustre. pages with this sketch, were it not that we can adduce convincing proofs that its We would not have occupied our subject was POSITIVELY Our countryman, and that Cooke's dramatic fame, must bloom in the wreath which the genius of Erin has woven for Melpomene and Thalia. * GEORGE FREDERICK Cooke, was born in the Royal Barracks, Oxmantowngreen, Dublin, on Saturday the 17th of April, 1756, and in consequence of the sickly and puny state of the child, it was brought on Sunday morning, after divine service, to the church belonging to the Bluecoat Hospital, where it was baptised by the Rev. Henry Pollock, as appears by the baptismal registry of that church, extracted by Dr. Wright, and given in his history of Dublin, published about four years ago in London.-His father's name was William, and his mother's, Hester. The father was a native of Cork, who rose from a private to be a lieutenant in one of the regiments that at this period composed the garrison of Dublin. mother of the Tragedian was the daughter of a wealthy Scotch farmer of the The name of Renton, who, in consequence of his daughter having married a poor Irish soldier for love, conceived a violent and unnatural aversion against her, although he was himself the son of a highland peasant who got possession of affluence by chance, and an auspicious train of fortuitous circumstances. But that inordinate vanity that is the offspring of mushroom opulence, forms a leading feature in the Scottish character, that often exposes it to the shafts of ridicule. do not doubt by any means the moral veracity of Mr. Dunlap, when he says,— We "He informed me, that the place of his birth was Westminster: remarking at the same time, that he was generally supposed to be an Hibernian." validate the accuracy of Cooke's assertion, not Mr. Dunlap's declaration, we Now to inhave the authority of the late LEONARD M'NALLY, Esq. a man, whose high honour and probity of conduct, entitled him to the respect of all who knew him, and forbid, in consequence, any one from suspecting his candour, to say, that Mr. Cooke once candidly told him, in confidence, that he exulted privately at being an Irishman, but that he professed himself an Englishman, to remove the barriers, which prejudice would oppose to his rising to eminence in his profession. "A successful performer, my dear Mac," continued he, "must be a negative patriot. My Irish birth once known, would chain a millstone to my neck, that would sink me for ever." influenced Cooke, that deterred Congreve from avowing himself an Irishman, a It was indeed the dread of prejudice, like this, which base and dishonourable motive which sullied the fame of Swift, and proclaims to The Bluecoat Hospital was founded on the west side of Queen-street, near the city, by Charles II. in 1670, for the education of the children of reduced freemen of Dublin; but the original building, being greatly decayed, was taken down, and re-built in a more elegant style of architecture, in 1773. The front of this edifice is enriched by four Ionic columns, supporting a pediment in the centre, over which the steeple rises, embellished with Corinthian and Composite pillars, in fine classic taste.-Connected with the principal front, by circular walls, ornamented with ballustrades and niches, are the school on one side, and the church on the other;-these form two well proportioned wings, which are of a similar construction; the centre of each being crowned with a steeple, or Roman turret, corresponding with the rest, in uniform harmony and striking beauty. The contiguity of this church to the barracks, accounts for the prudence of not bringing a weak and languid child to one of the distant churches for baptism. |