544 THE BANNER AND DISCONTENTED EARLS. bright and original conception of the harp, is not quite so intelligible as might have been desired. The harp in lowliness obey'd: And first we sang of the green-wood shade; Beginning, where the song must end, With her, and with her sylvan Friend ; Of love, upon a hopeless earth." This solitary maid, we are then told, had wrought, at the request of her father, "an unblessed work" Too perfectly his headstrong will: The five dear wounds our Lord did bear." The song then proceeds to describe the rising of Northumberland and Westmoreland, in the following lofty and spirited strains:— "Two earls fast leagu'd in discontent, Who gave their wishes open vent; And boldly urg'd a general plea, The rites of ancient piety To be by force of arms renew'd; Glad prospect for the multitude! And that same Banner, on whose breast The blameless Lady had exprest, Memorials chosen to give life, And sunshine to a dangerous strife; The poet, however, puts out all his strength in the dehortation which he makes Francis Norton address to his father, when the preparations are completed, and the houshold is ready to take the field. The warlike father makes no answer to this exquisite address, but turns in silent scorn to the banner, "And his wet eyes are glorified;" and forthwith he marches out, at the head of his sons. and retainers. Francis is very sad when thus left alone in the mansion and still worse when he sees his sister sitting under a tree near the door. However, though "he cannot choose but shrink and sigh," he goes up to her and Gone are they, bravely, though misled, With a dear Father at their head! The Sons obey a natural lord; The Father had given a solemn word To noble Percy, and a force Still stronger bends him to his course. In deep and awful channel runs After a great deal more, as touching and sensible, he applies himself more directly to the unhappy case of his hearer-whom he thus judiciously comforts and flatters: "Hope nothing, if I thus may speak To thee a woman, and thence weak; VOL. II. Hope nothing, I repeat; for we All prayers for this cause, or for that! It is impossible, however, to go regularly on with this goodly matter. The third Canto brings the Nortons and their banner to the head quarters of the insurgent Earls; and describes the first exploits of those conscientious warriors; who took possession of the Cathedral of Durham, Elated by this triumph they turn to the south. So they agree to march back again; at which old Norton is sorely afflicted- and Francis takes the opportunity to renew his dehortations but is again repulsed with scorn, and falls back to his station in the rear. The Fourth Canto shows Emily walking by the fish ponds and harbours of Rylstone, in a fine moonshiny night, with her favourite white Doe not far off. "Yet the meek Creature was not free, For thrice hath she approach'd, this day, SUMMARY FATE OF THE NORTONS. 547 However, they are tolerably reconciled that evening; and by and by, just a few minutes after nine, an old retainer of the house comes to comfort her, and is sent to follow the host and bring back tidings of their success. The worthy yeoman sets out with great alacrity; but not having much hope, it would appear, of the cause, says to himself as he goes, 66 6 Grant that the moon which shines this night, Things however had already come to a still worse issue -as the poet very briefly and ingeniously intimates in the following fine lines: They had made a rash assault, it seems, on Barnard Castle, and had been all made prisoners, and forwarded to York for trial. The fifth canto shows us Emily watching on a commanding height for the return of her faithful messenger; who accordingly arrives forthwith, and tells, as gently as could be,' the unhappy catastrophe which he had come soon enough to witness. The only comfort he can offer is, that Francis is still alive. 66 To take his life they have not dar'd. Nor vainly struggled in the might Of duty seeing with clear sight."- p. 85. He then tells how the father and his eight sons were led out to execution; and how Francis, at his father's request, took their banner, and promised to bring it back to Bolton Priory. The Sixth Canto opens with the homeward pilgrimage of this unhappy youth; and there is something so truly forlorn and tragical in his situation, that we should really have thought it difficult to have given an account 548 WORDSWORTH PERPLEXITIES OF FRANCIS. of it without exciting some degree of interest or emotion. Mr. Wordsworth, however, reserves all his pathos for describing the whiteness of the pet doe, and disserting about her perplexities and her high communion, and participation of Heaven's grace; and deals in this sort with the orphan son, turning from the bloody scaffold of all his line, with their luckless banner in his hand. He look'd about like one betray'd; What hath he done? what promise made? Oh weak, weak moment! to what end Can such a vain oblation tend, Again this piteous object see? Such conflict long did he maintain Its will intelligibly shown, p. 99, 100. His death is not much less pathetic. A troop of the Queen's horse surround him, and reproach him, we must confess with some plausibility, with having kept his hands unarmed, only from dread of death and forfeiture, while he was all the while a traitor in his heart. The sage Francis answers the insolent troopers as follows: |