LCASTLE. WITH a warm heart o'erthronged with many a fear, Stirring poetic thoughts-from year to year Beneath the turret, peopling with the train Just then the visions of far Araby Had spread their fibres round my fancy's spring, The oar's light dip-the rustling vulture's wing Glancing athwart the moonlight,-failed to bring f Genii, magicians, filled the moaning wind And if a lapse of sound, perchance let fall But time subdues romance:-by slow degress, Their heads, and, shuffling on their midnight shroud, At early manhood's dawn, I stood, not proud That these my boyhood's visitants were gone, But chosing Truth's stern lap to lay my head upon. A R. PERCY. A superstition peculiar to that part of the country. LONDON:-Published by HENRY L. HUNT, 38, Tavistock-street, Covent-garden, and 22, Old Bond-street. Price Fourpence; or, if stamped for country circulation free of postage, Sevenpence. Sold by all Booksellers and Newsvenders in town; and by the following Agents in the country: THE LITERARY EXAMINER. No. XV. SATURDAY, OCT. 11, 1823. THE INDICATOR. No. LXXXVII. (For the Indicator.) There he arriving, round about doth fly, Now this, now that, he tasteth tenderly.-SPENSER. THE SPIRIT SEER. WHEN by a strong mental exertion I became sufficiently calm to enter into something like a study of the varying scene before me, а 'sudden perception of the theory of my new acquaintance broke in upon my understanding. These are the spiritual influences, thought I, of which Albert is the temporary slave. "That is obvious, Risberg, but what did you make of them.' "I have told you that the leading failing of my pupil was a facility' at receiving new impressions, and a constant self-abandonment to the most recent. With this predominant caste of character the scene was in perfect accordance. "Cannot you be more particular in your description, Risberg?" "I will endeavour Alfman.-On attending more closely to the extraordinary assemblage by which Albert was surrounded, I observed that in proportion as his appearance denoted a recovery from the langour consequent upon a preceding night of dissipation, the airy grouping around him assumed a sort of pictorial interest and unity-the versatile youth himself occupying the foreground, and his attendants arraying themselves, above, about, and underneath,' mutably indeed, but according to the laws of the strictest perspective. They were numberless, but I can attend only to the most prominent. "Suppose a handsome young man habited in an elegant morning gown, with a moody and melancholy air, carelessly seated in an armed chair; his legs crossed, his head reclining on his hand, and his uppermost foot unconsciously marking time by an undulation like that of a pendulum. Imagine, at the same time, a nondescript being of a severe and contemptuous aspect, whispering into his ear that which, if there be truth in physiognomy, could be nothing but a tissue of stinging reproofs. A tincture of blue, like the bloom on a plumb, was diffused Over VOL. I. 15 I comprehend you, Risberg-a blue devil.' "If you will have it so, I have no objection; the countenance of this tenacious sprite was certainly disagreeable, not to say bilious, which with a clothing and costume almost en capuchin, rendered it extremely forbidding. But although acid and sombre, the expression of the figure and features was not malevolent. "May be so, yet not the most pleasant guest in the world at a morning levee, Risberg, notwithstanding.' "Immediately behind this apparent reprover hovered a pair of very dissimilar shadows. The one shewed an aspect of fierce restlessness, and appeared to yield with reluctance to the ascendancy of the sprite in front, whose predominance seemed to produce a forced acquiescence in a temporary restraint. A low, sly, peering, catlike selfishness glistened in the eye of this disagreeable sprite, in spite of an air of vivacity and enjouement which at first sight conveyed a very contrary impression. How different the figure that stood rather before it, which although of the lightest possible texture, was upon the whole exceedingly fascinating. The face displayed I know not what of bland, but indefinite voluptuousness; the eyes alternately melted with languor and sparkled with fire; and an expression of tenderness was diffused over the whole countenance, which would have been exquisite, except that it partook a little too much of the sensual, and bespoke a something of animal self-abandonment. It was, however, a very beautiful piece of incorporeality, and although kept back for a moment by the sombre influence of the spirit in front, it was evident that it was on the point of getting foremost, and possibly would have succeeded, but for the restraining power of a shadow which seemed to operate, in some degree, in accordance with its sombre companion. The features of this latter spirit were cold, but dignified, and its form, which was visible from head to foot, was very stately and imposing. Its most disagreeable expression was that of inflexible hauteur, which it exhibited most forcibly, whenever the insinuating sprite just described seemed likely to press beyond the cynical monitor, which for the present stood foremost. Yet except in this single circumstance, there appeared no alliance with the latter, but, on the contrary, the lofty spirit seemed to yield the pas with a portion of sullen and resentful disdain. Further in the rear, but with more or less indistinctness, a variety of shadows were seen flitting in misty evolution, the appearance of which was for the most part graceful and imposing. I was particularly struck with one that seemed eternally intent upon soaring out of sight, and which assumed by turns a martial expression, as if inspired by the sound of a trumpet;-a lofty, ambitious, and saturnine air, as if managing the destinies of millions; and a rapt and inspired self-engrossment, like a being lost in the regions of thought, or afloat on the gay wings of imagination. Myriads of intelligences still more faint and indefinite remained behind, which to designate by particular description would be impossible, although some of the most faint and remote would now and then unexpectedly dart forward, and shew their features with comparative distinctness. Few of these were absolutely disagreeable; but the most well favoured seemed repressed by the harshness of the temporary leader. Some of them, however, presented lineaments, that if grave, were not disagreeable, although many of them during their moments of prominency looked extremely capricious and petulant. Upon the whole, the scene was pregnant with significance, and I thought that I began to understand it." "Why, time, place, and circumstance considered, it was tolerably readable; but proceed :' "The brown study of my wayward pupil was interrupted by the entrance of his valet, who seemed to announce the approach of some one (for I did not hear as well as see), and now a new object of wonder presented itself. The servant seemed almost as well attended as his master, in respect to distinctive spirituality, although much less so in that which was more vague and indefinite. You must, however, excuse me from any attempt to describe the shadowy train of a fashionable valet, as I have enough to do with that of the master. 66 6 Willingly, Risberg. Without being too fastidious, although I can conceive the spiritual attendance of valets and chambermaids to be very/ busy, intriguing, and amusing nonentities. I fear a particular description of them would too much impede the march of your narrative.' "I perfectly agree with you, Alfman; I therefore only mention the fact in justice to the spiritual system, and to illustrate a singular result. No sooner had the servant made his announcement, than a rapid evolution took place in the whole of the phantasmagoria attendant upon Albert. The austere spirit still stood forward, but retreated into comparative obscurity while an unusual fire sparkled in the countenance of the sprite, to whose fascinating, but somewhat equivocal loveliness, I have done so little descriptive justice. Escaping the now faint restraint of its former tyrant, the latter rushed forward with tumultuous vivacity. At the next moment my eyes were offended with the appearance of an individual in the highest degree offensive to me, one of the libertine companions of my pupil, called the Baron Carlostein." "This man, who assumed the character of an Austrian of a noble but decayed family, had found the means of being introduced to the high-playing circle of the Countess Von F., whose favour he sought by the most assiduous address, which I often suspected was aided by the constant good luck that attended her adventurous gaming when acting under his advice or influence. The card-purse of the vain and haughty countess was however replenished at a dear rate; for I had received more than one hint that it only enabled this adventurer to mature schemes, which abstracted ten times as much from the reckless spirit of gaming adventure excited in her son. In conformity with my duty, I had exerted myself to convince Albert of the obvious designs of this man, by every means in my power, not omitting some information I had obtained, which rendered his pretensions to rank or nobility extremely doubtful. In some humours, my pupil seemed struck with the intelligence, and half promised to drop him as an intimate friend; but as I never could positively substantiate my suspicion, to my infinité mortification, his influence always prevailed in the sequel, and that by means I could never altogether understand. Albert gamed, and play was becoming habitual with him, but it had not yet become an all-engrossing pursuit. That Carlostein possessed some other source of ascendency, I was satisfied, but all my attempts to solve the mystery had hitherto proved vain. In short, this man headed the association which threatened a total destuction of the hopes of the Von F. famliy, without any ability on my part to establish tablish the fact, or to make that apparent othe to them, which was so evident to me. 1 "When Carlostein appeared to enter the visionary dressing-room of Albert, what an extraordinary scene presented itself! "Contrary to what I had witnessed, even of the valet, the atmosphere that surrounded him was peculiarly circumscribed; and the forms which hovered about him were limited to half-a-dozen, all of them displaying a physiognomy on which were depicted in different proportions, craft, rapacity, and daring. The singularity, in respect to the shadowy at3. tendance on this man, consisted in their comparative steadiness and im>>moveability. When he entered, and with affected cordiality stepped forward to salute Albert, little or no fluctuation took place; and although the more versatile forms around the latter rushed forward, as if to mingle societies and reciprocate, the repulsive principle so philosophically elucidated by Boscovich, seemed to keep them as distinct as oil and water. I wanted no Hungarian to interpret this, Alfman, my suspicion and hatred of the disgusting designer, explained the whole to E me. "The state of the case was tolerably obvious certainly "An earnest conversation appeared to take place between Albert and iCarlostein, of which, as I said before, I heard not a word. This mysterious exhibition was intended to instruct me by the eye alone; through which medium, to my infinite surprise, I gathered enough to convince me that mere dissipation and gaming did not so much engross Albert as I had imagined. As the conference proceeded, almost every spirit disappeared but that which seemed to typify the first love of an amorous boy. Monsieur Bleu in particular, had utterly absconded, and as my wayward and vacillating pupil listened to the plausible eloquence of his ill chosen Achates, this single spirit alone was visible. At length the conference was interrupted by a hasty summons of his valet on the part of Albert, who proceeded to dress, while Carlostein waited. During this process, I was much amused with the coming and going of a number of the spiritual forms and countenances I had observed in the first instance, which seemed to recur at every interval, only to be chased away by the overpowering fascination of the triumphant sprite, which had been roused into such uncontroulable animation, by the conversation of Carlostein. At length Albert peared equipped in appropriate costume for the round of morning visits and dissipation, which were so inconsistently allowed to interfere with my authority, and the studies I was nominally appointed to superintend; and without further ceremony, the ill-assorted friends left the room. + ap "My extraordinary host the Hungarian was no bad machinist: a thickish mist seemed gradually to obscure the dressing-room of Albert, which as suddenly disappeared, and exposed to my wondering. gaze the magnificent apartments of the Countess Von F. The Countess appeared reclined on a magnificent Ottoman attended by the young and beautiful Ida Sternheim, her neice, who, seated on a Tabouret by the side of her aunt, to a casual observer, might appear intently occupied with a piece of embroidery, as her cousin Albert, accom |