THE BATTLE OF SEMPACH.* Then look'd we down to Willisow, The Austrian nobles made their vow, Their onward march they make. "I rede ye, shrive ye of your sins, Before ye farther go; A skirmish in Helvetian hills May send your souls to wo."- It was the Lord of Hare-castle, "O Hare-castle, thou heart of hare!" "Shalt see then how the game will fare," There was lacing then of helmets bright, The peaks they hew'd from their boot-points And thus they to each other said, Will be no boastful tale to tell, The gallant Swiss Confederates there Then heart and pulse throbb'd more and more And down the good Confed'rates The Austrian Lion 'gan to growl, bore And ball, and shaft, and crossbow bolt, [This translation first appeared in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine for February, 1818.-Ed.] All the Swiss clergy who were able to bear arms fought in this patriotic war. In the original, Haasenstein, or Hare-stone. This seems to allude to the preposterous fashion, during the middle ages, of wearing boots with the points or peaks turned upwards, and so long, that in some cases they were fastened to the Lance, pike, and halbert, mingled there, The Austrian men-at-arms stood fast, "I have a virtuous wife at home, I leave them to my country's care,- "These nobles lay their spears right thick, And keep full firm array, Yet shall my charge their order break, He rush'd against the Austrian band, And with his body, breast, and hand, Four lances splinter'd on his crest, Still on the serried files he press'd- This patriot's self-devoted deed First tamed the Lion's mood, Right where his charge had made a lane, And hack, and stab, and thrust. And granted ground amain, The Mountain BullT he bent his brows, Then lost was banner, spear, and shield, The cloister vaults at Konig'sfield It was the Archduke Leopold, So lordly would he ride, But he came against the Switzer churls, The heifer said unto the bull, "One thrust of thine outrageous horn He and his squire a fisher call'd, Receive us in thy boat!" Their anxious call the fisher heard, And while against the tide and wind He should the boatman slay. knees of the wearer with small chains. When they alighted to fight upon foot, it would seem that the Austrian gentlemen found it necessary to cut off these peaks, that they might move with the necessary activity. A pun on the Archduke's name, Leopold. A pun on the URUS, or wild bull, which gives name to the Canton of Uri. THE original of these verses occurs in a collection of German popular songs, entitled, Sammlung Deutschen Volkslieder, Berlin, 1807, published by Messrs. Busching and Von der Hagen, both, and more especially the last, distinguished for their acquaintance with the ancient popular poetry and legendary history of Germany. In the German Editor's notice of the ballad, it is stated to have been extracted from a manuscript Chronicle of Nicolaus Thomann, chaplain to Saint Leonard in Weisenhorn, which bears the date 1533; and the song is stated by the author to have been generally sung in the neighbourhood at that early period. Thomann, as quoted by the German editor, seems faithfully to have believed the event he narrates. He quotes tombstones and obituaries to prove the existence of the personages of the ballad, and discovers that there actually died, on the 11th of May, 1349, a Lady Von Neuffen, Countess of Marstetten, who was, by birth, of the house of Moringer. This lady he supposes to have been Moringer's daughter, mentioned in the ballad. He quotes the same authority for the death of Berckhold Von Neuffen, in the same year. The editors, on the whole, Seem to embrace the opinion of Professor Smith of Ulm, who from the language of the ballad, ascribes its date to the 15th century. seven years shalt thou rule my towers, and lead my vassal train, pledge thee for my Lady's faith till I return again." VIII. Chamberlain was blunt and true, and sturdily said he, Abide, my lord, and rule your own, and take this rede from me; That The legend itself turns on an incident not peculiar to Germany, and which, perhaps, was not unlikely to happen in more instances than one, when crusaders abode long in the Holy Land, and their disconsolate dames received no tidings of their fate. A story very similar in circumstances, but without the I'll miraculous machinery of Saint Thomas, is told of one of the ancient lords of Haigh-hall in Lancashire, the patrimonial inheritance of the late Countess of Balcarras; and the particulars are represented on stained glass upon a window in that ancient manor-house.* The translation of the Noble Moringer appeared originally in the Edinburgh Annual Register for 1916, (published in 1819.) It was composed during Sir Walter Scott's severe and alarming llness of April, 1819, and dictated, in the intervals of exquisite The His woman's faith's a brittle trust-Seven twelve months didst thou say? pledge me for no lady's truth beyond the seventh fair day." IX. noble Baron turn'd him round, his heart was full of care, gallant Esquire stood him nigh, he was Mar- pain, to his daughter Sophia, and his friend William Laidlaw,— To whom he spoke right anxiously, "Thou trusty | He waked in fair Bohemian land outstretch'd beside squire to me, Wilt thou receive this weighty trust when I am o'er the sea? a rill, High on the right a castle stood, low on the left a mill. It was the noble Moringer to climb the hill began, And stood before the bolted gate a wo and weary And whisper'd in his ear a voice, "'Tis time, Sir" Thy lady and thy heritage another master take. XV. "Thy tower another banner knows, thy steeds another rein, And stoop them to another's will thy gallant vassal train; And she, the Lady of thy love, so faithful once and fair, This night within thy father's hall she weds Mar stetten's heir.' man; Now help me, every saint in heaven that can compassion take, To gain the entrance of my hall this woful match to break." XXIV. His very knock it sounded sad, his call was sad and slow, For heart and head, and voice and hand, were heaAnd to the warder thus he spoke: "Friend, to thy vy all with wo; pilgrim from Saint Thomas' land craves harbour Lady say, for a day. A It was the stalwart warder then he came his dame before, "A pilgrim, worn and travel-toil'd, stands at the castle door: And prays, for sweet Saint Thomas' sake, for harbour and for dole, And for the sake of Moringer, thy noble husband's soul." SONGS THE NORMAN HORSESHOE. AIR-The War-Song of the Men of Glamorgan. The Welsh, inhabiting a mountainous country, and possessing only an inferior breed of horses, were usually unable to encounter the shock of the Anglo-Norman cavalry. Occasionally, however, they were successful in repelling the invaders; and the following verses are supposed to celebrate a defeat of CLARE, Earl of Striguil and Pembroke, and of NEVILLE, Baron of Chepstow, Lords-Marchers of Monmouthshire. Rymny is a stream which divides the counties of Monmouth and Glamorgan: Caerphili, the scene of the supposed battle, is a vale upon its banks, dignified by the ruins of a very ancient castle. |