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RECOLLECTIONS OF MAY.

which few crowned heads have been celebrated -few even of those among whom poetry seems more congenial, the "Squires of Low Degree." King James's poetry is little known; less known than it ought to be. His sorrows and his songs are almost wholly forgotten; and they would have been entirely so, perhaps, but for Irving's paper in "the Sketch Book."

The month of MAY is redolent of many pleasing recollections. It brings back again the days of childhood, with all its joyous feelings; the escape from the nursery, and the exuberance of animal delight, with which we bounded over the green turf, "dewy with nature's tear-drops." We weave the wreath of May-flowers afresh, and triumphantly decorate ourselves with a rustic coronet. Again, in imagination, we walk into the sweet meadows and green woods, there to rejoice our spirits with the beauty and savour of sweet flowers, and with the noise of birds, praising God in their kind *" And yet what days may have intervened since that period and the

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* Stowe, speaking of the ancient usages of a May-day morning.

BEAUTIFUL SCENE OFF ELBA.

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present,—what months of vanity, and wearisome nights! Alas! the recollection, gratifying as it is, seems but like wild flowers springing above a grave; associated, at the same moment, with thistles and hemlock!

Monday, 2d May. We were nearly becalmed this evening off the Island of Elba. The moon rose transcendantly beautiful, and poured down a silver rivulet of light upon the quiet surface of the ocean. The rocky coast of Elba lay upon our left in the shade of its own. loftiness; and the air was so temperate, the ship, with her sky-sails set, looked so stately, the waters were so deeply blue and still, the moon so bright and pure, that it had almost the feeling of enchantment.

Tuesday, 3d May.-It is impossible to converse long with Lord Hastings and not derive some valuable information. His remarks relative to India, are very entertaining, and interest me exceedingly. To-day the unicorn coming upon the tapis, his lordship observed, that he had no doubt of its actual existence. During his presidency in India, a native from the interior was desired to sketch out such animals as he had seen, with charcoal; and to

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ANECDOTE RESPECTING THE UNICORN.

give some description of their mode of life, for the purpose of ascertaining whether he was familiar with any that were unknown to Europeans. Amongst the rest, he drew a unicorn, at the same time being totally ignorant of the curiosity attached to it. It was delineated with the horn somewhat curved, and (I think his lordship said) fluted. Its feet resembled those of a stag, and its tail was curled or twisted like that of a pig. The communication thus made, was immediately acted upon. Lord Hastings sent the drawing to one of the native princes, an ally of the British, and one who had received considerable favours at their hands, with a request that he would signify whether such a thing existed, and whether it were possible to obtain a specimen. The answer was satisfactory. It stated, that though the animal had occasionally been taken, yet that it was by no means common; that it was extremely fleet of foot, ferocious, and shy; that they were only enabled to obtain them by penetrating to their haunts, entirely covered with green branches, and shooting them from the ambush. He promised withal, to send the first specimen that could be taken to the governor. It is to be

EXISTENCE OF THE UNICORN.

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regretted, that this never came; but the fact of their existence cannot now be discredited. That point may fairly be set at rest.

As I have mentioned the subject of the unicorn, perhaps it will not be disagreeable to many, if I lay before them the ideas of the ancients on this topic. Rejecting what is clearly fabulous, the remainder is not so utterly out of resemblance as to make the description impertinent.

"Monoceros is a beast with one horn, called therefore by the name of unicorn; and albeit there be many horned beasts which may improperly be called unicorns, yet that which is the right unicorn indeed, is like unto a colt of two years and a half old, which hath naturally but one horn, and that a very rich one, which groweth out of the middle of his forehead; being a horn of such virtue as is in no beasts horn besides; which, whilst some have gone about to deny, they have secretly blinded the eyes of the world from their full view of the greatness of God's great works. For were it not said that the horn were excellent and of surpassing power, I persuade myself it would never be doubted whether there were an uni

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corn or no.

EXISTENCE OF THE UNICORN.

But that there is such a peculiar beast, the Scripture, both in Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Job, and the Book of Psalms, doth bear us witness. In all which places how do expositors translate the original word, but thus, unicorns, or monoceros, which, in English, is an unicorn?

“And again, it is the testimony of Ludovicus Vertomannus, alleged by Gesner, Topsell, and others, that he himself saw a couple of the true unicorns at Mecca, in Arabia; one whereof had a horn of three cubits, being of the bigness of a colt two years and a half old. The other was much less, and his horn shorter, about a span long, for it was but young; and both these were sent to the sultan of Mecca, for a rare present, by the king of Ethiopia, who ever desireth to be in league with the said sultan, thinking nothing too dear to maintain his amity. And certainly he could not send him a gift more welcome, especially this being a beast so rare, and seldom seen; which may be, in regard that it is a creature delighting in nothing more than in a remote and solitary life.

"The colour of these thus sent, was like a weasel-coloured horse, the head like the head

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