mysterious suggestions of dark histories, or of those morbid denunciations of imaginary wrongs which abound in the productions of the Byronian school. His complaints are the evident effusions of a mind maddened at finding itself in a state unworthy of its powers, and thus, instead of venting his rage on others, he turned it against his own misdeeds, in giving way to excesses that he scorned, and which he felt degraded him. But even in his aspirations for higher thoughts, he had the same leaven of earth to keep him from attaining them. He had not learned the lessons which Jovellanos inculcated in the Epistle to Bermudez, to seek wisdom where only it ought to be sought; as he might have done even from the heathen poet, that the hidden things of God could not be found out, though he were to traverse over all space in search of them.
- ᾿Αλλ ού γάρ ἃν τά θεία, κρύπτΟντων θεού,
Μάθεις ἃν, ούδ' εί πάντ᾿ έπεξέλθοις σκότων.
- ᾿Αλλ ού γάρ ἃν τά θεία, κρύπτΟντων θεού,
In somewhat of the same strain with these lines is the second canto of his poem, the 'Diablo Mundo,' addressed to Theresa, which, however, has no connexion with the rest of the poem to which it is attached. The verses 'To a Star,' contain also poetical thoughts no less exquisite, though perhaps not of so decided a character; and they are all valuable at least in this, that instead of gilding over vices and follies, they show the confession of one so highly gifted by nature, that the indulgences of sensual gratifications are in reality only sources of unhappiness.
Two other of his poems, 'The Mendicant' and 'The Executioner,' are no less distinguishable for the power of thought and expression they display; but they also unfortunately indicate such objectionable tendencies, as to make «us regret that his extraordinary talents had not been directed to nobler subjects. Not so the two poems selected for translation,
