that we may distinguish Certain from Uncertain Things, and Day from Night." Tr. of 2nd ed., by Mr. Mead and Mr. Foxton, Lond., 1736, p. 86 f. Thomas Burnet (1635 ?-1715), from whose Archæologiæ Philosophica―a treatise on the Origin of Things-the extract is drawn, was Master of the Charter-house School and Chaplain to William III.; author likewise of other Latin works,--The Sacred Theory of the Earth, The Faith and Duties of Christians, etc. PART I. 1. 1. It is an ancient Mariner. This archaism is imitated from the ballads. It was a Friar of orders gray Walkt forth to tell his beades. -The Friar of Orders Gray, 1. 1. (Percy's Reliques.) It was a Knight in Scotland borne, etc. -The Fair Flower of Northumberland, 1. 1. (Child's ancient. Suggesting not only aged but also belonging to olden times. "It was a delicate thought to put the weird tale not into the author's own mouth, but into that of an ancient mariner, who relates it with dreamy recollection.". Brandl, p. 202. 1. 3. By thy long gray beard. Swearing by the beard is not rare in older literature. Touch. Swear by your beards that I am a knave. Cel. By our beards, if we had them, thou art.-Shakspere, As You Like It, i. ii. Cf. Richard of Almaigne, 11. 32, 38. (Percy's Reliques). But here it is more than an explitive. It gives picturesque suggestion of the appearance of the Mariner without the effort of description. 1. 3.—and glittering eye eye insanity. 1798-1805, and thy glittering The glitter of the eye characterizes some kinds of 1. 4.-stopp'st thou me? 1798-1805, Stoppest me? 1. 8.-May'st hear. This omission of "thou" is somewhat frequent in older literature in questions, and not unknown in statements. (Abbott, Shaks. Gr. SS241, 401.) It was she First told me thou wast mad; then [thou] cam'st in smiling. Page 2. 1. 9. He holds him, etc. The 1798 ed. reads: But still he holds the wedding-guest There was a Ship, quoth he "Nay, if thou's got a laughsome tale, 66 Marinere! come with me. "" He holds him with his skinny hand, Quoth he, there was a Ship "Now get thee hence, thou grey-beard Loon! Or my staff shall make thee skip." 11. 9, 13.--He holds him.... He holds him. The repetition here and throughout the poem (see ll. 23 f, 25 f, 29, 59 f, 68, etc.) should be noted as a leading stylistic peculiarity of the A. M. Though used by C. with infinitely greater effect and variety than it was used in the ballads, it has still its source in the ballad literature. Compare, for example, And when the(y) came to Kyng Adlands halls, And when they came to Kyng Adlands hall -King Estmere, 1. 31 ff. (Percy's Reliques.) Now Christe thee save, thou little foot-page, -The Child of Elle, 11. 13, 14, 21, 25. (Percy's Reliques.) Mak hast, mak hast, my mirry men all.... Late late yestreen [yester(day) even] I saw the new moone.... O lang, lang, may the ladies stand. -Sir Patrick Spence, 11. 21, 25, 33, 37. (Percy's Reliques.) 1. 11.-gray-beard loon. The loon is a water-fowl that affords, from its behaviour when frightened, a stock comparison for oddly behaving people. Cf. "crazy as a loon." Away, away, thou thriftless loone; -The Heir of Linne, 1. 69. (Percy's Reliques.) The devil damn thee black, thou cream-faced loon. 1. 12.-eftsoons. -Shakspere, Macbeth, v. iii. 11. A compound of eft, AS. æft, (cf. after), again, after; and soon, AS. sōne, soon, with adverbial suffix 8 (cf. while, whiles):-soon after; or here, at once, 'forthwith.' An archaism from Spenser and the ballads: Eftsoones he gan apply relief Of salves and med'cines. -Spenser, F.Q., i. x. xxiv, And eke the stout St. George eftsoon He made the dragon follow. -St. George for England, 1. 299 f. (Percy's Reliques.) 1. 15. Three years' child.-1798, three year's child; 1817, 1829, three years child: 1. 22.-drop. Put to sea with the ebbing tide. 1. 23.-kirk―The Scotch and Northern English form of church (AS. cyric), preserving the c's hard, while Midland and Southern English assibilated them. The touches of Northern dialect in A.M. are significant proof of the influence of Northern ballad poetry. "There is scarcely," says Percy, an old historical song or ballad, wherein a minstrel or harper appears but he is characterized by way of eminence to have been of the north countrye.' 1. 32. bassoon. A reed-instrument, keyed like a clarinet, but blown from the side by a bent metal mouthpiece. It furnishes the bass for the wood wind-instruments, such as the flutes, clarinets, etc. (Ital. bassone, augmentative of basso, low.) Page 3. 1. 34.-Red as a rose. A stock comparison in the ballads. Her cheeks were like the roses red, -Dowsabell, 1. 92. (Percy's Reliques.) Then Sir George Bowes he straightway rose. -The Rising in the North, 1. 109. (Percy's Reliques.) Our king he kept a false stewarde. -Sir Aldingar 1. 1. (Percy's Reliques.) 11. 41-54.-And now the storm blast, etc. 1798. Listen, Stranger! Storm and Wind, A Wind and Tempest strong! For days and weeks it play'd us freaks- Listen, Stranger! Mist and Snow, And it grew wond'rous cauld: And Ice mast-high came floating by As green as Emerauld. In 1802-5 the reading is nearer our text, but still lacks the splendid figure of 11. 45-50: But now the Northwind came more fierce. There came a Tempest strong! And Southward still for days and weeks Like Chaff we drove along. And now there came both Mist and Snow, etc. 1. 46. As who pursued, etc. This use of the relative who without antecedent is archaic. 1. 47. And I will set this foot of mine as far As who goes farthest. -Shakspere, Julius Caesar, i. iii. 119. Still treads the shadow. "Still" has an archaic sense here, ever. The shadow of his pursuing enemy already reaches his feet, but ever he presses on. Clifts 1. 55. through the drifts the snowy clifts, etc. (cf. Is. lvii. 5) is a secondary form of cliff, showing the influence of clift (secondary form of cleft). The light reflected from the snowy summits cast a desolate splendour through the great masses of floating ice. 1. 56.-sheen. Sheen is used, first, as an adjective,= bright (AS. scene, bright, shining), as in l. 314; as a noun, -brightness, splendour, as here. 1. 57. nor shapes....nor beasts. archaic form: The 1798 text has the Ne shapes of men ne beasts we ken. Ne for nor similarly was the first reading in ll. 116, 122, 158, 332, 441, 453, 543. 1. 57.-ken. (AS. cennan, to cause to know, from cann, know, can); here descry, see. Page 4. 1. 62.-Like noises in a swound. In 1805 this read, A wild and ceaseless sound. swound. An archaic or provincial form of swoon. Swoon is Mid. Eng. swoune, on which grew a d, as in sound (Fr. son), expound, etc. (Cf. the vulgar pronunciation drownd, gownd, etc.) The basis of the simile is the excessive pulse, hammering in the ears, which sometimes precedes syncope. Noises, it is said also, are sometimes magnified during the attack. My ears throb hot; my eyeballs start; My brain with horrid tumult swims; etc. - albatross. -Coleridge, New Year's Ode. 1. 63. See Circumstances of composition. The passage in Shelvocke's Voyage, which suggested the Albatross of our poem is as follows.-Captain Shelvocke is describing the coast of Patagonia." These (Pintado birds) were accompadied by Albitrosses, the largest sort of sea-fowl, some of them extending their wings 12 or 13 foot." It is however more interesting to see that the suggestions of the ominous character of the albatross, its death |