fowl, and fermentry, frontignac, flip, and fare fit for the fastidious; fruit, fuss, flambeaux, four fat fiddlers and fifers; and the frightful form of the fortunate and frumpish fiend fell from him, and he fell at Fenella's feet a fair-favored, fine, frank, freeman of the forest. Behold the fruits of filial affection."

ACROSTICS.

THE acrostic, though an old and favorite form of verse, in our own language has been almost wholly an exercise of ingenuity, and has been considered fit only for trivial subjects, to be classed among nugæ literariæ. The word in its derivation includes various artificial arrangements of lines, and many fantastic conceits have been indulged in. Generally the acrostic has been formed of the first letters of each line; sometimes of the last; sometimes of both; sometimes it is to be read downward, sometimes upward. An ingenious variety called the Telestich, is that in which the letters beginning the lines spell a word, while the letters ending the lines, when taken together, form a word of an opposite meaning, as in this instance :

Unite and untie are the same-so say yo U.
Not in wedlock, I ween, has this unity bee N.
In the drama of marriage each wandering gou T
To a new face would fly-all except you and I-
E ach seeking to alter the spell in their scen E.

Although the fanciful and trifling tricks of poetasters have been carried to excess, and acrostics have come in for their share of satire, the origin of such artificial poetry was of a higher dignity. When written documents were yet rare, every artifice was employed to enforce on the attention or fix on the memory the verses sung by bards or teachers. Alphabetic associations formed obvious and convenient aids for this purpose. In the Hebrew Psalms of David, and in other parts of Scripture, striking specimens occur. The peculiarity is not retained in the translations, but is indicated in the common

version of the 119th Psalm by the initial letters prefixed to its divisions. The Greek Anthology also presents examples of acrostics, and they were often used in the old Latin language. Cicero, in his treatise "De Divinatione," has this remarkable passage:-"The verses of the Sybils (said he) are distinguished by that arrangement which the Greeks call Acrostic; where, from the first letters of each verse in order, words are formed which express some particular meaning; as is the case with some of Ennius's verses, the initial letters of which make 'which Ennius wrote!'

Among the modern examples of acrostic writing, the most remarkable may be found in the works of Boccacio. It is a poem of fifty cantos, of which Guinguenè has preserved a specimen in his Literary History of Italy.

A successful attempt has recently been made to use this form of verse for conveying useful information and expressing agreeable reflections, in a volume containing a series of acrostics on eminent names, commencing with Homer, and descending chronologically to our own time. The alphabetic necessity of the choice of words and epithets has not hindered the writer from giving distinct and generally correct character to the biographical subjects, as may be seen in the following selections, which are as remarkable for the truth and discrimination of the descriptions as for the ingenuity of the diction:

GEORGE HERBERT.

Good Country Parson, cheerful, quaint,

E ver in thy life a saint,

O'er thy memory sweetly rise
R are old Izaak's eulogies,
Giving us, in life-drawn hue,
E ach loved feature to our view.

Holy Herbert, humble, mild,
E 'en as simple as a child,
Ready thy bounty to dispense,
Beaming with benevolence,
E ver blessing, ever blest,
Rescuing the most distrest;

Thy "Temple" now is Heaven's bright rest.

DRYDEN.

Deep rolls on deep in thy majestic line.
Rich music and the stateliest march combine;
Yet, who that hears its high harmonious strain
Deems not thy genius thou didst half profane?
Exhausting thy great power of song on themes
Not worthy of its strong, effulgent beams.

REYNOLDS.

Rare Painter! whose unequall'd skill could trace
E ach light and shadow of the changeful face;
Young "Samuel's," now, beaming with piety,
Now the proud "Banished Lord's" dark misery,
Or "Ugolino's" ghastly visage, wild,

Looking stern horror on each starving child;
Delights not less of social sort were thine,

S uch as with Burke, or e'en with Johnson shine.

BURKE.

Brilliant thy genius 'mongst a brilliant throng;

U nique thy eloquence of pen and tongue;
Rome's Tully loftier flights could scarce command,
Kindling thy soul to thoughts that matchless stand
E ver sublime and beautiful and grand.

HUBER.

How keen thy vision, e'en though reft of sight!
U sing with double power the mind's clear light:
B ees, and their hives, thy curious ken has scanned,

E ach cell, with geometric wisdom planned,

R ich stores of honied knowledge thus at thy command.

CRABBE.

Copyist of Nature-simply, sternly true,-
Real the scenes that in thy page we view.
"A mid the huts where poor men lie" unknown,
B right humor or deep pathos thou hast thrown.
Bard of the "Borough" and the "Village," see-
E 'en haughty Byron owns he's charm'd by thee.

WALTER SCOTT.
Wondrous Wizard of the North,
A rmed with spells of potent worth!
Like to that greatest Bard of ours,
T he mighty magic of thy powers:
E 'en thy bright fancy's offspring find
Resemblance to his myriad mind.

Such the creations that we see-
Character, manners, life in thee-
Of Scotia's deeds, a proud display,
The glories of a bygone day;

T by genius foremost stands in all her long array.

LAMB.

Like the bright impress of thy genial mind,
A re "Elia's" essays, humorous, gay, refined:
M ost amiable wert thou, gentle, brave,
Burying all thought of self, as in a living grave.

SOUTHEY.

Serenely bright thy life's pure stream did glide,
On sweet romantic Derwentwater's side.
Under great Skiddaw-there, in Epic lays,
T hou dream'dst a poet's dreams of olden days,
How Madoc wandered o'er the Atlantic wave,
Eastern Kehama, Roderic the brave,

Years cannot from our fondest memory lave.

WORDSWORTH.

Wandering, through many a year, 'mongst Cumbria's hills,
O'er her wild fells, sweet vales, and sunny lakes,
Rich stores of thought thy musing mind distills,
Day-dreams of poesy thy soul awakes:-
Such was thy life-a poet's life, I ween;
Worshipper thou of Nature! every scene
Of beauty stirred thy fancy's deeper mood,
Reflection calmed the current of thy blood:
Thus in the wide "Excursion" of thy mind,
High thoughts in words of worth we still may find.

WILSON.

When shall we look upon thy like again?
In a fine frenzy dashing, thy bright pen,
Lively with wit, full of a poet's fire,

S mit with the love of Nature's wild attire,

O'er mountain, moor, and loch now loves to rove,

Now, in day-dreams, which "night's ambrosial" prove.

ROGERS.

Rivaling the Bard of Hope,

Or e'en in smoothness polished Pope;

Graceful is thy "Memory,"

Enchanting thy fair "Italy,"

R are thy skill in fancy's strife,

Sweet thy pictured "Human Life."

IRVING.

In easy, natural, graceful charm of style,
Resembling Goldy's "Vicar,"-free from guile :

V ein of rich humor through thy "Sketch-Book" flows,
Imagination her bright colors shows.

No equal hast thou 'mongst thy brother band,
Genial thy soul, worthy our own loved land.

MACREADY.

Master Tragedian! worthy all our praise.

A ction and utterance such as bygone days
Could oftener boast, were thine. Need we but name
Roman Virginius? while our Shakspeare's fame
E ver 'twas thy chief joy and pride to uprear,
A nd give us back Macbeth, Othello, Lear.
Delight to thousands oft thou gav'st, and now
Years of calm lettered case 'tis thine to know.

KNIGHT.

Knowledge diffusing of most useful kind,
Not for the favored few, but striving many,
In philanthropic energy of mind,

Gives thee a place scarcely surpassed by any;

H anding thee down 'mongst knights of prouder name.
T hine, too, the praise of spreading Shakspeare's fame.

MACAULAY.

Masterly critic! in whose brilliant style

A nd rich historic coloring-breathes again-
Clothed in most picturesque costume the while-
All the dim past, with all its bustling train.

Under this vivid, eloquent painting, see

Life given anew to our old history's page;

A nd in thy stirring ballad poetry,

Youth's dreams of ancient Rome once more our minds engage.

LONGFELLOW.

Lays like thine have many a charm;

O ft thy themes the heart must warm.

Now o'er Slavery's guilt and woes,
Grief and shame's deep hues it throws;
Far up Alpine heights is heard
"Excelsior," now the stirring word;
"Life's Psalm," now, onward is inviting,
Longings for nobler deeds exciting;
O'er Britain now resounds thy name,
While States unborn shall swell thy fame.