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GENEVRA.

I.

Thine eyes' blue tenderness, thy long fair hair,
And the wan lustre of thy features-caught
From contemplation-where serenely wrought,
Seems Sorrow's softness charm'd from its despair-
Have thrown such speaking sadness in thine air,
That but I know thy blessed bosom fraught
With mines of unalloy'd and stainless thought-
I should have deem'd thee doom'd to earthly care.
With such an aspect, by his colours blent,

When from his beauty-breathing pencil born, (Except that thou hast nothing to repent)

The Magdalen of Guido saw the morn

Such seem'st thou; but how much more excellent! With nought Remorse can claim, nor Virtue scorn.

II.

Thy cheek is pale with thought, but not from woe,
And yet so lovely, that if Mirth could flush
Its rose of whiteness with the brightest blush,
My heart would wish away that ruder glow:
And dazzle not thy deep-blue eyes; but, oh!
While gazing on them sterner eyes will gush,
And into mine my mother's weakness rush,
Soft as the last drops round heaven's airy bow.
For, through thy long dark lashes, low depending,
The soul of melancholy Gentleness

Gleams like a seraph from the sky descending,
Above all pain, yet pitying all distress-
At once such majesty with sweetness blending,
I worship more, but cannot love thee less.

BYRON.

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It must be matter of deep regret that at the period of the reformation in Scotland so many of the noble ecclesiastical edifices should have fallen a prey to the fury of the mob, not unfrequently urged on by the preachers. John Knox is reported to have said, "that the sure way to banish the rooks was to pull down their nests"-whether the report be true or not, it is not likely that he meant the cathedrals and abbey churches; "which words," to use the language of Spotiswood (if any such did escape him) were to be understood of the cloisters of monks and friars only, according to the act passed in council. But popular fury, once armed, can keep no measure, nor do any thing with advice and judgment."

Glasgow Cathedral-the only one entire in Scot land (with the exception of that of St. Magnus, in the Orkneys, at Kirkwall)-was indebted for its preservation to the energy of its citizens. The magistrates being prevailed on by the principal of the university and protestant clergy of the neighbourhood to destroy the fabric, a large concourse of labourers were hired as speedily as possible to accomplish the work, and assembled to do so; but the craftsmen, in arms, took possession of the church, and threatened with instant death the individual who moved the first stone. The cathedral stands on a very elevated situation at the northern part of the High-street of Glasgow, and commands a very extensive view of the surrounding country.

On the restoration of episcopacy, during the prelacy of archbishop Spotiswood, the roof of the cathedral, which at the time of the riots had been stripped of its lead, was begun to be renewed; and, on his translation to the primacy of St. Andrew's in 1615, his successor, archbishop Law, completed the roof. The see had now been deprived of a great portion of its emoluments, and the clergy were in a very depressed state.

The great tower fo: as a cube of 30 feet. It is surmounted by a pierced quatrefoiled parapet, with square turreted pinnacles at the angles, On a level with the edge of the roof are four lanceted windows, or rather one window divided by clustered piers equal to the lights. On this stands the octagonal spire, divided about midway up by a pierced quatrefoiled projecting gallery; a second one encircling it nearer the top. In the compartments thus formed ornamented windows are alternately placed.

The height from the floor to the weathercock is 220 feet.

The choir is described as affording a most beautiful specimen of English Gothic architecture, and as being in excellent order. Its length to the Lady chapel is 97 feet, the width 30 feet, and each of the aisles 16 feet 3 inches. The arrangements made, however, for the convenience of a presbyterian congregation, by the introduction of galleries, neces sarily detracts from its grandeur, and the individual who has visited the cathedrals in England cannot fail to observe that injurious effect. The neigh bouring abbey of Paisley-the nave of which is the only part of it entire is fitted up for a similar purpose, being the parochial church; and the effect of its grandeur is entirely effaced by cumbersome deal pews of every shape, hue, and character, by uucouth galleries, and a kind of mock stone composition, with which the walls have been recently

daubed.

The windows in the choir of Glasgow cathedral are of various patterns.

The Lady chapel is entered from either of the aisles of the choir. It is a double cross aisle, 28 feet from the choir to the eastern wall, and in length the same as the width of the cathedral and its aisles. The architectural beauties of this portion of the building are very striking.

The beautiful stained glass of the oriels had been broken at the riots, and the oriels blocked up with rough masonry; and in this condition the cathedral remained until 1802, when the choir, or, as it is now called, the inner high church, was repaired. In 1804 government expended about £400 on the structure. In 1805 the heritors of the barony parish, who had their place of worship in the crypt, and in it is huug the solitary bell. having erected a church of their own, that portion of the cathedral was evacuated. In 1836 a new church was erected for the congregation which used to meet in the nave, or outer high church; the partition wall has consequently been removed, and the nave cleared throughout its whole length.

The chapter-house, founded by Lauder, is a cube, measuring internally 28 feet; the roof supported by one central column.

The western tower is attached to the northwestern portion of the nave, from the grandeur of which it materially detracts. It is about 120 feet high

The nave proper is 155 feet in length, and 30 in breadth; the north aisle 15 feet 9 inches, the south 16 feet 9 inches. The columns are seven in number on each side.

The floors of the transepts are elevated 3 feet above the level of the nave, and are reached from the aisles by a flight of five steps.

The crypt was long used as a place of worship beneath the choir and the Lady chapel, 125 feet by but is now disused for that purpose. It extends 62; the height under the choir being 15 feet, by the descent of the floor increases to about 20 feet. The piers are very varied. At the castern end is a tomb, supposed to be that of St. Mung; though Mr. M'Lellan thinks it is that of bishop Joceline.

Bishop Blackadder's crypt, over which it was intended that the south transept should be erected, contains some of the finest workmanship about the

cathedral.

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