POETRY.

A PARALLEL [" Look hero, upon this picture, and on this ;

The counterpart presentment of two brothers."]

As some bedizened juggler at a fair, With bleared eyes blinking in the footlights' glare, With hand on breast, and head with tinsel crowned, Grins to the grinning numskulls hustling round ; And as his ears drink in their fatuous shout, Believes himself "the greatest Wonder out," And now one trick, and yet another tries,

While blue-lights flare, and rockets rend the skies,— Too dazed to see, too self-absorbed to hear, The sights, the sounds of terror drawing near ; Knows not—or knowing, cares not—that the town Burns with the fire his reckless hand has thrown,—

So stands he, in his plenitude of power,

Illustrious Cagliostro of the hour,—

To whom the world is, and has ever been, Less real than the actor's mimic scene ; Men hollower than the Stage's hollow shams ;

Ruled by chicane and "cheek "—plus epigrams—

Reckless of Truth and Honour's sacred laws, So brainless " Jingoes " bellow coarse applause ; Reckless though Commerce languish, Freedom die, Blood flow like water, scorn and contumely Fall upon Crown and People, so that he May pose as lord of the world's destiny, High Jove of persiflage ! and hurl abroad His igneous word-bolts worthy such a god !

While ever louder gathers from afar The growl of hate, the tramp of coming war ; And outraged Justice calls from clime to clime, "England, beware : I watch,—and bide my time !"

And this is "Peace, with Honour ?"—such the phrase He mouthed! while listening Europe, in amaze, Heard the mad shouts that hailed it, and laughed low With joyful scorn to see us grovelling so, In worship of as very a charlatan As ever wore the guise and name of man ; Dupes to a brazen front and flippant tongue, Abettors of his perfidy and wrong ; God grant, not victims of the Nemesis That follows close on madness such as this!

() England ! queen of half the world ! hadst thou Been faithful to thy glorious mission now, As in an elder time, thou still hadst proved The Pole-star of the Nations,—trusted, loved, And honoured ; guide and helper of the weak From strength to strength ; omnipotent to wreak Vengeance when Right was trampled by the strong But now—?

Say, hoodwinked People, say, how long

Must this great Shame oppress us ? If ye still

Cherish the name of Freemen,—if your will, Not wholly paralysed by ease and gold,

Yet lives a power within you, as of old,—

Arise and act ! It is not yet too late To purge your guilt, to escape the righteous fate Of faithless empires, and, like free-born man, To champion Freedom, Truth, and Progress once again !