The poetical works of Sir Walter Scott ... Notes & life of the author.

142 MARI3N.O CANITO IN
Or, as some tell of dead man's skin,
Bore many a planetary sign,
Combust, and retrograde, and trine;
And in his hand he held prepared,
A naked sword without a guard.
XXL
"Dire dealings with the fiendish race
Had marked strange lines upon his faceVigil and fast had worn him grim,
His eyesight dazzled seemed, and dim,
As one unused to upper day;
Even his own menials with dismay
Beheld, Sir Knight, the grisly sire,
In this unwonted wild attire;
Unwonted, for traditions run,
He seldom thus beheld the sun.'I know,' he said,-his voice was hoarse,
And broken seemed its hollow force, —'I know the cause, although untold,
Why the king seeks his vassal's hold:
Vainly from me my liege would know
His kingdom's future weal or woe:
But yet, if strong his arm and heart,
His courage may do more than art,
XXIL
"'Of middle air the demons proud,
Who ride upon the racking cloud,
Can read, in fixed or wandering star,
The issue of events afar;
But still their sullen aid withhold
Save when by mightier force controlled.
Such late I summoned to my hall;
And though so potent was the call,
That scarce the deepest nook of hell
I deemed a refuge from the spell,
Yet, obstinate in silence still,
The haughty demon mocks my skill.
But thou,-who little know'st thy might,
As born upon that blessed night,
When yawning graves, and dying groan,
Proclaimed hell's emp,re overthrown,-,1 --- -— ~~~~c;.2i; __ ------ - - - - - ~ —-- ~ -----. — ~ _.