Guy Mannering.

78 WAVERLEY NOVELS.
the planets, each, by its own liquid orbit of light, distinguished from the inferior or more distant stars. So
strangely can imagination deceive even those by whose
volition it has been excited, that Mannering, while gazing
upon these brilliant bodies, was half inclined to believe in
the influence ascribed to them by superstition over human
events. But iMlannering was a youthful lover, and might
perhaps be influenced by the feelings so exquisitely expressed by a modern poet:
For fable is Love's world, his home, his birth-place!
Delightedly dwells he'mong fays, and talismans,
And spirits, and delightedly believes
Divinities, being himself divine.
The intelligible forms of ancient poets,
The fair humanities of old religion,
The power, the beauty, and the majesty,
That had their haunts in dale, or piny mountains,
Or forest, by slow stream, or pebbly spring,
Or chasms and wat'ry depths-all these hav-e vanish'dThey live no longer in the faith of reason!
But still the heart doth need a language, still
Doth the old instinct bring back the old names.
And to yon starry world they now are gone,
Spirits or gods, that used to share this earth
With man as with their friend, and to the lover
Yonder they move, from yonder visible sky
Shoot influence down; and even at this day'Tis Jupiter who brings whate'er is great,
And Venus who brings every thing that's fair.
Such musings soon gave.way to others. "Alas!" he
muttered, " my good old tutor, who used to enter so deep
into the controversy between Heydon and Chambers on
the subject of Astrology,-he would have looked upon
the scene with other eyes, and would have seriously endeavoured to discover from the respective positions of
these luminaries their probable effects on the destiny of