Lays of the Scottish Cavaliers (review) [pp. 553-561]

558 Lays of the Scottish Cavaliers. [SErTEMnnR,
are not so nigh my heart as yours. It grieves
me beyond what I can express, to see so many
brave and worthy gentlemen, who had once the
prospect of being the chief officers in my army,
reduced to the station of private sentinels. No thing but your loyalty, and that of a few of my
subjects in Britain, who are forced from their
allegiance by the Prince of Orange, and who, I
know, will be ready on all occasions to serve me
and my distressed family, could make me willing
to live. The sense of what all of you have done
and undergone for your loyalty, hath made so
deep an impression upon my heart, that, if it
ever please God to restore me, it is impossible I
can be forgetful of your services and sufferings.
Neither can there be any posts in the armies of
my dominions but what you have just pretensions
to. As for my son, your Prince, he is of your
own blood, a child capable of any impression,
and, as his education will be from you, it is not
supposable that he can forget your merits. At
your own desires you are now going a long march
far distant from me. Fear God and love one
another. Write your wants particularly to me,
and depend upon it always to find me your parent and King."*
Under the Marshal de Noailles, and other leaders, this company of heroes saw such effectual
service, that in 1714, but sixteen of their number
were living. The ballad before us tells of one of
their feats, when, under General Stirk, 16,000
Germans attempted to pass the Rhine. The
Marquis de Sell, at the head of 4000 French,
guarded the opposite shore. A small island, in
the middle of the river, was in spite of all his exertions, seized by the Germans, and united immediately by a bridge to their main camp. Of
course, this position caused the greatest uneasiness to the French, but it seemed impossible to
dislodge them. In this juncture, "a swarthy
man," Captain John Foster, the leader of the
Scots, volunteers his company as a forlorn hope
to storm the isle, on which the enemy had now
thrown up heavy batteries.
"I've seen a wilder stream ere now
Than that which rushes there;
I've stemmed a heavier torrent yet
And never thought to dare.
If German steel be sharp and keen,
Is ours not strong and true?
There may be danger in the deed,
But there is honor too!"
The old Marquis de Sell gives a joyful assent,
upon condition that his men are ready to follow
* This scene is certainly in very striking contrast with
the flight of James a short time before from his palace at
Whitehall, his throwing the Great Seal into the Thames,
and his subsequent vacillation on the approach of William
[ ED. MEss.
him. The Scotch Captain addresses them, concluding with these words
"Come, brothers! let me name a spell
Shall rouse your souls again,
And send the old blood bounding free
Through pulse, and heart, and vein!
Call back the days of bygone years Be young and strong once more!
Think yonder stream, so stark and red,
Is one we've crossed before.
Rise, hill and glen! rise, crag and wood!
Rise up on either hand Again upon the Garry's banks,
On Scottish soil we stand!
Again I see the tartans wave,
I hear the trumpets ring;
Again I hear our leader's call "Upon them, for the King?
Stayed we behind that glorious day
For roaring flood or linn?
The soul of Groeme is with us still Now, brothers, will ye in?"
No stay-no pause. With one accord
They grasped each other's hand,
And plunged into that angry flood
That bold and dauntless band.
High flew the spray above their heads,
Yet onward still they bore,
Midst cheer, and shout, and answering yell
And shot and cannon roar.
"Now, by the Holy Cross! I swear
Since earth and sea began
Was never such a daring deed
Essayed by mortal man!"
"The current's strong —the way is long They'll never reach the shore!
See, see! they stagger in the midst,
They waver in the line!
Fire on the madmen! break their ranks,
And whelm them in the Rhine!"
Have you seen the tall trees swaying
When the blast is piping shrill,
And the whirlwind reels in fury
Down the gorges of the hill?
Hlow they toss their mighty branches,
Striving with the tempest's shock;
How they keep their place of vantage
Cleaving firmly to the rock!
Even so the Scottish warriors
Held their men against the river * * * it *
One wiord was spoke among them,
And through the ranks it spread "Remember our dead Claverhouse!"
Was all the Captain said.
Then, sternly bending forward,
They struggled on awhile,
Until they cleared the heavy stream
And rushed toward the isle.
The German heart is stout and tiue,
The German arm is strong;
The German foot goes seldom back
Where armed foemen throng.
558
Lays of the Scottish Cavaliers.
[ S. EPT:FlMTR,P.