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versification, and the fearless freedom with which he rambles through the endless mazes of his enchanting tale? Who ever heard any one talk with enthusiasm of Ariosto, who owed all his knowledge of him to Mr Hoole? Yet he is the poet of all others the most likely to call forth feelings of rapture and delight in his readers. We feel as if transported by him into a world of a fairer and more genial aspect than our own, whose sun no cloud obscures, and whose sky no tempest darkens. We look upon man in the higher and nobler aspects of his being. All his selfishness, and all the grovelling passions of his nature, vanish from before us. We are transported back to those days of noble deeds and lofty feelings, when the cold forms of indifference had not yet sullied the simplicity of the human character, and the festering sores of distrust did not rankle in the human heart; when every selfish feeling gave way before the powerful impulse of generosity, and the meed of conquest was the laurel-leaf, or the fair one's smile. And, instead of all this, are we to remain contented with a tame and slavish version, without one spark of the glowing spirit of the original, by one whose only merit was perseverance in completing what his presumption urged him to commence? Is there no kindred spirit-no Ariosto of the North" who will undertake the task of laying open these brilliant "regions of romance" to the delighted gaze of every true lover of poetry?

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But it is not alone in the greater efforts of the Italian muse that those treasures of poetry are to be found which have ever afforded the highest enjoyment to all those who have read them aright. Many of the sonnets of Petrarch, and of the smaller poems of Tasso and Metastasio, are distinguished by a depth and purity of feeling, a richness and variety of imagery, and a sweetness and melody of versification, which have never been surpassed, and which abundantly compensate for the paltry conceits, and metaphysical refinements, which, owing to the bad taste of the age in which they lived, we find not unfrequently interwoven with their finest sentiments, and most brilliant images.

It is obvious that these poems, of which a considerable part of the me

rit consists in the happy turn_ of the expression, and the beauty of the versification, would lose not a little even by the finest translation into our language: yet it must be regretted that they should be altogether hidden from all but the readers of Italian, and, were a translation of some of the finest of these to be executed by any one equal to the task, however inferior the impression might be to that conveyed by the originals, his labour most undoubtedly would not be in vain.

The following imperfect translations, which shall be continued from time to time, were written solely for the author's own gratification, while perusing the works of the Italian poets; yet even from them (imperfect and unequal as he feels them to be) he thinks some readers may form an idea of the merit of the originals. If they shall contribute to induce any one to a perusal of the works of these writers in their own language, or to a performance of the task of making a more complete and choice selection than any we have hitherto had, from these authors, which neither his powers nor his pursuits allow him to attempt, he shall deem his labours amply compensated.

Soothed by the stillness of some cool retreat, Introductory Sonnet.

While underneath the spreading beech tree's shade,

My limbs in listless indolence were laid, The riv'let softly murmuring by my feet;

Oft, as my spirit in delusion sweet,

Thro' fair Italia's magic mazes strayed, I've wept to think how cruel fortune swayed,

Those mighty minds for earthly shocks

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And waving soft the dewy flowerets fair, Steals their sweet odour with its am'rous sighs,

If in thy bosom pity e'er arise,

Leave these gay scenes thou soft voluptuous Air,

And wing thee to the streamlet's margin, where

Beneath my angel's feet the floweret dies: In thy soft bosom waft these am'rous woes,

And all the anguish that my spirit tires, To where my thoughts do still unceasing fly;

Thence may'st thou steal, more sweet than dew-bent rose,

The heavenly odours on her lip that lie, And bear them back to feed my warm desires.

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False hope shall woo me with her syren smile,

Th' alternate tears and smiles that mocked before

Ye verdant boughs! and groves, whose loveliness

Oft wins her presence!-shady green recess !

Whose leafy trees the rays of morning

greet;

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"Leggiadia rosa, le cui pure foglie," &c. O lovely rose, whose dewy leaflets blowing Are tended by the genial breath of morn, And o'er whose breast the early breezes borne

Have left in crimson hue thy garments glowing;

The same kind hand that watches now thy growing

Shall lead thee soon a purer scene t' adorn,

Where freed for ever from the galling thorn,

Thou'lt bloom-alone thy fairer features shewing,

Secure in loveliness that never dies:

Nor snow, nor hail, nor warring winds are there,

Nor changing seasons, nor inclement skies,

But blooming safe beneath a kinder care,
Thou shalt in calm serenity arise
For ever fragrant, and for ever fair.

THE KALEIDOSCOPE.

H.

WE shall here endeavour to explain the principle and construction of this

Shall ne'er perplex my grief-worn heart amusing instrument, which still con

again,

And we shall see how false desires beguile

tinues to attract the public attention. It is a curious circumstance concerning our notions of beauty, that

Man's mortal life-how oft he sighs in the most irregular figure becomes

vain.

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pleasing to the eye, when we join to it its exact copy with the position reversed. Take, for example, any figure at random, such as fig. 1, and it will be transformed in this manner into fig. 3. In the same manner, one still more irregular, as fig. 2, is converted into fig. 4. †

This article was written for our last Number, but was unavoidably delayed.

+ The regular geometrical figures, such as the square, the polygons, or the circle,

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The singular beauty of the productions of nature seems to depend on this union of objects, similar in figure, but contrasted in position, and the same principle regulates the arrangement of figures in all kinds of ornamental designs. The columns of a gateway, for example, whatever be their shape or dimensions, are never placed in a greater number, or a different arrangement, on the one side of it than on the other. The arches are never formed into circles over one half of the bridge, and into ellipses over the other; and though the architect varies infinitely, according to his taste, the front of an ornamental building, yet he generally studies to make the one half of it a reflected image of the other.

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The continual addition of any of the compound figures (fig. 3 or 4) thus formed to itself, produces an effect still more pleasing. If this addition be made in a straight line,-if the figure be continually copied without any change of its position, a straight border is formed, varying in beauty, with the aspect of the original; and, if this border be again repeated in the same manner, in the direction of its breadth, a regular pattern is produced, which may be extended to any size. Thus the primitive fig. 5 being reversed, produces the compound fig. 6, from which, by repetition, arises the border fig. 7.

But when, at each of the repetitions of the compound figure, we also vary somewhat its position, a new principle of harmony is introduced. That similarity of figure and contrast of position, which gives to the single repetition of the original all its beauty, is now applied to the successive repetitions of the compound figure itself; instead of a straight we have a curved border; and as the effect of this arrangement is the greatest of all when these repetitions are made to

converge to a point,-when they are arranged round a centre, and continued till the whole circle is filled by the meeting of the extremes, when the greatest possible number of them are thus brought within the smallest possible compass, their figures thus most clearly identified, and their positions most highly contrasted; this combination is hence the most beautiful of the kind. Thus the fundamental fig. 8 is by repetition and reversion transferred into fig. 9, which repeated round the circle, forms fig. 10. In the same manner, from one still more irregular, fig. 11, arises first fig. 12, and secondly the beautiful design fig. 13; and, lastly, from fig. 14 we have fig. 15.

The Kaleidoscope, then, from which we may seem to have digressed, is an instrument contrived to produce the above arrangements with expedition. What could else only be done by the slow and laborious process of minute copying, this curious little machine performs, as it were, by a coup de main; and it is this instant production of what seems the result of the greatest labour, together with the real beauty of the images themselves perpetually varying, as if by the operation of magic, which renders the Kaleidoscope an object of such wonder to those who are ignorant of its nature, and of amusement even to those who can explain the mystery.

The well known property of a mirror or polished surface, by which it reflects a reversed image of every object presented to it, is peculiarly adapted for producing that arrangement of figures which we bave described; and this, accordingly, is the great principle on which the Kaleidoscope is constructed. * Take, for example, a piece of mirror glass considerably longer than it is broad, + and either silvered on the back, or

We may mention, as illustrating what has been said, a common method of cutting out figures in paper;-the paper is first doubled or folded a number of times, the folds being either all one way, or inclined to each other round a centre, and any figure being cut out at random through all the folds at once, the paper is opened and exhibits a pattern or succession of patterns of the greatest regularity.

In order that the object may be reflected from the glass to the eye as obliquely as possible; the quantity of light reflected,

still better coated with blacking. Draw on a sheet of paper any number of figures or dashes at random, (it will increase the effect if they be of different colours,) and setting the glass on its end perpendicularly over the paper, apply this lower end successively to the different figures, and to the upper end the eye, moving also over the figures, and always at a small distance from the glass the finger or other object to confine the field of view, then at every remove of the glass, as the different figures over which it passes are always seen each joined to its reverse, a constant succession of pleasing objects is kept up; and even with this single glass, it is really curious sometimes to observe the variety of regular images that are produced.

Place now another glass of the same size as the former, at a distance from it less than one-half the breadth of the glasses, and parallel to it, and looking down between the two glasses on the paper, the same succession of regular figures will be observed as before, but each of these now repeated a number of times, so as to form, instead of single images, a succession of regular straight borders. This effect is most striking when the glasses are brought pretty close to each other, as the reflections being in that case more oblique, the objects are more frequently repeated, † and as the direct and reverse images being brought within a smaller compass, are more highly contrasted. Instead

and consequently the distinctness of the image, always increasing with the obliquity

To prevent any double reflection which always takes place with a silvered glass.

It is upon this principle that a building must be viewed at some distance, to

observe the full effect of its architecture. If we go nearer, we cannot see it at once, and, therefore, cannot so easily compare its extreme points, and if we recede we lose sight altogether of the subordinate figures.

If the reflections were perfect, the repetitions of the compound figure would extend indefinitely on the right and left, but at each reflection a certain part of the light is lost, and at the next reflection the same part of the remainder; it falls also continually less and less obliquely on the glasses as the reflections are repeated. From

of keeping the plates parallel, bring the two adjacent edges closer to each other on one side than on the other, and the figures will now be repeated each in the circumference of a circle; instead of straight we shall now have a succession of circular borders.

But those arrangements which we have described merely to illustrate the principle, are all of them far inferior to the following. Bring the edges of the glasses closer and closer to each other, and the repetition of the figures will be observed gradually more and more to converge; being brought gradually within a smaller and smaller compass, more of them will be visible, on account of the rays falling more obliquely on the glasses, while the powers of similarity and contrast operate at the same time with augmented effect; and when the edges of the reflectors are at last made to coincide, all these circumstances are carried to their highest pitch, the extremes meet, and we have a complete pattern, such as has already been described. This then is the common form of the Kaleidoscope. It consists of two plain reflectors of glass or metal, (and they should be at least eight or ten times longer than broad, and also about twice as broad at the object as at the eye end,) placed together by their longer edges, and either fixed at a certain angle, (which must be an even and an aliquot part of the circumference,) or made to open and shut at pleasure, like the leaves of a book. The smaller the angle of the glasses, the effect is always the more beautiful; but when we bring them very close together, the extreme images begin (from the loss of light in so many reflections) to disappear, and thus to render the figure incomplete; it is easy, however, by a little adjustment, to hit the angle which produces the

best effect.

But in this, as in all other optical instruments, any external light diminishes always the full effect of the arrangement; in order to exclude, therefore, all light but what comes from the objects observed, the glasses are fixed into a tube of wood or me

these causes, we can seldom with glass see more than eight or ten repetitions on each side.

tal, one end of which is left open for the objects, and the other contracted to a small hole for the eye. The colours also are now thrown at random on a piece of glass or other transparent substance, which is then held close to the open end of the glasses, and moved backwards and forwards with the one hand, while the tube is held up to the light with the other. What answers still better, a very short tube being fitted to the object end of the principal tube, so as to turn easily round upon it, plates of clear or (to soften down the edges of the objects) roughly ground glass are fitted into this tube; and bits of coloured glass (or any objects at pleasure) being inclosed between the plates, the tube is turned round with the hand, and the constant motion of the pieces of glass forms a new and striking variety to the figures that are produced. This last combination, the reflectors being polished, and their edges fitted to each other in the nicest manner, may be considered as the most perfect which has yet been constructed.

Such, then, is the instrument which has of late attracted so much notice; and whatever difference of opinion may exist as to its usefulness or originality, it is agreed, on all hands, to be a very pretty contrivance, a beautiful application of a scientific principle. Of its utility we confess we have not been able to enter entirely into the views which many have held out. As it creates no new figure, but only repeats and reverses the images of those which are presented to it, it cannot, we apprehend, facilitate the copying of the figures thus combined, which can always be more easily transferred from the fundamental figure itself, of which the pattern is only a series of repetitions. It can only be of service to the designer, therefore, to shew him at once, without the labour of repeated copying, the combined effect of any fundamental figure,―to produce

*Various other forms of the Kaleidoscope have been described with three or more glasses, but as the principle is still the same, we have confined ourselves to that which is most generally used. A convex glass has also been applied to intro duce distant objects, but as there is no want of objects to place quite in contact with the reflectors, we need not describe this contrivance more particularly.

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