whilst he spoke, his voice nearly failed, and he himself asked for his physician..

Towards ten o'clock, he raised himself, as though wishing to say something that required all his energies. He gave Zeltner his right hand, Madame Zeltner his left, smiled to his little friend, Emilie, who stood at the bed's foot, and, thus taking leave of three beloved beings at once, he sank slowly down, sighed, and his pure soul was

in the presence of his Maker."

The body was embalmed, and, as he had directed, borne to the grave by poor old men, relieving each other. The funeral was attended by all Solothurn, for he was mourned by the whole canton, especially by the class so indebted to his liberality. His death was lamented, and his praises were celebrated by poets and orators in all languages. In Poland, the grief and mourning were universal; and at Warsaw, the funeral oration was pronounced by the national poet, the friend of his youth, Niemcewicz.

But Poland grudged the remains of her noblest son to a foreign land, and Alexander readily sanctioned the national desire to bring them home. The body was asked of Switzerland by a formal Polish embassy, which having obtained, escorted it to Poland. At Cracow it was received by the senate, and, with all military and civil honours, interred in the cathedral. But the Polish senate and the Polish nation wished to raise to their heroic champion a more peculiar and more durable monument than other men can boast, at least in modern times

"A monument that might be an object of general enthusiasm, of heart-felt veneration to all Poles. The senate decreed the raising of a mound (in fact, a barrow,) upon the eminence called Bronislawa (meaning, the guardian of fame), which commands the Vistula. At this mound, young and old, senators and citizens, nobles and peasants, even the magnates of the realm, and the most delicate ladies, laboured with their own hands. A countryman, who came from Volhynia to assist, accidentally received a severe wound; and, in the fear that he might bleed to death, several persons were carrying him off in quest of surgical assistance, when he resolutely exclaimed, 'Oh, let me bleed here! it is the only tribute I can pay to the great Naczelnik.'

"From the 16th of October, 1820, to the 16th of October, 1823, the labour continued. The Mogila Kosciuszki (Kosciuszko's Mount), measures 276 feet in diameter at the base, and 300 feet in height. It

is the largest ever formed by human hands. *

*

*

*

"The sepulchral mounds of Queen Vanda, and of St. Cracus, respectively on the left and right banks of the Vistula, meet the traveller's view at some distance from Cracow, reminding him of the origin of the actual inhabitants of the country. Kosciuszko's monument completes the triangle, and connects the present with the past.. A con

venient road, paved, and planted with trees, for pedestrians, leads

thither; for, since the beginning of the work, this has been the favourite promenade of the Cracovians. From the ample contributions. of the whole country, an adjoining piece of ground was purchased, upon which, close to the old chapel of St. Bronislawa, houses were built for four peasants, who had served under Kosciuszko. It is their duty, and that of their families for ever, to plant the mound as pleasuregrounds, and to take the greatest care of the pomnik (monument).

"The management of the purchase, of the construction, and of the whole affair, was intrusted by the Cracow senate to a committee of twenty persons, with General Franciszek Paszkowiski as president . . . The expense was defrayed by contributions, not only of the most considerable families of Poland, but likewise of peasants, artisans, and private soldiers. Count Arthur Potocki alone gave 10,000 gulden,* with which (we presume the expense of the monument being paid) three orphan kinswomen of Kosciuszko's, whose existence had been but recently discovered, were portioned."

A view of this most extraordinary and most honourable monument, and a portrait of Kosciuszko, are the graphic ornaments of the volume, which we now close and lay down the pen.

ART. VI.-Marco Visconti: Storia del Trecento, cavata dalle Cronache di quel Secolo, e racontata da Tommaso Grossi. (Marco Visconti a Story of the Fourteenth Century, extracted from the Chronicles of that Age, and related by Tommaso Grossi.)

THE extraordinary success which this work has had in Italy, where it has recently appeared, and the great interest that it has excited there, would entitle it to our notice, did it even come less strongly recommended than it is by its intrinsic merits. The first edition (published, we believe, in Milan, about the end of last year) having been sold off in the course of a few weeks, a second edition of 10,000 copies has already been printed at Turin; whilst in Florence, Leghorn, and most of the other principal cities of Italy, large editions are either published or in preparation. No doubt this success is partly owing to the favourable circumstances under which the work has appeared. The historical novel, hitherto known in Italy only by translations of the works of Sir Walter Scott and of other foreigners, has lately been naturalized there by the production of "I Promessi Sposi' of Manzoni; and as that work stands as yet almost alone in this department of Italian literature, the field is still open to any new

* In English money, about 1,000l.

aspirant. The name, too, of Visconti-a name once celebrated throughout Italy-has no doubt had its effect in attracting attention. Besides, Grossi is already favourably known in Italy. In adverting to these auxiliary circumstances, we by no means wish to detract from the intrinsic excellence of the book before us, but only to account for the phenomenon that any work whatever should have been able to rouse, to such a degree, the dor mant energies of the Italian press, bowed down as it is under the weight of a rigid and jealous censorship.

The author has chosen, for the date of his story, a very interesting period, rich in the materials of romance.

After the death of the emperor, Henry VII., in 1314, a long contest for the imperial crown having ensued between Louis of Bavaria and Frederic of Austria, Italy was left for eight years without a sovereign, and abandoned to intrigues and fierce struggles between the rival parties of the Guelphs and Ghibellines. At the head of the former party was Robert, King of Naples, who, possessing also several cities in Piedmont and the whole of Provence, being allied with the Guelphs throughout the rest of Italy, and keeping the papal chair in complete dependence, endeavoured to take advantage of the interregnum to annihilate the Ghibelline party in Italy. But the Ghibellines had chiefs, whose great talents, supported as they were by the ardent zeal of their partisans, enabled them to make a long resistance, and even frequently to triumph over their rivals. Among these was Matteo Visconti, of Milan, (the father of Marco,) who, on account of his advanced age and the superiority of his forces and talents, was considered the head of the Ghibelline party. Against him Robert first directed his attack, but, having been unsuccessful, he caused the Pope John XXII. (who had recently been elected at Lyons, and who was entirely devoted to him,) to issue a bull, declaring that all those who had received the title of Imperial Vicar from Henry VII. lost their right to this title after his death. Matteo Visconti, against whom this bull was in particular levelled, unwilling to declare himself openly against the Church, but still more unwilling to resign his power, relinquished the title of Imperial Vicar, but prevailed on the people whom he governed to confirm his authority, and with their approbation he took the title of "Captain and Defender of the Milanese Liberty." This, however, was far from satisfying the Pope, who immediately excommunicated Visconti, and laid Milan under an interdict.

The struggles between the rival parties continued for some years, during which Matteo Visconti died, and his eldest son, Galeaz, assumed the sovereignty of Milan; while Marco, who was the second son, distinguished himself by many daring ex

ploits. In the end, however, the Ghibellines were losing ground, when Louis of Bavaria, who had at length obtained undisputed possession of the imperial crown, sent assistance to Galeaz Visconti. The Pope, (John XXII.,) enraged at this, excommunicated Louis, and pronounced sentence of deposition against him. Louis, in his turn, having soon after descended into Italy and caused himself to be crowned at Rome, instituted a process against the Pope, whom he cited before his tribunal, and pronounced sentence of deposition against him as guilty of heresy and lese-majesté. He appointed as his successor Pierre de Corvanio, who took the name of Nicolas V. Thus there were, at once, two Popes, John XXII., who resided at Avignon, and was acknowledged in Italy by the Guelph party, and Nicolas V., whom the Ghibellines maintained to be the true Pope.

Such was the state of affairs in Italy at the opening of our tale, and it may be supposed that the struggles of the two hostile parties, the private jealousies and quarrels among the leaders of even the same party, and the disputes and contests between the supporters of the pretensions of the rival Popes, give rise to abundance of incident. We will not attempt, therefore, an outline of the story, which the limits of this notice would not admit of, but confine ourselves to a few extracts, as specimens of the work, taking care to select such passages as will not lessen the interest to the reader of the book itself.

The people of Limonta, a small district on the Lake of Como, pertaining to the monastery of St. Ambrose of Milan, continue to adhere to Pope John XXII. The abbot, who is one of the Visconti family, is of course a supporter of the antipope; and Pelagrua, whom he sends to Limonta as factor for the monastery, pretends to have discovered from some old deeds that the Limontese were not vassals, but serfs, of the monastery. As they, of course, are not disposed to allow this, the question, in the absence of sufficient evidence on either side, is settled by trial by combat, of which the following passage gives an account:

"The two champions went to place themselves in face of each other, one at each extremity of the field. They were each dressed in a pair of drawers of chamois skin, tight at the waist, which, fitting close to their limbs, descended to their feet, and entered into red boots which met them above the ankle. The rest of the body was uncovered. They had each on the left arm a wooden shield, squared at the two ends, slightly convex, and covered with parchment, and in the right a thick and knotty club of oak."

Not being noble, these were the only arms allowed to them.

Ramengo, the champion of the monastery, appeared to be about

thirty-five years old, short, stout, broad in the chest and shoulders; he had a thick, bull-like neck, short, brawny arms, and red, thick, bushy hair.

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Lupo, better proportioned in limbs, higher by the head, more handsome, and more light and active than his opponent, was yet far from promising the strength of that herculean form.

"The crowd had become silent. Those at the back, around the square, were mounted on chairs, tables, and benches; the balconies and roofs all around were crowded with spectators. Every eye was fixed on the champions, every heart was beating, and the looks of the greater part showed the interest they took in favour of Lupo-an interest gained for him both by the justice of his cause, and by the sympathy which at first sight his manly and handsome form and his beau tiful and animated countenance excited.

"The young Limontine, whose back was turned towards the church, raised his eyes to the palace of the archbishop; and seeing the Count, Ottorino, and Bice, he saluted them with a slight nod, and then, casting down his eyes, he directed for a moment his looks to his father, Ambrose, who stood behind him, and that glance meant to say, 'Leave it to me-fear nothing!'

"The trumpet gave the last signal, and the champions moved towards each other with measured and cautious step, covering their heads with the uplifted shields, and making masterly flourishes with their clubs. Arrived at the middle of the field, and now within reach of a blow, Ramengo stretched out his legs, advancing one before the other, and leaning slightly over his right thigh, planted himself firmly on the ground to await the attack of his opponent. Lupo commenced by trying him with various feints, moving round and round him; but the other, old in the art, purposed to allow the first ardour of his adversary to exhaust itself, and did nothing but turn round, describing a circle, of which his right foot traced the circumference, and his left was, as it were, the axis, which yielded to every motion communicated to it by the other. Thus this valiant champion defended himself from the blows of his antagonist, either with his club or his shield, with an agility, an address, and a settled and tranquil air, as if quite at his ease regarding the event. But all at once, when Lupo, in fetching a blow, left his flank uncovered, he, seizing the moment, struck him such a back blow in the middle as must have fractured his ribs, if the young man had not been nimble as a cat, and sprung backward. The club, therefore, merely razed his skin, swinging clear round with a whizzing noise, which resounded to the heart of poor Ambrose, who turned pale as death.

"The crowd, who took part with the Limontine, drew an unfavourable augury from this, and began to fear for their favourite; but he, rendered furious by the danger he had incurred, and, burning with shame, returned to the assault with redoubled vigour; so that Ramengo, hotly pursued, was obliged to yield ground, and in defending himself he could no longer maintain the same measured and cool command of himself. So thick was the tempest of blows poured in upon him, that