cometh this is the more generous; for the delight

:

seemeth to be not so much in doing the hurt as in making the party repent: 2 but base and crafty cowards are like the arrow that flieth in the dark.

BACON.

FROM A SPEECH ON THE FRAME-WORK BILL.3

I have traversed the seat of war in the Peninsula; I have been in some of the most oppressed provinces of Turkey; but never under the most despotic of infidel governments did I behold such squalid wretchedness 5 as I have seen since my return in the very heart 7 of a Christian country. And what are your remedies?

After months of inaction, and months of action worse than inactivity, at length comes forth the grand specific, the never-failing nostrum of all state physicians, from the days of Draco to the present time.8 After feeling the pulse and shaking the head over the patient, prescribing the usual course 10 of 11 warm water and bleeding, the warm water of your mawkish police, and the lancets of your military, 12 these convulsions must terminate in 13 death, the sure consummation of the prescription of all

1 This is the more generous, ceci n'en est que plus généreux2 for......repent, car le plaisir semble consister non pas tant à le blesser qu'à le porter à se repentir.

3 Frame-work Bill, Bill des Métiers-4 the seat of war, le théâtre de la guerre-5 such squalid wretchedness, autant d'avilissement et de misère-6 I have, j'en ai-7 in the very heart, au cœur même -8 from the days......to the present time, depuis l'époque......jusqu'au temps présent-9 after, etc......patient, vous tâtez le pouls du patient; vous secouez la tête-10 prescribing the usual course, et quand vous lui avez fait la prescription d'usage-11 of, to be left out 12 military, soldatesque 13 must terminate in, se terminent inévitablement par la.

SPEECH ON THE FRAME-WORK BILL.

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political Sangrados.* Setting aside the palpable injustice and the certain inefficiency of the Bill, are there not capital punishments sufficient in your statutes? Is there not blood enough upon1 your penal code, that more must be poured forth to ascend to Heaven and testifyagainst you?.... With all due deference to the noble Lords opposite, I think a little investigation, some previous inquiry, would induce even them 5 to change their purpose. That most favourite state measure, so marvellously efficacious in many and recent instances,7 temporizing, would not be without its advantages in this. When a proposal is made to emancipate or relieve, you hesitate, you deliberate for years, you temporize and tamper with the minds of men; but a death-bill must be passed off-hand, without a thought of the consequences. Sure I am, from 10 what I have heard, and from what I have seen, that to pass the Bill under 11 all the existing circumstances, without inquiry, without deliberation, would only be to 12 add injustice to irritation, and barbarity to neglect. The framers of such a Bill must be content to inherit the honours 13 of that

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1 Upon, dans-2 that more must be poured forth, qu'il en faille encore verser davantage-3 with all due deference to the noble Lords opposite, soit dit avec toute la déférence due aux nobles Lords qui sont mes adversaires dans cette question (or: tout en respectant l'opinion des, etc.) a little, etc......inquiry, un plus ample informé, une enquête préalable-5 would induce even them, les amènerait eux-mêmes- to change their purpose, à changer d'avis7 in many and recent instances, dans des cas fréquents et encore récents -8 when, etc......relieve, si l'on vous présente un projet d'émancipation ou d'amélioration- tamper with the minds of men, vous vous moquez de l'opinion publique-10 from, d'après-11 under, dans 12 would only be to, ne ferait qu'-13 must be content to inherit the honours, doivent se contenter d' hériter de la gloire.

* Sangrado is an ignorant medical man in "Gil Blas," who systematically bleeds every one of his patients in any possible complaint.

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Athenian law-giver whose edicts were said to be written,1 not in 2 ink, but in blood. But suppose it passed; suppose one of these men, as I have seen them-meagre with 3 famine, sullen with despair, careless of a life 5 which your lordships are perhaps about to value at something less than the price of a stocking-frame-suppose this man, surrounded by the children for whom he is unable to procure bread at the hazard of his existence, about to be torn for ever from a family which he lately supported in peaceful industry, and which it is not his fault that he can no longer support 10-suppose this man, and there are ten thousand such 11 from whom 12 you may select your victims, dragged into court,13 to be tried for this new offence, by 14 this new law; still there are two things wanted to convict and condemn him; and these 15 are, in my opinion,-Twelve Butchers for a Jury,16 and a Jefferies for a Judge.

LORD BYRON, 1812.

THE ASSYRIAN HUMAN-HEADED 17 LIONS.

I ascertained by 18 the end of March the existence of a second pair of winged human-headed lions, differing from those previously discovered in form,19 the human

1 Whose edicts were said to be written, dont les lois, disait-on, avaient été écrites-3 in, "with"—3, meagre with, amaigri par la-4 sullen with, assombri par le careless of a life, ne tenant plus à une vie-6 are ......about to, vont......-7 bread at the hazard of his existence, le pain de ses sueurs-8 from, à (see note ', p. 30)—9 in, avec le produit d'une-10" and which he can no longer support without its being (sans que ce soit) his fault"-11 such, "like him"-12 from whom, parmi lesquels-13 into court, devant une cour-14 by, en vertu de15 these, ces deux choses-16 for a jury, pour jurés.

17 Human-headed, à tête humaine-18 by, vers-19 differing......in form, qui différaient par la forme......

THE ASSYRIAN HUMAN HEADED LIONS. 227

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shape being continued to 1 the waist, and furnished with arms. In one hand each figure carried a goat or stag, and in the other, which hung down by the side, a branch with three flowers. They formed a northern entrance into the chamber,3 of which the lions previously described were the western portal. I completely uncovered the latter,5 and found them to be entire. They were about twelve feet in height, and the same number in length. The body and limbs were admirably portrayed; the muscles and bones, although strongly developed to display the strength of the animal, showed at the same time a correct knowledge of its anatomy and form. Expanded wings sprung 10 from the shoulder and spread over the back; a knotted girdle, ending in tassels, encircled the loins. These sculptures, forming an entrance, were partly in full and partly in relief. The head and fore part, facing 11 the chamber, were in full; but only one side of the rest of the slab 12 was sculptured, the back being placed against the wall of sun-dried bricks. That the spectator might have both a perfect front and side view 13 of the figures, they were furnished with five legs,-two were carved on the end 14 of the slab to face the chamber, and three on the side. The relief of the body and three limbs was high and bold,15 and the slab was covered, in all parts not occupied by the image, with inscriptions in the cuneiform character.16 These magnificent specimens of Assyrian art were in

1 Being continued to, se prolongeant jusqu'à-2 by the side, au côté -3 a northern entrance into the chamber, l'entrée du côté Nord de la salle-1 I uncovered, je dégageai-5 the latter, simply: "them " -6 to be, to be left out-7 they were, ils avaient-8 in, de-9 the same number in, autant de-10 sprung, partaient-11 facing, faisant face à-12 the slab, la stèle-13 a perfect front and side view, une vue parfaite de face et de côté-14 end, extrémité-15 high and bold, saillant et hardiment accusé-16 in the cuneiform character, en caractères cunéiformes.

perfect preservation; the most minute lines in the details of the wings and in the ornaments had been retained 2 with their original freshness. Not a character was wanting in the inscriptions.

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I used to contemplate for hours3 these mysterious emblems, and muse over their intent and history. What more noble forms could have ushered the people into the temple of their gods? What more sublime images could have been borrowed from nature by men who sought, unaided by the light of revealed religion, to embody their conception of the wisdom, power, and ubiquity of a Supreme Being? They could find no better type of intellect and knowledge than the head of the man; of strength, than the body of the lion; of ubiquity, than the wings of the bird. These winged human-headed lions were not idle creations, the offspring of mere fancy; their meaning was written upon them.10 They had awed and instructed races 11 which flourished three thousand years ago. Through the portals which they guarded, kings, priests, and warriors had borne 12 sacrifices to their altars, long before the wisdom of the East had penetrated to 18 Greece, and had furnished its mythology with 14 symbols long recognised by the Assyrian votaries. They may have been 15 buried, and their existence may have been unknown, before the

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1 In perfect preservation, parfaitement conservés-2 had been retained, s'étaient maintenues-3 I used to contemplate for hours, je passais des heures entières à contempler-4 and muse over their intent, et à méditer sur leur objet 5 could have, etc......of their, auraient pu saluer le peuple à son entrée dans le temple de ses6 from, à (see note, p. 30)-7 unaided by, sans le secours de-8 idle, oiseuses- the offspring of mere, simplement l'œuvre de l'—10 their, etc...... them, ils portaient leur signification écrite sur eux-mêmes11 they had awed and instructed races, ils avaient été un objet de respect et un enseignement pour des races-12 borne, offert-13 to, jusqu'en 14 see note, p. 7-15 they may have been, il se peut qu'ils aient été.

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