YOUNG LOCHINVAR P. 32, 1. 32. P. 32, 1. 41. Galliard: a gay and lively dance. P. 36, 1. 19. in Rome, now BELLS OF SHANDON 'Adrian's Mole': the tomb of the Emperor Adrian called the castle of St. Angelo. P. 36, 1. 20. Vatican: one of the hills of Rome, on which is situated the church of St. Peter and the palace of the Vatican. Notre Dame: a cathedral in Paris. P. 36, 1. 22. P. 36, 1. 23. P. 37, 1. 28. Peter: church of St. Peter at Rome. A bell in Moscow: probably refers to the beautiful chimes in the Kremlin. P. 37, 1. 29. Saint Sophia: a famous Mohammedan mosque in Constantinople, originally built as a Christian temple. ELEGY WRITTEN IN A COUNTRY CHURCHYARD P. 40, 1. 57. John Hampden: a Buckinghamshire squire, who resisted the attempt of Charles I. to collect a tax called ship money without a grant of Parliament. P. 40, 1. 60. Cromwell: a famous English general and statesman, who, as commander of the Parliamentary army, defeated the forces of Charles I. Charles was executed, and Cromwell became the head of the Commonwealth, an almost republican form of government, which lasted till the restoration of Charles II. in 1660. AFTER BLENHEIM P. 44. The battle of Blenheim (Bavaria) was fought in 1704 between Louis XIV. of France and the allied English and Austrian forces under the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Austria. It resulted in a decisive victory for the allies. YE MARINERS OF ENGLAND P. 49, 1. 15. Blake: a famous English admiral, especially celebrated for his victories over the Dutch about the middle of the seventeenth century. P. 49, 1. 15. Nelson: the most famous of all naval commanders. His greatest victories were won over the French fleet of Napoleon at the battle of the Nile and at Trafalgar, off the coast of Spain. He was killed at Trafalgar, living, however, long enough to know that he had won a great victory. BATTLE OF THE BALTIC P. 50. In 1801 the English admiral, Nelson, bombarded Copenhagen and destroyed a large part of the Danish fleet. P. 53, 1. 67. Riou: an English captain killed in the battle. HOHENLINDEN P. 53. The French army under Napoleon defeated the Austrians at Hohenlinden, Bavaria, in 1800. THE RED THREAD OF HONOR The incident set forth in this poem was related to the author by Sir Charles Napier. It probably occurred during the conquest of Scinde in 1843, when the whole of this province of Scinde, northwestern India, became a British possession. Its inhabitants are mostly Mohammedans. P. 56, l. 13. P. 56, 1. 17. Eblis: an evil spirit. Ghiznee tiger: probably refers to Mahmoud, a Turk who founded the town of Ghazni. P. 57, 1. 19. Holy Prophet: Mohammed. P. 57, 1. 21. Secunder probably Alexander the Great, who conquered northern India in 356 B.C. P. 58, 1. 61. Franks: a name given by Eastern peoples to Europeans in general. P. 59, 1. 73. Rustum: a Persian legendary hero. SHERIDAN'S RIDE P. 61. In October, 1864, the Confederate forces under General Early surprised and defeated the Union army at Cedar Creek, about twenty miles southwest of Winchester. Sheridan was away at Winchester, and the poem tells how, hearing the firing, he rode back in time to rally his men and gain a brilliant victory. THE BALLAD OF AGINCOURT P. 63. The battle of Agincourt was fought in France in 1415. The English forces under Henry V., numbering scarcely more than 10,000 men, won a great victory over a French army of nearly 50,000. The form of this poem is said to have been invented by Drayton. Compare it with that of Longfellow's 'Skeleton in Armor,' and Tennyson's 'Charge of the Light Brigade.' P. 65, 1. 41. Poitiers and Cressy: scenes of other English vic tories. P. 66, 1. 76. P. 67, 1. 82. Spanish town of P. 68, 1. 113. P. 72, 1. 47. P. 74, 1. 82. P. 75, 1. 89. Weather: withers, the shoulders of a horse. Saint Crispin's Day: October 25. THE RAVEN Pluto was the god of Hades or the lower world. THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE P. 86. During the Crimean War a battle was fought near Bal· aclava, a little port on the Black Sea. 'A Russian army pushed forward to cut off communication between this port and the British force before Sebastopol. Lord Cardigan, who commanded the brigade of light cavalry, received an order, vaguely worded, to retake some guns captured by the Russians. The order was misunderstood, and the Light Brigade, knowing that it was riding to its destruction, but refusing to set an example of disobedience, charged, not in the direction of the guns, which they were unable to see, but into the very centre of the Russian army. The ranks of the English cavalry were mown down, and but few escaped alive.'- GARDINER. . THE REVENGE' P. 88. Sir Walter Raleigh, cousin of Sir Richard Grenville, has left us an account of the fight described in this poem. A small English fleet, with Lord Howard in command, while endeavoring to capture some Spanish treasure ships, was caught at the Azores (1591) by a large Spanish fleet of fifty-three vessels. Five of the English fleet made their escape, but Grenville, who waited to bring the sick from shore, was unable to get away. Throughout the afternoon and all through the night the little vessel carried on the unequal conflict. The incidents of the fight are set forth with historical fidelity in Tennyson's noble lines. P. 90, 1. 31. Don: a Spanish title equivalent to Mr., but here used as a name for a Spaniard in the same way that Monsieur is used for a Frenchman. HOW THEY BROUGHT THE GOOD NEWS P. 96. Of this poem Browning wrote in answer to an inquiry, 'There is no sort of historical foundation for the poem about Good News from Ghent.' HERVÉ RIEL P. 99. In 1692 the combined English and Dutch fleets won a decisive victory at La Hogue, a cape on the peninsula of La Manche, on the English Channel. The story as told by Browning is true, except that the holiday given the hero was for life. P. 102, 1. 43. Croisickese: Hervé Riel lived at St. Croisic, just opposite from St. Malo. P. 102, 1. 45. Malouins: inhabitants of St. Malo. P. 106, l. 134. Louvre: a famous palace in Paris, now used as a museum, picture-gallery, etc. THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN P. 106. This poem was written to amuse the young son of William Macready, the actor. It is to this son, Willie, that the last lines of the poem are addressed. The incidents related in the poem are based upon an old legend that was widespread during the Middle Ages. Cf. Fiske's 'Myths and Myth Makers.' P. 109, 1. 74. Cham: the title of the sovereign prince of Tartary, usually written Khan. P. 109, 1. 76. Nizam: title of native sovereigns of Hyderabad, India. THE BATTLE OF NASEBY P. 117. The battle of Naseby, one of the decisive battles of the great civil war between the Parliamentary forces under Cromwell and the army of King Charles I., was fought near the village of Naseby, in Northamptonshire, in 1645. P. 118, 1. II. P. 118, 1. 22. Man of Blood: Charles I. Alsatia: a quarter of London inhabited largely by fugitive debtors and criminals. P. 118, 1. 22. Whitehall: a royal palace in London. P. 120, 1. 38. Temple Bar: an old city gate, no longer standing. HORATIUS P. 120. This story is one of the familiar tales in the legendary history of Rome. Most of the proper names are names, either of places in ancient Italy and Etruria, or of legendary or semihistorical personages. P. 121, 1. 36. Massilia: Marseilles. P. 123, 1. 71. Verses: probably like the Sibylline verses of Rome, which were thought to foretell the fortunes of the city, and which were consulted on all important occasions. P. 125, 1. 118. ators. Fathers of the City: a name given to the sen P. 129, 1. 234. The three original patrician tribes of Rome were the Ramnes, Tities, and Luceres. These three tribes are represented in the three heroes of the day. P. 129, 1. 238. Cf. 1. 234. P. 130, 1. 259. Tribunes: officers appointed to defend the rights of the plebeians, or poorer classes, while the Fathers, or Senate, represented the patricians. |