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that of Hampden, which occurred at nearly the same time, diminished the chances of peace, by depriving the country of the two statesmen, who were most anxious for it.

It is impossible, in this brief sketch of the transactions of that period, to enter into the detail of the movements of the respective armies. Lord Hertford was named Lieutenant-general of the West, and was gaining as much for the King's cause by the high estimation in which his character was held, as by his military talents; when Prince Rupert,* who, gallant and bold as he undoubtedly was, was in this war the evil genius of his royal uncle, was unfortunately associated with him in the command, and ultimately, upon his representations, Lord Hertford was superseded, and the command of the army of the West given to Prince Maurice. It is true Lord Hertford's feelings were soothed by his being appointed Groom of the Stole; but, nevertheless, his recall from the command of the army was productive of incalculable losses to the royal cause. He now resigned the office of Governor of the Prince of Wales, and was appointed Chancellor of the University of Oxford, and for some time his name does not appear prominently in the records of the time.

Lord Capell now began to play an important part. In May 1644, he was appointed one of the Council of the Prince of Wales, together with Hyde, Hopton, Colepepper, the Duke of Richmond, and Lord Southampton. Accompanied by these the Prince moved to Cornwall; where he for some time sustained an unequal contest with the Parliamentary generals, and where the greatest difficulty, with which Lord Capell and his coadjutors had to contend, was the King's often-expressed wish that his son should seek safety in France. At length his affairs became so desperate, that it was evidently no longer safe for him to remain in England, and a flight to Scilly was recommended and adopted. The extreme insecurity of that island rendered a further move necessary, and the Prince accordingly retired to Jersey, accompanied by Capell, Hyde, and Hopton. The Queen, who was now at Paris, spared no exertions to prevail upon the Prince to join her there; but his wise counsellors, wellknowing the bad effect which such a course would have upon their cause, opposed it by every means in their power; and great indeed was their grief, when the Prince at last yielded to his mother's solicitations.

They all refused to accompany him, and, as at that time they could be of no use to the King, they remained at Jersey, where Hyde composed great part of the famous "History of the Rebellion." On the occasion of a report that Lord Jermyn intended to deliver up Jersey to the French government, Lord Capell went to Paris to ascertain the truth of it; and finding, apparently, that it had no foundation, he went to Holland, and thence to England, where, the war being now concluded, and the King a prisoner, he obtained leave to reside upon his estates, and seems to have lived unmolested, until, on the occasion of the mutiny in the fleet, when the Prince of Wales took the command and sailed into the Downs, he joined the insurrection in Kent and Essex, and was finally shut up with the forces under the command of Lord Norwich in Colchester.

The romantic career of Prince Rupert, so graphically related by the lamented Eliot Warburton, will be always referred to, as one of the most entertaining as well as brilliant narratives of the most momentous periods of English history. "Prince Rupert and the Cavaliers" was the only historical work of this fascinating writer, upon which he was engaged for nearly two years.

The siege of Colchester is one of the most memorable events of that disastrous period, when the Royalists, encouraged by the discontent of the Parliament at the power assumed by the military chiefs, and by the invasion of the Scots, who had too late returned to their allegiance and taken up arms in defence of their King, made one last attempt to retrieve their fallen fortunes, and opposed the disciplined and now veteran soldiers of Cromwell and Fairfax.

The defence was most gallant: the town, being originally destitute of fortifications, was, in an incredibly short period, placed in a position to resist all attacks; so much so, that Fairfax, after one or two ineffectual attempts, gave up all idea of taking the town by storm, and sat down before it, determined to starve out the garrison. In this he at length succeeded. After enduring incredible miseries and privations, the troops evinced symptoms of mutiny, and terms of capitulation were offered and accepted. It is a disputed point how far the lives of the leading chiefs were assured to them by these terms. There is no doubt, however, that they thought themselves secure; and to us it appears that nothing but a most violent straining of language can justify the proceedings, by which shortly afterwards, Lord Capell and others of his companions were put upon their trial for their lives, and finally executed.

Lord Capell made a most energetic defence, and ceased not to protest against the injustice of his sentence; but it availed not. Those, who had just embrued their hands in the blood of their sovereign, were not likely to feel much compunction at the execution of a few of his faithful followers. Lord Capell suffered with the meekness of a Christian and the heroism of a martyr; stating on the scaffold, that the only remembrance that lay heavily on his conscience, was the consent that he had given to the execution of Strafford.

In the meantime Lord Hertford had not been idle. He had not indeed taken up arms in the last unfortunate rising; but he had been in attendance on his imprisoned sovereign, and had aided him with his counsel and advice during the treaty of Newport, the last occasion on which Charles acted with even the semblance of being a free agent. Before that treaty was concluded, the King was seized by the military, conveyed to Hurst Castle, thence to London, where, in a few weeks, he was tried and executed. During the Commonwealth, Lord Hertford was permitted to reside peaceably on his own estates, whence, from his diminished resources, he afforded pecuniary assistance to the young King, and various of his exiled followers. Cromwell had always regarded Lord Hertford with the highest esteem, and on one occasion even condescended to ask his advice on the state of the country. Lord Hertford endeavoured to excuse himself; but, as the Protector would take no denial, he frankly avowed that the only course that he could recommend, was the recall of the rightful sovereign. Cromwell merely observed, that he had gone too far to be able to adopt that measure, and does not appear to have been offended at Lord Hertford's frankness.

At the Restoration, Lord Hertford and Lord Southampton, two old and faithful followers of the late King, were among the first to welcome his successor. They were most graciously received by Charles, and at Canterbury were both invested with the Garter. Shortly afterwards, the title of Duke of Somerset, which had been forfeited by his greatgrandfather the Protector, was restored to Lord Hertford, the attainder

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Lori Hariri early le however, was signalized by an attachment of a far more rate ad erectill natze It is possible that some of our readers may never rate own, and that many may have forgotten, that the Lord Herford, & dirtinguished during the annals of Parliamentary exetests and civil wars, was no other than the identical William Seymour, whose marriage with the -ated Lady Arabella Stuart constitutes one of the most romantic stories of the age. The story is too well-known for us to dilate upon it here, and our limits warn us to be brief We therefore merely enter our protest against Lady Theresa Lewis's assumption, that Seymour was actuated by purely mercenary motives in first seeking Arabella's hand. The whole tenor of Lord Hertford's subsequent career is so opposed to such a supposition, that we confess we are inclined to side with the elder Disraeli, who suggests that Seymour's avowal of such motives was probably made "to cover his undoubted affection for Arabella, whom he had early known." After her death, he married a sister of Lord Essex, but the remembrance of his early love appears in the interesting fact, that his eldest child was christened Arabella.

We can confidently recommend these entertaining volumes to our readers. They will find much that is new, collected with great pains and research from a variety of different sources. The authorities for every statement of importance are uniformly quoted, and much valuable matter is contained in the Appendices. The biographies are agreeably written, and convey a distinct and pleasing idea both of the characters of their subjects, and the part they played in the scenes of that eventful

time.

The work is prefaced by an interesting introduction, containing an account of the manner in which the pictures and MSS. of Lord Chancellor Clarendon have been preserved or dispersed, which we recommend to the notice even of those readers who are wont to skip "prefaces and introductions." There are, indeed, we confidently believe, few classes of readers, who would not find both entertainment and instruction in the perusal of the "Lives of the Friends and Contemporaries of Lord Chancellor Clarendon."

T

A VISIT TO BAALBEC,

THE BAALATH OF SOLOMON.

Of the numerous cities which flourished in the beautiful region first inhabited by the human race, where then the ferment of passions was rife with virtues, vices, glories, revolutions, and decay, though now so silent in desolation-some present a curious contrast in the aspect they assume, for the teaching of posterity. Their historical traces are in inverse ratio to the actual remains of their monumental splendour. Memphis, Nineveh, Babylon, Sidon, Tyre, &c. are bright in the pages of history, though their utter destruction, has fulfilled the denunciations of sacred verse. While others almost, or entirely "unknown to fame," have left silent testimonials of their magnificence, which in parts look as fresh as if really chiselled for eternity. Thus Tadmor "of the desert," though retaining the name given to it by its founder Solomon, in history only flashes forth during a short-lived zenith, under the name of Palmyra, when it almost rivalled Rome, and then sank as speedily into oblivion.

Thus, also, with the very ancient city of Baalbec; its different stages in prosperity and decay are utterly unknown to us: but the present state of both these cities, attesting their former beauty and extent, sheds a halo over the past, tinged with mystery, which strikes the mind with a feeling nearly akin to awe, and cannot fail to afford subjects for deep meditation, causing every visitor to regret the little time that is usually devoted to them. This was so completely my feeling, that, not satisfied with having seen the ruins of Baalbec in the autumn of 1850, I eagerly seized an opportunity, in the following spring, of returning to them; though again to be disappointed in not having time enough for a careful examination. This having been the case with the majority of travellers since the time of Wood and Dawkins, but little as yet is known of this very interesting city; and it seems therefore a sort of duty that every one should add his gleanings, scanty though they be, to the general stock of information.

Baalbec is situated at the head of the remarkable valley, running between the two mountain ranges of Libanus and Antilibanus, anciently Calo-Syria, now called the Bekaa, which, though its rise is almost imperceptible from its uniformity, attains an elevation at Baalbec, of between three or four thousand feet. The highest part of the range of Lebanon, called by the Arabs Gibel Libnan, is distant about twenty miles and bears about north-north-west. The valley is watered by the Leitani (anciently the Leontes), which has its rise just above the town, and at its birth even is a considerable stream. A remarkable feature in this basin is, that it is divided by a very slight elevation from that of the river Orontes, which flows in an opposite direction, to the north. Both of these streams resemble the Jordan in the rapidity of their current, and the great fall in proportion to their length of course.

From its position, whether in a military or a commercial point of view, Baalbec must have risen early to wealth and distinction.

Many writers have supposed that the town called Baalath, in the his torical books of the Old Testament, is the Baalbec to which we refer and it would seem with reason. We read that "Solomon built Baalath,

VOL. XXXI.

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It has seen frequently own that Eaal or Be a gerenc came fr the deity of tacse muntmes, yet more paminlarig smiles the sun, the earliest object of dolatrous worship among Eastern nations; and that the Sun was voniicred in Sema, we further korv fom the fact that the Greece changed the ancient name of Bailee into the Heapolis, the city of the Sun, so that the celebrated tempie in Palmyra was

dedicated to the Sun.

The evidence derived from its geographical position is very important, as associated with Hamath, in the preceding quotations. This town corresponds to the modern Hamah lying to the north, while the mention of Lebanon clearly identifies Baalath with some place in the vicinity of these mountains.

Another very important argument that would lead us to the same conclusion, is in the preservation of ancient names, by modern inhabitants. Thus, the land of Egypt is called in Scripture Mizraim,—and El Mesr is the name given by the modern Egyptians to Cairo, their capital. Palmyra, the city of palm-trees, was the appellation used by the Greeks for the scriptural Tadmor of the Desert: it is now again known by its more ancient name,-the Arabs call it Tedmor. We have also the Hamath of Solomon changed to the Emesa of the Greeks, and restored in the Hamah of the Arabs.

Thus Scriptural allusions, geographical position, etymology, and tradition, alike concur in fixing the identity of Baalath with Baalbec. The Arabs believe that Baalbec was built by Solyman Ebn Daoud, or Solomon, the son of David, who employed the agency of genii. While, however, the traditions of this unchanged and unchanging race, though hampered by absurdities, are entitled to respect, in ascribing the whole work to the great king, they are clearly mistaken; as the most casua! observer could not fail to see that this immense group of ruins, as various in form as in purpose, has been the work of several periods. The principal feature distinguishing these ruins from all others, of every age and people, is the enormous magnitude of the stones that form the basement wall, on the northern and western sides of the substructure of the great Temple. These stones were first noticed in modern times by Maundrell in his work entitled "A Journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem." His words are (page 137), "Here is another curiosity of this place, which a man had need be well assured of his credit, before he ventures to relate, lest he should be thought to strain the privilege of a traveller too far.

"That which I mean is a large piece of the old wall or Peribolus, which encompassed all these structures last described. A wall made of such monstrous great stones, that the nations hereabouts (as it is usual

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