Julia (Chapter_3)

22 Chapter Third

One afternoon that Julia, with D'aubgini and her children had taken a ride, the beauty of the scenery and the fineness of the weather had lenthened their excursion and it was not until the sun had set that they thought of returning. Their conversation as usual had turned on the days of their youth and never could Julia revert to those days, or speak of the incident and tenderness of parents without being overwhelmed with sadness. As they turned the corner of a long row of buildings, they came within sight of the Capitol. The moon had climbed high above the horizon, but was still labouring as it were to free itself from a map of dark and heavy clouds; some, it had surmounted and was slowly ascending to the zenith where not a vapour obscured the deep blue of ether.

The children had fallen asleep, and for some time both Julia and D'aubigni had been lost in thought, gazing on the same object.

At last Julia spoke, "There was a time said she, "when I should better have loved to look at the moon in unclouded brightness, gliding calmly and majestically over the heavens; but now I know not why, I feel a sweeter, tho' a sadder [?] [?] in watching it struggling through a troubled and stormy sky. To me she seems like a voyager toiling through the waves and foam of the ocean to his distant home, or to one whose mind darkened by doubts and difficulties is forcing his way to that region where those doubts and difficulties shall be surmounted - [?] and truth shall shine in unclouded [?] still oftener," said she with a sigh, "like my own heart.

And it is your heart, my dear Julia, which forms your taste, on our feelings in a great measure defend our perceptions of beauty, for it is through the medium of sensation, that the mind views not only the circumstances of life, but the scenes of nature. In youth your heart knew the vicissitudes of joy & sorrow, it was like the moon sailing in her own silver light. No cares or fears had then dimmed its hopes, and it delighted in all that was most bright and beautiful. But the mind, saddened by grief, turns, with the eye fatigued with weeping, to gloom and darkness for relief."

"True," said Julia, "an then was calm", she paused, ssing D'aubigne's eye still fixed on the moon struggling inside the clouds. "And you dear Henry," she said, "do you too love to gaze on that troubled [sky?]?"

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"We all love sympathy," replied D'aubigne," & whether we find it in the human heart or in natural objects, it has an imerit-ible power to attract, unite, identify as with the object to which [inserted]it is[inserted] [erected?] [deleted]it[deleted].--- Yes, Julia, I not only prefer the [deletion] checkered light & shade of a night like this, taken of unobserved brightness; but I love still more the gloom of midnight when only a few stars shed their broken rays over heaven like those of hope over [deleted]our[deleted] life. I love the howling of the tempest & the roaring of the ocean. Often have I forsaken the sheltered lawn & gay drawing room, to go & wander on the sea-beaten shore - yes, even when the war of elements raged round me. For oh Julia there was a sympathy between their warfare & that within my own bosom."

"Let us get out & walk," [inserted]said Julia[inserted] "for she felt that she knew not why, an [apprehension?] at her heart, & she though she could breath more freely in the open air. She carefully & [drew?] up the [deleted]blinds[deleted] glasses [deletion]of the carriage[deletion], threw a shawl over the children & bade the servants slowly follow them with the carriage. She then took D'aubigne's arm & walked on a while, till she came in front of the buildings opposite the Caitol, when she stopped.

"It is not," said she, "only Melrop, that to be seen right should be seen by the bright moon light; our Capitol too, derives peculiar beauty from this circumstance. Look, it is now [half?] shrouded in darkness - now partially illu-minated, & over the whole, there is that dim [religious?] light, that shadowy obscurity, so can [divine?] to the sublime:

"I feel it" said D'aubigne. This same scene in the glare of day was destitue of either grandeur or beauty, but now I can almost imagine myself standing amidst some antient ruins.

The indistinct outline of that major building structure is lost in this shadowy light & the imagination [deletion] gives it an unreal magnitude. Those inperfect columns, those unfinished arches, seem like the ruins of a falling, rather than parts of a rising edifice.

"And" said Julia, those huge masses of stone, scattered over the ground, [inserted]blended[inserted] with the other objects thus indistinctly seen aid the illusion; let us imagine our selves then among the ruins of the 'antient Capitol of [deleted]the old world[deleted] Rome &

"And would such an imagination add [inserted]more[inserted] interest to the [deletion] existing scene?" said D'Aubigne.

"Oh a thousand times [inseted]more[inserted], answered Julia - "there is such power [with?] magic in that little word, Rome."

Conversing thus, they had descended the Capitol Hill & reached the bridge that [drapes?] the Tiber.

"Let us stop here," said Julia. "[for?] no places have I felt this magic influence of words so forcibly as here. When I say to myself I am [?] on the banks of the Tiber, & look at the "Capitol." What a throng of ideas [?] into my mind."

"What an enthusiast!" exclaimed D'aubigne. "And yet with all our philosophy, I suspect my good friend you [inserted]are[inserted] acceptable of the same influence. Tell me truly, one not different idea & feelings [deletion] awakened when I say let us walk by Rock Creek & Look at the College, then, when I say, let us walk by the Tiber & look at the Capitol?"

"Your entusiasm is contagious," replied D'aubigne smiling, "I certainly at this moment feel a livelier emotion, than I did last evening. Altho I then stood by a far more beautiful & romantic stream."

"I was sure of it," she said - "no heart of any feeling is free from this superstition of [fancy?], as one may call it. But look - look exclaimed Julia, pointing to the Capitol - "did you ever see any thing more beautiful?"

At that moment the moon bursting from behind a mass of dark clouds, shone in all her brightness & the white walls of the Capitol broke upon the sight in almost equal brilliancey. The effect was magical - In a moment this large dark structure, in distinctly even through the gloom, stood revealed in all its beauty & splendour. Standing in solitary grandeur - no contiguous buildings, not even a tree was near to break the outline. The dark horizen its only back ground, gave it that bold reief which is wanting in the day.

D'aubigne gazed in silence & seemed lost in admiration - at last he exlaimed,

"It is indeed beautiful! - [deleted]sublime![deleted]

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never before have I been so affected by any work of art. In [inserted]our[inserted] other cities, nay even in those of Europe, the noblest Edifices lose much of their effect by being surrounded with other buildings & seen only at a short distance & often contiguous to objects which tend to contrast or depress the [fine?] [insert]emotions of the[insert] mind - but Rome! - the Capitol derives grandeur from its actuation. It stands this unrivalled monarch of the scene. Its throne, that high & commanding Nik,. its only enclosure the horizon. And this [silence?] of might too, is favorable to the impressions of sublimity made by its imposing aspect. I can scarcely believe it is the same building, at which we were looking, while standing on the top of the hill. Its Eastern front had the appearance of a ruin - but at the foot of the hill & at this distance. The western front exhibits one of the loftiest, most majestic & beautiful objects I have ever beheld, shining, as it now shines in the reful -gence of [deleted]this[deleted] bright-moon-light. My dear friend" he continued after a pause," you are right, the Capitol should always be viewed by moonlight, [deleted]to see it right."[deleted]

"And standing on the Banks of the Tiber," said Julia smiling -

"Why yes," said D'aubigne, with an imagination like yours, that will aid the effect."

"Well I am delighted, said Julia, that you admire what we consider the noblest work of our infant city - I feel so much of the pride of citizen-ship, that I am gratified by every thing which adds to its welfare & importance I look forward with exultatioin to the time when this desert shall be peopled, with a great & free people - this waste, covered with the monu -ments of the fine arts, - [with?] trophies of glory & great-ness. --

"And yet you wish for a continuance of [?] [?]

"Certainly." -

"Then, my dear friend, you must resign

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your vissions of glory & greatness. - the things are incompatable.

"New principles, may produce new effects," replied Julia no other country was ever of equal power & extent, was ever so enlightened - so united, so free. We shall have none of those causing disunion, none of these objects of ambition which exciting a spirit of warfare & conquest, create that false glory & greatness which is destructive of peace & prosperity. The glory & greatness of an american will consist in the happiness of his country - What an Empire! bounded by the Atlantic & Pacific, whose mingled waters will be productive not only of abundance, but of union."

"[Vissions?] - more [vissions?] of the imagination!" said D'aubigne, "which on this globe of ours can never be realised - No Julia men are the same now, here as in other parts of the world - What has been - will be.

It is far more probable, [inserted]nay[inserted] [?] from the past history of the world, I might rather say, [inserted]it is[inserted] certain, that this union cannot last. Nations have their youth, maturity, & age as well as individuals. The greatest empires that have ever existed, after rising to a certain height, have fallen into decay & ruin & we must not count on an exemption from the universal destiny of [deleted]and[deleted] [inserted]man[inserted] [deletion] his destiny will not change, until his nature changes, & as yet not with -standing his [deletion] discoveries in the moral & physical world, man is essentially the same as he was in Eden, still grasping at something beyond what he possesses; ambition that tyrant [passion?] from which heaven itself was not free, since

Aspiring to be gods the angels fell Ambition, [deleted]with[deleted] governs, [deletion] the future, as it has governed the past. Some state will aim at superiority to the other states of the union - Some individuals grasp at despotic power. Yes, some yet unborn Alexander, or [deleted]Gengh[deleted] Gengiskahn [deleted]will[deleted] from the desire of absolute & universal [dominion?] will overturn the institutions of the New world, as they have of the old. - New! do I say? - Rather should I call it the old world - which after [yrs?] of darkness & [repose?]