“INCIDENT OF THE FRENCH CAMP.”  A boy soldier of the army of Napoleon has received his death wound in planting the Imperial flag within the walls of Ratisbon.  He contrives by a supreme effort to gallop out to the Emperor—­who has watched the storming of the city from a mound a mile or two away—­fling himself from the horse, and, holding himself erect by its mane, announce the victory.  No sign of pain escapes him.  But when Napoleon suddenly exclaims:  “You are wounded,” the soldier’s pride in him is touched.  “I am killed, Sire,” he replies; and, smiling, falls dead at the Emperor’s feet.  The story is true; but its actual hero was a man.

“COUNT GISMOND” is an imaginary episode of the days of chivalry.  It relates how a young girl had been chosen queen of a tournament; and how a false knight, instigated by two cousins who were jealous of her beauty, accused her, in the open field, of being unfit to bestow a crown; how a true knight who loved her, killed the lie by a blow struck at the liar’s mouth; and then, mortally wounding him in single combat, dragged him to retract it at the lady’s feet; how he laid his protecting arm around her, and led her away to the southern home where she is now his proud and happy wife, with sons growing up to resemble him.

The fearless confidence with which she has awaited the result of the duel, as bearing God’s testimony to the truth, is very characteristic of the time.

“THE BOY AND THE ANGEL” is an imaginary legend which presents one of Mr. Browning’s deepest convictions in a popular form.  Theocrite was a poor boy, who worked diligently at his craft, and praised God as he did so.  He dearly wished to become Pope, that he might praise Him better, and God granted the wish.  Theocrite sickened and seemed to die.  And he awoke to find himself a priest, and also, in due time, Pope.  But God missed the praise, which had gone up to Him from the boy craftsman’s cell; and the angel Gabriel came down to earth, and took Theocrite’s former place.  And God was again not satisfied; for the angelic praise could not replace for Him the human.  “The silencing of that one weak voice had stopped the chorus of creation.”  So Theocrite returned to his old self; and the angel Gabriel became Pope instead of him.

“THE GLOVE” is the well-known story[98] of a lady of the Court of Francis I., who, in order to test the courage of her suitor, threw her glove into the enclosure in which a captive lion stood; and describes the suitor—­one De Lorge—­as calmly rescuing the glove, but only to fling it in the lady’s face; this protest against her heartlessness and vanity being endorsed by both the King and Court.  But at this point Mr. Browning departs from the usual version:  for he takes the woman’s part.  The supposed witness and narrator of the incident, the poet Ronsard, sees a look in her face which seems to say that the experiment, if painful, has been worth making; and he gives her the opportunity of declaring