be accounted a fair judge of his own writings, this is my best effort in the imaginative line; and as it is no new brain-child (we always love the last baby best), but was written little short of fifty years ago, the impartial opinion of an old judge is probably a correct one.  The sun-dial is still in my garden,—­and as I stood by it half a century since, there grew up to my mind’s eye this Vision:—­

“I was walking in my garden at noon:  and I came to the sun-dial, where, shutting my book, I leaned upon the pedestal, musing; so the thin shadow pointed to twelve.

“Of a sudden, I felt a warm sweet breath upon my cheek, and, starting up, in much wonder beheld a face of the most bewitching beauty close beside me, gazing on the dial:  it was only a face; and with earnest fear I leaned, steadfastly watching its strange loveliness.  Soon, it looked into me with its fascinating eyes, and said mournfully, ’Dost thou not know me?’—­but I was speechless with astonishment:  then it said, ’Consider:’—­with that, my mind rushed into me like a flood, and I looked, and considered, and speedily vague outlines shaped about, mingled with floating gossamers of colour, until I was aware that a glorious living Creature was growing to my knowledge.

“So I looked resolutely on her (for she wore the garb of woman), gazing still as she grew:  and again she said mildly, ’Consider:’—­then I noted that from her jewelled girdle upwards, all was gorgeous, glistening, and most beautiful; her white vest was rarely worked with living flowers, but brighter and sweeter than those of earth; flowing tresses, blacker than the shadows cast by the bursting of a meteor, and, like them, brilliantly interwoven with strings of light, fell in clusters on her fair bosom; her lips were curled with the expression of majestic triumph, yet wreathed winningly with flickering smiles; and the lustre of her terrible eyes, like suns flashing darkness, did bewilder me and blind my reason:—­Then I veiled mine eyes with my clasped hands; but again she said, ’Consider:’—­and bending all my mind to the hazard, I encountered with calmness their steady radiance, although they burned into my brain.  Bound about her sable locks was as it were a chaplet of fire; her right hand held a double-edged sword of most strange workmanship, for the one edge was of keen steel, and the other as it were the strip of a peacock’s feather; on the face of the air about her were phantoms of winged horses, and of racking-wheels:  and from her glossy shoulders waved and quivered large dazzling wings of iridescent colours, most glorious to look upon.

“So grew she slowly to my knowledge; and as I stood gazing in a rapture, again she muttered sternly,—­’Consider!’—­Then I looked below the girdle upon her flowing robes:  and behold they were of dismal hue, and on the changing surface fluttered fearful visions:  I discerned blood-spots on them, and ghastly eyes glaring from the darker folds, and, when these rustled, were heard stifled meanings, and smothered shrieks as of horror:  and I noted that she stood upon a wreath of lightnings, that darted about like a nest of young snakes in the midst of a sullen cloud, black, palpable, and rolling inwards as thick smoke from a furnace.