King Neptune, in great state, sat on his throne; the Tritons stood
before him, but the chief seats were empty. Waving his trident round
his head, he spoke. The words were those which reached the ears of
Borasco, then thousands of miles away:--
"Haste hither, wild Spirits,
Who wandering roam
The wide-rolling ocean,
When covered with foam.
Abandon your fierce work
Of death and dismay;
Haste, fly o'er the billows,
My mandate obey.
From where the north gales
So ragingly blow,
On whiten'd wing flying
From frost and from snow;
Ye, in the storm striving,
To swell the loud blast,
The helpless bark driving,
While shivers the mast,
When a shriek is heard sounding
Mid ocean's wild roar,
And the doom'd bark is grounding
Upon the dark shore,
Haste hither, Sea Spirits,
I bid ye appear;
Haste, haste, at my call;
I summon ye here!"
Even while Neptune was speaking, troops of sea-monsters of every
wonderful form, and of every colour, came rushing into the hall, and
having made their obeisance to him, took their seats on their respective
thrones. In they came, till the edifice, vast as it was, was almost
full of them. There were the King of the Whales, the King of the
Sharks, the King of the Porpoises, and the King of the Dolphins, the
King of the Cat-fish, and the King of the Big Sea Serpents; the Kings of
Ice and Snow, of Tempests and Whirlpools, and there were the guardian
spirits of every headland and bay, and of every island and river in the
universe; so that it is not surprising that their number should have
been so considerable. Neptune then inquired in a loud voice how each
had been occupied since the last convocation.
"I," answered the King of the Whales, "have been engaged in protecting
my subjects by hurling together large masses of ice, and by crushing the
ships which come to attack them, even to the very heart of my kingdom."
"And I," said the King of the Sharks, "have been engaged in sinking all
the ships I could meet, so that I might give to my subjects an abundance
of the food they like best." The King of the Porpoises replied, that he
had been teaching his subjects to keep in the deep sea out of harm's
way; and the King of the Cat-fish said, he had advised his to make
themselves as disagreeable as possible, so that no one would wish to
catch them; while the tall monarch of the Big Sea Serpents observed that
he had strictly enjoined his to keep out of sight altogether, which
fully accounts, for so few of them having ever been seen. Among the
Spirits there was one who, in beauty of form, surpassed them all, for it
was almost that of a human being, but more grand and majestic. The
Spirit rose and spoke:--
"I have, mighty sovereign, been engaged in watching over the island of
which you have made me guardian. I found the women good and beautiful,
and the men brave and hardy, true sons of the ocean, their barks roving
to every distant clime, and bringing back the produce of each to their
sea-girt shore."
"'Tis well, Britannia," said the sovereign of the ocean; "let them
understand, that as long as they remain faithful to me--as long as they
keep their fleets well manned, their sea-barks ready to repel any
aggression--as long as they refuse to submit to the slightest
interference of any foreign prince or potentate, Albion shall be my
favoured isle, the land of peace and liberty."
When Neptune had ceased speaking, all the Kings of the Sea and Tritons
signified their desire to support their sovereign's wishes. Neptune
then looked round, and seeing Borasco's throne vacant, inquired what had
become of him. Before any one could answer, the Spirit of the Storm
entered the hall, and making a low obeisance, walked with a dejected air
to his seat.
To the customary inquiry, Borasco informed his sovereign of all the
storms which had blown, and the shipwrecks which had occurred.
"Now tell me, Borasco," asked the monarch, "why have you the downcast
look I see you wear?"
Borasco replied, "Dread chief, I come to crave your aid for a cause in
which all the power I possess I find of no avail. As I was lately
wandering over the ocean, I reached the shores of a lovely island
clothed with beautiful shrubs and trees and sweet-scented flowers, and
canopied by skies of purest blue. Never have I seen a spot more
beautiful; and yet it is but the setting of a precious jewel--a pearl of
matchless price. That jewel is a lovely and youthful maiden, a
princess, the daughter of the mortal sovereign of that island. As I
slept, concealed beneath the rocks, she and her maidens, she outshining
them all, came to sport upon the sands. Their laughter, sweet as the
murmuring of the breeze upon the summer waves, roused me from my
slumber; but no sooner did I present myself before them, than they fled
with shrieks of terror, fast as the fleet dolphin from the voracious
shark. She alone remained behind. I gazed delighted. I endeavoured to
approach her, to behold her nearer; but no sooner did I move, than,
affrighted, she fled far away from me into the woods, where I could not
follow. I endeavoured to shout to her, to entreat her to tarry, to
listen to what I had to say; but my voice (it was somewhat loud, I
confess) only made her fly the faster. When she and her attendants had
disappeared, I sat me down on a rock, disconsolate, to consider the
state of the case, when I by degrees began to suspect that she was
frightened by the form I am doomed to wear, which I fear is somewhat
more hideous than she is accustomed to see. I meditated still further,
and at length I came to the conclusion that I am what human beings call
desperately in love. Yes, dread Sovereign, the fierce Borasco is in
love!"
On hearing this confession of Borasco, all the Kings of the Sea and
Tritons lifted up their hands with surprise, and a smile of incredulity
rested on their countenances, while a murmur ran through the hall,
"Borasco in love! Borasco in love! oh, oh!" for no one would have
guessed that he could have become a slave to the tender passion. They
smiled, too, at his only then having discovered his own ugliness, for,
frightful as they were themselves, they all fancied that he was more so.
Britannia was the only spirit who compassionated him, and she pleaded
his cause with Neptune so successfully, that the Monarch expressed his
willingness to assist him, if means so to do could be found. "Tell me
by what rules, in thy favoured island, youths manage to win the hearts
of the maidens they love?" said Neptune, addressing Britannia.
The Spirit smiled and replied: "In the first place, the youths wear
forms somewhat more attractive than that of Borasco; but as to rules, I
can lay down none, so various are the means by which the hearts of
maidens are won, and of such different materials do they appear to be
made. Some seem to me to be composed of iron or adamant, some of glass,
some of wax, some of lead, and some of stuff not more consistent than
butter, while a few, I suspect, have no hearts at all. Sighs and timid
looks attract some, laughter and bold admiration others, and gold has no
little influence in affairs of that description; but the man who
requires rules to make love has but small chance indeed."
Borasco sat in a very melancholy and downcast mood, with his chin
resting on his hand, while several deep sighs, which sounded somewhat
like thunder, burst from his heaving bosom, and echoed round and round
the hall. At last he looked up and said, "It is very well for you,
brother Kings, who are fancy free, to laugh; but let me tell you, if you
felt as I do you would find it no laughing matter. And thou, O mighty
Neptune, if thou canst not help me to win the lovely in aid, I know not
what I shall do, while I remain as hideous as I own I am."
Neptune, on hearing this, thought deeply for some minutes; he then
spoke:--
"Be not, my brave Borasco, thus dismay'd,
You know my love, and I will give thee aid.
I grant thee leave to seek some human form
In which the life-blood yet is flowing warm,
Which from some sea-tossed, shattered wreck is torn,
And on the shore by raging billows borne.
Such you may enter, while your present form
Returns to mingle with the air and storm.
But also learn, the force of fire or steel,
Like other mortals, you'll be doomed to feel;
And if of mortal life you are bereft,
You must resume the native form you left,
And thence for ever in that shape remain,
Nor e'er in human semblance shine again;
And also, every year you most repair
To this my court in that same form you wear,
Leaving your mortal shape in seeming sleep,
While for one day you stay beneath the deep.
Such is, Borasco, tried and faithful friend,
The best assistance which I now can lend."
On hearing these words, the looks of the Spirit of the Storm brightened.
He rose and made obeisance. "Thanks, mighty Sovereign," he exclaimed;
"my hopes brighten, my courage returns. I will, with your permission,
at once hasten and put into execution this most excellent plan. It must
succeed, and cannot fail to secure my happiness; and I here promise to
obey your mandates, and faithfully to return once a year, to pay my
respects at your court."
"Do so," replied Neptune; "but remember that I can give you power only
over the form of a human being who in his lifetime has been guilty of
many crimes. With the innocent and virtuous no Spirit must interfere.
Now let our court break up; and, Kings of the Sea, and ye, great Spirits
of the Wind and Air, disperse yourselves across the billowy main."
On hearing these words the Spirits answered:
"We fly, mighty Monarch, we fly at thy will,
With tempest and tumult the ocean to fill;
Where rocks and where sandbanks and whirlpools abound,
And barks are hurled onward, we there shall be found."
When the Spirits ceased speaking they dispersed, with a loud rushing
sound, in all directions, while the Kings of the Sea, the Islands, and
Rocks, retired with a more dignified pace, and the vast hall was left,
as before, in solitude and silence.