When Severn’s sweeping flood had overthrown St. Mary’s Church, the preacher then would cry:-- “Thus, Christian people, God his might hath shown That ye to him your love may testify; Haste, and rebuild the pile.”--But not a stone 5 Resumed its place. Age after age went by, And Heaven still lacked its due, though piety In secret did, we trust, her loss bemoan. But now her Spirit hath put forth its claim In Power, and Poesy would lend her voice; 10 Let the new Church be worthy of its aim, That in its beauty Cardiff may rejoice! Oh! in the past if cause there was for shame, Let not our times halt in their better choice. RYDAL MOUNT, _23rd Jan. 1842_. THE PILLAR OF TRAJAN The Fenwick note to _The Pillar of Trajan_ mentions that the author’s son having declined to attempt to compete for the Oxford prize poem on “The Pillar of Trajan,” his father wrote it, to show him how the thing might be done. This son--the Rev. John Wordsworth of Brigham--wrote Latin verse with considerable success; and as specimens of the poetic work of Dorothy Wordsworth and of Sarah Hutchinson are included in these volumes, the following _Epistola ad Patrem suum_, written at Madeira by John Wordsworth in 1844, may be reproduced.--ED. I pete longinquas, non segnis Epistola, terras, I pete, Rydaliae conscia saxa lyrae: I pete quà valles rident, sylvaeque lacusque, Quamvis Arctoo paenè sub axe jacent. Parvos quaere Lares, non aurea Tecta, poetae, 5 Qui tamen ingenii sceptraque mentis habet. Quid faciat genitor? valeatne, an cura senilis Opprimat? Ista refer, filius ista rogat. Scire velit, quare venias tu scripta _latine_? Dic “fugio linguam, magne poeta, tuam! 10 Quem Regina jubet circumdare tempora lauro, Quem verè vatem saecula nostra vocant.” Inde refer gressus responsaque tradita curae Fida tuae, numeris in loca digna senis, Haec ego tradiderim, majoribus ire per altum 15 Nunc velis miserum me mea musa rapit. Solvimus è portu, navisque per aequora currit Neptuni auxilio fluctifragisque rotis. Neptunus videt attonitus, Neptunia conjux, Omnis et aequorei nympha comata chori. 20 Radimus Hispanum litus, loca saxea crebris Gallorum belli nobilitata malis. Haud mora, sunt visae Gades,[419] urbs fabula quondam, Claraque ab Herculeo nomine, clara suo. Hanc magnam cognovit Arabs, Romanus candem, 25 Utraque gens illi vimque decusque tulit. Hora brevis, fragilisque viris! similisque ruina Viribus humanis omnia facta manet Pulchra jaces, olim Carthaginis aemula magnae, Nataque famosae non inhonesta Tyri! 30 En! ratibus navale caret, nautis caret alnus,