How bright wert thou when Shem's admiring eye, Thy burning, flaming arch did first descry; When Zerah, Nahor, Haram, Abram, Lot, The youthful _world's gray fathers_, in one knot, Did, with intentive looks, watch every hour For thy new light, and trembled at each shower evidently suggested that fine stanza of Campbell— When o'er the green undeluged earth Heaven's covenant thou didst shine, How came the _world's gray fathers_ forth To watch thy sacred sign. But the verse which follows is an admirable addition of his own. And when its yellow lustre smiled, O'er mountains yet untrod, Each mother held aloft her child, To bless the bow of God. This finishes the picture, and makes it perfect. And Vaughan's two first lines, Still young and fine, but what is still in view, We slight as old and soil'd, though _fresh_ and new, together with his two last, Who looks upon thee from his glorious throne, And minds the covenant betwixt ALL and ONE, obviously kindled Campbell's two closing stanzas— As _fresh_ in yon horizon dark, As _young_ thy beauties seem, As when the eagle from the ark First sported in thy beam. For faithful to its sacred page, Heaven still rebuilds thy span, Nor lets the type grow pale with age That first spoke peace to man. A splendid improvement indeed! In short, Campbell's Rainbow (or the best part of it, from the fifth verse to the end,) is but a sort of _secondary_ of Vaughan's, though it is not in this case, as in nature, fainter, but _triumphantly_ brighter and more beautiful than the first.[1] [Footnote 1: Perhaps the reader may like to see Vaughan's piece entire. Here it is. THE RAINBOW.—_By Henry Vaughan._ Still young and fine! but what is still in view We slight as old and soil'd, though fresh and new; How bright wert thou when Shem's admiring eye, Thy burning, flaming arch did first descry; When Zerah, Nahor, Haram, Abram, Lot, The youthful world's gray fathers, in one knot, Did, with intentive looks, watch every hour For thy new light, and trembled at each shower. When thou dost shine, darkness looks white and fair; Storms turn to music, clouds to smiles and air; Rain gently spends his honey-drops, and pours Balm on the cleft earth, milk on grass and flowers. Bright pledge of peace and sunshine! the sure tie Of thy Lord's hand, the object of his eye! When I behold thee, though _my_ light be dim, Distant and low, I can in _thine_ see Him, Who looks upon thee from his glorious throne, And minds the covenant betwixt _All_ and _One_.] {623} RIGHT OF INSTRUCTION. Quare quoniam de re publica quærimus, hoc primum videamus quid sit id ipsum quod quærimus. * * * * * Est igitur, inquit Africanus, res publica _res populi_; populus autem non omnis hominum coetus quoquo modo congregatus, sed coetus multitudinis juris consensu et utilitatis communione sociatus.