_Of all his train there was a henchman page,_ _peasant_ _served_ _A {-dark eyed-} boy, who {-loved-} his master well;_ _And often would his pranksome prate engage_ _Harold's_ _Childe {-Burun's-} ear, when his proud heart did swell_ _With sable thoughts that he disdained to tell_. _Alwin_ _Then would he smile on him, as {-Rupert-} smiled,_ _{-Robin-}_ _When aught that from his young lips archly fell_ _Harold's_ _The gloomy film from {-Burun's-} eye beguiled;_ _And pleased the Childe appeared nor ere the boy reviled_.} _And pleased for a glimpse appeared the woeful Childe_. } _Him and one yeoman only did he take_ _To travel Eastward to a far countree;_ _And though the boy was grieved to leave the lake_ _On whose firm banks he grew from Infancy,_ _Eftsoons his little heart beat merrily_ _With hope of foreign nations to behold,_ _And many things right marvellous to see,_ _vaunting_ _Of which our {-lying-} voyagers oft have told,_ _{-From Mandevilles' and scribes of similar mold.-}_ } or, _In tomes pricked out with prints to monied ... sold_} _In many a tome as true as Mandeville's of old_. } [z] ----_Childe Burun_----.--[MS.] [aa] {21} Stanza ix. was the result of much elaboration. The first draft, which was pasted over the rejected stanzas (_vide supra_, p. 20, _var_. i.), retains the numerous erasures and emendations. It ran as follows:-- _And none did love him though to hall and bower_ _{-few could-}_ _Haughty he gathered revellers from far and near_ _{-An evil smile just bordering on a sneer-}_ _He knew them flatterers of the festal hour_ _{-Curled on his lip-}_ _The heartless Parasites of present cheer,_ _As if_ _{-And deemed no mortal wight his peer-}_ _Yea! none did love him not his lemmans dear_ _{-To gentle Dames still less he could be dear-}_ _{-Were aught-} But pomp and power alone are Woman's care_ _{-But-} And where these are let no Possessor fear_ _{-The sex are slaves-} Maidens like moths are ever caught by glare_ _{-Love shrinks outshone by Mammons dazzling-} glare_ _And Mammon_ _{-That Demon-} wins his_ [MS. torn] _where Angels might despair._