scarlet British uniform, made of the best of broadcloth, because
imported by himself, adorns his person; and in the left pocket of a
large buff waistcoat, near the pommel of his sword, we see the square
protuberance of a small Bible, which certainly may benefit his pious
soul, and, perchance, may keep a bullet from his body. The middle-aged
gentleman at his right hand, to whom he pays such grave attention, in
silk, gold, and velvet, and with a pair of spectacles thrust above his
forehead, is Governor Shirley. The quick motion of his small eyes in
their puckered sockets, his grasp on one of the general's bright
military buttons, the gesticulation of his forefinger, keeping time with
the earnest rapidity of his words, have all something characteristic.
His mind is calculated to fill up the wild conceptions of other men with
its own minute ingenuities; and he seeks, as it were, to climb up to the
moon by piling pebble-stones, one upon another. He is now impressing on
the general's recollection the voluminous details of a plan for
surprising Louisburg in the depth of midnight, and thus to finish the
campaign within twelve hours after the arrival of the troops. On the
left, forming a striking contrast with the unruffled deportment of
Pepperell, and the fidgety vehemence of Shirley, is the martial figure
of Vaughan: with one hand he has seized the general's arm; and he points
the other to the sails of the vessel fluttering in the breeze, while the
fire of his inward enthusiasm glows through his dark complexion, and
flashes in tips of flame from his eyes. Another pale and emaciated
person, in neglected and scarcely decent attire, and distinguished by
the abstracted fervor of his manner, presses through the crowd, and
attempts to lay hold of Pepperell's skirt. He has spent years in wild
and shadowy studies, and has searched the crucible of the alchemist for
gold, and wasted the life allotted him, in a weary effort to render it
immortal. The din of warlike preparation has broken in upon his
solitude; and he comes forth with a fancy of his half-maddened brain,--