p gliding from the east
over the spacious sea, heaven's beam." He sings, and men never heard
anything so exquisite. His note is more beautiful than the sound of the
human voice, than that of trumpets and horns, than that of the harp,
than "any of those sounds that the Lord has created for delight to men
in this sad world."

When he grows old, he flies to a desert place in Syria. Then, "when the
wind is still, the weather is fair, clear heaven's gem holy shines, the
clouds are dispelled, the bodies of waters stand still, when every storm
is lull'd under heaven, from the south shines nature's candle warm," the
bird begins to build itself a nest in the branches, with forest leaves
and sweet-smelling herbs. As the heat of the sun increases "at summer's
tide," the perfumed vapour of the plants rises, and the nest and bird
are consumed. There remains something resembling a fruit, out of which
comes a worm, that develops into a bird with gorgeous wings. Thus man,
in harvest-time, heaps grains in his dwelling, before "frost and snow,
with their predominance earth deck, with winter weeds." From these seeds
in springtime, as out of the ashes of the phenix, will come forth living
things, stalks bearing fruits, "earth's treasures." Thus man, at the
hour of death, renews his life, and receives at God's hands youth and
endless joy.[98]

There are, doubtless, rays of light in Anglo-Saxon literature, which
appear all the more brilliant for being surrounded by shadow; but this
example of a poem sunny throughout is unique. To find others, we must
wait till Anglo-Saxon has become English literature.

IV.

Besides their Latin writings and their devotional poems, the converted
Anglo-Saxons produced many prose works in their national tongue.
Germanic England greatly differed in this from Germanic France. In the
latter country the language of the Franks does not become acclimatised;
they see it themselves, and feel the impossibility of resisting; Latin
as in general use, they have their national law written in Latin, _Lex
Salica_. The popular speech, which will later become the French
language, is nothing but a Latin _patois_, and is not admitted to the
honour of being written. Notwithstanding all the care with which
archives have been searched, no specimens of French prose have been
discovered for the whole time corresponding to the Anglo-Saxon period
save one or two short fragments.[99] With the Anglo-Saxons, laws,[100]
chronicles, a