THE BATTERING RAM. VITRUVIUS, in his account of the battering ram, ascribes the invention to the Carthaginians, who, in laying siege to Gades, now known as Cadiz, found themselves opposed by a fortification of stone; and being without iron implements to effect a breach in the wall, they had recourse to the following expedient :-They provided themselves with a beam of timber, which, being lifted up in the hands of several men, was thrust endwise against the wall, and by incessant application, dislodged the uppermost tiers or courses of stone in succession, till, each tier giving way in its turn, the fortified work was speedily battered down. Afterwards a Tyrian carpenter, Pephasmerius by name, encouraged by the success of this manoeuvre, reared a mast, and suspended from the top of it another mast crosswise, like the beam of a balance, which, being drawn back and thrust forward with great violence, presently demolished the walls of the Gaditani, or people of Cadiz. The same author tells us that Cetras, a native of Chalcedon, first constructed a base or carriage, with wheels for mounting it; and by nailing spars bearing towards each other to crossbeams, he formed a roof, which he covered with ox hides to protect it from the lighted brands and other missiles thrown from the walls of the besieged. A lively description of this warlike engine may be found in the writings of Ammianus Marcellinus:"A tall pine or mountain ash is selected, the top of which is capped with a hard piece of iron, presenting the projecting forehead of a ram, which figure has given the name to this engine; and thus, being suspended between two inclined poles, it is fastened by iron fetters to a third, like the scale of a balance. A number of men having first drawn this back as far as the nature of the contrivance will admit, they then urge it forward with the greatest violence against whatever is intended to be broken down, so that in its motion it resembles therearing and butting of a ram. By this repeated action, the courses of stone are, as by the impetus of an alternating thunderbolt, rent into clefts and gaps, and the loosened structure of sturdy walls soon falls before it." The Testudo arietaria was a further improvement, consisting of a frame-work which resembled a cottage with a gable roof. Upon the middle of this roof a tower was placed, as if balanced thereon, the height of which was twelve cubits, having an ascent of four stories; in the upper were deposited the scorpions and other instruments for hurling darts, while the lower was filled with water, that in case any part caught fire from missiles thrown by the enemy, means to quench it might be at hand. The lower part was called the criodoce, because in it was placed the torus, or bed, for the ram. The description of the same warlike engine by Josephus is very simple, and agrees in substance with that given by Vitruvius. But the ram mentioned by Josephus is deeply interesting to us, from the circumstance that it was applied to the walls of the Holy City, to effect the ruin and desolation so long threatened by offended Heaven. It was not brought into fearful play until Vespasian had used all other warlike methods to bring the besieged to terms. It was a maxim in the military code of the Romans to give no quarter and to show no mercy to the inhabitants of a hostile city after the ram had once touched the walls; though Cicero, in his book on moral duties, admits that there are cases where it may be right to make exceptions to this rule. The terrible effects produced by the use of this implement during the siege of Jerusalem are represented in the engraving at the commencement of this sketch. A tower, which had been gradually undermined by its blows, may be seen crumbling to the earth, and burying its brave defenders in its ruins. We see in the ram a great effect produced by a simple contrivance; the siege of Platea shows that a device equally simple could render it harmless. The besieged lowered a beam from two spars projecting like a ship's davits, which, meeting the ram just below the head, not only hindered the blow, but struck off his head, and sent him back bereft of his terror and his beauty. In the fourth chapter of Ezekiel, verse 2, we find the battering ram among the warlike preparations which the prophet was commanded to use in his symbolical siege of Jerusalem-all of which was exactly fulfilled when the Roman armies set down before it. THE BOYHOOD AND YOUTH OF THE CHRISTIAN POETS. JAMES MONTGOMERY. ON a certain wild and tempestuous day, in the autumn of 1777, a solitary vessel, on its way from the north of Ireland to the port of Liverpool, might have been dimly descried from the coast cliffs, battling with the fierce winds and raging billows of the Irish Sea. The far-sighted spectator who, as his eye followed its plungings beneath the waves, should have had misgivings as to its safety, would not have over-estimated the perils of its position. On board, all was confusion and dismay. The faces of the passengers waxed pale with terror and consternation. Even the crew and the captain himself, who had become familiar with storms and were inured to the companionship of danger, were violently agitated on this occasion. A universal conviction had seized upon all present that their end was come-that only a few minutes intervened between them and the dread future. Yet, were there two beautiful exceptions to the general consternation of that company, in the persons of a gentleman in the attire of a minister of Christ, and a child of sedate and thoughtful aspect, numbering about six or seven summers. These, it was observed, were tranquil and placid in mind and countenance, while all besides were wildly excited, either wringing their hands in silent agony, or shrieking on the blast for mercy and deliverance. The child at first had been terrified by the elemental strife and the mad careerings of the vessel; but his calm-eyed father had gently grasped his tiny hand, and told him to trust in the Lord Jesus, who, in similar circumstances, had saved the apostles when their lives were jeopardized by the storm on the Galilean lake. It was enough; the confiding heart of childhood found anchorage on that Divine Rock, and the boy's face, if pale, grew serene with resignation and hope. So striking and lovely was the spectacle, that even the captain could not fail to notice it, and expressed his surprise and admiration in the words, “I would give a thousand pounds for the faith of that child!" The name of that boy was JAMES MONTGOMERY, the hero of this biographic sketch; and that storm was the rough prelude and introduction to a protracted English life, commenced nearly eighty years ago, and honourably terminated in 1854. But whence came the young stranger? and on what errand was he bent at so early an age? These natural questions it will be our aim to answer with all convenient brevity. At the date of our story, a traveller who should have landed at one of the ports of Antrim, on the northern extremity of Erin, and, bent on spying out the beauty of the land, should have penetrated to the very heart of the county, would have probably stumbled upon a scene which, from its novelty and attractiveness, could not fail to arrest his feet and rivet his eye. Utterly unlike everything else to be met with in that unhappy island, where disorder, devastation, and neglect have so long affixed their blight, here might have been seen the most gratifying evidences of higher and nobler qualities on the part of the inhabitants. In a charming spot, sheltered by a range of hills from the bleak north, there spread before the delighted gaze, a large group of buildings, forming a spacious square, the open space being planted with ornamental trees, shrubs, and flowers; while gardens, richly cultivated fields, and emerald pastures engirdled the clustering edifices, and stretched |