and manners, he attained a complete ascendancy over the whole tribe; they looking upon him, in the language of one writer, as their tutelar god.' - "To chain their attachments by ties not readily broken, in connection with personal gratification, he took four or five Tarratine wives, - one of them the daughter of Madockawando, Sagamore of the tribe. He lived with them all by changes, at the same time, and had several daughters and one son, Castine the younger, who was a man of distinction and of excellent character. Early habits and great success in trade rendered the father contented with his allotments; he lived in the country about thirty years; and, as Abbé Raynal says, 'conformed himself in all respects to the manners and customs of the natives.' To his daughters, whom 'he married very handsomely to Frenchmen,' he gave liberal portions; having amassed a property 'worth three hundred thousand crowns.' The Governors of New-England and of Canada, apprised of his influence, wealth and military knowledge, were for obvious reasons the courtiers of his friendship and favor." Williamson, The History of Maine, I. 471, 472. The Abbé Raynal, who is one of Williamson's authorities, asserts that Castine never changed his wife, to convince the savages "that God doth not like inconstant folks." Some remains of the fortifications of the Baron's trading-post may still be seen on the shore in the town of Castine. The scenes in France, it may be added, are purely imaginary.] Page 197. CHARLEMAGNE. [In his diary, under date of May 12, 1872, Mr. Longfellow writes: "Wrote a short poem on Charlemagne from a story in an old chronicle, De Factis Caroli Magni, quoted by Cantù, Storia degli Italiani, II. 122. I first heard it from Charles Perkins, in one of his lectures."] Page 211. ELIZABETH. [As intimated in the Interlude which follows, the tale of Elizabeth was founded on a prose tale by Mrs. Lydia Maria Child, entitled The Youthful Emigrant, which fell under Mr. Longfellow's eye in a Portland paper. Besides this, he had recourse to A Call to the Unfaithful Professors of Truth, by John Estaugh, with Preface by his widow. E. E.'s Testimony concerning her husband J. E. Several expressions in the poem are derived from this little book.] Page 248. THE MOTHER'S GHOST. [A Danish ballad to be found in Grundtvig's Danmarks gamle Folkeviser, II. 478, was the basis of this poem.] |