[26.] Bred in ignorance and toil. Switzerland has at present, beside lower schools, seven institutions of higher learning, five of which are universities.
[27.] Savage, savage beast. Few of these can be found in Switzerland now.
[28.] With many a tale, etc. Possibly the poet alludes to his own experiences.
[29.] Such are the charms, etc. In this and the following lines the poet paints a picture that has not for centuries been true of the Swiss a people. Their principal cities have long been centers of refinement and of intellectual activity.
[30.] Gestic lore, the art of dancing.
[31.] Thus idly busy, etc. The French peasant has always been noted for his industry and economy. This picture was drawn before the French revolution, when the lower classes were miserably poor and the nobles reckless in their extravagance. France has now a remarkable system of public instruction and many large institutions of higher learning. In matters where taste is concerned she still leads the world.
[32.] Frieze, coarse woolen cloth.
[33.] Holland is now known as The Netherlands. The sovereign is the young queen Wilhelmina, who began to reign in 1898.
[34.] Rampire, a dam or dike.
[35.] From opulence that springs. Holland was a great commercial power during the seventh [Transcriber's note: should probably be "seventeenth">[ century; then her commerce dwindled, and after 1713 she was of small political importance. Of course the poet's description is greatly exaggerated.