sat at midnight
... . At that time , though the world had rolled on for ages , and the pilgrimage of man had passed through various states of existence , which our dim traditionary knowledge has not preserved , yet the condition of our race in the northern hemisphere was then what we , in our imperfect lore , have conceived to be among the earliest . ... . By a rude and vast pile of stones , the masonry of arts forgotten , a lonely man sat at midnight , gazing upon the heavens . A storm had just passed from the earth ; the clouds had rolled away , and the high stars looked down upon the rapid waters of the Rhine ; and no sound save the roar of the waves , and the dripping of the rain from the mighty trees , was heard around the ruined pile . The white sheep lay scattered on the plain , and slumber with them . He sat watching over the herd , lest the foes of a neighbouring tribe seized them unawares , and thus he communed with himself : `` The king sits upon his throne , and is honoured by a warrior race , and the warrior exults in the trophies he has won ; the step of the huntsman is bold upon the mountain-top , and his name is sung at night round the pine-fires by the lips of the bard ; and the bard himself hath honour in the hall .