CHORUSES IN JULIUS CAESAR.

CHORUS I.

I.

WHITHER is Roman honour gone?
Where is your ancient virtue now?
That valour which fo bright has fhone,
And with the wings of conqueft flown,
Must to a haughty master bow,

Who with our toil, our blood, and all we have befide,
Gorges his ill-got pow'r, his humour, and his pride.
II.

Fearless he will his life expofe;

So does a lion or a bear;

His very virtues threaten those
Who more his bold ambition fear.

How ftupid wretches we appear

ΤΟ

Who round the world for wealth and empire roam, Yet never, never think what flaves we are at home!

III.

Did men for this together join,

Quitting the free wild life of Nature?

What other beast did e'er defign

The fetting up his fellow-creature,
And of two mischiefs chufe the greater?

15

Oh! rather than be flaves to bold imperious men, 20 Give us our wildness and our woods, our huts and

Happily we all should live, and harmless as our sheep, And at last as calmly die as infants fall asleep.

27

CHORUS IT.

Lo! to prevent this mighty empire's doom,
From bright unknown abodes of blifs I come,
The awful Genius of majestic Rome.

Great is her danger; but I will engage
Some few, the matter-souls of all this age,
To do an act of just heroic rage.

'Tis hard a man so great should fall fo low; More hard to let fo brave a people.bow

Toone themselves have rais'd, who fcorns them now.

Yet, oh! I grieve that Brutus fhould be ftain'd, 10
Whose life, excepting this one act, remain'd
So pure, that future times will think it seign'd.

But only he can make the reft combine,
The very life and foul of their defign,

The centre where those mighty fpirits join.

Unthinking men no sort of scruples make,
Others do ill only for mischief's fake,
But ev❜n the best are guilty by mistake.

Thus fome, for envy or revenge, intend
To bring the bold ufurper to his end;
But for his country Brutus ftabs his friend.

CHORUS 111.

By two aerial Spirits.

I.

TELL, Oh! tell me whence arife

These disorders in our skies?

Rome's great Genius wildly gaz'd,

And the gods feem all amaz'd.

II.

Know, in fight of this day's fun
Such a deed is to be done
Black enough to shroud the light
Of all this world in difmal night.

15

21

But will not goodness claim regard?
And does not worth deserve reward?

I.

Does not their country lie at stake?
Can they do too much for her fake?
Both Spirits together.

Tho' dreadful be this doom of Fate,
Juft is that pow'r which governs all:
Better this wondrous man fhould fall
Than a moft glorious virtuous state.

ΙΟ

15

20

23

CHORUS IV.

How great a curfe has Providence
Thought fit to caft on human-kind!
Learning, courage, eloquence,
The gentleft nature, noblest mind,

1

Were intermixt in one alone,
Yet in one moment overthrown.

Could Chance or fenfelefs atoms join
To form a foul fo great as his?
Or would thofe pow'rs we hold divine
Deftroy their own chief masterpiece?
Where fo much difficulty lies

The doubtful are the only wife.

ΤΟ