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The gates of honour on me,-turning out

The Roman from his birthright; and for what?—

To fling your offices to every slave; (-Looking round him.)
Vipers, that creep where man disdains to climb;

And having wound their loathsome track to the top
Of this huge mouldering monument of Rome,
Hang hissing at the nobler man below.

Come, consecrated lictors! from your thrones;

(To the Senate.)

Fling down your sceptres ;-take the rod and axe,
And make the murder, as you make the law.

LESSON CLXXXVI.

The Battle Hymn of the Berlin Landstrum.*
FATHER of earth and heaven! I call thy name!
Round me the smoke and shout of battle roll;
My eyes are dazzled with the rustling flame;
Father, sustain an untried soldier's soul.
Or life, or death, whatever be the goal
That crowns or closes round this struggling hour,
Thou knowest, if ever from my spirit stole

One deeper prayer, 'twas that no cloud might lower
On my young fame!-O hear! God of eternal power!

God! thou art merciful.-The' wintry storm,

The cloud that pours the thunder from its womb,
But show the sterner grandeur of thy form;

The lightnings, glancing through the midnight gloom,
To Faith's raised eye as calm, as lovely come,

As splendours of the autumnal evening star,
As roses shaken by the breeze's plume,
When like cool incense comes the dewy air,
And on the golden wave, the sun-set burns afar.

God! thou art mighty!-At thy footstool bound,
Lie gazing to thee, Chance, and Life, and Death;
Nor in the Angel-circle flaming round,

Nor in the million worlds that blaze beneath,

Is one that can withstand thy wrath's hot breath.

• The Landstrum (German) is the military force of the country, as distinguished from the regular standing army :-the whole mass of the undisciplined militia, called out in some sudden exigency of the state.

Wo in thy frown-in thy smile victory!

Hear my last prayer!-I ask no mortal wreath;
Let but these eyes my rescued country see,

Then take my spirit, All Omnipotent, to thee.

Now for the fight-now for the cannon-pealForward-through blood, and toil, and cloud, and fire! Glorious the shout, the shock, the crash of steel, The volley's roll, the rocket's blasting spire; They shake-like broken waves their squares retire,— On them, hussars !-Now give them rein and heel; Think of the orphaned child, the murdered sire:Earth cries for blood,-in thunder on them wheel! This hour to Europe's fate shall set the triumph-seal!

LESSON CLXXXVII.

Extract from "Heaven and Earth,—A Mystery.”—By
LORD BYRON.

RAPHAEL, the Archangel.-NOAH.-JAPHET.

Scene near the Ark, just before the beginning of the Deluge.
Japhet. Он, say not so,

Father! and thou, Archangel, thou!

Celestial mercy lurks below
That pure serenity of brow.

Let them not meet this sea without a shore!
Save in our ark, or let me be no more!

Noah. Peace! child of passion, peace!

If not within thy heart, yet with thy tongue
Do God no wrong.

Live as he wills it-die, when he ordains,
A righteous death, unlike the seed of Cain's.
Cease! or be sorrowful in silence, cease
To weary Heaven's ear with thy selfish plaint.
Be a man!

And bear what Adam's race must bear, and can.
Japh. Ay, father! but when they are gone,
And we are all alone

Floating upon the azure desert, and

The depth beneath us hides our own dear land,

And dearer, silent friends and brethren, all

Buried in its immeasurable breast,

Who, who, our tears, our shrieks shall then command?

Can we in desolation's peace have rest?

Oh God! be thou a God, and
While yet 'tis time!

Renew not Adam's fall:
Mankind were then but twain,

spare

But they are numerous now as are the waves,
And the tremendous rain,

Whose drops shall be less thick than would their graves,
Were graves permitted to the sons of Cain.

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Noah. Silence, vain boy! each word of thine's a crime ! Angel! forgive this stripling's fond despair.

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Japh. Hark! hark! deep sounds, and deeper still,
Are howling from the mountain's bosom :
There's not a breath of wind upon the hill,

Yet quivers every leaf, and drops each blossom:
Earth groans, as if beneath a heavy load.
Noah. Hark! hark! the sea-birds cry!

In clouds they overspread the lurid sky,

And hover round the mountain, where before Never a white wing, wetted by the wave,

Yet dared to soar ;

Even when the waters waxed too fierce to brave.
Soon shall it be their only shore,

And then no more!

Japh. The sun! the sun!

He riseth, but his better light is gone,

And a black circle, bound

His glaring disk around,

Proclaims Earth's last of summer days hath shone !
The clouds return into the hues of night,
Save where their brazen-coloured edges streak
The verge where brighter morning's used to break.
Noah. And lo! yon flash of light,

The distant thunder's harbinger, appears!

It cometh! hence, away,

Leave to the elements their evil prey!

Hence, to where our all-hallowed ark uprears

Its safe and wreckless sides.

Japh. Oh, father, stay!

Leave not my Anah to the swallowing tides! Noah. Must we not leave all life to such? Begone! Japh. Not I.

With them.

Noah. Then die

How dar'st thou look on that prophetick sky, And seek to save what all things else condemn, In overwhelming unison

With just Jehovah's wrath?

Japh. Can rage and justice join in the same path? Noah. Blasphemer! dar'st thou murmur, even now ? Raph. Patriarch! be still a father, smooth thy brow: Thy son, despite his folly, shall not sink;

He knows not what he says, yet shall not drink With sobs the salt foam of the swelling waters;

But be, when passion passeth, good as thou,

Nor perish, like heaven's children, with man's daughters, ·

LESSON CLXXXVIII.

Speech of Catiline before the Roman senate, on hearing his sentence of banishment.-CROLY's Catiline.

BANISHED from Rome! what's banished, but set free
From daily contact of the things I loathe ?

'Tried and convicted traitor! Who says this?
Who'll prove it, at his peril, on my head?
Banished?-I thank you for't. It breaks my chain !
I held some slack allegiance till this hour-
But now my sword's my own. Smile on, my lords;
I scorn to count what feelings, withered hopes,
Strong provocations, bitter, burning wrongs,
I have within my heart's hot cells shut up,
To leave you in your lazy dignities.

But here I stand and scoff you :-here I fling
Hatred and full defiance in your face.

Your Consul's merciful. For this all thanks.
He dares not touch a hair of Catiline.
'Traitor!' I go—but I return. This trial!
Here I devote your senate! I've had wrongs,
To stir a fever in the blood of age,

Or make the infant's sinew strong as steel.

This day's the birth of sorrows!-This hour's work
Will breed proscriptions.-Look to your hearths, my lords,
r there henceforth shall sit, for household gods,
Bunes hot from Tartarus !—all shames and crimes ;-

Wan Treachery, with his thirsty dagger drawn ;
Suspicion, poisoning his brother's cup;
Naked Rebellion, with the torch and axe,
Making his wild sport of your blazing thrones;
Till Anarchy comes down on you like Night,
And Massacre seals Rome's eternal grave.

LESSON CLXXXIX.

Dialogue between HAMLET and HORATIO.—SHAKSPEARE. Horatio. HAIL to your lordship!

Hamlet. I am glad to see you well:

Horatio or I do forget myself.

Hor. The same, my lord, and your poor servant ever. Ham. Sir, my good friend; I'll change that name with you. And what make you from Wittenberg, Horatio?

Hor. A truant disposition, good my lord.

Ham. I would not hear your enemy say so;

Nor shall you do mine ear that violence,
To make it truster of your own report
Against yourself. I know, you are no truant.
But what is your affair in Elsinore ?

We'll teach you to drink deep ere you depart.

Hor. My lord, I came to see your father's funeral.
Ham. I pray thee do not mock me, fellow-student;

I think it was to see my mother's wedding.

Hor. Indeed, my lord, it followed hard upon.

Ham. Thrift, thrift, Horatio; the funeral baked meats Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables.

Would I had met my dearest foe in heaven,

Or ever I had seen that day, Horatio!

My father-methinks I see my father.
Hor. Where, my lord?

Ham. In my mind's eye, Horatio.

Hor. I saw him once; he was a goodly king.
Ham. He was a man, take him for all in all,

I shall not look upon his like again.

Hor. My lord, I think I saw him yesternight.
Ham. Saw! who?

Hor. My lord, the king, your father.

Ham. The king, my father!

Hor. Season your admiration for a while"

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