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of stubborn standing in rebellious war,
and knew the difference of prince's power
from headless number of tumultuous routs,
laid hands upon the captains of their band,
and brought them bound unto the mighty dukes:
and other sort, not trusting yet so well
the truth of pardon, or mistrusting more
their own offence than that they could conceive
such hope of pardon for so foul misdeed,
stole home by silence of the secret night,

492 The third unhappy and enragéd sort

of desperate hearts, who, stained in princes' blood,
from traitorous furour could not be withdrawn
by love, by law, by grace, ne yet by fear,
by proffered life, ne yet by threatened death,
with minds hopeless of life, dreadless of death,
careless of country, and aweless of God,

stood bent to fight, as furies did them move,
with violent death to close their traitorous life.
These all by power of horsemen were opprest,
and with revenging sword slayn in the field,
or with the strangling cord hang'd on the trees,
where yet the carrion carcases do preach
the fruits that rebels reap of their uproars,
and of the murder of their sacred prince.

T. SACKVILLE

493

THE FATE OF KINGS

I

BOW and give

my crown, pray take it; and with it, give me

leave

to tell you, what it brings the hapless wearer,
beside the outside glory; for I am

read in the miserable fate of kings.

You think it glorious to command, but are
more subject than the poorest pays you duty;
and must obey your fears, your want of sleep,
rebellion from your vassals, wounds even from
their very tongues, whose quietness you sweat for;
for whose dear health you waste and fright your
strength

to paleness and your blood into a frost.

494

495

496

You are not certain of a friend or servant,
to build your faith upon; your life is but
your subjects' murmur, and your death their sacrifice.
J. SHIRLEY

CHARACTER OF PHILIP VAN ARTEVELDE

DUKE OF BURGUNDY

IRE rebel though he was,

DIRE

yet with a noble nature and great gifts
was he endowed, courage, discretion, wit,
an equal temper, and an ample soul,
rock-bound and fortified against assaults
of transitory passion, but below

built on a surging subterranean fire

that stirred and lifted him to high attempts.
So prompt and capable, and yet so calm,
he nothing lacked in sovereignty but the right,
nothing in soldiership except good fortune.
Wherefore with honour lay him in his grave,
and thereby shall increase of honour come
unto their arms who vanquished one so wise,
so valiant, so renowned.

ARE

DISAPPOINTMENT

H. TAYLOR

RE then the joys of this bless'd meeting dash'd
so soon, so soon will Fortune snatch thee
from me,

and mock my vain embraces. Thus like one,
who in a dream with mighty toil and labour
strives to embrace some visionary form,
just as he seems to clasp the lovely object,
it slides away and vanishes to air:

so I who thro' opposing difficulties,

have cut my tedious way to thy lov'd arms,
at length am disappointed, and but see thee
to take my last farewell. O slippery state
of human pleasures, fleet and volatile,

given us and snatch'd again in one short moment,
to mortify our hopes and edge our suff'rings.

ORPHEUS AND THE SIRENS

LYSSES sailing by the Siren's isle,

J. TRAP

bade them

fast

bind him with many a fetter to the mast,
lest those sweet voices should their souls beguile,
and to their ruin flatter them, the while

their homeward bark was sailing swiftly past;
and thus the peril they behind them cast,

though chased by those weird voices many a mile.
But yet a nobler cunning Orpheus used:
no fetter he put on, nor stopped his ear,
but ever, as he passed, sang high and clear
the blisses of the Gods, their holy joys,.
and with diviner melody confused

and marred earth's sweetest music to a noise.

R. C. TRENCH

497

498

THE HERMIT TO KING ALFRED

BUT, Prince, remember, then,

the noble lessons by affliction taught;
preserve the quick humanity it gives,

the pitying social sense of human weakness;
yet keep thy generous fortitude entire,

the manly heart, that to another's woe

is tender, as superior to its own.

Learn to submit: yet learn to conquer fortune:
attach thee firmly to the virtuous deeds
and offices of life: to life itself,

with all its vain and transient joys, sit loose :
chief, let devotion to the sovereign mind,
a steady, cheerful, absolute dependance
on his best wisest government, possess thee.

ENGLAND

EAUTEOUS Isle

BE

THOMSON AND MALLET

and plenteous! what though in thy atmosphere float not the taintless luxury of light,

the dazzling azure of the southern skies;-
around thee the rich orb of thy renown

spreads stainless, and unsullied by a cloud.—
Though thy hills blush not with the purple vine,
and softer climes excel thee in the hue

and fragrance of thy summer-fruits and flowers,

nor flow thy rivers over golden beds;

thou in the soul of man,—thy better wealth,—
art richest: Nature's noblest produce thou

bear'st with an opulence prodigal; this thy right,
thy privilege of climate and of soil.

H. H. MILMAN

499

KING HENRY THE FIFTH'S ADDRESS TO HIS
SOLDIERS BEFORE HARFLEUR

ONCE

NCE more unto the breach, dear friends, once
more;

or close the wall up with our English dead!
In peace, there's nothing so becomes a man,
as modest stillness and humility;

but when the blast of war blows in our ears,
then imitate the action of the tiger:
stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage:
then lend the eye a terrible aspéct;

let it pry through the portage of the head,
like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it,
as fearfully, as doth a galléd rock

o'erhang and jutty his confounded base,

swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean.

500 Now set the teeth, and stretch the nostril wide;
hold hard the breath, and bend up every spirit
to his full height!—On, on, you noble English,
whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof!
fathers, that, like so many Alexanders,

have in these parts from morn till even fought,
and sheathed their swords for lack of argument,
dishonour not your mothers; now attest,

that those whom you call'd fathers did beget you!
Be copy now to men of grosser blood,
and teach them how to war!-And you, good yeomen,
whose limbs were made in England, show us here
the mettle of your pasture; let us swear

that you are worth your breeding: which I doubt not;
for there is none of you so mean and base,

that hath not noble lustre in your eyes.

W. SHAKESPEARE

501

502

THE LOTOS-EATERS

EAR is the memory of our wedded lives,

DEAR

and dear the last embraces of our wives
and their warm tears: but all hath suffer'd change;
for surely now our household hearths are cold:
our sons inherit us: our looks are strange:
and we should come like ghosts to trouble joy.
Or else the island princes over-bold

have eat our substance, and the minstrel sings
before them of the ten-years' war in Troy,
and our great deeds, as half-forgotten things.
Is there confusion in the little isle?

Let what is broken so remain.

The Gods are hard to reconcile:
'tis hard to settle order once again.

MAY MDCCCXXXII

A. TENNYSON

S this the merry May of tale and song?

blue,

the waters wear a cold and iron hue,

chilly

or wrinkle as the crisp wave creeps along,
much like an ague fit. The starry throng
of flowrets droop o'erdone with drenching dew,
or close their leaves at noon, as if they knew,
and felt, in helpless wrath, the season's wrong.
Yet in the half-clad woods the busy birds
chirping with all their might to keep them warm;
the young hare flitting from her ferny form;
the vernal lowing of the amorous herds;
and swelling buds impatient of delay,
declare it should be, tho' it is not, May.

H. COLERIDGE

503 GOOD OFT NEGLECTED WHILE IN POSSESSION 'OR it so falls out

FOR

that what we have we prize not to the worth whiles we enjoy it; but being lack'd and lost, why, then we rack the value; then we find the virtue that possession would not shew us whiles it was ours. So will it fare with Claudio:

F. S. III

7

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