Infulting. They cry" Behold the mighty Hector's wife!” Some haughty Greek, who lives thy tears to Pity. Narration. Tenderness. Interceffion see, Embitters all thy woes by naming me. The thoughts of glory past, and present shame, And all ye deathless pow'rs-Protect my son ! Grant him, like me, to purchase just renown, 66 And say This chief transcends his father's ame.' While pleas'd amidst the genʼral shouts of Troy, His mother's conscious heart o'erflows with joy." He spoke, and fondly gazing on her charms, Tenderness. Restor'd the pleasing burthen to her arms; Soft on her fragrant breast the babe she laid, Hush'd to repose, and with a smile survey'd. The troubled pleasure, soon chastis'd with fear, Apprehen. She mingled with the smile a falling tear. LIX. REMORSE. ATTEMPT TOWARDS RE- The wicked king's Soliloquy, expressing his re- (Shakespear's HAMLET.) King. OH my offence is rank! It smells to Compune. heav'n; It hath the eldest curse of heaven upon it.- Hardness of Though sore my need of what the guilty pray for; heart. * Glimpfe And both neglect.-*What, if this cursed handofhope. And what's in prayer, but this two-fold force, pray'r + Guilt. Can serve my turn-t" Forgive me my foul.. § Doom. murder !" That cannot be, since I am still possest Of those effects, for which I did the murder ; Terror. Buys out the law. But 'tis not so above: There is no shuffling; there the action lies In his true nature; we ourselves compell'd, E'en to the teeth and forehead of our faults, Anxiety To give in evidence-† What then? What rests? Try what repentance can.-What can it not? Obduracy. Yet what can it, when one cannot repent ? Despair. Oh wretched state! Oh bosum, black as death! Oh limed soul! that struggling to be free, Hope. Anguifh, Art more engag'd! §Help, Angels! Make essay, Bow, stubborn knees and heart with strings of Despair. steel, : Be soft as sinews of the new-born babe! [The king kneels, and by his looks and gestures, My words fly up-My thoughts remain below 1 LX. REPROACHING. EXCITING TO Vexation. SELF-DEFENCE. The speech of T. Q. Capitolinus to the Roman people, when the Equi and Volsci, taking the advantage of the animosities then prevailing between the patricians and plebians, joined their forces, and, after plundering the Roman territories, advanced, in a hostile manner, to the very walls of the city. [T. Liv. Hist. Rom.] THOUGH I am not conscious to myself, Romans, of any offence I have committed against iny country; it is with confusion that I address you thus publicly on such an occasion. For what can be imagined more shameful, than that it should be known to the world-that it should be known to ourselves!-and must be handed down to posterity that in the fourth consul- 0 ship of Titus Quintius Capitolinus, the Equi and Volsci, so lately found scarce a match for the Hernici, advanced in arms-uninterrupted, and unpunished-to the very walls of Rome! Had IO imagined that such a disgrace as this would have come upon my country in the year of my fourth consulship (though our affairs have of late gone in such a way, that every thing was to be feared)! I would have avoided the consular honor the * the Agony. shame rather by banishment, or even by death. How much more desirable to have died in my third consulship, than to live to see the dishonours, which the times are like to bring upon us. But whom does the insolence of so contemptible Remonft. an enemy disgrace? Is it us, the consuls ? Or is it you, Romans? If the fault be in us; take from us that authority, we are so unworthy to enjoy. And if that be not enough, inflict on the punishment we have deserved. † If it is ow- + Kindness. ing to you, my countrymen, that the enemy have thus dared to insult us, § all I beg of the gods : * us with exation. Intercef. is, that they will forgive you and I wish no * Kindness. other punishment to come upon you, than repen- † Courage. tance for your misconduct. † Our enemies have not presumed upon any want of bravery in you, Romans; nor upon any imagined superiority in themselves. They know both you and themselves too well. They have not forgot how often they Contempt.. have been routed in battle, how often put to shameful flight, deprived of their lands, and even made to pass under the yoke, by the Romans. It is the fatal dissention between the patricians and plebians, that give courage to the enemies of the Roman name. Our quarrels amongst ourselves are the poison of our state. While you are dis-· satisfied with the power enjoyed by the patricians, and we are jealous of the plebeians, the. enemy, seeing their time, have surprised us. Vexation, Remon. Grief. Remonft. But what (in the name of all the gods!) will satisfy you? You demanded plebian tribunes. For the sake of peace, we, patricians, consented. You then called for decemviri. We agreed, that the decemviral power should be established. You were quickly tired of this form of government, we obliged the decemviri to abdicate. Your resentment pursuing them even to their retirement, we gave our consent to the exile and death of some of the first men of Rome for birth and merit. Then you insisted, that the tribunitial authority should be re-established. You did accordingly re-establish it. We bore with the innovation of conferring the consular power upon men of plebian rank, tho' we saw how injurious it was to our own. We bore patiently, and do still bear, with the tribunitial power; with the right of appeal to the people; with the obligation upon the patricians to submit to the popular decrees; and with the alienation of our peculiar rights and privileges under pretence of equalling the different ranks, and reducing things to order in the commonwealth. But, my countrymen, when will you put an end to these wranglings? When shall this unhappy state be united? When shall we ook upon Rome as our common country? We, of the patrician rank, though losers, are more disposed to peace, than you, who have gained all your ends. Is it not enough that you have made yourselves formidable to your superiors? Now you assemble, in a seditious manner, on the Mount Aventine; then on the Mons sacer; and against us your vengeance is always directed. You were in no. haste to prevent the enemy from seizing on the Esquiliæ, or from mounting our works. It is Reproach. only against the patricians that you dare to shew your valour. Go on, then, if you are so determined; and when you have surrounded the senate house, made the forum dangerous for any of patrician rank to be seen in, and got the pri Routing Shame. |