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,
A thousand griefs shall waken at the name;
May I lie cold before that dreadful day;
Press'd with a load of monumental clay
Thy Hector, wrapt in everlasting sleep,
Shall neither hear thee sigh, nor see thee weep."
Thus having spoke th' illustrious chief of Troy,
Stretch'd his fond arms, to clasp the lovely boy,
The babe clung, crying, to his nurse's breast,
Scar'd with the dazzling helm, and nodding crest,
With secret pleasure each fond parent smil'd,
And Hector hasted to relieve his child ;
The glitt'ring terrors from his brows unbound,
And plac'd the beaming helmet on the ground;
Then kiss'd the child, and lifting high in air,
Thus to the gods preferr'd a parent's pray'r.
"O thou, whose glory fills th' atherial
throne,

And all ye deathless pow'rs-Protect my

son !

Grant him, like me, to purchase just renown,
To guard the Trojans, to defend the crown,
Against his country's foes the war to wage,
And rise the Hector of the future age!
So, when triumphant from successful toils,
Of heroes slain, he bears the reeking spoils,
Whole hosts may hail him with deserv'd ac-
claim,

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-
PENTANCE. OBDURACY. DESPAIR.

The wicked king's Soliloquy, expressing his re-
morse for the murder of his brother Hamlet,
king of Denmark.

(Shakespear's HAMLET.)

King. OH my offence is rank! It smells to Compune.

heav'n;

It hath the eldest curse of heaven upon it.-
A brother's murder! Pray, alas! I cannot ;

Hardness of

Though sore my need of what the guilty pray for; heart.
My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent,
And, like a man to double business bound,
I stand in pause, where I shall first begin,

* Glimpfe

And both neglect.-*What, if this cursed handofhope.
Where thicker than itself with brother's blood,
Is there not rain enough in the sweet heav'ns
To wash it white as snow; Whereto serves mercy,
But to confront the visage of offence?

And what's in prayer, but this two-fold force,
To be forestall'd, ere yet we come to fall,
Or pardon'd, being down ?—Then I'll look up.
My fault is past. § But oh! what form of

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 ;
My crown,mine own ambition, and my queen.
May one be pardon'd and retain th' offence?
In the corrupted currents of this world,
Offence's gilded hand may shove by justice;
Nay, oft 'tis seen, the wicked prize itself

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!
All may be well,

[The king kneels, and by his looks and gestures,
expresses great agony and horror; but no pe-
nitential melting of heart; after continuing
a short time in that posture, he rises in des
pair, and speaks the following.]

My words fly up-My thoughts remain below
Words without thoughts never to Heav'n go.»

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.