And, dying, mention it within their wills, If you have tears, prepare to shed them now. Look! in this place ran Cassius' dagger through! For, when the noble Cæsar saw him stab, Quite vanquished him. Then burst his mighty heart : Even at the base of Pompey's statue, Which all the while ran blood, great Cæsar fell. They that have done this deed are honourable ;— That made them do it ;-they are wise and honourable, I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts; I am no orator, as Brutus is; But, as you know me all, a plain, blunt man, That love my friend; and that they know full well Show you sweet Caesar's wounds,-poor, poor, dumb mouths ! And bid them speak for me. But were I Brutus, And Brutus Antony, there were an Antony Ex. 175. Claude Melnotte to Pauline. Pauline, by pride, Shakspeare. Angels have fallen ere thy time by pride- And a revengeful heart, had power upon thee. Levels all ranks, and lays the shepherd's crook Beside the sceptre. Thus I made my home My father died; and I, the peasant-born, And, with such jewels as the exploring Mind Brings from the caves of Knowledge, buy my ransom Ideal charms to Love. I thought of thee, Of the dear starlight of thy haunting eyes! For their revenge. Thou hadst trampled on the worm- I will not tell thee of the throes-the struggles The anguish the remorse: No-let it pass, Lytton. SENATORIAL AND FORENSIC ORATORY. Ex. 176. Lord Chatham's Reply to Mr. Horace Walpole. Sir,-The atrocious crime of being a young man, which the honourable gentleman has, with such spirit and decency, charged upon me, I shall neither attempt to palliate nor deny; but content myself with wishing, that I may be one of those whose follies may cease with their youth, and not of those who continue ignorant in spite of age and experience. Whether youth can be attributed to any man as a reproach, I will not, Sir, assume the province of determining; but surely, age may justly become contemptible, if the opportunities which it brings have passed away without improvement; and vice appear to prevail when the passions have subsided. The wretch who, after having seen the consequences of a thousand errors, continues still to blunder, and in whom age has only added obstinacy to stupidity, is surely the object either of abhorrence or contempt; and deserves not that his grey head should secure him from insults. Much more, Sir, is he to be abhorred, who, as he has advanced in age, has receded from virtue, and become more wicked with less temptation; who prostitutes himself for money which he cannot enjoy, and spends the remains of his life in the ruin of his country. But youth, Sir, is not my only crime: I have been accused of acting a theatrical part. A theatrical part may either imply some peculiarities of gesture, or a dissimulation of my real sentiments, and the adoption of the opinions and language of another man. In the first sense, Sir, the charge is too trifling to be confuted, and deserves to be mentioned only that it may be despised. I am at liberty, like every other man, to use my own language; and though I may, perhaps, have some ambition to please this gentleman, I shall not lay myself under any restraint, nor very solicitously copy his diction or his mien, however matured by age or modelled by experience. But if any man shall, by charging me with theatrical behaviour, imply that I utter any sentiments but my own, I shall treat him as a calumniator and a villain; nor shall any protection shelter him from the treatment which he deserves. I shall, on such an occasion, without scruple, trample upon all those forms with which wealth and dignity entrench themselves, nor shall any thing, but age, restrain my resentment; age, which always brings with it one privilege— that of being insolent and supercilious without punishment. But with regard, Sir, to those whom I have offended, I am of opinion that if I had acted a borrowed part, I should have avoided their censure: the heat which offended them is the ardour of conviction, and that zeal for the service of my country which neither hope nor fear shall influence me to suppress. I will not sit unconcerned while my liberty is invaded, nor look in silence upon public robbery. I will exert my endeavours, at whatever hazard, to repel the aggressor, and drag the thief to justice, whoever may protect him in his villany, and whoever may partake of his plunder. Chatham. Ex. 177. Lord Thurlow's Reply to the Duke of Grafton. My Lords, I am amazed, yes, my Lords, I am amazed at his Grace's speech. The noble duke cannot look before him, R behind him, or on either side of him, without seeing some noble peer who owes his seat in this House to his successful exertions in the profession to which I belong. Does he not feel that it is as honourable to owe it to these, as to being the accident of an accident? To all these noble lords, the language of the noble duke is as applicable and as insulting as it is to myself. But I do not fear to meet it single and alone. No one venerates the peerage more than I do. But, my Lords, I must say that the peerage solicited me, not Í the peerage. Nay, more, I can and will say, that, as a peer of parliament, as speaker of this right honourable House, as keeper of the great seal, as guardian of his Majesty's conscience, as lord high chancellor of England, nay, even in that character alone in which the noble duke would think it an affront to be considered, but which character none can deny me, as a Man, I am at this moment as respectable, I beg leave to add, as much respected, as the proudest peer I now look down upon. Thurlow. Ex. 178. Lord Chatham on the American War. I cannot, my Lords, I will not, join in congratulation on misfortune and disgrace. This, my Lords, is a perilous and tremendous moment. It is not a time for adulation: the smoothness of flattery cannot save us in this rugged and awful crisis. It is now necessary to instruct the throne in the language of truth. We must, if possible, dispel the delusion and darkness which envelop it; and display, in its full danger and genuine colours, the ruin which is brought to our doors. Can ministers still presume to expect support in their infatuation? Can parliament be so dead to its dignity and duty, as to give its support to measures thus obtruded and forced upon it? Measures, my Lords, which have reduced this late flourishing empire to scorn and contempt! But yesterday, and Britain might have stood against the world: now, none so poor as to do her reverence! The people, whom we at first despised as rebels, but whom we now acknowledge as enemies, are abetted against us, supplied with every military store, have their interests consulted, and their ambassadors entertained, by our inveterate enemy; and ministers do not-and dare not-interpose with dignity or effect. The desperate state of our army abroad is in part known. No man more highly esteems and honours the British troops than I do; I know their virtues and their valour; I know they can achieve any thing but impossi |