of the imaginations. And these acts of reason become new objects to the understanding. In this scale, each lower faculty is a step that leads to one above it. And the uppermost naturally lead to the Deity, which is rather the object of intellectual knowledge than even of the discursive faculty, not to mention the sensitive. There runs a chain throughout the whole system of beings. In this chain one link drags another. The meanest things are connected with the highest. G. BERKELEY

202.

CLOSE OF THE MYTHIC HISTORY OF GREECE. With the return of the heroes from Troy to their own lands, the mythic history of Greece may be said to terminate. For the migration of the Dorians, commonly called the Return of the Heracleids, though mingled with many fabulous circumstances, is to be regarded as a portion of true history. From this time forward, the gods cease to appear visibly among men and to mingle in their affairs. The oracle and the soothsayer alone remain to give to events a tinge of the supernatural. The wonderful is now confined to the display of human powers and virtues, to the heroism of an Aristomenes, the self-devotion of a Codrus. To the purely mythic age succeeds one, in which truth struggles against fable and prevails over it. This reaches to the end of the Persian war: its chief record is the captivating story of Herodotus. After this period, Grecian history becomes contemporary, and as credible as any history exposed to the influence of party spirit and local prejudices.

C. THIRLWALL

Belisarius ac

203. SIEGE OF NAPLES BY BELISARIUS. cordingly invested it both by sea and land; and obtained by capitulation a castle serving as an outwork to the suburbs. Meanwhile a deputation from the Neapolitans endeavoured to dissuade him from his enterprise. Their spokesman, whose name was Stephen, represented that the native inhabitants were withheld by the Gothic soldiers from displaying their feelings in his favour, and that these soldiers, having left behind them at the mercy of Theodotus their wives, their children and their property, could not surrender the city without incurring the certain vengeance of the tyrant. 'And what benefit,' he added, 'could ensue to the imperial army from our forcible subjection? Should you succeed in your

subsequent attempts upon the capital, the possession of Naples will naturally and without effort follow that of Rome; should you on the contrary, as it is not improbable, be worsted, your conquest of this city would be useless and its preservation impossible.' 'Whether or not,' replied the Roman general, 'the siege I have undertaken be expedient, is not for the citizens of the invested city to determine; but it is on the situation of your own affairs and the alternatives now offered to you, that I desire your deliberation. Do not close your gates against an expedition aiming to vindicate Italian freedom and your own amongst the rest, nor prefer a barbarian bondage to the laws and liberties of Rome.'

LORD STANHOPE

204.

RICHARD III. The historians who favour Richard (for even this tyrant has met with partisans among the latter writers) maintain, that he was well qualified for government, had he legally obtained it; and that he committed no crimes but such as were necessary to procure him possession of the crown. But this is a poor apology, when it is confessed that he was ready to commit the most horrid crimes which appeared necessary for that purpose; and it is certain, that all his courage and capacity, qualities in which he really seems not to have been deficient, would never have made compensation to the people for the danger of the precedent, and for the contagious example of vice and murder, exalted upon the throne. This prince was of a small stature, humpbacked and had a harsh disagreeable countenance; so that his body was in every particular no less deformed than his mind.

D. HUME

205. PERKIN WARBECK-HIS DESIGN ON KENT. There he cast anchor, and to prooue the affections of the people, sent some of his men to land, making great boasts of the power that was to follow. The Kentish men perceiuing that Perkin was not followed by any English of name or accompt, and that his forces consisted but of strangers borne, and most of them base people, and free-booters, fitter to spoyle a coast than to recouer a kingdome; resorting vnto the principall gentlemen of the countrie, professed their loyaltie to the King and desired to bee directed and commanded for the best of the King's seruice. The gentlemen entring into

consultation, directed some forces in good number, to shew themselues vpon the coast; and some of them to make signes, to entise Perkin's souldiers to land, as if they would ioyne with them; and some others to appeare from some other places, and to make semblance as if they fled from them, the better to encourage them to land. But Perkin, (who by playing the prince or else taught by Secretarie Frion had learned thus much, that people vnder command doe vse to consult and after to march in order, and rebells contrariwise runne vpon an heade together in confusion) considering the delay of time, and obseruing their orderly and not tumultuary arming, doubted the worst. And therefore the wily youth would not set one foot out of his ship, till hee might see things were sure. Wherefore the King's forces percieuing that they could draw on no more than those that were formerly landed, set vpon them and cut them in pieces, ere they could flie back to their ships.

LORD BACON

206. BRUTUS' SPEECH, UPON THE MURDER OF CÆSAR. Romans, countrymen, and lovers! hear me for my cause; and be silent that you may hear: believe me for mine honour; and have respect to mine honour, that you may believe: censure me in your wisdom; and awake your senses that you may the better judge. If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend of Cæsar's, to him I say, that Brutus' love to Cæsar was no less than his. If then that friend demand, why Brutus rose against Cæsar, this is my answer,-Not that I loved Cæsar less, but that I loved Rome more. Had you rather Cæsar were living, and die all slaves; than that Cæsar were dead, to live all free men? As Cæsar loved me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honour him; but, as he was ambitious, I slew him: There is tears, for his love; joy, for his fortune; honour, for his valour; and death, for his ambition. Who is here so base, that would be a bondman? If any, speak; for him have I offended. Who is here so rude, that would not be a Roman? If any, speak; for him have I offended. Who is here so vile, that will not love his country? If any, speak; for him have I offended. I pause for a reply.

W. SHAKESPEARE

207. THE SPANISH CHARACTER. The Spanish character, with relation to public affairs, is distinguished by inordinate pride and arrogance. Dilatory and improvident, the individual as well as the mass, all possess an absurd confidence that everything is practicable which their heated imagination suggests; once excited they can see no difficulty in the execution of a project, and the obstacles they encounter are attributed to treachery; hence the sudden murder of so many virtuous men at the commencement of this commotion. Kind and warm in his attachments, but bitter in his anger, the Spaniard is patient under privations, firm in bodily suffering, prone to sudden passion, vindictive, bloody, remembering insult longer than injury, and cruel in his revenge. With a strong natural perception of what is noble, his promise is lofty, but as he invariably permits his passions to get the mastery of his reason, his performance is mean.

W. F. P. NAPIER

208.

EXISTENCE OF ANGELS. Besides, the starry heaven is but as it were the floor or pavement of a heaven above it, the supreme or highest heaven, which is by the consent of nations the place of the Almighty's most especial presence; all men, by a kind of natural instinct, with minds, eyes and hands lifted up, directing thither their prayers to God. And can we fancy that the universal King hath no servants to wait on Him in his presence-chamber, when we see so many paying their devotion to Him at so great a distance here below? Natural reason therefore directs and leads us to an acknowledgment, that there are certain intelligent creatures in the upper world, who, as they are more remote from the dregs of matter wherein we are immersed, so are they of a more pure, refined and excellent substance, and as far exceeding us in their way of understanding and glorifying the supreme God, as they are of nearer admission to the place where his glory is in the most especial manner manifested; and these are they, who in our sacred writings are known by the name of angels.

209.

PHILOSOPHY-ITS WORK. The most noble work of natural philosophy is the restitution and renovation of things corruptible; the other, as a lesser degree of it, the preservation of bodies in their estates, detaining them from

dissolution and putrefaction; and if this gift may be in mortals, certainly it can be done by no other means than by the due and exquisite temper of nature, as by the melody and delicate touch of an instrument; but seeing it is of all things most difficult, it is seldom or never attained unto; and in all likelihood for no other reason, more than through curious diligence and untimely impatience; and therefore philosophy, hardly able to produce so excellent an effect, in a pensive humour, and that without cause, busies herself about human objects, and by persuasion and eloquence insinuating the love of virtue, equity and concord in the minds of men, draws multitudes of people to a society, makes them subject to laws, obedient to government and forgetful of their unbridled affections, whilst they give ear to precepts and submit themselves to discipline; whence follows the building of houses, erecting of towns, planting of fields and orchards with trees, and the like; insomuch, that it would not be amiss to say, that even thereby stones and woods were called together and settled in order. And after serious trial made and frustrated about the restoring of a body mortal, this care of civil affairs follows in his due place; because, by a plain demonstration of the inevitable necessity of death, men's minds are moved to seek eternity by the fame and glory of their merits.

210. SUPERIORITY OF INTELLECTUAL PLEASURES OVER

ALL OTHER. The pleasure and delight of knowledge and learning, it far surpasseth all other in nature: for shall the pleasures of the affections so exceed the pleasures of the senses, as much as the obtaining of desire or victory exceedeth a song or a dinner? And must not, of consequence, the pleasures of the intellect or understanding exceed the pleasures of the affections? We see in all other pleasures there is a satiety, and after they be used, their verdure departeth; which sheweth well they be but deceits of pleasure, and not pleasures; and that it was the novelty which pleased, and not the quality; and therefore we see that voluptuous men turn friars, and ambitious princes turn melancholy. But of knowledge there is no satiety, but satisfaction and appetite are perpetually interchangeable; and therefore appeareth to be good in itself simply, without fallacy or accident. Neither is that pleasure of small effi