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Me. Certain in this, that 'tis uncertain still.
Ch. What keeps him in Arcadia from return?
Me. His grandsire and his uncles fear the risk.
Ch. Of what? it lies with them to make risk none.
Me. Discovery of a visit made by stealth.

Ch. With arms then they should send him, not by stealth.
Me. With arms they dare not, and by stealth they fear.
Ch. I doubt their caution little suits their ward.
Me. The heart of youth I know; that most I fear.
Ch. I argue thou wilt hear some bold resolve.
Me. I dare not wish it; but, at least, to hear

735

736

that my son still survives, in health, in bloom;
to hear that still he loves, still longs for, me.

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ROMEO

MY love! my wife!

M. ARNOLD

death, that hath suck'd the honey of thy breath,
hath had no power yet upon thy beauty;
thou art not conquered; beauty's ensign yet
is crimson in thy lips, and in thy cheeks,
and death's pale flag is not advanced there.
Tybalt, liest thou there in thy bloody sheet?
O, what more favour can I do to thee,

than with that hand that cut thy youth in twain
to sunder his that was thine enemy?

Forgive me, cousin!-Ah, dear Juliet,
why art thou yet so fair? shall I believe
that unsubstantial death is amorous;
and that the lean abhorréd monster keeps
thee here in dark to be his paramour?
for fear of that, I will still stay with thee;
and never from this palace of dim night
depart again; here, here will I remain
with worms that are thy chamber-maids.

SAMSON TO DALILA

W. SHAKESPEARE

UT, out, Hyena, these are thy wonted arts,
and arts of every woman false like thee,

to break all faith, all vows, deceive, betray,
then, as repentant, to submit, beseech,

and reconcilement move with feigned remorse,

confess, and promise wonders in her change,
not truly penitent, but chief to try

her husband, how far urg'd his patience bears,
his virtue or weakness which way to assail;
then, with more cautious and instructed skill,
again transgresses, and again submits;
that wisest and best men, full oft beguiled,
with goodness principled not to reject
the penitent, but ever to forgive,

are drawn to wear out miserable days,
intangl'd with a pois'nous bosom-snake,
if not by quick destruction soon cut off,
as I by thee, to ages an example.

J. MILTON

737 MALEFORT, ADMIRAL of marseilleS, ACCUSED OF

HAVING CONNIVED AT HIS SON'S ATTACK ON THE
HARBOUR AT THE HEAD OF PIRATES

THAT have I

WHAT

omitted, in the power of flesh and blood,
even in the birth to strangle the designs of
this hell-bred wolf, my son? alas! my lords,
I am no god, nor like him could foresee
his cruel thoughts, and curséd purposes:
nor would the sun at my command forbear
to make his progress to the other world,
affording to us one continued light.
Nor could my breath disperse those foggy mists,
covered with which, and darkness of the night,
their navy undiscerned, without resistance,
beset our harbour: make not that my fault,
which you in justice must ascribe to fortune.-
But if that nor my former acts, nor what
I have delivered, can prevail with you,
to make good my integrity and truth;
rip up this bosom, and pluck out the heart
that hath been ever loyal.

738

P. MASSINGER

JULIET TO ROMEO

`AIN would I dwell on form, fain, fain deny

dost thou love me? I know, thou wilt say, Ay;
and I will take thy word: yet, if thou swear'st,
thou mayst prove false: at lovers' perjuries,
they say, Jove laughs. O gentle Romeo,
if thou dost love, pronounce it faithfully:
or if thou think'st I am too quickly won,
I'll frown, and be perverse, and say thee nay,
so thou wilt woo; but, else, not for the world.
In truth, fair Montague, I am too fond;
and therefore thou mayst think my haviour light:
but trust me, gentleman, I'll prove more true
than those that have more cunning to be strange.
I should have been more strange, I must confess,
but that thou over-heard'st, ere I was ware,
my true love's passion: therefore, pardon me;
and not impute this yielding to light love,
which the dark night hath so discovered.

W. SHAKESPEARE

739

THEOPHILUS-MAXIMINUS-DIOCLESIAN

The. W
WERE my

Max.

voice

as loud as is His thunder, to be heard
through all the world, all potentates on earth

ready to burst with rage, should they but hear it;
though hell, to aid their malice, lent her furies,
yet I would speak and speak again, and boldly,
‘I am a Christian, and the Powers you worship,
but dreams of fools and madmen.'

Lay hands on him! Diocl. Thou twice a child! for doating age so makes thee; thou couldst not else, thy pilgrimage of life being almost past through, in this last moment destroy whate'er thou hast done good or greatthy youth did promise much; and, grown a man, thou mad'st it good, and, with increase of years, thy actions still better'd; as the sun,

thou did❜st rise gloriously, kept'st a constant course
in all thy journey; and now, in the evening,
when thou should'st pass with honour to thy rest,
wilt thou fall like a meteor?

P. MASSINGER

740

741

Cor.

THE EXECUTION OF ST CATHARINE

YOUR pity

comes too late.

Betwixt her guards she seem'd by bride-men led, her cheeks with cheerful blushes were o'erspread, when, smiling, to the axe she bowed her head. Just at the stroke

ætherial music did her death prepare,

like joyful sounds of spousals in the air.

A radiant light did her crowned temples gild,
and all the place with fragrant scents was filled;
the balmy mist came thickening to the ground,
and sacred silence covered all around.

But when (its work perform'd) the cloud withdrew,
and day restored us to each other's view,
I sought her head, to bring it on my spear:
in vain I sought it, for it was not there.
No part remained, but from afar our sight
discovered, in the air, long tracks of light;
of charming notes we heard the last rebounds;
and musick dying in remoter sounds.

J. DRYDEN

CORIOLANUS—AUFIDIUS, THE VOLSCIAN

OW, this extremity

hath brought me to thy hearth; not out of hope, mistake me not, to save my life; for if

I had fear'd death, of all the men i' the world
I would have 'voided thee; but in mere spite,
to be full quit of those my banishers,

stand I before thee here. Then if thou hast

a heart of wreak in thee, that wilt revenge

thine own particular wrongs, and stop those maims
of shame seen through thy country, speed thee
straight,

and make my misery serve thy turn; so use it,
that my revengeful services may prove

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thou dar'st not this, and that to prove more fortunes thou art tired, then, in a word, I also am

longer to live most weary, and present

my throat to thee and to thy ancient malice.

742 Auf. O Marcius, Marcius!

each word thou hast spoke hath weeded from my heart
a root of ancient envy. If Jupiter

should from yond cloud speak divine things,
and say, Tis true, I'd not believe them more
than thee, all noble Marcius.-Let me twine
mine arms about that body, where against
my grainéd ash an hundred times hath broke,
and scared the moon with splinters: here I clip
the anvil of my sword; and do contest
as hotly and as nobly with thy love
as ever in ambitious strength I did
contend against thy valour. Know thou first,
I loved the maid I married; never man
sigh'd truer breath; but that I see thee here,
thou noble thing! more dances my rapt heart
than when I first my wedded mistress saw
bestride my threshold.

W. SHAKESPEARE

743 COMBAT BETWEEN BUSSY D'AMBOIS AND BARRISOR

T last, the deadly bitten point tugg'd off,

AT

on fell his yet undaunted foe so fiercely
that (only made more horrid with his wound)

great D'Ambois shrunk, and gave a little ground:
but soon return'd, redoubled in his danger,
and at the heart of Barrisor seal'd his anger.
Then, as in Arden I have seen an oak

long shook with tempests, and his lofty top
bent to his root, which being at length made loose,
(even groaning with his weight) he 'gan to nod
this way and that, as loth his curléd brows,
(which he had oft wrapt in the sky with storms)
should stoop; and yet, his radical fibres burst,
storm-like he fell, and hid the fear-cold earth:
so fell stout Barrisor, that had stood the shocks
of ten set battles in your highness' war,
'gainst the sole soldier of the world Navarre.

G. CHAPMAN

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