App. Ha! dare you say so?

"Come

Den. [Closer to him.] Dare! I have dared cry on!" to a cohort of bearded warriors-Is it thy smooth face should appal me? Dare! it never yet flurried me to use my arm-Shall I not, think you, be at my ease, when I but wag my tongue? Dare, indeed!

[Laughing contemptuously. App. Your grey hairs should keep company with honester speech'

Den. Shall I show you, Appius, the company they are wont to keep? Look here! and here! [Uncovering his forehead and shewing scars.] These are the vouchers of honest deeds-such is the speech with which my grey hairs keep company. I tell you, to your teeth, the Decemvirs bring themselves into contempt.

App. What, are they not serving their country at the head of her armies?

Den. They'd serve her better in the body of her armies ! I'd name for thee, a hundred Centurions would make better generals. A common soldier, of a year's active service, would take his measures better. Generals! Our generals were wont to teach us how to win battles.Tactics are changed-Your generals instruct us how to lose them.

App. Do you see my lictors?

Den. There are twelve of them.

App. What, if I bid them seize thee?
Den. They'd blush to do it.

App. Why now, Dentatus, I begin to know you;

I fancied you a man that lov'd to vent

His causeless anger in an under breath,

And speak it in the ear-and only then

When there was safety! Such a one, you'll own,
Is dangerous; and, to be trusted as
A friend or foe, unworthy. But I see
You rail to faces-Have you not so much
Respect for Appius as to take him by

The hand-when he confesses you have some
Pretence to quarrel with his colleagues' plans,

And find fault with himself? Which, yet you'll own,
May quite as well be kindly done, Dentatus,
As harshly-Had you only to myself

Declar'd your discontents, the more you had rail'd,
The more I should have thank'd you.

Den. Had I thought

App. And have you been campaigning then so long,
And prosperously? and mistrust you, Siccius,
That a young scarless soldier, like myself,
Would listen to your tutoring? See, now,
How much you have mistaken me! Dentatus,
In a word-Can you assist the generals ?
And will you?

Den. I have all the will-but as

For the ability

App. Tut! Tut! Dentatus,

You vex me now! This coyness sits not well on you.
You know, as well as I, you have as much

Ability as will. I would not think you

A man that loved to find fault, but to find fault

Surely the evil you complain of, you

Would lend a hand to remedy! See, now,

'Tis fairly put to you-what say you?

Den. Appius!

You may use me as you please.

App. And that will be,

As you deserve! I'll send you as my Legate,

To the army! [Shout from the people.] Do you hear your friends, Dentatus?

A lucky omen that! Away! away!

Apprise your house-prepare for setting out.
I'll hurry your credentials-Minutes now
Rate high as hours! Assist my colleagues with
Your counsel-if their plans displease you, why
Correct them-change them-utterly reject them;
And if you meet obstruction-notice me,

And I will push it by-There now! Your hand !-
Again! Away! All the success attend you,
That Appius wishes you!

Den. Success is from

The gods; whose hand soe'er it pleases them

To send it by-I know not what success

"Tis Appius' wish they send ;-but this I know

I am a soldier; and, as a soldier, 1

Am bound to serve. All the success I ask,

Is that which benefits my country, Appius. [Exit Den., L. App. (c.) You have serv'd her overlong!

Now for our causes.

[Aside.]

[Appius ascends the Tribunal near R. S. E.

Claud. (L. c.) [To Marcus.] Do you see the drift of this? Marc. (L. c.) I cannot guess it.

Claud. Nor I.

App. [To a Plebeian, c.] Are you the suitor in this

Speak!

cause?

Plebeian. Noble Appius, if there's law in Rome
To right a man most injur'd, to that law
Against yon proud Patrician I appeal.

App. No more of that, I say! Because he's rich
And great, you call him proud! 'Tis not unlike,
Because you're poor and mean, you call yourself
Injur'd. Relate your story; and, so please you,
Spare epithets!

Plebeian. Grant me a minute's pause,

I shall begin.

[VIRGINIA at this moment crosses the stage with her Nurse, and is met by Numitorius, who holds her in conversation; Appius rivets his eyes upon her

Num. (c.) You have heard the news?

Virginia. (c.) What news? dear uncle!
Num. Step

Aside with me, I'll tell you.

[Takes her a little farther from the Tribunal.

App. Can it be

A mortal that I look upon?

Virginia. They are safe!

I thank the gods!

App. Her eyes look up to heaven

Like something kindred to it-rather made

To send their glances down, and fill the earth

With worship and with gratulation-What

A thrill runs up and down my veins; and all throughout me!

Plebeian. Now, most noble Appius

App. Stop!

Put off the cause, I cannot hear it now!

Attend to-morrow! An oppressive closeness

Allows me not to breathe-Lictors! make clear

The ground about the Rostrum !

[Descends and approaches Claudius with precipitation. Claudius! Claudius !—

Marcus, go you and summon my physician

To be at home before me. [Exit Marcus.] Claudius
Claudius! there! there!

Virginia. (L.) You send a messenger to-night?

App. (R. C.) Paint me that smile! I never saw a smile

Till now. My Claudius, is she not a wonder?
I know not whether in the state of girlhood
Or womanhood to call her.-Twixt the two
She stands, as that were loth to lose her, this
To win her most impatient. The young year,
Trembling and blushing 'twixt the striving kisses
Of parting spring and meeting summer, seems
Her only parallel !

Num. "Tis well! I'll send
Your father word of this.

A message to Icilius ?

But have you not

App. Mark you, Claudius?

There is a blush!-I must possess her.
Virginia. Tell him,

I think upon him-Farewell, Numitorius!

Num. (R.) Farewell, Virginia.

[Exit with Servia, R.

Claud. (R. c.) Master, will you tell me
The name of that young maiden ?
Num. She is called

Virginia, daughter of Virginius;

A Roman citizen, and a centurion

In the army.

Claud. Thank you; she is very like

The daughter of a friend of mine.

Num. Farewell!

Farewell.

[Exit, R.

App. (L. c.) I burn, my Claudius! brain and heart.

There's not

A fibre in my body but's on fire!

With what a gait she moves! Such was not Hebe,

Or Jupiter had sooner lost his heaven,

Than changed his cup-bearer-a step like that
The rapture-glowing clouds might well bear up,
And never take for human! Find me, Claudius,
Some way to compass the possession of her.

Claud. Tis difficult-Her father's of repute;
The highest of his class.

App. I guessed it! (R. C.) Friends

Are ever friends, except when friends are needed.
Claud. Nay, Appius !—

App. (R.) If thou canst not give me hope,

Be dumb!

Claud. A female agent may be used With some success.

App. How? How?

Claud. To tamper with

That woman that attends her.

App. Set about it.

Claud. Could she but be induced to help you to A single meeting with her.

App. Claudius! Claudius!

Effect but that.

Claud. I'll instantly about it.

App. (c.) Spare not my gold-nor stop at promises. I will fulfil them fast as thou can'st make them.

To purchase such a draught of extacy

I'd drain a kingdom-Set about it, Claudius!
Away! I will not eat, nor driuk, nor sleep,
Until I hear from thee!

Claud. (L. c.) Depend upon me!

App. I do, my Claudius! for my life-my life!

[Exeunt Appius, M. D. Claudius, L.

END OF ACT IL

ACT III

SCENE 1.-Appius's House.

Enter APPIUS, L.

It is not love, (c.) if what I've felt before
And call'd by such a name, be love—a thing
That took its turn-that I could entertain,
Put off, or humour-'tis some other thing;
Or if the same, why in some other state-
Or I am not the same-or it hath found
Some other part of sensibility

More quick, whereon to try its power, and there
Expends it all? Now, Claudius, your success?

Enter CLAUDIUS,

Claud. (R.) Nothing would do, yet nothing left undone ! She was not to be purchas'd

App. (R. C.) Did she guess

Claud. She could not,

So guarded was my agent; who described you

A man of power, of noble family,