Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill. Did this in Cæsar seem ambitious? When that the poor have cried, Cæsar hath wept; Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; And Brutus is an honourable man. I thrice presented him a kingly crown, Was this ambition? Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke; 20 25 You all did love him once, not without cause: 30 Oh, judgment thou art fled to brutish beasts, And I must pause till it come back to me. 35 1st Cit. Methinks there is much reason in his sayings. 2d Cit. If thou consider rightly of the matter, Cæsar has had great wrong. 3d Cit. Has he, masters? I fear there will a worse come in his place. 4th Cit. Marked ye his words? He would not take the crown; Therefore, 'tis certain he was not ambitious. 40 1st Cit. If it be found so, some will dear abide it. 2d Cit. Poor soul! his eyes are red as fire with weeping. 3d Cit. There's not a nobler man in Rome than Antony. 4th Cit. Now, mark him, he begins again to speak. Ant. But yesterday, the word of Cæsar might 45 Have stood against the world; now lies he there, Oh, masters! if I were disposed to stir Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage, 50 I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong, To wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you, 55 But here's a parchment with the seal of Cæsar : Let but the commons hear this testament- And they would go and kiss dead Cæsar's wounds, 60 And dip their napkins in his sacred blood; Yea, beg a hair of him for memory, And dying, mention it within their wills, Unto their issue. 65 4th Cit. We'll hear the will; read it, Mark Antony. All. The will! the will! We will hear Cæsar's will! Ant. Have patience, gentle friends! I must not read it; It is not meet you know how Cæsar loved you. 70 You are not wood, you are not stones, but men ; 4th Cit. Read the will; we will hear it, Antony : 75 You shall read us the will; Cæsar's will! Ant. Will you be patient? will you stay a while? I have o'ershot myself, to tell you of it. I fear I wrong the honourable men Whose daggers have stabbed Cæsar. I do fear it. 4th Cit. They were traitors. Honourable men? All. The will! the testament ! 2d Cit. They were villains, murderers! the will! 80 The will! Read Ant. You will compel me, then, to read the will! Then make a ring about the corpse of Cæsar, 85 And let me show you him that made the will. All. Come down. 2d Cit. Descend. 3d Cit. You shall have leave. 4th Cit. A ring! [He comes down from the pulpit. Stand round! 1st Cit. Stand from the hearse, stand from the body. 2d Cit. Room for Antony-most noble Antony! 90 Ant. Nay, press not so upon me; stand far off. All. Stand back! room! bear back! Ant. If you have tears, prepare to shed them now. You all do know this mantle. I remember 95 The first time ever Cæsar put it on; 'Twas on a summer's evening in his tent, That day he overcame the Nervii. Look in this place ran Cassius' dagger through ; See, what a rent the envious Casca made! 100 Through this the well-beloved Brutus stabbed; 105 For Brutus, as you know, was Cæsar's angel; Judge, oh you gods! how dearly Cæsar loved him. This was the most unkindest cut of all; For when the noble Cæsar saw him stab, Ingratitude, more strong than traitors' arms, 110 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. 115 Oh, what a fall was there, my countrymen! Kind souls! What! weep you when you but behold 2d Cit. O noble Cæsar! 3d Cit. O woful day! 4th Cit. O traitors! villains! 1st Cit. O most bloody sight! 120 125 2d Cit. We will be revenged! Revenge! About-seekburn-fire-kill-slay! Let not a traitor live! Bru'-tus, a noted Roman citizen who had joined in the conspiracy to murder Cæsar. He was born 85 B.C., and killed himself by falling upon his sword, in a battle where he was defeated. am-bi'-tious, desirous of power. ran'-soms, money received for delivering up prisoners. gen'-er-al cof'-fers, the treasury or place where the public money was kept. Lu'-per-cal, 'the cave of the wolf;' so called from the story of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, having been suckled there by a shewolf. dis-prove', show to be untrue. rev'-er-ence, honour; respect. mu'-tin-y, rise up against authority. parch'-ment, the skin of some animal prepared for writing on. com'-mons, common people. tes'-ta-ment, will. be-queath'-ing, leaving. re-solved' spec'-ta-cle trai'-tors leg'-a-cy, anything left by will. iss'-ue, children; descendants. Mark An'-to-ny, a connection of Cæsar through his mother. He stabbed himself 31 B.C., after being defeated by Augustus at Actium. man'-tle, cloak. Cas'-si-us, a Roman noble upon whom Cæsar had bestowed great honour, and the author of the conspiracy to kill him. en'-vi-ous, grudging the fame or advancement of others. Cas'-ca, the conspirator who aimed the first thrust at Cæsar. in-grat'-i-tude, want of thankfulness for benefits received. van'-quished, conquered. Pom'-pey's sta'-tu-e, a statue in honour of Pompey, a rival of Cæsar, who had been conquered by him. vest'-ure, the cloak or outer garment worn by Cæsar. trai'-tor, one who betrays or acts falsely. EXERCISES.-1. The affixes -age, -ance, -ancy, -dom, -ence, -ency, -head, -hood, -ice, denote state, condition, being, quality; as bond, bondage; abound, abundance; constant, constancy; king, kingdom; innocent, innocence; lenient, leniency; God, Godhead; child, childhood; just, justice. 2. Analyse and parse the following: 'The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interrèd with their bones: So let it be with Cæsar.' 3. Make sentences of your own, and use in each one or more of the following words: Mutiny, legacy, ransom, ambitious. SPEECH OF LORD CHATHAM. [This brilliant speech was delivered in the House of Peers, at the opening of parliament in November 1777, on our employing mercenary troops and Indians in the war with America. In spite of the eloquence of Lord Chatham, his amendment was rejected by a vote of ninety-seven to twenty-four.] 1. 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. 2. Can ministers still presume to expect support in their infatuation? Can parliament be so dead to its dignity and duty, as to give their support to measures thus obtruded and forced upon them? 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 |