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MARK ANTONY'S ORATION.-Shakspeare.

FRIENDS, Romans, countrymen ! lend me your

ears;

*

I come to bury Cæsar,* not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones:
So let it be with Cæsar!-Noble Brutus
Hath told you Cæsar was ambitious—
If it was so, it was a grievous fault;
And grievously hath Cæsar answered it!
Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest
For Brutus is an honourable man!
So are they all! all honourable men-
Come I to speak* in Cæsar's funeral.

He was my friend-faithful and just to me-
But Brutus says he was ambitious;

15 And Brutus is an honourable man!

20

Cæsar was the leader of the popular party among the Romans. He became the foremost man in all the world, and the greatest general of his time.

Brutus, the nephew of Cato, was a young man, whom Cæsar had treated almost like a son.

The rest, the other Roman senators, some of whom had helped to murder Cæsar.

To speak, &c. It was the custom in Rome

He hath brought many captives home to Rome, for the nearest friend
Whose ransoms did the general coffers* fill;
Did this in Cæsar seem ambitious?

When that the poor have cried, Cæsar hath
wept :

Ambition should be made of sterner stuff!-
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious ;
And Brutus is an honourable man!
You all did see that on the Lupercal
I thrice presented him a kingly crown,"

*

*

of any great man to attend his funeral and deliver a speech in his praise.

Coffer, a chest to hold money.

Lupercal, the place in Rome where Romulus and Remus,

25 Which he did thrice refuse was this am- the founders of the

bition ?

Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
And sure he is an honourable man!

I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke;
But here I am to speak what I do know.
30 You all did love him once; not without cause:
What cause withholds you, then, to mourn
for him?

O judgment! thou hast fled to brutish beasts,

And men have lost their reason!-Bear with

me;

My heart is in the coffin there with Cæsar; 35 And I must pause till it come back to me !

city, were said to have been suckled by a shewolf.

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* Mark Antony was connected with the family of Cæsar through his mother. being defeated by Augustus at Actium, B. C. 31, he stabbed himself. This famous speech is taken from Shakspeare's "Julius Cæsar," Act III., Scene II.

After

Against the world, the Roman Empire, over which Cæsar ruled, included nearly the whole of the then

known world.

Cassius was a Roman noble, upon whom Cæsar bestowed great honours. He was the author of the conspi

racy to murder his
benefactor.

Parchment, the skin
of a sheep or goat
prepared for writing
Closet, a private
room.

on.

But yesterday, the word of Cæsar might

Have stood against the world *-now lies he there,

40

45

And none so poor as to do him reverence!
O masters! if I were disposed to stir
Your hearts and mind to mutiny and rage,
I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius* wrong,
Who, you all know, are honourable men !
I will not do them wrong; I rather choose
To wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you,
Than I will wrong such honourable men !—
But here's a parchment * with the seal of Cæsar—
I found it in his closet *-'tis his will!
Let but the commons hear his testament-
(Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read),—
And they will go
and kiss dead Cæsar's wounds, 50
And dip their napkins in his sacred blood;
Yea, beg a hair of him for memory;
And, dying, mention it within their wills,

Legacy, anything left Bequeathing it, as a rich legacy,*

by will.
Issue, children.

The Nervii were the
Belgic tribes. Their

most warlike of the

country was in the

north-eastern portion of France. In 57 B.C. Cæsar so totally defeated them, that they had only 500 fighting

men left out of 60,000. Casca was the con

the first thrust at Cæsar.

Unto their issue! *

If you have tears, prepare to shed them now.
You all do know this mantle. I remember
The first time that 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!—
Through this, the well-beloved Brutus stabbed!
And as he pluck'd his cursed steel away,
Mark how the blood of Cæsar followed it!
As rushing out of doors, to be resolved
spirator who aimed If Brutus so unkindly knocked, or no ;—
For Brutus, as you know, was Cæsar's angel!
Judge, O ye gods, how dearly Cæsar loved him!
This, this was the unkindest cut of all!
For when the noble Cæsar saw him stab,
Ingratitude, more strong than traitors' * arms,
Quite vanquished him. Then burst his mighty
heart;

Traitor, one who plots against his sove

reign or the Govern

ment.

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*

And, in his mantle muffling up his face,
Even at the base of Pompey's statue
Which all the while ran blood!-great Cæsar

fell!

Oh! what a fall was there, my countrymen!
Then I, and you, and all of us fell down;

55

60

65

70

75

Whilst bloody treason* flourished over us!
80 Oh! now you weep, and I perceive you feel
The dint of pity: * these are gracious drops!
Kind souls! what! weep you when you but
behold

Our Cæsar's vesture wounded? look you here!
Here is himself-marred,* as you see, by
traitors!-

85 Good friends! sweet friends! let me not stir
you up

To such a sudden flood of mutiny!

They that have done this deed are honourable !
What private griefs they have, alas, I know
not,

That made them do it: they are wise and
honourable,

90 And will, no doubt, with reason answer you.
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 loves his friend-and that they know
full well

95 That gave me public leave to speak of him—
For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth,*
Action, nor utterance, nor the power of speech,
To stir men's blood: I only speak right on!
I tell you that which you yourselves do know;
100 Show you sweet Cæsar's wounds, poor, poor
dumb mouths! *

And bid them speak for me. But, were I
Brutus,

And Brutus Antony,* there were an Antony
Would ruffle up your spirits, and put a tongue
In every wound of Cæsar, that should move
105 The stones of Rome to rise and mutiny!

Bloody treason, &c.,

the treason which caused Cæsar's blood to be shed, triumphed

for the time being. Dint of pity, the efcauses you to shed fect of pity which tears.

Mared, disfigured.

Orator, one who is able to make a good speech, a public speaker.

Blunt, honest and straightforward.

Worth, influence.
the wounds of Cæsar
are compared to
mouths having no

Dumb mouths, here

power of speech.
And Brutus Antony,

&c. If Antony were as clever a speaker as Brutus, he would so work upon their feelings as to make them instantly rise up against the traitors

who had so foully murdered their greatest benefactor.

FLEETING PLEASURES.—Burns.

BUT pleasures are like poppies spread,
You seize the flower, its bloom is shed:
Or like the snow-fall in the river,
A moment white-then gone for ever:
Or like the borealis race,

That flit ere you can point their place :
Or like the rainbow's lovely form,
Evanishing amid the storm.

K

MERCHANT OF VENICE,* ACT IV., SCENE I.

Shakspeare.

Magnificoes were Enter the DUKE; the MAGNIFICOES; ANTONIO, BASSANIO, GRATIANO, SALARINO, SALANIO, and others.

the higher or

chief nobles of Venice.

Antonio, a young merchant, who used to lend

money to dis

tressed people

any interest for

Duke. What, is Antonio * here?

Ant. Ready, so please your grace.

Duke. I am sorry for thee; thou art come to

answer

without receiving A stony adversary,* an inhuman wretch Uncapable of pity, void and empty From any dram of mercy.

it.

Adversary, an

enemy.

Uncapable (now written incap

able), not being

able to pity.

Dram, the small

est quantity.
To qualify, &c,

to turn him from
his cruel inten-

tion.

Rigorous, severe, stern, cruel. Obdurate, harsh, very cruel, stubborn.

The Jew, Shylock, who hated Antonio because the latter had often insulted him in the streets and

public places, and

found fault with him for lending

money at a high

rate of interest. The world, those

interested in the

matter.

Where, whereas.

Ant.

*

*

I have heard,
Your grace hath ta'en great pains to qualify
His rigorous* course; but, since he stands obdurate,*
And that no lawful means can carry me
Out of his envy's reach, I do oppose
My patience to his fury; and an arm'd
To suffer, with a quietness of spirit,
The very tyranny and rage of his.

Duke. Go one, and call the Jew* into the court.
Salan. He's ready at the door: he comes, my

lord.

Enter SHYLOCK.

Duke. Make room, and let him stand before our

face.

*

Shylock, the world thinks, and I think so too,
That thou but lead'st this fashion of thy malice
To the last hour of act; and then, 'tis thought,
Thou'lt show thy mercy and remorse more strange
Than is thy strange apparent cruelty,

And, where* thou now exact'st the penalty,
Which is a pound of this poor merchant's flesh,
Thou wilt not only lose the forfeiture,

But, touch'd with human gentleness and love,

Moiety, portion. Forgive a moiety of the principal,

Glancing an eye of pity on his losses,

That have of late brought down such ruin on him,

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25

* Venice was once an important commercial city. It is situated on the islands at the mouth of the river Po, in northern Italy. It has canals for streets, and above 300 bridges over them, the chief of which is the Rialto, built of white marble.

30 Enough to press a royal merchant* down. We all expect a gentle answer, Jew.

Royal merchant, the great Italian merchants who

Shy. I have possess'd* your grace of what I had claims on

purpose;

And by our holy Sabbath have I sworn To have the due and forfeit of my bond.* 35 If you deny it, let the danger light

*

Upon your charter and your city's freedom.
You'll ask me why I rather choose to have
A weight of carrion flesh than to receive
Three thousand ducats.* I'll not answer that,
40 But say it is my humour. Is it answer'd?
What if my house be troubled with a rat,

*

And I be pleased to give ten thousand ducats
To have it baned?* What, are you answer'd yet?
Bass. This is no answer, thou unfeeling man,
45 To excuse the current* of thy cruelty.

Shy. I am not bound to please thee with my

answer.

Ant. I pray you, think you question with the
Jew:*

You may as well go stand upon the beach,
And bid the main flood* bate* his usual height;
50 You may as well use question with the wolf

kingdoms, and sometimes acquired principalities for themselves. Possessed, informed.

Bond, a binding agreement. Charter, that on which the laws were written. Ducat, a silver coin, varying in value in different countries, so called because coined in the dominions of a Duke.

Baned, destroyed,

poisoned.

Current, course.

Think you ques-
tion with the Jew,
remember you
are dealing with
a Jew.
Main flood, the

ocean.

Bate, or abate,
to stop, lower, or

Why he hath made the ewe * bleat for the lamb,
As try to melt his Jewish heart to kindness.
Bass. For thy three thousand ducats here are six. diminish.
Shy. If every ducat in six thousand ducats

55 Were in six parts, and every part a ducat,

I would not draw them; I would have my bond.
Duke. How shalt thou hope for mercy, rendering
none?

Shy. What judgment* shall I dread, doing no
wrong?

The pound of flesh, which I demand of him,
60 Is dearly bought; 'tis mine, and I will have it :
If you deny me, fie upon your law!

There is no force in the decrees* of Venice:
I stand for judgment:

answer;

Ishall I have it?

Duke. Upon my power* I may dismiss this court,

65 Unless Bellario,* a learned doctor,

Whom I have sent for to determine * this,
Come here to-day.

Salar.

My lord, here stays without
A messenger with letters from the doctor,

70 New come from Padua.*

Duke. Bring us the letters; call the messenger.

Ewe, a female sheep.

Judgment, punishment,

sentence.

Decrees, laws. Judgment here means a verdict. Upon my power, on my authority. Bellario, a cele

brated doctor of

laws.

Determine, de

cide.

Padua, a cele

brated and an

cient city in Lom

bardy, about twenty miles

from Venice.

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