I was born free as Cæsar; so were you:
We both have fed as well; and we can both
Endure the winter's cold as well as he.
For once, upon a raw and gusty day,
The troubled Tiber chafing with his shores,
Cæsar said to me: "Darest thou, Cassius, now
Leap in with me into this angry flood,

And swim to yonder point?" Upon the word,
Accoutr❜d as I was, I plunged in,

And bade him follow: so, indeed, he did.

The torrent roared; and we did buffet it
With lusty sinews; throwing it aside,
And stemming it with hearts of controversy.
But ere we could arrive the point proposed,
Cæsar cried, "Help me, Cassius, or I sink!"
I, as Æneas, our great ancestor,

Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulder
The old Anchises bear, so, from the waves of Tiber,
Did I the tired Cæsar. And this man

Is now become a god; and Cassius is

A wretched creature, and must bend his body,
If Cæsar carelessly but nod on him!

He had a fever when he was in Spain,

And, when the fit was on him, I did mark
How he did shake: 'tis true, this god did shake:
His coward lips did from their colour fly;

And that same eye, whose bend doth awe the world,
Did lose his lustre : I did hear him groan;

Ay, and that tongue of his, that bade the Romans Mark him, and write his speeches in their books, Alas! it cried," Give me some drink, Titinius," As a sick girl. Ye gods! it doth amaze me,

A man of such a feeble temper should

So get the start of the majestic world,

And bear the palm alone.

Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world
Like a Colossus; and we petty men

Walk under his huge legs, and peep about

To find ourselves dishonourable graves.
Men, at some time, are masters of their fates:
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.

Brutus, and Cæsar! What should be in that Cæsar?
Why should that name be sounded more than yours?
Write them together; yours is as fair a name :
Sound them; it doth become the mouth as well :
Weigh them; it is as heavy: conjure with them;
Brutus will start a spirit as soon as Cæsar.
Now, in the names of all the gods at once,
Upon what meat doth this our Cæsar feed,

(Shout.)

That he is grown so great? Age, thou art shamed!
Rome, thou hast lost the breed of noble bloods!

When went there by an age, since the great flood,
But it was famed with more than with one man?
When could they say, till now, that talked of Rome,
That her wide walks compassed but one man ?
Now is it Rome, indeed, and room enough,
When there is in it but one only man?

Oh! you and I have heard our fathers say,

There was a Brutus once, that would have brooked
The eternal devil to keep his state in Rome,
As easily as a king.

XII.-SCENE FROM WILLIAM TELL.
(KNOWLES.)

His fame rests on his

Mr. James Sheridan Knowles was born in Cork in 1794.
dramatic works, Virginius, The Hunchback, William Tell, &c., &c.
GESLER, TELL, and ALBERT: VERNER, SARNEM, and SOLDIERS.

Sarnem. Down, slave!

Behold the Governor. Down! DOWN! and beg
For mercy!

Gesler. Does he hear?-Thy name?

Tell. My name?

It matters not to keep it from thee now:
My name is TELL.

Ges. What! he so famed 'bove all his countrymen
For guiding o'er the stormy lake the boat!

And such a master of his bow, 'tis said

His arrows never miss!-(Aside.) Indeed!-I'll take
Exquisite vengeance:-Mark! I'll spare thy life,
The boy's, too. Both of you are free,—on one
Condition.

Tell. Name the trial you

Would have me make. (Tell looks on Albert.)
Ges. You look upon your boy,

As though, instinctively, you guessed it.
Tell. Look

Upon my boy!—What mean you? Look upon
My boy, as though I guessed it! Guessed the trial
You'd have me make! Guessed it

Instinctively! You do not mean-no-no

You would not have me make a trial of

My skill upon my child! Impossible!
I do not guess your meaning.

Ges. I would see

Thee hit an apple at the distance of

A hundred paces.

Tell. Is my boy to hold it?

Ges. It is to rest upon his head.
Tell. Great heaven,

Thou hear'st him!

Ges. Thou dost hear the choice I give,-
Such trial of the skill thou'rt master of,
Or death to both of you, not otherwise
To be escaped.

Tell. O monster!

Ferocious monster! Make

A father murder his own child!

Ges. Take off

His chains, if he consents.

(GESLER signs to his officers, who proceed to take off TELL'S chains, TELL all the while unconscious of what they do.) Tell. With his own hand!

Murder his child with his own hand!

The hand I've led him, when an infant, by!

Are free from blood, and have no gust for it,
That they should drink my child's!—
I'll not

Murder my boy for Gesler.

Ges. Dost thou consent?

Tell. Give me my bow and quiver!

Ges. For what?

Tell. To shoot my boy!

Alb. No, father, no!

To save me!-You'll be sure to hit the apple.

Will you not save me, father?

Tell. Lead me forth,—

I'll make the trial!

Alb. Thank you!

Tell. Thank me!-Do

You know for what?-I will not make the trial,

To take him to his mother in my arms,

And lay him down a corpse before her!

Ges. Then

He dies this moment; and you certainly

Do murder him whose life you have a chance

To save, and will not use it.

Alb. Father

Tell. Speak not to me.

Let me not hear thy voice,-thou must be dumb;

And so should all things be;-earth should be dumb!

And heaven,-unless its thunders muttered at

The deed, and sent a bolt to stop it! Give me

My bow and quiver!

Ges. That is your ground. Now shall they measure thence

A hundred paces. Take the distance.

Tell. Is

The line a true one?

Ges. Be thankful, slave,.

Our grace accords thee life on any terms.

Tell. I will be thankful, Gesler!-Villain, stop!
You measure to the sun. (To the attendant.)
Ges. And what of that?

What matter, whether to or from the sun?

Tell. I'd have it at my back. The sun should shine Upon the mark, and not on him that shoots.

I cannot see to shoot against the sun:

I will not shoot against the sun!

Ges. Give him his way! Thou hast cause to bless

my mercy.

Tell. I shall remember it. I'd like to see

The apple I'm about to shoot at.

Ges. Show me

The basket. There! (Gives a very small apple.)
Tell. You've picked the smallest one.

Ges. I know I have.

Tell. Oh, do you? But you see

The colour of 't is dark,—I'd have it light,
To see it better.

Ges. Take it as it is:

Thy skill will be the greater, if thou hit'st it.

Tell. True, true,-I didn't think of that ;-I wonder I did not think of that. Give me some chance To save my boy,-(Throws away the apple) I will not murder him,

If I can help it,-for the honour of

The form thou wear'st, if all the heart is gone.

Ges. Well, choose thyself.

(Hands a basket of apples. Tell takes one.)

Tell. Have I a friend among

The lookers on?

Verner. Here, Tell!

Tell. I thank thee, Verner! Take the boy And set him, Verner, with his back to me.

Set him upon his knees;-and place this apple Upon his head, so that the stem may front me,Thus, Verner: charge him to keep steady,-tell him I'll hit the apple! Verner, do all this

More briefly than I tell it thee.

Alb. May I not speak with him before I go?