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One still strong man in a blatant land,

Whatever they call him, what care I, Aristocrat, democrat, autocrat

one

Who can rule, and dare not lie! TENNYSON.

ROYALTY.

THAT regal soul I reverence, in whose eyes

Suffices not all worth the city knows

To pay that debt which his own heart he owes;

For less than level to his bosom rise

The low crowd's heaven and stars: above their skies

Runneth the road his daily feet have pressed;

A loftier heaven he beareth in his breast,

And o'er the summits of achieving hies

With never a thought of merit or of meed;

Choosing divinest labors through a pride

Of soul, that holdeth appetite to feed

Ever on angel-herbage, nought beside;

Nor praises more himself for herodeed

Than stones for weight, or open seas for tide.

D. A. WASSON.

THE MASTER SPIRIT.

GIVE me a Spirit that on life's rough

sea

Loves to have his sails filled with a lusty wind,

Even till his sailyards tremble, his masts crack,

And his rapt ship run on her side so low

That she drinks water, and her keel ploughs air:

There is no danger to a man that knows

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See how he lies at random, carelessly diffused,

With languished head unpropped,
As one past hope, abandoned,
And by himself given over;
In slavish habit, ill-fitted weeds
O'er-worn and soiled;

Or do my eyes misrepresent? can this be he,

That heroic, that renowned, Irresistible Samson? whom unarmed No strength of man or fiercest wild beast could withstand;

Who tore the lion, as the lion tears the kid,

Ran on embattled armies clad in iron,

And, weaponless himself, Made arms ridiculous, useless the forgery

Of brazen shield and spear, the hammered cuirass,

Chalybean tempered steel, and frock of mail

Adamantëan proof;

But safest he who stood aloof, When insupportably his foot advanced,

In scorn of their proud arms and warlike tools,

Spurned them to death by troops.
The bold Ascalonite
Fled from his lion ramp; old war-
riors turned

Their plated backs under his heel, Or, grovelling, soiled their crested helmets in the dust.

Then with what trivial weapon came to hand,

The jaw of a dead ass, his sword of bone,

A thousand foreskins fell, the flower of Palestine

In Ramath-lechi, famous to this day: Then by main force pulled up, and on his shoulders bore

The gates of Azza, post, and massy bar,

Up to the hill by Hebron, seat of giants old,

No journey of a Sabbath day, and loaded so;

Like whom the Gentiles feign to bear up heaven.

Which shall I first bewail,
Thy bondage or lost sight,
Prison within prison
Inseparably dark?

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By some great act, or of my days the last.

Chor. In time thou hast re-
solved; the man returns.
Off-Samson, this second mes-
sage from our lords

To thee I am bid say. Art thou our slave,

Our captive, at the public mill our drudge,

And dar'st thou at our sending and command

Dispute thy coming? come without delay;

Or we shall find such engines to assail

And hamper thee, as thou shalt come of force,

Though thou wert firmlier fastened than a rock.

Sams. I could be well content to

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Of sort might sit in order to behold; The other side was open, where the throng

On banks and scaffolds under sky might stand;

I among these aloof obscurely stood. The feast and noon grew high, and sacrifice

Had filled their hearts with mirth,
high cheer, and wine,
When to their sports they turned.
Immediately

Was Samson as a public servant brought,

In their state livery clad; before him pipes

And timbrels, on each side went armed guards,

Both horse and foot, before him and behind

Archers, and slingers, cataphracts, and spears.

At sight of him the people with a shout

Rifted the air, clamoring their God with praise,

Who had made their dreadful enemy their thrall.

He patient, but undaunted, where they led him,

Came to the place, and what was set before him,

Which without help of eye might be assayed,

To heave, pull, draw, or break, he still performed

All with incredible stupendous force, None daring to appear antagonist. At length for intermission sake they led him

Between the pillars; he his guide requested,

For so from such as nearer stood we heard,

As over-tired to let him lean awhile With both his arms on those two massy pillars,

That to the arched roof gave main support.

He unsuspicious led him; which when Samson

Felt in his arms, with head awhile inclined,

And eyes fast fixt he stood, as one who prayed,

Or some great matter in his mind revolved:

At last with head erect thus cried aloud, "Hitherto, lords, what your commands imposed

I have performed, as reason was, obeying,

Not without wonder or delight beheld:

Now of my own accord such other trial

I mean to show you of my strength, yet greater,

As with amaze shall strike all who behold."

This uttered, straining all his nerves he bowed;

As with the force of winds and waters pent,

When mountains tremble, those two massy pillars

With horrible convulsion to and fro He tugged, he shook, till down they came, and drew

The whole roof after them, with burst of thunder Upon the heads of all who sat beneath,

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