You came in arms, to spill mine enemies' blood, And our oppression hath made up this league: Arm! arm you heavens, against these perjured kings! Let not the hours of this ungodly day Wear out the day in peace; but, ere sunset, O, Lymoges! O, Austria! thou dost shame That bloody spoil; thou slave, thou wretch, thou coward • Thou ever strong, upon the stronger side! Thou fortune's champion, that dost never fight To teach thee safety! Thou cold-blooded slave, SHAKSPEARE. THE PASSING OF THE RUBICON. A GENTLEMAN, Mr. President, speaking of Cæsar's benevolent disposition, and of the reluctance with which he entered into the civil war, observes, "How long did he pause upon the brink of the Rubicon?" How came he to the brink of that river! How dared he cross it! Shall private men respect the boundaries of private property, and shall a man pay no respect to the boundaries of his country's rights? How dared he cross that river! Oh, but he paused upon the brink! He should have perished upon the brink ere he had crossed it! Why did he pause? Why does a man's heart palpitate when he is on the point of committing an unlawful deed? Why does the very murderer, his victim sleeping before him, and his glaring eye taking the measure of the blow, strike wide of the mortal part? Because of conscience! 'T was that made Cæsar pause upon the brink of the Rubicon. Compassion! What compassion? The com passion of an assassin, that feels a momentary shudder as his weapon begins to cut! Cæsar paused upon the brink of the Rubicon! What was the Rubicon? The boundary of Cæsar's province. From what did it separate his province ? From his country. Was that country a desert? No; it was cultivated and fertile, rich and populous! Its sons were men of genius, spirit, and generosity! Its daughters were lovely, susceptible, and chaste! Friendship was its inhabitant! Love was its inhabitant! Domestic affection was its inhabitant! Liberty was its inhabitant! All bounded by the stream of the Rubicon ! What was Cæsar, that stood upon the bank of that stream? A traitor, bringing war and pestilence into the heart of that country. No wonder that he paused-no wonder if, his imagination wrought upon by his conscience, he had beheld blood instead of water, and heard groans instead of murmurs! No wonder, if some gorgon horror had turned him into stone upon the spot But, no! he cried, The die is cast!" He plunged he and Rome was free no more! crossed! KNOWLES. ! LAS CASAS DISSUADING FROM BATTLE. Is then the dreadful measure of your cruelty not yet com plete? Battle! Gracious Heaven! against whom? Against a king, in whose mild bosom your atrocious injuries, even yet, have not excited hate! but who, insulted or victorious, still sues for peace. Against a people, who never wronged the living being their Creator formed; a people, who, children of innocence! received you as cherished guests, with eager hospitality and confiding kindness. Generously and freely did they share with you their comforts, their treasures, and their homes you repaid them by fraud, oppression, and dishonor. These eyes have witnessed all I speak; as gods you were received as fiends you have acted. Pizarro, hear me! Hear me, chieftains! And thou, Allpowerful! whose thunder can shiver into sand the adamantine rock, - whose lightnings can pierce to the core of the riven and quaking earth, O! let thy power give effect to thy servant's words, as thy Spirit gives courage to his will! Do not, I implore you, chieftains, countrymen, do not, I implore you, renew the foul barbarities your insatiate avarice has inflicted on this wretched, unoffending race! But hush, my sighs!-- fall - not to curse, not, ye drops of useless sorrow!-heart-breaking anguish, choke not my utterance. All I entreat is, send me once more to those you call your enemies. O let me be the messenger of penitence from you; I shall return with blessings and peace from them. Elvira, you weep! - Alas! does this dreadful crisis move no heart but thine? Time flies -- words are unavailing the chieftains declare for instant battle. O God! thou hast anointed me thy servant. but to bless my countrymen: yet now my blessing on their force were blasphemy against thy goodness. No! I curse your purpose, homicides! I curse the bond of blood, by which you are united. May fell division, infamy, and rout, defeat your projects, and rebuke your hopes! On you, and on your children, be the peril of the innocent blood which shall be shed this day! I leave you, and forever! No longer shall these aged eyes be seared by the horrors they have witnessed. In caves- in forests, will I hide myself; with tigers and with savage beasts, will I commune; and when at length we meet again, before the blessed tribunal of that Deity whose mild doctrines and whose mercies ye have this day renounced, then shall you feel the agony and grief of soul which now tear the bosom of your weak accuser. SHERIDAN. RIENZI'S ADDRESS TO THE ROMANS FRIENDS, I come not here to talk. Ye know too well He sets, and his last beam To crimson glory and undying fame; But base ignoble slaves-slaves to a horde Rich in some dozen paltry villages; Strong in some hundred spearmen, only great Each hour, dark fraud, Or open rapine, or protected murder, Cry out against them. But this very day, Au honest man — my neighbor;-there he stands ;-- The badge of Ursini; because, forsooth, Full of all gentleness, of calmest hope, Of sweet and quiet joy. Oh, how I loved Brother at once and son! He left my A summer-bloom on his fair cheeks, a smile No; let us rise at once, gird on our swords, May reach his heart, and free the world from bondage. Or wear them out in servitude and chains. ADDISON. CÆSAR'S TRIUMPHS. To form a just estimate of Cæsar's aims, Mr. President, look to his triumphs after the surrender of Utica - Utica, more honored in being the grave of Cato, than Rome in having been 'he cradle of Cæsar. It You will read, sir, that Cæsar triumphed four times. First, for his victory over the Gauls; secondly, over Egypt; thirdly, over Pharnaces; lastly, over Juba, the friend of Cato. His first, second, and third triumphs were, we are told, magnificent. Before him marched the princes and noble foreigners of the countries he had conquered his soldiers, crowned with laurels, followed him; and the whole city attended with acclamations. This was well? - the conqueror should be honored. His fourth triumph approaches as magnificent as the former ones. does not want its royal captives, its soldiers crowned with laurels, or its flushed conqueror, to grace it; nor is it less honored by the multitude of its spectators: - but they send up no shout of exultation; they heave loud sighs; their cheeks are frequently wiped; their eyes are fixed upon one object, that engrosses all their senses their thoughts their affections - it is the statue of Cato! carried before the victor's chariot! It represents him rending open his wound, and tearing out his bowels; as he did in Utica, when Roman liberty was no more! Now, ask if Cæsar's aim was the welfare of his country!-Now, doubt if he was a man governed by a selfish ambition! Now, question whether he usurped, for the mere sake of usurping! He is not content to triumph over the Gauls, the Egyptians, and Pharnaces; he must triumph over his own countrymen! He is not content to cause the statue of Scipio and Petrius to be carried before him, but he must be graced by that of Cato! He is not content with the simple effigy of Cato; he must exhibit that of his suicide! He is not satisfied to insult the Romans with triumphing over the death of liberty; they must gaze upon the representation of her expiring agonies, and mark the writhings of her last -fatal struggle! KNOWLES. |