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4.

Of brazen chariots rag'd; dire was the noise
Of conflict; over head the dismal hiss
Of fiery darts in flaming volleys flew,
And flying, vaulted either host with fire.
So, under fiery cope together rush'd
Both battles main, with ruinous assault
And inextinguishable rage. All heaven
Resounded; and had earth been then, all earth
Had to her center shook. What wonder? where
Millions of fierce encountering angels fought
On either side, the least of whom could wield
These elements, and arm him with the force
Of all their regions.

Long time in even scale

The battle hung; till Satan, who that day
Prodigious power had shown, and met in arms
No equal, ranging through the dire attack
Of fighting Seraphim confus'd, at length,
Saw where the sword of Michael smote, and fell'd
Squadrons at once; with huge two-handed sway,
Brandish'd aloft, the horrid edge came down
Wide wasting; such destruction to withstand,
He hast'd and oppos'd the rocky orb
Of tenfold adamant, his ample shield
Of vast circumference. At his approach
The great Archangel from his warlike toil
Surceas'd, and glad, as hoping here to end
Intestine war in heaven, th' arch-foe sudued.
5. Now waved their fiery swords, and in the air
Made horrid circles; two broad suns their shields
Blaz'd opposite, while expectation stood

In horror; from each hand with speed retir'd,
Where erst was thickest fight, the angelic throng,
And left large fields, unsafe within the wind

Of such commotion; such as to set forth

Great things by small, if, nature's concord broke,
Among the constellations war were sprung,
Two planets rushing from aspect* malign
Of fiercest opposition, in mid-sky

Should combat, and their jarring spheres confound.

*Observe the improper pronunciation of the word "aspect," required by the poetic accent. In this case an equal degree of force may be given to each syllable.

XLII. - PAUL'S DEFENSE BEFORE KING AGRIPPA.

FROM THE BIBLE.

[THIS should be read in a medium tone, between high and low.]

1. THEN said Agrippa unto Paul: Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth his hand and answered for himself.

2. I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself, this day, before thee, touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews; especially, because I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently. My manner of life from my youth ́, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem ́, know all the Jews; who knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion, I lived a Pharisee.

I

3. And now, I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers`; unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrippa', I am accused of the Jews. Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead? verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Which things I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chiefpriests, and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.

4. And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them, even unto strange cities. Whereupon, as I went to Damascus, with authority and commission from the chief-priests, at mid-day, O King', I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard

for thee to kick against the goads. And I said, Who art thou, Lord"?

5. And he said, I am Jesus`, whom thou persecutest. But rise and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God; that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified, by faith that is in me.

6. Whereupon, O king Agrippa ́, I was not disobedient` unto the heavenly vision; but showed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me. Having, therefore, obtained help of God", 'I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come; that Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should show light unto the people and to the Gentiles.

7. And as he thus spake, for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself, much learning hath made thee mad. But he said, I am not mad ́, most noble Festus, but speak forth the words of truth and soberness. For the king knoweth of these things, before whom I speak freely; for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest.

8. Then Agrippa said unto Paul'; Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. And Paul said, I would to God that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds. And when he had thus spoken, the king rose up, and the governor and Bernice, and they that sat with them.

And when they were gone aside, they talked between themselves, saying: This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds. Then said Agrippa unto Festus: This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Cesar.

XLIII.

HENRY V. TO HIS TROOPS.

FROM SHAKSPEARE.

[THIS lesson requires a high key.]

1. ONCE more unto the breach, dear friends", once more;
Or close the wall up with our English dead.
In peace, there's nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility;

But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then, imitate the action of the tiger;
Stiffen the sinews`, summon up the blood`;
Disguise fair nature with hard-favor'd rage:
Then', lend the eye a terrible aspect;

Let it pry through the portage of the head,
Like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it,
As fearfully as doth a galled rock

O'erhang and jutty his confounded base,
Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean.

2. Now set the teeth, and stretch the nostril wide,
Hold hard the breath, and bend up every spirit
To its full hight! On, on, you noble English!
Whose blood is set from fathers of war-proof;
Fathers, that, like so many Alexanders,
Have, in these parts, from morn till even, fought,
And sheath'd their swords for lack of argument;
Be copy now to men of grosser blood,

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Whose limbs were made in England, show us here
The mettle of your pasture; let us swear

That you are worth your breeding, which I doubt not;
For there is none of you so mean and base,
That hath not noble luster in your eyes.
I see you start like grayhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The game's afoot;
Follow your spirit: and, upon this charge,
Cry-God for Harry! England! and St. George!

XLIV. HECTOR'S ATTACK ON THE GRECIAN WALLS.

FROM POPE'S TRANSLATION OF HOMER.

ALEXANDER POPE was born in London, in 1688, and received an excellent private education. His whole life was devoted to literary pursuits, and he soon became the first poet of his day. He died at Twickenham, in 1744.

1. THEN god-like Hector and his troops contend

To force the ramparts and the gates to rend;

Nor Troy could conquer, nor the Greeks would wield,
Till great Sarpedon tower'd amid the field.

In arms he shines, conspicuous from afar,
And bears aloft his ample shield in air,

And while two pointed javelins arm his hands,
Majestic moves along, and leads his Lycian bands.

2. (1) So, press'd with hunger, from the mountain brow
Descends a lion on the flocks below;

So, stalks the lordly savage o'er the plain,
In sullen majesty and stern disdain.
In vain loud mastiffs bay him from afar,
And shepherds gall him with an iron war;
Regardless, furious, he pursues his way,

He foams, he roars, he rends the panting prey.

3. Unmov'd, the embodied Greeks their fury dare,
And fix'd, support the weight of all the war`;
Nor could the Greeks repel the Lycian powers,
Nor the bold Lycians force the Grecian towers`.

4. (7) As, on the confines of adjoining grounds,

Two stubborn swains with blows dispute their bounds;
They tug', they sweat; but neither gain nor yield
One foot, one inch of the contested field:

Thus, obstinate to death, they fight", they fall;
Nor these can keep ́, nor those can win the wall.
Their manly breasts are pierc'd with many a wound,
Loud strokes are heard, and rattling arms resound;
The copious slaughter covers all the shore,
And the high ramparts drop with human gore.

5. (1) As when two scales are charg'd with doubtful loads,
From side to side the trembling balance nods,
(While some laborious matron, just and poor,
With nice exactness weighs her woolly store),

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