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And none so poor to do him reverence.

Masters! If I were disposed to stir
Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,
I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong,
5 Who, you all know, are honorable men.

I will not do them wrong,-I rather choose
To wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you,
Than I will wrong such honorable men.

But here's a parchment, with the seal of Cæsar; 10 I found it in his closet: 't is his will.

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Let but the commens hear this testament,
(Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read,)
And they would go and kiss dead Cæsar's wounds,
And dip their napkins in his sacred blood,-
Yea, beg a hair of him for memory,

And, dying, mention it within their wills,
Bequeathing it as a rich legacy,
Unto their issue.-

If you have tears, prepare to shed them now.
20 You all de know this mantle: I remember
The first time ever Cæsar put it on;

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'T was 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 plucked his cursed steel away,
Mark how the blood of Cæsar followed it!—
This was the most 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:
And, in his mantle, muffling up his face,
Even at the base of Pompey's statua,t

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;
Whilst bloody treason flourished over us.

Oh, now you weep; and I perceive you feel

*This double superlative, like "the most straitest sect of our religion," (Acts xxvi. 5,) was tolerated by the best English writers, two or three centuries ago.

† Statua, for statue, is common among the old writers.

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The dint of pity :-these are gracious drops.

Kind souls! What! weep you when you but behold
Our Cæsar's vesture wounded? Look ye here!-
Here is himself,-marred, as you see, by traiters.

Good friends! sweet friends! Let me not stir you up To such a sudden flood of mutiny!

They that have done this deed are honorable!

What private griefs they have, alas, I know not,

That made them do it! They are wise and honorable,

10 And will, no doubt, with reason answer you.

I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts!

I am no erator, as Brutus is;

But, as you know me all, a plain, blunt man, That love my friend,—and that they know full well, 15 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,- 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 25 The stones of Rome to rise and mutiny.

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LESSON CCV.THE VICTOR ANGELS.-Milton.
Now when fair morn orient in Heaven appeared,
Up rose the victor Angels, and to arms
The matin trumpet sung: in arms they stood
Of golden panoply, refulgent host,

5 Soon banded; others from the dawning hills

Looked round, and scouts each coast light armed scour
Each quarter, to descry the distant foe,

Where lodged, or whither fled, or if for fight,
In motion or in halt: him soon they met
10 Under spread ensigns moving nigh, in slow
But firm battalion; back with speediest sail
Zophiel, of Cherubim the swiftest wing,

Came flying, and in mid air aloud thus cried;
'ARM, Warriors, arm for fight,—the foe at hand,
15 Whom fled we thought, will save us long pursuit
This day; fear not his flight: so thick a cloud

He comes; and settled in his face I see
Sad resolution and secure : let each

His adamantine coat gird well,—and each

Fit well his helm,-gripe fast his orbed shield,
5 Borne even or high; for this day will pour down,
If I conjecture aught, no drizzling shower,
But rattling storm of arrows barbed with fire."

So warned he them, aware themselves, and soon
In order, quit of all impediment;

10 Instant, without disturb, they took alarm,
And onward move, embattled when behold!
Not distant far, with heavy pace the foe,
Approaching, gross and huge, in hollow cube,
Training his devilish enginery, impaled

15 On every side with shadowing squadrons deep,
To hide the fraud. At interview both stood

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Awhile; but suddenly at head appeared
Satan, and thus was heard commanding loud;
VANGUARD, to right and left the front unfold;
20 That all may see who hate us, how we seek
Peace and composure, and with open breast
Stand ready to receive them, if they like
Our overture, and turn not back perverse."

LESSON CCVI.-IMPRESSMENT OF AMERICAN SEAMEN.

HENRY CLAY.

Who is prepared to say, that American seamen shall be surrendered, as victims, to the British principle of impressment? And, sir, what is this principle? She contends, that she has a right to the services of her own subjects; 5 and that, in the exercise of this right, she may lawfully impress them, even although she finds them in American vessels, upon the high seas, without her jurisdiction. Now I deny that she has any right, beyond her jurisdiction, to come on board our vessels, upon the high seas, for any 10 other purpose, than in the pursuit of enemies, or their goods, or goods contraband of war.

But she further contends, that her subjects cannot renounce their allegiance to her, and contract a new obligation to other sovereigns. I do not mean to go into the 15 general question of the right of expatriation. If, as is contended, all nations deny it, all nations, at the same time, admit and practice the right of naturalization. Great

Britain herself does this. Great Britain, in the very case of foreign seamen, imposes, perhaps, fewer restraints upon naturalization, than any other nation. Then, if subjects cannot break their original allegiance, they may, accord5 ing to universal usage, contract a new allegiance.

What is the effect of this double obligation? Undoubtedly, that the sovereign having the possession of the subject, would have the right to the services of the subject. If he return within the jurisdiction of his primitive 10 sovereign, he may resume his right to his services, of which the subject, by his own act, could not divest him self. But his primitive sovereign can have no right to go in quest of him, out of his own jurisdiction, into the jurisdiction of another sovereign, or upon the high seas; 15 where there exists no jurisdiction, or it is possessed by the nation owning the ship navigating them.

But, sir, this discussion is altogether useless. It is not to the British principle, objectionable as it is, that we are alone to look; it is to her practice, no matter what guise 20 she puts on. It is in vain to assert the inviolability of the obligation of allegiance. It is in vain to set up the plea of necessity, and to allege that she cannot exist without the impressment of her seamen. The naked truth is, she comes, by her press-gangs, on board of our vessels, seizes 25 our native as well as naturalized seamen, and drags them into her service.

It is the case, then, of the assertion of an erroneous principle, and of a practice not conformable to the asserted principle,—a principle which, if it were theoretically right, 30 must be forever practically wrong, a practice which can obtain countenance from no principle whatever, and to submit to which, on our part, would betray the most abject degradation.

LESSON CCVII.-"NEW ENGLAND, WHAT IS SHE ?_" DELENDA
EST CARTHAGO.' -TRISTAM BURGESS.

The policy of the gentleman from Virginia, calls him to a course of legislation resulting in the entire destruction of one part of our Union. Oppress New England, until she shall be compelled to remove her manufacturing labor 5 and capital to the regions of iron, wool, and grain, and nearer to those of rice and cotton. Oppress New England, until she shall be compelled to remove her commercial

labor and capital to New York, Norfolk, Charleston, and Savannah. Finally, oppress that proscribed region, until she shall be compelled to remove her agricultural labor and capital,-her agricultural capital? No, she cannot 5 remove that. Oppress and compel her, nevertheless, to remove her agricultural labor to the far-off West; and there people the savage valley, and cultivate the deep wilderness of the Oregon.

She must, indeed, leave her agricultural capital; her 10 peopled fields; her hills with culture carried to their tops; her broad deep bays; her wide transparent lakes, longwinding rivers, and populous waterfalls; her delightful villages, flourishing towns, and wealthy cities. She must leave this land, bought by the treasure, subdued by the 15 toil, defended by the valor of men, vigorous, athletic, and intrepid; men, god-like in all making man resemble the moral image of his Maker; a land endeared, oh! how deeply endeared, because shared with women pure as the snows of their native mountains; bright, lofty, and over20 awing, as the clear, circumambient heavens over their heads; and yet lovely as the fresh opening bosom of their own blushing and blooming June.

"Mine own romantic country," must we leave thee? Beautiful patrimony of the wise and good; enriched from 25 the economy, and ornamented by the labor and perseverance of two hundred years! Must we leave thee, venerable heritage of ancient justice and pristine faith? And, God of our fathers! must we leave thee to the demagogues who have deceived, and traitorously sold us? We 30 must leave thee to them; and to the remnants of the Penobscots, the Pequods, the Mohicans, and Narragansetts; that they may lure back the far-retired bear, from the distant forest, again to inhabit in the young wilderness, growing up in our flourishing cornfields, and rich 35 meadows; and spreading, with briars and brambles, over our most "pleasant places."

All this shall come to pass, to the intent that New England may again become a lair for wild beasts, and a hunting-ground for savages; the graves of our parents 40 be polluted; and the place made holy by the first footsteps of our pilgrim forefathers, become profaned by the midnight orgies of barbarous incantation. The evening wolf shall again howl on our hills, and the echo of his yell mingle once more with the sound of our water-falls. The

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