Spare that, and for the rest 'tis equal all, Be it as it may. Tam. Well was it for the world, When, on their borders, neighbouring princes met, Preventing wasteful war: such should our meeting The sanctity of leagues so often sworn to. Of sacred faith given to the royal Greek? Baj. Thou pedant talker ! ha! art thou a king Possess'd of sacred power, Heav'n's darling attribute, And dost thou prate of leagues, and oaths, and prophets ! I hate the Greek, (perdition on his name!) As I do thee, and would have met you both, Baj. Can a king want a cause, when empire bids And strong antipathy forbids their union. Baj. The noble fire, that warms me, does indeed Transcend thy coldness. I am pleas'd we differ, Nor think alike. Tam. No: for I think like man, Thou like a monster, from whose baleful presence 'Tis true, I am a king, as thou hast been ; Baj. Prophet, I thank thee. Confusion couldst thou rob me of my glory My angry thunder on the frighted world. Tam. The world! 'twould be too little for thy pride: Thou wouldst scale heav'n. Baj. I would. Away! my soul Disdains thy conference. Tam. Thou vain, rash thing, That, with gigantic insolence, hast dar'd To lift thy wretched self above the stars, And mate with power almighty, thou art fall'n! Baj. 'Tis false! I am not fall'n from aught I have been! At least my soul resolves to keep her state, And scorns to make acquaintance with ill fortune. To what vast heights had thy tumultuous temper Been Been hurry'd if succeess had crown'd thy wishes! Baj. Oh, glorious thought! Ye powers, I will enjoy it, Though but in fancy; imagination shall Make room to entertain the vast idea. Oh! had I been the master but of yesterday, I would have cag'd thee for the scorn of slaves. Tam. Well dost thou teach me. What justice should exact from thee. Mankind Baj. Do it, and rid thy shaking soul at once Tam. Why slept the thunder That should have arm'd the idol deity, And given thee power, ere yester sun was set, To shake the soul of Tamerlane. Hadst thou an arm To make thee fear'd, thou shouldst have prov'd it on me, Amidst the sweat and blood of yonder field, When, through the tumult of the war I sought thee, Fenc'd in with nations. Baj. Oh, blast the stars That fated us to different scenes of slaughter? Tam. Thou hadst then, As now, been in my power, and held thy life I bid thee live. So much my soul disdains That thou shouldst think I can fear aught but Heaven. Nay more; couldst thou forget thy brutal fierceness, And And form thyself to manhood, I would bid thee This royal tent, with such of thy domestics Hard terms of peace; but such as thou mayst offer COLONEL BARRE'S SPEECH IN THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT, 1765, ON THE STAMP-ACT BILL. ON N the first reading of the bill, Mr Townsend spoke in its favour; and concluded with the following words: "And will these Americans, children planted by our care; nourished up by our indulgence, until they are grown to a degree of strength and opu lence; and protected by our arms; will they grudge to contribute their mite, to relieve us from the heavy weight of that burthen which we lie under ?" On this Colonel Barre rose, and answered Mr. Towns end in the following masterly manner. "They planted by YOUR care!" No; your op pressions planted them in America. They fled from your tyranny, to a then uncultivated and unhospitable country, where they exposed themselves to almost all the hardships to which human nature is liable; and among others, to the cruelties of a savage foe, the most subtle, and I will take upon me to say, the most for midable of any people upon the face of the earth; and yet, actuated by principles of true English liberty, they met all hardships with pleasure, compared with those they suffered in their own country, from the hands of those who should have been their friends. "They nourished up by YOUR indulgence !" They grew by your neglect of them. As soon as you began to care about them, that care was exercised in sending persons persons to rule them, in one department and another, who were, perhaps, the deputies of deputies to some members of this House, sent to spy out their liberties, to misrepresent their actions, and to prey upon them; men, whose behaviour, on many occasions, has caused the blood of those sons of liberty to recoil within them; men promoted to the highest seat of justice; some, who, to my knowledge, were glad, by going to a foreign country, to escape being brought to the bar of a court of justice in their own. "They protected by YOUR arms!" They have nobly taken up arms in your defence; have exerted a valour, amidst their constant and laborious industry, for the defence of a country, whose frontier was drenched in blood, while its interior parts yielded all its little savings to your emoluments. And, believe me; remember I this day told you so, that the same spirit of freedom, which actuated that people at first, will accompany them still. But prudence forbids me to explain myself further. Heaven knows, I do not at this time speak from motives of party heat; what I deliver are the genuine sentiments of my heart. However superior to me in general knowledge and experience the respectable body of this House may be, yet I claim to know more of America than most of you, having seen and been conversant in that country. The people, I believe, are as truly loyal as any subjects the king has; but a people jealous of their liberties, and who will vindicate them, if ever they should be violated. But the subject is too delicate, I will say no more. |