By heaven, I had rather coin my heart, And drop my blood for drachmas, than to wring To you for gold to pay my legions, Which you denied me was that done like Cassius ? Should I have answer'd Caius Cassius so? When Marcus Brutus grows so covetous, To lock such rascal counters from his friends, A friend should bear his friend's infirmities, BRU. I do not like your faults. CAS. A friendly eye could never see such faults. BRU. A flatterer's would not, though they do appear As huge as high Olympus. CAS. Come, Antony, and young Octavius, come, Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius, For Cassius is aweary of the world; Hated by one he loves; braved by his brother; My spirit from mine eyes! There is my dagger, indirection] crooked courses. to lock] as to lock. I, that denied thee gold, will give my heart : Strike, as thou didst at Cæsar; for I know, When thou didst hate him worst, thou lovedst him better Than ever thou lovedst Cassius. BRU. Sheathe your dagger: Be angry when you will, it shall have scope; CAS. CAS. BRU. O Brutus ! What's the matter? CAS. Have not you love enough to bear with me, When that rash humour which my mother gave me Makes me forgetful? BRU. Yes, Cassius; and from henceforth, When you are over-earnest with your Brutus, He'll think your mother chides, and leave you so. Shakespeare. 137 The Dying Gladiator I see before me the Gladiator lie ; And through his side the last drops, ebbing slow Like the first of a thunder-shower; and now The arena swims around him-he is gone, Ere ceased the inhuman shout which hail'd the wretch who won. He heard it, but he heeded not-his eyes All this rush'd with his blood-Shall he expire And unavenged?-Arise! ye Goths, and glut your ire! . . . Byron.* 138 ON Wenlock Edge the wood's in trouble; The gale, it plies the saplings double, "Twould blow like this through holt and hanger 'Tis the old wind in the old anger, Then, 'twas before my time, the Roman The thoughts that hurt him, they were there. There, like the wind through woods in riot, The gale, it plies the saplings double, Are ashes under Uricon. A. E. Housman. 139 A Prophecy From Locksley Hall For I dipt into the future, far as human eye could see, Saw the Vision of the world, and all the wonder that would be ; Saw the heavens fill with commerce, argosies of magic sails, Pilots of the purple twilight, dropping down with costly bales; Heard the heavens fill with shouting, and there rain'd a ghastly dew From the nations' airy navies grappling in the central blue; Far along the world-wide whisper of the south-wind rushing warm, With the standards of the peoples plunging thro' the thunderstorm; Till the war-drum throbb'd no longer, and the battleflags were furl'd In the Parliament of man, the Federation of the 140* On first looking into Chapman's Homer MUCH have I travell'd in the realms of gold, Oft of one wide expanse had I been told Till I heard Chapman speak out loud and bold: Keats. 141 Cargoes QUINQUEREME of Nineveh from distant Ophir Sandalwood, cedarwood, and sweet white wine. Stately Spanish galleon coming from the Isthmus, Emeralds, amethysts, Topazes, and cinnamon, and gold moidores. Quinquereme] a ship with five banks of oars. |