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Shine inward, and the mind through all her powers
Irradiate; there plant eyes, all mist from thence
Purge and disperse, that I may see and tell
Of things invisible to mortal sight.

The above poetic address, in which Milton laments the loss of his sight, is one of his happiest efforts. As he was blind at the time he wrote it,

wisdom was

-“at one entrance quite shut out."

The deprivation of sight, seems to have given him additional vigor of intellect:

"He lisped in numbers, for the numbers came."

It has been well said of him, that when "he closed his eyes on earth, he opened them on heaven." The above apostrophe to light, requires a low key, rather slow time, and long quantity.

SPEECH OF LORD CHANCELLOR THURLOW, IN REPLY TO THE DUKE OF GRAFTON.

1. MY LORDS:-I am amazed at the attack the noble

duke has made upon me. Yes, my lords, I am amazed at his grace's speech. The noble duke cannot look before him, behind him, or on either side of him, without seeing some noble peer who owes his seat in this house, to his successful exertions in the profession to which I belong.

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2. Does he not feel that it is as honorable to owe it to these, as to being the accident of an accident? To all these noble lords, the language of the noble duke is as applicable and as insulting as it is to myself. But I do not fear to meet it single and alone. No one venerates the peerage more than I do: but my lords I must say that the peerage solicited me, not I the peerage.

3. Nay more; I can and I will say, that as a peer of parliament, as speaker of this right honorable house, as keeper of the great seal, as guardian of his majesty's conscience, as lord High Chancellor of England, nay, even in that character alone in which the noble duke would think it an affront to be considered,-as a MAN, I am at this moment as respectable, I beg leave to add, as much respected, as the proudest peer I now look down upon.

The duke had, in the "House of Lords," reproached Lord Thurlow with his plebeian extraction, and his recent admission to the peerage. Lord Thurlow rose from the woolsack; and, fixing on the duke the look of Jove when he grasps the thunder, he spoke as above; and the effect of his speech was so great, that it gave him an ascendency both within the walls of the house and out of them, which no other Chancellor ever possessed. It should be given with great and increasing energy.

DEFENCE BEFORE AGRIPPA.

1. Then Agrippa said 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 acused by 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.

3. "My marmer 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 beginging, (if they would testify,) that after the most straightest sect of our religion, I lived a Pharisee.

4. "And now I stand and am judged, for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers: unto which promise our twelves tribes instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews.

5. "Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead? I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

6. "Which thing I also did in Jerusalem; and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.

7. "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.

8. "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 those who journey. ed with me.

9. "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 pricks. And I said, who art thou Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.

10. “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.

11. 66 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision; but showed first unto them at 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.

12. "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."

13. And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice: " Paul thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad."

14. 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 also I speak freely; for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this things was not done in a corner.

15. "King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest." 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."

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16. 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 Cæsar."-Acts xxvi.

St. Paul's defence breathes a spirit of true and genuine eloquence. It is unostentatious and sublime. It is characterised by sincerity and earnestness. To say that he was a greater man than Hannibal, Cæsar, Alexander, Bonaparte, or even Sir Isaac Newton, or our beloved Washington himself, is not enough. He was inferior only to Jesus Christ. The character of St. Paul and of his defence, is eloquently portrayed in the following poetry:

"With illustration simple, yet profound, and with unfaltering zeal,
He spake from a warm heart, and made e'en cold hearts feel;
And this is eloquence. 'Tis the intense,
Impassioned fervor of a mind deep fraught
With native energy when soul and sense
Burst forth, embodied in the burning thought;
When look, emotion, tone, are all combined,
When the whole man was eloquent with mind;
A power that comes not to the call or quest,

But from the gifted soul and the deep feeling breast."

St. Paul's defence, being highly rhetorical, should be read or recited, not only grammatically or correctly, but with all the pathos, power, and polished graces of elocution. It requires a middle key, a combination of quantity and emphasis, and an earnest and animated manner.

St. Paul was greatly distinguished for frankness. In 2 Corinthians, xii. 16, he says:" But be it so, I did not burden you: nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile." That is, although you admit that I preached the gospel freely, you, (my opposers at Corinth,) nevertheless, say, that I am crafty and practice guile. In verse 17, he says: "Did I make gain of you?" Produce the proof if in your power. He was also accused of "doing evil that good might come:" to "which charge he answered: "God forbid !" Some persons suppose that he acknowledges himself to he crafty and guileful, and, therefore have concluded that it is right to use management and deceit to promote a religious purpose. They err egregiously. The truth is, St. Paul's aim was to do good by proper means. If the reader is not perfectly satisfied that

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the passage as it stands in the context, implies, as Bloomfield says, possible charge, that his not taking a stipend of his hearers was but a piece of refined policy, to obtain the same purpose more effectually by another," he is referred to Scott and Clarke. The passage in question should be so read as to convey its true meaning.

EXTRACT FROM A SUPPOSED SPEECH OF JOHN ADAMS, IN SUPPORT OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE.

1. Sink or swim, live or die, survive or perish, I give my hand and my heart to this vote. It is true, indeed, that in the beginning, we aimed not at independence. But there's a divinity which shapes our ends. The injustice of England has driven us to arms; and, blinded to her own interest, for our good, she has obstinately persisted, till independence is now within our grasp.

2. We have but to reach forth to it, and it is ours. Why, then, should we defer the declaration? Is any man so weak, as now to hope for a reconciliation with England? Do we mean to submit to the measures of parliament, Boston port-bill and all? I know we do not mean to submit. We never shall submit.

3. The war, then, must go on. We must fight it through. And if the war must go on, why put off longer the declaration of independence? That measure will strengthen us. It will give us character abroad. The nations will then treat with us, which they never can do, while we acknowledge ourselves subjects in arms against our sovereign. Nay, I maintain that England herself, will sooner treat for peace with us on the footing of independence, than consent, by repealing her acts, to acknowledge that her whole conduct towards us, has been a course of injustice and oppression.

4. Sir, the declaration will inspire the people with increased courage. Instead of a long and bloody war for restoration of privileges, for redress of grievances, for chartered immunities held under a British King,-set before them the glorious object of entire independence, and it will breathe into them anew the breath of life.

5. Read this declaration at the head of the army; every

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