Fetching mad bounds, bellowing, and neighing loud- If they perchance but hear a trumpet sound, You shall perceive them make a mutual stand, By the sweet power of music. Therefore, the poet Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, Let no such man be trusted. Merchant of Venice, Act V. œ.1. Ghost-scene in Hamlet. HAMLET. The air bites shrewdly; it is very cold. HORATIO. It is a nipping and an eager air. HAM. What hour now? HOR. I think it lacks of twelve. MARCELLUS. No, it is struck. HOR. Indeed? I heard it not. It then draws near the season Wherein the spirit held his wont to walk. [Noise of warlike music within. What does this mean, my lord? HAM. The king doth wake to-night, and takes his rouse, Keeps wassail, and the swaggering up-spring reels; And as he drains his draughts of Rhenish down, The kettle-drum and trumpet thus bray out The triumph of his pledge. HOR. Is it a custom? HAM. Ay, marry, is 't: But to my mind-though I am native here, And to the manner born-it is a custom More honoured in the breach than the observance. This heavy-headed revel, east and west, Makes us traduced, and taxed of other nations; They clepe us drunkards, and with swinish phrase Soil our addition; and, indeed, it takes From our achievements, though performed at height," So, oft it chances in particular men, That for some vicious mole of nature in them, Since nature cannot choose his origin), By the o'ergrowth of some complexion, Oft breaking down the pales and forts of reason; The form of plausive manners; that these men, Shall in the general.censure take corruption From that particular fault: The dram of base) To his own scandal. E. L. v. 1-11 Enter GHOST. HOR. Look, my lord, it comes ! HAM. Angels and ministers of grace defend us !-- Bring with thee airs from heaven, or blasts from hell, Thou com'st in such a questionable shape, That I will speak to thee. I'll call thee. Hamlet, King, Father, Royal Dane; Oh, answer me; With thoughts beyond the reaches of our souls ? Say, why is this? Wherefore? What should we do? HOR. No, by no means. HAM. It will not speak: then I will follow it. HAM. Why, what should be the fear? I do not set my life at a pin's fee; And, for my soul, what can it do to that, Being a thing immortal as itself? It waves me forth again.-I'll follow it. [Ghost beckons Hamlet. [Holding Hamlet. HOR. What if it tempt you toward the flood, my lord, Or to the dreadful summit of the cliff, That beetles o'er his base into the sea; And there assume some other horrible forin, Which might deprive your sovereignty of reason, And draw you into madness? Think of it. The very place puts toys of desperation, Without more inotive, into every brain, That looks so many fathoms to the sea, HAM. It waves me still.-Go on, I'll follow thee. To be, or not to be, that is the question- And, by opposing, end them? To die-to sleep-- To sleep!-perchance to dream!-ay, there's the rub: Act I. se. 4 When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought; Mark Antony over Cæsar's Body. Act III. sc. 1. ANTONY. Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. So are they all, all honourable men- He was my friend, faithful and just to me; And Brutus is an honourable man. He hath brought many captives home to Rome. Did this in Cæsar seem ambitious? When that the poor have cried, Cæsar hath wept; Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; And Brutus is an honourable man. You all did see that on the Lupercal I thrice presented him a kingly crown, Which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition? And, sure, he is an honourable man. I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke; But here I am to speak what I do know. You all did love him once, not without cause: What cause withholds you then to mourn for him? O judgment, thou art fled to brutish beasts, And men have lost their reason !-Bear with me: My heart is in the coffin there with Cæsar, And I must pause till it come back to me. 1ST Cir. Methinks there is much reason in his sayings. 2D CIT. If thon consider rightly of the matter, Cæsar has had great wrong. 3D CIT. Has he, masters? I fear there will a worse come in his place. 4TH CIT. Marked ye his words? He would not take the crown; Therefore, 'tis certain he was not ambitious. 1ST CIT. If it be found so, some will dear abide it. 2D CIT. Poor soul! his eyes are red as fire with weeping. 3D CIT. There's not a nobler man in Rome than Antony. Have stood against the world; now lies he there, Oh, masters! if I were disposed to stir But here's a parchment, with the seal of Cæsar: Let but the commons hear this testament- And they would go and kiss dead Cæsar's wounds, Yea, beg a hair of him for memory, And, dying, mention it within their wills, Unto their issue. 4TH CIT. We'll hear the will; read it, Mark Antony. ALL. The will! the will! We will hear Cæsar's will! ANT. Have patience, gentle friends! I must not read it: It is not meet you know how Cæsar loved you. You are not wood, you are not stones, but men; 4TH CIT. Read the will! we will hear it, Antony: You shall read us the will; Cæsar's will ! ANT. Will you be patient? will you stay a while? I have o'ershot myself to tell you of it. I fear I wrong the honourable men Whose daggers have stabbed Cæsar. I do fear it. 4TH CIT. They were traitors. Honourable men! ALL. The will! the testament! 2D CIT. They were villains, murderers! The will! Read the will! ANT. You will compel me, then, to read the will? Then make a ring about the corpse of Caesar, And let me shew you him that made the will. Shall I descend? And will you give me leave? ALL. Come down. 2D CIT. Descend. 3D CIT. You shall have leave. 4TH CIT. A ring! Stand round. [He comes down from the pulpit. 1ST CIT. Stand from the hearse, stand from the body. ANT. Nay, press not so upon me: stand far off. ANT. If you have tears, prepare to shed them now. The first time ever Cæsar put it on; 'Twas on a summer's evening, in his tent; Look! In this place ran Cassius' dagger through; Through this, the well-beloved Brutus stabbed; For Brutus, as you know, was Cæsar's angel: For when the noble Cæsar saw him stab, Quite vanquished him: then burst his mighty heart; Even at the base of Pompey's statue, Which all the while ran blood, great Cæsar fell. Whilst bloody treason flourished over us. Oh, now you weep; and I perceive you feel The dint of pity: these are gracious drops. Kind souls! What! weep you when you but behold Here is himself, marred, as you see, with traitors. 1ST CIT. O piteous spectacle! 2D CIT. O noble Cæsar! 3D CIT. O woful day! 4TH CIT. O traitors! villains! 1ST CIT. O most bloody sight! 2D CIT. We will be revenged! Revenge! About-seek-burn-fire kill-slay! Let not a traitor live! Julius Caesar, Act III. sc. 2. Bolingbroke's Entry into London. DUKE OF YORK and the DUCHESS. DUCH. My lord, you told me you would tell the rest, Of our two cousins coming into London. YORK. Where did I leave? DUCH. At that stop, my lord, Where rude misgoverned hands, from windows' tops, YORK. Then as I said, the duke, great Bolingbroke→→ Mounted upon a hot and fiery steed, Which his aspiring rider seemed to know With slow, but stately pace, kept on his course, While all tongues cried: God save thee, Bolingbroke! So many greedy looks of young and old Through casements darted their desiring eyes DUCH. Alas, poor Richard ! where rode he the whilst ? |