LESSON LXII. ANTONY'S ORATION OVER CÆSAR. SHAKSPEARE 1. FRIENDS, Romans, countrymen! Lend me your ears • 2. He was my friend, faithful and just to me: And Brutus is an honorable man. He hath brought many captives home to Rome, 3. When that the poor have cried, Cæsar hath wept; And Brutus is an honorable man. You all did see, that, on the Lupercal, Which he did thrice refuse; was this ambition? And sure, he is an honorable man. 4. I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke, But here I am, to speak what I do know. H You all did love him once; not without cause: O masters! if I were disposed to stir I will not do them wrong; I rather choose ; 6. But here's a parchment, with the seal of Cæsar I found it in his closet; 'tis his will: Let but the commons 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; Unto their issue. 7. If you have tears, prepare to shed them now. You all do know this mantle: I remember The first time ever Cæsar put it on; 'Twas on a summer's evening, in his tent; That day he overcome 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, Even at the base of Pompey's statue, 9. They that have done this deed are honorable; I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts; I am no orator, as Brutus is; But, as you know me all, a plain, blunt man, That love my friend—and that they know full well, 10. For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth, 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 LESSON LXIII. FALSE AND TRUE ENERGY. WIRT. The Was it 1. You object to Mr. Madison, the want of energy. want of energy! How has Mr. Madison shown it? in standing abreast with the van of our revolutionary patriots, and braving the horrors of a seven years' war for liberty, while you were shuddering at the sound of the storm, and clinging closer with terror to your mothers' breasts? Was it, on the declaration of our independence, in being among the first and most effective agents in casting aside the feeble threads which so poorly connected the states together, and, in lieu of them, substituting that energetic bond of union, the federal constitution? Was it in the manner in which he advocated the adoption of this substitute; in the courage and firmness with which he met, on this topic, fought hand to hand, and finally vanquished, that boasted prodigy of nature, Patrick Henry? Where was this timid and apprehensive spirit which you are pleased to ascribe to Mr. Madison, when he sat under the sound of Henry's voice for days and weeks together; when he saw that Henry, whose soul had so undauntedly led the revolution, shrinking back from this bold experiment, from the energy of this new and untried constitution; when he heard the magic of his eloquence exerted to its highest pitch, in painting, with a prophet's fire, the oppressions which would flow from it; in harrowing up the soul with anticipated horrors, and enlisting even the thunders of heaven in his cause? 2. How did it happen that the feeble and effeminate spirit of James Madison, instead of flying in confusion and dismay be fore this awful and tremendous combination, sat serene and unmoved upon its throne; that, with a penetration so vigorous and clear, he dissipated these phantoms of fancy, rallied back the courage of the house to the charge, and, in the state of Virginia, in which Patrick Henry was almost adored as infallible, succeeded in throwing that Henry into a minority? Is this the proof of his want of energy? Or will you find it in the manner in which he watched the first movements of the federal constitution; in the boldness with which he resisted what he deemed infractions of its spirit; in the independence, ability, and vigor, with which, in spite of declining health, he maintained this conflict during eight years? He was then in a manority. Turn to the debates of congress, and read his arguments: you will see how the business of a virtuous and able minority is conducted. Do you discover in them any evidence of want of energy? Yes; if energy consist, as you seem to think it does, in saying rude things, in bravado and bluster, in pouring a muddy torrent of coarse invective, as destitute of argument as unwarranted by provocation, you will find great evidence of want of energy in his speeches. 3. But, if true energy be evinced, as we think it is, by the calm and dignified, yet steady, zealous, and persevering pursuit of an object, his whole conduct during that period is honorably marked with energy. And that energy rested on the most solid and durable basis-conscious rectitude; supported by the most profound and extensive information, by an habitual power of investigation, which unraveled, with intuitive certainty, the most intricate subjects; and an eloquence, chaste, luminous, and cogent, which won respect, while it forced con |