E.

The Curse of Kings.

REAT king, within this coffin I present thy buried fear: herein all breathless lies the mightiest of thy greatest enemies, Richard of Bordeaux, by me hither brought. B. Exton, I thank thee not; for thou hast wrought a deed of slander with thy fatal hand

upon my head and all this famous land.

E. From your own mouth, my lord, I wrought this deed.
B. They love not poison that do poison need,

nor do I thee: though I did wish him dead,
I hate the murderer, love him murdered.
the guilt of conscience take thou for thy labour,
but neither my good word nor princely favour:
with Cain go wander through the shade of night,
and never shew thy head by day nor night.
lords, I protest my soul is full of woe
that blood should sprinkle me to make me grow.
come mourn with me for what I do lament,
and put on sullen black incontinent.

I'll make a voyage to the Holy Land,
to wash this blood off from my guilty hand.
march sadly after: grace my mournings here,
in weeping after this untimely bier.

SHAKESPEARE.

The Parasitic Theory.

IG fleas have little fleas

upon their backs to bite 'em ; little fleas have lesser fleas,

and so ad infinitum.'

A.

Tuum maculari crimine nomen.

Ε. Ω 'ναξ φέριστε, ξυντεθαμμένον δέος
τὸ σὸν στέγει τόδ' ἄγγος· ἄψυχος δ' ὅδε
ὁ πρὶν μέγιστος πολεμίων κεῖται σέθεν
Εὐκάρδιος, βάσταγμα τῆς ἐμῆς χερός.
Β. οὔτοι σ ̓ ἐπήνεσ ̓, ὅς γ ̓ ἀνηκέστῳ χερὶ
ὄνειδος αἰσχρὸν ἐγκατέσκηψας τόδε

ἐς κράτα τουμὸν ἔς τε πάνδημον πόλιν.
Ε. καὶ μὴν ἔτλην τόδ' ἔργον ἐκ γλώσσης σέθεν.
Β. ἀλλ ̓ οὔθ ̓ ὅτῳ δεῖ φαρμάκων αὐτὸς φιλεῖ
τὰ φάρμακ ̓ οὔτ ̓ ἐγὼ σέ· κεὶ θανεῖν σφ ̓ ἔδει,
φιλῶ θανόντα τὸν κτανόντ' ἀποπτύσας
σοὶ δ ̓ οὖν ἔπαινος οὔτε κείσεται χάρις
ἀνθ' ὧν ἔδρασας, ἀλλὰ τὸ ξυνειδέναι
μύσος τὸ σαυτοῦ χἅμα τῷ πρωτοκτόνῳ
πλάνητ' ἀλᾶσθαι νυκτὸς ὀρφναίας σκότῳ,
καὶ μηκέτ' αὐγαῖς ἡμέρας αἴρειν κάρα.
ἀλγεῖ γὰρ ἀλγεῖ φρήν, θεοὶ ξυνίστορες,
εἴ μοι χυθεὶς βλάστημον ἀλδαίνει φόνος.
ἴτ ̓ οὖν, ἄνακτες, ἀμφιβάλλεσθε στολὴν
πενθοῦντι συμπενθοῦντες ὡς τάχος λυγράν
κἀγὼ πρὸς ἱεράν, ἐκ μιαιφόνου χερὸς
τόδ' αἷμα νίψων, ναυστολήσομαι χθόνα.
ὑμεῖς βάδην ἕπεσθε, κήδειον χάριν,
δάκρυσιν ἄωρον τήνδε θρηνοῦντες ταφήν.

R. S.

Quid Fles?

AGNE gemis parvo mulcatus pulice pulex pulice tu, pulex parve, minore gemis. efficitur series sic infinita dolorum;

magna facit parvum, parva dolere minus.

Κ.

The Stony Heart.

HENCE comes my love, O hearte, disclose: 'twas from her cheekes that shame the rose ; from lyppes that spoyle the rubie's prayse; from eyes that mock the diamond's blaze. whence comes my woe, as freely owne: ah me! 'twas from a hearte lyke stone. The blushynge cheeke speakes modest mynde, the lyppes befittinge wordes most kynd: the eye does tempte to love's desyre, and seemes to say, 'tis Cupid's fire: yet all so faire but speake my moane,

syth noughte dothe saye the hearte of stone. Why thus, my love, so kyndely speake

sweet lyppe, sweet eye, sweet blushynge cheeke, yet not a heart to save my paine?

o Venus, take thy giftes again;

make not so faire to cause our moane,

or make a hearte that's like our owne.

SIR JOHN HARINGTON.

Cupid.

UPID is a wicked wight;

yet, methinks, 'tis merely stupid thus the old song to recite:

what a wicked wight is Cupid!"

call him by an evil name,

Love is charmed, and thanks the caller,

glories in his very shame,

cocks his chin and looks the taller.

one thing sorely puzzles me:

tell us, Venus, if it may be,

how the daughter of the sea
came by such a firebrand baby.

K. from the Greek.

Stat tibi in corde lapis.

AUSA mihi quae sit, mea mens effator, amandi; illius, adsurgit quîs rosa verna, genae, curalii laudem rapientia labra, tuumque lumina quae rident, vane pyrope, iubar. causa mihi flendi quae sit neu parce fateri; ei mihi! cor quo non durior ipsa silex. molle rubet facies animum confessa pudicum ; mitia credideris mite labella loqui; quae cupido sensus acies incendit amore, nonne Cupidineam se docet esse facem? sed tam pulchra meum declarant omnia luctum; quippe tacet cordis saxeus ille rigor. cur oculi, mea vita, tui tam suave locuntur, labraque melle suo plena, genaeque rosis, mens tamen est in te nostri secura doloris ? o tua nunc retro dona resume, Venus; quae nos excruciet, tam pulchram fingere noli, vel similem nobis fingere corde velis.

к.

Improbus ille Puer.

IRUS Amor, dirus. sed quo recitare misello sic iterum atque iterum murmure: dirus Amor? scilicet his ridetque puer, laedique renidet, crescit et opprobriis erigiturque suis. dic age, quae liquidi celebraris filia ponti, quomodo tu flammae, Cypria, mater eras?

к.

Triumphant Death.

HE glories of our birth and state are shadows, not substantial things: there is no armour against fate; death lays his icy hand on kings: sceptre and crown

must tumble down,

and in the dust be equal made

with the poor crooked scythe and spade. Some men with swords may reap the field, and plant fresh laurels where they kill; but their strong nerves at last must yield; they tame but one another still:

early or late

they stoop to fate,

and must give up their murmuring breath,
while they, pale captives, stoop to death.
The garlands wither on your brow;
then boast no more your mighty deeds:
upon death's purple altar now
see where your victor-victim bleeds.
all heads must come

to the cold tomb;

only the actions of the just

smell sweet and blossom in the dust.

SHIRLEY.

John Lilburn.

S John departed, and is Lilburn gone? farewell to both, to Lilburn and to John. yet, being dead, take this advice from me, let them not both in one grave buried be; but lay John here, and Lilburn thereabout; for, if they both should meet, they would fall out.

BUTLER.