Of long-forgotten liberty: when I 44 Oped his young eye to bear the blaze of greatness; Shew'd him where empire tower'd, and bade him strike The noble quarry. Gods! then was the time To shrink from danger; fear might then have worn The mask of prudence; but a heart like mine, A heart that glows with the pure Julian fire, 50 If bright ambition from her craggy seat Display the radiant prize, will mount undaunted, Gain the rough heights, and grasp the dangerous 56 honour. [steps, ACER. Thro' various life I have pursued your Have seen your soul, and wonder'd at its daring: Hence rise fears. Nor am I yet to learn my How vast the debt of gratitude which Nero To such a mother owes; the world, you gave him, Suffices not to pay the obligation. I well remember too (for I was present) When in a secret and dead hour of night, Due sacrifice perform'd with barb'rous rites Of mutter'd charms, and solemn invocation, You bade the Magi call the dreadful powers, That read futurity, to know the fate "Hæc (exclamat) mihi pro tanto Hac sum, fateor, digna carinâ Quæ te genui, quæ tibi lucem 60 65 Agrippina's Speech in Seneca's Octavia, ver. 333. V. 64. On Nero's Magical studies, consult Plinii. Nat. Hist. lib. xxx. cap. 5. Impending o'er your son: their answer was, Perish (you cried) the mother! reign the son! 75 81 AGRIP. *Thus ever grave and undisturb'd reflection Pours its cool dictates in the madding ear Of rage, and thinks to quench the fire it feels not. Say'st thou I must be cautious, must be silent, 85 And tremble at the phantom I have raised? Carry to him thy timid counsels. He Perchance may heed 'em: tell him too, that one Who had such liberal power to give, may still * In Gray's MS. Agrippina's was one continued speech from this line to the end of the scene. Mr. Mason informs us, that he has altered it to the state in which it now stands. V. 91. Et c'est trop respecter l' ouvrage de mes mains." Britannicus, act iii. sc. 3. V. 98. "And silken dalliance in the wardrobe lies." Hen. V. act ii. Chor. Rogers. With equal power resume that gift, and raise 90 A tempest that shall shake her own creation To its original atoms tell me! say This mighty emperor, this dreaded hero, Knows his soft ear the trumpet's thrilling voice, 95 The silken son of dalliance, nurs'd in ease 107 111 V. 99. v. Senecæ Octav. 437. Nero enters, "Perage imperata, mitte qui Plauti mihi, Sullæque cæsi referat abscissum caput.' i. e. Plauti Rubellii. V. 110. But Tacitus says: "Sed Corbuloni plus molis adversus ignaviam militum, quam contra perfidium hostium, erat." v. Annales, xiii. 35. Have not forgot your sire: the eye of Rome, AGRIP. Ha! by Juno, 120 125 It bears a noble semblance. On this base V. 118. "Et moi, qui sur le trône ai suivi mes ancêtres, 130 136 Britannicus, act i. sc. 2. V. 124. "The spirit-stirring drum, the ear-piercing fife." Othello, act iii. sc. 3. "the spirit-stirring form Of Cæsar, raptur'd with the charms of rule." Dyer. Rome. V. 147. "The swarm that in thy noontide beam were born." Bard. To arm the hand of childhood, and rebrace Yes, we may meet, ungrateful boy, we may! Again the buried Genius of old Rome Shall from the dust uprear his reverend head, Rous'd by the shout of millions: there before His high tribunal thou and I appear. Let majesty sit on thy awful brow, And lighten from thy eye: around thee call 141 145 To dress thy plea, and Burrhus strengthen it 150 With his plain soldier's oath, and honest seeming. Against thee, liberty and Agrippina : The world, the prize; and fair befall the victors. 155 But soft! why do I waste the fruitless hours In threats unexecuted? Haste thee, fly These hated walls that seem to mock my shame, And cast me forth in duty to their lord. ACER. 'Tis time to go, the sun is high advanc'd, And, ere mid-day, Nero will come to Baia. V. 148. "Hi rectores imperatoriæ juventæ, et pari in societate potentiæ, concordes, diversâ arte, ex æquo pollebant. Burrus militaribus curis, et severitate morum: Seneca præceptis eloquentiæ, et comitate honestâ." Taciti Annales, xiii. c. 2. V. 149. See Seneca Octav. v. 377. V. 150. So in the speech of Burrhus in the Britannicus of Racine, act i. sc. 2: "Je répondrai, madame; avec la liberté D'un soldat, que sait mal farder la vérité." And again, act i. sc. 2: "Burrhus pour le mensonge, eut toujours trop d'horreur." K |