LESSON CXXXII.

THE PASSING OF THE RUBICON.

1. A gentleman, Mr. President, speaking of Cæsar's benevolent disposition, and of the reluctance with which he entered into the civil war, observes, "How long did he pause upon the brink of the Rubicon!" How came he to the brink of that river? How dared he cross it? Shall private men respect the boundaries of private property, and shall a man pay no respect to the boundaries of his country's rights? How dared he cross that river? O, but he paused upon the brink! He should have perished upon the brink ere he had crossed it!

2. Why did he pause? Why does a man's heart palpitate when he is on the point of committing an unlawful deed? Why does the very murderer, his victim sleeping before him, and his glaring eye taking the measure of the blow, strike wide of the mortal part? Because of conscience! 'Twas that made Cæsar pause upon the brink of the Rubicon. Compassion! What compassion? The compassion of an assassin, that feels a momentary shudder as his weapon begins to cut!

3. Cæsar paused upon the brink of the Rubicon! What was the Rubicon? The boundary of Cæsar's province. From what did it separate his province? From his country. Was that country a desert? No: it was cultivated and fertile, rich and populous! Its sons were men of genius, spirit, and generosity! Its daughters were lovely, susceptible, and chaste! Friendship was its inhabitant! Love was its inhabitant! Domestic affection was its inhabitant! Liberty was its inhabitant! All bounded by the stream of the Rubicon !

4. What was Cæsar, that stood upon the bank of that stream? A traitor, bringing war and pestilence into the heart of his country! No wonder that he paused; no wonder if, his im

agination wrought upon by his conscience, he had beheld blood instead of water, and heard groans, instead of murmurs! No wonder if some Gorgon horror had turned him into stone upon the spot! But, no; he cried, "The die is cast!" He plunged! he crossed! and Rome was free no more!

Knowles.

QUESTIONS. What changes of tone are required in reading this piece? What example of the circumflex occurs in the first paragraph? What example of irony is found in this paragraph? Ans. "O, but he paused upon the brink!" What varieties of pitch and movement are required in reading the second paragraph? What word should be read so as to express scorn? Ans. Compassion. What changes of inflection are required in the third paragraph What is the prevailing character of the fourth paragraph? Ans. Denunciatory. What examples of antithetic emphasis does it contain? In reading it should the tone be loud or low? Does any part of it require a rapid movement?

LESSON

CXXXIII.

DEATH OF CARDINAL WOLSEY.

[Dialogue between QUEEN KATHARINE and GRIFFITH the Usher.]

Queen Katharine. Didst thou not tell me, Griffith, as thou led'st me,

That the great child of honor, Cardinal Wolsey,*

Was dead?

Griffith.

Yes, madam; but I think your grace,

Out of the pain you suffered, gave no ear to it.

* Thomas Wolsey (wool' ze), Cardinal, was born in 1471, at Ipswich, and is reputed to have been the son of a butcher. He was educated at Oxford University, and afterwards became one of the most noted characters in English history. His unbounded influence over King Henry VIII., the magnificence of his retinue, and his splendid style of living, rivaling that of the King himself, made him an object of universal attention. In 1529 he fell into disgrace, and was stripped of all his honors. While being conveyed to London for trial on a charge of treason, he was attacked with illness, and found a refuge at the monastery of Leicester (les'ter), where he died in November, 1530.

Kath. Pr'ythee, good Griffith, tell me how he died: If well, he stepped before me happily,

For my example.

Grif.

Well, the voice goes,* madam:

For, after the stout Earl Northumberland

Arrested him at York, and brought him forward
(As a man sorely tainted †) to his answer,
He fell sick suddenly, and grew so ill,

He could not sit his mule.

Kath.

Alas! poor man!

Grif. At last, with easy roads, he came to Leicester,
Lodged in the Abbey; where the reverend abbot,
With all his convent, honorably received him;
To whom he gave these words,-"O father abbot,
An old man, broken with the storms of state,
Is come to lay his weary bones among ye;
Give him a little earth for charity!"

So went to bed; where eagerly his sickness
Pursued him still; and three nights after this,
About the hour of eight (which he himself
Foretold should be his last), full of repentance,
Continued meditation, tears, and sorrows,
He gave his honors to the world again,

His blessed part to Heaven, and slept in peace.

Kath. So may he rest; his faults lie gently on him! Yet thus far, Griffith, give me leave to speak him, And yet with charity:- He was a man Of an unbounded stomach,‡ ever ranking Himself with princes; one, that by suggestion Tied all the kingdoms: simony § was fair play;

*That is, according to report, or rumor.

That is, guilty of treason.

That is, of unbounded ambition, or desire for distinction and power.

§ Si'mo ny, the crime of buying or selling church appointments or prefer

His own opinion was his law. In the presence
He would say untruths; and be ever double,
Both in his words and meaning. He was never
But where he meant to ruin, pitiful;

His promises were, as he then was, mighty;
But his performance, as he is now, nothing.
Noble madam,

Grif.
Men's evil manners live in brass; their virtues
We write in water. May it please your highness
To hear me speak his good now?

Kath.

I were malicious else.

Grif.

Yes, good Griffith,

This cardinal,

Though from an humble stock, undoubtedly
Was fashioned to much honor from his cradle.
He was a scholar, and a ripe and good one;
Exceeding wise, fair spoken, and persuading:
Lofty and sour to them that loved him not;
But, to those men that sought him, sweet as summer;
And though he were unsatisfied in getting,
(Which was a sin,) yet in bestowing, madam,
He was most princely. Ever witness for him
Those twins of learning, that he rais'd in you,
Ipswich and Oxford,† one of which fell with him,—
Unwilling to outlive the good that did it;
The other, though unfinished, yet so famous,
So excellent in art, and still so rising,
That Christendom shall ever speak his virtue.
His overthrow heaped happiness upon him;

ments; so called from Simon Magus, who wished to purchase the power of conferring the Holy Spirit (Acts viii.)

*In the presence of the King, Henry VIII.

+ Wolsey was a liberal patron of learning. Ipswich, and Oxford University were founded by him.

The Grammar School at

For then, and not till then, he felt himself,
And found the blessedness of being little;
And, to add greater honors to his age

Than man could give him, he died fearing God.
Kath. After my death, I wish no other herald,
No other speaker of my living actions,

To keep my honor from corruption,

But such an honest chronicler as Griffith.
Whom I most hated living, thou hast made me,
With thy religious truth and modesty,
Now in his ashes, honor. Peace be with him!

Shakespeare.