5 Millions that stand in arms, and, longing, wait By our delay? Nò, let us rather choose, 10 Against the Torturer; when to meet the noise may find Fear to be worse destroy'd: what can be worse Than to dwell hère, driv'n out from blìss, condemn'd Must exercise us without hope of end 5 The vassals of his anger, when the scourge Calls us to penance? More destroy'd than thus, What fear we then? what doubt we to incense Milton. 13. I should be much for open war, O peers! As not behind in hate, if what was urg'd Main reason to persuade immediate war Did not dissuade me most, and seem to cast 25 Ominous conjecture on the whole success: When he, who most excels in fact of arms, In what he counsels and in what excels Mistrustful, grounds his courage on despair, And- utter dissolution, as the scope 30 Of all his aim, after some dire revenge. 5 First, what revenge? The tow'rs of Heav'n are fill'd Th' almighty Victor to spend all his rage, In the wide womb of uncreated night, Devoid of sense and motion? and who knows, 25 Can give it, or will ever? how he càn 14. -Aside the Devil turn'd For envy, yet with jealous leer malign Milton. Ey'd them askance, and to himself thus plain'd. 30 " Sight hateful, sight tormenting! thus these two Imparadis'd in one another's arms, The happier Eden, shall enjoy their fill Of bliss on bliss; while I to Hell am thrust, Where neither joy nor love, but fierce desire, 5 Amongst our other torments not the least, Still unfulfill'd, with pain of longing pines. Yet let me not forget what I have gain'd From their own mouths: all is not theirs it seems; One fatal tree there stands of knowledge call'd, 10 Forbidden them to taste. Knowledge forbidden? Suspicious, reasonless! Why should their Lord Envy them that? Can it be sín to know? Can it be death? and do they only stand By ígnorance? is that their happy state, 15 The proof of their obedience and their faith? O fair foundation laid whereon to build Their ruin! Hence I will excite their minds With more desire to know, and to reject Envious commands, invented with design 20 To keep them low whom knowledge might exàlt Equal with Gods: aspiring to be such, They taste and die; what likelier can ensue? What further would be learn'd. Live while ye may, 30 Short pleasures, for long woes are to succeed." But with sly circumspection, and began, Through wood, through waste, o'er hill, o'er dale, his roam. In the following speech, where an emphatic clause is in Italic or has the mark of monotone, it requires a firm, full voice, and generally a low note. 15. Speech of Titus Quinctius to the Romans. THOUGH I am not conscious, O Romans, of any crime by me committed, it is yet with the utmost shame and confusion that I appear in your assembly. You have seen it--posterity will know it!-in the fourth consulship of Titus Quinctius, the Æqui and Volsci (scarce a match for the Hernici alone) came in arms, to the very gates of Rome,-(o) and went away unchastised! The course of our manners, indeed, and the state of our af fairs, have long been such, that I had no reason to presage much good; but, could I have imagined that so great an ignominy would have befallen me this year, I would, by banishment or death, (if all other means had failed,) have avoided the station I am now in. (0) What? might Rome then have been taken, if those men who were at our gates had not wanted courage for the attempt?-Rōme taken, whilst I was cónsul?-()Of honours I had sufficient-of life enough-more than enough ---I should have died in my third consulate. But who are they that our dastardly enemies thus despise?-the consuls, or you, Romans? If we are in fault, depòse us, or punish us yet more severely. If you are to blame-may neither gods nor men punish your faults! only may you repent!-No, Romans, the confi |