Millions that stand in arms, and, longing, wait The signal to ascend, sit ling'ring here Heav'n's fugitives, and for their dwelling-place Accept this dark opprobious den of shame, 5 The prison of his tyranny who reigns By our delay? Nò, let us rather choose, Arm'd with Hell-flames and fury, all at once, O'er Heav'n's high tow'rs to force resistless way, Turning our tortures into horrid arms, 10 Against the Torturer; when to meet the noise Of his almighty engine he shall hear Infernal thunder, and for lightning, see Black fire and horror shot with equal rage Among his Angels, and his throne itself, 15 Mix'd with Tartarean sulphur, and strange fire, His own invented torments. (.) But perhaps The way seems difficult and steep, to scale With upright wing against a higher fõe. Let such bethink them, if the sleepy drench 20 Of that forgetful lake benumb not still, That in our proper motion we ascend Up to our native seat: descent and fall To us is adverse. Who but felt of late, When the fierce foe hung on our broken rear, 25 Insulting, and pursued us through the deep, With what compulsion and laborious flight We sunk thus low? Th' ascent is easy then; Th' event is fear'd; should we again provoke Our stronger, some worse way his wrath may 30 To our destruction, if there be in Hell 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 13. I should be much for open war, O peers! 30 Of all his aim, after some dire revenge. First, what revenge? The tow'rs of Heav'n are fill'd Th' almighty Victor to spend all his rage, 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 From their own mouths: all is not theirs it seems; Their ruin! Hence I will excite their minds, They taste and die; what likelier can ensue ? 25 A chance, but chance, may lead where I may meet. Some wand'ring Spi'rit of Heav'n, by fountain side, Or in thick shade retir'd, from him to draw 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 bill, o'er dale, his roam. Milton. 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 consul5 ship of Titus Quinctius, the Æqui and Volsci, (scarce a match for the Hernici alone,) came in arms, to the very gates of Rome,-(6) and went away unchastised! The course of our manners, indeed, and the state of our affairs, have long been such, that I had no reason to pre10 sage 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. (°)Whàt ? might Rome then have been taken, if those men who 15 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 des20 pise?—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 rèpènt !—No, Romans, the confi |