HORACE TWISS.

Thou noble thing ! more dances my rapt heart Few are the hearts that have proved the truth
Than when I first my wedded mistress saw Of their early affection's vow;
Bestride

my threshold. Why, thou Mars ! I tell And let those few, the beloved of youth,
thee,

Be dear in their absence now. We have a power on foot; and I had purpose O, vividly in their faithful breast Once more to hew thy target from thy brawn, Shall the gleam of remembrance play, Or lose mine arm for 't. Thou hast beat me out Like the lingering light of the crimson west, Twelve several times, and I have nightly since When the sunbeam hath passed away! Dreamt of encounters 'twixt thyself and me, We have been down together in my sleep,

Soft be the sleep of their pleasant hours, Unbuckling helms, fisting each other's throat,

And calm be the seas they roam ! And waked half dead with nothing. Worthy May the way they travel be strewed with flowers Marcius,

Till it bring them in safety home! Had we no other quarrel else to Rome, but that And when we whose hearts are o'erflowing thus Thou art thence banished, we would muster all

Ourselves may be doomed to stray, From twelve to seventy; and, pouring war

May some kind orison rise for us,
Into the bowels of ungrateful Rome,

When we shall be far away!
Like a bold flood o'erbear. O, come! go in,
And take our friendly senators by th' hands;
Who now are here, taking their leaves of me,

THE MEETING OF THE SHIPS.
Who am prepared against your territories,
Though not for Rome itself.

“ We take each other by the hand, and we exchange a few A thousand welcomes! words and looks of kindness, and we rejoice together for a few

short moments; and then days, inonths, years intervene, and we And more a friend than e'er an enemy;

see and know nothing of each other." - WASHINGTOX IRVING. Yet, Marcius, that was much.

Two baiks met on the deep mid-sea,

When calms had stilled the tide ;

A few bright days of summer glee WHEN TO THE SESSIONS OF SWEET There found them side by side. SILENT THOUGHT.

And voices of the fair and brave

Rose mingling thence in mirth; When to the sessions of sweet silent thought

And sweetly floated o'er the wave

The melodies of earth.
I summon up remembrance of things past,
I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought,

Moonlight on that lone Indian main
And with old woes new wail my dear time's waste.

Cloudless and lovely slept ; Then can I drown an eye, unused to flow,

While dancing step and festive strain For precious friends hid in death's dateless night,

Each deck in triumph swept. And weep afresh love's long since cancelled woe, And moan th' expense of many a vanished sight. And hands were linked, and answering eyes Then can I grieve at grievances foregone,

With kindly meaning shone ; And heavily from woe to woe tell o'er

O, brief and passing sympathies,
The sad account of fore-bemoanéd moan,

Like leaves together blown !
Which I new pay, as if not paid before ;
But if the while I think on thee, dear friend, A little while such joy was cast
All losses are restored, and sorrows end.

Over the deep's repose,
Till the loud singing winds at last

Like trumpet music rose.

SHAKESPEARE.

SONNET.

SHAKESPEARE.

FRIENDS FAR AWAY.

And proudly, freely on their way

The parting vessels bore ;
In calm or storm, by rock or bay,

To meet – 0, nevermore !

Count not the hours while their silent wings

Thus waft them in fairy flight;
For feeling, warm from her dearest springs,

Shall hallow the scene to-night.
And while the music of joy is here,

And the colors of life are gay,
Let us think on those that have loved us dear,

The Friends who are far away.

Never to blend in victory's cheer,

To aid in hours of woe ;
And thus bright spirits mingle here,

Such ties are formed below.

FELICIA HEMANS

FROM

S. T. COLERIDGE.

THE QUARREL OF FRIENDS.

Contaminate our fingers with base bribes,

And sell the mighty space of our large honors CHRISTABEL."

For so much trash as may be grasped thus?

I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon, ALAS ! they had been friends in youth:

Than such a Roman. But whispering tongues can poison truth;

Cas.

Brutus, bay not me, And constancy lives in realms above ;

I'll not endure it : you forget yourself, And life is thorny ; and youth is vain ;

To hedge me in ; I am a soldier, I, And to be wroth with one we love

Older in practice, abler than yourself Doth work like madness in the brain.

To make conditions. And thus it chanced, as I divine,

BRU.

Go to ; you are not, Cassic.. With Roland and Sir Leoline !

Cas. I am. Each spoke words of high disdain

Bru. I say you are not. And insult to his heart's best brother ;

Cas. Urge me no more, I shall forget myself: They parted, -- ne'er to meet again !

Have mind upon your health; tempt menofurther. But never either found another

Bru. Away, slight man ! To free the hollow heart from paining.

Cas. Is't possible? They stood aloof, the scars remaining,

BRU.

Hear me, for I will speak. Like cliffs which had been rent asunder;

Must I give way and room to your rash choler ? A dreary sea now flows between,

Shall I be frighted when a madman stares ? But neither heat, nor frost, nor thunder

Cas. O ye gods ! ye gods ! Must I endure all Shall wholly do away, I ween,

this? The marks of that which once hath been.

BRU. All this ? ay, more : Fret, till your proud

heart break;
Go, show your slaves how choleric you are,

And make your bondmen tremble. Must I budge? THE QUARREL OF BRUTUS AND Must I observe you ? Must I stand and crouch CASSIUS.

Under your testy humor? By the gods,

You shall digest the venom of your spleen,
JULIUS CESAR."

Though it do split you ; for from this day forth Cas. That you have wronged me doth appear I'll use you for my mirth, yea, for my laughter, in this :

When you are waspish. You have condemned and noted Lucius Pella, Cas.

Is it come to this? For taking bribes here of the Sardians ;

Bru. You say you are a better soldier : Wherein my letters, praying on his side, Let it appear so; make your vaunting true, Because I knew the man, were slighted off. And it shall please me well : For mine own part, Bru. You wronged yourself to write in such a I shall be glad to learn of noble men.

Cas. You wrong me, every way you wrong me, CAs. In such a time as this, it is not meet

Brutus ;
That every nice offence should bear his comment. I said an elder soldier, not a better;

Bru. Let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself Did I say, better?
Are much condemned to have an itching palm, BRU.

If you did, I care not. To sell and mart your offices for gold,

CAs. When Cæsar lived, he durst not thus To undeservers.

have moved me. Cas. I an itching palm ?

Bru. Peace, peace ! you durst not so have You know that you are Brutus that speak this, tempted him. Or, by the gods, this speech were else your last. CAs. I durst not? BRU. The name of Cassius honors this corrup- BRU. No. tion,

Cas. What! durst not tempt him ? And chastisement doth therefore hide his head. BRU.

For your

life
you

durst not. Cas. Chastisement !

Cas. Do not presume too much upon my love ; Bru. Remember March, the ides of March re- I may do that I shall be sorry for. member!

BRU. You have done that you should be sorry Did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake ? What villain touched his body, that did stab, There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats ; And not for justice? What ! shall one of us, For I am armed so strong in honesty, That struck the foremost man of all this world, That they pass by me as the idle wind, But for supporting robbers, shall we now Which I respect not.

FROM

case.

For certain sums of gold, which you

denied me;-
Cas.

O Brutus !
For I can raise no money by vile means :

BRU.

What's the matter ? By Heaven, I had rather coin my heart,

Cas. Have you not love enough to bear with And drop my blood for drachmas, than to wring

me, From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash, When that rash humor which my mother gave me By any indirection. I did send

Makes me forgetful ? To you for gold to pay my legions,

BRU. Yes, Cassius; and from henceforth,
Which you denied me: Was that done like Cassius? When you are over-earnest with your Brutus,
Should I have answered Caius Cassius so? He 'll think your mother chides, and leave you so.
When Marcus Brutus grows so covetous,
To lock such rascal counters from his friends, BRU. O Cassius ! I am sick of many griefs.
Be ready, gods, with all your thunderbolts, Cas. Of your philosophy you make no use,
Dash him to pieces !

If you give place to accidental evils.
Cas.
I denied you not.

Bru. No man bears sorrow better :- Portia is BRU. You did.

dead. Cas.

I did not : - he was but a fool CAs. Ha ! Portia ? That brought my answer back. Brutus hath BRU. She is dead. rived

my
heart :

Cas. How 'scaped I killing, when I crossed you A friend should bear his friend's infirmities,

so ? -
But Brutus makes mine greater than they are. O insupportable and touching loss!

Bru. I do not, till you practise them on me. Upon what sickness?
Cas. You love me not.

BRU.

Impatient of my absence, BRU.

I do not like your faults. And grief that young Octavius with Mark Antony CAS. A friendly eye could never see such faults. Have made themselves so strong ; - for with her BRU. A flatterer's would not, though they do death appear

That tidings came ; — with this she fell distract, As huge as high Olympus.

And, her attendants absent, swallowed fire. Cas. Come, Antony, and young Octavius, Cas. And died so ? come,

BRU. Even so.
Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius,

Cas. O ye immortal gods !
For Cassius is a-weary of the world :
Hated by one he loves ; braved by his brother ; Enter Lucius, with wine and tapers.
Checked like a bondman ; all his faults observed,
Set in a note-book, learned and conned by rote,

Bru. Speak no more of her. Give me a bowl

of wine :To cast into my teeth.

0, I could weep My spirit from mine eyes ! - There is

In this I bury all unkindness, Cassius. (Drinks.)

my dagger, And here my naked breast; within, a heart

Cas. My heart is thirsty for that noble, Dearer than Plutus' mine, richer than gold :

pledge. If that thou be’st a Roman, take it forth ;

Fill, Lucius, till the wine o'erswell the cup; I, that denied thee gold, will give my heart.

I cannot drink too much of Brutus' love. (Drinks.) Strike as thou didst at Cæsar; for I know, When thou didst hate him worst, thou lov’dst

him better Than ever thou lov'dst Cassius.

THE ROYAL GUEST. BRU.

Sheath your dagger :

They tell me I am shrewd with other men ; Be angry when you will, it shall have scope ;

With thee I 'm slow, and difficult of speech. Do what you will, dishonor shall be humor.

With others I may guide the car of talk : O Cassius, you are yokéd with a lamb

Thou wing'st it oft to realms beyond my reach. That carries anger, as the flint bears fire ; Who, much enforcéd, shows a hasty spark,

If other guests should come, I'd deck my hair, And straight is cold again.

And choose my newest garment from the shelf ; Cas.

Hath Cassius lived When thou art bidden, I would clothe my heart To be but mirth and laughter to his Brutus,

With holiest purpose, as for God himself. When grief, and blood ill-tempered, vexeth him ?

Bru. When I spoke that, I wasill-tempered too. For them I while the hours with tale or song, Cas. Do you confess so much ? Give me your Or web of fancy, fringed with careless rhyme ; hand.

But how to find a fitting lay for thee, BRU. And my heart too.

Who hast the harmonies of every time ?

SHAKESPEARE.

COMPLIMENT AND ADMIRATION.