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chosen hope all she had to give? Can Ireland forget the spontaneous and glowing cordiality, with which her favors were then received? Never! Never! Irishmen grew justly proud, in the consciousness of being the subjects of a gracious predilection; a predilection that required no apology, and called for no renunciation; a predilection that did equal honor to him who felt it, and to those who were the objects of it. It laid the grounds of a great and fervent hope; all a nation's wishes, crowding to a point, and looking forward to one event, as the great coming, at which every wound was to be healed, every tear to be wiped away.

5. The hope of that hour beamed with a cheering warmth and a seductive brilliancy. Ireland followed it, with all her heart, a leading light through the wilderness, and brighter in its gloom. She followed it over a wild and barren waste; it has charmed her through the desert, and now, that it has led her to the confines of light and darkness, now, that she is on the border of the promised land, is the prospect to be suddenly obscured, and the fair vision of princely faith to vanish forever? I will not believe it; I require an act of parliament to vouch its credibility; nay, more, I demand a miracle to convince me that it is possible.

GRATTAN.

LESSON CLXXII.

ON A STANDING ARMY.

1. WE have heard a great deal about *parliamentary armies, and about an army continued from year to year I always have been, and always shall be against a standing army of any kind. То me, it is a terrible thing; whether under that of a parliamentary, or any other designation, a standing army is still a standing army, whatever name it is called by. They are a body of men, distinct from the body of the people; they are governed by different laws; and a blind obedience, and an entire submission to the orders of their commanding officer, is their only principle. The nations around us are already enslaved, and have been enslaved, by these very means. By means of their standing armies, they have, every one, lost their liberties. It is, indeed, impossible that the liberties of the people can be preserved in any country where a numerous standing army is kept up. Shall we, then, take any of our measures from the example of our neighbors ? On the contrary, from their misfortunes, we ought to learn to avoid those rocks upon which they have split.

2. It signifies nothing, to tell me that our army is commanded by such gentlemen, as can not be supposed to join in any measures for enslaving their country. It may be so. I hope it is so. I have a very good opinion of many gentlemen now in the army. I believe they would not join in any such measures; but their lives are uncertain, nor can we be sure how long they may be continued in command. They may all be dismissed in a moment, and proper tools put in their room. Besides, we know the passions of men; we know how dangerous it is to trust the best of men with too much power. Where was there a braver army than that under Julius Cesar? Where was there ever an army that had served their country more faithfully? That army was commanded generally, by the best citizens of Rome, by men of great fortune and figure in their country; yet that army enslaved their country.

3. The affections of the soldiers toward their country, the honor and integrity of the under officers, are not to be depended on. By the military law, the administration of justice is so quick, and the punishment so severe, that neither officer nor soldier dares offer to dispute the orders of the supreme commander; he must not consult his own inclinations. If an officer were commanded to pull his own father out of this House, he must do it; he dares not disobey; immediate death would be the consequence of the least grumbling. And if an officer were sent into the Court of Request, accompanied by a body of musketeers, with screwed bayonets, and with orders to tell us what we ought to do, and how we ought to vote, I know what would be the duty of this House; I know it would be our duty to order the officer to be taken and hanged up at door of the lobby; but I doubt not much if such a spirit could be found in this House, or in any House of Commons that ever will be in England.

4. Sir, I talk not of imaginary things; I talk of what has happened to an English House of Commons, and from an English army; not only from an English army, but an army that was raised by that very House of Commons; an army that was paid by them; and an army that was commanded by generals appointed by them. Therefore, do not let us vainly imagine, that an army raised and maintained by authority of +parliament, will always be submissive to them. If any army be so numerous, as to have it in their power to overawe the parliament, they will be submissive as long as the parliament does nothing to disoblige their favorite general; but when that case happens, I am afraid, that in place of the parliament's dismissing the army, the army will dismiss the parliament, as they have done heretofore.

5. We are told this army is desired to be continued but for one year longer, or for a limited term of years. How absurd is this

distinction! Is there any army in the world, continued for any term of years? Does the most absolute monarch tell his army, that he is to continue them for any number of years, or any number of months? How long have we already continued our army from year to year? And if it thus continues, where will it differ from the standing armies of those countries, which have already submitted their necks to the yoke?

6. We are come to the Rubicon; our army is now to be reduced, or it never will; from his majesty's own mouth, we are assured of a profound tranquillity; we know there is one at home. If this is not a proper time, if these circumstances do not afford us a safe opportunity for reducing, at least, a part of our regular forces, we never can expect to see any reduction; and this nation, already overburdened with debts and taxes, must be loaded with the heavy charge of perpetually supporting a numerous standing army; and remain forever exposed to the danger of having its liberties and privileges trampled upon by any future king or ministry, who shall take it into their heads to do so, and shall take a proper care to model the army for that purpose.

PULTENEY.

LESSON CLXXIII.

MURDER OF PRINCE ARTHUR.

King John. Come hither, Hubert, O, my gentle Hubert!
We e owe thee much; within this wall of flesh

There is a soul counts thee her creditor,
And with advantage means to pay thy love:
And, my good friend, thy voluntary oath
Lives in this bosom, dearly cherished.
Give me thy hand. I had a thing to say-
But I will fit it with some better time.
In truth, good Hubert, I am almost ashamed
To say what great respect I have for thee.

Hubert.

I am much bounden to your majesty.

K. John. Good friend, thou hast no cause to say so yet;
But thou shalt have; and, creep time ne'er so slow,

Yet it shall come for me to do thee good.

+

I had a thing to say,- but let it go:
The sun is in the heaven, and the proud day,
Attended with the pleasures of the world,
Is all too wanton, and too full of gauds,
To give me audience: If the midnight bell
Did, with his iron tongue and brazen mouth,

Sound one unto the drowsy race of night;
If this same were a church-yard where we stand,
And thou possessed with a thousand wrongs:
Or if that surly spirit, melancholy,

Had baked thy blood and made it heavy, thick;
(Which, else, runs trickling up and down the veins,
Making that idiot, laughter, keep men's eyes,
And strain their cheeks to idle merriment,
A passion hateful to my purposes;)

Or if that thou could'st see me without eyes,
Hear me without thine ears, and make reply
Without a tongue, using conceit alone,
Without eyes, ears, and harmful sound of words;
Then, in despite of brooded, watchful day,
I would into this bosom pour my thought;
But ah, I will not: Yet I love thee well;
And, by my troth, I think thou lov'st me well.
Hub. So well, that what you bid me undertake,
Though that my death were adjunct to my act,
I'd do it.

K. John. Do I not know, thou would'st?
Good Hubert, Hubert, throw thine eye

On yon young boy; I'll tell thee what, my friend,
He is a very serpent in my way;

And, wheresoe'er this foot of mine doth trace,
IIe lies before me: Dost thou understand me?
Thou art his keeper.

Hub. And I will keep him so

That he shall not offend your majesty.

K. John. Death.

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Hubert.

LESSON CLXXIV.

REMORSE OF KING JOHN.

My lord, they say five moons were seen to-night:

Four fixed; and the fifth did whirl about

The other four, in wondrous motion.

King John. Five moons?

Hub.

Old men and beldams in the streets

Do prophesy upon it dangerously:

Young Arthur's death is common in their mouths:
And when they talk of him, they shake their heads,
And whisper one another in the ear;

And he that speaks, doth gripe the hearer's wrist,
While he, that hears, makes fearful action

With wrinkled brows, with nods, with rolling eyes.
I saw a smith stand with his hammer, thus,
The while his iron did on the anvil cool,

With open mouth swallowing a tailor's news;
Who, with his shears and measure in his hand,
Standing on slippers, (which his nimble haste
Had falsely thrust upon contrary feet,)
Told of many thousand warlike French,
That were embattled and rank'd in Kent;
Another lean, unwashed artificer,

Cuts off his tale, and talks of Arthur's death.

K. John. Why seek'st thou to possess me with these fears? Why urgest thou so oft young Arthur's death?

Thy hand hath murdered him; I had mighty cause

To wish him dead, but thou hadst none to kill him.

Hub. Had none, my lord? Why, did you not provoke me? K. John. It is the curse of kings, to be attended

By slaves that take their humors for a warrant

To break within the bloody house of life;

And on the winking of authority,

To understand a law; to know the meaning

Of dangerous majesty, when, perchance, it frowns

More upon humor than advised respect.

Hub. Here is your hand and seal for what I did.

K. John. Oh, when the last account 'twixt heaven and earth Is to be made, then shall this hand and seal

Witness against us to damnation!

How oft the sight of means to do ill deeds,

Makes ill deeds done! Iladst not thou been by,

A fellow by the hand of nature mark'd,
+Quoted and sign'd to do a deed of shame,
This murder had not come into my mind:
But, taking note of thy abhorred aspect,
Finding thee fit for bloody villainy,
Apt, liable to be employed in danger,

I faintly broke with thee of Arthur's death;
And thou, to be endeared to a king,

Made it no conscience to destroy a prince.

Hub. My lord.

K. John. Hadst thou but shook thy head, or made a pause,

When I spoke darkly what I purposed;

Or turned an eye of doubt upon my face,

And bid me tell my tale in express words;

Deep shame had made me dumb, made me break off,

And those thy fears might have wrought fears in me.
But thou didst understand me by my signs,

+

And didst in signs again parley with sin;
Yea, without stop didst let thy heart consent,

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