5 In what suspense, what agony of fear, I wait thy words; for well, too well, I see To some one of my race. ALCESTIS. Death hath his rights, Of which not e'en the great Supernal Powers The heir of empire, in his glowing prime 10 And noon-day struck;- Admetus, the revered, The blessed, the loved, by all who owned his sway, By his illustrious parents, by the realms Surrounding his, - and oh! what need to add, Such was he, 15 Already in the unsparing grasp of death, · -- 20 Another of his lineage, or to him By closest bonds united, must descend E'en now, O father! hath been made; the prey 30 For whom 't is freely offered. Nor wilt thou, PHERES. All prepared the prey! 35 And to our blood allied! O heaven! and yet * Orcus, the god of the lower world. Thou bad'st me weep no more! ALCESTIS. And thus again I say, Yes, thus I said, thou shalt not weep Thy son's, nor I deplore my husband's doom. 5 Let him be saved, and other sounds of woe, Less deep, less mournful far, shall here be heard, 10 The victim shall be honored, who resigned 15 PHERES. What hast thou done? O heaven! What hast thou done? And think'st thou he is saved His soul! very 20 Than his loved parents, - than 13 children more, More than himself! -Oh! no, it shall not be ! Of thy young beauty; perish, and destroy Not him, not him alone, but us, but all, 25 Who as a child adore thee! Desolate Would be the throne, the kingdom, reft of thee. And think'st thou not of those, whose tender years Demand thy care? — thy children! think of them! O thou, the source of each domestic joy, 30 Thou in whose life alone Admetus lives, His glory, his delight, thou shalt not die, While I can die for thee! Me, me alone, The oracle demands, a withered stem, Whose task, whose duty is, for him to die. 35 My race is run ; - the fulness of my years, The faded hopes of age, and all the love 10 Which hath its dwelling in a father's heart, Inspired by thee, whose youth with heavenly gifts To grave in adamant the just decree, That I must die. But thou - I bid thee live! Ne'er, ne'er shall woman's youthful love surpass Thy lofty soul, thy fond paternal love; PHERES. Which I should hear? I go, What canst thou say resolved to save Him who, with thee, would perish: 20 E'en now I fly. ALCESTIS. Stay, stay thee! 't is too late. Already hath consenting Proserpine, 25 Which binds me, 'with indissoluble ties, To death. And I am firm, and well I know That vow hath won. Yes! thou mayst weep my fate, 30 Mourn for me, father! but thou canst not blame My lofty purpose. Ch the more endeared 35 To the dim, shadowy regions of the dead, In thy presence here Again I utter the tremendous vow, I feel, I know Its dread effects. Through all my burning veins 5 The insatiate fever revels. Doubt is o'er. The Monarch of the Dead hath heard; - he calls, CXXXVI.-CANNING AND BROUGHAM. ANONYMOUS. [This passage of words between Canning and Brougham took place in April, 1823. Canning had recently come into the cabinet, as secretary for foreign affairs, in consequence of the death (by his own hands) of the Marquis of Londonderry, more generally known as Lord Castlereagh. The charge brought against Canning was, that he had come into office without extorting any distinct pledges from his colleagues in favor of Catholic emancipation, to which he was well known to be friendly; and this formed the burden of Brougham's attack. Canning's defence was, that if that concession had been insisted upon, it would have been impossible to form an administration to carry on the government of the country; and that it was better to secure some desirable results, than to lose the whole by insisting upon having either the whole or none. The tone of debate in the English house of commons is more guarded and decorous than that of our house of representatives; and Canning's language was an unusually vehement expression of feeling.] 5 THOUGH they resembled each other in standing foremost and alone in their respective parties, they were in every other respect opposed as the zenith and nadir, or as light and darkness. This difference extended even to their personal appearance. Canning was airy, open, and prepossessing; Brougham seemed stern, hard, lowering, and almost repulsive. The head of Canning had an air of extreme elegance: that of Brougham was much the reverse; but stili, in whatever 10 way it was viewed, it gave a sure indication of the terrible power of the inhabitant within. Canning's features were handsome; his eye, though deeply ensconced under his The feat eyebrows, was full of sparkle and gayety. ures of Brougham were harsh in the extreme: while his forehead shot up to a great elevation, his chin was long and square; his mouth, nose, and eyes seemed huddled 5 together in the centre of his face-the eyes absolutely lost amid folds and corrugations; and while he sat listening, they seemed to retire inward, or to be veiled by a filmy curtain, which not only concealed the appalling glare which shot away from them when he was roused, but renIO dered his mind and his purpose a sealed book to the keenest scrutiny of man. Canning's passions appeared upon the open campaign of his face, drawn up in a ready array, and moved to and fro at every turn of his oration, and every retort in that of his 15 antagonist: those of Brougham remained within, as in a citadel which no artillery could batter and no mine blow up; and even when he was putting forth all the power of his eloquence, when every ear was tingling at what he said, and while the immediate object of his invective was writh20 ing in helpless and indescribable agony, his visage retained its cold and brassy hue, and he triumphed over the pas sions of other men by seeming to be wholly without passion himself. The whole form of Canning was rounded, and smooth, and graceful; that of Brougham angular, long, 25 and awkward. When Canning rose to speak, he elevated his countenance, and seemed to look round for the applause of those about him, as an object dear to his feelings; while Brougham stood coiled and concentrated, reckless of all but the power that was within himself. From Canning 30 there was expected the glitter of wit and the flow of spirit something showy and elegant. Brougham stood up as a being whose powers and intentions were all a mystery whose aim and effect no living man could divine. You bent forward to catch the first sentence of the one, and 35 felt human nature elevated in the specimen before you; you crouched and shrank back from the other, and dreams |