612. ANTONY'S ORATION OVER CESAR.
Friends, Romans, Countrymen: Lend me your
I come to bury Cesar, not to praise him. [ears,
The evil, that men do, lives after them;
The good-is oft interred with their bones:
So, let it be with Cesar! Noble Brutus
Hath told you, Cesar was ambitious:
If it were so, it was a grievous fault;
And grievously-hath Cesar answered it.
Here, under leave of Brutus, and the rest,
(For Brutus-is an honorable man,
So are they all, all honorable men)
Come I to speak-in Cesar's funeral-
He was my friend, faithful, and just to me:
But Brutus says-he was ambitious;
And Brutus-is an honorable man.

He hath brought many captives home to Rome,
Whose ransoms-did the general coffers fill:
Did this, in Cesar, seem ambitious?

When that the poor have cried, Cesar hath wept;
Ambition, should be made of sterner stuff;
Yet Brutus says-he was ambitious;
And Brutus--is an honorable man.
You all did see, that, on the Lupercal,
I thrice presented him-a kingly crown,
Which he did thrice-refuse; Was this ambition?
Yet Brutus says, he was ambitious;
And sure, he is an honorable man.
I speak not to disprove-what Brutus spoke,
But here I am, to speak what I do know.

You all did love him once; not without cause:
What cause witholds you, then, to mourn for him?
O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason! Bear with me:
My heart is in the coffin there-with Cesar;
And I must pause, till it come back to me.
But yesterday, the word of Cesar-might
Have stood against the world! now, lies he there,
And none so poor-to do him reverence.
O masters! if I were disposed to stir
Your hearts and minds-to mutiny and rage,
I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong;
Who, you all know, are honorable men.
I will not do them wrong-I rather choose
To wrong the dead, to wrong myself, and you,
Than I will wrong such honorable men.
But here's a parchment, with the seal of Cesar;
I found it in his closet; 'tis his will:
Let but the commons-hear this testament,
(Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read,)
And they would go, and kiss dead Cesar's wounds,
And dip their napkins-in his sacred blood-
Yea, beg a hair of him, for memory,
And, dying, mention it within their wills;
Beqeathing it, as a rich legacy,
Unto their issue.

If you have tears, prepare to shed them now.
You all do know this mantle : I remember
The first time ever Cesar put it on ;
"Twas on a summer's evening, in his tent;
That day-he overcome the Nervii-
Look! in this place-ran Cassius' dagger through,
See, what a rent-the envious Casca made:
Through this, the well beloved Brutus stabbed,
And, as he plucked his cursed steel away,
Mark how the blood of Cesar followed it!
This, was the most unkindest cut of all!

For when the noble Cesar-saw him stab,
Ingratitude, more strong than traitors' arms,
Quite vanquished him: then, burst-his mighty
And, in his mantle, muffling up his face, [heart;
Even at the base of Pompey's statue,

(Which all the while ran blood) great Cesar-fell.
O what fall was there, my countrymen!
Then I, and you, and all of us-fell down,
Whilst bloody treason--flourished over us.
O, now you weep: and, I perceive, you feel
The dint of pity: these are gracious drops.
Kind souls! what, weep you, when you but behold
Our Cesar's vesture wounded? Look you here!
Here is himself,-marred, as you see, by traitors.
Good friends! sweet friends! let me not stir you up
To such a sudden flood of mutiny.

They, that have done this deed, are honorable;
What private griefs they have, alas! I know not,
That made them do it; they are wise, and honora-
And will, no doubt, with reason answer you. [ble,
I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts;
I am no orator, as Brutus is;

But, as you know me all, a plain-blunt man,
That love my friend-and that they know full well,
That gave me public leave, to speak of him.
For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth,
Action, nor utterance, nor power of speech,
To stir men's blood-I only speak right on:
I tell you that-which you yourselves do know-
Show you sweet Cesar's wounds, poor, poor dumb
And bid them speak for me.
[mouths,
But were I-Brutus,

And Brutus-Antony, there were an Antony-
Would ruffle up your spirits, and put a tongue
In every wound of Cesar, that should move
The stones of Rome-to rise and mutiny.

613. THE INVALID ABROAD. It is a sad thing, to feel that we must die, away from our own home. Tell not the invalid, who is yearning after his distant country, that the atmosphere around him is soft, that the gales are filled with balm, and that the flowers are springing from the green earth; he knows, that the softest air to his heart, would be the air, which hangs over his native land; that, more gratefully than all the gales of the south, would breathe low whispers of anxious affection; that the very icicles, clinging to his own eaves, and snow, beating against his own windows, would be far more pleasant to his eyes, than the bloom and verdure, which only more forcibly remind him, how far he is from that one spot, which is dearer to him, than all the world beside. He may, indeed, find estimable friends, who will do all in their power to promote his comfort, and assuage his pains; but they cannot supply the place of the long known and long loved; they cannot read, as in a book, the mute language of his face; they have not learned to wait upon his habits, and anticipate his wants, and he has not learned to communicate, without hesitation, all his wishes, impressions, and thoughts to them. He feels that he is a stranger; and a more desolate feeling than that, could not visit his soul. How much is expressed, by that form of oriental benediction, "May you die among your kindred."-Greenwood

All, who joy would win,

Must share it, happiness-was born a twin.
He is unhappy, who is never satisfied.

616. EULOGIUM ON THE SOUTH. If there be | the pride of her great names. I claim them for one state in the union, Mr. President, (and I say countrymen, one and all-the Laurens, the Rutit not in a boastful spirit) that may challenge ledges, the Pinckneys, the Sumpters, the Maricomparison with any other, for a uniform, zeal-ons-Americans all-whose fame is no more to ous, ardent, and uncalculating devotion to the be hemmed in by state lines, than their talents union, that state-is South Carolina. Sir, from and patriotism, were capable of being circumthe very commencement of the revolution, up to scribed, within the same narrow limits. this hour, there is no sacrifice, however great, she has not cheerfully made; no service, she has ever hesitated to perform. She has adhered to you in your prosperity; but, in your adversity, she has clung to you, with more than filial affection. No matter what was the condition of her domestic affairs, though deprived of her resources, divided by parties, or surrounded by difficulties, the call of the country, has been to her, as the voice of God. Domestic discord ceased at the sound, every man became at once reconciled to his brethren, and the sons of Caro-creased gratification, and delight, rather. Sir, I lina were all seen, crowding together to the temple, bringing their gifts to the altar of their common country.

In their day, and generation, they served, and honored the country, and the whole country, and their renown is of the treasures of the whole country. Him, whose honored name the gentleman himself bears-does he suppose me less capable of gratitude for his patriotism, or sympathy for his sufferings, than if his eyes had first opened upon the light in Massachusetts, instead of South Carolina? Sir, does he suppose it in his power, to exhibit a Carolina name so bright, as to produce envy in my bosom? No, sir, in

thank God, that, if I am gifted with little of the
spirit, which is said to be able to raise mortals to
the skies, I have yet none, as I trust, of that
other spirit, which would drag angels down.
But sir, let me recur to pleasing recollections

What, sir, was the conduct of the south during the revolution? Sir, I honor New England for her conduct in that glorious struggle. But, great-let me indulge in refreshing remembrances of as is the praise, which belongs to her, I think at least, equal honor is due to the south. They espoused the quarrel of their brethren, with a generous zeal which did not suffer them to stop to calculate their interest in the dispute. Favorites of the mother country, possessed of neither ships, nor seamen, to create commercial rivalship, they might have found, in their situation, a guarantee, that their trade would be forever fostered, and protected by Great Britain. But, trampling on all considerations, either of interest, or safety, they rushed into the conflict, and, fighting for principle, perilled all in the sacred cause of freedom.

Never-were there exhibited, in the history of the world, higher examples of noble daring, dreadful suffering, and heroic endurance, than by the whigs of Carolina, during the revolution. The whole state, from the mountains to the sea, was overrun by an overwhelming force of the enemy. The fruits of industry-perished on the spot where they were produced, or were consumed by the foe. "The plains of Carolina" drank up the most precious blood of her citizens! Black, and smoking ruins-marked the places which had been the habitations of her children! Driven from their homes, into the gloomy, and almost impenetrable swamps, even there-the spirit of liberty survived; and South Carolina, sustained by the example of her Sumpters, and Marions, proved, by her conduct, that though her soil might be overrun, the spirit of her people was invincible.-Hayne.

the past-let me remind you, that in early times, no states cherished greater harmony, both of principle, and of feeling, than Massachusetts and South Carolina. Would to God, that harmony might again return. Shoulder to shoulder they went through the revolution-hand in hand, they stood round the administration of Washington, and felt his own great arm lean on them for support. Unkind feeling, if it exist, alienation and distrust, are the growth, unnatural to such soils, of false principles since sown. They are weeds, the seeds of which that same great arm never scattered.

Mr. President, I shall enter on no encomium upon Massachusetts-she needs none. There she is-behold her, and judge for yourselves. There is Boston, and Concord, and Lexington, and Bunker Hill; and there they will remain, forever. The bones of her sons, fallen in the great struggle for independence, now lie mingled with the soil of every state, from New England to Georgia; and there they will lie-forever.

And, sir, where American liberty raised its first voice, and where its youth was nurtured and sustained, there it still lives, in the strength of its manhood, and full of its original spirit. If discord, and disunion shall wound it-if party strife, and blind ambition shall hawk at, and tear it; if folly and madness, if uneasiness under salutary and necessary restraint, shall succeed to separate it from that union by which alone, its existence is made sure, it will stand, in the end, by the side of that cradle in which its infancy was rocked; it will stretch forth its arm, with whatever of vigor it may still retain, over the friends who gather around it; and it will fall at last, if fall it must, amidst the proudest

617. EULOGIUM ON THE NORTH. The eulogium pronounced on the character of the state of South Carolina, by the honorable gentleman, for her revolutionary, and other merits, meets my hearty concurrence. I shall not acknowl-monuments of its own glory, and on the very edge, that the honorable member is before me, in regard for whatever of distinguished talent, or distinguished character, South Carolina has produced. I claim part of the honor: I partake in

spot of its origin.-Webster.

The sweetest cordial-we receive at last,
Is conscience of our virtuous actions past.
Inform yourself, and instruct others.

Seems like a canopy, which Love hath spread,
To curtain her sleeping world. Yon gentle hills,
Robed in a garment of untrodden snow;
Yon darksome rocks, whence icicles depend,
So stainless, that their white and glittering spires
Tinge not the moon's pure beam; you castl'd steep,
Whose banner hangeth o'er the time-worn tower,
So idly, that rapt fancy, deemeth it
A metaphor of peace-all form a scene,
Where musing Solitude might love to lift
Her soul, above this sphere of earthliness!
Where Silence, undisturbed, might watch alone,
So cold, so bright, so still!
The orb of day,

In southern climes, o'er ocean's waveless field,
Sinks, sweetly smiling: not the faintest breath
Steals o'er the unruffled deep; the clouds of eve
Reflect, unmoved, the lingering beam of day;
And Vesper's image, on the western main,
Is beautifully still. To-morrow comes:
Cloud upon cloud, in dark and deepening mass,
Roll o'er the blackened waters; the deep roar
Of distant thunder mutters awfully;
Tempest unfolds its pinions, o'er the gloom,
That shrouds the boiling surge; the pitiless fiend,
With all his winds, and lightnings, tracks his prey;
The torn deep yawns-the vessel finds a grave
Beneath its jagged gulf.

618. LIBERTY AND UNION. I profess, sir, | in my career hitherto, to have kept steadily in view, the prosperity, and honor of the whole country, and the preservation of our federal union. It is to that union, we owe our safety at home, and our consideration and dignity abroad. It is to that union, that we are chiefly indebted, for whatever makes us most proud of our country. That union we reached, only | by the discipline of our virtues, in the severe school of adversity. It had its origin, in the necessities of disordered finance, prostrate commerce, and ruined credit. Under its benign influences, these great interests immediately awoke, as from the dead, and sprang forth with newness of life. Every year of its duration-has teemed with fresh proofs of its utility, and its blessings; and although our territory has stretched out, wider and wider, and our population spread farther and farther, they have not outrun its protection, or its benents. It has been to us all, a copious fountain of national, social, and personal happiness. I have not allowed myself, sir, to look beyond the union, to see what might lie hidden in the dark recess behind. I have not coolly weighed the chances of preserving liberty, when the bonds, that unite us together, shall be broken asunder. I have not accustomed myself to hang over the precipice of disunion, to see whether, with my short sight, I can fathom-the depth-of the abyss-below; nor could I regard him, as a safe counsellor in Ah! whence yon glare the affairs of this government, whose thoughts That fires the arch of heaven? that dark red smoke, should be mainly bent on considering, not how the union should be preserved, but, how Blotting the silver moon? The stars are quenched tolerable might be the condition of the people, In darkness, and the pure spangling snow when it shall be broken up, and destroyed. Gleams, faintly, thro' the gloom, that gathers round! While the union lasts, we have high, excit-Hark to that roar, whose swift and deafening peals, ing, gratifying prospects spread out before In countless echoes through the mountains ring, us, for us, and our children. Beyond that, I seek not to penetrate the vail. God grant, Startling pale Midnight, on her starry throne! that, in my day, at least, that curtain may not Now swells the intermingling din; the jar, rise. God grant, that on my vision, never Frequent, and frightful, of the bursting bomb; may be opened what lies behind. When my The falling beam, the shriek, the groan, the shout, eyes shall be turned to behold, for the last The ceaseless clangor, and the rush of men time, the sun in heaven, may I not see him Inebriate with rage!-loud and more loud, shining on the broken, and dishonored frag- The discord grows; till pale Death shuts the scene, ments of a once glorious union; on states dissevered, discordant, belligerent; on a land, And, o'er the conqueror, and the conquered, draws rent with civil feuds, or drenched, it may be, His cold, and bloody shroud. Of all the men, in fraternal blood! Let their last feeble and Whom day's departing beam saw blooming there, lingering glance, rather, behold the gorgeous In proud, and vigorous health--of all the hearts, ensign of the republic, now known, and hon- That beat with anxious life, at sunset thereored, throughout the earth, still full high ad- How few survive, how few are beating now! vanced, its arms and trophies-streaming in All is deep silence, like the fearful calin, their original lustre, not a stripe erased, or polluted, nor a single star obscured-bearing That slumbers in the storm's portentous pause; for its motto, no such miserable interrogatory Save when the frantic wail of widowed love as-What is all this worth? Nor those other Comes, shuddering, on the blast, or the faint moan, words of delusion and folly-Liberty-first, With which some soul bursts from the frame of clay and union-afterwards but everywhere, Wrapped round its struggling powers. spread all over in characters of living light, blazing on all its ample folds, as they float over the sea, and over the land, and in every wind under the whole heavens, that other sentiment, dear to every-true-American heart-Liberty and union, now, and forever, one-and inseparable!-Webster.

[smoke,

The gray morn Dawns on the mournful scene; the sulphurous Before the icy wind, slow rolls away, And the bright beams of frosty morning dance Along the spangling snow. There, tracks of blood, Even to the forest's depth, and scattered arms, And lifeless warriors, whose hard lineaments Death's self could change not, mark the dreadful Of the out-sallying victors: far behind, [path Black ashes note, where their proud city stood. Within yon forest, is a glooomy glenEach tree, which guards its darkness from the day, Thro' which the moon's unclouded grandeur rolls, Waves o'er a warrior's tomb.-Shelly.

619. MOONLIGHT, AND A BATTLE-FIELD. How beautiful this night! the balmiest sigh, Which vernal zephyrs breathe, in Evening's ear, Were discord, to the speaking quietude, [vault, That wraps this moveless scene. Heaven's ebon Studded with stars unutterably bright,

And mark the earth with passion. Love will spring itself shall be questioned, I shall then carry

Of heaven were prisoned in its soundless depths, I will leave them the inheritance of free prin And struggling to be free.