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to serve himself, as Bruce said, truthfully, live cattle were served in Abyssinia. Now they are going to kill the poor round man. He bears his fate like a brave round man, and being a priest, denies that there are any gods or goddesses, else his goddess, being the mother of them, would have helped him. He does not care what happens to him in the other world. Cerberus may eat him with all three heads at once, if he likes. But he makes a bargain that he shall not be stuffed and shown about like an elephant in this world. Promised a grave, and a big one, old Flamen Falstaff goes merrily to grace a gibbet.

Flaminius and the Proconsul then resolve on a public exposure of the unhappy Antiochus, and the king, "riding on an ass, his face turned to the hinder part," is brought in derision through Callipolis, crowned with a paper on which his imposture is proclaimed, and he is then to be sent to the galleys. He bears the first part of the punishment so nobly that the spectators weep for him. Then, with his head shaven, and in a slave's dress, he is once more brought before the Roman, and is offered pardon and happiness for life, if he will own himself a cheat. His reply is fine :

"Do what you please,

I am in your power, but still Antiochus,

King of the Lower Asia-no impostor

That, four and twenty years since, lost a battle,

And challenge now mine own, which tyrannous Rome
With violence keeps from me."

He is then despatched to the galley, to be chained to an oar for the remainder of his life.

The last act opens in Syracuse, and we learn why only one of the three Asian merchants died with the Flamen. The two others were pardoned, on their recantation of the testimony they had borne to the identity of Antiochus. They now tell the truth to Marcellus, the Proconsul of Sicily, who has reasons of state for making close inquiries into the conduct of Flaminius, and who has received a letter, of much importance, which he does not explain. Then we have a little more feminine interest introduced. Cornelia, the fair wife of Marcellus, has known Antiochus of old, and desires to see the man who gives himself out to be the king. Flaminius has arrived with his victim, and Marcellus, to please his wife, requests that the prisoner be paraded before them; Flaminius consents, and orders the chains of Antiochus to be taken off, and that he be brought into the Hall of the Proconsul. Antiochus supposes that some new torment is in store for him, and is greatly shocked at learning that he is to be con

fronted with Marcellus and Cornelia, the one his friend in other days, the latter his mistress, in the honourable and chivalric sense of the word he had, in short, worn her favours and done battle for her name. But he must obey, and he is conducted into the presence of Cornelia, Marcellus, and Flaminius. The two former at once are convinced that he is the king, and in defiance of the remonstrances of Flaminius, a test is used. Antiochus points out from among a number of swords, one which he had long ago given to Marcellus. Then the king recognises an armlet worn by the lady, and also his gift-nay, he describes a secret engraving in it. A Moorish female attendant on Cornelia falls at the feet of her long lost and beloved monarch. Then a final and more delicate proof is given. Antiochus asks leave to whisper with Cornelia, and reminds the lady that once, when they were young, he sought to lead her astray, and that she was on the point of yielding, when his better angel recalled him to the path of honour. Cornelia answers him not, but, turning to the

others, exclaims

"This is

The King Antiochus, as sure as I am

The daughter of my mother."

At length, therefore, the unfortunate king is recognised by such witnesses as must be heard, even at Rome. Flaminius rages, issues his last cruel order, that Antiochus be sent back to the galley, and have his chains doubled, and promises himself pleasure in watching his sufferings.

But Rome can be stern to others than her enemies. The Proconsul suddenly arrests Flaminius, on the charge, proved by the twoAsian merchants, of having taken bribes from Carthage to permit the plunder of the vessels of the great republic. The letter Marcellus had produced was the warrant to do justice on Flaminius. He is reinoved to prison.

And the hunted Antiochus, on whom a ray of hope now dawns, for the last time, exclaims

"How a smile

Labours to break forth from me.'

Alas! the smile may spare its labour. The Proconsul reluctantly announces that the king is to be placed, under close guard, in the terrible and lonely island of Gyaros, one of the Cyclades, whither Rome banished her criminals, but kept them not long.

"Then, if 'tis easy

To prophesy, I have not long to live."

Such is the story of Believe as You List. The drama resembles one of the ancient plays in respect of the concentration of tragic interest on one head, and a pathetic interest is aroused by the inveterate hostility of fate, which is never weary of tormenting the unhappy king. When he rouses himself against his destiny, he presents a noble figure; and though he is often too lachrymose for modern ideas of manly dignity, his afflictions may well justify his grief; and we may remember that the drama was sketched in days when self-command was not esteemed the prime virtue of manhood. The play, curiously re-introduced to the world, as I have said, after long obscurity, is not a great one, but is worth a perusal. It is due to Colonel Cunningham to add that he has made short work, by the aid of dates, with the idea that the woes of Charles the First were sought to be illustrated, and affirms his belief that it was the story of Sebastian, King of Portugal, deposed by Philip the Second, that was in Massinger's view, and hence, we being at peace with Spain, royal licence was refused to the drama, when first tendered to Sir Henry Herbert.

SHIRLEY BROOKS.

ENGLISH AND AMERICAN YACHTS.

OME time ago we expressed an opinion that English yachts are now better rigged, better as sea boats, and faster sailers, on or off the wind, than any of American build; and we expected that the recent season would have put such an opinion to the test. That, however, was not done in any satisfactory degree; as the only match either of the American yachts that have visited us this year actually sailed in was one from Cherbourg to the Nab Light and back. A seven-knot topsail breeze only prevailed, and the Dauntless was beaten on every point of sailing by the Egeria of 152 tons. The Guinevere, of 294 tons, beat them both; and no adequate excuse was made for the ill success of the American yacht. It is true she carried away her foretopmast, but as she directly rigged a jury one, we fail to see that it seriously interfered with her success. Later on, both the Dauntless and Sappho were engaged in a match from Dieppe to the Nab Light and back; but circumstances occurred which prevented both taking part in the contest; and this was to be regretted, as the strength of the wind would have left nothing to be desired in that respect. They arrived off Dieppe on Sunday, the 29th of August, after dark, whilst a strong wind was blowing from the N.E., and they were unable to run the wretched entrance to the harbour. They consequently lay to under close-reefed canvas outside, and about midnight it blew a hard landsman's gale. From the account that we heard from persons who were on board, the dirtiness of the night caused no little consternation among the passengers on board the American yachts; and however adapted they may be for the long seas of the Atlantic, they are ill suited to the short, chopping, and powerful seas of the Channel. As an American, who was on the Dauntless, said in our hearing :"These channel seas not only roll a vessel about, but take hold of her and give her a shaking, and then drop her down into a hollow." The result was that the Sappho carried away some of the iron work of her bowsprit, and put back to Cowes; and the Dauntless's crew, when they got into Dieppe harbour, at 3 p.m. on Monday afternoon, having been without rest thirty hours, were too exhausted to commence a match which in all probability would last another twenty

four hours. The Cambria was there ready to start, but the idiot in charge of the steamboat engaged to tow her outside failed to turn up in time, and the dock gates were closed against her. Had the American yachts started, it would have been said that the owner of the Cambria was unwilling to face them in a strong wind; but we are inclined to believe that Mr. Ashbury has, if anything, shown a little too much zeal in his endeavours to meet them. He has, perhaps, been fooled; for he, like all the rest of the world on this side of the Atlantic, was led to suppose that the American yachts were visiting this country for the express purpose of trying conclusions against English yachts, as the America did in 1851.

So far as we are capable of judging, the Americans have not behaved very well in the matter. Mr. Ashbury's challenge of October 3rd was straightforward and definite, and deserved serious and practical consideration; but the answers it evoked were by no means satisfactory. The challenge stipulated that the chosen vessel for each race should not be more than ten per cent. larger than the Cambria; and directly Mr. Bennett accepted a portion of the challenge relating to a match from Cowes to New York, the objection was raised that the Dauntless was considerably more than ten per cent. larger than the Cambria. This was denied in the American papers, and a long correspondence on tonnage and measurement was the result. This correspondence led to no practical result, and the question of the Ocean Match was left open until the arrival of the Dauntless during the last week in July at Cowes. In the meantime the American press indulged in all kinds and conditions of sensation writing about the Cambria and her owner, one paper in particular being extremely offensive in the tone it adopted. The bad taste of this was the more noticeable as the owner of the Dauntless is part proprietor of the paper in question. It is, however, useless to deprecate the improprieties of New York journalism, as the American gentlemen for whose entertainment such unparalleled rudeness of speech is intended have evidently very different notions of courtesy and good breeding to those that are prevalent in this country. Directly the Dauntless appeared at Cowes, the sailing committee of the Royal Yacht Squadron offered to forego the customary restriction of the match for the Queen's Cup, and invited the owner of the Dauntless to compete for it. This he declined doing, and he also abstained from taking part in any of the open matches. This certainly was a matter that entirely concerned himself, and if he arrived at a conclusion that the Dauntless had no chance against English yachts in "inland waters," no one will blame him for not

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