CXXVII.-CASSIUS AGAINST CESAR. HONOR is the subject of my story I can not tell what you, and other men. In awe of such a thing as I myself. I was born free as Cæsar; so were you; For, once upon a raw and gusty day, And bade him follow; so, indeed, he did. I, as Æneas, our great ancestor, Did from the flames of Troy, upon his shoulder, The old Anchises bear, so, from the waves of Tiber Did I the tired Cæsar; and this man Is now become a god; and Cassius is A wretched creature, and must bend his body, He had a fever when he was in Spain, And when the fit was on him, I did mark How he did shake: 'tis true, this god did shake; And that same eye, whose bend doth awe the world, As a sick girl. Ye gods! it doth amaze me, So get the start of the majestic world, And bear the palm alone. Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world Walk under his huge legs, and peep about, Men, at some time, are masters of their fates: But in ourselves, that we are underlings. Now, in the names of all the gods at once, CXXVIII.-CALDWELL OF SPRINGFIELD. HERE'S the spot. Look around you. Above on the height Nothing more did I say? Stay one moment; you've heard Of Caldwell, the parson, who once preached the word Down at Springfield? What, no! Come-that's bad; why, he had All the Jerseys aflame! And they gave him the name He had cause, you might say! When the Hessians that day Marched up with Knyphausen they stopped on their way At the Farms," where his wife, with a child in her arms Who fired the shot! Enough!-there she lay, Did he preach-did he pray? Think of him as you stand CXXIX.-ROLL CALL. "CORPORAL GREEN!" the Orderly cried; "Here!" was the answer, loud and clear, From the lips of a soldier standing near, And " Here!" was the word the next replied. "Cyrus Drew!"—and a silence fell; This time no answer followed the call; Killed or wounded, he could not tell. There they stood in the failing light, While slowly gathered the shades of night. The fern on the slope was splashed with blood, And down in the corn where the poppies grew Were redder stains than the poppies knew; And crimson dyed was the river's flood. For the foe had crossed from the other side "Herbert Kline!" At the call there came "Ezra Kerr!" and a voice said "Here!" "Hiram Kerr!" but no man replied. They were brothers, these two, the sad winds sighed, And a shudder crept through the corn-field near. "Ephraim Deane!" Then a soldier spoke: "Deane carried our regiment's colors," he said; "When our Ensign was shot. I left him dead, Just after the enemy wavered and broke. "Close to the road-side his body lies; I paused a moment and gave him to drink; He murmured his mother's name, I think; And death came with it and closed his eyes.” 'Twas a victory; yes, but it cost us dear, For that company's roll when called at night, Of a hundred men who went into the fight, Numbered but twenty that answered, "Here!" -N. G. Shepherd. CXXX.-BERNARDO DEL CARPIO. THE warrior bowed his crested head and tamed his heart of fire, And sued the haughty king to free his long-imprisoned sire; "I bring thee here my fortress keys, I bring my captive train, I pledge thee faith, my liege, my lord!—Oh, break my father's chain!" "Rise, rise! even now thy father comes, a ransomed man this day! Mount thy good horse; and thou and I will meet him on his way." Then lightly rose that loyal son, and bounded on his steed, And lo! from far, as on they pressed, there came a glittering band, With one that 'midst them stately rode, as a leader in the land; "Now haste, Bernardo, haste! for there, in very truth, is he, The father whom thy faithful heart hath yearned so long to see.” His dark eye flashed, his proud breast heaved, his cheek's hue came and went; He reached that gray-haired chieftain's side, and there, dismounting, bent; A lowly knee to earth he bent, his father's hand he took- That hand was cold—a frozen thing—it dropped from his like lead! He looked up to the face above-the face was of the dead! white; He met at last his father's eyes-but in them was no sight! Up from the ground he sprang and gazed; but who could paint that gaze? They hushed their very hearts, that saw its horror and amaze |