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and so he walks, insulting o'er his prey;
and so he comes to rend his limbs asunder.-
Ah, gentle Clifford, kill me with thy sword,
and not with such a cruel threat'ning look.
Sweet Clifford, hear me speak before I die;-
I am too mean a subject for thy wrath,

be thou reveng’d on men, and let me live. Clif. In vain thou speak'st, poor boy; my father's blood hath stopp'd the passage where thy words should enter. Rut. Then let my father's blood open it again:

he is a man, and, Clifford, cope with him.

1101 Clif. Had I thy brethren here, their lives, and thine, were not revenge sufficient for me;

no, if I digg'd up thy forefathers' graves,
and hung their rotten coffins up in chains,

it could not slake mine ire, nor ease my heart.
The sight of any of the house of York

is as a fury to torment my soul;
and till I root out their accursed line,
and leave not one alive, I live in hell.
Therefore

[Lifting his hand. Rut. O, let me pray before I take my death:to thee I pray; Sweet Clifford, pity me!

Clif. Such pity as my rapier's point affords.

Rut. I never did thee harm; Why wilt thou slay me? Clif. Thy father hath

Rut. But 'twas ere I was born.

Thou hast one son, for his sake pity me;

lest, in revenge thereof,-since God is just,—
he be as miserably slain as I.

Ah, let me live in prison all my days;

and when I give occasion of offence,

then let me die, for now thou hast no cause. Clif. No cause?

Thy father slew my father; therefore, die.

W. SHAKESPEARE

1 102 ARCAS SEEING MEROPE WITH THE AXE

UPLIFTED AGAINST ÆPYTUS

Arc.

Mer.

HAT do I see?

WHAT

Therefore no words!

A murderer at death's door.

Arc. Mer.

Arc.

Mer.

A murderer?

And a captive to the dear next-of-kin to him he murdered. Stand and let vengeance pass!

thou know'st not whom thou strik'st...

Arc. Unhappy one! thou strik'st-
Mer.

Hold, O Queen, hold!

I know his crime.

A most just blow.

Stand off!

Thy son!

Arc. No, by the gods, thou slay'st

Mer.

Arc.

Mer. Ah!... [she lets the axe drop and falls insensible]

Arc.

EPYTUS (awaking)

Who are these? What shrill, ear-piercing scream wakes me thus kindly from the perilous sleep wherewith fatigue and youth had bound mine eyes, even in the deadly palace of my foe?—

Arcas! Thou here?

O my dear master! O

my child, my charge belov'd, welcome to life! as dead we held thee, mourn'd for thee as dead. 1103 Ep. In word I died, that I in deed might live. But who are these?

Arc.

Ep. And, Arcas!-but I tremble!

Arc.

Messenian maidens, friends.

Boldly ask.

Merope.

Ep. That black-robed, swooning figure?...
Arc.

Ep. O mother! mother!
Mer.

[blocks in formation]

Ep. No, by the Gods, alive and like to live!
Mer. What thou?-I dream.-

Ep.

[blocks in formation]

1104 LORD TALBOT, EARL OF SHREWSBURYJOHN HIS SON

S my name Talbot? and am I your son?

Jon. and shall I fly? O, if you love my mother,

dishonour not her honourable name,

to make a bastard and a slave of me!
Tal. Fly, to revenge my death, if I be slain.
Joh. He that flies so will ne'er return again.
Tal. If we both stay, we both are sure to die.
Joh. Then let me stay; and, father, do you fly:

your loss is great, so your regard should be;
my worth unknown, no loss is known in me.
Upon my death the French can little boast;
in yours they will, in you all hopes are lost.
Flight cannot stain the honour you have won;
but mine it will, that no exploit have done:
you fled for vantage every one will swear;
but, if I bow, they'll say—it was for fear.
There is no hope that ever I will stay,
if, the first hour, I shrink and run away.
Here, on my knee, I beg mortality,

rather than life preserved with infamy.

1105 Tal. Shall all thy mother's hopes lie in one tomb? Joh. Ay, rather than I'll shame my mother's womb.

Tal. Upon my blessing I command thee go.

Joh. To fight I will, but not to fly the foe.

Tal. Part of thy father may be saved in thee.

Joh. No part of him but will be shame in me.

Tal. Thou never hadst renown, nor canst not lose it.
Joh. Yes, your renownéd name; shall flight abuse it?
Tal. Thy father's charge shall clear thee from that stain.
Joh. You cannot witness for me, being slain.

If death be so apparent, then both fly.

Tal. And leave my followers here, to fight and die?
My age was never tainted with such shame.

Joh. And shall my youth be guilty of such blame?
No more can I be sever'd from your side,
than can yourself yourself in twain divide:
stay, go, do what you will, the like do I;
for live I will not, if my father die.

Tal. Then here I take my leave of thee, fair son,
born to eclipse thy life this afternoon.

Come, side by side together live and die;
and soul with soul from France to heaven fly.

W. SHAKESPEARE

1106

Mac.

IF

MACBETH-LADY MACBETH

F it were done, when 'tis done, then 'twere well
it were done quickly: if the assassination
could trammel up the consequence, and catch,
with his surcease, success; that but this blow
might be the be-all and the end-all here,
but here, upon this bank and shoal of time,—
we'd jump the life to come.-But in these cases,
we still have judgement here; that we but teach
bloody instructions, which, being taught, return
to plague the inventor: this even-handed justice
commends the ingredients of our poisoned chalice
to our own lips. He's here in double trust:
first, as I am his kinsman and his subject,
strong both against the deed; then, as his host,
who should against his murderer shut the door,
not bear the knife myself. Besides, this Duncan
hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been
so clear in his great office, that his virtues
will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against
the deep damnation of his taking-off:
and pity, like a naked new-born babe,
striding the blast, or heaven's cherubim, horsed
upon the sightless couriers of the air,
shall blow the horrid deed in every eye,

that tears shall drown the wind.-I have no spur
to prick the sides of my intent, but only
vaulting ambition, which o'er-leaps itself,

and falls on the other.-How now, what news?

1107 L.M. He has almost supp'd; why have you left the chamber?

Know you not, he has?

Mac. Hath he asked for me?

L. M.
Mac. We will proceed no further in this business;

L. M.

Mac.

L. M.

he hath honoured me of late; and I have bought
golden opinions from all sorts of people,

which would be worn now in their newest gloss,
not cast aside so soon.

Was the hope drunk,
wherein you dressed yourself? hath it slept since?
and wakes it now, to look so green and pale
at what it did so freely?

such I account thy love.

From this time
Art thou afeard

to be the same in thine own act and valour,
as thou art in desire? Would'st thou have that
which thou esteem'st the ornament of life,
and live a coward in thine own esteem,
letting, 'I dare not' wait upon 'I would,'
like the poor cat i'the adage?

Prithee peace:
I dare do all that may become a man;
who dares do more, is

none.

What beast was 't then, that made you break this enterprise to me? when you durst do it, then you were a man; and, to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man. Nor time nor place did then adhere, and yet you would make both: they have made themselves, and that their fitness now does unmake you. I have given suck, and know how tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums, and dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you have done to this.

1108 Mac.

L. M.

If we should fail,

We fail!

but screw your courage to the sticking-place,
and we'll not fail. When Duncan is asleep,
(whereto the rather shall his day's hard journey
soundly invite him,) his two chamberlains
will I with wine and wassail so convince,
that memory, the warder of the brain,
shall be a fume, and the receipt of reason
a limbec only; when in swinish sleep

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