Polixenes

“ OFFICER.
[Reads.] “Hermione, queen to the worthy Leontes, king of Sicilia, thou art here accused and arraigned of high treason, in committing adultery with Polixenes, king of Bohemia; and conspiring with Camillo to take away the life of our sovereign lord the king, thy royal husband: the pretence whereof being by circumstances partly laid open, thou, Hermione, contrary to the faith and allegiance of a true subject, didst counsel and aid them, for their better safety, to fly away by night.” ”

“ Your hand, my Perdita. So turtles pair
That never mean to part.
PERDITA.
I’ll swear for ’em.
POLIXENES.
This is the prettiest low-born lass that ever
Ran on the green-sward. Nothing she does or seems
But smacks of something greater than herself,
Too noble for this place.
CAMILLO.
He tells her something
That makes her blood look out. Good sooth, she is
The queen of curds and cream.
CLOWN.
Come on, strike up.
DORCAS.
Mopsa must be your mistress: marry, garlic, to mend her kissing with!
MOPSA.
Now, in good time!
CLOWN.
Not a word, a word; we stand upon our manners. ”

“ This would place the origin of the Italian Pulcinella somewhere about the commencement of the 17th century, the original character appearing to have been that of a country clown, hook-nosed, shrill-voiced, cowardly, boastful and often stupid, yet given at times to knavish tricks and shrewd sayings. In thorough accordance with this date, we find that the earliest known appearance of Polichinelle in France is at the beginning of the reign of Louis XIV., in the show of the puppet-playing dentist Jean Brioché. ”

“ The Governor always goes abroad with two Coaches, and has an Umbrella carried before him as the Cardinals have: He goes twice a Week to an Audience of the Holy Father, to give him an Account of what passes, but particularly to make a Report of the condemn’d Malefactors; and he must never be absent from Rome: One of the noblest Prerogatives belonging to his Office, is, that he never quits it but to be made a Cardinal.
Another Magistrate of Note at Rome is the Senator: The Romans pretend that he represents the ancient Senate of Rome; if so, ’tis but a poor Epitome of it. ”

“ And in thy consulate, in thine, O Pollio, shall this glorious age enter, and the great months begin their march: under thy rule what traces of our guilt yet remain, vanishing shall free earth for ever from alarm. He shall grow in the life of gods, and shall see gods and heroes mingled, and himself be seen by them, and shall rule the world that his fathers' virtues have set at peace. ”

“ Sometimes, in a moment of over tenderness for his dear muræna Helena, Vedius Pollio, a Roman knight of the highest distinction, and one of the intimate friends of the Emperor Augustus, could find nothing better to do than to feed them with the flesh of his slaves, who were thrown to them alive. ”

“ Bilent (To Polyxena) .—Would the lady like to look into my apartments?
Polyxena (Frightened) .—Not at all, sir. (Walks off toward Ctibor.) I feel oppressed when I am even in sight of them.
Hannewaldt (Reads the letter with clouded face) .—Wait for me, Polyxena, in the room. (Polyxena walks away, escorted to the door by Ctibor.) Mr. Bilent, I must speak at once with the master!
Bilent.—That is impossible. If the master is entertaining himself among his mistresses, nobody must disturb him. ”

“ Who loves the darkness hateth still the light. PAUL. O, by the Gods— FELIX. Nay, daughter, save thy breath; Spurned—outraged—'tis the Gods demand his death. PAUL. They hear our prayers— FELIX. Nay, then let Polyeucte pray! PAUL. Since Decius gives thee power,—that word unsay! FELIX. He gives me power, Pauline, to do his will Against his foes—'gainst all who work him ill. PAUL. Is Polyeucte his foe? FELIX. All Christians rebels are. PAUL. Thy son shall plead more loud than policy or war. For mine is thine; O father, save thine own— FELIX. The son who is a traitor I disown! ”

“ FELIX. 'Tis stern, 'tis just—as fate; When justice drags a halting foot, too late, She is not justice—for the vengeful mob (Whose hearts for Polyeucte ne'er cease to throb) , Usurps her place, and, spurning curb and rein, The felon crowns, and all our work is vain. My sceptre trembles, and all insecure Totters my crown,—a prey for every boor. Then, swift, Severus hears the welcome news, The jaundiced mind of Decius to abuse. Shall I, the rabble's lord, obey the rabble's will? ALBIN. Who ill in all around foresees,—but doubles ill. Each prop thou hast is but a sword to pierce ”

“ At all events the people, it is said, felt so indignant that no one but Mamercus possessed sufficient authority to protect the censors from violence.
25 The tribunes of the plebs held constant meetings of the Assembly with a view to preventing the election of consuls, and after bringing matters almost to the appointment of an interrex, they succeeded in getting consular tribunes elected. They looked for plebeians to be elected as a reward for their exertions, but not a single one came in; all who were elected were patricians. ”

“ When he enters into his Office, he takes an Oath to the Pope, and his Holiness gives him the Staff of Command, which is a Sceptre of Ivory; he is afterwards conducted with great Ceremony to the Capitol, guarded by all the Nobility of Rome on Horseback, and by all the Militia of the City.
Their Manner of executing Criminals is very singular. They have but two Sorts of Punishments here, viz. the Strappa Corda, and the Gibbet. The first, tho’ ’tis not mortal, seems to my Mind more terrible than Death itself ”

“ During the Conclave they play at Pharao, but the Pope has prohibited all Games of Hazard, which was an Injury to many Houses that subsisted by the Money for the Cards.
The private Assemblies differ only from the public ones, in that they have not so much Company. There is generally the Mistress of the House, and a Dozen Petits-colets, who really are the Petits-Maîtres of this Place, supposing them to be Italians; for you are not to imagine that these Gentlemen will suffer a poor Ultramontain Abbé to put in a Word, because they think he has neither Sense nor Merit. ”

“ At first the question of one consul being elected from the plebs was only mooted in private conversations, now a measure was brought forward giving the people power to elect consuls from either patricians or plebeians as they chose. And there was no shadow of doubt that they would elect all the most dangerous revolutionaries in the plebs; the Canuleii and the Icilii would be consuls. Might Jupiter Optimus Maximus never allow a power truly royal in its majesty to sink so low! They would rather die a thousand deaths than suffer such an ignominy to be perpetrated. ”

“ The three hobbledehoys, had it been a weekday and they in working clothes, might have felt free to act, but the stiffness of black was upon them and they simply moved to the corner by Rusper’s to take a better view of Mr. Polly beating at the door. The policeman was a young, inexpert constable with far too lively a sense of the public house. He put his head inside the Private Bar to the horror of everyone there. But there was no breach of the law, thank Heaven! “Polly’s and Rumbold’s on fire!” ”

“ M. Popilius and the consul were present with the centurions. The consul demanded that the matter should be tried before the Assembly, and the Assembly was accordingly convened. M. Popilius, who had been consul two years previously, spoke on behalf of the centurions. He reminded the Assembly that these men had completed their term of military service, and were worn out by age and incessant toil. Still, they in no way objected to give their services to the State, only they protested against being assigned a position inferior to the one they held when on active service. ”

“ They gradually gained more and more power, and obtained the right of putting a veto [15] upon any public business. [16] At the Sacred Mount the Plebeians also obtained the privilege of having two Ædiles of their order appointed. These officers had at a later time the care of the public buildings and roads, and the superintendence of the police of the city.
Emboldened by this success, the Plebeians now demanded a share in the public land. And in this they found an unexpected supporter among the Patricians themselves. ”

“ Then Polyaenus, the deputy from the province, acquainted the senate with the reasons for superseding the prosecution, but desired it might be without prejudice to Cæsar's determination. Magnus answered him; Polyaenus replied; as for myself, I only now and then threw in a word, observing in general a complete silence. For I have learned that upon some occasions it is as much an orator's business to be silent as to speak, and I remember, in some criminal cases, to have done even more service to my clients by a discreet silence than I could have expected from the most carefully prepared speech. ”

“ On the contrary, I am still more strongly inclined to think that ancient Rome was entirely destitute of such a police establishment. The bells borne by the night watchmen were used only by the patroles, as we are expressly told, or to give signals upon extraordinary occasions, such as that of a fire, or when any violence had been committed. Cicero, comparing the life of a civil with that of a military officer, says, “The former is awaked by the crowing of the cock, and the latter by the sound of the trumpet.” ”

“ That such Cardinals shou’d presume to have the Precedency of an Elector of Bavaria, or of Cologne, of a Duke of Lorain, and in short, of every Prince whatsoever, is what, notwithstanding all my Respect to the Sacred College, I must own to be an Absurdity. That these Cardinals have conceiv’d such a high Opinion of their Dignity, is owing to the excessive Complaisance of the Princes of Italy, who every-where give them the upper Hand; and a Cardinal takes so much State upon himself, that he refuses the Precedency in his own House, to a Sovereign Prince of Italy. ”

“ What has been said about his verse, applies with no less-253- force to his prose composition. Poliziano wrote Latin, as though it were a living language, not culling phrases from Cicero or reproducing the periods of Livy, but trusting to his instinct and his ear, with the facility of conscious power. The humanism of the first and second periods attained to the freedom of fine art in Poliziano. Through him, as through a lens, the rays of previous culture were transmitted in a column of pure light. ”

“ When an engagement has taken place and any of them have showed conspicuous gallantry, the Consul summons an assembly of the legion, puts forward those whom he considers to have distinguished themselves in any way, and first compliments each of them individually on his gallantry, and mentions any other distinction he may have earned in the course of his life, and then presents them with gifts: to the man who has wounded an enemy, a spear ”

“ The Consuls also gave a legion to the Praetor Lucius Postumius, and sent him to Cisalpine Gaul to create a diversion among those Celts who were serving with Hannibal, they took measures for the return of the fleet that was wintering at Lilybaeum and sent the generals in Spain all the supplies of which they had need. The Consuls and Senate were thus occupied with these and other preparations, and Servilius, on receiving orders from the Consuls, conducted all petty operations as they directed. ”

“ Here a wave of mirth again overran Polixena's face. "Oh, sir, you must pardon my poor girl's mistake. She heard you speaking English, and—and—I had told her to hand the letter to the handsomest foreigner in the church." Tony bowed again, more profoundly. "The English Ambassador," Polixena added simply, "is a very handsome man."
"I wish, madam, I were a better proxy!"
She echoed his laugh, and then clapped her hands together with a look of anguish. "Fool that I am! How can I jest at such a moment? I am in dreadful trouble, and now perhaps I have brought trouble on you also—Oh, my father! ”

“ When the Consuls are about to enrol the army they give public notice of the day on which all Roman citizens of military age must appear. The levy. This is done every year. When the day has arrived,475 and the citizens fit for service are come to Rome and have assembled on the Capitoline, the fourteen junior tribunes divide themselves, in the order in which they were appointed by the people or by the Imperators, into four divisions, because the primary division of the forces thus raised is into four legions. ”

“ After that they talked in a fragmentary way for some time. The blue eyes surveyed Mr. Polly with kindly curiosity from under a broad, finely modelled brow, much as an exceptionally intelligent cat might survey a new sort of dog. She meant to find out all about him. She asked questions that riddled the honest knight in armour below, and probed ever nearer to the hateful secret of the shop and his normal servitude. ”

“ He imparted his Design to no Person but the Cardinal Secretary of State, and the Cardinal Astalli, whom he injoin’d not to speak of it on Pain of Death. The Evening when the Consistory was to be summon’d for the next Day, the Ambassador of Spain made such an earnest Application for an Audience of him, that he durst not refuse it. The Minister therein told him, That he was inform’d of his Design; and at the same time protested against every thing that shou’d be done in the said Consistory, contrary to the Pretensions of the King his Master. ”

“ When he received the News, he had just given away all his Money to the Poor, so that he was fain to borrow of Fini, whom he afterwards made a Cardinal, the Sum of eight hundred Crowns, to enable him to repair to the Conclave at Rome. The Division of the Sacred College, who could not agree in the Choice of a Pontiff, was the Cause of his Advancement. The Cardinals aimed at placing the Tiara upon the Head of a Man who might wear it just long enough, either to dissipate, or to form their Cabals, and no longer. ”