To the wet sea-boy, in an hour so rude;
And, in the calmest and most stillest night,
With all appliances and means to boot,

Deny it to a king? Then, happy low, lie down!
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown!

25

1. Give the dates of the birth and death of William Shakspere.

2. Why is sleep called "the soft nurse of Nature"? (Line 3.)

3. Give another word for "frighted." (Line 3.)

4. What is the meaning of "weigh my eyelids down"? (Line 4.)

5. Explain" steep my senses in forgetfulness." (Line 5.)

6. What is a "pallet"? (Line 7.)

7. Why "uneasy pallets"?

8. What does "than" refer to in Line 9?

9. Explain the words canopies, lulled, costly, and state. (Lines 10, 11.)

10. What is called " a dull god? (Line 12.) 11. Explain the words loathsome, watchcase, 'larumbell. (Lines 13, 14.)

12. What is the "rude imperious surge"? (Line 17.) 13. Explain the adjectives applied to the mast. (Line 15.)

14. What is “hurly"? Give another word for it. (Line 22.)

15. Why is Sleep called partial? (Line 23.) 16. Explain the metaphorical line :

"That with the hurly, Death itself awakes." 17. Explain the sentence "happy low, lie down." (Line 27.)

18. What is the meaning of the expression "to boot?" (Line 26.)

19. Explain the following words-appliance, ruffian, visitation, clamour.

LESSON V.

THE FAVOUR OF PRINCES.

BY WILLIAM SHAKSPERE.

(Henry VIII., Act III., Scene 2.)

1

5

10

Farewell, a long farewell, to all my greatness!
This is the state of man: To-day he puts forth
The tender leaves of hopes; to-morrow blossoms,
And bears his blushing honours thick upon him;
The third day comes a frost, a killing frost;
And-when he thinks, good easy man, full surely
His greatness is a-ripening-nips his root,
And then he falls, as I do. I have ventured,
Like little wanton boys that swim on bladders,
These many summers in a sea of glory;
But far beyond my depth; my high-blown pride
At length broke under me; and now has left me,
Weary, and old with service, to the mercy
Of a rude stream, that must for ever hide me.
Vain pomp and glory of this world, I hate ye!
I feel my heart now opened: Oh how wretched
Is that poor man, that hangs on princes' favours!
There is, betwixt that smile we would aspire to,
That sweet aspect of princes, and their ruin,
More pangs and fears than wars or women have; 20
And when he falls, he falls like Lucifer-

Never to hope again.

15

1. Give another word for state. (Line 2.)

2. What are the hopes of men compared to, in Line 3? 3. What may "blushing honours" be likened to? What is the antitype of this simile?

4. What is the meaning of the word nips? (Line 7.) 5. What is the parenthesis in the first six lines ? 6. Write down in clear language the two comparisons in the passage.

7. Give other words for wanton, a-ripening, rude, easy. What is the meaning of the prefix "a" in a-ripening?

8. What is the meaning of full surely? (Line 6.) 9. What is the meaning of “ hangs on princes' favours"? (Line 17.)

10. In what case is princes'? What difference is there between the " S "at the end of princes' and that at the end of favours?

11. Give another word for betwixt. (Line 18.)

12. What is the meaning of "aspire to"? (Line 18.) 13. What is the meaning of the word "aspect," and what does the expression mean, "the sweet aspect of princes"? (Line 19.)

14. Paraphrase clearly the three lines, beginning"There is betwixt " and ending "women have."

15. Who was Lucifer, and how did he fall?

16. State some details of the profession of William Shakspere.

LESSON VI.

THE POWER OF MUSIC.

BY WILLIAM SHAKSPERE.

(Merchant of Venice, Act V., Scene 1.)

How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank! 1 Here will we sit, and let the sounds of music

Creep in our ears; soft stillness, and the night,
Become the touches of sweet harmony.

Sit, Jessica. Look how the floor of Heaven,

Is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold.

5

There's not the smallest orb which thou behold'st, But in his motion like an angel sings,

Still choiring to the young-eyed cherubins:
Such harmony is in immortal souls ;
But whilst this muddy vesture of decay
Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it.

I am never merry when I hear sweet music.

10

15

The reason is, our spirits are attentive :
For do but note a wild and wanton herd,
Or race of youthful and unhandled colts,
Fetching mad bounds, bellowing, and neighing loud,
Which is the hot condition of their blood;

If they but hear perchance a trumpet sound,
Or any air of music touch their ears,

You shall perceive them make a mutual stand,
Their savage eyes turn'd to a modest gaze,

20

By the sweet power of music: Therefore the poet Did feign, that Orpheus drew trees, stones, and floods; Since nought so stockish, hard, and full of rage, 25 But music for the time doth change his nature;

The man that hath no music in himself,

Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds,

Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils;

The motions of his spirit are dull as night,
And his affections dark as Erebus :

Let no such man be trusted.

30

1. What are the principal points to be noticed in Shakspere's works?

2. What is the meaning of "Soft stillness, and the night, become the touches of sweet harmony"? (Line 3, 4.) Substitute a word for become.

3. Substitute a word for "in" in line 3.

4. Explain the expressions "floor of heaven," and "thick inlaid with patines of bright gold." (Lines 5, 6.)

5. Paraphrase clearly the two lines beginning "There's not" and ending" sings," substituting a word for but in the second of the two lines.

6. What are "immortal souls," and in what sense are they spoken of here? (Line 10.)

7. What is the meaning of the words " muddy vesture of decay"? (Line 11.) Why is the word muddy used?

8. What is "grossly "? What is the antecedent of each it, in line 12?

9. Write in your own words the idea expressed in these twelve lines, as you understand it.

10. What is the meaning of the expression "for do but note"? (Line 15.)

11. Explain" unhandled colts." (Line 16.)

12. What is the meaning of fetch, in "fetching wild bounds"? (Line 17.)

13. What part of speech is sound in line 19?

14. In what tense of the verb is touch in line 20? 15. What is the meaning of the word "mutual?' (Line 21.)

16. Explain" the poet did feign." (Lines 23, 24.) 17. What word is understood in line 25 ?

18. What sense has the word but in line 26 ?

19. Explain the mythological allusions to "Orpheus and "Erebus."