Hearken to the steady stamp!
Mars is in their every tramp!
Not a step is out of tune,
As the tides obey the moon !

On they march, though to self-slaughter,
Regular as rolling water,

Whose high waves o'ersweep the border
Of huge moles, but keep their order,
Breaking only rank by rank.
Hearken to the armour's clank!
Look down o'er each frowning warrior,
How he glares upon the barrier:
Look on each step of each ladder,
As the stripes that streak an adder.

3.

Look upon the bristling wall,
Mann'd without an interval !
Round and round, and tier on tier,
Cannon's black mouth, shining spear,
Lit match, bell-mouth'd musquetoon,
Gaping to be murderous soon;
All the warlike gear of old,
Mix'd with what we now behold,
In this strife 'twixt old and new,
Gather like a locusts' crew,
Shade of Remus! 't is a time
Awful as thy brother's crime !
Christians war against Christ's shrine:
Must its lot be like to thine?

4.

Near-and near-and nearer still,
As the earthquake saps the hill,
First with trembling, hollow motion,
Like a scarce-awaken'd ocean,

Then with stronger shock and louder,
Till the rocks are crush'd to powder,
Onward sweeps the rolling host!
Heroes of the immortal boast!
Mighty chiefs! eternal shadows!
First flowers of the bloody meadows
Which encompass Rome, the mother
Of a people without brother!

Will you sleep when nations' quarrels
Plough the root up of your laurels ?
Ye who weep o'er Carthage burning,
Weep not-strike! for Rome is mourning!!

5.

Onward sweep the varied nations!
Famine long hath dealt their rations.
To the wall, with hate and hunger,
Numerous as wolves, and stronger,
On they sweep. Oh! glorious city,
Must thou be a theme for pity?
Fight, like your first sire, each Roman!
Alaric was a gentle foeman,

Match'd with Bourbon's black banditti !

Rouse thee, thou eternal city;
Rouse thee! Rather give the torch
With thy own hand to thy porch,
Than behold such hosts pollute
Your worst dwelling with their foot.

6.

Ah! behold yon bleeding spectre !
Ilion's children find no Hector;
Priam's offspring loved their brother;
Rome's great sire forgot his mother,
When he slew his gallant twin,
With inexpiable sin.

See the giant shadow stride
O'er the ramparts high and wide!
When the first o'erleapt thy wall,
Its foundation mourn'd thy fall.
Now, though towering like a Babel,
Who to stop his steps are able?
Stalking o'er thy highest dome,
Remus claims his vengeance, Rome!

7.

Now they reach thee in their anger:
Fire and smoke and hellish clangour
Are around thee, thou world's wonder!
Death is in thy walls and under.
Now the meeting steel first clashes,
Downward then the ladder crashes,
With its iron load all gleaming,
Lying at its foot blaspheming !
Up again for every warrior
Slain, another climbs the barrier.
Thicker grows the strife: thy ditches
Europe's mingling gore enriches.
Rome! although thy wall may perish,
Such manure thy fields will cherish,
Making gay the harvest-home;
But thy hearths, alas! oh, Rome! -
Yet be Rome amidst thine anguish,
Fight as thou wast wont to vanquish !

8.

Yet once more, ye old Penates!

Let not your quench'd hearths be Até's!
Yet again, ye shadowy heroes,
Yield not to these stranger Neros!
Though the son who slew his mother

Shed Rome's blood, he was your brother:

1 Scipio, the second Africanus, is said to have repeated a verse of Homer, and wept over the burning of Carthage. He had better have granted it a capitulation.

We have no priest here, but the hilt of sword
May serve instead: it did the same for Bayard. 1
Bourb. Thou bitter slave! to name him at this
But I deserve it.

[time!

Arn. (to CÆSAR). Villain, hold your peace! Cas. What, when a Christian dies? Shall I not offer

A Christian "Vade in pace?"

Arn.

Silence! Oh!

Those eyes are glazing which o'erlook'd the world, And saw no equal.

Bourb. France

Arnold, should'st thou see

But hark! hark! the assault grows warmer- -Oh!

[Finding himself mortally wounded, Bayard ordered one of his attendants to place him under a tree with his face towards the enemy: then, fixing his eyes on the guari of his sword, which he held up instead of a cross, he addressed his prayers to God, and in this posture he calmly waited the approach of death."- ROBERTSON, Charles V.]

["On the 1st of May, 1527, the Constable and his army came in sight of Rome, and the next morning commenced

To die within the wall! Hence, Arnold, hence! You lose time-they will conquer Rome without thee.

Arn. And without thee! Bourb.

Not so; I'll lead them still In spirit. Cover up my dust, and breathe not That I have ceased to breathe. Away! and be Victorious!

Arn.

But I must not leave thee thus.

Bourb. You must-farewell-Up! up! the world

is winning.

[BOURBON dies, 2 Cas. (to ARNOLD). Come, count, to business. Arn. True. I'll weep hereafter. [ARNOLD Covers BOURBON's body with a mantle, and mounts the ladder, crying

The Bourbon! Bourbon! On, boys! Rome is ours! Cas. Good night, lord constable! thou wert a man. [CAESAR follows ARNOLD; they reach the battlement; ARNOLD and CAESAR are struck down.

Ces. A precious somerset !

injured?

Arn. No.

Is your countship

[Remounts the ladder.

Cas. A rare blood-hound, when his own is heated!
And 't is no boy's play. Now he strikes them down!
His hand is on the battlement he grasps it
As though it were an altar; now his foot
Is on it, and What have we here?-a Roman ?
[A man falls.

The first bird of the covey! he has fallen
On the outside of the nest. Why, how now, fellow?
Wounded Man. A drop of water!
Cæs.

Nearer than Tiber.

Blood's the only liquid

Cas. I cannot find my hero; he is mix'd With the heroic crowd that now pursue The fugitives, or battle with the desperate. What have we here? A cardinal or two That do not seem in love with martyrdom. How the old red-shanks scamper! Could they doff Their hose as they have doff'd their hats, 't would be A blessing, as a inark the less for plunder. But let them fly; the crimson kennels now Will not much stain their stockings, since the mire Is of the self-same purple hue.

the attack. Bourbon wore a white vest over his armour, in order, he said, to be more conspicuous both to his friends and foes. He led on to the walls, and commenced a furious asSeeing that sault, which was repelled with equal violence. his army began to waver, he seized a scaling ladder from a soldier standing, and was in the act of ascending, when he was pierced by a musket.ball, and fell. Feeling that his wound was mortal, he desired that his body might be concealed from his soldiers, and instantly expired."- ROBERTSON.]

X 4

Then he hath carved his monument.
Rom.

May live to carve your betters'.

Cæs. Well said, my man of marble! Benvenuto, Thou hast some practice in both ways; and he Who slays Cellini will have work'd as hard As e'er thou did'st upon Carrara's blocks. 1

[ARNOLD disarms and wounds CELLINI, but slightly; the latter draws a pistol, and fires; then retires, and disappears through the portico.

Cas. How farest thou? Thou hast a taste, methinks,

SCENE III

The Pope

St. Peter's The Interior of the Churchat the Altar Priests, &c. crowding in confusion, and Citizens flying for refuge, pursued by Soldiery.

Enter CESAR.

A Spanish Soldier. Down with them, comrades! seize upon those lamps!

Cleave yon bald-pated shaveling to the chine!
His rosary's of gold.

Lutheran Soldier. Revenge! revenge!

Plunder hereafter, but for vengeance now —
Yonder stands Anti-Christ!

Cas. (interposing).

What would'st thou ?

Luth. Sold.

In the holy name of Christ,

Destroy proud Anti-Christ. I am a Christian.
Cas. Yea, a disciple that would make the founder
Of your belief renounce it, could he see
Such proselytes. Best stint thyself to plunder.
Luth. Sold. I say he is the devil.
Cas.
Hush! keep that secret,
Lest he should recognize you for his own.

Luth. Sold. Why would you save him? I repeat he is The devil, or the devil's vicar upon earth.

Cæs. And that's the reason: would you make a quarrel

perceived that there was an extraordinary confusion among the assailants, occasioned by our having shot the Duke of Bourbon he was, as I understood afterwards, that chief personage whom I saw raised above the rest."-- Vol. i. p. 120. This, however, is one of the many stories in Cellini's amusing autobiography which nobody seems ever to have believed.]

Olimp. (aside).

House !

Get you hence !

Cæs.

In Rome.

Arn.

In my father's

[no further need Arn. (to the soldiers). Leave your arms; ye have Of such the city's render'd. And mark well You keep your hands clean, or I'll find out a stream As red as Tiber now runs, for your baptism. [obey! Soldiers (deposing their arms and departing). We Arn. (to OLIMPIA). Lady, you are safe. Olimp.

I should be so, Had I a knife even; but it matters not— Death hath a thousand gates; and on the marble, Even at the altar foot, whence I look down Upon destruction, shall my head be dash'd, Ere thou ascend it. God forgive thee man! Arn. I wish to merit his forgiveness, and Thine own, although I have not injured thee. Olimp. No! Thou hast only sack'd my native land,

No, thou know'st me not; I am not Of these men, though

Olimp.

I judge thee by thy mates;
It is for God to judge thee as thou art.
I see thee purple with the blood of Rome;
Take mine, 't is all thou e'er shalt have of me,
And here, upon the marble of this temple,
Where the baptismal font baptized me God's,
I offer him a blood less holy

But not less pure (pure as it left me then,
A redeem'd infant) than the holy water
The saints have sanctified!

[OLIMPIA waves her hand to ARNOLD with dis-
dain, and dashes herself on the pavement from

Arn.

the Altar.

Eternal God!

There is no cleaner now

How pale! how beautiful! how lifeless!

But somewhat late i' the day. Where shall we bear I say she lives.

Arn. Cas.

And will she live?

As much

As dust can.

Then she is dead!

Arn. Cæs.

Bah bah! You are so,
And do not know it. She will come to life
Such as you think so, such as you now are;
But we must work by human means.
Arn.

Convey her unto the Colonna palace,
Where I have pitch'd my banner.

Cæs. Come then! raise her up!
Arn. Softly!
Cæs.

We will

As softly as they bear the dead, Perhaps because they cannot feel the jolting. Arn. But doth she live indeed ? Cæs.

Nay, never fear!

Is yet within her breast, and may revive.
Count! count! I am your servant in all things,
And this is a new office:- 'tis not oft

I am employ'd in such; but you perceive
How stanch a friend is what you call a fiend.
On earth you have often only fiends for friends;
Now I desert not mine. Soft! bear her hence,
The beautiful half-clay, and nearly spirit!

I am almost enamour'd of her, as

Of old the angels of her earliest sex.
Arn. Thou!

Cæs. I! But fear not. I'll not be your rival.
Arn. Rival!

Cæs.

I could be one right formidable; But since I slew the seven husbands of