So horribly to shake our disposition, With thoughts beyond the reaches of our souls? Ham. I will. Ghost. My hour is almost come, When I to sulph'rous and tormenting flames Ham. Alas! poor ghost! Ghost. Pity me not, but lend thy serious hearing To what I shall unfold. Ham. Speak, I am bound to hear. Ghost. So art thou to revenge, when thou shalt hear. Ghost. I am thy father's spirit, I could a tale unfold, whose lightest word To ears of flesh and blood; list, list, oh list! Ham. O Heaven! Ghost. Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder. Ham. Murder! Ghost. Murder most foul, as in the best it is; But this most foul, strange, and unnatural. Ham. Haste me to know it, that I, with wings as swift As meditation, or the thoughts of love, May fly to my revenge. Ghost. I find thee apt; And duller should'st thou be, than the fat weed Would'st thou not stir in this. Now, Hamlet, hear; A serpent stung me. So the whole ear of Denmark Is by a forged process of my death Rankly abused: but know, thou noble youth, Now wears his crown, * Shakspeare is guilty of an anachronism in making the Danes believe in Roman-Catholic doctrines at this early period. Ham. Oh, my prophetic soul! my uncle? With witchcraft of his wit, with trait'rous gifts, Thus was I, sleeping, by a brother's hand, Ham. Oh horrible! oh horrible! most horrible! Ham. Oh, all you host of heav'n! O earth! what else? * Impressions. On Spring. HORACE. HORACE, born at Venusia, or Venusium, B.C. 65, was the chosen friend and companion of Augustus Cæsar and Mæcenas. The present Ode is a pleasing specimen of the graceful lyric poetry, to which, though in many instances borrowed from the Greek, the power of Horace, as an adapter, has lent a grace and beauty never surpassed. TO SESTIUS. Now winter melts in vernal gales, And grateful zephyrs fill the spreading sails; The Earthquake at Lisbon.+ There never was a finer morning seen than the 1st of November, the sun shone out in its full lustre; the whole face of the sky was perfectly serene and clear, and not the least signal or warning of that approaching event, which has made this once flourishing, * It was customary to cast lots who should be the king or chief of the feast. † In the year 1755. The authorship of this article is uncertain. It has been ascribed to the Rev. Charles Davy, but is more probably the work of a British merchant resident during the awful catastrophe. opulent, and populous city a scene of the utmost horror and de solation, except only such as served to alarm, but scarcely left a moment's time to fly from the general destruction. It was on the morning of this fatal day, between the hours of nine and ten, that I was set down in my apartment, just finishing a letter, when the papers and table I was writing on began to tremble with a gentle motion, which rather surprised me, as I could not perceive a breath of wind stirring. Whilst I was reflecting with myself what this could be owing to, but without having the least apprehension of the real cause, the whole house began to shake from the very foundation, which at first I imputed to the rattling of several coaches in the main street, which usually passed that way, at this time, from Belem to the palace; but on hearkening more attentively, I was soon undeceived, as I found it was owing to a strange, frightful kind of noise under ground, resembling the hollow distant rumbling of thunder. All this passed in less than a minute, and I must confess I now began to be alarmed, as it naturally occurred to me that this noise might possibly be the forerunner of an earthquake, as one I remembered, which had happened about six or seven years ago, in the island of Madeira, commenced in the same manner, though it did little or no damage. Upon this I threw down my pen, and started upon my feet, remaining a moment in suspense, whether I should stay in the apartment or run into the street, as the danger in both places seemed equal; and still flattering myself that this tremor might produce no other effects than such inconsiderable ones as had been felt at Madeira; but in a moment I was roused from my dream, being instantly stunned with a most horrid crash, as if every edifice in the city had tumbled down at once. The house I was in shook with such violence that the upper stories immediately fell, and though my apartment (which was the first floor) did not then share the same fate, yet everything was thrown out of its place, in such a manner that it was with no small difficulty I kept my feet, and expected nothing less than to be soon crushed to death, as the walls continued rocking to and fro in the frightfullest manner, opening in several places; large stones falling down on every side from the cracks, and the ends of most of the rafters starting out from the roof. To add to this terrifying scene, the sky in a moment became so gloomy that I could now distinguish no particular object; it was an Egyptian darkness, indeed, such as might be felt; owing, no doubt, to the prodigious clouds of dust and lime raised from so violent a concussion, and, as some reported, to sulphurous exhalations, but this I cannot affirm; however, it is certain I found myself almost choked for near ten minutes. As soon as the gloom began to disperse, and the violence of the shock seemed pretty much abated, the first object I perceived in the room was a woman sitting on the floor, with an infant in her arms, all covered with dust, pale and trembling. I asked her how |