, with such words as these,
He had cast away his weapon? How should I have borne me, please?
Nay, I'll spare you pains and tell you. This, and only this,
remained--
Pick his weapon up and use it on myself. I so had gained
Sleep the earlier, leaving England probably to pay on still
Rent and taxes for half India, tenant at the Frenchman's will."

"Such the turn," said I, "the matter takes with you? Then I abate
--No, by not one jot nor tittle,--of your act my estimate.
Fear--I wish I could detect there: courage fronts me, plain enough--
Call it desperation, madness--never mind! for here's in rough
Why, had mine been such a trial, fear had overcome disgrace.
True, disgrace were hard to bear: but such a rush against God's face
--None of that for me, Lord Plassy, since I go to church at times,
Say the creed my mother taught me! Many years in foreign climes
Rub some marks away--not all, though! We poor sinners reach life's
brink,
Overlook what rolls beneath it, recklessly enough, but think
There's advantage in what's left us--ground to stand on, time to call
'Lord, have mercy!' ere we topple over--do not leap, that's all!"

Oh, he made no answer,--re-absorbed into his cloud. I caught
Something like "Yes--courage: only fools will call it fear."
If aught
Comfort you, my great unhappy hero Clive, in that I heard,
Next week, how your own hand dealt you doom, and uttered just the word
"Fearfully courageous!"--this, be sure, and nothing else I groaned.
I'm no Clive, nor parson either: Clive's worst deed--we'll hope
condoned.

CHAPTER IV

SOCIAL ASPECTS OF ENGLISH LIFE

Browning's poetry presents no such complete panorama of phases of social
life in England as it does of those in Italy, perhaps, because there is
a poise and solidity about the English character which does not lend
itself to so great a variety of mood as one may find in the peculiarly
artistic temperament of the Italians, especially those of the
Renaissance period. Even such irregular proceedings as murders have
their philosophical after-claps which show their usefulness in the
divine scheme of things, while unfortunate love affairs work such
beneficent results in character that they are shorn of much of their
tragedy of sorrow. There is quite a group of love-lyrics with