emd of,"

or,--

"Now in the time you ought to fix your faith fast,"

can belong only to Fletcher. The swelling, accumulative character of the
eloquence is another proof; for Fletcher's effects are gained not by a
few sharp strokes, but by constant iteration, each succeeding line
strengthening the preceding until at last we are fronted by a column of
very formidable strength. Let us take another extract from the same
scene:--

"_Barnavelt_. When I am a Sychophant
And a base gleaner from an others favour,
As all you are that halt upon his crutches,--
Shame take that smoothness and that sleeke subjection!
I am myself, as great in good as he is,
As much a master of my Countries fortunes,
And one to whom (since I am forc'd to speak it,
Since mine own tongue must be my Advocate)
This blinded State that plaies at boa-peep with us,
This wanton State that's weary of hir lovers
And cryes out 'Give me younger still and fresher'!
Is bound and so far bound: I found hir naked,
Floung out a dores and starvd, no friends to pitty hir,
The marks of all hir miseries upon hir,
An orphan State that no eye smild upon:
And then how carefully I undertooke hir,
How tenderly and lovingly I noursd hir!
But now she is fatt and faire againe and I foold,
A new love in hir armes, my doatings scornd at.
And I must sue to him! be witnes, heaven,
If this poore life were forfeyt to his mercy,
At such a rate I hold a scornd subjection
I would not give a penney to redeeme it.
I have liv'd ever free, onely depended
Upon the honestie of my faire Actions,
Nor am I now to studdy how to die soe."

The whole scene is singularly fine and impressive; it shows us Fletcher
at his highest.

But in other passages we find a second hand at work. In the second scene
of the third act there is far less exuberance of language and a
different style of versification, as may be seen in the following
lines:--

"_Orange_. My grave Lords,
That it hath byn my happines to take in,
And with so little blood, so many Townes
That were falne off, is a large recompence
For all my travell; and I would advise
That (since all now sing the sweet tunes of Concord,
No Sword unsheathd, the meanes to hurt cut off
And all their stings pluckd out that would have usd them
Against the publique peace) we should end here
And not with l