书城英文图书加拿大学生文学读本(第5册)
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第55章 FOR A‘THAT AND A’THAT(4)

For I have neither wit,nor words,nor worth,Action,nor utterance,nor the power of speech,To stir men’s blood:I only speak right on;I tell you that which you yourselves do know;Show you sweet C?sar‘s wounds,poor,poor dumb mouths,And bid them speak for me:but were I Brutus,And Brutus Antony,there were an Antony Would ruffle up your spirits,and put a tongue In every wound of C?sar,that should move The stones of Rome to rise and mutiny.

All .We’ll mutiny!

1Cit .We‘ll burn the house of Brutus!

3Cit .Away,then!come,seek the conspirators.Ant .Yet hear me,countrymen;yet hear me speak.All .Peace,ho!Hear Antony,most noble Antony.

Ant.Why,friends,you go to do you know not what:Wherein hath C?sar thus deserv’d your loves?

Alas,you know not:I must tell you then:You have forgot the will I told you of.

All .Most true;the will!let‘s stay,and hear thewill.

Ant .Here is the will,and under C?sar’s seal.

To every several man,seventyfive drachmas.

2Cit .Most noble C?sar!we‘ll revenge his death.3Cit .O royal C?sar!

Ant .Hear me with patience.

All .Peace,ho!

Ant .Moreover,he hath left you all his walks,His private arbours,and newplanted orchards,On this side Tiber;he hath left them you,And to your heirs for ever,common pleasures,To walk abroad,and recreate yourselves.

Here was a C?sar!when comes such another?

1Cit .Never,never!Come,away,away!We’ll burn his body in the holy place,And with the brands fire the traitors‘houses.Take up the body.

2Cit .Go,fetch fire.

3Cit .Pluck down benches.

4Cit .Pluck down forms,windows,anything.

Ant .Now let it work!Mischief,thou art afoot,Take thou what course thou wilt!

Shakespeare,From “Julius C?sar,”Act III.Scene iiLESSON 55CRANFORD SOCIETY

In the first place,Cranford is in possession of the Amazons;all the holders of houses above a certain rent are women.If a married couple come to settle in the town,somehow the gentleman disappears;he is either fairly frightened to death by being the only man in the Cranford evening parties,or he is accounted for by being with his regiment,his ship,or closely engaged in business all the week in the great neighbouring commercial town of Drumble,distant only twenty miles on a railway.In short,whatever does become of the gentlemen,they are not at Cranford.What could they do if they were there?The surgeon has his round of thirty miles,and sleeps at Cranford;but every man cannot be a surgeon.For keeping the trim gardens full of choice flowers without a weed to speck them;for frightening away little boys who look wistfully at the said flowers through the railings;for rushing out at the geese that occasionally venture into the gardens if the gates are left open;for deciding all questions of literature and politics without troubling themselves with unnecessary reasons or arguments;for obtaining clear and correct knowledge of everybody’s affairs in the parish;for keeping their neat maidservants in admirable order;for kindness (somewhat dictatorial)to the poor,and real tender good offices to each other whenever they are in distressthe ladies of Cranford arequite sufficient.“A man,”as one of them observed to me once,“is so in the way in the house!”Although the ladies of Cranford know all each other‘s proceedings,they are exceedingly indifferent to each other’s opinions.Indeed,as each has her own individuality,not to say eccentricity,pretty strongly developed,nothing is so easy as verbal retaliation;but,somehow,goodwill reigns among them to a considerable degree.

Then there were rules and regulations for visiting and calls;and they were announced to any young people who might be staying in the town,with all the solemnity with which the old Manx laws were read once a year on the Tinwald Mount.

“Our friends have sent to inquire how you are after your journey tonight,my dear “(fifteen miles in a gentleman‘s carriage).“They will give you some rest tomorrow;but the next day,I have no doubt,they will call;so be at liberty after twelvefrom twelve to three are our calling hours.”

“It is the third day;I dare say your mamma has told you,my dear,never to let more than three days elapse between receiving a call and returning it;and also,that you are never to stay longer than a quarter of an hour.”

“But am I to look at my watch?How am I to find out when a quarter of an hour has passed?”