The Book of Recitations. A collection of passages from the works of the best poets and dramatists

Front matter

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Preface

. Tiieke is no more agreeable entertainment, or more intellectual accomplishment, than reciting from the best poets and dram.itists. It developes the critical powers, as well as the voice and action. Such reci tation, as the great Lord Clarendon says, is " the best and most natural way to introduce an assurance and confidence in speaking, with that leisure and tone of pronunciation that is decent and graceful, and in which so few men are excellent, for want of infor mation and care when they are young." The study also greatly improves the memory : Sir Philip Sidney justly says, "Verse far exceedeth prose in the knitting up of the memory. Who is it that ever was a scholar that does not carry away some verses which in his youth he learned, and even to old age serve him for hourly lessons ?" In the various excellent " Speakers," &c, pub lished, the greater number of pieces are more fitted for reading than reciting. To supply a want much felt on this account by Elocutionists, the present Collection

PREFACE.

. has been made, in which every passage chosen is specially adapted for recitation. The Editor has adhered strictly to the texts of the best editions of the respective authors, without alteration. But he suggests that, in reciting, " Heaven " should be substituted for the name of the Deity. The Editor also begs respectfully to thank the various Authors and Publishers who have kindly allowed the insertion of copyright passages. For instruction in reciting, see " Hartley's Art or Reciting," One Shilling, Groombridge & Sons, Paternoster Row, to whose care all communications respecting Private Lessons, Classes, and Recitals are requested to be sent. CONTENTS Poetic Recitations. PAGE The Diver Schiller. 1 The Soldier's "Widow .... Willis. 6 Horatius Cocles Macaulay. 7 Saul ....... Byron. 15 The Fatal Sisters Cray. 16 A Psalm of Life ....

Longfellow. 19 The Fate of Maogregor .... Hogg. 20 The Isles of Greece .... Byron. 23 Don Garzia ...... Rogers. 27 Crescentius Miss Landon. 30 Absalom Willis. 32 Alexander's Feast Dryden. 35 Death and Satan Milton. 39 Lochiel's Warning .... Campbell. 42 Ivan the Czar .... Mrs. Hemans. 45 The Dream of Eugene Aram . . . Hood. 48 Excelsior Longfellow. 54 The Brothers Rogers. 56 Elegy in a Country Churchyard . . ' Gray. 58 Hohenlinden Campbell. 63 The African Chief Bryant. 64 Jaspar Soathey. 67 Casabianca Mrs. Hemans. 73 Ginevra Rogers. 74 Lord William Southey. 77 Waterloo Byron. 82 Hymn in the Vale of Chamouni . . Coleridge. 85 Battle of the Baltic .... Campbell. 87 Marco Bozzaris Halleck. 90 The Forging of the Anchor BlackwoooVs Magazine. VI CONTENTS. PAoe The Battle of Blenheim .... Southey. 96 The Wreck of the Hesperus . . .

Longfellow. 98 Alexander and Philip . , . Miss Landon. 101 The Inchcape Rock .... Southey. 103 Darkness Byron. 105 The Quadroon Girl .... Longfellow. 108 The Destruction of Sennacherib . . Byron. 110 The Slave's Dream .... Longfellow. Ill The Burial of "William the Conqueror Mrs. Hemans. 112 Mary, the Maid of the Inn . . . Southey. 114 The Cross in the Wilderness . . Mrs. Hemans. 118 Satan's Address to the Sun . . . Milton. 121 The Sale of the Pet Lamb . . Mary Howitt. 123 The Raven Edgar Poe. 126 Address to an Egyptian Mummy . Horace Smith. 131 Bring back the Chain . . . Mrs. Norton.- 133 Mary, Queen of Scots . . . . II. G. Bell. 137 The Arab's Farewell to his 1 lorse . Mrs. Norton. 141 Parrhasius Willis. 144 The Orphan Boy Mrs. Opie. 149 The Falcon's Reward .... Trench. 150 The Uncle H. G. Bell. 153 Abou Ben Adhem ....

Leigh Hunt. 157 A Beth Gelert . . . . W. R. Spencer. 158 The Alchymist . . . ' . . Willis. 1G1 The Bitter Gourd .... Leigh Hunt. 164 The Sword Chant of Thorstein Raudi . Moiherwell. 165 The Arsenal at Springfield . . . Longfellow. 167 The Inevitable .... Leigh Hunt. 169 St. Philip Neri and the Youth . . L)r. Byrom. 171 Look Aloft ..... J. Lawrence. 172 No Work the Hardest Work . . . C. F. Orne. 173 AVhat is that, Mother ? . . . . Doane. 1 74 The Sailor's Mother . . . Wordsworth. 176 The Dying Gladiator .... Byron. 1 77 King Canute Bernard Barton. 178 Home James Montgomery. 179 The Burial of Sir John Moore . . Wolfe. CONTENTS, VII PAGE Peace : George Herbert. 183 We are Seven Wordsworth. 184 The Street of By-and-Bye . . . Mrs. Abdy. 186 The Passions Collins. 188 A Colloquy with Myself . . .

Bernard Barton. 191 The Hare and many Friends . . . Gay. 193 Eliza Darwin. 195 The Negro's Complaint .... Cowper. 197 Sir Balaam Pope. 199 Edwin and Emma Mallet. 201 Procrastination Young. 204 The Chameleon Merricl: 205 The Man of Ross Pope. 208 The Builders Longfellow. 209 The Country Clergyman . . . Goldsmith. 210 On the Being of a God .... Young. 212 The Love of the World Reproved . . Cou-per. 213 Folly of Attempting to Please all Mankind Foote. 215 The Fakenham Ghost .... Bloomfield. 216 The Three Warnings . . . Mrs. Piozzi. 218 The New Eden Whittier. 222 Boadicea Cowper. 223 The Common Lot . . . James Montgomery. 225 Belshazzar's Feast Hughes. 226 Cumnor Hall Mickle. 229 The Midnight Review . Mery and Barthelemy. 233 Plato and his Pupil .... Whitehead. 235 Cain on the Sea-shore .... Stolberg. 237 John Gilpin Cowper. 239 The Water Party Crabbe. 247 The Mauiac Lewis. 249 The Two Weavers ....

Hannah More. 252 What is Time 2 Marsden. 254 The Pauper's Death-Bed . . Mrs. Southey. 255 Dramatic Recitations — Shalsperian. All the World's a Stage 259 Portia's Speech on Mercy CONTENTS. PAOB Prospero's Invocation 261 Richard the Second on Kingly Greatness . . 262 Hotspur's Description of a Fop .... 263 Hotspur Reading a Letter ..... 264 Henry the Fourth on Sleep 265 Henry the Fifth to his Troops before Harfleur . 266 ,, „ to his Army at Agincourt . . 268 Gloster's Soliloquy after Killing Henry the Sixth . 269 „ " Now is the Winter of our Discontent " 270 Clarence's Dream 272 Cardinal Wolsey on his Fall 274 Mercutio's Description of Queen Mab . . . 275 Juliet taking the Opiate ..... 276 Hamlet on his Mother's Marriage . . . . 278 „ to his Father's Ghost .... 279 „ on his Irresolution 280 ., on Death 281 „ to the Players 283 Soliloquy of Hamlet's Uncle 284 Othello's Address to the Senate .... 285 Lady Macbeth's Soliloquy 287 Macbeth's Soliloquy on the Murder of Duncan . 289 „ Address to the Air-Drawn Dagger . 290 Coriolanus to the Romans on his Banishment . 291 Marcellus to the Romans ..... 292 Brutus's Soliloquy on Cæsar 293 Antony's Address to Cæsar's Body . . . 294 Brutus to the Romans 295 Antony's Oration over Cæsar's Body . . . 296 Dramatic Recitations — Miscellaneous.

Cato on the Immortality of the Soul . Addison. 300 Tell's Address to the Alps . Sheridan Knowles. 301 Douglas's Account of Himself . . Home. 303 Rolla to the Peruvians . . . . Sheridan. 304 Ricnzi's Address to the Romans . Miss Mitford. 305 Brutus's Oration over the Body of Lucretia Payne. 308 Claude Melnotte to Pauline . . Bulwer-Lytton. THE BOOK OF RECITATIONS.