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If thou wouldst win a lasting fame;
If thou the immortal wreath wouldst claim,
And make the future bless thy name;

If thou canst plan a noble deed,
And never flag till it succeed,

Though in the strife thy heart should bleed;

If thou canst dine upon a crust,
And still hold on with patient trust,
Nor pine that Fortune is unjust;

If thou canst see with tranquil breast,
The knave or fool in purple dressed,
While thou must walk in tattered vest;

If thou in darkest days canst find,
An inner brightness in thy mind,
To reconcile thee to thy kind;

Whatever obstacles control,

Thine hour will come;-go on, true soul!
Thou'lt win the prize, thou'lt reach the goal.

If not, what matters ?-tried by fire,

And purified from low desire,
Thy spirit shall but soar the higher.

But, if so bent on worldly fame,
That thou must gild thy living name,
And snatch the honors of the game;
If failure might thy soul oppress,
And fill thy veins with heaviness,
And make thee love thy kind the less;

Pause, ere thou 'tempt the hard career-
Thou'lt find the conflict too severe,
And heart will break and brain will sear.

Content thee with a meaner lot:
Go plough thy field, go build thy cot,
Nor sigh that thou must be forgot.

CHARLES MACKAY.

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Glenalvon. His port I love; he's in a proper
To chide the thunder, if at him it roared!
Has Norval seen the troops?

Norval. The setting sun

With yellow radiance lightened all the vale;
And as the warriors moved each polished helm,
Corslet or spear glanced back his gilded beams.
The hill they climbed; and, halting at its top,
Of more than mortal size towering, they seemed
A host angelic clad in burning arms.

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Glenalvon. Thou talk'st it well! No leader of our host,

In sounds more lofty speaks of glorious war.

Norval. If I shall e'er acquire a leader's name,

My speech will be less ardent. Novelty

Now prompts my tongue, and youthful admiration

Vents itself freely; since no part is mine

Of praise, pertaining to the great in arms.

Glenalvon. You wrong yourself, brave sir! Your martial
deeds

Have ranked you with the great: but, mark me, Norval;
Lord Randolph's favor now exalts your youth

Above his veterans of famous service.

Let me who know these soldiers counsel you:
Give them all honor; seem not to command;

Else they will scarcely brook your late-sprung power,
Which nor alliance props, nor birth adorns.

Norval. Sir, I have been accustomed, all my days,
To hear and speak the plain and simple truth;
And though I have been told that there are men

Who borrow Friendship's tongue to speak their scorn,
Yet, in such language I am little skilled.
Therefore, I thank Glenalvon for his counsel,
Although it sounded harshly. Why remind
Me of my birth obscure? Why slur my power
With such contemptuous terms?

Glenalvon. I did not mean

To gall your pride, which now I see is great.
Norval. My pride?

Glenalvon. Suppress it, as you wish to prosper;
Your pride's excessive! yet, for Randolph's sake,
I will not leave you to its rash direction.

If thus you swell and frown at high-born men,
Will high-born men endure a shepherd's scorn?
Norval. A shepherd's scorn!

Glenalvon. Yes;-if you presume

To bend on soldiers these disdainful eyes,
As if you took the measure of their minds,
And said, in secret,

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You are no match for me,"

What will become of you?

Norval. Hast thou no fears for thy presumptuous self?
Glenalvon. Ha!-dost thou threaten me?

Norval. Didst thou not hear?

Glenalvon. Unwillingly, I did; a nobler foe
Had not been questioned thus. But, such as thou!
Norval. Whom dost thou think me?

Glenalvon. Norval.

Norval. So I am;

And who is Norval in Glenalvon's eyes?

Glenalvon. A peasant's son,-a wand'ring beggar-boy,
At best no more, e'en if he speak the truth.

Norval. False as thou art, dost thou suspect my truth?
Glenalvon. Thy truth!

Thou'rt all a lie, and false as fiends

Is the vain-glorious tale thou told'st to Randolph.
Norval. If I were chained, unarmed, or bed-rid old,

Perhaps I might revile; but as I am,

I have no tongue to rail. The humble Norval

Is of a race who strive not but with deeds!

Did I not fear to freeze thy shallow valor,

And make thee sink, too soon, beneath my sword,

I'd tell thee

what thou art

I know thee well.

Glenalvon. Dost thou not know Glenalvon born to command Ten thousand slaves like thee?

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Norval. Villain !-no more ;—

Draw, and defend thy life. (They draw their swords.) I did

design;

To have defied thee in another cause;

But Heaven accelerates its vengeance on thee.
Now for my own and Lady Randolph's wrongs

(Enter Lord Randolph.)

(They fight.)

Lord Randolph. Hold !-I command you both;The man that stirs makes me his foe.

Norval. Another voice than thine

That threat had vainly sounded, noble Randolph.

Glenalvon. Hear him, my lord, he's wondrous condescending: Mark the humility of shepherd Norval!

Norval. Now you may scoff in safety.

Lord Randolph. Speak not thus,

(Both sheathe their swords.)

Taunting each other; but unfold to me

The cause of quarrel: then I'll judge betwixt you.
Norval. Nay, my good lord, though I revere you much,
My cause I plead not, nor demand your judgment.

I blush to speak-I will not-cannot speak

The opprobrious words that I from him have borne.
To the liege lord of my dear native land,

I owe a subject's homage; but even him,
And his high arbitration, I'd reject !
Within my bosom reigns another lord,
Honor-sole judge, and umpire of itself.
If my free speech offend you, noble Randolph,
Revoke your favors, and let Norval go

Hence as he came,-alone-but not dishonored.

Lord Randolph. Thus far I'll mediate with impartial voice:

The ancient foe of Caledonia's land,

Now waves his banners o'er her frighted fields.

Suspend your purpose till your country's arms
Repel the bold invader; then decide

The private quarrel.

Glenalvon. I agree to this

Norval. And I.

Glenalvon. Norval,

Let not our variance mar the social hour,
Nor wrong the hospitality of Randolph ;
Nor frowning anger, nor yet wrinkled hate

(Exit Randolph.)

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