The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1866-05-25
The Classics i'm Debate.

the second bt ok Of the EneiG, relating to the
wooden horse by which tho Greeks deceived the
Troirns. Mr.. Gladstone started the game one
evelng in March, when he was denying that the
Increased political power of the working classes
ls frausht with danger:
"We cannot look upon 1t as the Troian horse ap.
roaching the walls Of the sacred city, and filled with
3rmed men bent upon ruin, plumber and confscation.
Ye cannot join In comparingi with that monsrum in
{ai1-we cannot say
"-Scandit fatalis machina murns
Fnta urmis: medinque minans nabitur urbi."
Or as Dryden has 1t =
"sIt length the fatal fabric mounts the walls
Big with destruction
1t enters Ger our heads. and threats the town."
Mr. Love- speaking on the following evening,
POSSIBLY after coming his Virgil little, saw his
Way to turn this to account. "The Chancellor OF
the Exchequer," he said, has found quotation
describing something, and then says, that is not
= my BILL
''Well that was very apt quotation, but there
was curious felicity about it which he little
dreamt Of The House remembers that among
other proofs of the degree in which public opnlon
is enlisted in the cause Of reform was this,.that
this is now the fifth Reform Bill that has been
brought in since 1851. Now, just attend to the
sequel of the passage quoted by the right honora-
! BILE gentleman. am no believer in sortes piJt-
ianU, and the House will see why in . moment:
~ 40 Dlvum domus nium, ct incysa bello
Monia Dardani dunn! quater ipso In lniine port@
3Subshtt atque utero sonitum quater arrna dedere.
[Much cheering and laughter" But that is not
~.Instamus tamen immemores cpciquc furore,
Et monstrum infelix Ia sttimus arce.'
8s.(Cheers.1 Well, abominate the presage con-
staned in the last two lines, but mix my conf
3dence with fear.
j :'To follow Drydens translation again
4 40 sacred city, built by hands divine
4 valiant heroes Of the Trojan Incl
" -Four times he stiuck; as oft Il clashing sound
OF arms was heard, and inward groans rebound.
Yet, mad with zeal, and blinded with our fate,
4 We haul along the horse In solemn state"
Mr.. Gladstone apparently did not think it worth
\ while to followup his game much further. On the
next evening, however, charging Mr.. Lowe with
denouncing the workingmen,s he recurred to his
lines first quoted, in tome ef fe1planation more
: grave than That which he might have used with
effect:
~ said this Is no 'monstrum seiY.' no horse charged
with armed men, who are to carry fire and desolaton
Ito your homes; bnt my right honorable friend rushed
haste into the trap. and with porentous emphasis
claimed ,,..
" InStanus tamsn immemofes, ceciqae furore,
Et monstrum infeli1 sacrata sistimus trce.'"
"what Ia the sonsrrl ineliS p Who are the persons
contained in It? The 7-poundersp loud cheers.l
afFinally, in the great closing debate Of the ses-
zion, Mr.. Lowe rejoned and ended the affair, by
final recurrence to the quotation, in astrain which
is striking for its easy railery and keen sarcasm
combined. We confess that We are uncertain
whethee the "insulting Simon OF this closing quo
tation was intended for MIR. Gladstone, whom Mr..
! Lowe had accused Of great indecorum toward the
House, or Mr.. Bright, who is asserted by the
Conservatives to be the real leader, who, at the
head Of tho host Of Democracy, Stands behind
Hthe ministry:
"I have said that nun utterly unable TO coincide In
the reasons which the chancellor Of the Exchequer has
laid before in support of this bill. but there is hap
pity one common ground left to us, and that Is the
Second Book Of ths 1Eneid Of Virgil (Hear,' and O
laughl My right hon. friend like the moth that has
Its wings In the CANDLE has returned again TO the
poor old Trojan horse 70 laugh and shall, with the
permission OF the House, give them more excerpt
from the history of that noble beast; first promisin
shall then turn him out to grass at all events for
the remainder of the tOheers and aughter.l
The passage which am about TO quote Is ono which
think, worthy the attention of the House, because
it contains description, not only of the invading army
of which we have heard much but also slight aketch
Of Its General" IA laughl:
"Arduus armatos mediis In mrnibus adstans
Fundit equus victorque Simon incsnda INSECT
Insultans oheers and laughter: portis ALI bipaten
THUS Rdaunt
Militia quot msgnis nunquam venere Mycenls"
rOheers.] In other words:
"The fatal horse pours forth the human tide,
Insulting Simon filings bis frebrands wide,
The gates are burst; the ancient rampant falls,
And swarming millions climb Its crunblng walls. "
After all, however, these quotations lack the
fine flavor which some of those long since record
ed derive from evidently extempOraneous citation
and instant use.
Congressional misquotations from the poets are
proverbial. Mr. CLAY rarely had occasion to de-
part from tho realm Of his aff1uent imagination;
I but we have been informed by former honored
editor Of the Intelligencer, that on one occasion
he essayed to quote from Shakespeare the familiar
passage la l: r
10 "Let the CALLED jade Vince,
p ; My withers are unwrung.,
He was twice corrected by Mr.. Preston, OF South
Carolina, but had it wrong at last.
The Springfield Republican has good hit in
! this wise. We quote:a 80 u..-
"sHAKspEARE IN THE EsENATE.-scripture. Shakespeare
and the old Greeks and Romans generally, fare badly
when they fall into the hands of Oongessmen There
was an amusing illustration Of this in the Senate,
Thursday, when three distinguish uators tried to
! give Q familiar quotation from Sha aud neither
j did 1t correctly.
SMr. Dooltte, of Wisconsin, hat 4 the differ.
rent wings Of the Republican part: iversal.suf'
frage party, led by MI. Summer; th %i confaoa-
lion part y led by Mr. Stevens the hanging
uarty led by Mr. Nye, and the
party, led by Mr. Stewart
The attempt to unite these he described By quotation
from Shakespeare, putting 1t IN this way
t'Mingle, minge, as they -aay
Blue spirits and gray.
Mr.. Sumner suggested, by way OF correction
"White spirits and gray"
tNr Cowan said there were no white spirits in it.
Mr. Doolittle did not know; gave 1t up and said ne
on,d trust the reporters to quote it Alright But the
renorters did not take the tr. uble Mr. Doohttle was
nearer right than either of his critics. Mr. Sumner
fiIed to mix the coors correctly and Mr. Cowan was
nitooetber wrong In insisting upon leaving cut the