The Portland daily press., 1891-12-07
DR.. pALToN's
Saturday Lecture on shakespeare's
Caesar, the Foremost Man
OF All This World.

The great poets. said the lecturer, are
the greatest historians. because by their
vivid Imagination they Tehabilltate their
characters and set them before us as they
were In life. so that we seer to be lockers
on. In this play the poet paints, first. a
street scene; then procession TO the Luz
percal, where the crown was offered Cs-
sar; then the conspiracy, the omens, the
alarm of each side followed by the eatas-
tr0phe in the capital; the two funeral ora
tlons Of Brutus and Antony, the civil war
that ensued, and the decisive battle near
Philippi. where the patriots were defeated
and both Bcutus and Cassius p eTisbed, Sc
curing the success of Octavins and Anto-
ny. Thelage, the city, the crisis, was each
the greatest Of its kind in ancient annals,
and Nonaine mutato fabala de te ndrratur
Brutus and his colleagues were all "hon-
orabIe men" and sincere patriots, but their
biunders were greater than their crime. II
the assassination was criminal.
Looking at 1t from their standpoint, their
first blunder was 10 not prescribing and
Staying Antony with Cas- 3ar. AatOny was
too able man to leave at liberty, and he
was without scruple, sure. therefore, TO
turn the tables against the patriots. Their
second blunder, more than a crime again
IN such crisis, was to permit Antony 10
pronounce Ca sar's funeral Grafton. This
gave him the coveted opportunity of ex-
hibiting Cesar as the benefactOr of the
people, to whom he had bequeatned his
fortune. Their final and fatal blunder was
IN the conduct OF the battle, the two gen.
erals, Brutus and Cassius, fighting each on
his own account, without aides-de-
camp to keep them informed of
tactical movements. Cassius died
depressed his friends and elated his enc
my. Brutus and Cassius also died by their
own hands when they should have fallen
fighting valiantly. "Yet Brutus was an
honorable man, so were they all. all honor
able men," Their scheme, however, did
not work and could not succeed under the
conditions and stress Of the times In which
three civil wars had occurred In rapid sue
cessiou. The populace were thoroughly
and h0pelessly corrupt, and the great lead
ers were nearly all as ambitious as Ca sar,
who doubtless believed In his "star" In
the NapoleOnlc sense. Rome lay PROSTATE
at his feet as France did az the feet Of Ma
p0leon and from precisely the same causes.
the folly and frenzy OF the masses aud the
previous senseless rule Of incapables.
IL we compare Cesar with Napoleon,
doubtless he was the greater man, though
less soldier. He was also less selfish, had
more moral sense, and had grand plans for
improvement for the city aud empire. sim
liar to those cherished by Henry lV. Of
France when he was taken OF by a fanatic.
1t is hardly fair to compare Cesar with
Alexander who, though he died in his
youth, lived long enough to conquer large
part of the world to which me DeQueathed
Greek civilization. Cesar was a man of
the highest capacity who was great In all
he undertook, and had he lived longer
would have achieved still greater things.
Voltaire has play on this subjecf, "rhe
Death OF Cssar." 1t differs from ours In
having but little action and muen lofty
defamation. the characters arefew and
the action feeble, but the sentiments ele-
waited and eloquent. There are no women
in VOltaire's Caesar, but Shakespeare's
Portia, the wife Of Brutus, Is one OF the
finest characters ever portrayed even by his
pen, and will forever remain one of the
highest and most beautifdl tn Shakes
peare's gallery Of gifted and noble women.
The lecture Of which the above Is an out
line, was listened to by large audience.