ORATIONS AND IMPASSIONED PIECES. 231 



I* smile at storms of earthly woe, and rise 

 Shades of my sires I to your serener skies. 



WHEWELL'S BOADICEA. Cammdge Prize Poem. 



ALEXANDER'S ADDRESS TO HIS SOLDIERS.t 



SOLDIERS ! I am not ignorant that many things have 

 been published by the Indians, purposely to affright us. 

 But such artifices are by no means unusual to you. The 

 Persians described the straits of Cilicia, the vast plains of 

 Mesopotamia, the rivers Tigris and Euphrates, as the 

 most insurmountable difficulties. Yet your bravery con- 

 quered THEM . Do you repent that you have followed me 

 thus far ? Your glorious deeds have subdued for you a 

 multitude of provinces. You have extended your con- 

 quests beyond the laxarthes and Mount Caucasus ; you 

 see the rivers of India flow through the midst of your 

 empire. Why are you afraid of crossing the Hyphasus, 

 and of erecting your trophies on its banks as on those of 

 the Hydaspes ? What ! can the elephants, whose num- 

 ber is so falsely augmented, terrify you to such a degree ? 

 Has not experience taught you that they were more 

 destructive to their own masters than to the enemy ? 

 Endeavours are used to intimidate you by the dreadful 

 idea of innumerable armies ; are they more numerous 

 than those of Darius ? It is sure very late for you to 

 count the legions of the enemy, after your victories have 

 made Asia a desert. It was when you crossed the 

 Hellespont that you ought to have reflected on the small- 

 ness of your number. Now the SCYTHIANS form part of 

 our army ; the BACTRIANS, the SOGDIANS, and the DAH^E 

 are with us, and fight for OUR glory. I do not depend 

 on those barbarians : it is on YOUR courage that / rely. 

 Your victorious arms are present to my imagination, and 

 your courage assures me SUCCESS. So long as I shall be 

 surrounded with YOU in fight, so long as YOU exhibit the 



* Emltation increasing to transport ; the last line to be uttered with 

 elevated eyes and extended hands. 



f This speech should be delivered in a firm, manly tone of voice. 



