Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Than I and thou who know him not? We know This life is ours, and sweet, if shame and fear Make us not less than man: and less were they Who crawled and writhed and cowered and called on To save them from him. Here I stand as he, God, or God's very figure wrought in flesh, More godlike than was Jesus. Dare I fear Whipping and hanging? Thou, my cardinal, Canst think not to be scourged and crucified — Ha? Nay: there lurks no God in me. And thou, Father, dost thou fear? ALEXANDER I? Nought less than God. But if we take him lightly on our lips Too light his name will sound in all men's ears Till earth and air, when man says God, respond Laughter. Forbear him. CAESAR Wisdom lives in thee, And cries not out along the streets as when None of God's folk that heard regarded her, As all that hear thy word regard—or die, Being not outside God's eyeshot. Dost thou sleep Here in his special keeping—here—to-night, Brother? FRANCESCO What bids thee care to know? CJESAR They say These holy streets of Heaven's most holiest choice Lie dangerous now in darkness if a man Walk not on holiest errands. Thou, they say, Wert scarce a Christlike sacrifice if slain. Too many dead flow down the Tiber's flow Nightly. They say it. FRANCESCO I never called thee yet Fool. CJESAR Ah, my lord and brother, didst thou now, Were this not thankless? God—our father's God— Guide thee! [Exit FRANCESCO. He goes, and thanks me not. Our sire, What says the God that lives upon thy lips And withers in thy silence? chapter{Section 4LUCREZIA Vex him not, Caesar. Thou seest he is weary. ALEXANDER Yea. Come ye With me. Bethink thee, Caesar. Vex me not. [Exeunt ALEXANDER, VANNOZZA, and LUCREZIA. Caesar Thou wilt not bid me this, I think, again, Father...