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The Works of John Dryden (8); Illustrated With Notes, Historical, Critical, and Explanatory, and a Life of the Author
The Works of John Dryden Illustrated With Notes Historical Critical and Explanatory and a Life of the Author - 8 Author:John Dryden Volume: 8 General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1884 Original Publisher: W. Paterson Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where ... more »you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: THE LIFE OP CLEOMENES, TRANSLATED FROM PLUTARCH BY Mr. THOMAS CREECH. Thus fell Agis. His brother Archidamus was too quick for Leonidas, and saved himself by a timely retreat . But his wife, then newly brought to bed, the tyrant forced her from her own house, and compelled her to marry his son Cleomenes, though at that time too young for a wife; for he was unwilling that any one else should have her, she being heiress to her father Gylippus's great estate ; for person, the finest woman in all Greece, very good-natured, of an exemplary life; and therefore, they say, she did all she could, that she might not be compelled to this match. Being thus married to Cleomenes, she hated Leonidas; but to the youth she showed herself a kind and obliging wife. He, as soon as they came together, began to love her very much ; and the constant kindness that she still retained for the memory of Agis, wrought somewhat of concern in the young man for him; so that hewould often inquire of her concerning what had passed, and attentively listen to the story of Agis's designs. Now Cleomenes had a generous and great soul: he was as temperate and moderate in his pleasures as Agis, but not so very cautious, circumspect, and gentle; a spur of passion always galled him, and his eagerness to pursue that which he thought good and just was violent and heady. To make men willing to obey, he conceived to be the best discipline; but likewise to break the stubborn, and force them to be better, was, in his opinion, commendable and brave. This disposition made him dislike the management of ...« less