Friday 13 March 2009

Stand ye not alone...

For uni, I recently had to read a bunch of shiny extracts from some poets. This is one of the good things that come studying English - sometimes you happen across some gold. I couldn't not write these quotes down. They're referring to the French Revolution and are pretty impressive. So here we go:

RICHARD PRICE

[...] the dominion of kings changed for the dominion of laws, and the dominion of priests giving way to the dominion of reason and conscience.

Be encouraged, all ye friends of freedom, and writers in its defence! The times are auspicious. Your labours have not been in vain. Behold kingdoms admonished by you, starting from sleep, breaking their fetters, and claiming justice from their oppressors!

Tremble all ye oppressors of the world! Take warning all ye supporters of slavish governments and slavish hierarchies [...] You cannot now hold the world in darkness. Struggle no longer against increasing light and liberality. Restore to mankind their rights, and consent to the correction of abuses, before they and you are destroyed together.

EDMUND BURKE

[...] this persecuted woman had but just time to fly almost naked and, through ways unknown to the murderers, had escaped to seek refuge at the feet of a King and husband not secure of his own life for a moment.

[...] were then forced to abandon the sanctuary of the most splendid palace in the world, which they left swimming in blood, polluted by massacre and strewed with scattered limbs and mutilated carcasses.

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