The Works of Thomas Love Peacock

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: ing of his right hand: in so doing, at this point, he dropped his cup: a sudden impulse of rash volition to pick it dexterously up, hefore he resumed his discourse, ruined all his devices for maintaining dignity; in stooping forward from his chair he lost his balance, and fell prostrate on the floor. The...
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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: ing of his right hand: in so doing, at this point, he dropped his cup: a sudden impulse of rash volition to pick it dexterously up, hefore he resumed his discourse, ruined all his devices for maintaining dignity; in stooping forward from his chair he lost his balance, and fell prostrate on the floor. The whole body of the High Commission arose in simultaneous confusion, each zealous to be the foremost in uplifting his fallen chief. In the vehemence of their uprise, they hurled the benches backward, and the tables forward; the crash of cups and bowls accompanied their overthrow; and rivulets of liquor ran gurgling through the hall. The household wished to redeem the credit of their leader in the eyes of the prince; but the only service they could render him was to participate in his discomfiture; for Seithenyn, as ho was first in dignity, was also, as was fitting, hardest in skull; and that which had impaired his equilibrinm had utterly destroyed theirs. Some fell, in the lirst impulse, with tho tables and benches; others were tripped up by the rolling bowls; aud the remainder fell at different points of progres sion, by jostling against each other, or stumbling over those who had fallen before them. CHAPTER III. THE OPPRESSION OF GWENHIDWT. Nid meddw y dyn a allo Cwnu ei hnn a rliodio, Ac yved rhagor ddiawd: Nid yw hyny yn veddwdawd. Not drunk is he, who from the floor Can rise alone, and still drink more: But drunk is he who prostrate lies, AVithout the power to drink or rise. ASIDE door, at the upper end of the hall, to tho left of Seithenyn's chair, opened, and a beautiful young girl entered the hall, with her domestic bard, and her attendant maidens. It was Angharad, tho daughter of Seithenyn. The tumult had drawn her from the solitude of her chamber, ...