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Agile Web Development with Rails 5 1st Edition Sam
Ruby Digital Instant Download
Author(s): Sam Ruby
ISBN(s): 9781680501711, 1680501712
Edition: 1
File Details: PDF, 17.31 MB
Year: 2016
Language: english
 Early praise for Agile Web Development with Rails 5

Agile Web Development with Rails 5 is the best resource to get up to speed with
Rails! Even after these many years, it’s still relevant.
➤ Prathamesh Sonpatki
Director, BigBinary and member of the Rails issues team

The organization of the book is excellent. The first two parts are a walkthrough
of building an application, and the demo project is an example that is easy to
understand, yet shows the value the Rails framework creates for the developer. I
also value many of the topics discussed in Part III. Overall an excellent book that
I continue to recommend to new developers!
➤ Jeff Holland
Senior software engineer, Ackmann & Dickenson

This is the best into to web development book for any language!
➤ Charles Stran
Director of product engineering and design, The Blaze

Another solid update to the book that I’ve been referring to over and over again
as I’ve been working with Rails. One of the best books available for Rails.
➤ Stephen Orr
Senior Developer, Siftware
We've left this page blank to
make the page numbers the
same in the electronic and
paper books.

We tried just leaving it out,

but then people wrote us to
ask about the missing pages.

Anyway, Eddy the Gerbil

wanted to say “hello.”
Agile Web Development with Rails 5

Sam Ruby
Dave Thomas
David Heinemeier Hansson

The Pragmatic Bookshelf

Raleigh, North Carolina
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products
are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and The Pragmatic
Programmers, LLC was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in
initial capital letters or in all capitals. The Pragmatic Starter Kit, The Pragmatic Programmer,
Pragmatic Programming, Pragmatic Bookshelf, PragProg and the linking g device are trade-
marks of The Pragmatic Programmers, LLC.
Every precaution was taken in the preparation of this book. However, the publisher assumes
no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages that may result from the use of
information (including program listings) contained herein.
Our Pragmatic books, screencasts, and audio books can help you and your team create
better software and have more fun. Visit us at https://pragprog.com.

The team that produced this book includes:

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Potomac Indexing, LLC (index)
Eileen Cohen (copyedit)
Gilson Graphics (layout)
Janet Furlow (producer)

For sales, volume licensing, and support, please contact support@pragprog.com.

For international rights, please contact rights@pragprog.com.

Copyright © 2016 The Pragmatic Programmers, LLC.

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,

in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior consent of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America.

ISBN-13: 978-1-68050-171-1
Encoded using the finest acid-free high-entropy binary digits.
Book version: P1.0—September 2016
 Contents

Foreword to the Rails 5 Edition . . . . . . . . xi

Preface to the Rails 5 Edition . . . . . . . . xiii
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . xvii
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . xix

Part I — Getting Started

1. Installing Rails . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Installing on Cloud9 4
Installing on a Virtual Machine 6
Installing on Windows 8
Installing on Mac OS X 11
Installing on Linux 12
Choosing a Rails Version 14
Setting Up Your Development Environment 14
Rails and Databases 18

2. Instant Gratification . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Creating a New Application 21
Hello, Rails! 24
Linking Pages Together 30
When Things Go Wrong 33

3. The Architecture of Rails Applications . . . . . . 39

Models, Views, and Controllers 39
Rails Model Support 42
Action Pack: The View and Controller 44

4. Introduction to Ruby . . . . . . . . . . 47
Ruby Is an Object-Oriented Language 47
 Contents • vi

Data Types 49
Logic 53
Organizing Structures 56
Marshaling Objects 59
Pulling It All Together 59
Ruby Idioms 60

Part II — Building an Application

5. The Depot Application . . . . . . . . . . 65
Incremental Development 65
What Depot Does 66
Let’s Code 70

6. Task A: Creating the Application . . . . . . . . 71

Iteration A1: Creating the Product Maintenance Application 71
Iteration A2: Making Prettier Listings 78

7. Task B: Validation and Unit Testing . . . . . . . 87

Iteration B1: Validating! 87
Iteration B2: Unit Testing of Models 92

8. Task C: Catalog Display . . . . . . . . . 101

Iteration C1: Creating the Catalog Listing 101
Iteration C2: Adding a Page Layout 105
Iteration C3: Using a Helper to Format the Price 110
Iteration C4: Functional Testing of Controllers 111
Iteration C5: Caching of Partial Results 113

9. Task D: Cart Creation . . . . . . . . . . 117

Iteration D1: Finding a Cart 117
Iteration D2: Connecting Products to Carts 118
Iteration D3: Adding a Button 121

10. Task E: A Smarter Cart . . . . . . . . . . 129

Iteration E1: Creating a Smarter Cart 129
Iteration E2: Handling Errors 134
Iteration E3: Finishing the Cart 139

11. Task F: Add a Dash of Ajax . . . . . . . . . 145

Iteration F1: Moving the Cart 145
Iteration F2: Creating an Ajax-Based Cart 153
 Contents • vii

Iteration F3: Highlighting Changes 157

Iteration F4: Hiding an Empty Cart 160
Iteration F5: Broadcasting Updates with Action Cable 164

12. Task G: Check Out! . . . . . . . . . . 169

Iteration G1: Capturing an Order 169
Iteration G2: Atom Feeds 183

13. Task H: Sending Mail . . . . . . . . . . 189

Iteration H1: Sending Confirmation Emails 189
Iteration H2: Integration Testing of Applications 196

14. Task I: Logging In . . . . . . . . . . . 203

Iteration I1: Adding Users 203
Iteration I2: Authenticating Users 207
Iteration I3: Limiting Access 213
Iteration I4: Adding a Sidebar, More Administration 215

15. Task J: Internationalization . . . . . . . . 221

Iteration J1: Selecting the Locale 222
Iteration J2: Translating the Storefront 226
Iteration J3: Translating Checkout 233
Iteration J4: Add a Locale Switcher 239

16. Task K: Deployment and Production . . . . . . 243

Iteration K1: Deploying with Phusion Passenger and MySQL 245
Iteration K2: Deploying Remotely with Capistrano 252
Iteration K3: Checking Up on a Deployed Application 258

17. Depot Retrospective . . . . . . . . . . 263

Rails Concepts 263
Documenting What We’ve Done 266

Part III — Rails in Depth

18. Finding Your Way Around Rails . . . . . . . . 269
Where Things Go 269
Naming Conventions 277

19. Active Record . . . . . . . . . . . . 281

Defining Your Data 281
Locating and Traversing Records 286

Ъ
 Contents • viii

Creating, Reading, Updating, and Deleting (CRUD) 290

Participating in the Monitoring Process 304
Transactions 310

20. Action Dispatch and Action Controller . . . . . . 315

Dispatching Requests to Controllers 316
Processing of Requests 325
Objects and Operations That Span Requests 337

21. Action View . . . . . . . . . . . . 347

Using Templates 347
Generating Forms 349
Processing Forms 352
Uploading Files to Rails Applications 354
Using Helpers 357
Reducing Maintenance with Layouts and Partials 364

22. Migrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373

Creating and Running Migrations 373
Anatomy of a Migration 376
Managing Tables 380
Advanced Migrations 385
When Migrations Go Bad 388
Schema Manipulation Outside Migrations 389

23. Nonbrowser Applications . . . . . . . . . 391

A Stand-Alone Application Using Active Record 391
A Library Function Using Active Support 392

24. Rails’ Dependencies . . . . . . . . . . 399

Generating XML with Builder 399
Generating HTML with ERB 401
Managing Dependencies with Bundler 403
Interfacing with the Web Server with Rack 406
Automating Tasks with Rake 409
Survey of Rails’ Dependencies 411

25. Rails Plugins . . . . . . . . . . . . 415

Credit Card Processing with Active Merchant 415
Beautifying Our Markup with Haml 417
 Contents • ix

Pagination 420
Finding More at RailsPlugins.org 422

26. Where to Go from Here . . . . . . . . . . 425

A1. Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . 427
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429
 Foreword to the Rails 5 Edition
You’ve made a great decision to learn Ruby on Rails. The language, framework,
and community have never been in better shape, and the community has
never been easier to join than it is today. The early days of the frontier are
gone, and while some of the cowboy excitement went with it, what we have
instead is a sophisticated, modern, and functional state.

The spoils of such progress will hopefully become apparent as you work your
way through this book. Ruby on Rails takes care of an inordinate amount of
what most developers need most of the time. In the world of web development,
that’s an awful lot! An overwhelming lot at times.

But don’t be intimidated. You don’t need to understand every fine point and
every minutia before you can begin to make progress. Ruby on Rails has been
designed to flatten the learning curve as much as possible while at the same
time encouraging you to level up over time.

Becoming an expert in full-stack web development won’t happen overnight.

Even Ruby on Rails can’t replace the inherent depth of knowledge required
to understand every facet, from HTTP to databases to JavaScript to object-
oriented best practices to testing methodologies. One day you’ll be able to
converse fluently about all that, but don’t worry or expect that to be “twenty-
one days from now” (or whatever snake-oil sales speak some publishers might
try to push on you).

The journey from here to there is half the fun. You’ve arrived in a community
that cares an extraordinary amount about the craft of writing great software
for the web. This might seem a little strange at first: is it really possible to
care that much whether an if-statement is at the beginning of a conditional
or if it’s an unless-statement at the end? Yes, yes it is. Helping more program-
mers develop an eye for such details is a big part of our mission here.

Because Ruby on Rails isn’t just about getting stuff done quickly. That’s part
of it, but it’s the lesser one. The greater appeal is in making software for the

report erratum • discuss

 Foreword to the Rails 5 Edition • xii

web fun, rewarding, and inspiring. To make learning all the nooks and cran-
nies of our crazy craft an adventure.

Every new version of Rails expands the scope of what we try to tackle
together. This is unapologetically not a minimalist framework. And Rails 5.0
is no different. With this major new version we’ve opened the door to a major
new domain: the real-time web. You’re in for a real treat here as well.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. You have much to learn, and I can’t wait
to see what you do with it. I’ve been programming in Ruby and working on
Rails for the past thirteen years. It never ceases to inspire and motivate me
to see new developers discover our wonderful language and framework for
the first time. In some ways, I’m even jealous.

Welcome to Ruby on Rails!

David Heinemeier Hansson

report erratum • discuss

 Preface to the Rails 5 Edition
Rails 1.0 was released in December 2005. In the more than ten years since,
it has gone from a relatively unknown leading-edge tool to a successful and
stable foundation with a large set of associated libraries that others benchmark
themselves against.

The book you’re about to read was there from the start, and it has evolved
with Rails. It began as a full reference to a small framework when online
documentation was scarce and inconsistent. It’s now an introduction to the
entire Rails ecosystem—one that leaves you with many pointers to more
information that you can explore based on your needs and desires.

This book didn’t just evolve along with Rails; Rails evolved with it. It’s been
developed in consultation with the Rails core team. Not only is the code you’ll
see in the book tested against each release of Rails, but the converse is also
true: Rails itself is tested against the code in this book and won’t be released
until those tests pass.

So, read this book with confidence that the scenarios not only work but also
describe how the Rails developers themselves feel about how best to use Rails.
We hope you get as much pleasure out of reading this book as we had in
developing it.

This book covers Rails 5.0. Although many of the commands you’ll be using
are replacements for older ones, the underlying development model remains
the same. Even the major new features compared to Rails 4.0 (for example,
the web console and Action Cable) are available as gems that can be added
to applications running on prior releases of Rails. This is an evolutionary
release, not a revolutionary one.

By far the biggest new feature in Rails 5 is Action Cable, both in terms of
lines of code and potential impact. Yet it receives comparatively little coverage
in this book. What’s up with that?

report erratum • discuss

 Preface to the Rails 5 Edition • xiv

It turns out that how hard something is to implement has little bearing on
how much coverage (in terms of absolute page count) that topic should have
in a book. And while importance is a factor, it’s not the only factor.

Following is a behind-the-scenes look into the thought process underlying

this book’s coverage of various features that are either new or significantly
changed in Rails 5. I start with three major features that seemingly get little
coverage. I follow with three minor features that have had comparatively more
impact on the book. And I close with an observation as to why this might be.
Even if you’re new to Rails and don’t yet understand all of the terms mentioned
here, seeing the thought process that went into this edition should help you
understand what this book is trying to accomplish:

Action Cable
Action Cable is an impressive feat of engineering. It required new web
standards to be created. It required waiting for those standards to be
implemented in an ubiquitous manner. It requires changes in a number
of server components—to the point that the Rails team switched its web
server from WEBRick to Puma.

My first thought was to describe how to build a chat application on top

of Action Cable. But a chat application turns out to be deceptively difficult
to get right. I discussed this with David Heinemeier Hansson, and he
suggested that I use something smaller to focus more on what Rails pro-
vides and less on what it would take to build a specific type of application.

So we went with something considerably simpler: dynamically updating

a price. This contains all of the essentials (defining a channel, creating a
subscription, and sending a message). Once you’ve mastered these basics,
the type of application you build is limited only by your imagination.

Rails API
If you’re big into Backbone.js, AngularJS, React, or any similar framework,
you might find this feature to be handy. It defines a subset of Rails tailored
for this type of application.

There are two problems here. The first problem is that this API is essen-
tially a subset of Rails, so little is new. Second, and more important,
there’s no one universal JavaScript framework that can be used as a
baseline.

If it weren’t for the second problem, this could be covered as a next step
to the section Interfacing with the Web Server with Rack, on page 406. But,
alas, there are multiple JavaScript frameworks, and each has a significant

report erratum • discuss

Random documents with unrelated
content Scribd suggests to you:
"We sit round a table, and lay our hands upon it so as to cover as
large a surface as possible; the thumbs must touch, and the little
fingers of each hand be in contact with the little fingers of the one
on either side, so as to form a complete circle. You must not allow
any other part of your person or dress to touch the table, or the
communication will be interrupted; and it is better not to talk or
laugh, but to be perfectly quiet and intent on your object."
Thus fully instructed, I went home bent on experimenting. Who
could tell but that I should go to my room at night followed by all
the furniture in the drawing-room in a slow procession? Though thus
extravagant in my hopes, I showed a proper humility in my first
attempts, selecting a very small tea-poy as the object of my
experiment. I obtained an assistant, a lady, who, at first, when
seated opposite to me with her hands outspread on the table before
her, having nothing else to do, was very much inclined to converse,
but, at my earnest entreaty, she relapsed into silence; and thus we
sat for two weary hours. I had been told that my fingers would
tingle, and they did tingle, and that was the sole result of this
patient waiting. Tired out at last, we came to the conclusion either
that, in our ignorance, we had neglected something essential to the
success of the attempt, or that we were entirely deficient in that
mysterious physical agent, of which some other persons seemed to
possess such a super-abundance.
After having been pursued all night by tables, from which my utmost
efforts hardly enabled me to escape, I arose with a nightmare-
feeling of oppression upon me, for which a walk in the bracing air of
a cold bright day in February seemed the best remedy.
"I will run over directly after breakfast to Mrs. Atwood's, to get the
receipt for that new pudding, which she promised me, and then
return and devote the rest of the morning to making calls," thought
I.
And, accordingly, a little after nine, I put my head into Mrs. Atwood's
sitting-room.
"I won't come in, thank you, this morning," said I, in answer to her
invitation. "I cannot stay a minute. I merely came to ask for the
receipt for that apple and tapioca pudding. Henrietta isn't as well as
usual to-day, and I thought she might like it. Oh, you are trying to
move a table! Don't let me disturb you, then. How do you succeed?"
"Not very well this morning," said Mrs. Atwood; "but last night we
were very successful. It was our first attempt, too. Jane brought
home such wonderful accounts from the sewing society, that we
could not rest until we had made a trial of our powers. I think this
morning we need a little more assistance, as some of the children
have gone to school. I wish you would stay a little while and help
us."
"I should be very happy to do so," said I, yielding to her solicitations
and my own curiosity, and coming forward; "but I am afraid I should
be a hindrance rather than an assistance." And I related my failure
of the preceding evening.
I found Mrs. Atwood, her two eldest daughters, and one of her boys
sitting anxiously, with outspread hands, round a very small table. A
more miserable, distressed-looking child than the little white-headed
Charles Atwood I do not think I have ever seen.
"I made Charley come in from his play to help us," said Mrs. Atwood,
"because Jane was told that light-haired people possess more of that
peculiar electric power, or whatever it is, than any other. Charley is
the only member of our family who has light hair. Sit still, my son,"
she added, as Charley gave the table a little nervous kick.
There was a long silence, broken only once when Charley looked up,
with his face full of some deep purpose, and inquired the very lowest
price for which wigs could be bought. The question being considered
irrelevant, the only answer the poor child received was a shake of
the head and a frown from his mother. A peculiar whistle, the
familiar signal of one of his favorite companions, threw Charley into
such a state of painful suffering that, in commiseration for him, I
consented to take his place. He bounded off in an ecstasy of joy, and
I took no more note of time till we heard the clock strike eleven. In
the mean time, the table had quivered twice, and once moved about
an inch. With a sort of Jonah-like feeling, I arose, saying—
"It is useless for me to try longer; I am convinced that I rather
retard the movements of the table than assist you." And, bidding her
good-morning, I turned my steps homeward.
As I passed the house of one of my acquaintances, my attention was
arrested by a tap on the window—a phenomenon that never
happened in Westbridge before within my recollection. I obeyed the
summons, and found the whole family assembled, gazing in gleeful
wonder at the clumsy antics a table was playing under the guidance
of three of its members. One of these was a light-haired boy of
about thirteen. There was a sober mischief lurking in his face that
awoke a slight suspicion in my mind.
"Are you sure that Robert is not using a little muscular force?" asked
I.
"Bob? Oh no; he wouldn't do such a thing. He knows how anxious
we are to discover the truth that lies at the bottom of these strange
developments. And look how lightly his hands rest on the table—the
fingers hardly touch it. But Bob has a great deal of electricity about
him."
He looked as though he had.
"And I have observed," continued Mrs. Dutton, "that boys and very
young men are more successful than any others in moving tables."
If that had not been announced to me as a scientific fact, I should
have regarded it as a suspicious circumstance. But manner has a
great effect, and Mrs. Dutton's grand emphatic way impressed me so
strongly that I listened with the unquestioning reliance of an
ignorant, but trusting disciple.
I watched the table as it went reeling and pitching, in a blind and
purposeless sort of way, about the room, closely attended by the
three who had set it in motion.
"Now take your hands off, and perhaps it will follow you," said I.
That was an unfortunate request of mine, for, with the lifting of the
hands, all movement in the table ceased. Bob took the opportunity
thus afforded him, and made his escape from the room. We spent a
long time in trying to "charge the table," as we called it in our
wisdom, again, but were unsuccessful. I was astonished in the midst
of our attempts, and just as the table began to make its usual quiver
preparatory to a start, to hear the clock strike three. I hastened
home to dinner without the receipt, and with the pudding and the
calls still unmade, but with my mind so full of perplexed wonder at
what I had seen and heard, that I hardly gave a thought to my
omissions.
We were discussing the matter in a family circle in the evening, and
I presume most of the other households in Westbridge were
engaged in the same way, when two young ladies were shown into
the parlor.
"We have come to borrow one of your tables—your very smallest,
Mrs. Forsyth; and, Pauline, we want you to come back with us. You
know how these experiments are tried, I believe. Mrs. Dutton says
you were in there this morning, and saw how they did it. We have
been trying in vain for the last hour, and at last I came to the
conclusion that our tables were all too large, and I told mamma I
was sure you would lend us one, and come and see if we omitted
anything essential."
"Certainly," said I, "I will do all I can—that is very little. I have not
succeeded yet in any attempt I have made. How shall we get the
table carried round? Our servants are unfortunately out or engaged."
"Oh, we can carry it ourselves," said Miss Preston, an enthusiast,
whom no trifling obstacles daunted; and we passed through the
quiet streets of Westbridge carrying the table between us, and
amusing ourselves with the curious surprise of the few pedestrians
we met, as the full moonlight fell on us and our burden.
At Mrs. Preston's I was successful for the first time. The table
quivered, then rocked, then tilted, and at last moved a little this way
and that—not much, but just enough to lift from my mind the
oppressive feeling of my own inability to do that of which all the
men, women, and children in Westbridge seemed to be capable.
When I returned in the evening, I was told that another one of our
set of small tea-poys had been borrowed by another neighbor; and
for the succeeding fortnight there was little heard or thought of in
Westbridge but moving tables. We ran into each other's houses
unceremoniously in the evening, and met in little social groups, and
our town began to wear another aspect.
But the heresy of involuntary muscular action had arisen in some
way. The person who first broached the opinion, abashed perhaps
by the indignant disapprobation with which it was received, had
shrunk back into silence, but his opinion remained and was gaining
ground. The parties began to run high. The people in Westbridge
who had performed such wonders with their electric or magnetic
force felt called upon to stand their ground and give some
convincing proof that they had not all this time been duping
themselves.
Those who had lately been devoting themselves to scientific
experiments were invited to a soirée at Mrs. Dutton's. A few
disbelievers in the science were also asked, that the examination
might be carried on fairly and openly.
On entering the drawing-room at Mrs. Dutton's, I found the
company already assembled. I saw all the familiar faces I had met
so often lately around, not the festive, but the scientific board, and
mingled with them were few not so often seen of late. Seated in the
place of honor, on the luxurious sofa, were two stout and stately
dowagers, guarding between them their niece, Edith Floyd, a lovely,
blooming little beauty of sixteen, with brown eyes and fair hair
falling in soft curls on either side of her face. Nearly opposite to her,
and leaning against a door, stood Reginald Archer, a young Virginian,
at that time a student at the college in Westbridge.
It was a rare event to meet a college student in the society of the
place, for so many of them had acted the part of the false young
knight "who loves and who rides away," that they had been for some
time laboring under a kind of polite ostracism. But Mr. Archer had
connections in the town, which fact accounted for his exception from
the social banishment to which his companions were doomed. The
first sight of Edith Floyd had so captivated him, that ever since he
had been trying, but trying in vain, to obtain an introduction to her.
She was so carefully watched and secluded by her two guardians,
that this was the first evening that Mr. Archer had found himself in
the same room with her. Even then he did not feel equal to
encountering her imposingly dignified aunts, and stood waiting for a
more favorable opportunity of forming her acquaintance.
Moving about from one group to another, talking in an excited,
earnest way, was Mr. Harrison, the only man in all Westbridge who
had expressed an utter disbelief in the whole movement from the
first to the last. Even the idea of involuntary or unconscious
muscular action was scouted at by him. There had not been a table
moved in the town, he said, which had not been done by some
person who was perfectly conscious of what he or she was doing. He
would not reason nor listen to reason on the subject. It was too
purely absurd, he said, for argument. He never entered a room
where it was going on without being thrown out of all patience, and
yet he haunted the tables and the groups around them, as if he
found some strange fascination about them, talking, jesting, and
inveighing at our ridiculous credulity, and doing his utmost to stem
the tide that was so strong against him. But it was all to no purpose.
Mrs. Dutton said, in her oracular way, that "Mr. Harrison had no
faith, and faith was the key to knowledge."
Though thus summarily disposed of, he fought on still, not a whit
discouraged by his want of success or the little credit he gained for
himself.
After selecting with care a suitable table, those of the company who
chose to be the experimenters placed themselves around it, and the
number and variety of the fingers that were spread on that little
surface was quite wonderful to behold. Under such experienced
hands, the table performed its part to admiration. Its mode of
progression was awkward and angular, to be sure; but what could be
expected from the first attempt of a candlestand? It began at last to
turn with such rapidity that it was followed with difficulty, and the
laughing, confusion, and bustle occasioned by the endeavor to keep
pace with its irregular movements created a merry turmoil seldom
seen in a decorous assembly in Westbridge. Suddenly, the table
made an unexpected tilt nearly to the floor, thus releasing itself from
most of the hands laid upon it. The rest, satisfied with the result of
the experiment, withdrew their fingers and went to receive the
congratulations of the company.
Mrs. Dutton, in a state of high excitement, turned to Mr. Harrison
and asked his opinion.
"You have humbugged each other most successfully," said he, too
intolerant of the affair to be very choice in his expressions.
Mr. Archer, to whom the whole proceedings were new and strange,
and who had had his attention about equally divided between the
table and Edith Floyd, said, in a low voice, to Mr. Harrison—
"If I were to find myself seated with hands outspread at a table,
waiting for it to move, I should certainly think that my head was a
little touched."
"You are the only sensible person in Westbridge—besides myself,"
said Mr. Harrison, warmly.
Meantime, Ellwood Floyd, Edith's brother, desirous to repeat the
experiment, had seated himself at the table, and was endeavoring to
obtain assistants. But, satisfied and tired, most of the company were
more inclined to talk.
"Come, Edith," said he, impatiently.
She looked beseechingly at her aunts, who, with some reluctance,
gave their consent. They evidently regarded her as some precious
jewel, which they were afraid to trust for one moment out of their
care, for fear they should be rifled of it.
With blushing eagerness, Edith hastened to her brother's side, and
two little hands, white and soft as snow-flakes, fell softly on the
table. Instantly, two other hands, whose aristocratic beauty of form
Lord Byron might have envied, although their color was somewhat of
the brownest, were placed beside them.
"Introduce me, if you please," asked Mr. Archer, in a whisper, of a
cousin of his, a lady who was standing near; and, the ceremony
being performed, Mr. Archer felt inclined to bless the credulity which
had thus enabled him to accomplish what had been for many
months the desire of his heart.
Mr. Harrison looked on in astonishment.
"Is it possible!" he exclaimed.
"I begin to think there is something in it," said Mr. Archer.
"Is your brain turned too?"
"Perhaps it is a little," said Mr. Archer, with a half smile, while a flush
stole over his face. He would not on any account have Mr. Harrison,
the greatest tease in Westbridge, suspect the true reason for his
sudden change.
All farther attempts at conversation were strictly forbidden by Mr.
Floyd, who took upon himself the direction of the experiment. Three
other ladies had joined, but he still looked about for more recruits.
"Come, Mr. Lamb," asked he of a large, mild-looking man, who had
gathered himself up in a corner, as if he were laboring under a
constant apprehension that he took up too much room in the world,
"you will help us, I know."
Mr. Lamb begged to be excused, and the effort of speaking before so
many brought a faint pink tinge to his face.
"Have you no faith either?" asked Mr. Harrison.
"You would not ask that, if you had seen him as I did yesterday,"
said Mr. Floyd, "sitting with outstretched hands over a large dining-
table. He told me, when I went in, that he had been there all the
afternoon, and had not yet produced the slightest effect."
Mr. Lamb's face was by this time a deep crimson, and, feeling it
useless to attempt to withdraw any longer from observation, he
advanced to the table and placed upon it a pair of hands so large,
soft, and yielding that, when they at last stopped spreading, seemed
to cover two-thirds of the table.
"Ah, that is something like!" said Mr. Floyd, highly satisfied with his
new recruit.
But yet the table did not move as soon as before. Several times I
fancied I observed a preparatory quiver in it, and the exclamations
of those around it showed that they also were in expectation of
some decided result; but we were as often disappointed. Looking
closely, I thought that Mr. Archer's hands rested more heavily on the
table than was expedient. I suggested this to him, and he thanked
me politely, and showed such an evident desire to do nothing out of
rule that he quite won my approval.
"My fingers are tingling," said one of the ladies.
"So are mine," said Mr. Archer.
But nothing came of it. After a long waiting, Edith Floyd burst out
with, "I am so tired!" in a low, sighing whisper.
Instantly, the table began to move, very slowly and cautiously at
first. But soon it increased its velocity, until the excited group around
it could hardly keep pace with it. It whirled from one end of the
drawing-room to the other with a rapidity never before seen in
Westbridge.
"Not so bad a substitute for the waltz," said Mr. Harrison, as he
watched the movers running, laughing, and exclaiming, mingled in
apparently inextricable confusion. "I would not object to take a turn
myself."
That was an unfortunate speech. One by one the movers withdrew
their hands, until at last Mr. Lamb was left alone standing by the
table in the middle of the room. In great confusion, he retired, and
very soon the company dispersed.
That was the climax of the table-moving mania in Westbridge. What
might have happened, if we had gone on, cannot be conjectured.
We might all have been hearing mysterious rappings, and conversing
with those most earthy spirits, whose utter barrenness and poverty
of intellect have not hindered them from misleading some of our
thoughtful and earnest minds.
The very day after Mrs. Dutton's soirée, Professor Faraday's
exposition of the whole jugglery came out, and even the
"Westbridge Chronicle" had the barbarity to publish it, "for the
benefit," it said, "of some of its readers," when everybody in
Westbridge knew that the editor had piqued himself on the
possession of more electricity than any one else in town. The subject
of table-moving is now a forbidden one in Westbridge. I have not
heard an allusion to it for the last six month.
Yet, I fancy, it has produced some results; for Edith's two aunts, who
were wont to delight in the most severe strictures on the young men
of the present day, now make, in their sweeping assertions, a
marked exception in favor of Mr. Reginald Archer.
 INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING
ORNAMENTS IN RICE SHELL-
WORK.
[THIRD AND CONCLUDING ARTICLE.]

BASKET IN RICE SHELL-WORK.

We have hitherto only described those rice-shell ornaments which
are adapted for wear. It is time we proceed to describe some of
those ornamental articles for the drawing-room which can be
manufactured, and which, from their delicacy, lightness, and rarity,
are admirably adapted for presents.
Baskets of various kinds and forms may be made, either of the shells
only, or of shells and card-board. Perforated card-board is the best
when that material is used, as it saves trouble, and forms the
pattern more evenly.
If we would make a card-basket or tray, for the reception of visitors'
cards, the requisite number of pieces to form the article must be
shaped out from the colored perforated card-board, and the pattern
or arabesque, which is to be worked on it with the shells, pencilled.
Colored card-board should be used, because that throws up the pure
white of the shells. Having joined the different pieces together which
form the basket, by sewing them with fine chenil, or silk twist, we
take about half a yard of the finest silver wire and attach it to the
basket at the place we purpose commencing the pattern, and bring
it through one of the holes or perforations just there. We then
thread a shell on it, and pass the wire through another hole so
situated as, when the wire is drawn tight, to cause the shell to lie in
that direction which will make it fall into its right position in the
pattern. The wire must then be returned to the right side again, and
another shell threaded on it, and the same manœuvre gone
through; or, if it be intended to work a shell pattern inside and
outside the basket, a second shell must be threaded on the wire
before it is returned to the right side, and that adjusted into its place
by a proceeding similar to the one just described. It is, however,
difficult to manage the two patterns at once; one is sure to mar the
other to a greater or less extent; therefore, it will always be best
either to make the basket very open and tray-shaped, and to work
the pattern on the inside, which will then be the only one much
seen; or else to make it rather close and upright, so as to show
chiefly the outside, and to work the pattern there.
Baskets may be made of unperforated card-board by gumming the
pattern with a very thick solution of gum-dragon, and then sticking
the shells on in their proper places.
In all kinds of baskets made with rice-shells, the back of the shell is
to form the surface, and the opening to be turned inwards.
The basket, of which we have given a cut, is composed of shells,
and the coarsest of the three sizes of silver wire. It is made in
lattice-work, or squares, and requires some art to mould or shape it
into form.
We commence at the bottom, and with the central square. A length
of wire, measuring twelve or fourteen inches, must be taken, and
the small shells used. Thread four shells on the wire, arranging them
so that the point of the first meets the point of the second, and the
end of the second meets the end of the third; while the point of the
third meets the point of the fourth. Push them along the wire to
within about an inch of the end, then bend them into a square, and
twist the short end of the wire firmly and neatly with the other, and
cut off the superfluous bit. Now thread three shells on the wire, so
arranged that the end of the first and the point of the third shall
meet the corresponding end and point of that shell of the square
already formed, which, when these three are bent into their
positions, will constitute the fourth side of this second square. Loop
the wire through the corner of the foundation square, and we have
the second completed.
A certain firmness, divested, however, of tightness, is requisite in
performing these manipulations; for, if the shells are jammed too
closely together, the work will have an uneven, stiff appearance,
whereas, if they are left too loose, the fabric will never set in form,
and will look slovenly. The drawing the wire through the corners of
the preceding squares, in order to complete the one which is being
worked, too, is a nice operation, which must be gently done, or we
may crack the work; and securely and neatly managed, or the
squares will not be firm and compact.
Three shells are now again to be symmetrically threaded, and
formed into a square, and fastened down to the central one. Two
other squares are then to be formed in like manner, and we now
have five, or one on each of the four sides of the foundation square.
All the sixteen shells used for this should be small, and as nearly as
possible of a size.
The wire is now passed up through the inside of the shell nearest to
it, and it will be found that the next round of squares will be formed,
first, by threading two shells, and bending them into position, and
fastening them down at the corner, over the place where the
preceding round has left us two sides of a square, and then by
threading three shells, and bringing them into shape, where we have
only one side ready for us. The two shells, and the three shells, used
alternately, will produce another round, consisting of eight squares.
Care must be taken to use shells of equal size for a round, although
in each fresh round the size of the shells should be in a slight degree
increased. The backs of the shells must all lie one way, and the
openings the other; the latter constitutes the inside of the basket, as
they do not look so uniform and handsome.
The following engraving will give an idea of the appearance of the
fabric in an early stage.
When it is necessary to take a fresh length of wire, it must be joined
on close to the corner of a completed square, by twisting it firmly
and neatly with the end of the length just used up, and cutting up
the superfluous point.
The third round is formed as the second, by using alternately the
two and the three shells as required to complete the squares.
The number of rounds which are to be worked for the bottom
depends entirely upon the size which we design to make the basket.
In general, these three, or at any rate four rounds, will be sufficient
to make a very pretty sized one.
The next round is to be worked exactly in the same way and with
exactly the same sized shells as the last one of the bottom, and,
after it is worked, it is to be turned up like a rim all round. This
commences the basket itself.
These rounds are now to be added with the small shells, and shaped
into form; and then the middle-sized shells, in rounds of gradually
increasing size, are to be used for about six rounds; and then the
large shells, in gradually increasing size, are to be brought in use
and continued until the basket is finished.
It will soon be perceived, while working, that it will occasionally be
necessary to miss a square, or to add one or more here and there in
order to preserve the raised, and opened, and rounded form
requisite for the oval of a basket. The symmetrical arrangement of
the points and ends must be carefully attended to, or else the star-
like combinations, which add so materially to the appearance of the
fabric, will be marred or lost.
A pair of tweezers, or very small nippers, may be used for twisting
the wire when fastening on a fresh length, as the fingers will thus be
saved, and additional firmness obtained.
Having raised the basket-work to the required height, which, when
the bottom consists of four rounds, should be about six inches, a
piece of round silk wire, either white or colored, and exactly the size,
but not larger than the circle of the top of the basket, must be
taken, and firmly attached to the edge of the basket with middle-
sized wire; this is to give shape and firmness to the work, and to this
another piece of wire is attached, to form the handle.
The basket must now be trimmed, and for this purpose we make
two light and graceful wreaths, one long enough to go round the top
of the basket, and the other as long as the handle. The single flower,
the bud, the spiral group, and leaves of seven or nine shells each,
are what will be required for an ordinary-sized basket. When the
wreath is made in simple rice shell-work, the stems must be twisted,
and the wreath bound together with fine silver wire, and attached to
the handle and to the circular wire with the same; the silk wire used
must be white.
If, however, the wreath is to be made in the "composite" style, light
flower-seeds or small glass beads may be introduced into the centre
of the flowers, and the stems may be wound, and the wreaths put
together with floss silk, and then they are to be attached to the
handle and circular wire with fine chenil. The following combinations
are pretty and effective: beads or seeds of pink, or yellow, or coral,
or blue, and the stems of the flowers and buds wound with silk to
match, the stems of the leaves wound with green, and the wreaths
attached in their places with green chenil. There should not be more
than two colors, the green and one other, used at a time, and these
should be delicate shades; for the shells have so pure and light an
appearance, that anything in the least degree showy or gaudy spoils
the effect of the whole.
Pendent from below each end of the handle, should be a grape-like
bunch of shells, not set on so closely together as in the wheat-ear,
or so far apart as in a leaf, and reaching about half way down the
basket.
When completed, the article should be placed under a glass case to
preserve it from dust and injury, and a few wax or artificial flowers
may be tastefully arranged in it with advantage.
A square basket, or a long, straight-sided one, or one in almost any
given shape, may be made in this lattice-work, by manufacturing
each piece separately, and in the required shape, and then lacing
them together with silver wire, chenil, or twist. There is, however, no
trimming more graceful, or better adapted for them, than the
wreath.
If thought fit, the wreath, however, need only be put round the top
of the basket, and the handle made of a succession of squares of
the kind we have described.
Light wreaths, either of "simple" or "composite" rice shell-work, may,
with very pretty effect, be entwined around alabaster vases or
baskets.
For wedding-cakes, rice-shell wreaths and bouquets, with silver
bullion in the flowers, are both tasteful and appropriate.
Intermingled with groups of the wax, or artificial, or feather, or
paper flowers, the shell-leaves and double and daisy flowers look
very pretty.
As the shells never wear out, when any ornament is crushed, or
soiled, or tarnished, it can be cut up, the wires picked out, and the
shells, when washed and dried, will be ready to be used again and
again.
But we are sure that we have suggested quite enough to our readers
to enable them to devise for themselves many other pretty and
fanciful uses for this work, and we feel convinced that, when once
they have overcome the first difficulties of learning it, they will find
pleasure in seeing the graceful articles that will, as it were, develop
themselves under their busy fingers.
And so we now take our leave of this subject for the present,
commending it to the favorable attention of those who may have
taken the trouble to peruse what we have written.
 ROMAN WOMEN IN THE DAYS
OF THE CÆSARS.
BY H. P. HAYNES.
The condition of woman constitutes an important part of the
complete history of any age or country. In her own appropriate
sphere, she exerts an influence, powerful and enduring, for the
political greatness, the moral grandeur, and general prosperity of a
state, as well as for its social peace and harmony. In her heart dwell,
for the most part, the charity, the virtue, the moral soundness of
communities, and, it almost might be said, the patriotism of a
people. Her character and condition are the character and condition
of the society of which she is a component part. In those countries
and climes where the female is made a slave, or treated with
unmerited severity, the males are not men, but the most brutal of
savages. Where civilization, Christianity, and refinement allow
woman her proper level, man is the exponent of real humanity and
intelligence. The annals of ages are but an accumulation of evidence
establishing these truths.
The graver of the Athenians, in the age of Pericles, attributed the
decline of those virtues which, in all ages, have been considered the
brightest ornaments of the sex, and the consequent increase of vice
in the republic, to the pernicious influence of the beautiful and
fascinating Aspasia. To her they imputed the crime of seducing the
first orator and statesman of his time. On the other hand, the stern
virtue, the heroism, the self-denying patriotism of the sons of
Sparta, were legacies from their mothers. They shunned no dangers,
feared no enemy, shrank from no hardship, and, when they met an
honorable death in combat with the invaders of Grecian soil, the
brave-hearted matrons consoled themselves with the idea that for
this purpose they had given birth to children.
When Carthage was for the last time besieged by the Romans, the
patriotic women of that devoted city imparted to her warrior
defenders a portion of their heroism and love of country, and cut off
their tresses for bowstrings for the archers.
Roman history has described with great minuteness the
extraordinary virtue and the excellent domestic habits of Lucretia,
her sad fate, and the sympathy it awakened, and the indignation it
aroused in the hearts of all good citizens. Her sacred regard for her
own honor—that honor insulted by a corrupt nobleman, an
unprincipled monarch—proved a death-blow to kingly power for a
season in Rome. Whether the story of Lucretia be a cunningly-
devised fable, or veritable, sober history, is not material, since it
illustrates a principle well substantiated by all history and
observation, that insults to female virtue and honor do not escape
unavenged. Cleopatra, the beautiful and accomplished Egyptian
queen, subdued successively the hearts of two stern Romans—
heroes who had met the wildest shocks of battle undismayed, and
who had never quailed with fear, nor scarce melted with pity. In her
magic fingers hung, at an important crisis, the fate of the Roman
empire. Her influence was as destructive as her presence was
potential and commanding. These are marked instances of woman's
influence, and of her characteristics.
The reign of Octavius Cæsar was the golden age of Rome. At that
period, the almost unlimited control of the civilized world was hers.
Her colonies were planted on every shore of the known world—the
Roman eagles triumphed in every clime. Three continents paid her
tribute. One intervening sea washed their shores and wafted her
fleets. Extensive sway and the contributions of wealthy nations had
not only rendered her proud and insolent, but corrupt, and, in a
measure, cruel. The principal distinctions in her society were those
of wealth and power, rather than of talents, sobriety, and virtue. The
corrupt and the vile were, for the most part, the esteemed and
highly favored.
There were numerous instances, it is true, of patriotism, virtue, and
highmindedness among Roman citizens of this period, well worthy of
imitation and remembrance. There was a sort of refinement of which
the earlier Romans did not boast, and which they openly
condemned. Grecian art and learning, combined with the wealth and
vices introduced from the East, had wrought a great change in the
national character and habits. Republican simplicity had given place
to excessive extravagance and prodigality. In this, as in every age,
woman acted no indifferent part in the everyday drama of Roman
life. She was herself extravagant, and, if the history of that period be
truly narrated, not always a discourager of vice and dissipation.
Cicero, the greatest intellect Rome ever produced, with the
exception, it may be, of Julius Cæsar, lived at this age in Rome, and
contributed, in no small degree, to give it the title golden. He was,
we are told, not only of the highest order of human intelligences, but
a man of wisdom and purity of character. While he united in his own
person all the noble qualifications of an able statesman, a brilliant
scholar and orator, a learned and ingenious lawyer, and a good
citizen, as well as a devoted father and husband, his first wife,
Teruntia, was nearly the opposite. That he did not lack in kindness
towards her, his known characteristics and disposition, as well as his
letters to her when at a distance, fully prove. His social qualities
eminently fitted him to discharge the duties of a husband in the
most amiable manner. Teruntia, though of a rich and noble family,
was of a turbulent and impetuous spirit, negligent, intriguing, and
finally became so uncongenial a companion to the illustrious orator
that he became divorced from her. He afterwards connected himself
by marriage with another Roman lady of great wealth; but from her
likewise he separated himself, finding her destitute of social
kindness, domestic affection, and humanity.
Tullia, Cicero's daughter, is awarded a high rank among Roman
ladies of her time; but she was thrice married, and as many times
divorced. The cause may not have been hers so much as her
husband's, or it may have been more attributable to the loose
morals of the age than to either party in particular. If, however, Tullia
was wanting in those domestic qualities so necessary to the
permanent calm of married life, she was not destitute of learning
and the polite accomplishments of her time. She is said, by Roman
historians, to have been an "admirable woman"—affectionate and
piously observant of her father—one of the most learned of Roman
women.
In the earlier days of Rome, the noblest matrons were noted for
nothing more than their excellent domestic habits—industry,
frugality, and devotion to and affection for their families. The
greatness of that vast empire was founded not more in the devoted
patriotism and persevering energy of the Roman citizens, than in the
incorruptible virtue, the sacrificing spirits, and noble hearts of Roman
matrons. Not so in the declining days of the republic. Not so when
the robust and vigorous youth of the nation began to tremble with
advancing years, and to wreath its brow with gray hairs—a result not
of age and toil and serious care, but of dissipation and inglorious
ease, of wealth, and wine, and extravagant feasts. Not so when the
humble cottage, the home wherein dwelt domestic peace and
content, was exchanged for a marble palace, decorated with statues
and paintings, lined with Tyrian couches, bespangled with gold and
silver ornaments, and thronged with slaves. Not so when the Cæsars
and Mark Antony ruled the imperial city with hordes of mercenary
soldiers; nor when the republic was metamorphosed into an empire,
and all regard to life, property, and private right had, in a measure,
ceased. The social and domestic character of Roman society were so
sadly changed, and foreign vice and corruption became naturalized
to such an extent, that the decay of the empire is no marvel.
The simplicity and integrity of earlier times were the base on which
was reared a magnificent national superstructure. Thereon was
based the sure growth, the gradual, healthy expansion of Roman
power, till all the tribes and nations of the earth respected and
feared it. Therein consisted the peculiar glory of Rome's first estate
—of her earlier conquests—that force of character and energy of
action that wearied Pyrrhus, conquered Mithridates, and
overwhelmed Carthage. No coward dared return from a field which
he had dishonored to the bosom of his wife, his sister, or his family;
for they scorned and detested cowardice and unmanly and
unsoldierly behavior, while they honored bravery and patriotism,
whether manifested against the invaded or in an offensive war
against a foreign foe. They applauded whatever was noble,
generous, and manly; though, to gratify this spirit, husbands,
fathers, brothers, and sons were sacrificed on war's grim altar. The
inflexible mandates of the immortal gods were to be observed at
whatever cost.
The citizens were instruments in the hands of the deities to avenge
wrongs, to enforce right, and to glorify the city of their birth. The
great dramatic bard, in "Coriolanus," makes Volumnia, the mother of
Marcius Coriolanus, say: "Hear me profess sincerely. Had I a dozen
sons, each in my love alike, and none less dear than thine and my
good Marcius, I had rather had eleven die nobly for his country than
one voluptously surfeit out of action." She but spoke the spirit of her
time; and her language is but the language of Roman matrons of
her age. Thus grew and flourished, as by magic forces and divine
ordination, the city of Romulus, the world's hope and dread, at once
the saviour and destroyer of civilization, whose porous social system
absorbed and quickly dissolved the mysteries of Egypt, the classic
beauties of Greece, and the wealth of the "exhaustless East."
But the great distinguishing trait in the Roman woman, in the days
of the republic and under the earlier kings, was her attention to
household employments. This the Roman expected of his wife—it
was enjoined upon her by the marriage rite. Thus, indeed, it was
among most of the more enlightened nations of antiquity. The noble
born of both sexes did not disdain to toil in their appropriate
spheres; the prince of royal blood was proud of holding the plough
and of acting the husbandman, and daughters of princes were not
ashamed to ply the needle or tend the distaff.
 "So it was of old
That woman's hand, amid the elements
Of patient industry and household good,
Reproachless wrought, twining the slender thread
From the light distaff; or, in the skilful loom,
Weaving rich tissues, or, with glowing tints
Of rich embroidery, pleased to decorate
The mantle of her lord. And it was well;
For in such sheltered and congenial sphere
Content with duty dwells."

The great veneration for home, and love for its pursuits and
associations, grew weaker and weaker as the state exchanged a
popular government for the reign of military dictators and kings. In
the Augustan age, though instances of female virtue, nobility, and
culture are not few, we find from the scanty records of female
history of those times extant, which, indeed, are merely incidental,
that woman is less often the ideal of self-sacrificing worth and of
retiring modesty, less noted for her attachment to her family, her
home, and her domestic pursuits, less careful in the training of her
children, than formerly. In earlier times, no Roman matron coveted
the infamous character of a masculine conspirator; no Roman
woman left her quiet hearth disgracefully to insult the remains of a
murdered citizen; no Roman woman had instigated a civil war, or
proscribed her victims for assassination.
Fulvia, the ambitious wife of Mark Antony, did all this. After the
assassination of Clodius, she raised a sedition. Imitating, or rather
out-rivalling the cruelty of her husband, she joined in his
proscriptions, that Roman blood might flow by Roman hands still
more freely. After the great Cicero had been slain in a spirit of the
most relentless and vindictive cruelty, and his head brought to
Antony, Fulvia took it on her knees, broke out in a torrent of
cowardly and abusive epithets on the character of the deceased, and
then, with the most fiendish inhumanity, pierced his tongue with her
golden bodkin. During the absence of her husband in the East, she
not only endeavored to stir up insurrections, but sold the
government of provinces and decreed unmerited triumphs. What an
eternity of infamy should be hers for such deeds as these! What an
example in the wife of a ruler for the imitation of an empire! When
such a spirit actuates the female mind, when coupled with ambition,
recommended by beauty and intelligence, and supported by power,
it is sadly to be deplored. That ambition which at any time induces
woman to step beyond her sphere, to take upon her shoulders
masculine responsibilities, to take part in political struggles and
sectional wrangles, to usurp the places and duties of those who
were created and destined to cherish and protect her, it is, for her
own sake, to be regretted. Such attempts are not only pernicious in
their influence, but they tend to render those unhappy who make
them. Such are the results of our reflection and observation, and
such is the lesson taught by impartial history.
In the life of Fulvia, however, we do not get a fair representation of
the female character of her time, but merely some of its tendencies.
A spirit of insubordination to the laws of place and the rules of
decorum; an overweening ambition that steps without household
limits; assumption of power far beyond the reach of female duties;
arrogance and haughtiness from the high official station of the
husband; vindictive cruelty to avenge a fancied or a real wrong;
prodigality and masculine pride, oftener perceptible in this age than
formerly—were unmistakable indications of its character and
tendencies. Yet the picture was not altogether sad, though at various
points dark shadows were visible. Here and there the heaviness of
the prospect was relieved by the most delightful views and cheering
lights. The wife of the second Brutus is portrayed by the great limner
of human character, in "Julius Cæsar," as worthy the beautiful tribute
bestowed by her husband.
In this play, Portia is made to act the part and display the genuine
qualities of a "true wife," understanding her duties as such, and
manifesting all due sympathy and affection for her husband, as is
shown where she beseeches Brutus to reveal to her why he is heavy
in heart, the secrets of his bosom, and what designs he cherishes:—
PORTIA.

Within the bond of marriage, tell me, Brutus,

Is it excepted I should know no secrets
But, as it were, in sort or limitation;
To keep with you at meals, comfort your bed,
And talk to you sometimes? Dwell I but in the suburbs
Of your good pleasure? If it be no more,
Portia is Brutus's harlot, not his wife.

BRUTUS.

You are my true and honorable wife!

As dear to me as are the ruddy drops
That visit my sick heart!

PORTIA.

Then should I know this secret.

I grant I am a woman; but, withal,
A woman that Lord Brutus took to wife:
I grant I am a woman; but, withal,
A woman well reputed—Cato's daughter.
Think you I am no stronger than my sex,
Being so fathered, and so husbanded?
Tell me your counsels; I will not disclose them.
I have given strong proof of my constancy,
Giving myself a voluntary wound.
————— Can I bear that with patience,
And not my husband's secrets?

BRUTUS.
 Oh, ye gods,
Render me worthy of this noble wife!

In the same play, Shakspeare would have us believe that Calpurnia,

wife of Cæsar, had quite persuaded her husband not to go to the
senate house on the fatal ides of March, though then and there he
was to be crowned and clothed with regal power. The apprehensions
she had raised in his mind were, however, dispelled by Oceius
Brutus.
Antony's second wife, Octavia, was quite the reverse of Fulvia in
character and disposition. She was of a gentle and peaceable spirit,
doing her strict duty to her husband long after he had ceased to
deserve her confidence or respect. The marriage, on the whole, was
an unhappy one, being suggested by policy and public expediency,
and effected for the purpose of uniting two powerful factions.
Octavia was, for a considerable period, instrumental in preventing a
rupture between her brother and husband, though that event finally
occurred, with the most disastrous consequences to Antony. Though
Antony was an able general, a man of capacity and great personal
courage, yet he had so involved himself in the dissipations and
luxuries of the Egyptian court, whose crowning star was Cleopatra,
that he was no match for the graver and more calculating Augustus.
The charms of Cleopatra had completely unmanned him, and
smothered, in a measure, his ambition.
Time did not serve to rally him from the lethargy, hopeless and fatal,
into which her spell had thrown him. The chains which bound him
grew stronger and stronger, and his desire to break them weaker
and weaker. This he attributed to her unrivalled beauty and the
extent and variety of her accomplishment, to depict which requires a
poet's pen and limner's art.
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