NOTES AND QUESTIONS For Biography, see page 49. =Historical Note.= John Hampden (1594-1643) was a celebrated English statesman and patriot. When Charles I attempted to impose a tax upon his subjects without the authority of Parliament, Hampden refused to pay. The King’s government brought suit against him, and although the case was decided against Hampden, later the House of Lords ordered the judgment of the court to be canceled. =Discussion.= 1. Why does the poet think England should be proud of America? 2. Name some of the rights won by those of “English blood” before this. 3. Read the lines that tell, in figurative language, what England and Englishmen will do when their rights are attacked. 4. Notice in the last stanza how the words _harmonies_, _note_, _chord_, _smote_, and _vibrate_ all help to carry out the thought, expressed in figurative language. 5. What was the “chord which Hampden smote”? 6. Is it still “vibrating”? 7. Did the poet use the same riming scheme in each of the stanzas? =Phrases= strong mother of a Lion-line, 340, 3 wrench’d their rights, 340, 5 in noble heat, 340, 6 thine arms withstood, 340, 7 re-taught the lesson thou hadst taught, 340, 8 thy rocky face, 340, 12 harmonies of law, 340, 16 ENGLAND TO FREE MEN JOHN GALSWORTHY Men of my blood, you English men! From misty hill and misty fen, From cot, and town, and plow, and moor. Come in—before I shut the door! Into my courtyard paved with stones That keep the names, that keep the bones, Of none but English men who came Free of their lives, to guard my fame. I am your native land who bred No driven heart, no driven head; I fly a flag in every sea Round the old Earth, of Liberty! I am the Land that boasts a crown; The sun comes up, the sun goes down— And never men may say of me, Mine is a breed that is not free. I have a wreath! My forehead wears A hundred leaves—a hundred years I never knew the words: “You must!” And shall my wreath return to dust? Freemen! The door is yet ajar; From northern star to southern star, O ye who count and ye who delve, Come in—before my clock strikes twelve! NOTES AND QUESTIONS =Biography.= John Galsworthy (1867-⸺) was born in Coombe, Surrey, England, and has led the life of the typical English gentleman. After spending five years at Harrow he went to Oxford University. In 1890 he was admitted to the bar, but he disliked the profession of law and never practiced it. He spent several years, after leaving college, in foreign travel, and did not begin to write until he was thirty years old. He has written a number of dramas dealing with social questions, such as “Justice” and “Strife.” He is also well-known for his short stories and novels. During the recent World War, Mr. Galsworthy served several months in an English hospital for French soldiers.