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THE POETICAL AND DRAMATIC
WORKS OF SAMUEL TAY
LOR COLER IDGE
FOUNDED ON THE AUTHOR’S LATEST EDITION OF
1 834 WITH MANY ADD ITIONAL P IECES NOW
FIRST INCLUDED AND WITH A COLL-EC
TION OF VARIOUS READINGS
IN FOUR VOLUM E S
VOLUME FOUR
finnbou
M A C M I L LA N AN D C O .
1 880
CONTENTS
REMORSE A TRAGEDY
ZAPOLYA : A CHRISTMAS TALE
REMOR S E.
A TRAGEDY. IN FIVE ACTS .
WRITTEN IN 1 797 .
[ F I RST P UB L I SHED IN
VOL. IV.
[Remorse . A Tragedy . In Five Acts . By S . T. Coleridge.
Lon don : Prin ted for W . POple , 67 , Chan cery Lan e , 18 13 .
Price Three Shillin gs , pp . x11 . , 7 2 . Con s iderab ly altered in
the Secon d an d Third Edition s , which appeared in the same
year.
Osorio . A Tragedy , as origin ally written in 1 797 by
Samu el Taylor Coleridge . Now first prin ted from a copyrecen tly discovered, with the variorum Readings of REMORSE ,an d a M on ograph on the History of the p lay in its earlier an d
laterform , by the Au thor of TENNYSON IANA. Lon don : J ohn
Pearson , 1873 , pp . xxrr. ,
P R E FA C E
T o THE FIRST ED I TI ON .
*
THIS Tragedy was wri tte n in the summ eran d au tumn
of the year 1797 , at Ne ther S towey, in the cou n ty of
S om erse t . By who se re comm e n dation , an d of the
man n er in which b oth the Play an d the Au thor were
tre ated by the recomm e n der, le t m e b e p erm itted to
re late that I kn ew of its hav in g b e e n rec e iv ed on ly b ya third perso n ; that I c o uld procure n e ither an swer
n or the man u script ; an d that b u t for an acc ide n t Ishou ld have had n o c opy of the work itself. That su chtreatm e n t wou ld damp a you n g man
’
s exertio n s may
b e eas ily c on c e ived : there was n o n e ed of after- mis
repre se n tat io n an d c alum n y, as an add ition al sedative .
A portion of the Preface prefixed to the play in man u
script, u n der its origin al n am e of Osorio , has b een preserved ,an d is here given
“ In this sketch of a Tragedy, all is imperfect an d much
ob scure . Am on g other equ ally great defects (m illston es rou n dthe slen der n eck of its m erits) it pre - suppo ses a lon g story ;
an d this lon g story, which yet is n ecessary to the completeu n derstan din g of the play , is n ot half told. Alb ert had sen t
a letter in form in g his fam ily that he shou ld arrive about su cha tim e by ship ; he was Shipwrecked ; an d wrote a privateletter to O sorio , in form in g him alon e of this acc iden t, that hem ight n ot shock Maria . O sorio destroyed the letter an d sen t
assassin s to m eet Alb ert Worse than all, the growth
of O sorio ’s character is n owhere explain ed—an d yet I had
m ost clear an d psychologically acc urate ideas of the whole of
4 PREFACE .
As an amus ing an ecdo te , an d in the wish to pre
pare future Authors, as you n g as I the n was an d as ign o
ran t of the world, of the treatm e n t they may m e e t with,I will add, that the perso n 1
‘
who by a twic e - c o n veyed
re comme n datio n (in the ye ar 1 797 ) had urged m e to
write a Tragedy : who o n my own ob je c tio n that I was
u tterly ign oran t of all stage - tac tic s had prom ised that
he wou ld him self make the n ec e ssary alteratio n s, if
the p ie c e shou ld b e at all repre se n tab le who toge ther
w ith the c opy of the play (has te n ed by his m ean s so
as to preve n t the fu ll deve lopm e n t i of the charac ters )re c e ived a letter from the Au thor to this purport,
it. A man who , from con stitution al calm n ess of appetitesis sedu ced in to pride an d the love of power, by these in to m isan thropism , or rather a con tem pt for man kin d ; an d from
then ce , by the cooperation of en vy, an d a curiou sly m odifiedlove for a b eautiful female (which is n owhere developed in the
play) , in to a m ost atroc iou s gu ilt . A man who is in truth a
weak man , yet always dupin g him self in to the b elief that hehas a soul of iron . Such were som e of my leadin g ideas .
“ In short, the thin g is but an em bryo , an d whilst it t e
main s in man u script, which it is destin ed to do , the criticwou ld judge u n ju stly who shou ld call it a m iscarriage . It
furn ished m e with a mo st importan t le sson , n am ely, that to
have con c eived stron gly , does n ot always im ply the power of
successful execu tion . S . T . C .
”- (Prin ted in Dr. Clem en t
Carlyon’s Early Years an d Late Reflection s , Lon d. 1836 ,
p
The whole of this paragraph of the Preface was om ittedin the later edition s—En .
1' Richard Brin sley Sheridan —En .
i I n eed n ot say to au thors , that as to the e ssen tials of a
poem , little can b e su perin du ced without disson an ce , after thefirst warmth of c on ception an d composition .
PREFACE . 5
that co n sc iou s of his in experie n c e , he had cherishedn o e xpe c tation s, an d should therefore fe e l n o disap
po in tm e n t from the rej e c tio n of the play ; b u t that if
b eyo n d his hope s M r. foun d in it an y capab ilityof b e in g adapted to the stage , it was de livered to himas if it had b e e n his own man u script, to add , om it, o ralter, as he saw o c cas io n an d that (if it were rej e c ted )the Au thor wou ld de em him se lf amply rem u n erated
b y the add ition to his exp erie n c e which he shou ld re
c e iv e , if Mr. wou ld po in t out to him the n ature of
its unfitn ess forpub lic repre se n tation - that this veryperso n re turn ed m e n o an swer, an d, sp ite of repeated
applicat ion s, re tain ed my man u script whe n I was n ot
c on sc iou s of an y o ther c opy b e in g in existe n c e (myduplicate hav in g b e e n de stroyed by an ac c ide n t ) that
he suffered this m an u sc rip t to wan de r ab ou t the townfrom his hou se , so that bu t te n days ago I saw the so n g
in the third Ac t prin ted an d se t to mu s ic , withou t myn am e , by Mr. Carn aby, in the year 1802 likewisethat the same pe rso n asse rted (as I have b e e n assured )that the play was re j e c ted , b e cau se I would n o t subm itto the alteration of o n e lud icrou s lin e ; an d fin ally in
the year 1806 amu sed an d de lighted (as who was e ve r
in his c ompan y, if I may tru st the u n iversal report,withou t b e in g am u sed an d de lighted ? ) a large c om
pan y at the house of a highly re spec tab le M emb er of
Parliam e n t, w ith the rid icule of the Tragedy, as“a
fair spe c im e n”
Of the whole of which he adduc ed a
l in eDrip drip drip l there ’ s n othin g here but drippin g.
In the origin al copy of the Play, in the first S c e n e
Of the fourth Ac t, Is idore had c omm e n c ed his Soliloquy in the Cavern with the words,
Drip ! drip ! a ceaseless sou n d of water- drops ,
6 PREFACE .
as far as I can at pre se n t recolle c t for o n the pos
S ib le lud icrou s assoc iation b e ing po in ted ou t to m e , Iin stan tly an d thankfu lly struck ou t the lin e . An d as
to my ob stin ate te n ac ity, n o t o n ly my o ld acquain tan c e ,b u t (I dare b o ldly aver) b o th the Man agers of Drury
Lan e Theatre , an d every ac tor an d ac tre ss, whom Ihav e rec en tly m et in the Gre e n - ro om , will repel theac cusation , p erhaps n ot withou t surprise .
I thought it right to record the se c ircum stan c e s ; b u t
I turn gladly an d with s in c ere grat itude to the co n verse .
In ‘
the c lo se'
of last year I was adv ised to -
pre se n t the
Tragedy o n c e m ore to the Theatre . Ac c ord in glyhav ing altered the n ame s, I v e n tured to addre ss a
le tter to Mr. Whitb re ad, requ e stin g in formatio n as to :
whom I was to pre se n t my Tragedy . My le tterwas
in stan tly an d m ost kin dly an swered , an d I hav e n ow
n othin g to te ll b u t a tale of than ks . I Shou ld scarc e
kn ow where to b egin , if the goodn e ss of the Man ager,
Mr. ARNOLD ,had n ot c alled for my first ackn owledg
m e n ts . No t m ere ly as an ac tin g Play, b ut as a
dramatic Po em , the REM ORSE has b e e n importan tlyan d man ifo ldly b e n efited by his sugge stio n s . I can
with severe st tru th say, that eve ry hin t he gave mewas the groun d of som e improvem e n t . In the n ext
plac e it is my du ty to m e n tio n Mr. RAYM OND, theS tage Man ager. Had the REM ORSE b ee n his own
Play— n ay, that is say in g too little—had I b e en his
It n ow appears that Co leridge’s m em ory orhis in gen uou s
n ess was somewhat at fault here : for the fourth act of the
play in its origin al shape open ed with the followin g lin esDrip ! drip drip ! drip - in su ch a place as thisI t has n othing e lse to do bu t drip drip I dripI wish it had n ot dripp
’d upon my torch.
”—ED.
PREFACE . 7
b rother, or his dearest frien d, he could n ot have felt
or exerted him self more zealou sly .
As the Pie c e i s n ow ac tin g, it may b e thought presumptu ous in me to speak of the Ac tors : yet how can
I ab stain , feeling, as I do, Mrs . GLOVER’ S powerfulass istan c e , an d kn owing the c ircumstan c e s u n der
which she con se n ted to ac t Alhadra ? A t ime willcome , whe n without pain fu lly oppress in g her
fe e lin gs, I may speak of this more fu lly. To M issSM ITH I have an equal, though d iffere n t ackn owledgm e n t to make , n am ely, for her acc eptan c e of a
charac ter n ot fully deve loped, an d qu ite in adequate toher extraord in ary powers . She e n live n ed an d sup
ported many passage s , which (though n ot perhaps,
wholly un in terestin g in the'
c lo se t) would b ut for her
have hu n g heavy o n the ears of a theatrical audie n c e .
An d in speaking the Ep ilogu e , a compos ition which,I fear, my hurry will hardly excu se , she made a sacrihee , which o n ly her e stab lished charac ter with all
judge s of tragic ac tion , cou ld have ren dered com
patib le with her du ty to herse lf. To Mr. DE CAMP’ Sjudgme n t an d fu ll c on c eptio n of Is idore ; to Mr.
POPE’s accurate repre se n tatio n of the partial, ye t
hon ourab le Father ; to Mr. ELL I STON’ S e n ergy in thecharacter ofAlvar, an d who in more than on e in stan c e
gave it b eaut ie s an d strikin g po in ts, which n ot on ly
d elighted b ut surprised m e ; an d to Mr. RAE, to
whose zeal an d unwearied s tudy of his part I am n o t
The origin al caste was as followsM arqu is Valdez, Mr. Pbpe ; Don Alvar, Mr. Elliston Don
Ordon io , Mr. Rae ; M on viedro , Mr. Powell ; Zu limez, Mr.
Crooke ; Isidore , Mr. De Cam p ; Naomi, Mr. Wallack
Don n a Teresa, Miss Sm ith ; Alhadra, Mrs. Glover.
8 PREFACE .
l'
éss in deb ted as a man , than to his impass ion ed realization of ORDON IO, as an au thor ; to the se , an d to
all con cern ed with the b ringin g ou t of the Play, I canaddre ss but on e word—THANKS —b ut that word i suttered s in cerely ! an d to person s con stan tly b eforethe eye of the pub lic , a pub lic ackn owledgmen tb ecomes appropriate , an d a du ty .
1 defer all an swers to the d iffere n t criticisms on thePiece to an Essay, which I am ab ou t to pub lish immediately, o n Dramatic Po e try, re lative ly to the pre se n tstate of the M etropolitan Theatre s .
*
From the n e c e ss ity of hasten in g the pub lication Iwas ob liged to se n d the man u script in ten ded for theS tage : which is the sole cau se of the n umb er of
d ire c tion s prin ted in italics.
This project, like man y others an n oun ced by Coleridge ,was destin ed n ever to b e executed—ED.
DRAMATIS PERSON/E .
18 13 .
—MARQU I S VALDEz
ALBERT —D0N ALVARO SOR IO —DON ORDON IO .
FRANCESCO =MONVIEDR0
MAURICE —ZULIMEz
FERD I NAND IS I DORE
—NAOMI .—D0NA TERESA An orphan heiress .
ALHADRA I/Vife of IS I DORE .
Familiars of the In qu isition .
IWoors , S ervan ts, we .
Time—The reign of PH I L I P I I . , ju st at the c lose of the cwil
wars again st the M oors , an d during the heat of the perse
cu tion which raged against them ,shortly after the ediél
whichforbade the wearing of M oresco apparel u n der pain
of death.
Father to the two brothers, an d
Don a TERESA’s guardian .
The eldest son .
The youngest son .
A Domin ican an d in quisitor .
The faithfu l atten dan t on
ALVAR .
AM oresco Chieftain , osten siblya Christian .
REMORSE .
ACT I .
SCENE I .— The sea- shore on the coast of Granada.
DON ALVAR,wrap! in a boat- cloak, and
ZULIMEZ (a M oresco) , both as
just lan ded.
ZULIMEZ.
No soun d, n o face of joy to we lcome us
My faithful Zulimez, for on e brief momen tLet m e forge t my anguish an d the ir crime s.If aught on e arth deman d an unmix
’d fe eling,
’Tis sure ly this— after lon g years of exile ,To step forth on firm lan d , an d gazing rou nd us ,To hail at on ce our coun try, an d our birth - place .
Hail, Spain Gran ada
,hail o n ce more I pre ss
Thy san ds with filial awe , lan d of my fathers
ZULIMEZ.
Then claim yourrights in it O,revered Don Alvar,
Yet, yet give Up your all too gen tle purpose .
It is too hazardous reveal yourself,An d let the guilty m ee t the doom of guilt
This Scen e was n ot in the origin al play, as,written in
I 797 .—ED.
12 REM ORSE . [ACT I .
ALVAR.
Remember,Zulimez I am his brother,
In j ured in deed ! O deeply in j ured ! yet
Ordon io’
s brother.
ZULIMEZ.
Nob ly—m in ded Alvar
This sure but give s his guilt a blacker dye .
ALVAR.
The more behove s it I Should rouse within him
Remorse , that I should save him from himself.
ZULIMEZ.
Remorse is as the heart in which it growsIf that b e gen tle , it drops balmy dewsOf true repen tan ce b ut if proud an d gloomy,It is a poison - tree , that pierced to the inmostWeeps on ly tears of poison
An d of a brother,Dare I hold this, un proved ? n ormake on e effortTo save him P—Hearm e
,frien d I have yet to
te ll the e ,That this same life , which he con spired to take ,Himse lf on ce re scued from the an gry floodAn d at the imm in en t hazard of his Own .
Add too my oathZULIMEZ.
You have thrice told alreadyThe years of absen ce an d of secrecy
,
This Speech of Zu lim ez stan ds as a motto on the titlepage of the origin al edition .
—ED.
I4 REM ORSE . [ACT I .
Suffused the tear- drops there with ro sy light .
There seem’d a glory roun d us , an d T ere sa
The angel of the vision 1 [Then with agitation .
‘
Hadst thou seen
How in each motion hermost in n ocen t soul
Beam’d forth an d I brighten
’d , thou thyse lf would’st
te ll me,
Guilt is a thin g impo ssible in her
She must b e in n ocen t
ZULIMEZ (with a szgh).
Pro ceed, my lord
'ALVAR .
A portrait which She had pro cured by stealth,
(For even then it seem s her heart foreb odedOr kn ew Ordon io ’s moody rivalry)A portrait of herse lf with thrillin g han d
She tied aroun d my n eck , con juring m e ,
With earn e st prayers, that I wou ld keep it sacredTo my own kn owledge n or did She de sistTill she had won a solemn prom ise from me ,
That,save my own ,
n o eye should e’erbehold it
Till my return . Yet this the assassin kn ew,
Kn ew that which n on e but she courd have disclo sed.
ZULIMEZ.
A damn ing proofALVAR.
My own life wearied meAn d but for the imperative vo ice within
,
With m in e own han d I had thrown off the burthen .
REMORSE . 15
That voice which quell’
d in e , calm’
d me an d Isought
The Be lgic states there join’d the be tter cause
An d there too fought as on e that courted deathWoun ded, I fe ll among the dead an d dying,In death - like tran ce : a lon g imprisonmen t follow
’
d .
The fuln e ss of my an guish by degree sWan ed to a m editative me lan cho lyAn d still the more I mused, my soul becameM ore doubtfu l
,more perplex
’d an d still Tere sa,
Night after n ight, she visited my Sle epNow as a sain tly sufferer, wan an d tearful,Now as a sain t in glory beckon in g to m e
Ye s, still as in con tempt of proof an d reason ,
I cherish the fon d faith that she is guiltle ssHear then my fix
’d re solve : I ’ll linger here
In the disguise of a More sco Chieftain .
The Moorish robes ?
ZULIMEZ.
All, all are in the sea- cave ,Some furlong hen ce . I bade ourmarin ers
Secrete the boat there .
ALVAR.
Above all, the pictureOf the assassin ation
ZULIMEZ.
[Be assured
That it remain s un in jured.
- ALVAR.
Thus disguised
I 6 REM ORSE . [ACT I .
I will first seek to mee t Ordon io ’s—wifeIf possible , alon e too . This was herwon ted walk,An d this the hour ; herwords, her very looks
Will acquit her or con vict.
ZULIMEZ.
Will they n ot kn ow you ?
ALVAR .
With your aid,frien d
,I shall un fearingly
Trust the disguise an d as to my complexion ,My long imprisonmen t, the scan ty food,This scar,— an d to il ben eath a b urn ing sun
,
Have don e already half the busin e ss for us.Add too my you th — sin ce last we saw each other,Man hood has swo ln my che st, an d taught my voiceA hoarser n o te— Be side s, they thin k me dead 5An d what the m in d bel ieve s impossibleThe bodily sen se is slow to recogn ize .
ZULIMEZ.
’Tis yours, sir, to comman d, m in e to obey.
Now to the cave ben eath the vaulted rock,
Where having shaped you to a Moorish Chieftain ,I ’ll seek ourmarin ers ; an d in the duskTran sport whate ’erwe n eed to the small de llIn the Alpujarras— there where Zagri lived.
ALVAR.
I kn ow it we ll it is the obscure st haun tOf all the moun tain s [Both stan d listen ing.
Voice s at a distan ceLet us away [Exeun t
s o . REM ORSE . I 7
SCENE II .
E n ter TERESA an d VALDEz.
TERESA.
I hold Ordon io dear he is your sonAn d Alvar’ s brother.
VALDEz.
Love him for himse lf,Normake the living wre tched for the dead.
TERESA.
I mourn that you should plead in vain,Lord
ValdezBut Heaven hath heard my vow, an d I remainFaithful to Alvar, b e he dead or living.
VALDEZ.
Heaven kn ows with what de light I saw your love s ,An d could my heart
’s blood give him back to thee ,I would die sm iling. But the se are idle thoughtsThy dying father come s upon my soulWith that same look with which he gave thee to
me
I he ld thee in my arms a powerle ss babe ,While thy poormother, with a mute en treaty,Fix
’d her fain t eye s on m in e . Ah 1 n ot for this,
That I should let thee fe ed thy soul with gloom,
An d with Slow anguish wear away thy life ,The victim of a use le ss con stan cy.
I must n ot see thee wre tched.
Here the Tragedy, in its origin al form , commen ced—ED.
VOL. IV.
18 REMORSE . [ACT 1
TERESA.
There are woe s
Ill barter’d for the garishn e ss of joyIf it b e wre tched with an un tired eye
To watch those Skiey tin ts, an d this green ocean
Or in the su ltry hour ben eath some ro ck,My hair dishevell
’d bythe pleasan t sea- bre eze ,
T0 Shape swee t vision s,an d live o
’er again
All past hours of de light If it b e wre tchedTo watch some
'
bark,an d fan cy Alvar there ,
To go through each m in ute st Circum stan ce
Of the blest m e etin g, an d to fram e adven ture sMo st terrible an d stran ge , an d hear him te ll them
(AS on ce I kn ew a crazy Moorish maidWho dre ss’d her in her buried lover’s clo the s,An d o
’er the smoo th Spring in the m oun tain Cleft
Hung with her lute , an d play’d the se lf- sam e tun e
He used to play,an d listen ’d to the shadow
Herse lf had made)— if this b e wre tchedn ess,An d if in deed it b e a wre tched thingTo trick out m in e own death - b ed
,an d imagin e
That I had died, died ju st ere his re turnThen see him listen in g to my con stan cy,Or hover roun d , as he at m idn ight oft"
Sits on my grave , an d'
gazes at the moonOr haply, in some more fan tastic mood ,To b e in Paradise , an d with cho ice flowersBuild up a bowerwhere he an d I m ight dwe llAn d there to wait his coming O my sire 1
An d hover roun d as he at m idn ight ever7 1 797 .
so . REM ORSE. 19
My Alvar’s Sire if this b e wretchedn ess
That eats away the life,what were it
,thin k you
,
If ip a most assured realityHe should re turn
,an d se e a bro ther’s in fan t
Sm ile at him from my arm s Oh what a thought
[Clasping herforehead .
“
VALDEZ.
A thought ? even so m ere thought an emptythought
*
The very we ek he prom ised his re turn
TERESA (abruptly) .
Was it n ot then a busy joy ? to see him,After those thre e years’ trave ls we had n o fearsThe frequen t tidin gs , the n e
’
er failing le tter,Almost en dear’d his absen ce Yet the gladn e ss ,The tumult of ourjoy What then if n ow— T
VALDEZ.
0 power o f youth to feed on pleasan t thoughts,Spite of con viction ! I am old an d heartle ssYes, I am old— I have n o pleasan t fan cie sHectic an d un refresh
’
d with re st
0 what a thought !
’Twas horrible ! it pass’d my brain like lightn in g .
VE LEZ .’Twere horrib le , if but on e doubt remain ’d , 69
’
c .—I 797 .
1‘ Ah, what abu sy joy was ours—to see him
After his three years’travels ! though that ab sen ce
His still - expected, n ever- failin g lettersAlmost en dear
’d to m e Even then what tumult l—ih.
20 REM ORSE . [ACT I .
TERESA (with great ten dern ess) .My father
VALDEZ.
The sober truth is all too much form e
I see n o sail which brings n ot to my m in d“The home - boun d bark in which my son was
tured
By the Algerin e— to perish with his captors
TERESA.
Oh n o he did n o t
VALDEZ.
Captured in sight of lan d 7
From yon hill p oin t, n ay, from our castle watch
towerWe might have seen
The dialogue c on tin ues thu s in the origin al draught ofthe play
VELEz .
Ay ,’twas the m orn in g tho u d idst try to cheerm e
With a fon d gaiety. My heart was burstin g ,An d yet I c ould n ot tell m e how my SleepWas thro n g
’d with swarthy faces , an d I saw
The m erchan t - Ship in which my so n was capturedWell, well, en ough
—c aptured in s ight of lan dWe m ight almost have seen it from our hou se - top
MAR IA (abrup tly) .He did n ot perish there !
VELEz (impatien tly) .
Nay, n ay,—how aptly thou forgett
’st a tale
Thou n e’er didst wish to learn—my brave O sorio
Saw them b oth fou n der in the storm that partedHim an d the pirate : both the vessels foun der’d .
Gallan t O sorio 1 797 .
22 REM ORSE . [ACT 1.
His woun ds an d perilous voyages, an d howWith an heroic fearlessn e ss of dangerHe roam
’d the coast of Afric for yourAlvar.
Itwas n ot we ll— You have moved me even to tears.
TERESA.
O pardon me , Lord Valdez pardon m e
It was a foolish an d un grateful spe ech ,A mo st un grateful speech But I am hurriedBeyon d myself, if I but hear o f on eWho aim s to rival Alvar. Were we n ot
Born on on e day, like twin s of the sam e paren t ?Nursed in on e cradle ? Pardon m e , my fatherA Six years’ absen ce is a heavy thing,Yet still the hope survive s
VALDEZ (lcahz'
ng forwaras).
Hush ’Tis Mon viedro .
TERESA.
The In quisitor on what n ew scen t of blood ?
In the origin al draught of the play the dialogue con tin ues
VELEz (lookingforwards) .Hu sh—hush ! Maria
It is Fran cesco , our In qu isitorThat bu sy man , gro ss , ign oran t, an d cruel
En ter FRANCESCO an d ALHADRA.
FRANCESCO (to Va n ) .
Where is your son , my Lord Oh here he c om es .
En ter O soRIo .
s c . REM ORSE . 2 °
E n ter MONVIEDRO with ALHADRA.
MONVIEDRO (havingfirst made his obeisan ce
to VALDEz an d TERESA).Peace an d the truth b e with you Good my Lord,My pre sen t n eed is with your son .
[Loohingforward .
We have hit the tim e . Here come s he Ye s,
’tis he .
E n terfrom the opposite side DON ORDON IO .
My Lord Ordon io , this More sco woman
(Alhadra is her n am e ) asks audie n ce of you .
ORDON IO .
Hail, reveren d father what may b e the busin e ss
MONVIEDRO.
*
My lord , on strong su spicion of re lapse
FRANCESCO .
O the old b u s in ess—a Mohamm edan
The offic ers are in her hu sban d ’s hou se ,
An d wou ld have taken him , b ut that he m en tion ’d
Your fram e , assertin g that you were his frien d,Ay, an d wou ld warran t him a Catholic .
But I kn ow well these children of perditionAn d all the ir idle falseho ods to gain tim e
So should have m ade the o ffic ers proc eed ,But that this wom an with m o st pa ssio n ate outcries
(Kn eelin g an d holdin g forth her in fan ts to m e) ,SO work
’d u pon m e, who (you kn ow ,
m y lord
Have hum an frailtie s , an d am ten der- hearted
That I cam e with her.
OSOR IO .
You are m erc ifu l.
[Looking at ALHADRA.
I would that I cou ld save you , we . 1 797 .
24 REM ORSE . [ACT I .
To his false creed, so recen tly abjured ,The secre t servan ts of the In qu isitio n
Have se ized her husban d , an d at my comman dTo the supreme tribun al would have led him ,
But that he made appeal to you ,my lord,
As surety for his soun dn e ss in the faith .
Though lesson’d by experien ce what small trust
The asseveration s of the se Mo ors de serve ,Yet still the deferen ce to Ordon io ’
s n ame ,
Nor less the wish to prove with what high hon ourThe holy Church regards her faithful so ldiers,Thus far prevail
’
d with m e that
ORDON Io .
Reveren d father,I am much beholden to your high opin ion
,
Which so o ’erprizes my light service s .
(Then to ALHADRA. )I would that I cou ld serve you but in truthYour face is n ew to me .
*
Thu s con tin ued in the origin al Osorio[ALHADRA is abou t to speak , but is in terrupted by
FRANCESCO .
Ay, ay,—I thought so ;
An d so I said to o n e of the fam iliars .
A likely story, said I , that O sorio ,The gallan t n ob lem an who fought so bravelySome four years past again st these reb el Moors
Working so hard from out the garden of faith
To eradicate these weeds detestab le ;That he should c ou n ten an c e this v ile Moresco ,
Nay, be his frien d—an d warran t him, forso oth
Well, well, my lord it is a warn in g to m eNow I return .
s c . REM ORSE . 25
MONVIEDRO .
My m in d fore told me ,That such wou ld b e the even t. In truth
,Lord
Valdez,
’Twas little probable that Don Ordon io ,That your illustriou s son
,who fought so brave ly
Som e four years sin ce to que ll the se rebe l Mo ors ,Should prove the patron o f this in fide lThe warran ter of a More sco ’s faithNOW I re turn .
ALHAD RA.
My Lord , my husban d’s n ame
I s I sidore . (ORDON IO starts. )— You may rem em
b er itThre e years ago , three years this very week,You left him at Alm eria.
MONVIEDRO (triumphan tly ).
Palpably falseThis very we ek
,three years ago , my lord ,
(You n e eds must re co llect it by your wo un d)You were at sea, an d there engaged the pirate s ,The murderers doubtle ss ofyour bro therAlvar
[TERESA loohs at MONVIEDRO'with disgust an d
horror. ORDON IO’S appearan ce to he collected
What,is he ill , my Lord ? how stran ge he lo oks
[To VALDEZ an dpoin ting to ORDON IO.
You were at sea an d fought the Moorish fien dsWho took an d m urder’d your po or brotherAlb ert
26 REM ORSE . [ACT I .
VALDEz (angrily).
You press’d upon him too abruptly, father,
The fate o f on e , on whom , you kn ow, he doted.
ORDON IO (starting as in sudden agitation ).
O heaven s —I do ted Then as if recovering him
self. ) Yes I doted on him .
[ORDON IO walhs to the en d of the stage, VALDEZ
follows , soothing him .
TERESA (her eyefollowing ORDON IO).
I do n ot,can n o t love him . I S my heart hard ?
I S my heart hard that even n ow the thoughtShou ld forc e itself upon m e —Yet I feel it
MONVIEDRO.
The d10ps did start an d stan d upon his foreheadI will re turn . In very truth
,I grieve
To have been the o ccasion . Ho atten d me , woman
ALHADRA (to TERESA) .
O gen tle lady ! make the father stayUn til my lord re cover. I am sureThat he will say he is my hu sban d
’s frien d.
TERESA.
Stay, father stay, my lord will so on recover.
ORDONIO (as they return,to VALDEz).
Stran ge , that this M on viedro
Should have the power so to distemperm e
VALDEZ.
Nay,’twas an am iable weakn e ss
, son
S c . REM ORSE . 2 7
MONVIEDRO.
My lord, I tru ly grieve
ORDON IO .
Tut n ame it n o t .
A sudden se izure,father thin k n o t of it.
AS to this woman’s husban d
,I do kn ow him .
I kn ow him we ll,an d that he is a Christian .
MONVIEDRO .
I hope , my lord , yourmere ly human pity
Doth n ot prevail T
your sen sib ility—1 79 7 .
1 Here the dialogue thus c o n tin ues in the origin al draughtof the play
OSOR IO .
Nay , n ay , you kn ow m e b etter.
You hearwhat I have said . But ’tis a trifle.
I had som ethin g here of m ore im portan ce .
[Tou ching his forehead as if in the act of recol lec tion .
HaThe Cou n t Mon dejar, our great gen eral ,Writes that the b ishop we were talkin g of
Has sicken ’d dan gerou sly.
FRANCESCO .
Even so .
OSOR IO .
I mu st return my an swer.
FRANCESCO .
When ,my lord ?
OSOR IO .
To - m orrow m orn in g , an d shall n ot forget
How bright an d stron g your zeal for the Catholic faith .
a:8 REM ORSE . [ACT -I . .
ORDON IO .
’Tis certain that he was a catho licWhat chan ge s may have
'
happen’d in thre e years,
I can n o t say ; but gran t m e this , good father
Myse lf I’ll sift him if I fin d him soun d ,You’ll gran t m e your au thority an d n ame
To liberate his hou se .
MONVIEDRO.
Your zeal , my lord,An d your late m erits in this ho ly warfareWould authorize an ampler trust— you have it.
ORDON IO .
I will atten d you hom e within an hour.
VALDEZ .
M ean time re turn with us,an d take refre shmen t .
ALHADRA.
No t till my husban d’s fre e I may n ot do
I will stay here .
TERESA (aside) .
Who is this Isidore ?
VALDEZ.
Daughter
FRANCESCO .
You are too kin d , my lord ! You overwhelm m e .
Os oR I o .
Nay, say n ot so . As for this Ferdin an d,
’Tis certain that he was a Catholic , Eda.
30 REM ORSE . [ACT 1.
Clo se by the moun tain ’s edge , my soul grew eager;’TwasWith hard to il I made myse lf rememberThat his fam iliars he ld my babe s an d husban d.
T0 have leapt upon him with a tiger’s plunge ,
An d hurl’
d him down the ragged precipice ,0
, it had been mo st swee t
TERESA.
Hush hush,for Shame !
Where is yourwoman ’s heart ?
ALHADRA.
O gen tle lady !
You have n o skill to gue ss my man y wrongs,Man y an d strange . Be side s
, (iron ically) I am aChristian
,
An d Christian s n ever pardon —’tis the ir faith
TERESA.
Shame fall on those who so have shown it to thee
ALHADRA.
I kn ow that man ;’tis we ll he kn ows n ot me .
Five years ago (an d he was the prime agen t),Five years ago the ho ly bre thren se ized me .
TERESA.
What m ight your crime he
ALHADRA.
I was a More sco l i
An d they do n ever pardon—1 797 .
1“ Solely my complexion .
—ib.
5 0° 2 -1 REMORSE . 3 1
They cast me, then a youn g an d n ursing mo ther
,
In to a dun geon of the ir prison houseWhere was n o b ed
,n o fire
,n o ray of light,
No touch , n o soun d of com fort The black air,
It was a to il to breathe it when the door,
Slow open in g at the appo in ted hour,disclo sed
On e human coun ten an ce, the lamp
’s red flameCower
’d as it en ter’d
,an d at on ce san k down .
*
Oh m iserable by that lamp to se e
My in fan t quarre llin g with the coarse hard breadBrought daily : for the little wre tch was sicklyMy rage had dried away its n atural food .
In darkn e ss I remain ’d— the du ll be ll Coun tin g,j'
Which haply to ld m e,that the all- Che erin g sun i
Was risin g on our garden . When I dozed,
My in fan t’s m oan in gs m in gled with my Slumbers,
An d waked m e .— If you were a mo ther, lady,
I should scarce dare to te ll you , that its n o ise s
An d pe evish crie s so fre tted on my brain ,That I have struck the in n ocen t babe in anger.
TERESA.
0 Heaven it is too horrible to hear.
ALHADRA.
What was it then to suffer ?’Tis most right
It was a to il to breathe it I have seen
The gao ler’s lamp , the m om en t that he en ter
’d,
How the flam e su n k at on c e down to the socket—1 79 7 .
cou n tin g the clocks—1 79 7 . cou n tin g the bell—18 13 .
the blessed sun—1 797 - 18 13 .
32 REM ORSE . [A‘CT i.
That such as you should hear it.—Kn ow you n ot,What Nature make s you mourn , she bids you heal?Great evils ask great passion s to redre ss them ,
An d whirlwin ds fitlie st scatter pe stilen ce .
TERESA.
You were at length re leased
ALHADRA.
Yes,at length
I saw the ble ssed arch of the who le heaven’Twas the first tim e my in fan t sm iled . No moreFor if I dwe ll upon that mom en t, Lady,A tran ce Tcome s on which make s m e o
’er again
All I then was— my kn ee s han g loose an d drag,An d my lip falls with such an idiot laugh,That you would start an d Shudder !
TERESA.
But your husban d
ALHADRA.
A mon th’s imprisonmen t would kill him,Lady.
TERESA.
Alas, poorman
ALHADRA.
He hath a lion ’s courage ,Fearless in ac t
, but feeble in en duran ce ; 1
deliver’d—I 797 . 1' A fit—ib .
He hath a lion ’s c ourage ,
But is n ot stern en ough for fortitude—ib.
so . REMORSE . 33
Un fit for boisterous time s, with gen tle heartHe worships Nature in the hill an d valley
,
No t kn owing what he love s, but love s it all.E n terALVAR disgu ised as a M oresco, an d
M oorish garmen ts .
*
TERESAKn ow you that state ly M o or
ALHADRA.
I kn ow him n ot
But doubt n ot ’rhe is some More sco Chieftain,
Who hide s him se lf amon g the Alpujarras i
TERESA.
The Alpujarras Doe s he kn ow his danger,So n ear this seat
In the origin al draught of the play, n ot observin g the
two in terlocutors in the prev iou s dialogu e , he soliloqu izesThree weeks have I b een lo iterin g here , n or everHave summ on
’d up my heart to ask o n e qu estion ,Or stop o n e peasan t passin g on this way.
1' Kn ow you that man
ALHADRA.
His person , n ot his n ame .
I doub t n ot , C9’
c .—1 797 .
I ALHADRA’S speech c on tin ues in the origin al draught
the playA week has scarcely pass
’d s in c e first I saw him
He has n ew - roof’d the desolate old c ottage
Where Zagri lived—who dared avow the prophet
An d died like on e of the faithful There he lives ,An d a frien d with him .
—ib.
VOL. IV.
34 REM ORSE . [ACT I .
ALHADRA.
He wears the Moorish robe s too,
AS in defian ce of the royal edict.
[ALHADRA advan ces to ALVAR, who has walhed to
the back of the stage, n ear the rochs. TERESA
drops her veil.
ALHADRA.
Gallan t More sco An in quisitor,Mon viedro , of kn own hatred to our race
ALVAR .
You have mistaken me . I am a Christian .
ALHADRA.
He deems that we are plotting to en sn are him
Speak to him ,Lady— n on e can hearyou speak,
An d n ot be lieve you in n ocen t of guile .
’
r
TERESA.
If aught en force you to con cealmen t, Sir
ALHADRA.
He trembles strangely.
[ALVAR sinhs down,an d hides hisface in his robe.
Gallan t Moresco you are n ear the castle
Of the Lord Velez, an d hard by does dwell
A priest, the creature of the In qu isition .—I 797 .
j‘
(ALBERT on hearing this , pauses an d turn s roun d)—ib.
so . REMORSE . 35
TERESA.
Se e , we have disturb’d him .
[approaches n earer to him .
I pray you thin k us frien ds— un cowl your face ,For you seem fain t
,an d the n ight- breeze blows
healin g.
I pray you,thin k us frien ds
ALVAR (raising his head ).
Calm,very calm I
’Tis all too tran quil for realityAn d She spoke to m e with her in n o cen t vo ice ,That voice , that in n ocen t voice ! She is n o trai
tre ss I"
TERESA.
retire . (haughtily to ALHADRA.)[They advan ce to thefron t of the
ALHADRA (with scorn ).
He is in deed a Christian }L
The speech thu s con tin u es in the origin al draught of the
It was a dream , a phan tom of my sleep ,A lying dream .
[He starts up , an d abrup tly addresses her.
Maria , you are n ot wedded - I 797 .
ALHADRA.
He is in deed a Christian .
Some stray SirKn ight, that falls in love of a sudden .
MAR IA.
What can this m ean ? How should he kn ow my n ame ?
36 REM ORSE . [ACT 1 .
ALVAR (aside).
She de ems me dead , yet wears n o mourn ing gar
men t.Why Should my bro ther
’s wife wearmourn Ing
garm en ts ?
(To TERESA. )Your pardon ,
n oble dame that I disturb ’d youI had ju st started from a frightful dreamflr
TERESA.
Dream s te ll but of the past, an d yet’tis said ,
They prophesyALVAR .
The Past live s o ’er again
In its effects, an d to the guilty SpiritThe ever- frown in g Pre sen t is its image .
It seem s all shadowy.
ALHADRA.
Here he com es again .
ALVAR (aside) .She deem s m e dead
, an d yet n o mourn in g garm en t
I 797
Here follows in OsorioGod of all m ercy, m ake m e , make th e qu iet
[To MAR IA.
Your pardon , gen tle m aid ! fi9’c .—ib .
1 In stead of the three n ext Speeches ALHADRA ob serves , in
the origin al draught of the playThese ren egado Moors—how soon they learn
The crimes an d follies of their Christian tyran ts —ib .
3 8 REM ORSE.I .
An d slight things bring on me the idle mood
We ll,Sir
,what happen ’d then ?
ALVAR.
On a rude rock,
A rock,methought, fast by a grove of firs,
Who se threaddy leave s to the low- breathing gale
Made a soft soun d mo st like the distan t o cean ,
I stay’d , as though the hour of death were pass
’d,
An d I were sitting in the world of SpiritsFor all things seem
’
d un real There I sateThe dews fe ll clammy, an d the n ight descen ded,Black
,sultry
,close an d ere the m idn ight hour
A storm came on , m in gling all soun ds of fear,
That woods,an d sky
,an d moun tain s
, seem’d on e
havock.
The secon d flash of lightn ing show’d a tree
Hard by me , n ewly scathed. I ro se tumultuousMy soul work
’d high , I bared my head to the storm
An d with loud voice an d clam orous agon y,Kn ee ling I pray
’d to the great Spirit that made me
Pray’
d , that Remorse m ight fasten on the ir heaits,An d cling with poison ous tooth , in extricableAs the gored lion
’s bite
7
TERESA (shuddering ).A fearful curse
ALHADRA
But dreamt you n ot that you retum ’
d an d kill’d
them
Dreamt you of n o reven ge
5 0. z.] REM ORSE . 39
ALVAR (his voice trembling, an d in ton es ofdeep distress).
She would have died,Died in her guilt— perchan ce by her own han ds I
An d ben din g o’
er her self- in flic ted woun ds,
I m ight have met the evil glan ce of fren zy,
An d leapt myse lf in to an un ble st grave I
I pray’d for the pun ishmen t that clean se s hearts
For still I loved her !
ALHADRA .
An d you dream t all this ?
TERESA.
My soul is full of vision s all as wild
ALHADRA .
There is n o room in this heart forpuling love - tales .
TERESA (lifts up her veil,and advan ces to
ALVAR).
Stranger, farewe ll I gue ss n o t who you are ,Norwhy you so address’d your tale to m e .
Yourm ien is n oble , an d , I own , perplex’
d m e
With obscure m emory of som ething past,Which still e scaped my efforts
,or pre sen ted
Tricks of a fan cy pamper’d with lon g wishing.
If,as it sometim e s happen s , our rude startlin g,
Whilst your full heart was Shapin g out its dream ,
In the origin al draught of the playALHADRA con tin u es
Lady ! your servan ts there seem seekin g u S .—I 797 .
40 REM ORSE . [ACT I .
Drove you to this your n ot ungen tle wildn ess
You have my sympathy, an d so farewe ll I
But if som e un discover’d wrongs oppre ss you ,
An d you n eed strength to drag them in to light,The gen erous Valdez, an d my Lord Ordon io ,Have arm an d will to aid a n oble sufferer,Nor shall you wan t my favourable pleading.
[Exeun t TERESA an d ALHADRA.
ALVAR (alon e) .’Tis stran ge It can n o t b e my Lord Ordon io I
Her Lord Ordon io Nay, I will n ot do itI cursed him on ce— an d on e curse is en ough I
How,
sad she lo ok’d,an d pale b u t n ot like guilt
An d her calm ton e s— swee t as a son g of mercy !
If the b ad Spirit retain ’d his ange l
’s vo ice,
Hell scarce were He ll . An d why n ot in n ocen tWho mean t to murderme
,m ight we ll cheat her ?
Bu t ere she married him ,he had stain
’
d herhon our;Ah there I am hamp er
’d . What if this were a lie
Fram ed by the assassin Who should te ll it him,
If it were truth ? Ordon io wou ld n o t te ll him .
Yet why on e lie all e lse , I kn ow, was truth .
No start, n o je alou sy of stirrin g con scien ceAn d She referred to me— fon dly
,m e thought
Could she walk here if She had been a traitre ssHere , where we play
’
d toge ther in our childho odHere , where we plighted vows where her co ld
cheekRece ived my last kiss, when with suppress
’d fee l
Ings
so . REMORSE. 41
She had fain ted in my arm s It can n o t b e’Tis n ot in n ature I will die be lievin g,That I Shall m ee t herwhere n o evil is
,
No treachery, n o cup dash’d from the lips .
I’ll haun t this scen e n o m ore live she in peaceHer husban d—ay her hu sban d May this an ge l
New mould his can ker’d heart Assist m e,heaven
,
That I may pray formy poor guilty bro ther [Exit
42 REMORSE . [ACT 11.
ACT II .
SCENE I .—A wild and moun tain ous coun try. OR
DONIO an d ISIDORE are discovered, supposed at a
little distan cefrom ISIDORE’S house.
ORDONIO.
Here we may st0p your hou se distin ct in view,Ye t we secured from listen ers.
IS IDORE .
Now in deedMy house an d it looks cheerful as the clustersBaskin g in sun shin e on yon vin e - clad rock
,
That over- brows it I Patron frien d pre server !*Thrice have you saved my life . On ce in the battleYou gave it m e n ext re scued me from suicideWhen formy fo llie s I was made to wan der
,
With mou ths to fe ed, an d n ot a morse l for themNow but for you , a dun geon
’s slimy ston e s
Had be en my b ed an d pillow. i
ORDONIO.
Good Isidore I
Why this to me It is en ough, you kn ow it.
Here the Scen e Open s in the origin al draught of the play.
THad pillow’d my sn apt jo in ts—1 797 .
SC I REM ORSE . 43
ISIDORE.
A common trick of gratitude , my lord,Seeking to ease her own full heart
ORDON IO .
En oughA debt repaid cease s to b e a debt.You have it in your power to serve me greatly.
IS IDORE.
And how,my lord I pray you to
°
n ame the
thin g.
I would climb up an ic e -
glazed precipiceTo pluck a weed you fan cied
ORDON IO (with embarrassmen t an d hesitation ).
Why— that— Lady
IS IDORE.
’Tis n ow three years,my lord , sin ce last I saw you
Have you a son,my lord ?
ORDON IO.
O m iserable [asideIsidore you are a man
,an d kn ow man kin d .
*
I told you what I wish’
d— n ow for the truthShe loved the man you kill’d .
ISIDORE (loohing as sudden ly alarmed ) .
You je st, my lord ?
An d kn ow this world—1 797 .
“
44 REMORSE . [ACT 11 .
ORDON IO.
An d till his death is proved She will n ot wed me .
IS IDORE.
You sport with m e , my lord
ORDON IO .
Come , come this foolery
Live s on ly in thy looks, thy heart disown s it.
ISIDORE .
I can bear this,an d an ythin g more grievous
From you,my lord— but how can I serve you here ?
ORDONIO .
Why,you can utterwith a so lemn ge sture
Oracular sen ten ce s of deep n o—mean in g,*
Wear a quain t garm en t, make mysterious an tics
ISIDORE.
I am dull, my lord I do n ot comprehen d you .
ORDON IO.
In blun t term s, you can play the sorcerer.
She hath n o faith in Ho ly Church,
’tis trueHer lover schoo l’d her in some n ewer n on sen seYet still a tale of spirits works upon her.
She is a lon e en thu siast,sen sitive
,
Shivers, an d can n o t ke ep the tears in her eyeAn d such do love the marve llou s to o we ll.
Why you can m outh set speeches solem n ly—1 797 .
46 REM ORSE . [ACT I I .
ORDONIO.
Where lie s your scruple
ISIDORE (with stammering)Why—why
,my lord
You kn ow you told me that the lady loved you ,Had loved you with in cautious ten dern e ssThat if the youn g man , her be trothed hu sban d,Return
’d,yourself
,an d she
,an d the hon our of
bo thMust perish . Now though with n o ten derer
scruple sThan those which be ing n ative to the heart,Than those
,my lord, which m ere ly be ing a man t
ORDONIO (aloud, though to express his con tempt
he sp eahs in the third person ).
This fellow is a man—he kill’d for hireOn e whom he kn ew n o t
, yet has ten der scruples .
(Then turn ing to ISIDORE.
These two speeches followed here in the origin al draughtOf the play
FERD I NAN D .
That shark Fran cesco .
OSORIO .
Oh ! an o’
ersized gudgeon
I baited, sir, my hook with a pain ted m itre,
An d n ow I play with him at the en d of the lin e .
Well—an d what n ext —1 797 .
yourself, an d She, an d an u n born bab e
Must perish. Now, my Lord ! to b e a man I—ib .
so . REM ORSE .. 47
These doubts , the se fears, thy whin e , thy stamm erin g
Pish, fool thou b lun der’
st through the book of
guflt*
Spelling thy villan y.
IS IDORE .
My lord—my lord,I can bearmuch— ye s, very much from you
But there ’s a poin t where sufl'
eran c e is m ean n e ss .I am n o villain— n ever kill’d for hireMy gratitude
ORDONIO.
O ay—yOIIr gratitude I
’Twas a well- soun ding word— what have you don ewith it P
ISIDORE.
Who proffers his past favours formy virtue
ORDONIO (with bitter scorn ).Virtue
ISIDORE .
Tries to o ’
erreach me— is a very Sharper,An d should n ot speak of gratitude , my lord .
I kn ew n ot’twas your brother
ORDONIO (alarmed ).
An d who told you
Thy b urn s an d ha’s , thy whin e an d stamm ering.
Pish , fool thou b lu n der’st thro’the devil’ s b ook—1797 .
48 REM ORSE . [ACT 11.
ISIDORE.
He himself told me .
ORDONIO.
Ha you talk’d with him I
An d those , the two More scoe s who were with you ?
ISIDORE.
Both fell in a n ight brawl at Malaga.
ORDON IO (in a low voice) .
My brotherISIDORE.
Yes, my lord, I could n ot tellI thrust away the thought— it drove me wild,But listen to me n ow— I pray you listen
ORDONIO.
Villain n o more . I ’ll hear n o more of it.
ISIDORE.
My lord, it much imports your future safetyThat you should hear It.
ORDONIO (turn ing of from ISIDORE).Am n ot I a man ?
’Tis as it should b e tut— the deed itselfWas idle , an d the se after- pan gs still idler !
ISIDORE.
We met him in the very place you men tion ’d.
Hard b y a grove of firs
ORDON IO.
En ough—en ough
REMORSE . 49
ISIDORE .
He fought us valian tly, an d woun ded all
In fin e , c ompell’
d a parley.
ORDON IO (sighing, as if lost in thought).
Alvar ! brotherI SIDORE.
He ofl'
er’
d m e his purse
ORDONIO.
Yes
ISIDORE.
Yes— I Spum’
d itHe promised us I kn ow n ot what— in vainThen with a lo ok an d vo ice that overawed me ,He said,
“What m ean you , frien ds ? My life is dear:I have a brother an d a prom ised wife ,Who make life dear to m e— an d if I fall,That brother will roam earth an d he ll for ven
gean c e .
There was a liken ess in his face to yoursI ask’d his brother’s n ame he said Ordon io
Son of Lord Valdez I” I had we ll n igh fain ted .
At length I said (if that in deed I said it,An d that n o spirit made my tongue its organ ,)“That woman is dishon our’d by that brother,An d he the man who sen t us to de stroy you .
”
That woman is n ow pregn an t, Eda—1 797 .
VOL. IV.
50 REMORSE. [ACT 11.
He drove a thrust at me in rage . I told him ,
He wore her portrait roun d his n eck. He look’d
As he had been made of the rock that propt hisback
Ay, just as you look n ow— on ly le ss ghastlyAt length recovering from his tran ce , he threwHis sword away
,an d bade us take his life
,
It was n ot worth his keeping.
ORDONIO.
An d you kill’d him ?Oh blood - houn ds may e tern al wrath flame roun d
you I
He was his Maker’s image un defaced i
It se ize s me— by Hell I will go on
What—would’st thou st0p,man ? thy pale looks
won ’t save theeOh cold— cold—cold shot through with icy cold I
ISIDORE (aside) .Were he alive he had return
’d ere n ow.
The con sequen ce the same—dead thro’ his plotting !
ORDONIO.
0 this un utterable dyin g away —hereThis Sickn ess of the heart [apause.
What if I wen tAn d lived in a hollow tomb
, an d fed on weeds ?Ay, that
’s the road to heaven (a pause . ) O foolfool ! foo l !
Hewas the image of the Deity—(a pause) —1 797 - 18 13 .
SC . REMORSE . 5 1
What have I don e but that which Nature destin ed,Or the blin d e lemen ts stirr’d up within meIf -
good were m ean t, why were we made thesebe in gs
An d if n ot m ean t
ISIDORE.
You are disturb ’d , my lord I
ORDON IO (starts loohs at him wildly then,after
apause,during which his features are
forced in to a smile).
A gust of the soul i’faith it overse t me .
O’twas all folly— all idle as laughter
Now,Isidore I swear that thou shalt aid me .
ISIDORE (in a low voice).
I ’ll perish firstORDONIO.
What dost thou mutter o f
ISIDORE.
Some of your servan ts kn ow me , I am certain .
ORDON IO.
There’s some sen se in that scruple ; but we’ll
mask you.
In the origin al draught of the play the speech con tin ue sShame on my coward heart
That I must slink away from wickedn ess
Like a cow’d dog 1—1 797.
REM ORSE.
ISIDORE.
They’ll kn ow my gait : but stayI last n ight I
watch’d
’
A stranger n ear the ruin in the wood,Who as it se em ’
d was gathering herbs an d wild
flowers .I hadffollow’
d him at distan ce , se en him scaleIts western wall, an d by an easier en tran ce
Sto le after him un n o ticed . There I mark’d
That mid the chequer—work of light an d ShadeWith curiou s cho ice he plu ck
’d n o o ther flowers
But those on which the moon light fe ll an d on ce
But stay of late I have‘
watch’
d
A stran ger that lives n igh, still pickin g weeds ,
Now in the swam p , n ow on the walls of the -ru in ,
Now clamb erin g , like a ru n away lun atic ,Up to the summ it of our highe st m oun t .
I have watch’d him at it m orn in g - tide an d n oon ,
O n ce in the moon light. Then I stood so n ear
I heard him mutterin g o’er the plan t. A wizard
Some gau n t slave prowlin g out for dark employm en ts .
Oso RI o .
What may his n ame b e
FERD I NAND .
That I can n ot tell you :
O n ly Fran cesco bade an offic er’
Speak in your n am e, as lord of this domain .
So he was qu estion’d
, who an d what he was .
This Was his an swer, Say to the Lord O sorio ,He that can brin g the dead to life again .
"
54 REMORSE . [ACT 11 .
Trace its course backward thro’ a n arrow open ingIt leads you to the place .
ORDONIO .
How shall I kn ow it ?
ISIDORE.
You can n ot err.
“It is a small green de llBuilt all aroun d with high off- slopin g hills,An d from its shape our peasan ts aptly call itThe Gian t’s Cradle . There ’s a lake in the m idst,An d roun d its ban ks tall wood that bran che s over,An d make s a kin d of faery fore st growDown in the water. At the further en d
A pun y cataract falls on the lake
An d there , a curious sight you see its shadowFor ever curling, like a wreath of smoke
,
Up through the foliage of those faery tre es.His cot stan ds oppo site You can n o t m iss it.
ORDON IO (in retiring stops sudden ly at the
edge of the scen e,an d then turn ing
roun d to ISIDORE).
Ha l—Who lurks there Have we been overheardThere where the smooth high wall of slate -rock
glittersISIDORE.
’Neath tho se tall ston e s , which propping each theo ther,
You can’t m istake . It is a small green dal e—1 797 .
so . REM ORSE . 55
Form a mock portal with the ir poin ted arch ?Pardon my sm ile s
’Tis a poor idiot boy,Who sits in the sun
,an d twirls a bough about
,
His weak eye s see thed in most unmean ing tears .An d so he sits, swayin g his con e - like head
,
An d, starin g at his bough from mom to sun - set,
See - saws his voice in in articulate n oise s .
ORDONIO.
’Tis well an d n ow for this same Wizard’s lair.
ISIDORE.
Some three stride s * up the hill , a moun tain ash
Stre tches its lower boughs an d scarle t clusters
O’
er the Old thatchfl“
ORDONIO.
I shall n ot fail to fin d it.
[Exeun t ORDONIO and ISIDORE .
SCENE II . —The in side of a Cottage, aroun d which
flowers and plan ts of various hin ds are seen .
Discovers ALVAR, ZULIMEZ and ALHADRA,as on thepoin t of leaving.
ALHADRA (addressing ALVAR).
Farewell then an d though man y thoughts perplex
me ,
yards—1 797 . 1
"
the n ew thatch .—ib .
56 REMORSE. [ACT 11.
Aught evil or ign oble n ever can I
Suspect of thee If what thou seem’st thou art
,
The oppre ssed brethren of thy blood have n eed—Of such a leader.
ALVAR.
Nobly-m in ded woman I
Long time again st Oppression have I fought,An d for the n ative liberty o f faithHave bled an d suffer
’d bon ds . Of this b e certain
Time , as he course s onward, still un ro llsThe vo lume of con cealmen t. In the Fu ture ,As in the optician ’s glassy cylin der,The in distin guishable blo ts an d co lours
Of the dim Past co llect an d Shape them selve s,Upstartin g in the ir own comple ted image ,To scare or to reward .
I sought the guilty,An d what I sought I foun d but ere the spearFlew from my han d, there ro se an an ge l formBe twixt me an d my aim . With b aflied purpo seTo the Aven ger I leave ven gean ce , an d depart !Whate ’er be tide , if aught my arm may aid
,
01 power pro tect, my word is pledged to the eForman y are thy wron gs, an d thy soul n oble .
On ce more , farewe ll. [Exit ALHADRA.
Yes, to the Belgic state sWe will re turn . The se robe s, this stain
’d c om
plexion ,
Akin to falsehood, we igh upon my spirit.Whate’erbefall us , the hero ic Maurice
so . REM ORSE . 57
Will gran t us an asylum,in remembran ce
Of our past service s.
ZULIMEZ.
An d al l the wealth,power, in fluen ce which is yours ,
You let a murdererho ld
ALVAR.
O faithful Zulim ez I
That my re turn in volved Ordon io’
s death,
*
I trust, would give m e an unm ingled pan g,Yet bearable —~bu t when I see my father
Strewin g his scan t gray hairs , e’
en on the groun d,Which soon mu st b e his grave , an d my Tere sa
Herhusban d proved a murdererfi an d her in fan ts
In the origin al draught of the play, the sc en e Open s thu s
ALBERT an d MAUR I CE.
ALBERT .
He doth b elieve him self an iro n sou l,
An d therefore pu ts he on an iron ou tward
An d tho se sam e m ock hab ilim en ts of stren gth
Hide his own weakn e ss from him self
MAUR I CE .
His weakn ess
Come , com e, speak ou t Your brother is a v illain
Yet al l the wealth , power, in fluen c e , which is yoursYou suffer him to hold
ALBERT ,
Maurice ! dearMaurice !That my return in volved O sorio ’s death, £9
’
c .- I 797 .
‘
f'
a mon ster—ib.
58 REM ORSE . [ACT I I .
His in fan ts—poor Tere sa —all would perish,All perish— all ! an d I (n ay bearwith me)Could n ot survive the complicated ruin
ZULIMEZ (much afi’ected )
Nay n ow I have distre ss’d you— you‘
well kn ow,I n e ’erwill quit your fortun e s . True ,
’tis tire some I
*You are a pain ter,on e of man y fan cie s I
The follo'
win g lin es I have preserved in this place, n ot so
much as explan atory of the picture of the assass in ation , as
(if I may say so withou t d isrespect to the pu b lic) to gratifymy own feelin gs , the passage b e in g n o m ere fan cy portrait ;b u t a s light, yet n ot un faithful, profile of the late Sir GeorgeBeaumon t.
ZULIMEZ (speaking of ALVAR in the third p erson ) .
Such was the n ob le Span iard’s own relatio n .
He told me , too , how in his early you th,
An d his first travels , ’twas his cho ice or chan ce
To make lon g sojourn in sea -wedded Ven iceThere won the love of that divin e old man ,
Courted by m ightiest kin gs , the fam ou s Titian !Who , like a sec on d an d more lovely Nature ,By the sweet mystery of lin es an d c o lours
Chan ged the b lank can vass to a magic m irror,That made the ab sen t presen t ; an d to shadows
Gave light, depth , sub stan ce , b loom , yea, thought an d
m otion .
He loved the old m an , an d revered his art
An d though of n ob lest b irth an d ample fortun e ,The youn g en thus iast thought it n o scorn
But an in alien ab le orn amen t,
To b e his pupil, an d with filial zealBy prac tice to appropriate the sage lesson s ,
so . REMORSE . 59
You can call up past deeds, an d make them liveOn the blan k can vass an d each little herb
,
That grows on moun tain bleak, or tan gled fore st,
You have learn t to n am e
Hark heard you n ot some footsteps ?
ALVAR .
What if it were my brother com ing on wards ?I sen t a most mysterious m e ssage to him .
Wh ich the gay, sm iling o ld man gladly gave .
The art, he hon ou r’d thu s , requ ited him
And in the followin g an d calam itou s yearsBeguiled the hours o f his captivity .
ALHADRA.
An d then b e framed this pic ture an d u n aidedBy arts u n lawful, spell, or tal isman
ALVAR .
A poten t Spell , a m ighty talisman l
The imperishable m emory of the deed,
Sustain ’d by love , an d grief, an d in dign ation 1So vivid were the forms within his b rain ,His very eyes , when shu t, made pic tures of them !
[Note in Appen dix to the later edition s of Rem orsej
You ’ve learn t to n am e—bu t IALBERT .
Well, to the Netherlan ds
We will return , the hero ic Prin ce of Oran geWill gran t u s an asylum ,
in rem em bran c e
Of our past service .
MAUR I CE ,Heard you n ot som e steps
ALBERT .
What if it were my brother c om in g onward ?
60 REMORSE. [ACT 11.
E n ter ORDON IO .
ALVAR (starting).It is he
ORDONIO (to himself as he en ters) .
If I distinguish’d right her gait an d stature ,
Not very wisely (but his creature teased m e)I sen t a m ost mysteriou s m e ssage to him .
MAUR I CE .
Would he n ot kn ow you
ALBERT.
I u n fearinglyTrust this disgu ise . Beside s he thin ks m e dead
An d what the m in d b elieves impo ssib leThe b odily sen se is slow to recogn ize .
Add too my youth when last we saw each other ;
Man hood has swell’d my chest, an d taught my vo iceA hoarser n ote .
MAUR I CE .
Mo st tru e I an d Alva ’s Duke
Did n ot improve it by the u nwho le som e v ian dsHe gave so scan tily in that fou l du n geonDurin g our lo n g imprison m en t.
En ter O sow o .
ALBERT .
It is he 1
MAUR I CE .
Make yourself talk you’ll feel the less . Com e
, speak.
How do you fin d yourself ? Speak to m e , Alb ert .
ALBERT (placing his han d on his heart) .A little flu tterin g here bu t m ore of sorrow l
o som o .
You kn ow my n ame, perhaps, b etter than m e .
1 797°
62 REMORSE . [ACT 11 .
When a few odd prayers have been mutter’dthem
Then they work miracle s I warran t you ,There ’s n ot a leaf, but un dern eath it lurksSome serviceable imp .
There ’s on e of you
Hath sen t me a strange me ssage .
ALVAR.
I am he .
ORDON IO .
With you,then , I am to speak
[Haughtily waning his hand to Zulimez.
An d mark you , alon e .
*
[Exit ZULIMEZ.
He that can bring the dead to life again l”
Such was yourme ssage , sir You are n o dullard,But on e that strips the outward rin d of things
ALVAR.
’Tis fabled there are fruits with temptin gThat are all dust an d rotten n e ss within .
Would’st thou I should strip such
ORDONIO.
Thou quibbling fool,What dost thou mean Think’st thou I joum ey
’d
hither'
To sport with thee P
I will speak with you , an d by yourself.~ - I 797 .
sc . REMORSE . 63
ALVAR.
0 n o , my Lord to sportBest suits the gaiety of in n ocen ce .
ORDON IO (aside) .
0 what a thin g is man the wise st heartA fool a fool that laughs at its own folly,Yet still a fool [Looks round the
You are poor 11
What follows then ce P
ORDONIO.
That you wou ld fain b e richer.
The In quisition , too— You comprehen d me ?
You are po or, in peril . I have wealth an d power, !
Can quen ch the flame s , an d cure your povertyAn d for the bo on I ask of you but this
,”That you should serve me— on ce —for a few hours.
Best fits—1 797 .
1‘
(Draws back as if stung an d embarrassed, then folding hisarms) .
—«ib.
i It strikes me you are poor - ih.
5 That you wou ld fain be richer.
Besides , you do n ot love the rack, perhaps,Nor a b lack dungeon , n or a fire of faggots .
The In qu isition—hey ? You u n derstan d me .
An d you are poor. Now I have wealth an d power—ih.
I] An d for this service , all I ask you is , Eda—ih.
64 REM ORSE . [ACT I I .
ALVAR (solemn ly )Thou art the son of Valdez ! would to Heaven
That I could truly an d for ever serve thee .
ORDONIO.
The slave begin s to soften . [asideYou are my frien d,
He that can brin g the dead to life again
Nay, n o defen ce to m e The ho ly bre threnBe lieve the se calumn ie s— I kn ow thee be tter.
(Then with great bittern ess. )Thou art a man
,an d as a man I ’ll trust thee
ALVAR (aside).
Alas this hollow m irth— Declare your busin ess .
ORDONIO .
I love a lady,an d she wou ld love me
But for an idle an d.
fan tastic scruple .
Have you n o servan ts here,n o listen ers
[ORDON IO steps to the door.
ALVAR .
What,faithless too False to his an ge l wife
To such a wife ? We ll m ight’st thou look so wan ,
Ill- starr’d Tere sa — Wre tch my softer soulIs pass
’d away, an d I will probe his con scien ce
ORDON IO.
In truth this lady loved an otherman,
But he has perish’
d .
The can tin g scoun drel soften s—1 797 .
sc . REMORSE . 65
ALVAR.
What you kill’
d him ? hey
ORDON IO.
I ’ll dash thee to the earth,if thou but think’st it
In solen t slave how daredst thou
[Turn s abruptly from ALVAR , and then to himself.Why, what
’s this P’Twas idiocy I ’ll tie myse lf to an aspen
,
An d wear a fool ’s cap
ALVAR (watehing his agitation ).
Fare thee wellI pity thee , Ordon io , even to anguish .
[ALVAR is retiring.
ORDON IO (having recovered himself ).
[calling to ALVAR .
ALVAR .
Be brief, what wish you
ORDON IO.
You are deep at barterin g— You charge yourse lf
At a roun d sum . Come,come , I spake unwise ly.
I listen to you .
ORDON IO .
In a sudden tempe st,
Thou slave ! thou galley- slave ! thou moun tebank
I leave thee to the han gman 1—1797 .
VOL. IV. E
66 REMORSE . [ACT 11.
Did Alvar perish—he , I mean— the lover
The fellowALVAR.
Nay, speak out’twill ease your heart
To call him villain —Why stan d’st thou aghast ?Men think it n atural to hate the ir rivals .
ORDON IO (hesitating ).
Now,till she kn ows him dead, she will n otwed me .
ALVAR (with eager vehemen te).
Are you n ot wedded,then ? Merciful Heaven
Not wedded to Teresa ?
ORDONIO.
Why,what ails thee ?
What, art thou mad why look’st thou upward so ?Dost pray to Lucifer, Prin ce of the Air?
ALVAR (reeolleeting himself ).
Proceed . I shall b e silen t.
[ALVAR sits, and lean ing on the tahle, hides hisfate.
ORDONIO.
To Tere saPolitic wizard ere you sen t that me ssage ,You had coun ’d your lesson , made yourself pro
ficien t
In all my fortun es . Hah you prophe siedA go lden crop We ll, you have n ot m istakenBe faithful to me, an d I
’ll pay thee n obly.
Art mad or drun k — I 797.
SC . REM ORSE . 67
ALVAR (lifting up his head ) .Well an d this lady
ORDONIO.
Ifwe could make her certain o f his death,
She n eeds must wed me . Ere her lover leftShe tied a little portrait roun d his n eck
,
En treating him to wear it
ALVAR (sighing ) .
Yes he did so
ORDON IO.
Why n o he was afraid of acciden ts,
Of robberies, an d shipwrecks, an d theIn secrecy he gave it me to keep ,Till his re turn .
ALVAR.
What he was your frien d then ?
ORDON IO (woun ded . an d emharrassed ).
I was his frien d .
Now that he gave it me,This lady kn ows n ot. You are a m ighty wizard.
Can call the dead man up—he will n ot come .
He is in heaven then— there you have n o in fluen ce .
Still there are token s— an d your imps may bringyou
Somethin g he wore about him when he died.
An d when the smoke of the in cen se on the altar
Is pass’d,your spirits will have left this picture .
What say you n ow
68 REM ORSE . [ACT 11 .
ALVAR (after apause).
Ordon io , I will do it.
ORDONIO.
We’ll hazard n o delay. Be it to - n ight,
*
In the early even ing. Ask for the Lord Valdez .
I will prepare him . Music too , an d in cen se ,
(For I have arran ged it— mu sic, altar, in cen se)All shall b e ready. Here is this same picture ,An d here , what you will value more , a purse .
Come early for yourmagic c eremon ies }L
ALVAR .
I will n ot fail to m ee t you .
ORDON IO.
Till n ext we mee t, farewe ll [Exit ORDONIO.
ALVAR (alon e, in dign an tlyflings thepurse away ,and gazespassion ately at theportrait) .
An d I did curse theeAt m idn ight on my kn ee s an d I be lievedThee perjured, thee a traitre ss ! thee dishon our’d ! IO blin d an d credu lous foo l O guilt of follyShould n ot thy in articulate fon dn e sse s,Thy in fan t love s— should n o t thy maiden vowsHave come upon my heart An d this swee t image
Delays are dangerou s . It shall b e to -m orrow—I 797 .
1‘ In stead of the last lin e the speech breaks off in the
original draught of the play with the words ,Before the dusk.
” —ih.
I Thee perjured, thee polluted, thee a murderess -ih.
70 REMORSE . [ACT I I I
ACT III .
SCENE I .—AHall of armoury ,
back of the stage. Soft music an in strumen t
of glass or steel:
VALDEz, ORDON IO ,
an d ALVAR in a Sorcerer’s
robe,are discovered.
ORDON IO .
This was too melan choly, father.
VALDEZ.
Nay,
My Alvar loved sad music from a child .
On ce he was lost ; an d after weary searchWe foun d him in an open place in the wood,To which spot he had follow’
d a blin d b oy,Who breathed in to a pipe o f sycamoreSome strangely moving n ote s an d the se , he said ,Were taught him in a d ream . Him we first saw
Stretch’d on the broad top of a sun n y heath - ban k 3
An d lower down ,po orAlvar
,fast asleep ,
His head upon the blin d boy’s dog. It pleased me
To mark how he had fasten ’d roun d the pipeA silver toy his gran dam had late given him .
A silver toy his gran dmother had given him .— I 797 .
SC . L ] REM ORSE . 7 1
Methin ks I see him n ow as he then look’dEven so —He had outgrown his in fan t dre ss ,*
Yet still he wore it.
ALVAR (aside).
My tears must n ot flowI must n ot clasp his kn e e s
,an d cry, My father
E n ter TERESA an d Attendan ts.
TERESA.
Lord Valdez, you have ask’
d my pre sen ce here ,An d I submit but (Heaven bear witn e ss forme)My heart approve s it n ot
’tis mo ckery.
ORDONIO .
Believe you then n o pretem atural in fluen ceBelieve you n ot that spirits throng aroun d us
TERESA.
Say rather that I have imagin ed itA possible thing ; an d it has so o thed my soul
As o ther fan cie s have but n e ’er seduced m e
To traffic with the black an d fren zied hope ,That the dead hear the vo ice of witch orwizard .
(To ALVAR . )Stranger, I mourn an d blush to see you here ,On such employmen t With far other thoughtsI left you .
ORDON IO (aside).
Ha he has been tampering with her
His in fan t dress was grown too short for him ,—I 797 .
72 REM ORSE . [ACT I I I .
ALVAR.
O high - soui’d maiden an d more dear to me
Than suits the stranger’s n ame
I swear to thee
I will un cover all con cealed guilt.
Doubt,but decide n o t ! Stan d ye from the altar.
*
[Here a strain of music is heardfrom behind
the seen o.
’
t
ALVAR.
With n o irreveren t voice or un couth charm
I call up the departedSoul of Alvar
Hear our soft suit, an d heed my m ilder spell
So may the gate s o f Paradise , un b arr’d ,
Cease thy swift toils Sin ce haply thou art on e
Of that in n umerable compan yWho in broad circle , love lier than the rain bow,
Girdle this roun d earth in a dizzy m o tion ,With n oise too vast an d con stan t to b e heard 3Fitliest un heard For oh, ye n umberle ss ,An d rapid travellers what earun stun n ’
d,
What sen se unmadden’
d, m ight bear up again stThe rushing of your con gregated win gs
[M usic expressive of the movemen ts an d images
thatfollow.
Even n ow your livin g whe e l turn s o’ermy head
Ye , as ye pass, toss high the desart san ds ,
Stan d from off the altar.—I 797 .
1'
from an in strume nt of glass or steel—the harmon ica or
Ce lestin a stop , or Clagget’s m etallic organ .
—ih.
SC . I .] REMORSE . 73
That roar an d whiten,like a burs t of waters
,
A swee t appearan ce , but a dread illusionTo the parch
’
d caravan that roam s by n ightAnd ye upbuild" o n the becalm ed wave sThat whirlin g pillar, which from earth to heavenStan ds vast, an d move s in blackn e ss Ye too splitThe ice -moun t, an d with fragmen ts man y an d hugeTempe st the n ew- thaw
’d sea
,who se sudden gulfs
Suck in , perchan ce , some Laplan d Wizard’s skiff
Then roun d an d roun d the whirlpo o l’s marge ye
dan ce ,Till from the blue swoln corse the soul to ils out,An d j oin s yourm ighty army.
[Hére behin d the scen es a voice sings the three
words,“Hear
,sweet spirit. ”
Sou l of Alvar !Hear the m ild spell , an d tempt n o blacker charmBy sighs un quiet, an d the sickly pan gOf a hal f- dead
, yet still un dyin g hope ,Pass visible before ourmortal sen seSo shal l the Church’s clean sin g rite s b e thin e ,Herkn ells an d masse s that rede em the dead
"rSONG—Behin d the Scen es, accompan ied by the
same I n strumen t as before .
Hear, swe e t spirit, hear the spe ll,Le st a blacker charm compe l
build up—I 797 .
‘
f‘
This song it appears was prin ted an d set to music by Mr.
Carn aby in 1802 . (vide supra, p .—ED .
74 REM ORSE . [ACT 111.
So shall the m idn ight breeze s swe llWith thy de ep long- lin gering kn ell.
And a t even ing evermore ,I n a chape l on the Shore ,Shall the chaun ters sad an d sain tly,Ye llow tapers burn in g fain tly,Doleful masses chaun t for thee ,M iserere D omin e
Hark the caden ce die s away
On the quie t moon light sea
The boatmen re st the ir oars an d say
M'
serere D omin o
ORDONIO.
The in n ocen t obey n or charm n or spe llMy brother is in heaven . Thou sain ted spirit,Burst o n our sight, a passing visitan t
On ce more to hear thy vo ice , on ce more to see thee ,O ,
’twere a joy to m e
ALVAR .
A joy to theeWhat if thou heard ’
st him n ow ? What if his spiritRe - en ter
’d its co ld corse
,an d came upon thee
With man y a stab from man y amurderer’s po ign ard ?What if (his steadfast eye still beam in g pity
O n the yellow m oon light sea;
SC . I .] REM ORSE . 75
An d brother’s love) he turn’d his head aside
,
Lest he should look at thee,an d with on e look
Hurl thee beyon d all power of pen iten ce
VALDEZ.
These are un holy fan cie s
ORDON IO (struggling with hisfeelings).
Yes, my father,He is in H eaven
ALVAR (still to ORDONIO).
But what if he had a brother,Who had lived even so , that at his dying hour,The n ame ofHeaven wou ld have con vulsed his
face ,More than the death- pan g
VALDEZ.
Idly prating manThou hast guess
’d ill : Don Alvar’s on ly brother
Stan ds here before thee —a father’s ble ssin g on himHe is most Virtuou s .
ALVAR (still to ORDON IO).
What,if his very virtue s
Had pamper’d his swo ln heart an d made him proud ?An d what if pride had duped him in to guiltYet still he stalk
’d a se lf- created god ,
Not very bold,but exquisite ly cun n in g
An d on e that at his mother’s lookin g-
glassWould force his feature s to a frown ing stern n e ss
76 REM ORSE . [ACT I I I .
Young lord ! I te ll thee , that there are suCh be ingsYea
, an d it give s fierce m errimen t to the damn’d,
To see the se mo st proud m en , that loathe man kind,At every stir an d buzz of coward con scien ce ,Trick
,can t
, an d lie , mo st whin in g hyprocrites
Away,away ! Now le t m e hearmore music.
[M usic again .
TERESA.
’Tis stran ge , I tremble at my own con jecturesBut whatsoe ’er it m ean ,
I dare n o longerBe pre sen t at the se lawle ss mysterie s,This dark provokin g of the hidden PowersAlready I affron t— if n o t high HeavenYet Alvar’s memory —Hark I make appealAgain st the un ho ly rite , an d hasten hen ceTo ben d" before a
_
lawful shrin e , an d seekThat voice which whispers
,when the still heart
listen s,
Comfort an d faithful hope . Le t us retire .
ALVAR (to TERESA anxiously).
0 full of faith an d gu ilele ss love , thy spiritStill prompts thee wise ly. Let the pangs of guiltSurprise the gu ilty : thou art in n ocen t
[Exeun t TERESA an d Attendan t. M usic as
The spe ll is mutter’d— Come , thou wan deringshape ,
To kn eel—18 13 .
78 REM ORSE . [ACT I I I .
Shall hear his first words . —Look you pale , LordValdez ?
Plain eviden ce have we here ofmo st foul sorcery.
There is a dungeon un dern eath this castle ,An d as you hope form ild in terpre tation ,Surren der in stan tly the keys an d charge of it.
ORDONIO (recovering himself asfrom stupor,
to the servan ts).
Why haste you n ot ? Off with him to the dungeon .
[All rush out in tumult.
Yet my weak fan cy, an d these b odily creepin gs ,Would fain give sub stan ce to the Shadow .
VELEz (advan cing to the altar) .Hah
A picture !MAR IA.
O God my pictureALBERT (gazing at MAR IA with wild impatien t distress
Pal e—pale—deadly paleMAR IA.
He grasp’d it when he died .
[She swoon s . ALBERT rushes to her an d supports her.
ALBERT .
My love ! m y wife !Pale—pale , an d cold ! My love ! my wife ! Maria 
so . REMORSE . 79
SCENE II .— ] n terior of a chapel, with pain ted
win dows .
E n ter TERESA.
When first I en ter’d this pure spot,forebodings
Press’d heavy on my heart but as I kn e lt,
Such calm unwon ted bliss po ssess’
d my Spirit,
A tran ce so cloudle ss, that those soun ds, hard by,Of trampling uproar fe ll upon m in e ear
As al ien an d un n oticed as the rain - storm
Go , call the atten dan ts Life will soon ebb back I
[VELEz an d O so RIo leave the stage .
ALBERT .
Her pulse doth flutter. Maria I m y MariaMAR IA (recovering—looks roun
I heard a vo ice—but often in my dream s ,
I hear that vo ice , an d wake an d try , an d try,
To hear it waking—but I n ever cou ldAn d ’
tis so n ow—even so Well, he is dead,
Murder’d perhaps an d I am fain t, an d feelAs if itwere n o pain ful thin g to die !
ALBERT (eagerly) .Believe it n ot, sweet maid ! believe it n ot,
Beloved woman I ’Twas a low im po stureFramed by a guilty wretch .
MAR IA.
Ha ! who art thou 7‘
ALBERT (exceedingly agitated) .My heart bursts over thee
MAR IA.
D idst thou murder him ?
80 REMORSE . [ACT I I I .
Beats on the roof of some fair ban que t- room ,
While sweetest‘
melodies are warbling
E n ter VALDEZ.
VALDEZ.
Ye pitying sain ts, forgive a father’s blin dn ess,An d extricate us from this n et of peril
TERESA.
Who wake s an ew my fears , an d speaks of peril ?
VALDEZ .
0 be st Tere sa,wise ly wert thou prompted
This was n o feat of mortal agen cyThat picture— Oh, that picture te lls me all
An d do st thou n ow repen t P Poor troub led man
I do forgive thee , an d may Heaven forgive thee !ALBERT (aside) .
Let m e b e gon e .
MAR IA.
If thou didst m urder him ,
His spirit ever, at the thron e of God,
Asks m ercy for thee , prays for m ercy for thee ,
With tears in heaven !ALBERT .
Alb ert was n ot murder’d.
Your fo ster- m other
MARIA.
An d do th she kn ow aught?
ALBERT .
She kn ows n ot aught—but haste thou to her cottage
To - m orrow early—brin g Lord Velez with thee .
There ye must meet me—but your servan ts com e .
SC . REM ORS E. 81
With a flash o f light it came , in flame s it van ish’d ,Self- kin dled, se lf- con sumed bright as thy life ,Sudden an d un expected as thy fate
,
Alvar My son my son — The In quisitor
TERESA.
Torture me n ot But Alvar— Oh ofAlvar?
VALDEZ.
How often would he plead for the se More scoe sThe brood accurst ! remorse le ss, coward murderers !
MAR IA (wildly) .Nay—n ay
—bu t tell m e
[A pause—then presses herforehead.
Ah ’tis lo st again
This dead c on fused pain[A pause—she gazes at ALBER
'
D.
Mysteriou s man !
Methin ks, I can n ot fear thee—for thin e eyeDoth swim with pity—I will lean on thee .
[Exeun t ALBERT an d MAR IA.
Re - en ter VE LEZ an d O so RIo .
VELEz (sportively) .
You shall n ot see the picture , till you own it.
OsoR I o .
This mirth an d raillery, sir, b eseem your age .
I am con ten t to b e more seriou s .
VE LEZ .Do you thin k I did n ot scen t it from the first ?An excellen t schem e
, an d excellen tly m an aged .
’Twill blow away her doubts, an d n ow she ’ll wed you .
l’faith, the liken ess is most adm irable .
VOL. IV.
REMORSE . [ACT II I .
TERESA (wildly .
So ? so - I comprehen d you—he is
VALDEz (with averted coun tenan ce).
He is n o more
O sorrow ! that a father5 voice Should say this,A father’s heart believe it
VALDEZ.
A worse sorrow
Are fan cy’s wild hope s to a heart de spairing
I saw the trick—yet these old eyes grew dimm er
With very foolish tears, it look’d so like him !
o som o .
Where should I get her portrait
VELEz .
Get her portrait ?
Portrait ? You m ean the picture At the pain ter’sNo difficu lty then—but that you lit uponA fellow that could play the sorcerer,
With such a grace an d terrible majesty ,It was mo st rare good fortun e . An d how deeplyHe seem ’d to sufferwhen Maria swoon ’d,
An d half made love to her ! I suppo se you ’ll ask m e
Why did he so
ORDON I O (with deep ton es of suppressed agitation ) .
Ay, wherefore did he so
VELEz.
Because you bade him—an d an excellen t thought
A m ighty man , an d gen tle as he is m ighty.
REM ORSE.
TERESA.
The se rays that slan t In through those gorgeouswin dows
,
From yon bright orb— though co lour’d as they pass
,
Are they n ot light — Even so that vo ice , LordValdez,
Which whispers to my soul, though haply variedBy man y a fan cy, man y a wishful h0pe ,Speaks yet
’fthe truth an d Alvar live s forme
He ’ll win d in to her c on fiden c e , an d rout
A host of scruples—Come , con fess , Osorio !o som o .
You pierce through mysteries with a lynx’s eye ,
In this yourmerry m o od ! You see it all !
VELEz .
Why n o —n ot all. I have n ot yet discover’d,
At least n ot wholly, what his speeches m ean t.
Pride an d hypocrisy, an d gu ilt an d c un n ingThen when he fix’d his ob stin ate eye on you ,
An d you preten ded to look stran ge an d tremb le .
Why—why—what ails you n ow
O so RIo (with a stupid stare) .Me ? why what ails m e
A pricking of the blood—it m ight have happen’d
At any other tim e . Why scan you m e
VELEz (clappin g him on the shou lder) .’Twon ’t do—’
twon’t do—I have lived too lon g in the world.
His speech about the c orSe an d stab s an d murderers,
Had referen ce to the assassin s in the pic tureThat I made out.
OsoRI o (with afran tic eagern ess) .
Assassin s what assassin s ?
84 REMORSE . [ACT m .
VALDEZ.
Ye s, fer three wasting years, thus an d n o other,He has lived for the e— a spirit for thy spiritMy child, we must n ot give re ligious faithTo every vo ice which make s the heart a listen erTo its own wish .
TERESA.
I breathed to the Un err'ing
Permitted prayers . Mu st tho se remain un an swer’d,
Yet impious sorcery,that ho lds n o commun e
Save with the lying spirit, claim be lief P
VE LEZ .Well acted, o n my life ! Your curio sityRun s open - m outh’d , raven ou s as win terwolf.I dare n ot stan d in its way .
[He shows O SOR IO the picture.o som o .
Du ped—duped—dupedThat villain Ferdin an d
VE LE Z .Duped—duped—n o t I .
As he swept by m e
o so n ro .
Ha l what did he say9
VBLEZ .
He caught his garm en t u p an d hid his face .
It seem ’d as he were strugglin g to suppresso som o .
A laugh a laugh I 0 hell ! he laughs at m e
VE LEZ .It heaved his chest m ore like a violen t sob .
86 REMORSE . [ACT 111 .
TERESA (withfain t shrieh).O heaven s my portrait !
An d he did grasp it in his death- pang !Off, false demon ,
That b eat’st thy black wings clo se above my head
[ORDON IO en ters with the heys of the dun
geon in his han d.
Hush who come s here The wizard Moor’s em
ployerMoors were his murderers , you say ? Sain ts shield
u s
From wicked thoughts
[VALDEZ moves towards the bath of the stage to
meet ORDON IO, an d during the con cluding
lin es of TERESA’S speech appears as
con versing with him .
Is Alvar dead ? what then ?
0 this was delicate flatteryTo poorMaria, an d I love thee for it !
O som o (in a slow voice , with a reason ing laugh) .Love—love—an d then we hate—an d what ? an d wherefore ?
Hatred an d love . Stran ge thin gs b oth stran ge alikeWhat if on e reptile stin g an o ther reptile ,Where is the crime ? The goodly face of Nature
Hath on e trail less of s limy filth u pon it .Are we n ot all predestin ed rotten n ess
An d cold dishon our? Gran t it that this han dHad given a m orsel to the hu n gry worm s
Somewhat too early. Where ’s the gu ilt of thisThat this m u st n eeds brin g on the idio tcyO f mo ist- eyed pen iten ce—
’
tis like a dream
so . REMORSE . 87
The n uptial rite s an d fun eral shall b e o n e
Here ’s n o abiding- place for thee , Tere sa.
Away they se e m e n o t— Thou see st me , AlvarTo thee I ben d my course — But first on e que stion ,
On e question to Ordon io — My limbs trembleThere I may sit unmark
’d— a momen t will restore
me . [Retires out of sight.
ORDON IO (as he advan ces with VALDEZ).
The se are the dungeon - keys . Mon viedro kn ewn o t
That I too had rece ived the Wizard’s me ssage ,He that can bring the dead to life again .
”
But n ow he is satisfied I plan n’
d this schemeTo work a full co n viction on the culprit,An d he en trusts him wholly to my keeping.
VELE z .
Wild talk, my child 1 but thy exc ess of fee lin g[Turn s of from O SOR IO .
Sometimes I fear it will u n hin ge his brain
o so n ro .
I kill a man an d lay him in the su n ,
An d in a mon th there swarm from his dead b ody
A thou san d—n ay , ten thou san d sen tien t b e in gsIn place of that on e m an whom I had kill
’d .
Now who shall tell me , that each on e an d all
Of these ten thou san d lives , is n o t as happyAs that on e life , which b ein g shoved as ideMade room for these ten thousan d ?
VE LE Z .Wl ld as madn ess I
88 REM ORSE . [ACT in .
VALDEZ.
’Tis well,my son But have you yet discover
’d
(Where is Teresa ?) what tho se speeche s mean tPride
,an d hypocrisy, an d guilt, an d cun n ing
Then when the wizard fixed his eye on you,An d you
,I kn ow n o t why, lo ok
’d pale an d
trembledWhy—why
,what ails you n ow ?
o som o .
Come, father you have taught m e to b e merry ,
An d merrily We’
ll pore u pon this pic ture .
VE LEZ (ho lding the pic ture before OSORIO) .That Moor, who po in ts his sword at Alb ert’s breast
Oso n ro‘
(abrup tly) .A ten der- hearted, scrupu lous , grateful villain ,Whom I will strangle
VE LEZ .An d these other two
OSOR IO .
Dead—dead already—what care I for the dead
VE LE Z .The heat of brain an d your too s tron g affectionForAlbert, fightin g with yo ur other pass ion ,Un settle you , an d give realityTo these your own c on trivin gs .
o s o rn o .
Is it so ?
You see through all thin gs with your pen etration .
Now I am calm . How fares it w ith Maria ?My heart doth ache to see her.
VE LE Z .Nay
- defer it
Defer it, dearOsorio I will go . [Emit VELEz .
so . REMORSE . 89
ORDONIO (confused ).
Me what ails me ?
A prickin g of the blood—It m ight have happen’d
At any other time —Why scan you me
VALDEZ.
His speech about the corse , an d stabs an d murderers,
Bore referen ce to the assassin s
ORDON IO .
Duped duped duped
The traitor Isidore [Apause, then wildly .
I tell thee , my dear fatherI am most glad of this .
o so aro .
Arim of the su n lies yet upo n the sea
And n ow ’tis go n e I all may b e don e this n ight
E n ter a S ervan t.
OSOR IO .
There is a man , on ce a Moresco chieftain ,On e Ferdin an d .
SERVANT .
He lives in the Alpuxarras ,
Ben eath a s late rock .
o so n ro .
Slate rock
SERVANT .
Yes , my lord
If you had s ee n it, you m ust have rem emb er’d
The flight of s teps his children had worn up it
With often c lamb erin g .
90 REM ORSE . [ACT m .
VALDEZ (confused ) .
True— sorceryMerits its doom an d this perchan ce may guideTo the discovery of the murderers .I have the ir stature s an d the ir several facesSo pre sen t to m e , that but on ce to mee t themWould b e to recogn ize .
OSOR I O .
Well, it may b e so .
SERVANT .
Why, n ow I think on’t, at this time of the year
’Tis hid by Vin es .
O SORIO (in a mu ttering voice) .The cavern—ay
—the cavern .
He can n ot fail to fin d it.
(To the Servan t.)Where an go in g
You m u st deliver to this Ferdin an dA letter. Stay till I have written it . [Exit the S ervan t.
O SOR I O (alon e) .The ton gue can
’t s tirwhen the m ou th is fill’d with m ou ld .
A little earth s tops u p m ost e loquen t m ou ths ,
An d a square ston e with a few piou s textsC ut n eatly on it, keeps the earth down tight.
Scen e chan ges to the space before the castle.
FRANCESCO an d a Spy.
FRANCESCO .
Yes yes I I have the key of all the ir lives .
If a man fears m e , he is forc ed to love m e .
An d if I can , an d do n ot ru in him ,
He is fast b oun d to serve an d hon our m e
[ALBERT en tersfrom the castle,an d is crossing
SC 2 REMORSE . 9 1
ORDON IO.
Ye s yes we recogn ize them .
I was b en umb ’
d, an d stagger
’
d up an d downThrough darkn e ss without light— dark— dark
dark
My fle sh crept chill, my limbs fe lt man acled ,
AS had a sn ake c oil’d roun d them - Now ’tis
sun shin e,
An d the blood dan ce s fre ely through its chan n e ls
[Turn s ofi’
abruptly : then to himself .
This is my virtuou s, gratefu l I sidore
[Then mimiching ISIDORE’S man n er an d voice.
A common trick of gratitude , my lordOld Gratitude a dagger wou ld dissectHis “own full heart ” ’twere good to see its colour.
S PY .
There—there—your Reveren ce ! That is the sorc erer.
[FRANCESCO ru n s up an d rudely catches ho ld q LBERT .
ALBERT dashes him to the earth. FRANCESCO an d the
SPY make an uproar, an d the Servan ts rushfrom ou t
the castle .
FRANCESCO .
Seize , se ize an d gag him or the Church curses you
[The S ervan ts seize an d gag ALBERT .
En ter VELEz an d O SOR IO .
OSOR IO (aside) .This is most lucky I
FRANCES CO (in articu late with rage) .
See you this , Lord Ve lez ?
Good eviden ce have I of m os t fou l sorc ery,
An d in the n ame of Ho ly Church c omman d you
92 REMORSE. [ACT m .
VALDEZ.
These magic sights 0 that I n e ’er had yieldedTo your en treatie s Ne ither had I yie lded
,
But that in spite of your own seem ing faithI he ld it for som e in n ocen t stratagem,
Which love had prompted, to remove the doubtsOf wild Tere sa— by fan cie s que lling fan cies D
To give me up the keys—the keys , my lord
O f that same dun geon- hole b en eath yo ur castle .
This imp of hell—bu t we delay in qu iryTill to Gran ada we have c on voy’d him .
Osom o (to the S ervan ts) .
Why haste you n ot ? Go , fly an d dun geon him !
Then brin g the keys an d give them to his Reveren c e.
[The S ervan ts hurry of ALBERT . OSOR IO goesFRANCESCO , an d poin ting at ALBERT.
OSOR IO (with a laugh)He that can b ring the dead to life again .
FRANCESCO .
What ? did you hear it ?O SOR IO.
Yes , an d plan n’
d this scheme
To bring con vic tion o n him . Ho I a wizard,Thought I
—bu t where ’s the proof ? I plan n’
d this scheme .
The schem e has an swer’d—w e have proof en ough.
FRANCESCO .
My lord, your pious policy astou n ds m e .
I trust my hon est zeal
OSOR IO .
Nay, reveren d father
It has but raised my ven eration for you .
REMORSE . [ACT 111.
VALDEZ.
Wild talk. my son But thy excess of fee ling[averting himself.
Almo st I fear it hath un hinged his brain .
ORDONIO ( n ow in soliloquy , an d n ow addressing his
father : andjust after the speech has commen ced,TERESA reappears an d advan ces slowly).
Say, I had laid a body in the sun
We ll in a mon th there swarm forth from the corseA thousan d, n ay, ten thousan d sen tien t be ingsIn place of that on e man .
— Say, I had kill’d him
[TERESA starts an d stops listen ing.
Yet who shall te ll me,that each on e an d all
Of these ten thou san d live s is n o t as happyAs that on e life , which be ing pu sh
’d aside,
Made room for the se un n umb er’
d
An d his dearAlbert ! Yea, she wou ld have loved him.
He that can s igh out in a woman’s ear
Sad recollection s of her perish’d lover,An d sob an d sm ile with veerin g sympathy,An d, n ow an d then , as if by acc iden t ,Pass his mou th close en ough to tou ch her cheek
With tim id lip, he takes the lover’s place ,He takes his place , for certain Dusky rogu e ,
Were it n ot sport to whimperwith thy m is tress ,Then steal away an d roll u pon my grave ,Till thy s ides shook with laughter? Blood b lood b lood !
They wan t thy b lood thy b lood, Osorio
S C . REM ORSE . 95
VALDEZ.
O m ere madn e ss
[TERESA moves hastily forwards,an d places
herself directly before ORDON IO .
ORDON IO (checking the feeling of surprise,an d for
cinghis ton es in to an expression ofplayful courtesy .
Teresa ? or the phan tom o f Tere sa
TERESA.
Alas the phan tom on ly,if in truth
The substan ce of her be in g, her life’s life ,
Have ta’en its flight through Alvar’s death-woun d
(Apause. ) Whereven coward murder gran ts the dead a grave)
0 tell me , Valdez — an swerme, Ordon io
Where lie s the corse ofmy be tro thed husban d
ORDON IO .
There , where Ordon io likewise wou ld fain lieIn the sle ep - compellin g earth
,in un pierced dark
n e ssForwhile we liveAn inward day that n ever, n ever se ts,Glares roun d the sou l, an d mocks the closing eye
lids
Over his rocky grave the fir—grove sighs
A lullin g cease le ss dirge’Tis we ll with him .
[Strides of in agitation towards the altar, but re
turn s as VALDEZ is sp eahing.
96 REMORSE . [ACT 111 .
TERESA (recoiling with the expressionappropriate to thepassion ).
The rock the fir-
grove
(To VALDEZ. )Didst thou hearhim say
Hush I will” ask him
VALDEZ.
Urge him n ot— n ot n ow
This we behe ld. Norhe n or I kn ow moreThan what the magic imagery reveal
’
d .
The assassin,who pre ss
’d foremost of the three
ORDONIO.
A ten der- hearted , scrupulous , grateful villain ,Whom I will strangle
VALDEZ (loohing with anxious disquiet at his
son, yet attempting to proceed with his
description ) .
While his two compan ion s
ORDONIO.
Dead dead already ! what care we for the dead
VALDEZ‘
(to TERESA).
Pity him soo the him disen chan t his spiritThe se supern atural shows, this stran ge disclo sure ,An d his too fon d affection ,
which still bro ods
O’erAlvar’s fate , an d still burn s to aven ge it
The se , struggling with his hope le ss love for you ,Distemper him ,
an d give reality
To the creature s of his fan cy.
98 REM ORSE . [ACT in .
TERESA.
To the on ly placeWhere life yet dwells forme , an d ease of heart.These walls se em threaten ing to fall in upon meDe tain m e n ot a dim power drive s me hen ce,An d that will b e my guide .
VALDEZ .
To fin d a loverSu its that a high- born maiden ’s mode styO fo lly an d shame Tempt n ot my rage , Teresa
TERESA.
Hope less , I fear n o human be ing’s rage .
An d am I hasten in g to the arms—O Heaven !I haste but to the grave of my be loved
[Exit, VALDEZfollowing afterher.
ORDONIO.
This, then , is my reward an d I must love herScorn
’d shudder
’
d at yet love her still ? yes i
ye s
By the de ep fee lings of revenge an d hateI will still love her— woo her—win her too
[Apause.Isidore safe an d silen t, an d the portraitFoun d on the wizard—he
,be like
,se lf- poison
’d
This an d the prec eding speech of Teresa are tran sferred
almost verbatim from the scen e b etween Thekla an d LadyNeubrun n (Ac t iv . sc . 5 of The Death of Wallenstein ) . See
vo l . iii . pp .- 380 .
- ED .
so . REMORSE . 99
To e scape the crue llerflames —My soul shou tstriumph
The m in e is un derm in ed blood blood bloodThey thirst for thy blood thy blood
, Ordon io !
[Apause.
The hun t is up an d in the m idn ight woodWith lights to dazzle , an d with n e ts they seekA tim id prey an d lo the tiger
’s eyeGlare s in the red flame of his hun ter’s torch
To Isidore I will de spatch a me ssage ,An d lure him to the cavern ay, that cavern
He can n o t fail to fin d it . Thither I ’ll lure himWhen ce he shall n ever, p evermore re turn
[Looks through the side-win dow.
A rim of the sun lie s ye t upon the sea,
An d n ow’tis gon e All shall b e don e to - n ight.
[E ocit.
roo REM ORSE. [ACT IV .
ACT IV.
SCENE I .—A cavern , darh, except where a gleam of
moon light is seen on on e side at the further end ofit supposed to be cast on it from a crevice in a
part of the cavern out of sight.
ISIDORE alon e,an extinguished torch in his hand.
Faith ’twas a m oving le tter— very movingHis life in danger, n o place safe but this
’Twas his turn n ow to talk o f gratitude .
An d yet— b ut n o there can ’t b e such a villain .
It can n ot b eThan ks to that little crevice ,
Which lets the moon light in I’
ll go an d sit by it.To peep at a tre e , or se e a he -
goat’s beard ,
Or hear a cow or two breathe loud in the ir sleepAn ythin g but this crash o f water- dropsThe se dull abortive soun ds that fre t the silen ceWith puny thwartings an d mock Opposition
The three lin es with which this Act origin ally Open ed ,an d which gave rise to Sheridan ’
s fam ou s jest, have already
appeared in a n ote to the Preface (p . 6)—ED.
REMORSE . [ACT r-v.
But first perm it me
[Lights his torch at ORDON IO’S , an d while
A lighted torch in the han d
Is n o un pleasan t object here— on e’s
‘
breathFloats roun d the flame
,an d make s as man y co lours
As the thin clouds that trave l n ear the moonYou see that crevice thereMy torch extinguish
’d by the se water- drops
,
An d marking that the moon light came from then ce ,I stept in to it
,m ean in g to sit there 5
Bu t scarce ly had I measured twen ty pace sMy body ben din g forward , yea o
’
erbalan c ed
Almo st beyon d reco il, on the dim brin kOf a huge chasm I stept. The shadowy moon shin eFilling the vo id so coun terfe ited substan ce ,That my foo t hun g aslan t adown the edge .
Was it my own fear?
Fear to o hath its in stin cts
(X
An d ye t such den s as the se are wildly to ld of,
An d there are be in gs that live , ye t n ot for the eye)An arm of fro st above an d from behin d me
-Pluck’d up an d sn atch
’
d me backward. M ercifulHeaven
You sm ile alas, even sm ile s lo ok ghastly hereMy lord , I pray you , go yourself an d View it.
ORDON IO.
It mu st have sho t som e pleasan t fe e lings through
you .
ISIDORE.
If every atom of a dead man ’s flesh
S C I -l REM ORSE . 103
Should creep , each on e with a particular life,
Ye t all as cold as ever— ’twas just soOr had it drizzled n e edle - poin ts of fro stUpon a feverish head made sudden ly bald
ORDON IO (in terrupting him).
Why,Isidore
,
I blush for thy cowardice . I t m ight have startled,I gran t you , even a brave man for a mom en tBut su ch a pan ic
ISIDORE.
When a b oy, my lordI cou ld have sate who le hours be side that chasm
,
Pu sh’d in huge ston e s an d heard them strike an d
rattleAgain st its horrid side s then hun g my headLow down
,an d listen ’d till the heavy fragmen ts
San k with fain t crash in that still groan in g we ll,Wh ich n ever thirsty pilgrim ble st, which n ever
A livin g thin g came n ear— un le ss , perchan ce ,Some blin d- worm batten s o n the ropy mould
Close at its edge .
ORDON IO.
Art thou more coward n ow
ISIDORE.
Call him that fears his fe llow-man a coward
I fear n ot man — but this in human cavern ,
It were too b ad a prison - hou se for goblin s .
Be side , (you’ll sm ile , my lord) b ut true it is ,
My last n ight’s sle ep was very sorely haun ted
104 REMORSE'
. [ACT IV.
By what had pass’d be twe en us in the morn in g.
0 sleep of horrors Now run down an d stared at
By forms so hideous that they mo ck remembran ceNow see ing n o thing an d imagin ing n othing,But on ly be in g afraid— stifled with fear
While every go odly or fam iliar formHad a stran ge powerof breathing terrorroun d me !I saw you in a thousan d fearfu l shape sAn d I en treat your lordship to believe me ,In my last dream
I was in the act
Of falling down that chasm,when Alhadra
Waked me she heard my heart beat.
ORDONIO.
Strange en oughHad you been here before
IS IDORE.
Never,my lord
But m in e eye s do n ot see it n ow more clearly,Than in my dream I saw— that very chasm .
ORDONIO (stan ds lost in thought, then aftera pause) .
I kn ow n ot why it shou ld be ye t it is
I saw you in a thousan d hideou s ways ,An d dozed an d started, dozed again an d started—1 797 .
106‘
REMORSE . [ACT Iv .
Is n ot a place where you could perpetrate ,No, n or propose a wicked thin g. The darkn ess,When ten stride s offwe kn ow ’tis cheerful moon
light,Collects the gu ilt, an d crowds it roun d the heart.
It must b e in n ocen t.
[ORDONIO darhly ,an d in thefeeling of self-justifi
cation,tells what he con ceives of his own cha
racter an d actions,speaking of himself in
third person .
ORDONIO.
Thyself b e judge .
On e of our fam ily kn ew this place we ll.
IS IDORE.
Who ? when my lord ?
ORDON IO.
What boots it,who orwhen ?
Hang up thy torch— I’ll tell his tale to thee .
[They hang up their torches on some ridge in
the cavern .
He was a man differen t from other m en ,
An d he de spised them, ye t revered himse lf.
ISIDORE (aside) .
He ? He de spised ? Thou ’rt speakin g of thyself
I am on my guard , however n o surprise .
(Then to ORDON IO. )What
,he was mad
SC I REM ORSE. 107
ORDON IO.
All m en seem’d mad to him
Nature had made him for some o ther plan e t,
An d pre ss’
d his sou l in to a human shapeBy acciden t ormalice . In this worldHe foun d n o fi t compan ion .
ISIDORE .
Of him se lf he speaks . [asideAlas poorwre tch
Madmen are mo stly proud.
ORDON IO .
He walk’d alon e,
An d phan tom thoughts j‘
un sought- fortroubled him .
Some thin g within wou ld still b e shadowin g out
All po ssibilitie s an d with the se shadowsHis m in d he ld dallian ce . On ce , as so it happen
’d,
A fan cy cro ss’d him wilder than the re stTo this in moody murmur an d low vo iceHe yielded utteran ce
,as som e talk in sle ep .
The man who heard himWhy didst thou look roun d ?
ISIDORE.
I have a prattler thre e years o ld, my lord
All men seem ’d mad to him ,
The ir ac tion s n o isom e folly, an d the ir talkA goose
’s gab b le was m ore mu s ical.—I 79 7 .
'
f'
phan tasies—ib .
108 REMORSE . [ACT iv .
I n truth he is my darlin g. As I wen tFrom forth my door, he made a moan in sleepBut I am talkin g idly— pray proce edAn d What did this man ?
ORDONIO .
With his human han dHe gave a substan ce an d reality"
To that wild fan cy of a'
po ssible thing.
We ll it was don e
(Then very wildly .)Why b ab b lest thou of gu ilt ?
The deed was do n e,an d it pass
’d fairly Off.
An d he who se tale I te ll the e— do st thou listen ?
IS IDORE.
I would,my lord, you were by my fire - side ,
I ’d listen to you with an eager eye ,
Though you began this cloudy tale at m idn ight .But I do listen— pray proce ed
,my lord.
ORDON IO.
Where was IIS IDORE .
He of whom you te ll the tale
ORDON IO .
Surveying all things with a qu ie t scorn,
Tamed himse lf down to livin g purposes,The o ccupation s an d the semblan ce s
a be in g an d reality—1 79 7 .
1 I O REMORSE . [ACT iv
I SIDORE.
No the fool
He had n o t wit en ough to b e a traitor.
Poor thick- eyed be etle n o t to have fore seen
That he who guil’d thee with a whimper
’d lie
To murder his own bro ther, would n ot scruple
To murder thee , if e’er his guilt grew j ealous ,
An d he could steal upon thee in the dark
ORDON IO .
Thou wouldst n ot then have come,if
ISIDORE.
Oh yes, my lordI would have m et him arm
’d,an d scared the coward.
[ISIDORE throws of his robe shows himselfarmed
,an d draws his sword .
ORDON IO.
Now this is exce llen t, an d warm s the bloodMy heart was drawin g back, drawing m e backWith weak an d woman ish scruple s . NOW my
vengean ceBeckon s me onwards with a warrior’s m ien ,
An d claim s that life my pity robb’
d her o f
Now will I kill the e , than kle ss slave , an d coun t itAmong my comfortable thoughts hereafter.
ISIDORE.
An d all my little on e s fatherlessDie thou first.
With woman ish pu les of pity. Dusky slave ,
Now I will kill thee pleasan tly, an d c oun t it, &c .—1797 .
so . L ] REM ORSE . I I I
[Theyfight, ORDON IO disarms ISIDORE, andin disarming him throws his sword up that
recess opposite to which they were stan d
z'
flg.
’6 ISIDORE hurries in to the recess withhis torch
, ORDON IO follows him a loud
cry Of Traitor 1 M on ster ! is heard
from the cavern,an d in a momen tORDONIO
ORDON IO .
I have hurl’d him down the chasm treason fortreason .
He dream t of it hen ceforward let him sleepA dreamle ss sle ep , from which n o wife c an wake
him . ]L
His dream too is made out— Now for his frien d .
[Exit ORDON IO.
Here came the two followin g speeches in the origin al
FERD INAND (springing wildly towards O SOR IO) .Still I can stran gle thee
Os o Rio .
Nay, fool stan d off .
I’
ll kill thee—bu t n ot so Go fetch thy sword—1 797 .
1‘ In the origin al play Osorio exc laims , in lieu of the ab ove
three lin esNow—this was lu ck No b lood- stain s , n o dead b ody 1
ib
1 12 REM ORSE. [ACT iv .
SCENE II .— The in terior Court of a Saracen ic or
Gothic Castle,with the iron gate of a dungeon
visible ?“
TERESA.
Heart- chillin g Superstition thou can st glazeEven Pity’s eye with her own frozen tear.
In vain I urge the torture s that await himEven Se lma
,reveren d guardian of my childhood,
My secon d mo ther,shuts her heart again st me
The whole of the scen e b etween Maria an d her foster
m otherwhich occurred in this plac e in the origin al Osorio , wasom itted as u n fit for the s tage in the ac ted Remorse, but the
sub stan c e of it was afterwards prin ted in an appen dix to thelater edition s an d in Sibyl lin e Leaves , 18 1 7 . All of it b ut
the first Speech origin ally appeared, un der the title of The
Fo ster-Mother’s tale ; a Dramatic Fragmen t ,”
as on e of
Coleridge’s con tribu tion s to the Lyrical Ballads, 1798 , an d
c on tin ued to appear there , with s om e further om iss ion as
regards the Open in g part, in the later edition s of 1800, 1802 ,
an d 1805 . Cottle in his E arly Recollection s of Coleridge
(Lon d . 183 7 , vo l. i. , pp . 234 , prin ts a vers ion of it, withsom e s light variation s , from a Copy in Co leridge ’s own writin g,given to him by the poet in the summer of 1 797 .
—ED .
SCENE chan ges to the court before the Castle of Va n .
MAR IA an d her FOSTER -MOT HER.MAR IA.
An d when I heard that you des ired to see m e ,
I thought your bu s in ess was to tell m e of him .
FOST ER - MOTHER .
I n ever saw the Moor, whom you describ e .
1 14 REM ORSE . [ACT IV .
I doubt n ot that'
Ordon io had sub orn’d him
To ac t some part in some un ho ly fraud 5As little doubt
,that for some un kn own purpo se
He hath baffled his sub om er,terror- struck him
,
An d that Ordon io m editate s reven geBu t my re so lve is fix’d myse lf will re scue him
,
An d learn if haply he kn ew aught ofAlvar.
Which props the han gin g wall of the o ld chapel ?Ben eath that tree , while yet it was a tree ,
He fou n d a b aby wrapt in m osses , lin edWith thistle - b eards , an d such small locks of wool
As han g o n b rambles . Well, he brought him home ,
An d rear’d him at the then Lord Ve lez’ co st.
An d so the b ab e“
grew up a pretty boy.
A pretty boy, b ut m ost u nreachab le
An d n everlearn t a prayer, n or to ld a b ead,
But kn ew the n ames of b irds , an d mock’d the ir n otes ,An d whistled, as he were a b ird him self.
An d all the au tum n’twas his on ly play
To get the seeds of w ild flowers , an d to plan t themWith earth an d wateron the s tumps of trees .
A friarwho gather’d s imples in the wood,
A gret air’d man -he loved this little b oy,The boy loved him
—an d, when the friar taught him ,
He soon cou ld write with - the pen ; an d from that tim e
Lived chiefly at the c on ven t or the castle .
So he b ecam e a very learn ed you th .
But O 1 poorwretch—he read , an d read, an d read ,
T ill his brain turn ’d—an d ere his twen tieth year,He had un lawfu l thoughts of m an y thin gs .
An d though he pray’d , he n ever loved to pray
With holy men , n or in a ho ly place .
But yet his Speech, it was so soft an d sweet,
S C . REM ORSE . I 15
E n ter VALDEZ.
VALDEZ.
Still sad — an d gazin g at the massive doorOf that fe ll dungeon which thou n e
’er hadst
sight of,
The late Lord Velez n e’erwas wearied with him ,
An d on ce as by the n orth s ide of the chape lThey stood together, chain
’d in deep discourse ,The earth heaved u n der them with such a groan ,
That the wall totter’d, an d had we ll- n igh fall
’n
Right on the irheads . My lord was sore ly frighten’d ;
A fever se ized him ; an d he made c on fess ionOf all the heretical an d lawles s talkWhich brought this judgm en t : s o the youth was se izedAn d cast in to that hole . My husban d
’s father
Sobb ’d like a child—it almo st b roke his heart.
An d on ce as he was workin g in the c ellar,
He heard a vo ice distin ctly ;’twas the you th
’s ,
Who sun g a dolefu l son g ab ou t green fields ,How sweet it were on lake orwild savan n ah
To hun t for food, an d b e a n aked man ,
An d wan der up an d down at lib erty.
He always do ted on the you th, an d n ow
His love grew desperate ; an d defyin g death,He made that c un n in g en tran ce I describ ed ;An d the voung man escaped .
MAR IA.
’Tis a sweet tale
Su ch as would lull a listen in g child to sleep ,His rosy face b esoil
’d with unwiped tears .
An d what became of him ?
FOSTER - MOTHER .
He wen t on Shipboard
1 REMORSE . [ACT N .
Save what,perchan ce , thy in fan t efan cy shaped it
When the n urse still’d thy crie s with unmean t
threats.Now by my faith , girl this same wizard haun ts
theeA state ly man
,an d e loquen t an d ten der
[with a sn eer.
Who then n eed won der if a lady SighsEven at the thought of what the se stern Domin i
can s
With those b old voyagers , who made discoveryOf go lden lan ds ; Leon i
’s youn ger brother
Wen t likew ise , an d when he return’d to Spain ,
He told Leon i that the poormad you th,
So on after they arrived in that n ew world,
In spite Of his dissuas ion se ized a boat,
An d all alon e set sail by s ilen t m oon light,Up a great river, great as an y sea ,
An d n e'
erwas heard of more ; b u t’tis supposed
He lived an d died am ong the savage men .—I 79 7 .
VELEz .
Still sad, Maria ? This sam e wizard haun ts you .
MAR IA.
O Christ the tortures that han g o’erhis head
If ye b etray him to the se ho ly b rethren
VELEz (with a kin d of sn eer) .
A portly man , an d eloquen t, an d ten der
In tru th, I shall n ot won der if you mourn
That their rude grasp . shou ld seize on such a vic tim .—ib .
I.I 8 REMORSE . [ACT W .
What ifMon viedro Orhis creature s hear usI dare n ot listen to you .
TERESA.
My hon our’d lord,
The se were my Alvar’s le sson s, an d when e
’er
I ben d me o’er his portrait
,I repeat them
,
As if to give a vo ice to the mute image .
VALDEZ.
We have moum’d forAlvar.
Of his sad fate there n ow remain s n o doubt.
Have I n o o ther son
TERESA.
Speak n o t of him
That low impo sture That mysteriou s pictureIf this b e madn e ss
,mu st I wed a madman
An d if n o t madn e ss,there is mystery
,
An d gu ilt do th lurk behin d it.
VALDEZ.
I S this we ll
With more de light than in my fon dest hourI b en d m e o
’
er his portrait.VELEz (to the Foster - M other) .
My good woman ,
You may retire . [Exit the Foster-M other .— I 797 .
Have I n o livin g son
MAR iA.
Speak n ot of him
That low imposture—my heart s icken s at it, 69’
c .—ib.
s o . REM ORSE . I 19
TERESA.
Ye s, it is truth saw you his coun ten an ce ?How rage , remorse , an d scorn , an d stupid fearDisplaced each o ther with swift in terchange s0 that I had in deed the sorcerer’s power.
I would call up before thin e eye s the image
Of my be tro thed Alvar, of thy first- born
iHiS own fair coun ten an ce , his kin gly forehead,His ten der sm ile s
,love ’s day- dawn on his lips
That spiritual an d alm o st heaven ly lightI n his comman ding eye
— his m ien hero ic,Virtue ’s own n ative heraldry to man
Gen ial, an d pleasan t to his guardian an ge l .When e ’er he gladden
’d,how the gladn e ss spread
Wide roun d him an d when oft with swe llin g tears ;Flash
’d through by in dign ation , he b ewail
’d
The wron gs of Be lgium’s martyr
’d patrio ts,
Oh, what a griefwas there— forjoy to en vy,Or gaze upon en amour
’
d
O my father
Re call that morn in g when we kn e lt toge ther,
The five followin g lin es c losed the speech in the origin aldraught of the play
If this were all as sum ed, as you b elieve ,He mu st n eeds b e a m ost con summ ate ac tor ;
An d hath so vast a power to dece ive m e ,
I n evercou ld b e safe . An d why assum e
The sem b lan c e of such execrable feelin gs —1 797 .
‘
f' The sub stan ce of the se lin e s , in a som ewhat amplified
form , appears am on g the Poetical Fragm en ts ( v ol. ii . p . 364
ED.
120 REMORSE . [ACT IV.
An d thou didst ble ss our love s 0 even n ow,
Even n ow,my sire to thy m in d’s eye pre sen t him,
AS at that momen t he ro se up before thee ,Stately
,with beam ing lo ok Place , place be sidehim
Ordon io’s dark perturbed coun ten an ce
Then bid m e (oh thou couldst n ot) bid me turnFrom him
,the joy, the triumph o f our kin d
To take in exchange that broodin g man,who n ever
Lifts up his eye from the earth, un le ss to scowl .
VALDEZ.
Ungratefu l woman
”
I have tried to stifleAn o ld man
’s passion was it n ot en ough,That thou hast made my son a re stle ss man
,
Ban ish’d his health, an d half un hinged his reason
But that thou wilt in sult him with suspicion ,
An d toil to blast his hon our? I am old,A comfortle ss o ld man
A comfortless o ld man Thou shalt n ot s tay
Ben eath my roof !
[FRANCESCO en ters an d stan ds listen ing.
Repen t an d marry him
Or to the con ven t.
FRANCESCO (muttering) .Good 1 good very good
MAR IA.
Nay, gran t me some small pittan ce of my fortun e ,
An d I will liy e a solitary woman ,
Ormy poor fos ter-motheran d hergran dson s
May b e my household.
122 REMORSE. [ACT IV .
Nay, that they dare n ot ! Ho ! co llect my servan ts,I will go thither— let them arm them se lves .
[Exit VALDEZ.
TERESA (aten e).
The moon is high in heaven ,an d all is hu sh’d .
Yet, anxiou s listen er I have seem
’d to hear
A low dead thun dermutter thro’ the n ight,As
’twere a gian t angry in his sle ep .
0 Alvar Alvar that they cou ld returnTho se ble ssed days that im itated heaven
When we two won t to walk at even tideWhen we saw n ought b ut beauty ; when we heardThe voice of that Alm ighty On e who loved usIn every gale that breathed, an d wave that mur
mur’d li
0 we have listen ’d,even till high-wrought pleasure
Hath half assumed the coun ten an ce ofgrief,
An d the de ep sigh seem’
d to heave up a we ightOf bliss that pre ss
’d too heavy on the heart .*
[Apause.
In the origin al draught of the play the scen e thu s con
tin ues
FRANCES CO .
But in the c on ven t, lady, you wou ld have
Such aids as m ight preserve you from perdition .
There m ight you dwe ll.MAR IA.
With tame an d credulou s faith,Mad melan choly, an tic m errimen t,
Lean n ess , disqu ietude , an d secret pan gsO God I it is a horrid thin g to kn ow
S C . REMORSE . 123
An d this maje stic Moor,se em s he n o t on e
Who oft an d lo n g commun in g with my Alvar,Hath drun k in kin dred lu stre from his pre sen ce ,An d gu ide s m e to him with reflected light PWhat if in yon dark dun ge on coward TreacheryBe gropin g for him with en ven om
’
d pon iard
Hen ce , woman ish fears, traitors to love an d dutyI ’ll fre e him . [Exit TERESA.
That each pale wretch who s its an d drops her b eadsHad on ce a m in d, which m ight have given herwingsSuch as the an gels wear
FRAN CES CO (stgfling his rage) .Where is your son , my lord
VELEZ .I have n ot seen him , father, s in ce he left you .
FRANCES CO .
His lordship ’s gen erou s n ature hath dec e ived him .
That Ferdin an d (o r if n o t he his w ife)I have fresh ev iden ce—are in fidels .
We are n ot safe u n til they are rooted ou t .
MAR IA .
Thou m an , who call’st thyse lf the m in isterOf Him whose law was love u n u tterab le
Why is thy sou l so parch’d with cru elty,
That s till tho u thirstest for thy b rother’s b lood ?
VELEz (rapidly) .
Father ! I have lon g s u spec ted it —her brainHeed it n ot , father
FRANCESCO .
Nay— b u t I m u st heed it .
MAR IA.
Thou m iserab le man I fearthee n ot ,
I 24 REMORSE . [ACT IV .
SCENE I II — Tne nzean taz'
n s by moon lzg/zt.
ALHADRA alon e in a'
M oon'
s/z a’
ress .
ALHADRA.
Yon hangin g woods , that tou ch’d by autumn seem
As they were blo ssom in g hue s of fire an d go ldThe flower- like wo ods
,mo st love ly in decay,
The man y clouds,the sea
,the rock
, the san ds,Lie in the silen t moon shin e an d the owl
,
(Strange very stran ge the scritch - owl on lywake s
Sole voice,sole eye of all this world of beauty
Nor prize a life wh ich soon may weary me .
Bearwitn ess , Heaven I n e ither scorn n or hate him
But O ’tis wearis om e to m ourn for evils ,
Still mourn , an d have n o power to remedy
[Exit MAR IA.
FRANCESCO.
My lord I shall presume to wait on youTo - morrow early.
VELEZ .Be it so , good father
[Exit FRANCESCO .
VELEZ (alon e) .I do wan t solace , b ut n o t such as thin eThe moon is high in heaven , an d my eyes ache ,
But n ot with s leep . Well— It is ever so .
A child. a child is b orn an d the fon d heart
Dan ces an d yet the childless are m ost happy.- I 797 .
This so liloquy occurred in the firs t Sc en e of Ac t V. in the
origin al draught of the play.—ED .
126 REM ORSE . [ACT IV.
[Sue fixes ner eye on tlze eartfi. Tnen drop
in on e after an otner, from dzyj
’
eren t parts
of the stage, a con siderable n umoer ofM orescoes, all in M ooris/z garmen ts an d
M oorish armour.
a distan ce round ALHADRA, and remain
silen t till NAOM I en ters.
NAOM I .
Woman May Alla an d the prophe t ble ss theeWe have obey’d thy call . Where is our chief PAn d why didst thou en jo in the se Moorish gar
m en ts P
ALHADRA (raising lzer eyes an d looking roun d
Warriors ofMahome t faithful in the battleMy coun trymen Come ye prepared to workAn hon ourable de ed ? An d would ye work itIn the slave ’s garb Curse on tho se Christian
robe s
F IRST MORES CO .
The law which forc ed these Christian dresses on u s ,
’Twere pleasan t to c leave down the wretch who framed
S ECOND MORES CO..Yet ’
tis n o twell to trample o n it idly.
F IRST MORES CO .
Our cou n try rob es are dear.
SECOND MO RESCO .
An d like dear frien dsMay Chan ce to prove mos t perilou s in formers .
—1797 .
S C . REM ORSE. 12 7
They are spe ll- blasted an d whoeverwears them ,
His arm shrin ks wither’d,his heart me lts away
,
An d his bon e s soften .
NAOM I .
Where is Isidore P
ALHADRA (in a deep low voice) .
This n ight I wen t from forth my house , andHis children all asle ep an d he was livingAn d I return ’
d an d foun d them still asleep ,But he had perish
’
d
ALL MORESCOES .
Perish’d P
ALHADRA.
He had perish’d
Sle ep on,po or babe s n o t on e of you do th kn ow
That he is fatherle ss— a de so late orphanWhy should we wake them P Can an in fan t’s armReven ge his murder P
ONE MORESCO (to an otlzer) .
Did she say his murder?
NAOM I .
Murder P Not murder’d P
ALHADRA.
Murder’d by a Christian .
[Taey all at on ce draw tneir saores .
ALHADRA (to NAOM I , zono advan cesfrom tlze
Brother of Zagri fling away thy sword
I 28 REM ORSE . [ACT W .
This is thy chieftain ’s
[He stepsforward to take it.Do st thou dare rece ive it P
For I have sworn by Alla an d the Prophe t,No tear shall dim the se eye s
,this woman ’s heart
Shall heave n o groan ,till I have seen that sword
Wet with the life - blood of the son of Valdez
[Apause.
Ordon io was your chieftain ’s murderer
Wet with the b lood ofall the hou se ofVelez —I 797 .
The followin g passage here followed in the origin al draughtof the play 2
E n ter MAUR I CE.
ALL.
A spy a Spy [They seize him .
MAU R I CE.
Ofl‘
ofl'
u n han d m e , slaves
[After much struggling , he disengages himself , an d drawshis sword.
NAOM I (to ALHADRA) .Speak shall we kill him ?
MAU R ICE .
Yes ye can kill a man ,
Some twen ty of you But ye are Span ish slaves
An d slaves are always cruel, always cowards .
ALHADRA.
That man has Spoken truth. When ce an d who art thou P
MAUR ICE .
I seek a dear frien d, whom for aught I kn ow
The son of Velez hath hired on e of you
To murder ! Say, do ye kn ow aught of Alb ert ?
130 REM ORSE ; [ACT Iv .
NAOM I .The cavern ?
ALHADRA.
Yes the mouth of yon der cavern .
After a while I saw the son of ValdezRush by with flarin g torch he likewise en ter
’d.
There was an otheran d a lon ger pau seAn d on ce
,methought I heard the clash of swords
An d soon the son o fValdez re - appear’d
He flun g his torch towards the moon in sport,An d seem
’d as he were mirthful I stood listen ing,
Impatien t for the foo tsteps ofmy husban d
NAOM I .Thou called’st him ?
ALHADRA.
I crept in to the cavern’Twas dark an d very silen t.
—What said’st thou PNo n o I did n o t dare call, Isidore ,Le st I should hear n o an swer A brief while ,Belike
,I lo st all thought an d memory
Of that forwhich I cam e After that pau se,
ALHADRA.
Yes , I ask’d it .
He an swer’d me , Alhadra thou art worthy
A n ob ler secret ; bu t I have b een faithfulTo this bad man , an d faithfu l I will b e .
”
He said, an d arm’d himse lf, an d lit a torch
Then kiss’d his children , each on e on its pillow,
An d hurried from me , £9’
c .
so . REMORSE . 13 1
0 Heaven I heard a groan ,an d follow
’
d itAn d yet an other groan ,
which guided meIn to a stran ge rece ss— an d there was light,A hideous light his torch lay on the groun dIts flame burn t dim ly o ’
er a chasm ’s brin k :I spake ; an d whilst I spake , a feeble groan
Cam e from that chasm it was his last his death
groanNAOM I .
Comfort her, Alla
ALHADRA.
I stood in un imagin able tran ceAn d agon y that can n ot b e rem emb er
’
d ,
Listen in g with horrid hope to hear a groanBut I had heard his last my hu sban d
’s death
groanNAOM I .
Haste le t us onward .
ALHADRA.
I lo ok’d far down theMy sight was boun ded by a juttin g fragmen tAn d it was stain ’
d with blood. Then first Ishriek
’d,
MAU R I C E .
Comfort her, comfort her, Alm ighty Father—1 797 .
In the first edition of Remorse here follows a speech after
wards om ittedALL.
Hasre , let us seek the m urderer —18 13 .
I 32 REM ORSE . [ACT Iv .
My eye- balls burn t
,my brain grew hot as fire ,
An d all the hangin g drops of the wet roof
Turu ’d in to blood— I saw them turn to bloodAn d I was leaping wildly down the chasm ,
When on the farther brin k I saw his sword,An d it said
,Ven gean ce — Curse s on my tongu e 1
The moon hath moved in Heaven , an d I am here ,An d he hath n ot had vengean ce IsidoreSpirit o f Isidore thy murderer live sAway ! away 1
ALL.
Away ! away !
[She rushes ojiallfollowing her.
134 REMORSE . [ACT v .
Is this the on ly cure P Merciful GodEach pore an d n atural outle t shrivell’d upBy ign oran ce an d parchin g poverty,His en ergie s ro ll back upon his heart,An d stagn ate an d corrupt
,till
,chan ged to
NAOML
She moved steadily on
Un swervin g from the path of her resolve .
Yet each stran ge Ob jec t fix’d her eye for griefDoth love to dally with fan tastic shapes ,An d sm iling, like a s ickly m oralist ,Gives some resemb lan ce of her own con cern s
To the straws Of chan ce , an d thin gs in an imate .
I seek her here ; stan d thou upo n the watch.
[Exit MORESCO .
NAOM I (loo/cin g wistfu l ly to the distan ce) .
Stretch’d on the rock It mu st b e she—Alhadra
[ALHADRA risesfrom the rock, an d advan ces slowly, as
if mu sing.
NAOM I .
On ce m ore , well met what pon der’
s t thou so deeply P
ALHADRA.
I scarce can te ll thee Formy man y tho ughts
Troub led me , till with b lan k an d n aked m in dI on ly listen
’d to the dashin g b illows .
It seem s to m e , I c ou ld have c losed my eyes
An d waked withou t a dream of what has pass’d ;
So well it cou n terfe ited qu ietn e ss ,This wearied heart of m in e
NAOML
’Tis thus by Natu re
Wisely ordain’d, that so excess of sorrow
Might brin g its own cure with it.
ACT REMORSE . 135
They break out on him,like a loathsome plague
spotThen we call in our pamper
’d moun teban ks
An d this is the ir be st cure un comfortedAn d frien dle ss so litude, groan in g an d tears ,
ALHADRA.
Would to HeavenThat it had brought its last an d c ertain c ure
That m in in the wood .
NAOM I .
It is a placeOf om in ous fam e ; b u t
’twas the shortest road,
Nor c ou ld we else have kept Clear of the v illage .
Ye t som e amon g u s , as they sealed the wall,
Mu tter’d old rhym in g prayers .
ALHAD RA.
O n that broad wall
I saw a Sku ll ; a poppy grew b es ide it,There was a ghastly solace in the s ight
NAOML
I mark’d it n ot, an d in good tru th the n ight- b irdCurdled my b lood, even till it prick
’d the heart .
Its n ote c om es drearies t in the fall of the year
[Looking rou n d impatien tly .
Why don’
t they c om e ? I will go forth an d m eet them .
Exi t NAOM I .
[Here follows the soliloquy of Alhadra , afterwards tran s
ferred to the b egin n in g of Act iv . Sc .
[A n oise— en ter a part of the M orescoes an d from. the
opp osite side of the stage a M oorish S eaman .
M OOR I SH S EAMAN .
The b oat is on the shore , the ves se l waits .
Yourwives an d chi ldren are
136 REM O'
RSE . [ACT v .
An d savage face s , at the clan king hour,Seen through the steam an d vapours of his dungeon
By the lamp ’s dismal twilight So he lie s
I left them prattlin g of the Barbary c oast,
Of m osqu es , an d m in arets , an d go lden cresc en ts .
Each had her separate dream , bu t all were gay,
Dan c in g, in thought , to fin ger- b eaten timb re ls
En ter MAUR ICE an d the rest of the M orescoes , dragging
in FRANCES CO .
FRANCES CO .
0 Spare m e , spare m e on ly spare my lifeAN OLD MAN .
All hail , Alhadra ! 0 that thou hadst heard him
When first we dragg’d him forth [Then turn ing to the ban d .
Here in her presen ce[He advan ces with his sword , as abou t to kil l him . MAUR ICEleap s in an d stan ds with his drawn sword between FRAN
CESCO an d the M orescoes .
MAUR I CE.
Nay, b u t. ye shall n ot !
OLD MAN .
Shall n o t ? Hah P Shall n ot ?
MAU RI C E .
What, an un arm ’d m an ?
A m an that n everwore a sword ? A priest ?
It is u n soldierly I say, ye shall n ot
OLD MAN (turn ing to the ban ds) .
He b ears him self most like an in so len t Span iardMAUR I CE .
An d ye like s laves , that have des troy’d the irmaster,
Bu t kn ow n o t yet what freedom mean s how holy
An d j u s t a thing it is He ’s a fall’n foe
Com e , come , forgive him
“I 38 REM ORSE. [ACT v .
Thy me lodie s of woods, an d win ds, an d watersTill he re len t, an d c an n o more en dureTo b e a jarring an d a d isson an t thin gAm id this gen eral dan ce an d m in stre lsyBut
,burstin g in to tears , Win s back his way,
His an gry spirit heal’d an d harmon ized
By the ben ign an t touch of love an d beauty.
*
I am chill an d weary Yon rude ben ch of ston e ,In that dark an gle , the sole re stin g- place
NAOM I (who turn s toward FRANCESCO with his sword) .Speak
ALL (to ALHADRA) .Speak
ALHADRA.
Is the m urderer of your chieftain dead ?Now as God liveth , who hath sufl
'
er’d him
To make my children orphan s , n on e shall dieTill I have s een his b lood
Off with him to the vessel
[A part of the M orescoes hurry him of :The tiger, that with u n qu en ch
’d c ru elty,
Still thirsts for b lood, leaps o n the hu n ter’s Spear
With prodigal courage .
’Tis n ot so with m an .
MAUR ICE.
It is n ot so , rememb er that , my frien dsCowards are crue l, an d the cruel c owards .
ALHADRA.
Scatteryourselves , take each a s eparate way,An d move in s ilen ce to the house of Ve lez . [Exeun h
1 797
The ab ove soliloquy was pub lished in Lyrical Ballads
u n der the title of The Dungeon—ED .
REMORSE . 139
But the self- approvin g m in d is its own light,An d life ’s be st warm th still radiate s from the heartWhere love sits bro oding, an d an hon e st purpose .
[R etires ou t of sight.
E n ter TERESA with a taper
TERESA.
It has chill’
d my very life — my own vo ice scare sm e 5
Ye t when I hear it n ot I se em to lo seThe substan ce of my be in g— my stron ge st graspSen ds inwards but weak witn e ss that I am .
I seek to cheat the echo .—How the half soun ds
Blen d with this stran gled light Is he n ot here ?
[As in a dream I ask,if it b e a dream P ]
[Loohing rou n d .
0 for on e human face here— but to se e
On e human face here to sustain m e .
—Courage !
It is b ut my own fear The life within m e,
It sin ks an d wavers like this con e of flam e ,
Beyon d which I scarce dare lo ok o nward Oh
[ShuddersIf I fain t P If this in human den should b eAt on ce my death - b ed an d my burial vau lt ?
[Fain ily screams as ALVAR emerges from the
recess,an d moves hastily toward her.
ALVAR (rushes towards her, and catches her as
she is falling) .
O gracious heaven ! it is, it is Tere sa
life - b lood I 8 I 3
I4o REM ORSE . [ACT v .
Shall I reveal myse lf P The sudden sho ckOf rapture will blow out
"this spark of life ,An d J oy comple te what Terror has begun .
O ye impetuous beatin gs here , b e stillTere sa
,be st be loved pale
,pale
,an d co ld !
Her pu lse do th flutter Tere sa my Teresa
TERESA (recovering, loohs roun d wildly ).
I heard a vo ice but o ften in my dream sI hear that vo ice an d wake an d try
— an d try
To hear it waking b ut I n ever couldAn d
’tis so n ow— even so Well he is deadMurder
’d perhaps An d I am fain t
,an d fe el
As if it were n o “pain fu l thin g to die
ALVAR (eagerly ) .
Be lieve it n o t,swee t maid Be lieve it n ot
Be loved woman’Twas a low impo sture
Framed by a gu ilty wre tch .
TERESA (retires from him,an dfeehly supports
herself again st a pillar of the du ngeon ).Ha Who art thou P
ALVAR (exceedingly afiected) .
Sub orn’d by his bro ther
TERESA.
Didst thou murder him Pdo st thou n ow repen t ? Po or tro ubled man
,
forgive thee , an d may Heaven forgive thee
ALVAR.
Ordon io— he
142 REM ORSE . [ACT v .
ALVAR .
Beloved Tere sa
It told but half the truth. 0 let this portraitTell all— that Alvar live s— that he is hereThy much dece ived b ut ever faithfu l Alvar.
[Tahes herportraitfrom his n ech, an d gives it her.
TERESA (receiving the portrait ).
The same— it is the sam e . Ah ! Who art thou ?Nay, I will call thee , Alvar [Shefalls on his n ech.
ALVAR .
0 joy un utterableBut hark a soun d as of removing barsAt the dun geon
’s outer door. A brief,brief while
Con ceal thyse lf,my love It is Ordon io .
For the hon our of our race , for our dear father
O for him se lf too (he is still my bro ther)Let m e recall him to his n obler n ature ,That he may wake as from a dream of murder0 let me recon cile him to himself
,
Open the sacred source o f pen iten t tears,An d b e on ce more his own beloved Alvar.
TERESA.
O my all virtuous love I fear to leave theeWith that obdurate man .
ALVAR.
Thou dost n o t leave meBut a brief while re tire in to the darkn ess
0 that my joy could spread its sun shin e roun dthee
ACT v REMORSE'
. 143
TERESA.
The soun d of thy voice shall b e my musicAlvar ! my Alvar am I sure I ho ld the e PI s it n o dream P thee in my arm s
,my Alvar
[They embrace, an d she retires .
*
[A n oise at the dungeon door. I t open s,an d
ORDON IO en ters,with a goblet in his han d .
ORDON IO .
Hail,po ten t wizard in my gayermood
I pour’d forth a libatio n to o ld Plutofi
An d as I b rimm ’d the bowl
,I thought o n thee i
! Thou hast con spired again st my life an d hon our,
Hast trick’d m e fou lly ye t I hate the e n o t.
Why shou ld I hate the e P this same world of ours ,’Tis but a po o l am id a storm o f rain
,
An d we the air- bladders that course up an d down,
An d j oust an d tilt in m erry tourn am en t 3
The above Scen e was n ot in the origin al draught of theplay .
—ED .
‘
f‘
to ob livion—18 13 .
Here in the origin al sketch of the play Alb ert in terposes ,a low vo ice :
I have n o t s ummon’d up my heart to give
That pan g which I must give thee , son o fVe lez — I 79 7 .
(bl/2th af ected levity)— I 797 . (With afi cted gravity)18 13 .
It is a puddle in a s torm of rain— 1 797 .
144 REM ORSE . [ACT v .
An d when on e bubble run s fou l o f an other,
[waving his han d to ALVAR.
The weaker* n eeds must break.
ALVAR.
I see thy heart
There is a frightfu l glitter in thin e eye
Which do th be tray the e . In ly- tortured man,
This is the reve lry o f a drun ken an guish ,1'
Which fain would sco ff away the pang of guilt,An d quell each human fe e lin g.
ORDON IO .
Fe e ling feeling !
The death of a man— the breaking of a bubble’Tis true I can n o t sob for such m isfortun e s 3But fain tn e ss , co ld an d hun ger— curse s on meIf willingly I e
’er in flicted them
Com e, take the beverage 3 this chill place deman dsit. i [ORDON IO prmj
’
ers the goblet.
ALVAR.
Yon in sect on the wall,Which move s this way an d that its hun dred limbs, !
The lesser— I 79 7—18 13 .
Crazy- c on scien ced man ,
This is the gaiety of drun ken an gu ish—1 797 .
This is the wildn ess of a drun ken an gu ish—18 13 .
I“ Frien dship an d w in e ! ” adds Osorio , in the origin al
sketch of the play, b efore profl'
erin g the gob let .
legs—179 7 .
146 REM ORSE . [ACT v .
ALVAR.
I kn ow him n ot.
An d yet m e thin ks , I have heard the n ame butlate ly.
M ean s he the husban d of the Moorish woman
Isidore P Isidore P
ORDONIO.
Good good that lie by heaven it hasrestoredm e .
Now I am thy master Villain thou shalt drin kit,
Or die a bitterer death .
ALVAR .
What strange so lution
Hast thou foun d ou t to satisfy thy fears ,An d drug them to un n atural sle ep P
[ALVAR tab es the goblet, an d throws it to the
groun d.
MymasterORDON IO.
Thou m oun teban kALVAR.
M oun teba‘
n k an d villainWhat then art thou ? For shame , put up thy
swordWhat boots a weapon in a wither
’
d arm P
I fix m in e eye upon thee , an d thou tremb le stI speak, an d fear an d won der crush thyrage ,An d turn it to a mo tion le ss distractionThou blin d self-worshipper ! mypride , thy cun n in g,
ACT v .] REMORSE . 147
Thy faith in un iversal villan y,
Thy shallow sophism s,thy pre ten ded scorn
For all thy human bre thren— out upon themWhat have they don e for thee P have they given
the e peace ?Cured thee o f startin g in thy sleep P ormadeThe darkn e ss pleasan t when thou wakest at mid
n ight PArt happy when alon e ? Can st walk by thyse lfWith even step an d qu ie t cheerfuln e ss PYet, ye t thou may ’s t b e saved
ORDON IO (vacan tly repeating the word ) .Saved P saved P
ALVAR.
On e pangCould I call up on e pan g of true Rem orse
ORDON IO.
He to ld me of the babe s that prattled to him ,
His fatherle ss little on e s Remorse remorseWhere gott
’st thou that fool’s word ? Curse on Re
morse
Can it give up the dead , or recompactA mangled body P man gled— dash
’d to atom s
Not all the blessin gs of a ho st of an ge ls
Can blow away a de so late wido'
w’s curseAn d tho
’ thou spill thy heart’s blood foraton emen t ,
It will n ot we igh again st an orphan’ s tear
But Alvar
148 REMORSE. [ACT v .
ORDONIO.
Ha it choke s thee in,
the throat,Even thee ; an d ye t I pray the e speak it out.
Still Alvar —Alvar— howl it in m in e ear
Heap it like coals of fire upon my heart,An d shoot it hissing through my brain
ALVAR.
AlasThat day when thou didst leap from off the rockIn to the wave s
,an d grasp
’d thy sin kin g bro ther,
An d bore him to the stran d 5 then ,son ofValdez
How swee t an d mu sical the n ame of AlvarThen , then , Ordon io , he was dear to thee ,An d thou wert dear to him Heaven on ly kn owsHOW very dearthou wert ! Why didst thou hate him !0 heaven how he would fall upon thy n eck,An d weep forgiven e ss
ORDON IO .
Spirit of the dead !Methin ks I kn ow thee ha my brain turn s wildAt its own dreams — off— off, fan tastic shadow
ALVAR (seizing his han d ) .
I fain would tell thee what I am,but dare n ot
ORDON IO .
Cheat villain traitor whatsoe ’er thou b eI fear thee , man
I fear thee , man
[He starts, an d stan ds in the attitude of listen ing.
An d is this too my madn ess P
150 REMORSE. [ACT v .
ALVAR .
Doe s then this thin disguise impen etrablyHide Alvar from thee P To il an d pain ful woun ds ,An d long imprisonmen t in un who lesome dungeon s,Have marr
’
d perhaps all trait an d lin eamen tOf what I was But chiefly, chiefly, brother,My an guish for thy gu ilt
Ordon io— brother
Nay, n ay, thou shalt embrace me .
ORDONIO (drawing back an d gazing at ALVARwith a coun ten an ce of at on ce awe
Touch me n ot
Touch n ot pollution ,Alvar I will die .
[He attempts tofall on his sword, ALVAR andTERESApreven t him .
ALVAR .
We will fin d m ean s to save your hon ourqL Live ,
Oh live , Ordon io for ourfather’s sakeSpare his gray hairs
TERESA.
An d you may yet b e happy.
ORDON IO.
O horror n ot a thousan d years in heaven
In the origin al draught of the _play, he co n tin u esSpo tless Maria ,
I thought thee gu ilty too —1 797 .
1" We will in ven t some tale to save your hon o ur.
ACT v .] REMORSE . 15 I
Could recompose this m iserable heart,
Ormake it capable of on e brief‘j oyLive live Why yes
’Twere we ll to live with youFor is it fit a villain shou ld b e proud ?My brother I w ill kn ee l to you
,my brother
[Kn eelingForgive me
,Alvar — Curse me with forgiven ess
ALVAR.
Call back thy sou l, Ordon io , an d look roun d thee
Now is the time forgreatn e ss Thin k that heaven
TERESA.
0 mark his eye he hears n o t what you say.
ORDON IO (poin ting at vacan cy ).
Yes, mark his eye there ’s fascin ation in itThou said’st thou didst n o t kn ow him—ThatHe come s upon m e
ALVAR.
Heal, O heal him ,heaven
ORDON IO.
Nearer an d n earer an d I can n ot stirWill n o on e hear the se stifled groan s, an d wake me ?
He would have died to save m e,an d I kill’d him
A husban d an d a father
TERESA.
Some secre t poison
Drin ks up his spirit
ORDONIO (fiercely recollecting himself ).
Let the Etern al Justice
152 REM ORSE . [ACT v .
Prepare“
my pun ishmen t in the obscure worldI will n ot bear to live— to live— O agon yAnd b e myse lf alon e my own sore tormen t
[The doors of the dungeon are broken open,and
in rushALHADRA, an d the ban d of M orescoes.
ALHADRA.
Se ize first that man
[ALVARpresses onward to defend ORDONIO.
ORDONIO.
Off, ruffian s I have flung away my sword .
Woman,my life is thin e to thee I give it
Off he that tou che s m e with his han d of fle sh,
I ’ll ren d his limbs asun der I have strengthWith this bare arm to scatter you like ashe s .
ALHADRA.
My husban dORDON IO.
Yes, I murder’d him most foully.
ALVAR and TERESA.
O horribleALHADRA.
Why didst thou leave his children ?Demon ,
thou should’st have sen t thy dogs of he ll
To lap the ir blo od. Then , then I m ight haveharden
’
d
My soul in misery, an d have had comfort.I would have stood far ofl
'
, quie t though dark,An d bade the race of m en raise up a mourn in g
154 4,REM ORSE . [ACT v .
ALHADRA.
Why had 1be such a son ?
[Shouts from the distan ce of, Re scue ! Re scue !
Alvar, ! Alvar and the voice of VALDEZ heard.
Re scue P— an d Isidore ’s s'
pirit'
un avenged
The deed b e m in e [Sudden ly fstabs'
ORDONIO.
Now take my life
ORDONIO (staggeringfrom the woun d ).
Aton emen t
ALHADRA.
An d is it then
An e n v iab le lot to waste a wayWith inward woun ds , an d like the Spirit of chaosTo wan der on disqu ietly thro
’the earth,
Curs in g all lovely thin gs ? to let him liveIt were a deep reven ge I
All the ban d cry out NO mercy ! n o mercy
[NAOMI advan ces with the sword towards O SOR IO.
ALHADRA.
Nay,b earhim forth Why should.
this innocen t maidBeho ld the uglin ess of death P
O SOR IO (with great majesty) .O woman
1 have stood sil-en t like a s lave b efore thee , Eda—1 797 .
In the first edition o f Remorse, afterthe cry of No m ercy
Naom i advan ces with the sword an dAlb adra sn atches it fromhim an d sudden ly stab s
'
Ordon io . Alvar rushe s through the
Moors an d catches him in his arms . After Ordon io ’s dyin gSpeech, there are shou ts of Alvar Alvar b ehin d the
scen es . A Moor rushes in .
”
MOOR .
We are surprised ! Away ! away ! this in stan t !
ACT v .] REM ORSE . 155
ALVAR (while with TERESA supportingORDON IO).
Arm of aven gingHeaven ,
Thou hast sn atch’d from me mymost cherish’d
hopeBut go my word was pledged to thee .
ORDON IO.
AwayBrave n ot my father
’s rage I than k thee Thou
[Then turn ing his ey es languidly to ALVAR .
She hath aven ged the blood of IsidoreI stood in silen ce like a slave before herThat I might taste the worv Ood an d the gall ,An d satiate this self- accu sin g heartWith bitterer agon ie s than death can give .
Forgive me,Alvar !Oh couldst thou forget m e [Dies
[ALVAR an d TERESA ben d over the body ofORDON IO.
The coun try is in arm s Lord Valdez heads them ,
An d Still cries out , My so n my Alvar livesHaste to the Shore thev com e the oppo s ite road .
Yourw ives an d children are already safe .
The b oat is on the shore— the ves se l waits .
ALHADRA.
Thou then art AlvarP to my aid an d safe tyThy word S tan ds pledged.
ALVAR .
Arm of aven gin g Heaven !I had two cherish
’d hopes—the on e remain s ,The other thou hast sn atch
’d from m e b ut my word
Is pledged to thee n or shall it b e retrac ted—18 13 .
156 R EMORSE. [ACT v .
ALHADRA (to theMoors) .
I than k thee , Heaven thou hast ordain ’d it wise ly,
That still extreme s bring the ir own cure . That
po in tIn m isery
,which make s the oppre ssed man
Regardle ss of his own life , make s him too
Lord of the Oppressor’s— Kn ew I a hun dred menDe spairin g, b ut n o t palsied by de spair,This arm should shake the kin gdoms of the world 5The deep foun dation s of
“
in iquityShould sin k away, earth groan ing from ben eath
them 5
The strong ho lds of the crue l m en should fall,
The ir temples an d the ir moun tain ous towersshouldfall 5
Till desolation seem’d a beautiful thin g,
An d all that'were an d had the spirit of life ,
Sang an ewsong to her.who had gon e forth,Con quering an d still to co n quer
[ALHADRA hurries of with the M oors the stage
fills with armed peasan ts,and servan ts, ZULI
MEZ an d VALDEZ at their head. VALDEZrushes in to ALVAR’S arms.
ALVAR.
Turn n ot thy face that way, my father hideO hide it from his eye
‘
Oh let thy joyFlow in unm ingled stream through thy first blessing.
[Both kn eel to VALDEZ.
H'
ere en ded the origin al draught of the play.—ED .
EPILOGUE TO REMORSE .
E P I LO G U E .
*
Written by the Au thor, an d spoken by M ISS SM I TH in
the character of TERESA.
Oh the pro crastin atin g idle rogue ,The Poe t has just sen t his Epilogue 5Ay,
’tis just like him — an d the -han d
[Poring over the man uscript.
The stickI cou ld as soon decipherArabicBut, hark my Wizard
’s
'
own po e tic elfBids me take courage , an d make on e myse lf
An he iress,an d with
'
sighin g Swain s In plen tyFrom bloom ing nin e teen to full- blown five - an d
twen ty,Life beating high, an d youth upon the win g,A six years’ absen ce was a heavy thingHeavy —n ay, le t
’s de scribe thin gs as they are ,With sen se an d n ature ’twas at open warM ere affectation to b e singular.
Yet ere you overflow in con demn ation,
Thin k first o f poor Tere sa’s education 5M id moun tain s wild, n ear billow—beaten rocks ,
Prin ted in the M orn in g Chron ic le, Thursday, J an uary28 , 18 13 .
EPILOGUE TO REM ORSE . 159
Where sea-
gale s play’d with her dishevel’d locks
,
Bred in the spot where first to light she sprun g,With n o Academ ie s for ladie s youn gAcademieS
'
— (swe e t phrase that we ll may claimFrom Plato ’s sacred grove th
’appropriate n am e
NO morn in g visits , n o swee t waltzin g dan ce sAn d then for readin g— what b u t huge roman ce s
,
With as stiff m oral s, leavin g earth behin d ’em
,
As the brass - clasp’d,brass- c orn er’d boards that
bin d ’em .
Kn ights, chaste as brave,who strange adven ture s
seek,
An d faithfu l love s of ladie s , fair as meek 5Or sain tly herm its’ won der- raisin g acts
,
In stead o f— n ove ls foun ded upon factsWhich
,decen tly immoral
,have the art
To spare the blu sh,an d un dersap the heart
Oh, thin k of the se , an d hun dreds worse than
the se ,D ire disimprovin g disadvan tage s ,An d groun ds for pity, n o t for blame , you
’ll se e ,E
’
en in Tere sa’s six years’ con stan cy.
[Looking at the man uscript.
But stop what’s this P— Our Poe t bids m e say,
That he has woo ’d your fee lin gs in this PlayBy n o too real woe s, that make you groan ,
Re callin g kin dred griefs , perhaps your own ,
Ye t with n o image compen sate the m in d,Nor leave on e j oy formemory behin d .
He’
d wish n o loud laugh , from the sly, shrewd
sn eer,
160 EPILOGUE TO REM ORSE.
To un settle from your eye s the quie t tear
That Pity had brought, Wisdom would leavethere .
Now calm he waits your judgm en t (win ormiss),By n o loud plaudits saved, damn
’d by n o factious
hiss.
[Zapolya : A Christmas Tale , in Two Parts The Prelude
en titled The Usurper’ s Fortun e ; an d the Sequel en titled The
Usurper’s Fate . By S . T . Coleridge , Esq. Lon don : Prin tedfor Rest Fen n er, Patern o ster- row,
ADVERTISEMENT .
THE form of the fo llowin g dramatic po em is in humb leim itat ion of the W in ter’ s Tale of Shake spe are , exc ept
that I have c alled the first part a Pre lude in ste ad of a
first Ac t, as a som ewhat n e arer re semb lan c e to the
plan of the an c ie n ts, of which o n e spe c im e n is left u s
in the ZEschylean Trilogy of the Agam emn o n , the
O re stes , an d Eum e n ide s . Though a matter of form
m ere ly, ye t two plays , o n d iffe re n t periods of the sam e
tale , m ight s e em le ss b old, than an in terval of twe n tyyears b e twe e n a firs t an d se c o n d ac t . This is, however, in m ere ob ed ie n c e to c u stom . The effec t doe s
n ot, in reality, at all depe n d o n the t im e of the in terval 5b u t o n a very d ifferen t prin c iple . There are cases in
which an in terval of twe n ty hou rs b e twe e n the ac ts
wou ld have a worse efle c t ( i . e . re n der the imagin at ion le ss d isposed to take the po s itio n requ ired ) thantwe n ty years in o ther case s . For the rest, I shall b ewell c on te n t if my readers will take it up, read an d
judge it, as a Christmas tale .
CHARACTERS .
EMER ICK, Usurping King of I llyria.
RAAB KI UPRI LI , an Illyrian Chieftain .
CAS IM I R , Son of KI UPR I LI .CHEF RAGOZ Z I , a M ilitary Comman der.
ZAPOLYA, Q ueen of I llyria.
166 ZAPOLYA. [PRELUDE.
For ceremon ious due s . The summon in g drum ,
Th’ air- shatterin g trumpe t, an d the horseman ’s
clatter,
Are in sults to a dying sovere ign’s ear.
Soldiers,’tis we ll re tire your Gen eral greets
you ,
His loyal fe llow-warriors . [Guards retire.
RAGOZZI .
Pardon my surprise .
sudden from the camp, an d un atten dedmay the se won ders prophe sy P
KIUPRILI .
Tell me first,
How fare s the kin g ? His maje sty still live s ?
RAGOZZI .
We kn ow n o o therwise 5 b ut Emerick’s frien ds
(An d n on e but they approach him) scoff at hope .
KIUPRILI .
Ragozzi I have rear’d the e from a child
,
An d as a child I have rear’
d the e . When ce this airOf mystery ? That face was won t to openClear as the morn in g to me
,showing all things.
Hide n othing from m e .
RAGOZZI .
0 mo st loved,most hon our’d ,
The mystery that struggle s in my looksBetray
’d my who le tale to the e , if it told thee
That I am ign oran t 5 b ut fear the worst.An d mystery is con tagious . All things here
SC . I .] ZAPOLYA. 167
Are full of motion : an d yet all is silen tAn d b ad men
’s hope s in fect the good with fears .
KIUPR ILI (his han d to his heart) .
I have tremblin g proof within how true thousp eak
’st.
RAGOZZI .
That the prin ce Emerick feasts the soldiery,Give s splen did arm s
,pays the comman ders’ debts
An d (it is whisp er’d) by sworn prom ises
Make s him se lf debtor— hearin g this , thou hastheard
All (then in a subdued an d sadden ed voice. )But what my lord will learn too soon him self.
KIUPRILI .
Ha ! well then , let it“com e ! Worse scarce c an
com e .
This le tter written by the trembling han dOf royal An dreas calls m e from the campT0 his imm ediate pre sen ce . It appo in ts me ,The Queen ,
an d Em erick, guardian s of the realm
An d of the royal in fan t . Day by day,Rob b
’d of Zapo lya
’s so o thin g care s, the kin g
Yeam s on ly to beho ld on e precious boon ,An d with his life breathe forth a father’s ble ssin g.
RAGOZZI .
Rem ember you ,my lord that Hebrew leech
Who se face so much distemper’
d you ?
KIUPRILI .
Barzon i P
168 ZAPOLYA. [PRELUDE .
I held him for a spy 5 but the proof failing
(More courteously, I own , than pleased myse lf),I sen t him from the camp.
RAGOZZI .
To him in chief
Prin ce Emerick trusts his royal brother’s health .
KIUPRILI .
Hide n othin g, I con jure you What of him ?
RAGOZZI .
With pomp of words beyon d a soldier’s cun n ing,An d shrugs an d wrin kled brow,
he sm ile s an dwhispers 5
Talks in dark words of women ’s fan cie s 5 hin tsThat ’twere a useless an d a crue l zealTo rob a dying man o f any hope ,However vain , that soothe s him an d, in fin e
Den ie s all chan ce of offspring from the Queen .
KIUPRILI.
The ven omous sn ake My hee l was on its head,An d (fool I did n ot crush it
RAGOZZI .
Nay, he fearsZapolya will n ot long survive her husban d.
KIUPRILI .
Man ife st treason Even this brief de lay
Half make s me an accomplice (If he live ,)[l s moving toward thepalace.
If he but live an d kn ow m e , all may
170 ZAPOLYA. [PRELUDE .
Did my King love m e ? Did I earn his love ?
Have we embraced as bro thers would embrace ?
Was I his arm,his thun der
- bo lt P An d n ow
Must I,hag
- ridden , pan t as in a dream POr, like an eagle , who se stron g win gs press upAgain st a co iling serpen t
’s fo lds, can IStrike but formockery, an d with re stle ss beakGore my Own breast P— Ragozzi, thou art faithful ?
RAGOZZI .
Here before Heaven I dedicate my faithTo the royal lin e o f An dreas .
KIUPRILI .
Hark , RagozziGuilt is a timorous thin g ere perpe trationDespair alon e make s wicked m en be bo ld.
Come thou with m e They have heard my voicein flight,
Have faced roun d,terror- struck
,an d fear
’d n o
longerThe whistling javelin s of the ir fe ll pursuers.Ha what is this P
[Blackfiag displayed from the tower of thePalace : a death- bell tolls
, 69 m
Vengean ce of heaven ! He is dead.
RAGOZZI .
At length then’tis an n oun ced . Alas I fear
,
That these black death - flags are b ut treason ’ssign als .
SC . I .] ZAPOLYA. 17 1
KIUPRILI (looking forwards anxiously) .A prophecy too soon fulfill’d See yon der0 ran k an d raven ous wo lve s the death- be ll echoesStill in the doleful air— an d se e they come .
RAGOZZI .
Precise an d faithful in the ir villain yEven to the m om en t that the master traitorHad pre
- ordain’d them .
KIUPR ILI .
Was it over haste,
Or is it scorn ,that in this race o f treason
The ir gu ilt thus drops its mask,an d blazon s forth
The ir in famous plot even to an idiot’s sen se ?
RAGOZZI .
Doubtle ss they deem Heaven too usurp’d
Heaven ’s ju sticeBought like them se lve s
[D uring this con versation music is heard,
first solemn an d fu n eral , an d then chang
ing to spirited an d triumphal.
Be ing equal all in crime,
Do you pre ss on , ye spo tted parricide s
For the on e sole pre - em in en ce yet doubtfu l ,The prize o f foremo st impuden ce in gu ilt ?
KIUPRILI .
The b ad man’s cun n in g still prepare s the way
For its own ou twitting. I applaud , Ragozzi
[Al using to himself, thenRagozzi, I applaud,
172 ZAPOLYA.- [PRELUDE .
In thee, the virtuous hope that dare s look onward
An d keeps the life - spark warm of future actionBen eath the cloak o f patien t sufferan ce .
Ac t an d appear, as time an d pruden ce promptthee
I shall n ot m iscon ce ive the part thou playest.M in e is an easier part— to brave the usurper.
[E n ter a procession of Emerick’s adheren ts,
n obles,chieftain s, an d soldiers
,with music.
They advan ce toward thefron t of the stage.KIUPRILI makes the sign al for them to
stop — The music ceases.
LEADER OF THE PROCESSION .
The Lord Kiuprili —We lcome from the camp.
KIUPRILI .
Grave magistrate s an d chieftain s of Illyria,In good time come ye hither, if ye comeAs loyal m en with ho n ourable purpo seTo mourn what can alon e b e mourn
’d 5 but chiefly
To en force the last comman ds of royal An dreasAn d shie ld the Queen , Zapo lya haply makingThe mother’s joy light up the widow
’s tears .
LEADER.
Our purpo se dein an ds speed. Grace our proces
sron 5A warrior be st will gree t a warlike king.
K-
IUPRILI .
This paten t written by your lawful king,
1 74 ZAPOLYA. [PRELUDE
Her coun ten an ce twice lighted up with glory,As if I had charm
’d a godde ss down from Heaven ?
But the se will flee abhorren t from the thron eOf usurpation
[M urmurs in crease— an d cries of Onward
Onward
Have you then thrown off shame,
An d shall n o t a dear frien d, a loyal subj ect,Throw Off all fear ? I tell ye , the fair trophiesValian tly wre sted from a valian t fo e
,
Love ’s n atural offerin gs to a rightfu l king,Will hang as ill on this u surpin g traitor,This bro ther- blight, this Em erick
,as robe s
Of gold pluck’d from the image s of gods
Upon a sacrilegious robber’s back .
D uring the lastfour lin es en ter Lord CASIMIR,with expression s of anger an d alarm.
CASIM IR.
Who is this factious in so len t,that dare s bran d
The elected Kin g, our cho sen Em erick ?
[Starts— then approaching with timid respect.My father
KIUPRILI (turn ing away ).
Casim ir He,he a traitor !
T OO soon , in deed, Ragozzi have I learn t it . [Aside
CASIMIR (with reveren ce) .
My father an d my lord
KIUPRILI .
I kn ow thee n ot
S C . ZAPOLYA. 175
LEADER.
Yet the rem embran cin g did soun d right filial .
KIUPRILI .
A holy n ame an d words of n atural dutyAre blasted by a than kle ss traitor’s utteran ce .
CASIM IR.
O hear m e,sire n o t lightly have I sworn
Homage to Em erick. Illyria’s sceptreDeman ds a man ly han d
,a warrior’s grasp .
The qu e en Zapo lya’
s se lf- expe cted OffspringAt least is doubtfu l an d of all our n oble s ,The king, in heritin g his bro ther
’s heart,Hath hon our’d us the mo st. Your ran k
,my lord
Already em in en t,is— all it can b e
Con firm’d an d m e the kin g
’s grace hath appoin tedChief Of his coun cil an d the lord high steward.
KIUPRILI .
(Bought by a bribe I kn ow thee n ow still le ss .
CASIM IR (struggling with his passion ).
So mu ch of Raab Kiuprili’s blo od flows here ,
That n o power, save that holy n am e of father,Could shield the man who so dishon our
’d m e .
KIUPRILI .
The son of Raab Kiuprili a bought bon d - slave ,Guilt’s pan der
,Treason ’s mouth- piece , a gay parrot,
School’d to shrill forth his fe eder’s usurp
’d title s ,
An d scream , Long live king Emerick
1 76 ZAPOLYA. [PRELUDE
LEADERS .
Ay, kin g Emerick !
Stan d back,my lord Lead us, or let us pass.
SOLDIER.
Nay, let the gen eral speak
SOLDIERS .
Hear him hearhim !
KIUPRILI .
Hearme,
Assembled lords an d warriors of Illyria,Hear, an d aven ge me Twice ten years have IStood in your pre sen ce , hon our
’d by the kin g 5
Be loved an d trusted . Is there on e among you
Accuse s Raab Kiuprili of a bribe P
Or on e false whisper in his sovere ign’s ear?
Who here dare s charge m e with an orphan ’s rightsOutfaced
,orwidow’s plea left un defen ded ?
An d shall I n ow b e bran ded by a traitor,A bought, bribed wre tch , who , be ing c all
’d my son ,
Doth libe l a chaste matron ’s n ame , an d plan tHen sban e an d acon ite on a mo ther’s grave ?The un derling accomplice o f a robber
,
That from a widow an d a widow’s o ffsprin gWould steal their heritage ? To God a rebel,An d to the common father o f his coun tryA recrean t ingrate
CASIM IR.
Sire your words grow dangerous.High -flown roman tic fan cie s ill- be seem
178 ZAPOLYA. [PRELUDE
KIUPRILI .
’Twould be st excuse him,
Were he thy son ,Prin ce Emerick. I abjure him.
EMERICK.
This is my than ks , then ,that I have commen ced
A re ign to which the free voice of the n oblesHath call
’d me , an d the people , by regards
Of love an d grace to Raab Kiuprili’s house .
KIUPRILI .
What right hadst thou , Prin ce Emerick, to bestowthem P
EMERICK.
By what right dare s Kiuprili que stion me ?
KIUPRILI .
By a right common to all loyal subjectsTo me a du ty As the realm ’s cO- regen t ,Appoin ted by our sovere ign
’s last free act,
Writ by him self. [Grasping the
EMERICK (with a con temptuous sneer).
Ayl— writ in a delirium
KIUPRILI .
I likewise ask, by who se authority
The access to the sovere ign was refused me ?
EMERICK .
By whose authority dared the gen eral leaveHis camp an d army, like a fugitive ?
SC . ZAPOLYA. 179
KIUPRILI .
A fugitive , who , with victory for his comrade ,Ran
, open - eyed,upon the face of death
A fugitive , with n o o ther fear, than bodem en tsTo b e be lated in a loyal purposeAt the comman d
,Prin ce of my king an d thin e ,
Hither I cam e 5 an d n ow again requireAudien ce of Que en Zapolya 5 an d (the State sForthwith con ven ed) that thou do st Show at large ,On what groun d of defect thou ’
st dared'
an n ulThis thy Kin g
’s last an d solemn ac t— hast dared
Ascen d the thron e , of which the law had n amed,An d con scien ce should have made thee a protector.
EMERICK.
A sovere ign’s ear ill brooks a subject’s que stion in g
Yet for thy past we ll - do in g— an d becau se’Tis hard to erase at on ce the fon d be liefLon g cherish
’d,that Illyria had in thee
No dreamin g prie st’s slave , b u t a Roman lover
Of her true weal an d freedom— an d for this , too ,That
,hoping to call forth to the broad day- light
An d fo stering breeze of glory all de servin gs,I still had placed thee foremo st.
KIUPRILI .
Prin ce I listen .
EMERICK.
Unwillin gly I tel l thee , that Zapolya,Madden
’
d with grief, her erring hope s proved idle
180 ZAPOLYA. [PRELUDE
CASIM IR.
Sire ! speak the whole tru th ! Say, her‘
fraudsde tected !
EMERICK.
According to the sworn atte sts in coun cil
Of her physician
KIUPR ILI (aside).
Yes ! the J ew, Barzon i
EMERICK.
Un der the immin en t risk of death she lie s,Or irrecoverable loss of reason ,If kn own frien d’s face or voice ren ew the fren zy.
CASIM IR (to KIUPRILI).
Trust me , my lord a woman ’s trick has duped
YOU
Us too— but mo st of all the sain ted An dreas .Even for his own fair fam e
,his grace prays hourly
For herrecovery, that (the State s con ven ed)She may take coun se l of her frien ds .
EMERICK .
R ight, Casimir
Rece ive my pledge , lord gen eral . It shall stan dIn herown will to appear an d vo ice her claims 5Or (which in truth I ho ld the wiser course)With all the past pass
’
d by, as fam ily quarrels,Le t the Queen Dowager, with un b len ch
’d hon ours,
Resume her state , our first Illyrian matron .
I 82 ZAPOLYA. [PRELUDE
An d the blin d law of lin eage That whe ther
in fan t,
Orman matured,a wise man or an idiot,
Hero or n atural coward, shall have guidan ce
Of a free people ’s de stin y, should fall outIn the mere lo ttery of a reckless Nature ,Where few the prize s an d the blan ks are coun tless ?Or haply that a n ation ’s fate shou ld han gOn the bald acciden t of a m idwife ’s han dlingThe un closed suture s of an in fan t’s skull P
CASIM IR.
What be tter claim can sovere ign wish or_n eed
Than the free voice ofmen who love the ir coun try ?Tho se—chieflywho have fought for
’t ? who by right,Claim for the irmon arch on e , who havin g obey
’d,
So hath be st learn t to govern ; who havin g sufler’
d,
Can fee l for each brave sufferer, an d reward him?When ce spran g the n ame of Emperor ? Was it n otBy Nature ’s fiat P In the storm o f triumph ,’Mid warriors’ shouts
,did her oracu lar vo ice
Make itse lf heard Let the comman din g SpiritPossess the station of comman d
KIUPRILI .
Prin ce Emerick,Your cause will pro sper be st in your own pleading.
EMERICK (aside to CASIM IR).
Ragozziwas thy schoo l-mate— a bo ld spiritBin d him to us l—Thy father thaws apace
[Then aloud.
s o . ZAPOLYA. 183
Leave us awhile , my lord —Your frien d , Ragozzi,Whom you have n o t yet seen sin ce his re turn ,Comman ds the guard to - day.
[CASIM IR retires to the Guard-house and
after a time appears before it with CHEFRAGOZZI .
We are alon e .
What further pledge or proof de sires Kiuprili PThen , with your assen t
KIUPR ILI .
M istake n ot for assen tThe un quie t silen ce of a stern re solveThrottlin g the impatien t vo ice . I have heard thee ,
Prin ce
An d I have watch’d thee , too 5 but have small
A plausible tal e told with a flittin g eye .
[EMERICK turn s as about to callfor the Guard.
In the n ext momen t I am in thy power,In this thou art in m in e Stir but a step ,Ormake on e sign —I swear by this good sword ,Thou die st that in stan t.
EMERICK.
Ha,ha — Well
,sir — Con clude your hom ily.
KIUPRILI (in a somewhat suppressed
voice) .
A tale which, whe ther true or false , com e s guarded
Again st all m ean s of proof, de tects itself.
TheQueen mew’d up—this too from anxious care
184 ZAPOLYA. [PRELUDE .
An d love brought forth of a sudden , a twin birthWith thy discovery of her plot to rob thee
Of a rightful thron e —Mark how the scorpion,
falsehood,
Coils roun d in its own perplexity, an d fixe sI ts sting in its own head
EMERICK.
Ay to the mark !
KIUPRILI (aloud : he and EMERICK stand
ing at egui—distan cefrom the Palace
and the Guard- house).
Hadst thou believed thin e own tale , hadst thoufan cied
Thyse lf the rightful successor of An dreas,Wouldst thou have pilfer
’d from our school- boys’
theme sThe se shallow sophism s of a popular choice ?What people P How con ven ed ? or, if con ven ed,Must n ot the magic power that charm s toge therM illion s of men in coun cil, n eeds have powerTo win or wie ld them P Be tter, 0 far be tterShout forth thy title s to yon circling moun tain s,An d with a thousan d- fo ld reverberationMake the rocks flatter thee , an d the volleying air,Un bribed, shout back to thee , King Emerick !By whole some laws to emban k the sovere ign power,To deepen by re strain t, an d by preven tionOf lawle ss will, to amass an d guide the flo odIn its maje stic chan n e l, is man
’s task
I 86 ZAPOLYA. [PRELUDE
Of laurel- leaves looks green er an d more sparklingThro’ the gray olive - bran ch 5 if the se , Prin ce
EmerickGive the true title to the thron e , n ot thouN0 ! (let Illyria, let the in fide l en emyBe judge an d arbiter be tween us I ,I were the rightful sovere ign
EMERICK.
I have faithThat thou both think’st an d hopest it. FairZapolya,A providen t lady
KIUPRILI.
Wretch ben eath all an swer
EMERICK.
Offers at on ce the royal b ed an d thron e
KIUPRILI.
To b e a kingdom’s bu lwark
,a king
’s glory,Yet loved by both, an d trusted, an d trust-worthy,Is more than to b e king 5 but see thy rageFights with thy fear. I will re lieve thee Ho
[To the Guard.
EMERICK.
Not for thy sword, b u t to en trap thee , ruflianThus long I have listen
’d— Guard—ho from the
palace .
[The Guard post from the Guard- house with
CHEF RAGOZZI at their head,and then a
n umberfrom the Palace— CHEF RAGOZZI . de
mands KIUPRILI’s sword an d apprehen ds him.
s e . L ] ZAPOLYA. 187
CASIM IR.
O agon y
(ToSire , hearm e
(To KIUPRILI , _ who turn sfrom him. )Hear m e
,father !
EMERICK.
Take in arre st that traitor an d assassin
Who pleads for his life , strike s at m in e , his sovere ign
’s .KIUPRILI .
As the CO- regen t of the realm ,I stan d
Amen able to n on e save to the State sMet in du e course of law. But ye
'
are bon d- slaves ,Yet witn e ss ye that before God an d man
I here imp each Lord Emerick of foul treason ,
An d on stron g groun ds attain t him with suspicionOfmurder
EMERICK.
Hen ce with the madman
KIUPRILI .
Your Queen ’s murder,The Royal orphan ’s murder : an d to the deathDefy him
,as a tyran t an d usurper.
[ff urried of by RAGOZZI an d the Guard.
EMERICK.
Ere“
twice the sun hath risen ,by my sceptre
This in solen ce shall b e avenged .
CASIM IR.
O ban ish him
188 ZAPOLYA. [PRELUDE
This in famy will crush me . O formy sake ,Ban ish him
,my liege lord
EMERICK (scornfully).
What P to the army ?Be calm
,young frien d Nought shall b e don e in
anger.
The child o ’erpowers the man . In this emergenceI must take coun se l for us bo th . Re tire .
[Exit CASIM IR in agitation .
EMERICK (alon e, looks at a Calen dar).
The changefu l plan e t, n ow in her decay,Dips down at m idn ight, to b e seen n o more .
With her shall sin k the en emie s of Emerick,Cursed by the last look of the wan in g moon
An d my bright de stin y, with sharpen’d horn s
,
Shall greet me fearle ss in the n ew- born crescen t.
[Exit
SCENE II .
Changes to an other view,n amely ,
the back ofthe Palace— a wooded park an d moun tain s.
E n ter ZAPOLYA, with an infan t in arms .
ZAPOLYA.
Hush,dear on e hush my trembling arm disturbsthee
Thou, the protector of the he lple ss thou,
The widow’s husban d an d the orphan ’s father,
190 ZAP YA. [PRELUDE
Tyran t I owe thee than ks , an d in good hourWill I repay thee , for that thou thought
’st me too
A serviceable villain . Could I n owBut gain some sure in te lligen ce of the queenHeaven bless an d guard her
ZAPOLYA (comingfearfully forward )Art thou n ot Ragozzi?
RAGOZZI .
The Queen ! Now then the m iracle is fullI see Heaven ’s wisdom is an over—matchFor the devil’s cun n ing. This way, madam,
haste
ZAPOLYA.
Stay ! Oh, n o Forgive m e if I wron g theeThis is thy sovere ign
’s child Oh, pity us,An d b e n ot treacherous
RAGOZZI (raising her) .
Madam ! formercy’s sake
ZAPOLYA.
But tyran ts have a hun dred eye s an d arms
RAGOZZI .
Take courage , madam’Twere too horrible ,
(I can n ot do’t) to swear I
’m n o t a mon ster
Scarce had I barr’d the door on Raab Kiuprili
ZAPOLYA.
Kiuprili How ?RAGOZZI.
There is n ot time to te ll it,
S C . ZAPOLYA. 19 1
The tyran t call’d me to him ,
praised my zeal
(And b e assured I overtopt his cun n in gAn d seem
’
d right zealous . ) But time waste s in
fin e,
Bids me de spatch my trustie st frien ds, as couriersWith le tters to the army. The thought at on ceFlash
’
d on me . I disguised my prison er
ZAPOLYA.
What,Raab KiupriliP
RAGOZZI .
Yes my n oble gen eralI sen t him off, with Emerick’s own pacque t,Haste , an d post haste—prepared to follow him
ZAPOLYA.
Ah,how P Is it j oy or fearP my limbs seem
sin kin g
RAGOZZI (supporting her) .
Heaven still b e - frien ds us . I have left my charger,A gen tle beast an d flee t, an d my boy
’s mule ,On e that can sho o t a pre cipice like a bird ,Just where the wood begin s to climb the moun tain s .
The course we ’ll thread will m ock the tyran t’s
gue sse s ,Or scare the followers . Ere we reach the main
roadThe Lord Kiuprili will have sen t a troopTO e scort m e . Oh, thrice happy when he fin ds
The treasure which I con voy
192 ZAPOLYA. [PRELUDE
ZAPOLYA.
On e brief moment,
That praying for strength I may have strength.
This babe ,Heaven ’s eye is on it, an d its in n ocen ceIs
,as a prophe t’s prayer, stron g an d prevailing
Through thee , dear babe , the in spiring thought
po ssess’d me ,
When the loud clamour rose , an d all the palaceEmptied itself— ( they sought my life , RagozziLike a swift shadow glidin g, I made wayTo the de serted chamber of my lord
(Then to the infan t.)An d thou didst kiss thy father’s life less lips
,
An d in thy he lple ss han d, sweet slumbererStill c lasp
’d’st the Sign e t of thy royalty.
As I removed the seal, the heavy armDropt from the couch aslan t
,an d the stiff finger
Seem’d po in ting at my fe e t. Providen t Heaven
LO I was stan din g o n the secre t door,Which, through a lon g de scen t where all soun d
perishes ,Led out beyon d the palace . We ll I kn ew itBut An dreas framed it n ot He was n o tyran t
RAGOZZI .
Haste , madam Let m e take this precious burden
[He kn eels as he takes the child.
ZAPOLYA.
Take him An d if we b e pursued, I charge thee,
ZA PO LY A .
THE SEQ UEL ENTITLED
FATE.
”
USURPER’S
ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS.
O LD BATHORY, a M oun tain eer.
BETHLEN BAT HORY, the young Prin ce An dreas , supposed sonof Old BATHORY .
LORD RU DO LPH , a Courtier , but frien d to the Quee n’s party.
LASKA, S teward to CAS IM IR , betrothed to G LYC I NE.
an Assassin , in EMER I CK’S emp loy .
LADY SARO LTA, Wif e of LORD CAS IM I R .
G LYCI NE, Orphan Daughter of CHEF BAGOZZ I .
Between theflight of the Q u een , an d the civil war which immediately fo l lowed, an d in which EMER ICK remain ed the
victor, a space of twen ty years is supposed to have elapsed.
This n am e is b orrowed from Schiller’s “ Death Of Wal
len stein (see vol. iii . pp . 359 ,—ED .
198 ZAPOLYA. [ACT 1.
GLYCINE.
There
[Poin ting to Bathmy’s dwelling. SAROLTA an
swering, poin ts to where she then stands.
SAROLTA.
Here For on this spot Lord Casim irTook his last leave . On yon dermoun tain - ridgeI lo st the m isty image which so lon gLinger
’d, or seem
’d at least to lin ger on it.
GLYCINE .
An dWhat if even n ow,on that same ridge ,
A speck should rise , an d still en larging, lengthen ing,As it clomb downwards
,shape itse lf at last
To a n umerou s cavalcade , an d spurring foremost,Who but Sarolta’s own dear lord return ’
d
From his high embassy ?
SAROLTA.
Thou hast hit my thoughtAll the long day, from ye ster—mom to even ing,The restle ss hope flutter’d abou t my heart.
Oh we are qu eru lous creature s Little le ssThan all things can suffice to make us happy
An d little more than n o thin g is en oughTO discon ten t us.
— Were he come , then should I
Repin e he had n ot arrived just on e day earlier
T0 ke ep his birth- day here , in his own birth - place .
GLYCINE .
But our be st sports be like , an d gay proce ssion s
ACT ZAPOLYA. 199
Would to my lord have se em’
d but work- day sightsCompared with those the royal court affords .
SAROLTA .
I have small wish to see them . A spring morn in gWith its wild gladsome m in stre lsy o f birds,An d its bright j ewelry of flowers an d dew- drops
(Each orbed drop an orb of glory in it)Would put them all in e clipse . This swee t re tire
m en tLord Casim ir’s wish alon e would have made sacredBut
,in good truth, his lovin g j ealousy
Did but comman d what I had e lse en treated .
GLYCINE .
An d yet had I been born Lady Sarolta,Been wedded to the n oble st o f the realm ,
SO beautifu l be side s, an d yet so state ly
SAROLTA.
Hush in n ocen t fiatterer
GLYCINE .
Nay to my poor fan cy
The royal court wou ld seem an earthly heaven ,Made for such stars to shin e in ,
an d b e graciou s .
SAROLTA.
SO d o th the ign oran t distan ce still de lude u s
Thy fan cied heaven ,dear girl, like that above thee ,
In its mere se lf a cold, drear, colourle ss vo id,Seen from be low an d in the large , become s
The bright blue ether, an d the seat of gods
200 ZAPOLYA. [ACT 1.
Well ! but this broil that scared you from the
dan ceAn d was n o t Laska there— he , your betrothed ?
GLYCINE.
Yes, madam he was there . So was the maypole,Forwe dan ced roun d it.
SAROLTA.
Ah,Glycin e
Why did you then be troth yourse lf ?
GLYCINE .
BecauseMy own dear lady wish’
d it ’twas you ask
’d me
SAROLTA.
Yes,at my lord
’s reque st, b ut n ever wish’d,
My po or affection ate girl, to se e thee wretched.
Thou kn ow’st n ot ye t the du tie s of a wife .
GLYCINE .
Oh, yes It is a wife ’s chief duty,madam I
To stan d in awe Of her husban d,an d Obey
An d,I am sure , I n ever shall see Laska
But I shall tremble .
SAROLTA.
No t with fear,I thin k
,
For you still mock him . Bring a seat from the
co ttage .
[Exit GLYCINE in to the cottage, SAROLTA eon
tin n es her speech loching after her.
Something above thy ran k there han gs about thee ,
202 ZAPOLYA. [ACT
LASKA (to BATHORY).
We have n o con cern with you What n eeds your
pre sen ce
BATHORY.
What Do you thin k I ’ll suffermy brave boyTo b e slan der
’
d by a set Of coward rufiian s,An d leave it to the irmalice ,— yes, m ere maliceT0 tell its own tale
[LASKA an d servan ts how to Lady SAROLTA,
SAROLTA.
Laska What may this mean ?
LASKA (pompously , as commen cing a set speech).
Madam an d may it please your ladyshipThis Old man
’s son ,by n am e Bethlen Bathory,
Stan ds charged, on we ighty eviden ce , that he ,On ye ster—eve , be ing his lordship
’s birth- day,
Did traitorou sly defame Lord Casim irThe lord high steward of the realm ,
moreover
SAROLTA.
Be brief we kn ow his title s
LASKA.
An d moreoverRaved like a traitor at our liege Kin g Emerick.
An d furthermore , said witn e sse s make oath,Led on the assau lt upon his lordship’s servan tsYea
,in so len tly tore from this your hun tsman
His badge of livery of your n oble house,
An d trampled it in scorn .
ACT I ZAPOLYA. 203
(to the servan ts who mf er to speak).
You have had your spoke smanWhere IS the youn g man thus accused
BATHORY.
I kn ow n o t
But if n o ill be tide him on the moun tain s ,He will n ot long b e absen t
SAROLTA.
Thou art his fatherP
BATHORY.
Non e everwith more reason prized a son
Yet I hate falsehood more than I love him .
But more than on e,n ow in my lady
’s pre sen ce ,Witn ess’d the affray
,be side s the se men of malice 3
An d if I swerve from truth
GLYCINE.
Ye s good old man
My lady pray believe him
SAROLTA.
Hush,Glycin e
Be silen t,I comman d you .
(Then to BATHORY. )Speak we hear you
BATHORY.
My tale is brief. Durin g our fe stive dan ce ,Your servan ts
,the accusers of my son ,
Offer’d gross in sults, in unman ly sort ,
To our village maiden s . He (could he do le ss ? )
204 ZAPOLYA. [ACT 1.
Rose in defen ce of ou traged modesty,An d so persuasive did his cudge l prove ,
(Your hectorin g sparks so over brave to womenAre always cowards) that they soon took flight,An d n ow in m ere revenge , like baffled boasters, .
Have framed this tale , ou t of some hasty wordsWhich the ir own threats provoked .
SAROLTA.
Old man you talkToo blun tly ! Did your son owe n o respectTo the livery of our house P
BATHORY.
Even such respectAs the sheep’s skin should gain for the hot wolf
That hath begun ! to worry the poor lambs
LASKA.
Old in solen truffian
GLYCINE.
Pardon ! pardon , madam !
I saw the who le affray. The good old man
M ean s n o offen ce , swee t lady — You , yourself,Laska kn ow we ll, that the se men were the ruf
fian s
Shame on you
SAROLTA (speahs with afi eted anger).
What Glycin e P go , re tire
[Exit GLYCINE mournfully.
Be it then that these m en faulted . Yet yourself,Or be tter still belike the maiden s"paren ts ,
206 ZAPOLYA. [ACT I .
SAROLTA.
Brutal aggressors first, then baffled dastards,That they have sought to piece out the ir revengeWith a tale of words lured from the lips of angerStamps them mo st dan gerous an d till I wan tFit mean s forwicked en ds , we shall n ot n eedThe ir service s . Discharge them You
,Bathory
,
Are hen ceforth of my househo ld I shall place youNear my own person . When your son re turn s
,
Presen t him to us.
BATHORY.
Ha what strangers here !What bu sin e ss have they in an o ld man
’s eye ?Yourgoodn ess, lady— an d it came so suddenI can n o t—must n ot— let you b e dece ived.
I have yet an other tale , but
(Then to SAROLTA aside. )—n ot for all ears
SAROLTA.
I oft have pass’d your co ttage , an d still praised
Its beauty, an d that trim orchard - plot,who se blos
somsThe gusts of April shower
’d aslan t its thatch.
Come , you shall show it m e An d, while you bid itFarewe ll, b e n ot ashamed that I shou ld Witn ess
Refers to the tearwhich he feels starting in his eye . The
following lin e was b orrowed u n con sc iously from Mr. Words
worth’s Excursion . [Note by S . T . C .]
ACT I . ] ZAPOLYA. 207
The oil of gladn ess glitterin g on the waterOf an ebbing grief.
[BATHORY bowing, shows her in to his cottage.
LASKA'
(alon e).
Vexation baffled school’
d
H0 Laska wake why ? what can all this mean ?She sen t away that cockatrice in anger
Oh the false witch It is to o plain ,she love s him .
An d n ow,the o ld man n earmy lady
’s person,
She ’ll see this Bethlen hourly
[LASKAflings himself in to the seat.
GLYCINE peeps in timidly .
GLYCINE .
Laska ! LaskaIs my lady gon e P
LASKA (surlily).
Gon e .
GLYCINE.
Have you yet seen him P
Is he return’
d P [LASKA starts up from his seat.
Has the seat stung you , Laska ?
No,serpen t ! n o 5 you
What you would
Bethlen Bethlen
LASKA.
’tis you that stin g me
cling to him again P
GLYCINE.
Whom P
LASKA.
208,
ZAPOLYA. [ACT 1.
Yes gaze as if your very eye s embraced him !Ha ! you forget the scen e of ye sterdayMute ere he came , but then— Out on yourscreams,An d your pretended fears
GLYCINE.
Your fears,at least
,
Were real,Laska
"
! or your tremblin g limbsAn d white cheeks play
’d the hypocrites most vilely
LASKA.
I fear whom P what P
GLYCINE .
I kn ow what I shouldWere I in Laska’s place .
LASKA.
What P
GLYCINE.
My own con scien ce ,For having fed my j ealousy an d en vyWith a plot, made out of o therm en
’s revenges,Again st a brave an d in n ocen t youn g man
’s lifeYe t
, yet, pray te ll me
LASKA
You will kn ow too soon .
GLYCINE .
Would I could fin d my lady though she chid meYe t this suspen se
2 10 ZAPOLYA. [ACT I .
An d say her n ay ? As far back as I wot of
All her comman ds were gracious , swe et requests.How could it b e then , but that her requestsMust n eeds have soun ded to me as comman ds ?An d as for love
,had I a score of love s,
I ’d keep them all formy
‘
dear,kin d, good mistress.
LASKA.
No t on e forBethlen P
GLYCINE.
Oh that’s a differen t thing.
To b e sure he ’s brave , an d han dsome , an d so piousTo his good old father. But for loving himNay
,there , in deed you are m istaken ,
Laska !Poor youth I rather thin k I grieve for him
For I sigh so deeply when I thin k of himAn d if I see him , the tears come in my eyes, .An d my heart beats an d all becau se I dream’
d
That the war- wo lf had gored him as he hun tedIn the haun ted fore st
LASKA.
You dare own all this ?Your lady will n ot warran t prom ise - breach.
M in e, pamper’d m iss you shall b e 3 an d I
’ll make
you
Grieve for him with a vengean ce . Odd’s, myfingers
Tingle already [Mahes threaten ing signs.
For the b est accou n t of the War-wolf or Lycan thropus,
see Brayton’s M con - calf.
ACT ZAPOLYA. 2 1 1
GLYCINE. (aside).Ha Bethlen com ing this way 1
[GLYC INE then cries out as if afraid of being
save me save me Pray don ’t kill me,Laska
E n ter BETHLEN in a Hun ting D ress.
BETHLEN .
What,beat a woman
LASKA (to GLYCINE) .
O you cockatriceBETHLEN .
Unman ly dastard,ho ld
LASKA (pompously ).
Do you chan ce to kn owWho— I— am
,sirP howblack he looks
BETHLEN .
I have started man y stran ge beasts in my tim e ,
But n on e le ss like a man than this before m eThat lifts his han d again st a tim id female .
LASKA.
Bo ld youth she ’s m in e .
GLYCINE.
No n o t my master
But on ly is to b e an d all, because
Two years ago my lady ask’d me , an d
I prom ised her, n ot him an d if she ’ll let me ,I’ll hate you , my lord
’s steward.
2 12 ZAPOLYA. [ACT 1.
BETHLEN .
Hush,Glycin e !
GLYCINE.
Ye s,I do, Bethlen ; for he just n ow brought
False witn e sse s to swear away your lifeYour life , an d old Bathory
’s to o .
BETHLEN .
Bathory’
s
Where is my father? An swer, or Ha ! gon e !
[LASKA during this time retiresfrom the Stage.
if
GLYCINE.
Oh, heed n ot him I saw you pressing onwardAn d did b ut fe ign alarm . Dear gallan t youth,It is your life they seek
BETHLEN .
My life
GLYCINE .
Lady Saro lta even
BETHLEN .
She do e s n o t kn ow me !
GLYCINE .
Oh that she did she could n o t then have spokenWith such stern coun ten an ce . But though she
spurn me ,I will kn ee l, Be thlen
stin ks of the stage , usin g threaten ing gestures to Glycin e.
18 1 7 .
2 14 ZAPOLYA. [ACT 1.
E n terfrom the Cottage SAROLTA and BATHORY.
SAROLTA.
Go, seek your son I n eed n ot add , b e speedyYou here , Glycin e P [Exit BATHORY.
GLYCINE.
Pardon , pardon ,madam
I f you but saw the old man’s son
,you would n ot,
You could n ot have him harm’
d .
SAROLTA.
Be calm,Glycin e !
GLYCINE.
No , I shall break my heart. [Sohhing
SAROLTA (tahing her han d ).
Ha is it so ?
O strange an d hidden power of sympathy,
That of like fate s, though all un kn own to each,Dostmake blin d in stin cts, orphan
’s heart to orphan ’sDrawing by dim disqu ie t
'
!
GLYCINE.
Old BathorySAROLTA.
Seeks his brave son . Come , wipe away thy tears.Yes, in good truth, Glycin e , this same BethlenSeems a most n oble an d de servin g youth.
GLYCINE.
My lady does n ot mock me P
SAROLTA.
Where is Laska PHas he n ot told thee P
ACT L] ZAPOLYA. 2 15
GLYCINE.
No thin g. In his fearAnger, I mean— stole off— I am so flutter’dLeft me abruptly
SAROLTA.
His shame excuse s himHe is somewhat hardly task’d ; an d in dischargingHis own tools, con s a le sson for him self.Bathory an d the youth hen ceforward liveSafe in my lord
’s protection .
GLYCINE.
The sain ts ble ss you
Shame on my grace le ss heart How dared I fearLady Sarolta could b e crue l ?
SAROLTA.
Be yourself, girl !GLYCINE.
O ,
’tis so full here ! (at her heart. )
An d n ow it can n ot harm him if I te ll you,That the old man ’s son
SAROLTA.
Is n ot that old man’s son
A destin y, n o t un like thin e own , is his.
Forall I kn ow of thee is, that thou art
A soldier’s orphan : left when rage in te stin e
Shook an d engulph’d the pillars of Illyria.
This otherfragmen t, thrown back by that same
earthquake ,This
,so mysteriously in scribed by Nature,
2 16 ZAPOLYA. [ACT 1.
Perchan ce may piece ou t an d in terpre t thin e .
Comman d thyself Be secre t His true fatherHear’st thou ?
GLYCINE (eagerly).
0 te ll
BETHLEN (who had overheard the lastfew words,n ow rushes out).
Yes,te ll m e
,shape from heaven
Who is my fatherP
SAROLTA (gazing with surprise).
Thin e P thy father? rise
GLYCINE.
Alas he hath alarm’d you ,
my dear lady
SAROLTA.
His coun ten an ce,n o t his ac t
GLYCINE.
Rise , Bethlen
BETHLEN .
No 3 kn ee l thou to o an d with thy orphan ’s tonguePlead forme I am roo ted to the earth
,
An d have n o power to rise Give m e a fatherThere is a prayer in tho se uplifted eye sThat seeks high Heaven But I will overtake it,An d bring it back, an d make it plead formeIn thin e own heart Speak speak Restore to
me
A n ame in the world
2 18 ZAPOLYA. [ACT 1.
GLYCINE.
Madam,that wood is haun ted by the war-wolves,
Vampire s,an d mon strous
SAROLTA (with a smile).
Moon - calve s, credulous girl !Haply some o
’ergrown savage of the fore st
Hath his lair there , an d fear hath framed the rest.
(Then speaking again to BETHLEN. )After that last great battle , (0 youn gman !Thou wakest an ew my life
’s sole anguish) thatWhich fix’d Lord Emerick on his thron e , BathoryLed by a cry, far inward from the track,In the ho llow of an oak, as in a n e st
,
Did fin d thee , Bethlen , then a he lple ss babe .
The robe that wrapp’d thee , was a widow
’s man tle.
BETHLEN .
An in fan t’s weakn ess do th relax my frame .
0 say— I fear to ask
SAROLTA.
An d I to te ll thee .
BETHLEN .
S trike O strike quickly See, I do n ot shrink.
[Strihing his breast.I am ston e , cold ston e .
SAROLTA.
Hid in a brake hard by,Scarce by both palms supported from the earth,A woun ded lady lay, whose life fast wan ing
ACT I ZAPOLYA. 2 19
Seem’d to survive itse lf in her fixt eye s ,
That strain’
d towards the babe . At len gth on e arm
Pain fully from her own we ight disen gagin g,She po in ted firs t to heaven ,
then from her bosomDrew forth a go lden caske t . Thu s e n treatedThy fo ster- father took thee in his arm s
,
An d kn e e lin g spake If aught of this world’s
comfortCan reach thy heart, re ce ive a poorman ’s troth.
That at my life’s risk I will save thy child
Her coun ten an ce work’d , as on e that seem’
d pre
parin gA loud voice , but it died upon her lips
In a fain t whisper, Fly save him hide— hideall ? 7
BETHLEN .
An d did he leave her ? What , had I a mother?
An d left her bleedin g, dyin g P Bought I vile life
With the de sertion of a dyin g mother P
Oh agon yGLYCINE.
Alas thou art b ewilder’d ,
And dost forge t thou wert a he lple ss in fan t
BETHLEN .
What e lse c an I rem ember, but a mother
Mangled an d left to perish P
SAROLTA.
Hush , Glycin e
It is the groun d- swell of a teem ing in stin ct
Let it but lift itse lf to air an d sun shin e ,
2 20 ZAPOLYA. [ACT 1.
An d it will fin d a m irror in the watersIt n ow make s boil above it. Check him n ot
BETHLEN .
O that I were diffused amon g the watersThat pierce in to the secre t depths of earth,An d fin d the irway in darkn e ss Would that ICould spread myself upon the homele ss win ds !An d I wou ld seek her ! for she is n o t deadShe can n o t die O pardon , graciou s ladyYou were abou t to say, that he return
’d
SAROLTA.
De ep Love,the godlike in us
,still believes
Its obj ects as immortal as itself I
BETHLEN.
An d foun d her still
SAROLTA.
Alas he did re turn ,
He left n o spo t un search’d in all the fore st,Bu t she (I tru st m e by som e frien dly han d)Had be en born e off.
BETHLEN .
O whitherP
GLYC INE .
Deare st BethlenI wou ld that you could we ep like me O do n o t
Gaze so upon the air
SAROLTA (con tin uing the story ).
While he was absen t,
2 22 ZAP -0LYA. [ACT 1.
That in each n oble deed , achieved or suffer’d
Thou solvest best the riddle of thy birthAn d may the light that stream s from thin e own
hon ourGuide thee to that thou seeke st
GLYCINE.
Must he leave us ?BETHLEN .
An d for such goodn e ss can I re turn n othingBut some ho t tears that stin g m in e eye s ? some
sighsThat if n ot breathed would swe ll my heart to
stifling PMay heaven an d thin e own virtues, high- b om lady,Be as a shie ld o f fire
,far
,far aloof
To scare all evil from thee Yet,if fate
Hath de s tin ed thee on e doubtfu l hour of danger,From the uttermo st region of the earth, methinks,Swift as a spirit in voked, I should b e with thee !
An d then , perchan ce , I m ight have power to umbo som
The se than ks that struggle here . Eye s fair as thin eHave gazed on me with tears of love an d anguish,Which these eye s saw n o t
, or behe ld un con scious 3An d ton e s of anxious fon dn ess
,passion ate prayers,
Have been talk’d to me But this tongue n e’
er
soothed
A mother’s ear, lisping a mother’s n ameO ,
at how dear a price have I been lovedAn d n o love could return On e boon then , lady
ACT ZAPOLYA 2 23
Where’
er thou b idd’
st,I go thy faithful so ldier,
But first must trace the spo t where she lay bleedingWho gave m e life . No m ore shall beast of ravin eAffron t with baser spoil that sacred fore st
Or if aven gers more than human haun t there ,Take they what shape they list
,savage or heaven ly
,
They shall make an swer to me , though my heart’s
blood
Should b e the spell to bin d them . Blood calls forblood [Exit BETHLEN.
SAROLTA.
Ah it was this I fear’d . To ward off thisDid I withhold from him that o ld Bathory
Return ing, hid ben eath the se lf- same oak,
Where the babe lay, the man tle,an d some j ewe l
Boun d on his in fan t arm .
GLYCINE.
Oh, le t me fly
An d stop him Mangled limbs do there lie scat
ter’d
Till the lured eagle bears them to her n est
An d voice s have been heard An d there the plan t
growsThat be in g eaten give s the in human wizard
Power to put on the fe ll hyaen a’s shape .
SAROLTA.
What idle tongue hath b ewitch’d thee , Glycin e
I hoped that thou hadst learn t a n obler faith .
2 24 ZAPOLYA. [ACT 1.
GLYCINE.
O chide me n ot,dear lady 3 question Laska,
Or the o ld man .
SAROLTA.
Forgive me , I spake harshly.
It is in deed a m ighty sorceryThat do th en thral thy youn g heart, my poor girl.An d what hath Laska to ld thee P
GLYCINE.
Three days pastA courier from the kin g did cro ss that wood 3A wilfu l man
,that arm ’d him self on purpo se
An d n ever hath be en heard of from that time
[Soun d of horn s without.
SAROLTA.
Hark do st thou hear it ?
GLYCINE .
’Tis . the soun d of horn s !
Our hun tsmen are n ot out
SAROLTA.
Lord CasimirWou ld n ot come
‘
thu s
GLYCINE .
Still louder
SAROLTA.
Haste we hen ce !
For I be lieve in part thy tale o f terror !But
,trust me ,
’tis the in n erman tran sform ’d
226 ZAPOLYA. [ACT 1.
EMERICK .
Two gen tle dame s made o ff at our approach.
Which was your lady ?
LASKA.
My liege lord , the taller.The other, please your grace , is herpoorhan dmaid,Long sin ce betro thed to me . But the maid’s
frowardYet would your grace but speak
EMERICK.
Hum,master steward !
I am ho n our’a with this sudden con fiden ce .
Lead on . [To LASKA, then to RUDOLPH.
Lord Rudolph, you’ll an n oun ce our coming.
Gree t fair Saro lta from me,an d en treat her
Tob e our gen tle ho ste ss . Mark you add
How much we grieve that bu sin e ss of the stateHath forced us to de lay her lord’s return .
RUDOLPH (aside).
Lewd , ingrate tyran t ! Yes, I will an n oun ce thee.
EMERICK.
Now onward all. [Exeu'
n t attendants.
A fair on e,by my faith !
If her face rival but her gait an d stature ,My good frien d Casim ir had his reason s too .
Her ten der health, her vow of strict re tiremen t,Made early in the con ven t— his word pledged
All fiction s, all fiction s of j ealousy.
We ll If the moun tain move n ot to the prophet,
ACT L ] ZAPOLYA. 2 2 7
The prophe t must to the moun tain In this LaskaThere ’s somewhat of the kn ave mix’d up with dolt.Through the tran sparen ce of the fool , me thought,I saw (as I could lay my finger on it)The crocodile ’s eye , that peer
’d up from the bottom .
This kn ave may do us service . Hot ambition
Won me the husban d . Now let van ity
And the resen tm en t for a forced seclusion
Decoy the wife Le t him b e deem’d the aggressor
Whose cun n ing an d distrust began the game
228 ZAPOLYA. [ACT 11.
ACT II .
SCENE. A savage wood. At on e side
overhung with ivy . ZAPOLYA and K1UPR1L1
discovered both,especially the latter, in rude
an d savage garmen ts .
KIUPRILI .
Heard you then‘ aught while I was slumbering ?
ZAPOLYA.
No thin g.
On ly your face became con vu lsed. We miserable !Is Heaven ’s last m ercy fled ? Is sleep grown trea
cherou s P
KIUPRILI .
O for a sleep for sle ep itse lf to re st inI dream t I had me t with food ben eath a tree ,An d I was seeking you , when all at on ceMy fee t became en tan gled in a n et,
Still more en tangled as in rage I tore it.At length I fre ed myse lf, had sight o f you ,But as I hasten ’d eagerly, againI foun d my frame en cumb er
’
d a huge serpen tTwin ed roun d my chest, but tightest roun d my
throat.
2 30 , ;ZAPOL‘
YA. [ACT 11.
ZAPOLYA.
Hunger’s tooth has
Gn awn itself blun t. O ,I c ould queen it well
O’
ermy own sorrows as my rightful subjects.But wherefore
, O revered Kiuprili whereforeDid my importun ate prayers, my hopes an d fancies,Force thee from thy secure though
'
sad retreat ?Would that my ton gue had then cloven to my
mou thBut Heaven is just With tears I con quer
’d thee,
An d n ot a tear is left me to repen t with !Hadst thou n ot don e already— hadst thou n otSuffer
’d—oh
,more than e
’erman feign
’d of friend
ship PKIUPRILI .
Yet b e thou comforted What hadst thou faithWhen I turn ’
d back in credulous P ’Twas thy lightThat kin dled m in e . An d shall f it n ow go out,An d leave thy sou l in darkn e ss P Yet look up,An d thin k thou seest thy sain ted lord c ommission
’d
An d on his way to aid us When ce those latedream s
,
Which after such long in terval of hopelessAn d silen t re sign ation all at on ceNight after n ight comman ded thy returnHither? an d still pre sen ted in clear visionThis wood as in a scen e P this very cavern ?Thou darest n ot doubt that Heaven ’s especial hand
Work’
d in those sign s. The hour o f thy deliverance
Is on the stroke z— form isery can n ot addGrief to thy griefs, or patien ce to thy sufl
'
eran ce !
ACT ZAPOLYA. 23 1
ZAPOLYA.
Can n ot O, what if thou wert taken from me ?
Nay, thou said’st well for that an d death were on e .
Life ’s grief i s at its he ight in de ed 3 the hardNece ssity of this in human stateHath made our deeds in human as our ve stmen ts.Housed in this wild wood , with wild usage s,Dan ger ourgue st, an d fam in e at our portalWo lf- like to prowl in the shepherd’s fo ld by n ight 3At on ce for food an d safe ty to affrighten
The trave ller from his road
[GLYCINE is heard singing withou t.
KIUPRILI .
Hark heard you n o t
Adistan t chaun t ?
SONG
BY GLYCINE.
‘
A sun n y shaft did I beho ld,From sky to earth it slan ted 3
An d poised there in a bird so bold
Swee t bird, thou wert en chan ted
He san k,* he rose , he twin kled, he troll’d
Within that shaft of sun n y m ist 3His eye s of fire , his beak of gold,All e lse of ame thyst
sun k—18 1 7 .
232 ZAPOLYA. [ACT
An d thus he sang : Adieu adieuLove ’s dreams prove se ldom true .
The blossoms theyMake n o de lay 3
The sparkling dew- drops will n ot stay.
*
Swee t mon th of May,
We must away 3Far
,far away
To - day to- day
ZAPOLYA.
Sure ’tis some blest spiritFor sin ce thou slew
’st the usurper’s emissary
That plunged upon us, a more than mortal fearIs as a wall, that wards off the beleaguerer
An d starve s the poor besieged.
KIUPRILI .
It is a maiden ’s vo ice qu ick to the cave
ZAPOLYA.
Hark her vo ice falters [Exit ZAPOLYA.
KIUPR ILI .
She must n ot en ter
The cavern ,e lse I will remain un seen
[KIUPRILI retires to on e side of the - stage.
GLYCINE en ters singing.
GLYCINE (fearfully)A savage place Sain ts shie ld me Bethlen ! Beth
len
These three lin es do n ot appear in the first edition .—ED .
234 ZAPOLYA. [ACT n .
Speak with a stran ge vo ice . Wound s ca‘
use thirstan d hoarsen e ss
Speak, Bethlen ! or but moan . St— St—n o
Bethlen
If I turn back an d he shou ld b e foun d dead here,
n earer an d n earer to the cavern .
I should go mad —Again L—’twas my own heart !Hu sh , coward heart be tter beat loud with fear,Than break with shame an d an gu ish
[As she approaches to en ter the cavern , KIUPRILIstops her. GLYCINE shrieks .
Sain ts protect me !KIUPRILI .
Swear then by all thy hope s, by all thy fears
GLYCINE.
Save m e
KIUPRILI .
Swear secrecy an d silen ce
GLYCINE .
I swearKIUPRILI .
Te ll what thou art, an d what thou seekest ?
GLYCINE.
On ly
A harmle ss orphan youth, to bring him food
KIUPRILI .
Wherefore in this wood ?
GLYCINE.
Alas it was his purpose
ACT ZAPOLYA. 235
KIUPRILI .
With what in ten tion came he ? Would ’st thou save
1
Hide n othingGLYCINE.
Save him O forgive his rashn e ssHe is good, an d did n ot kn ow that thou wert
human
K1UPR1L1 (repeats the word ).Human P
(Then stern ly . )With what de sign P
GLYCINE .
To kill the e,or
If that thou wert a spirit,to compe l the e
By prayers , an d with the sheddin g of hisTo make disclosure of his paren tage .
But mo st o f all
ZAPOLYA (rushing outfrom the cavern ).
Heaven ’s blessing on thee speak
GLYCINE.
Whe ther his mother live , or p erish’d here
ZAPOLYA.
Ange l of m ercy, I was perishing,An d thou didst bring me fo od an d n ow thou
brin g’st
The swee t, swe e t food of hope an d con so lation
To a mo ther’s famish’d heart His n ame , swee t
maiden
236 ZAPOLYA. [ACT 11.
GLYCINE.
E’
en till this morn ingwe were wont to n ame himBethlen Bathory
ZAPOLYA.
Even till this morn ing ?This morn ing ? when my weak faith fail
’d me
whollyPardon , O thou that portion
’st out our sufferance ,
An d fill’st again the widow’s empty cruse
Say on
GLYCINE.
The false on e s charged the valian t youthWith treason ous words of Emerick
ZAPOLYA.
my son !
GLYCINE.
And of Lord Casim ir
KIUPRILI (aside) .
O agon y my son
GLYCINE.
But my dear lady
ZAPOLYA an d KIUPRILI .
Who P
GLYCINE.
Lady Sarolta
Frown’d an d discharged these bad men .
KIUPRILI (turn ing of ; and to himself ).
Righteous Heaven
238 ZAPOLYA. [ACT 11.
GLYCINE.
A woun ded lady
[ZAPOLYA fain ts— they both support her.
GLYCINE.
Is 111118 1118 mother?
KIUPRILI .
She would fain be lieve it,Weak though the proofs b e . Hope draws towards
itse lfThe flame with which it kin dle s .
[Horn heard without.
To the cavern !
Quiék ! quickGLYCINE.
Perchan ce some hun tsmen of the king’s.
KIUPRILI.
Emerick PGLYCINE.
He cam e this morn ing[They retire to the cavern , bearing ZAPOLYA.
Then en ter BETHLEN,armed with a boar- spear.
BETHLEN .
I had a glimpse
Of some fierce shape an d but that Fan cy often
Is Nature ’s in termeddler, an d crie s halve sWith the outward sight, I should be lieve I saw itBear off some human prey. O my pre serverBathory father yes, thou deservest that n ame !Thou didst n ot mock m e ! these are blessed
fin dings
ACT ZAPOLYA . 239
The secre t cypher of my de stin y
[Looking at his sign et.Stan ds here in scribed it is the seal of fate
[Observing the cave.
Ha — Had evermon ster fittin g lair,’tis yon der
Thou yawn in g den , I we ll rem ember theeMin e eye s dece ived m e n o t. Heaven leads me onNow for a blast, loud as a kin g
’s defian ce,
To rouse the mon ster couchan t o ’
erhis ravin e
[B lows the horn— then a pause.
An o ther blast an d with an other swe llT0 you , ye charm ed watchers of this wood
If haply I have come , the rightful he ir
Of vengean ce : if in m e survive the spirit
Of those , whose guiltle ss blo od flow’d stream ing
here [Blows again louder.
Still silen t Is the mon stergorged ? Heaven
shield me
Thou,faithful spear b e bo th my torch an d guide .
[As BETHLEN is abou t to en ter,K1UPR1L1 speaks
from the cavern un seen .
KIUPRILI .
Withdraw thy foot Re tract thin e idle spear,An d wait obedien t
BETHLEN (in amazemen t).
Ha What art thou ? speak
KIUPRILI (still un seen ).Avengers
BETHLEN .
By a dyin g m o ther’
s pangs
E’en such am I . Re ce ive m e
ZAPOLYA. [ACT 11.
KIUPRILI (still un seen).
Wait bewareAt thy first step , thou tread
’st upon the light,
Then ceforth must darkling flow,an d sin k in dark
n e ssBETHLEN .
Ha see my boar- spear tremble s like a reed
Oh, fool m in e eye s are duped by my own shuddering.
Those piled thoughts, built up in solitude ,Year fo llowing year, that press
’d upon my heart
As on the altar of som e un kn own God,Then , as if touch
’d by fire from Heaven de scending,
Blazed up within me at afather’s n ameDo they de sert me n owP— at my last trial ?Vo ice of comman d an d thou
, 0 hidden LightI have obey’d Declare ye by what n ameI dare in voke you Te ll what sacrificeWill make you graciou s .
K1UPR1L1 (still un seen ).Patien ce Truth Obedien ce !
Be thy whole soul tran sparen t so the Light,Thou seekest, may en shrin e itse lf within thee
Thy n ame PBETHLEN.
Ask rather the poor roam ing savage ,Whose in fan cy n o ho ly rite had blest,To him ,
perchan ce , rude spoil or ghastly trophy,In chase or battle won , have given a n ame .
I have n on e—but like a dog have an sweredTo the chan ce soun d which he that fed me , call
’dme.
ZAPOLYA.
Was it the soften’d e cho of m in e own ?
Sad echo but the hope it kill’d was sickly, _
An d ere it died it had been moum’d as dead !
On e o ther hope yet live s within my soulQuick letme ask —while ye t this stiflingfear,This stop of the heart, leave s utteran ce l—Are
are the seThe so le remain s of her that gave me life P
A
Have I a mother?
[ZAPOLYA rushes out to embrace him.
BETHLEN starts.
Ha
ZAPOLYA (embracing him).
My son my son
A wre tched—Oh n o , n o a blest—a happy mother !
[ I key embrace. K1UPR1L1 an d GLYCINE
comeforward, and the curtain drops.
ACT ZAPOLYA.
ACT III .
SCENE I .—A stately room in LORD CAs1M1R’
s
E n ter EMERICK an d LASKA.
EMERICK .
I do perce ive thou hast a ten der con scien ce,
Laska, in all thin gs that con cern thin e own
In tere st or safe ty.
LASKA.
In this sovere ign pre sen ceI can fear n othin g, b u t your dread displeasure .
EMERICK .
Perchan ce , thou think’st it stran ge , that I of all men
Should cove t thus the love of fair Sarolta,Dishon ourin g Casim ir?
LASKA.
Far b e it from me
YourMaje sty’s lo ve an d choice brin g hon ourwith
them .
EMERICK .
Perchan ce , thou hast heard that Casim ir is myfrien d ,
Fought forme , yea, formy sake , ‘set at n ought
A paren t’s ble ssing 3 braved a father’s curse P
244 ZAPOLYA. [ACT 111.
LASKA (aside).
Would I but kn ew n ow,what his Majesty mean t !
Oh yes, Sire’tis our common talk, how Lord
Kiuprili, my Lord’s father
EMERICK.
’Tis your talk,
Is it, good statesman Laska ?
LASKA.
No, n ot m in eNot m in e , an please yourMaj esty There areSome in solen t malcon ten ts in deed that talk thusNay worse, mere treason . As Bathory
’s son ,
The fool that ran in to the mon ster’s jaws.
EMERICK.
We ll,
’tis a loyal mon ster if he rids us
Of traitors But art sure the youth’s devour’d ?
LASKA.
Not a limb left, an please yourMaje styAn d that un happy girl
Into the wood P
That jealousy can
LASKA.
Scarce had I got the first glimpse of her ve il,When ,
with a horiid roar that made the leaves
Of the'
wood shake
EMERICK .
Thou fo llowed’st her
[LASKA bows assen t.Hen ceforth then I ’ll believemake a hare a lion .
246 ZAPOLYA. [ACT 111.
Babbler ! Lord Casim ir did,as thou an d all men .
He loved himself, loved hon ours, wealth, domin ion ,All these were set upon a father’s headGood truth a mo st un lucky acciden tFor he but wish’d to hit the prize ; n ot grazeThe head that bore it so with steady eyeOff flew the parricidal arrow— EvenAs Casim ir loved Emerick , EmerickLove s Casim ir
,in ten ds him n o dishon our.
He wink’d n ot then
,for love of me forsoo th
For love of me n ow let him win k ! Or ifThe dame prove half as wise as she is fair,He may still pass hisnhan d , an d fin d all smooth.
[Passing his han d across his brow.
LASKA.
YourMaje sty’s reason ing has con vin ced me .
EMERICK (with a slight start, as on e who had
been talking aloud to himself : then
Thee’Tis we ll an d more than mean t. For by my faithI had half forgotten thee .
—Thou hast the key?
[LASKA bows.
An d in your lady’s chamber there ’s full space ?
LASKA.
Be tween the wall an d arras to con ceal you .
EMERICK.
Here This purse is but an earn est of thy fortun e ,If thou provest faithfu l. But if thou b etray
’st me ,
5 0° ZAPOLYA. 247
Hark you —the wolf that shall drag thee to his denShall b e n o fiction .
[Exit EMERICK . LASKA man et with a keyin on e han d
, an d a purse in the other
LASKA.
We ll then Here I stan d,
Like Hercule s, o n e ither side a godde ss .Call this Prefermen t 3 this Fidelity
[Looking at thepurse— holding up the key .
An d first my go lden godde ss what bids she P
On ly ' “ This way, your Maj e sty ! hu sh ! Thehouseho ld
Are all safe lodged .
— Then,put Fide lity
Within her proper wards,j ust turn her roun d
So— the do or open s— an d for all the re st,
’Tis the kin g’ s de ed , n ot Laska
’s. Do but this
An d “ I’m the m ere earn e st of your future for
tun e .
”
But what says the otherP— Whisper on ! I hear
you [P u tting the key to his ear.
All very true — b u t, good Fidelity
If I refu se King Emerick , will you prom ise ,An d swear n ow,
to un lo ck the dun geon do or,An d save m e from the hangman ? Ay you
’
re
silen tWhat
,n ot a word in an swer P A clear n on suit
Now for o n e look to se e that all are lodged
At the due distan ce— then— yon der lie s the road
For Laska an d his royal frien d , Kin g Em erick
[Exit LASKA. Then en ter BATHORY and
BETHLEN .
248 [ACT 111.
BETHLEN}
He look’d as if he were som e God disguised
In an old warrior’s ven erable shapeTo guard an d guide my mo ther; Is there n otChapel or oratory in this man sion ?
BATHORY.
Even so .
BETHLEN .
From that place then am I to takeA helm an d breast- plate , bo th in laid with go ld,An d the good sword that on ce was Raab Kiuprili
’s.
BATHORY.
Those very arm s this day Saro lta show’d me
With wistfu l look. I’m lost in wild con j ectures
BETHLEN.
O tempt m e n ot, e’en with a wan dering guess,
To break the first comman d a mo ther’s willImpo sed , a mo ther
’s vo ice made kn own to me 1
Ask n o t,my son ,
” said she, our n am e s orthin e .
The shadow of the eclipse is passin g off
The full orb of thy de stin y AlreadyThe victor Cre scen t glitters forth an d sheds
O’
er the yet lingering haze a phan tom light.Thou can st n o t hasten it Leave then to HeavenThe work of Heaven an d with a silen t spirit
Sympathize with the powers that work in silen ceThus spake she , an d she look
’d as she were then
Fresh from some heave n ly visio n
250 ZAPOLYA. [ACT 111.
LASKA.
No n earer, pray con sider !
should prove his gho st, the touch wouldfre eze m e
a tombston e . No n earer
BETHLEN .
The foo l is drunk !
LASKA
We ll n ow I love a brave man to my heart.I myse lf braved the mon ster, an d wou ld fainHave saved the false o n e from the fate she tempted.
BATHORY .
You, Laska P
BETHLEN (to BATHORY).
Mark Heaven gran t it may b e soGlycin e P
LASKA.
She I traced her by the vo ice .
You’ll scarce be lieve m e , when I say I heard
The clo se of a son g : the poorwre tch had beensin gin g
As if she wish’d to complimen t the war-wo lf
At on ce with mu sic an d a m eal
BETHLEN (to BATHORY).
Mark thatLASKA .
At the n ext mom en t I behe ld her run n ing,Wringing her han ds with , Bethlen 0 poor
Bethlen
so . ZAPOLYA. 25 1
I almost fear, the sudden n o ise I made,
Rushin g impe tuou s through the brake , alarm’d her.
She stopp’d, then mad with fe ar
,turu ’d roun d an d
ran
In to the m on ster’s gripe . On e piteous screamI heard. There was n o secon d— I
BETHLEN .
Stop thereWe
’ll spare yourmode sty Who dare s n o t hon ourLaska
’s brave tongue , an d high heroic fan cy P
LASKA.
You too, sirkn ight, have come back safe an dsoun d !
You play’d the hero at a cautious distan ce
Orwas it that you sen t the po or girl forwardTo stay the mon ster’s stomach P Dain ties qu icklyPall on the taste an d cloy the appe tite
BATHORY.
Laska, beware Forge t n o t what thou artShould’st thou but dream thou
’rt valian t, cross thy
se lf !An d ache all over at the dan gerou s fan cy
LASKA.
What then you swe ll upon my lady’s favour,
High Lords an d perilous of on e day’s growth
But other judge s n ow sit on the ben ch
An d haply Laska hath foun d audien ce there ,Where to defen d the treason of a son
Might en d in liftin g up bo th son an d father
252 ZAPOLYA. [ACT 111.
Still higher3 to a he ight from which in de edYou bo th may drop , but, spite of fate an d fortun e ,Will b e secured from fallin g to the groun d .
’Tis po ssible too , young man that royal Emerick,
At Laska’
s rightful suit, may make in quiryBy whom seduced
, the maid so stran ge ly m issing
BETHLEN .
Soft my good Laska m ight it n o t suffice ,If to yourse lf
,be ing Lord Casim ir
’s steward,I should make record of Glycin e’s fate ?
LASKA.
"I“is well it shall con ten t m e though your
Has all the credit of the se lower’d ton e s .
(Zhen very pompously . )First we deman d the man n er of her death ?
BETHLEN .
Nay that’s superfluou s Have you n ot ju st to ldu s
That you yourse lf, led by impetuous valour,Witn e ss’d the who le ? My tale
’s of later date .
After the fate , from which your valour strove
In vain to re scue the rash maid,I saw her
LASKA.
Glycin e ?BETHLEN .
Nay dare I accuse wise Laska,Whose words fin d acce ss to a mon arch’s ear,Of a base , braggart lie P It must have be en
Her spirit that appear’
d to m e . But haply
254 ZAPOLYA. [ACT 111.
‘
BETHLEN .
E’
en this reproves my lo itering. Say where liesThe oratory P
BATHORY.
Ascen d yon flight of stairsM idway the corridor a silver lampHan gs o
’er the en tran ce o f Sarolta
’s chamber,
An d facing it, the low arch’d oratoryM e thou’lt fin d watching at the outward gateFor a pe tard m ight burst the bars un heardBy the dren ch’d porter, an d Saro lta hourlyExpects Lord Casim ir
,spite of Emerick’s message
BETHLEN .
There I will meet you An d till then good n ightDear good old man , good n ight
BATHORY.
0 yet on e momen t !What I repell
’d,when it did seem my own ,
I cling to , n ow’tis parting— call me father
It can n ot n ow m islead thee . O my son ,
Ere yet our tongue s have learn t an other n ame ,Bethlen —‘
say—father to me
BETHLEN .
Now,an d for ever
My father ! other sire than thou , on earthI n everhad, a dearer cou ld n o t haveFrom the base earth you raised me to your arms,An d I would leap from off a thron e
,an d kn eeling,
Ask Heaven ’s blessing from thy lips. My father !
SC . ZAPOLYA. 255
BATHORY.
[BETHLEN breaks ‘
oyf an d exit. BATHORY looks afi ction ately after him.
May every star n ow shin ing overus,
as an ange l’s eye , to watch an d guard him
[Exit BATHORY.
SCENE II .
SCENE changes to a splen did B edchamber,hung with
tapestry . SAROLTA in an elegan t n ight- dress,and
an Atten dan t.
ATTENDANT .
We all did love her,madam
SAROLTA.
She de served itLuckle ss Glycin e rash
,un happy girl !
’Twas the first tim e she e’er dece ived m e .
ATTENDANT .
She was in love , an d had she n o t died thus,
With grief for Be thlen’
s loss,an d fear of Laska
,
She would have pin ed herse lf to death at home .
SAROLTA.
Has the youth ’s fatherCom e back from his search ?
ATTENDANT .
He n everwill, I fear m e . O dear ladyThat Laska did so triumph o
’er the old man
256 Z APOLYA. [ACT 1m
It was quite cru e l You ’ll b e sure,said he
,
To mee t with part at least of your son Bethlen,
Or the war- wolf must have a qu ick digestionGo search the wood by all mean s go I pray
youSAROLTA.
In human wre tchATTENDANT.
An d Old Bathory an swer’dWith a sad sm ile , It is a witch’s prayer,An d may Heaven read it backwards . ” Though
she was rash ,’Twas a small fault for such a pun ishmen t
SAROLTA.
Nay’twas my grief, an d n o t my anger spoke .
small fault in deed but leave me , my good girl !I fe e l a we ight that on ly prayer can lighten .
[Exit Attendant.O they were in n ocen t, an d yet have perish
’d
In the irMay of life ; an d Vice grows o ld intriumph .
Is it Mercy’s han d that for the bad man ho ldsLife ’s closing gate P
Still passing then ce pe tition ary HoursTo woo the obdurate spirit to repen tan ce ?
Orwould this chiln e ss tell m e,that there is
Guilt too en ormous to b e duly pun ish’
d ,
Save by in crease of gu ilt ? The Powers of Evil
Are jealous claiman ts . Guilt too hath its ordeal,An d He ll its own probation —Merciful Heaven ,Rather than this, pour down upon thy supplian t
258 ZAPOLYA. [ACT 111.
SAROLTA.
Strengthen me, Heaven I must n ot seem afraid !
The king to- n ight then de ign s to play the masker.What seeks yourMaje sty P
EMERICK .
Sarolta’s love 3
An d Emerick’s power lie s prostrate at her feet.
SAROLTA.
Heaven guard the sovere ign’s power from such de
basemen tFar rather, Sire , let it descen d in vengean ce
On the base villain ,
*on the faithless slave
Who dared un bar the doors of these retiremen tsForwhom P Has Casim ir deserved this in sult ?
O my m isgivin g heart If— ii— from Heaven ,Yet n ot from you , Lord Emerick !
EMERICK.
Chiefly from me .
Has he n ot like an ingrate rob b’d my court
Of Beau ty’s star, an d kept my he art in darkn ess ?First then on him I will adm in ister ju sticeIf n o t in mercy, yet in love an d rapture
SAROLTA.
Help Treason he lp I
On the base ingrate—18 1 7.
SC ZAPOLYA. 259
Here ’s n on e
EMERICK .
Nay, why this rage ? Who be st de serve s you PCasim ir
,
Emerick’s bought implem en t, the j ealous slaveThat mews you up with bolts an d bars P or Em
erick
Who proffers you a thron e ? Nay, m in e you shallb e .
Hen ce with this fon d re sistan ce Yie ld 3 then liveThis mon th a widow
,an d the n ext a queen
SAROLTA.
Yet, yet for on e brief m omen t [strugglingUnhan d me , I con j ure you .
[She throws him oyf, and rushes towards a toilet.
EMERICK follows, an d as she takes a dagger,
he grasps it in her han d.
EMERICK .
Ha ha a dagger 3A se emly orn am en t fora lady’s caske t’Tis held
,devotion is akin to love ,
But yours is tragic Love in war It charms me
An d make s your beauty worth a kin g’
s embrace s
[D uring this speech BETHLEN en ters armed.
EMERICK .
Call louder scream againhear you
SAROLTA.
Hearme,hearme
,Heaven
260 ZAPOLYA. [ACT 111.
BETHLEN .
Ruflian,forbear Turn
,turn an d fron t my sword
EMERICK .
Pish who is this ?SAROLTA.
O sleeple ss eye of Heaven !A blest, a ble ssed spirit When ce came st thou ?May I still can thee Bethlen ?
BETHLEN .
Ever, lady,Your faithful so ldier
EMERICK.
In solen t slave departKn ow
’st thou n ot me P
BETHLEN .
I kn ow thou art a villainAn d coward that thy devilish purpose marks
thee !What e lse , this lady must in struct my sword
SAROLTA.
Mon ster, re tire O touch him n o t,thou blest on e !
This is the hour that fien ds an d damn ed spiritsDo walk the earth, an d take what form they listYon devil hath assumed a kin g
’s
BETHLEN .
Usurp’d it
EMERICK.
The king will play the devil with thee in deed
262 ZAPOLYA. [ACT 111.
But with a foul usurping cypher on itThe light hath flash
’d from Heaven
, an d I mustfo llow it
O cursed usurper O thou brother-murderer !That made st a star- bright que en a fugitive widow !
Who fill’st the lan d with curse s, be ing thyselfAll curses in on e tyran t se e an d trembleThis is Kiuprili
’s sword that n ow hangs o
’er thee
Kiuprili’s blastin g curse , that from its poin t
Shoo ts lightn ings at the e . Hark in An dreas’ name,
He ir o f his vengean ce , he ll- houn d I defy thee .
[Theyfight, an d just as EMERICK is disarmed, inrush CASIMIR, OLD BATHORY, and Attendan ts.
CASIM IR run s in between the combatan ts, and
parts them in the struggle BETHLEN’S sword
CASIM IR .
The kin g disarm’d to o by a stranger ! Speak
What may this mean P
EMERICK.
Dece ived,dishon our
’d lord
Ask thou yon fair adu ltere ss She will tell theeA tale ,which would
’st thou b e bo th dupe an d traitor,Thou wilt be lieve again st thy frien d an d sovereignThou art presen t n ow, an d a frien d’s duty ceasesTo thin e own justice leave I thin e own wrongs .
Of half thy vengean ce I perforce must rob thee ,For that the sovere ign claims. To thy allegianceI n ow comm it this traitor an d assassin .
[Then to the Attendants.
SC . ZAPOLYA 263
Hen ce with him to the dungeon an d to -morrow,
Ere the sun rise s,—Hark your heads or his
BETHLEN .
Can He ll work m iracle s to mock Heaven ’s justice ?
EMERICK .
Who speaks to him die s The traitor that hasm en aced
His kin g, must n ot pollu te the breathin g air,
Even with a’
word
CASIM IR (to BATHORY).
Hen ce with him to the dungeon
[Exit BETHLEN ,hurried of by BATHORY and
Attendan ts.
EMERICK .
We hun t to -m orrow in your uplan d forestThou (to CASIM IR) wilt atten d us an d wilt then
explainThis sudden an d mo st fortun ate arrival.
[Exit EMERICK 3 M an en t CASIM IR an d SAROLTA.
SAROLTA.
My lord my husban d lo ok whose sword liesyon der !
[Poin ting'
to the sword which BETHLEN had been
disarmed of by the Atten dan ts .
It is Kiuprili’s,Casim ir3
’tis thy father’s
An d wielded by a striplin g’s arm , it baffled,
Yea,fell like Heaven ’s own lightn ings on that
Tarquin .
264 ZAPOLYA. [ACT 111.
CASIMIR.
Hush hushI had de tected ere I left the cityThe tyran t’s cursed in ten t. Lewd, damn ed ingrateForhim did I bring down a father
’s curseSwift, swift must b e ourmean s To-morrow’s sunSets on his fate orm in e O blest Sarolta !
[Embracing her.
No o ther prayer, late pen iten t, dare I offer,But that thy spotless virtues may prevailO
’
er Casim ir’s crimes, an d dread Kiuprili’s curse !
[Exeun t consulting.
266 ZAPOLYA. [ACT iv.
CASIM IR.
The word forme was this The royal Leopard
Chases thy milk-white dedicated [ fin d
RUDOLPH.
Your an swer?CASIMIR.
As the word prove s false
Ca51m1r cross the hun t, or jo in the
LORD RUDOLPH .
even t redeem ’d the ir pledge ?
CASIM IR.
It did, an d thereforeHave I sen t back both pledge an d in vitation .
The spo tle ss Hin d hath fled to them for shelter
An d bears with hermy seal of fe llowship
[They take hands.
RUDOLPH.
But Emerick how when you reportedSarolta
’s disappearan ce , an d the flight
Of Bethlen with his guards P
CAS IM IR.
O ,he rece ived it
As eviden ce of the ir mutual gu ilt. In fin e ,
With cozen ing warmth con do led with, an d dismiss
’d m e .
RUDOLPH .
I en ter’d as the doorwas clo sin g on youHis eye was fix
’d, yet seem
’d to fo llow you
With such a look of hate , an d scorn an d triumph,
sC . L ] ZAPOLYA. 267
As if he had you in the to ils already,
An d were then choosin g where to stab you first.But hush draw back
CASIM IR.
This n ook is at the furthe stFrom any beaten track.
RUDOLPH.
There mark them
[Poin ts to where LASKA and PESTALUTZ cross
the S tage.
CASIM IR.
LaskaRUDOLPH.
On e of the two I recogn ised this morn ing ;His n ame is Pestalu tz a trusty ruflian ,
Whose face is prologue still to some dark murder.
Beware n o stratagem ,n o trick of me ssage ,
Dispart you from your servan ts .
CASIM IR (aside).I de serve it.
The comrade of that ruflian is my servan tThe on e I trusted most an d most preferr
’d .
But we must part. What make s the king so late ?
It was his won t to b e an early stirrer.
RUDOLPH .
An d his main policy too.
To en thral the sluggard n ature in ourse lve sIs
,1n good truth , the be tter half of the secre t
To en thral the world for the will govern s all .
268 ZAPOLYA. [ACT 1v .
See , the sky lowers the cro ss -win ds waywardlyChase the fan tastic masse s of the cloudsWith a wild mo ckery of the com ing hun t
CASIM IR.
Mark yon dermass Imake it wear the shapeOf a huge ram that bu tts with head depress
’d.
RUDOLPH (smiling).
Be like , some stray sheep of the c ozy flock,Which
,if bards lie n o t, the sea- shepherds tend,
Glaucu s or Pro teus . But my fan cy shapes itA mon ster couchan t on a rocky she lf.*
CASIM IR.
Mark too the edge s of the lurid massRe stle ss
, as if some idly- vexin g Sprite ,On swift wing coasting by, with tetchy han dPluck
’d at the rin gle ts of the vaporous fle ecesl
The se are sure sign s of con flict n igh at han d,An d e lemen tal war
[A single trumpet heard at some distance.
RUDOLPH .
That sin gle blastAn n oun ce s that the tyran t’s pawing courser
The two precedin g speeches are n ot in the origin al edition .
1' Mark too the edge s of you lurid mass
Restless an d vext, as if som e an gerin g han dWith fitful, tetchy sn atch , u n roll
’d an d plu ck’d
The jetting ringlets of the vaporou s fleec e —18 1 7.
2 70 ZAPOLYA. [ACT 1v ..
With fire an d sword,pursue a patrio t father,
A widow an d an orphan . Darest thou then ,
(Curse - laden wre tch) put forth these han ds to raiseThe ark
,all sacred, of thy coun try
’s cause ?Look down in pity on thy son, KiupriliAn d let this deep abhorren ce of his crime ,Un stain
’d with se lfish fears, b e his aton emen t
O strengthen him to n obler compen sation
In the deliveran ce of his bleedin g coun try
[Exit CASIMIR.
SCENE II .
Scen e changes to the mouth of a Cavern ,
Act I ] .
ZAPOLYA an d GLYCINE discovered.
ZAPOLYA.
Our frien d is gon e to seek some safer cave
Do n ot then leave m e long alon e , Glycin eHaving enjoy
’d thy commun e
,lon elin ess,
That but oppress’d me hitherto , n ow scares
You will ken Bethlen ?
Here , in the hitherto rec eived text the speech of Zapolya
en ds, an d Glyc in e repliesI shall kn ow Bethlen at the furthest distan ce.
The four lin es that follow are n ow first prin ted. These cor
rec tion s an d addition s, in the well - kn own han dwritin g of the
Poet, are scored in ink b etween the prin ted lin es an d in
the m argin of a c opy of the origin al edition of Zapolya,
n ow in the possession of the Publisher of these volumes.ED.
so . ZAPOLYA. 27 1
GLYCINE.
O at farthe st distan ce ,Yea, oft where Light
’s own courier- beam exhaustedDrops at the thre shold
,an d forge ts its m e ssage ,
A somethin g roun d m e o f a wider reachFee ls his approach, an d tremble s back to tell me . ]An d the same mom en t I de scry him
,lady
,
I will return to you . Exit GLYCINE.
E n ter BATHORY , speaking as he en ters .
BATHORY.
Who hears P A frien d
Ame ssenger from him who bears the sign e t !
[ZAPOLYA,who had been gazing af
f
ection ately
after GLYCINE , starts at BATHORY’s voice.
ZAPOLYA.
He hath the watch -word — Art thou n ot Bathory P
BATHORY.
O n oble lady greetings from your son
[BATHORY kn eels.
ZAPOLYA.
Rise rise Or shall I rather kn ee l be side thee ,An d call down ble ssings from the wealth of Heaven
Upon thy hon our’d head P When thou last saw’
st
me
I would full fain have kn e lt to thee , an d could n ot,Thou dear old man How oft sin ce then in dream s
Have I don e worship to the e , as an ange lBearing my he lple ss babe upon thy wmgs
2 72 ZAPOLYA. [ACT 1v .
BATHORY.
0 he was born to hon our Gallan t deedsAn d perilous hath he wrought sin ce yester—eve .
Now from Temeswar (for to him was tru stedA life , save thin e , the cleare st) he hastes hither
ZAPOLYA.
Lady Sarolta, m ean’st thou P
BATHORY.
She is safe .
The royal brute hath overleapt his prey,An d when he turu ’d
,a sworded Virtue faced
My own brave boy—O pardon ,n oble lady
Your 5011ZAPOLYA.
Hark is it he ?
BATHORY.
I hear a v01ce
Too hoarse for Bethlen ’s !
’Twas his scheme and
hope ,Long ere the hun ters could approach the forest,To have led you hen ce—Re tire .
ZAPOLYA.
O life of terrors !BATHORY.
In the cave ’s mouth we have such ’van tage groundThat even this old arm
[Exeun t ZAPOLYA an d BATHORY in to the Cave.
E n ter LASKA and PESTALUTZ.
LASKA.
Not a step further !
2 74 ZAPOLYA. [ACT IV.
PESTALUTz (with a sn eer).
0
What ! the girlWhom Laska saw the war- wo lf tear in pieces ?
LASKA (throwing down a bow and arrows
Well take my arms Hark ! should yourjavelinfail you
,
These poin ts are tipt with ven om .
[Starts an d sees GLYCINE without.By Heaven ! Glycin e !
Now as you love the kin g, he lp me to se ize her !
[They run out afterGLYCINE, an d she shrieks
without. Then en ter BATHORY from the
BATHORY.
Re st, lady, re st ! I fee l in every sin ewA young man
’s strength re turn ing ! Which waywen t they P
The shriek came then ce .
[Clash of swords and BETHLEN’S voice heard
from behin d the scen es GLYCINE en ters
alarmed then,as seeing LASKA
’s bow
GLYCINE.
weapon s here ? Then Bethlen,thy Glycin e
die with thee or save the e
[She seizes them an d rushes out,BATHORY
following her. Lively an d irregular music,and peasan ts with hun ting spears cross the
There ’s my arm s 1—18 1 7 .
so . ZAPOLYA. 2 75
CHORAL SONG.
Up, up ye dam e s, ye lasse s gay !
To the meadows trip away.
’Tis you must ten d the flocks this morn,
An d scare the small birds from the corn .
Not a soul at home may stayFor the shepherds must goWith lan ce an d bow
To hun t the wolf in the woods to- day.
Leave the hearth an d leave the houseTo the cricke t an d the mouseFin d gran n am out a sun n y seat,With babe an d lambkin at her fee t.Not a soul at home may stayFor the shepherds must goWith lan ce an d bow
To hun t the wolf in the woods to- day.
[Exeun t Hu n tsmen .
Re- en ter, as the hun tsmen pass mf ,BATHORY,
BETHLEN,an d GLYCINE.
GLYCINE (lean ing on BETHLEN) .
An d n ow on ce more a woman
BETHLEN.
Was it then
That timid eye , was it those maiden han dsThat sped the shaft, which saved me an d avenged
me
BATHORY (to BETHLEN exultingly).’Twas as a vision b lazon
’d on a cloud
2 76 . ZAPOLYA. [ACT 1v .
By lightn ing, shaped in to a passion ate schemeOf life an d death I saw the traitor, Laska,Stoop an d sn atch up the javelin of his comrade ;The p oin t was at your back , when her shaft reach
’d
The coward turu ’d, ‘an d at the self- same in stan t
The braver villain fe ll ben eath your sword.
E n ter ZAPOLYA.
ZAPOLYA.
Bethlen my child an d safe too
BETHLEN .
Mo ther Queen !Royal Zapolya n am e m e An dreasNor blame thy son
,if be in g a kin g, he yet
Hath made his own arm min ister of his justice .
So do the Gods who laun ch the thun derbolt
ZAPOLYA.
O Raab Kiuprili ! frien d pro tector ! guide !In vain we tren ch’d the altar roun d with waters,A flash from Heaven hath touch’
d the hidden inc en sea
BETHLEN (hastily) .
An d that majestic form that sto od beside theeWas Raab Kiuprili
ZAPOLYA.
It was Raab Kiuprili3As sure as thou art An dreas
,an d the king.
BATHORY.
Hail An dreas hail my king [Triumphan tly.
278 ZAPOLYA. [ACT 1v .
Are in full cry, an d scare with arrowy fireThe guilty Hark ! n ow here , n ow there , a hornSwells singly with irregular blast the tempestHas scatter’d them
[Horn s heardfrom difi ren tplaces at a distance.
ZAPOLYA.
O Heaven s where stays Kiuprili?
BATHORY.
The wood will b e surroun ded leave me here .
ANDREAS .
My mother ! let me see thee on ce in safety,I too will hasten back
,with lightn ing
’s speed,To seek the hero
BATHORY.
Haste my life upon itI ’ll guide him safe . [Thunder again .
ANDREAS .
Ha what a crash was thereHeaven seem s to Claim a m ightier crim in al
[Poin ting without to the body of PESTALUTZ.
Than yon vile subaltern .
ZAPOLYA.
Your behe st,high Powers,
LO, I obey To the appoin ted spirit,
That hath so long kept watch roun d this drear
cavern ,In ferven t faith, Kiuprili, I en trust thee
[Exeun t ZAPOLYA, ANDREAS, an d GLYCINE.
ANDREAS having in haste dropt his sword.
M an et BATHORY.
ZAPOLYA. 2 79
BATHORY.
Yon bleeding corse may work us mischief still
[Poin ting to PESTALUTZ’S body .
On ce seen ,’twill rouse alarm an d crowd the hun t
From all parts towards this spot . Stript of itsarmour
,
I ’ll drag it hither. [Exit BATHORY.
After awhile several Hun ters cross the Stage,as scattered. Some time after, en ter KIUPRILI
,in his disguise, fain ting withfatigu e
and as pursued.
K1UPR1L1 (throwing of his disgu ise).
Sin ce Heaven alon e can save m e,Heaven alon e
Shall b e my trust.
(Then speaking as to ZAPOLYA in the cavern .)Haste haste Zapolya, flee
[He en ters the cavern,an d then return s in alarm.
Gon e se ized perhaps ? Oh n o,le t me n o t perish
Despairin g of Heaven’s justice Fain t, disarm
’d ,
Each sin ew powerless 3 sen se le ss rock, sustain meThou art parce l of my n ative lan d .
[Then observing the sword .
A swordHa ! an d my sword Zapo lya hath e scaped,The murderers are bafl‘led , an d there live s
An An dreas to avenge Kiuprili’s fall
There was a time , when this dear sword did flash
As dreadful as the storm - fire from m in e arm
I can scarce raise it n ow— yet com e , fell tyran t
An d bring with thee my shame an d bitter*an guish,
b itterer—18 1 7
2 80 ZAPOLYA. [ACT IV.
To en d his work an d thin e“
! Kiuprilil n ow
Can take the death- blow as a soldier should.
Re—en ter BATHORY, with the dead body ofPESTALUTz.
BATHORY.
Poor tool an d victim o f an other’s guilt !Thou follow’
st heavily a reluctan t we ightGood truth
,it is an un deserved hon our
That in Zapolya an d'
Kiuprili’s cave
A wre tch like thee should fin d a burial- place .
[Then observing KIUPRILI.’Tis he — In An dreas’ an d Zapolya
’
s n ame
Fo llow m e,reveren d form Thou n eed’st n ot speak,
For thou can st b e n o o ther than Kiuprili !
KIUPRILI .
An d are they safe ? [Noise without.
BATHORY.
Con ceal yourself, my lordI will m islead them
KIUPRILI .
Is Zapolya safe ?
BATHORY.
I doubt it n ot 3 but haste , haste , I con jure you !
[As he retires, in rushes CASIMIR.
CASIM IR (en tering) .Mon ster !
Thou shalt n ot n ow escape me
BATHORY.
Stop, lord Casimir !I t 18 n o mon ster.
282 ZAPOLYA. [ACT 1v .
CAS IMIR.
Thou art Heaven ’s immediate min ister,spirit
O for swee t mercy take some other form ,
An d save me from perdition an d de spair !
BATHORY.
He live sCASIM IR.
Lives ? A father’s curse can n ever die
KIUPRILI .
O Casimir Casimir ! [in a ton e of pity.
BATHORY.
Look he doth forgive you !
Hark ’tis the tyran t’s vo ice .
[EMERICK’S voice without.
CASIM IR.
I kn ee l, I kn eel !
Re tract thy curse ! O ,by my m other
’s ashes,Have pity on thy self- abhorrin g childI f n ot forme , yet formy in n ocen t wife ,Yet formy coun try
’ s sake , give my arm strength,Perm ittingme again to call thee father !
KIUPRILI .
Son , I forgive thee Take thy father’s sword ;When thou shalt lift it in thy coun try’s cause ,In that same in stan t do th thy father ble ss thee !
[KIUPRILI and CASIM IR embrace ; they all
retire to the Cavern supporting KIUPRILI .
SC 2 ] ZAPOLYA. 233
CASIMIR as by acciden t drops his robe, andBATHORY throws it over the body ofPESTALUTz.
E n ter EMERICK.
EMERICK.
Fools cowards follow —or by Hell I ’ll make youFin d reason to fear Emerick
,m ore than all
The mumm er-fien ds that evermasqueradéd
As gods or wood- n ymphs
[Then sees the body of PESTALUTZ, covered
with CAS IM IR’S cloak.
Ha ’tis don e then
Our n ece ssary villain hath proved faithful,An d there lie s Casim ir
,an d our last fears
Well — ay, wellAn d is it n ot we ll P For though grafted on us,An d fill
’d too with our sap , the deadly power
Of the paren t po ison - tre e lurk’d in its fibre s
There was too much of Raab Kiuprili in him
The old en emy look’d at me in his face ,E
’en when his words did flatterme with duty.
[As EMERICK moves towards the body ,en ter
from the cavern CASIM IR an d BATHORY.
BATHORY (poin ting to where the n oise is,and aside to CASIM IR).
This way they come
CASIM IR (aside to BATHORY).
Hold them in check awhile ,
The path is n arrow ! Rudo lph will assist thee .
284 ZAPOLYA. [ACT 1v .
EMERICK (aside, n ot perceiving CASIM IR and
BATHORY an d looking at the dead body).
An d ere I rin g the alarum of my sorrow,I ’ll scan that face o n ce more , an d murmur- HereLie s Casim ir
,the last of the Kiuprilis
Un covers theface an d starts.
He ll ’tis Pe stalutz !
CAS IM IR (comingforward).
Ye s,thou ingrate Emerick !
’Tis Pe stalutz ’tis thy trusty murdererTo que ll thee more , see Raab Kiuprili
’
s sword !
EMERICK.
.
Curse s on it an d thee Thin k’st thou that petty
omenDare whisper fear to Emerick’s destin y P
Ho ! Treason ! treason !
Betray’d baffled
CASIM IR (triumphan tly) .
Hear, hear, my fatherThou shou ld’st have witn e ss’d thin e own deed.
father,Wake from that en vious swoon ! The tyran t’s
fall’u ;Thy sword hath c on quer
’d As I lifted it
CASIM IR .
Then have at thee,tyran t !
[Theyfight. EMERICK falls.
EMERICK .
by min e'
own fo o l
ZAPOLYA. [ACT IV.
With such short in terspace , c at fast as soun d
Can trave l to us, we shall learn the even t
E n ter an other Confederate.
What tidings from Teme swar P
SECOND CONFEDERATE.
With on e voiceTh’ assembled chieftain s have depo sed the tyran t 3He is proclaim
’d the public en emy,
An d the pro tection of the law withdraw n ;
FIRST CONFEDERATE.
Just doom for him who govern s without lawIs it kn own on whom the sovere ign ty will fall P
SECOND CONFEDERATE.
Nothing is yet decided : but reportPo in ts to Lord Casim ir. The gratefu l memoryOf his ren own ed father
E n ter SAROLTA.
Hail to Sarolta
SAROLTA.
Con federate frien ds I brin g to you a j oyWorthy your n oble cause Kiuprili live s,An d from his obscure exile hath re turn
’d
To bless our coun try. More an d greater tidingsM ight I disclo se 3 but that a woman
’s voiceWould mar the won drous tale . Wait we forhim,
The partn er o f the glory—Raab Kiuprili3For he alon e is worthy to an n oun ce it.
[Shouts of Kiuprili ! Kiuprili and The Ty
so . ZAPOLYA. 287
ran t’s fallen, without. Then en ter K1UPR1L1
,
CASIMIR, RUDOLPH , BATHORY, and Atten d
an ts,after the clamour has subsided.
KIUPRILI .
Spare yet your j oy, my frien ds ! a higher waitsyou
Behold your Que en
E n terfrom opposite side ZAPOLYA an d ANDREASroyally attired
,with GLYCINE.
CONFEDERATE.
Com e s she from heaven to ble ss us P
OTHER CONFEDERATES .
It is it ISZAPOLYA.
Heaven ’s work of grace is fullKiuprili, thou art safe
KIUPR ILI .
Royal Zapo lya .
To the heaven ly Powers pay we our duty first ;Who n o t alon e pre served thee , but for the eAn d for our coun try
,the o n e precious bran ch
Of An dreas’ royal house . 0 coun trymen ,
Behold yourKin g An d than k our coun try’s
gen ius ,That the same m ean s which have pre served our
sovere ign ,
Have likewise rear’d him worthier of the thron e
By virtue than by birth . The un doubted proo fs
Pledged by his royal mother, an d this oldman
ZAPOLYA. [ACT xv.
(Who se n ame hen ceforth b e dear to all Illyrian s),We haste to lay before the assembled Coun cil.
ALL.
Hail,An dreas Hail, Illyria
’s rightfu l kin g
ANDREAS.
Supported thus, O frien ds ’twere cowardice
Unworthy of a royal birth , to shrin kFrom the appo in ted charge . Yet
,while we wait
The awfu l san ction of con ven ed Illyria,In this brief while
, O let m e fee l myselfThe child
,the frien d
,the debtor l— Hero ic mo
therBut what c an breath add to that sacred n ame ?
Kiuprili gift of Providen ce , to teach usThat loyalty is b u t the public formOf the sublime st frien dship
,le t my you th
Climb roun d thee , as the vin e aroun d its elmThou my support an d I thy faithfu l fru itage .
My heart is fu ll, an d the se poorwords express n ot,They are but an art to Check its overswelling.
Bathory shrin k n ot from my filial armsNow,
an d from hen ceforth thou shalt no t forbid me
To call thee father An d dare I forge tThe powerfu l in terce ssion o f thy virtue ,Lady Saro lta ? Still ackn owledge m e
Thy faithfu l so ldier —But what in vo cationShall my fu ll sou l addre ss to . thee
,Glyc in e ?
Thou sword that l'
eap’st forth from a b ed o f roses,
Thou falcon - hearted dove P
While mad Ambition.ever doth caress
sure in its own restle ssn ess !
ROBERT ROBERTS , PRINTER, BOSTON .
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