Enter Zanga.
| Zan. O joy, thou welcome stranger! twice three years |
| I have not felt thy vital beam; but now |
| It warms my veins, and plays around my heart: |
| A fiery instinct lifts me from the ground, |
| And I could mount!—the spirits numberless |
| Of my dear countrymen, which yesterday |
| Left their poor bleeding bodies on the field, |
| Are all assembled here, and o'er-inform me.— |
| O, bridegroom! great indeed thy present bliss; |
| Yet even by me unenvy'd! for be sure |
| It is thy last, thy last smile, that which now |
| Sits on thy cheek; enjoy it while thou may'st; |
| Anguish, and groans, and death, bespeak to-morrow. |
| Enter Isabella. |
| My Isabella! |
| Isa. What commands my Moor? |
| Zan. My fair ally! my lovely minister! |
| 'Twas well, Alvarez, by my arts impell'd |
| (To plunge don Carlos in the last despair, |
| And so prevent all future molestation), |
| Finish'd the nuptials soon as he resolv'd them; |
| This conduct ripen'd all for me and ruin. |
| Scarce had the priest the holy rites perform'd, |
| When I, by sacred inspiration, forg'd |
| That letter which I trusted to thy hand; |
| That letter, which in glowing terms conveys, |
| From happy Carlos to fair Leonora, |
| The most profound acknowledgement of heart, |
| For wondrous transports which he never knew. |
| This is a good subservient artifice, |
| To aid the nobler workings of my brain. |
| Isa. I quickly dropp'd it in the bride's apartment, |
| As you commanded. |
| Zan. With a lucky hand; |
| For soon Alonzo found it; I observ'd him |
| From out my secret stand. He took it up; |
| But scarce was it unfolded to his sight, |
| When he, as if an arrow pierc'd his eye, |
| Started, and trembling dropp'd it on the ground. |
| Pale and aghast awhile my victim stood, |
| Disguis'd a sigh or two, and puff'd them from him; |
| Then rubb'd his brow and took it up again. |
| At first he look'd as if he meant to read it; |
| But check'd by rising fears he crush'd it thus, |
| And thrust it, like an adder, in his bosom. |
| Isa. But if he read it not, it cannot sting him, |
| At least not mortally. |
| Zan. At first I thought so; |
| But farther thought informs me otherwise, |
| And turns this disappointment to account. |
| This, Isabella, is don Carlos' picture; |
| Take it, and so dispose of it, that found, |
| It may raise up a witness of her love; |
| Under her pillow, in her cabinet, |
| Or elsewhere, as shall best promote our end. |
| Isa. I'll weigh it as its consequence requires, |
| Then do my utmost to deserve your smile.[exit. |
| Zan. Is that Alonzo prostrate on the ground?— |
| Now he starts up like flame from sleeping embers, |
| And wild distraction glares from either eye. |
| If thus a slight surmise can work his soul, |
| How will the fulness of the tempest tear him? |
| Enter Don Alonzo. |
| Alon. And yet it cannot be—I am deceiv'd— |
| I injure her: she wears the face of heaven. |
| Zan. He doubts.[aside. |
| Alon. I dare not look on this again. |
| If the first glance, which gave suspicion only, |
| Had such effect, so smote my heart and brain, |
| The certainty would dash me all in pieces. |
| It cannot—Ha! it must, it must be true.[starts. |
| Zan. Hold there, and we succeed. He has descry'd me. |
| And (for he thinks I love him) will unfold |
| His aching heart, and rest it on my counsel. |
| I'll seem to go, to make my stay more sure.[aside. |
| Alon. Hold, Zanga, turn. |
| Zan. My lord. |
| Alon. Shut close the doors, |
| That not a spirit find an entrance here. |
| Zan. My lord's obey'd. |
| Alon. I see that thou art frighted. |
| If thou dost love me, I shall fill thy heart |
| With scorpions' stings. |
| Zan. If I do love, my lord? |
| Alon. Come near me, let me rest upon thy bosom; |
| (What pillow like the bosom of a friend?) |
| For I am sick at heart. |
| Zan. Speak, sir, O, speak, |
| And take me from the rack. |
| Alon. I am most happy: mine is victory, |
| Mine the king's favour, mine the nation's shout, |
| And great men make their fortunes of my smiles. |
| O curse of curses! in the lap of blessing |
| To be most curst!—My Leonora's false! |
| Zan. Save me, my lord! |
| Alon. My Leonora's false![gives him the letter. |
| Zan. Then heaven has lost its image here on earth. |
| [while Zanga reads the letter, he trembles, and shows the utmost concern. |
| Alon. Good-natur'd man! he makes my pains his own. |
| I durst not read it; but I read it now |
| In thy concern. |
| Zan. Did you not read it then? |
| Alon. Mine eye just touch'd it, and could bear no more. |
| Zan. Thus perish all that gives Alonzo pain![tears the letter. |
| Alon. Why didst thou tear it? |
| Zan. Think of it no more. |
| 'Twas your mistake, and groundless are your fears. |
| Alon. And didst thou tremble then for my mistake? |
| Or give the whole contents, or by the pangs |
| That feed upon my heart, thy life's in danger. |
| Zan. Is this Alonzo's language to his Zanga? |
| Draw forth your sword, and find the secret here. |
| For whose sake is it, think you, I conceal it? |
| Wherefore this rage? Because I seek your peace? |
| I have no interest in suppressing it, |
| But what good-natur'd tenderness for you |
| Obliges me to have. Not mine the heart |
| That will be rent in two. Not mine the fame |
| That will be damn'd, though all the world should know it. |
| Alon. Then my worst fears are true, and life is past. |
| Zan. What has the rashness of my passion utter'd? |
| I know not what; but rage is our destruction, |
| And all its words are wind—Yet sure, I think, |
| I nothing own'd—but grant I did confess, |
| What is a letter? letters may be forg'd. |
| For heav'n's sweet sake, my lord, lift up your heart. |
| Some foe to your repose— |
| Alon. So, heaven look on me, |
| As I can't find the man I have offended. |
| Zan. Indeed! [aside]—Our innocence is not our shield. |
| They take offence, who have not been offended; |
| They seek our ruin too, who speak us fair, |
| And death is often ambush'd in their smiles. |
| 'Tis certain |
| A letter may be forg'd, and in a point |
| Of such a dreadful consequence as this, |
| One would rely on nought that might be false— |
| Think, have you any other cause to doubt her? |
| Away, you can find none. Resume your spirit; |
| All's well again. |
| Alon. Oh that it were! |
| Zan. It is; |
| For who could credit that, which, credited, |
| Makes hell superfluous by superior pains, |
| Without such proofs as cannot be withstood? |
| Has she not ever been to virtue train'd? |
| Is not her fame as spotless as the sun, |
| Her sex's envy, and the boast of Spain? |
| Alon. O, Zanga! it is that confounds me most, |
| That, full in opposition to appearance— |
| Zan. No more, my lord, for you condemn yourself. |
| What is absurdity, but to believe |
| Against appearance!—You can't yet, I find, |
| Subdue your passion to your better sense;— |
| And, truth to tell, it does not much displease me. |
| 'Tis fit our indiscretions should be check'd |
| With some degree of pain. |
| Alon. What indiscretion? |
| Zan. Come, you must bear to hear your faults from me. |
| Had you not sent don Carlos to the court |
| The night before the battle, that foul slave, |
| Who forg'd the senseless scroll which gives you pain, |
| Had wanted footing for his villany. |
| Alon. I sent him not. |
| Zan. Not send him!—Ha!—That strikes me. |
| I thought he came on message to the king. |
| Is there another cause could justify |
| His shunning danger, and the promis'd fight? |
| But I perhaps may think too rigidly; |
| So long an absence, and impatient love— |
| Alon. In my confusion, that had quite escap'd me. |
| By heaven, my wounded soul does bleed afresh; |
| 'Tis clear as day—for Carlos is so brave, |
| He lives not but on fame, he hunts for danger, |
| And is enamour'd of the face of death. |
| How then could he decline the next day's battle, |
| But for the transports?—Oh, it must be so— |
| Inhuman! by the loss of his own honour, |
| To buy the ruin of his friend! |
| Zan. You wrong him; |
| He knew not of your love. |
| Alon. Ha!— |
| Zan. That stings home.[aside. |
| Alon. Indeed, he knew not of my treacherous love— |
| Proofs rise on proofs, and still the last the strongest. |
| Love is my torture, love was first my crime; |
| For she was his, my friend's, and he (O horror!) |
| Confided all in me. O sacred faith! |
| How dearly I abide thy violation! |
| Zan. Were then their loves far gone? |
| Alon. The father's will |
| There bore a total sway; and he, as soon |
| As news arriv'd that Carlos' fleet was seen |
| From off our coast, fir'd with the love of gold, |
| Determin'd that the very sun which saw |
| Carlos' return, should see his daughter wed. |
| Zan. Indeed, my lord; then you must pardon me, |
| If I presume to mitigate the crime. |
| Consider, strong allurements soften guilt; |
| Long was his absence, ardent was his love, |
| At midnight his return, the next day destin'd |
| For his espousals—'twas a strong temptation. |
| Alon. Temptation! |
| Zan. 'Twas but gaining of one night. |
| Alon. One night! |
| Zan. That crime could ne'er return again. |
| Alon. Again! By heaven, thou dost insult thy lord. |
| Temptation! One night gain'd! O stings and death! |
| And am I then undone? Alas, my Zanga! |
| And dost thou own it too? Deny it still, |
| And rescue me one moment from distraction. |
| Zan. My lord, I hope the best. |
| Alon. False, foolish hope, thou know'st it false; |
| It is as glaring as the noon-tide sun. |
| Devil!—This morning, after three years' coldness, |
| To rush at once into a passion for me! |
| 'Twas time to feign, 'twas time to get another, |
| When her first fool was sated with her beauties. |
| Zan. What says my lord? Did Leonora then |
| Never before disclose her passion for you? |
| Alon. Never. |
| Zan. Throughout the whole three years? |
| Alon. O never! never! |
| Why, Zanga, shouldst thou strive? 'Tis all in vain: |
| Though thy soul labours, it can find no reed |
| For hope to catch at. Ah! I'm plunging down |
| Ten thousand thousand fathoms in despair. |
| Zan. Hold, sir, I'll break your fall—wave ev'ry fear, |
| And be a man again—Had he enjoy'd her, |
| Be most assur'd, he had resign'd her to you |
| With less reluctance. |
| Alon. Ha! Resign'd her to me!— |
| Resign her!—Who resign'd her?—Double death! |
| How could I doubt so long? My heart is broke. |
| First love her to distraction! then resign her! |
| Zan. But was it not with utmost agony? |
| Alon. Grant that, he still resign'd her; that's enough. |
| Would he pluck out his eye to give it me? |
| Tear out his heart?—She was his heart no more— |
| Nor was it with reluctance he resign'd her; |
| By heav'n, he ask'd, he courted, me to wed. |
| I thought it strange; 'tis now no longer so. |
| Zan. Was't his request? Are you right sure of that? |
| I fear the letter was not all a tale. |
| Alon. A tale! There's proof equivalent to sight. |
| Zan. I should distrust my sight on this occasion. |
| Alon. And so should I; by heav'n, I think I should. |
| What, Leonora! the divine, by whom |
| We guess'd at angels! Oh! I'm all confusion. |
| Zan. You now are too much ruffled to think clearly. |
| Since bliss and horror, life and death, hang on it, |
| Go to your chamber, there maturely weigh |
| Each circumstance; consider, above all, |
| That it is jealousy's peculiar nature |
| To swell small things to great; nay, out of nought |
| To conjure much, and then to lose its reason |
| Amid the hideous phantoms it has form'd. |
| Alon. Had I ten thousand lives, I'd give them all |
| To be deceiv'd. |
| And yet she seem'd so pure, that I thought heav'n |
| Borrow'd her form for virtue's self to wear, |
| To gain her lovers with the sons of men. |
| O, Leonora! Leonora![exit. |
| Re-enter Isabella. |
| Zan. Thus far it works auspiciously. My patient |
| Thrives, underneath my hand, in misery. |
| He's gone to think; that is, to be distracted. |
| Isa. I overheard your conference, and saw you, |
| To my amazement, tear the letter. |
| Zan. There, |
| There, Isabella, I out-did myself. |
| For, tearing it, I not secure it only |
| In its first force, but superadd a new. |
| For who can now the character examine |
| To cause a doubt, much less detect the fraud? |
| And after tearing it, as loth to show |
| The foul contents, if I should swear it now |
| A forgery, my lord would disbelieve me, |
| Nay, more, would disbelieve the more I swore. |
| But is the picture happily dispos'd of? |
| Isa. It is. |
| Zan. That's well—Ah! what is well? O pang to think! |
| O dire necessity! is this my province? |
| Whither, my soul! ah! whither art thou sunk? |
| Does this become a soldier? this become |
| Whom armies follow'd, and a people lov'd? |
| My martial glory withers at the thought. |
| But great my end; and since there are no other, |
| These means are just, they shine with borrow'd light, |
| Illustrious from the purpose they pursue. |
| And greater sure my merit, who, to gain |
| A point sublime, can such a task sustain; |
| To wade through ways obscene, my honour bend, |
| And shock my nature, to attain my end. |
| Late time shall wonder; that my joys will raise: |
| For wonder is involuntary praise.[exeunt. |
ACT THE FOURTH.
SCENE I.
Enter Don Alonzo and Zanga.
| Alon. Oh, what a pain to think! when ev'ry thought, |
| Perplexing thought, in intricacies runs, |
| And reason knits th' inextricable toil, |
| In which herself is taken! |
| No more I'll bear this battle of the mind, |
| This inward anarchy; but find my wife |
| And, to her trembling heart presenting death, |
| Force all the secret from her. |
| Zan. O, forbear! |
| You totter on the very brink of ruin. |
| Alon. What dost thou mean? |
| Zan. That will discover all, |
| And kill my hopes. What can I think or do?[aside. |
| Alon. What, dost thou murmur? |
| Zan. Force the secret from her! |
| What's perjury to such a crime as this? |
| Will she confess it then? O, groundless hope! |
| But rest assur'd, she'll make this accusation, |
| Or false or true, your ruin with the king; |
| Such is her father's pow'r. |
| Alon. No more, I care not; |
| Rather than groan beneath this load, I'll die. |
| Zan. But for what better will you change this load? |
| Grant you should know it, would not that be worse? |
| Alon. No; it would cure me of my mortal pangs |
| By hatred and contempt: I should despise her, |
| And all my love-bred agonies would vanish. |
| Zan. Ah! were I sure of that, my lord— |
| Alon. What then? |
| Zan. You should not hazard life to gain the secret. |
| Alon. What dost thou mean? thou know'st I'm on the rack. |
| I'll not be play'd with; speak, if thou hast aught, |
| Or I this instant fly to Leonora. |
| Zan. That is, to death. My lord, I am not yet |
| Quite so far gone in guilt to suffer it; |
| Though gone too far, heav'n knows—'Tis I am guilty; |
| I have took pains, as you, I know, observ'd, |
| To hinder you from diving in the secret, |
| And turn'd aside your thoughts from the detection. |
| Alon. Thou dost confound me. |
| Zan. I confound myself; |
| And frankly own, though to my shame I own it, |
| Nought but your life in danger could have torn |
| The secret out, and made me own my crime. |
| Alon. Speak quickly, Zanga, speak. |
| Zan. Not yet, dread sir: |
| First, I must be assur'd, that if you find |
| The fair one guilty, scorn, as you assur'd me, |
| Shall conquer love and rage, and heal your soul. |
| Alon. Oh! 't will, by heav'n. |
| Zan. Alas! I fear it much, |
| And scarce can hope so far; but I of this |
| Exact your solemn oath, that you'll abstain |
| From all self-violence, and save my lord. |
| Alon. I trebly swear. |
| Zan. You'll bear it like a man? |
| Alon. A god. |
| Zan. Such have you been to me, these tears confess it; |
| And pour'd forth miracles of kindness on me: |
| And what amends is now within my pow'r, |
| But to confess, expose myself to justice, |
| And as a blessing claim my punishment? |
| Know then, don Carlos— |
| Alon. Oh! |
| Zan. You cannot bear it. |
| Alon. Go on, I'll have it, though it blast mankind; |
| I'll have it all, and instantly. Go on. |
| Zan. Don Carlos did return at dead of night— |
| That night, by chance (ill chance for me) did I |
| Command the watch that guards the palace gate. |
| He told me he had letters for the king, |
| Despatch'd from you. |
| Alon. The villain lied! |
| Zan. My lord, |
| I pray, forbear—Transported at his sight, |
| After so long a bondage, and your friend, |
| (Who could suspect him of an artifice?) |
| No farther I inquir'd, but let him pass, |
| False to my trust, at least imprudent in it. |
| Our watch reliev'd, I went into the garden, |
| As is my custom, when the night's serene, |
| And took a moon-light walk: when soon I heard |
| A rustling in an arbour that was near me. |
| I saw two lovers in each other's arms, |
| Embracing and embrac'd. Anon the man |
| Arose; and, falling back some paces from her, |
| Gaz'd ardently awhile, then rush'd at once, |
| And, throwing all himself into her bosom, |
| There softly sigh'd, "Oh, night of ecstasy! |
| When shall we meet again?"—Don Carlos then |
| Led Leonora forth. |
| Alon. Oh, oh, my heart![he sinks into a chair. |
| Zan. Groan on, and with the sound refresh my soul! |
| 'Tis through his heart; his knees smite one another: |
| 'Tis through his brain; his eye-balls roll in anguish.[aside. |
| My lord, my lord, why will you rack my soul? |
| Alon. Oh, she was all! |
| My fame, my friendship, and my love of arms, |
| All stoop'd to her; my blood was her possession. |
| Deep in the secret foldings of my heart |
| She liv'd with life, and far the dearer she: |
| To think on't is the torment of the damn'd, |
| And not to think on't is impossible. |
| Zan. You said you'd bear it like a man. |
| Alon. I do. |
| Am I not most distracted? |
| Zan. Pray, be calm. |
| Alon. As hurricanes:—be thou assur'd of that. |
| Zan. Is this the wise Alonzo? |
| Alon. Villain, no: |
| He died in the arbour—he was murder'd there!— |
| Zan. Alas! he weeps. |
| Alon. Go, dig her grave! |
| Zan. My lord! |
| Alon. But that her blood's too hot, I would carouse it |
| Around my bridal board! |
| Zan. And I would pledge thee.[aside. |
| Alon. But I may talk too fast. Pray let me think, |
| And reason mildly.—Wedded and undone |
| Before one night descends.—Oh, hasty evil! |
| What friend to comfort me in my extreme! |
| Where's Carlos? why is Carlos absent from me? |
| Does he know what has happen'd? |
| Zan. My lord! |
| Alon. Oh, villain, villain, most accurst! |
| If thou didst know it, why didst let me wed? |
| Zan. Hear me, my lord; your anger will abate. |
| I knew it not:—I saw them in the garden; |
| But saw no more than you might well expect |
| To see in lovers destin'd for each other. |
| By heav'n, I thought their meeting innocent. |
| Who could suspect fair Leonora's virtue, |
| 'Till after-proofs conspir'd to blacken it? |
| Sad proofs, which came too late, which broke not out, |
| (Eternal curses on Alvarez' haste!) |
| 'Till holy rites had made the wanton yours; |
| And then, I own, I labour'd to conceal it, |
| In duty and compassion to your peace. |
| Alon. Live now, be damn'd hereafter—for I want thee. |
| Let me think— |
| The jess'mine bower—'tis secret and remote: |
| Go, wait me there, and take thy dagger with thee.[exit Zanga. |
| How sweet the sound still sings within my ear! |
| When shall we meet again?—To-night, in hell.[going. |
| Enter Leonora. |
| Ha! I'm surprised! I stagger at her charms! |
| Oh, angel-devil!—Shall I stab her now? |
| No—It shall be as I at first determin'd. |
| To kill her now were half my vengeance lost. |
| Then I must now dissemble—if I can. |
| Leon. My lord, excuse me; see, a second time |
| I come in embassy from all your friends, |
| Whose joys are languid, uninspir'd by you. |
| Alon. This moment, Leonora, I was coming |
| To thee, and all—but sure, or I mistake, |
| Or thou canst well inspire my friends with joy. |
| Leon. What says my lord? |
| Alon. Thou art exceeding fair. |
| Leon. Beauty alone is but of little worth; |
| But when the soul and body of a piece, |
| Both shine alike; then they obtain a price, |
| And are a fit reward for gallant actions, |
| Heaven's pay on earth for such great souls as yours;— |
| If fair and innocent, I am your due. |
| Alon. Innocent![aside. |
| Leon. How, my lord! I interrupt you. |
| Alon. No, my best life! I must not part with thee— |
| This hand is mine—Oh, what a hand is here! |
| So soft, souls sink into it, and are lost! |
| Leon. In tears, my lord? |
| Alon. What less can speak my joy? |
| Why, I could gaze upon thy looks for ever, |
| And drink in all my being from thine eyes; |
| And I could snatch a flaming thunderbolt, |
| And hurl destruction!— |
| Leon. My lord, you fright me. |
| Is this the fondness of your nuptial hour? |
| Why, when I woo your hand, is it deny'd me? |
| Your very eyes, why are they taught to shun me?— |
| Nay, my good lord, I have a title here,[takes his hand. |
| And I will have it. Am I not your wife? |
| Have I not just authority to know |
| That heart which I have purchas'd with my own? |
| Tell me the secret; I conjure you, tell me. |
| Speak then, I charge you speak, or I expire, |
| And load you with my death. My lord, my lord! |
| Alon. Ha, ha, ha! |
| [he breaks from her, and she sinks upon the floor. |
| Leon. Are these the joys which fondly I conceiv'd? |
| And is it thus a wedded life begins? |
| What did I part with, when I gave my heart? |
| I knew not that all happiness went with it. |
| Why did I leave my tender father's wing, |
| And venture into love? The maid that loves, |
| Goes out to sea upon a shatter'd plank, |
| And puts her trust in miracles for safety. |
| Where shall I sigh?—where pour out my complaint? |
| He that should hear, should succour, should redress, |
| He is the source of all. |
| Alon. Go to thy chamber; |
| I soon will follow; that which now disturbs thee |
| Shall be clear'd up, and thou shalt not condemn me. |
| [exit Leonora. |
| Oh, how like innocence she looks!—What, stab her! |
| And rush into her blood? |
| How then? why thus—no more; it is determin'd. |
| Re-enter Zanga. |
| Zan. I fear, his heart has fail'd him. She must die. |
| Can I not rouse the snake that's in his bosom, |
| To sting out human nature, and effect it?[aside. |
| Alon. This vast and solid earth, that blazing sun, |
| Those skies, through which it rolls, must all have end. |
| What then is man? the smallest part of nothing. |
| Day buries day; month, month; and year, the year. |
| Our life is but a chain of many deaths; |
| Can then death's self be fear'd? our life much rather. |
| Life is the desert, life the solitude. |
| Death joins us to the great majority: |
| 'Tis to be borne to Platos and to Cæsars; |
| 'Tis to be great for ever; |
| 'Tis pleasure, 'tis ambition, then to die. |
| Zan. I think, my lord, you talk'd of death. |
| Alon. I did. |
| Zan. I give you joy, then Leonora's dead. |
| Alon. No, Zanga; to shed a woman's blood |
| Would stain my sword, and make my wars inglorious; |
| He who, superior to the checks of nature, |
| Dares make his life the victim of his reason, |
| Does in some sort that reason deify, |
| And take a flight at heaven. |
| Zan. Alas, my lord, |
| 'Tis not your reason, but her beauty, finds |
| Those arguments, and throws you on your sword. |
| You cannot close an eye that is so bright, |
| You cannot strike a breast that is so soft, |
| That has ten thousand ecstasies in store— |
| For Carlos?—No, my lord, I mean for you. |
| Alon. Oh, through my heart and marrow! pr'ythee, spare me, |
| Nor more upbraid the weakness of thy lord: |
| I own, I try'd, I quarrell'd with my heart, |
| And push'd it on, and bid it give her death; |
| But, oh, her eyes struck first and murder'd me. |
| Zan. I know not what to answer to my lord. |
| Men are but men; we did not make ourselves. |
| Farewell then, my best lord, since you must die. |
| Oh, that I were to share your monument, |
| And in eternal darkness close these eyes |
| Against those scenes which I am doom'd to suffer! |
| Alon. What dost thou mean? |
| Zan. And is it then unknown? |
| Oh, grief of heart, to think that you should ask it! |
| Sure you distrust that ardent love I bear you, |
| Else could you doubt when you are laid in dust— |
| But it will cut my poor heart through and through, |
| To see those revel on your sacred tomb, |
| Who brought you thither by their lawless loves. |
| For there they'll revel, and exult to find |
| Him sleep so fast, who else might mar their joys. |
| Alon. Distraction! But don Carlos well thou know'st |
| Is sheath'd in steel, and bent on other thoughts. |
| Zan. I'll work him to the murder of his friend.[aside. |
| Yes, till the fever of his blood returns, |
| While her last kiss still glows upon his cheek. |
| But when he finds Alonzo is no more, |
| How will he rush, like lightning, to her arms! |
| There sigh, there languish, there pour out his soul; |
| But not in grief—sad obsequies to thee!— |
| But thou wilt be at peace, nor see, nor hear, |
| The burning kiss, the sigh of ecstasy, |
| Their throbbing hearts that jostle one another: |
| Thank heaven, these torments will be all my own. |
| Alon. I'll ease thee of that pain. Let Carlos die; |
| O'ertake him on the road, and see it done. |
| 'Tis my command.[gives his signet. |
| Zan. I dare not disobey. |
| Alon. My Zanga, now I have thy leave to die. |
| Zan. Ah, sir! think, think again. Are all men buried |
| In Carlos' grave? you know not womankind: |
| When once the throbbing of the heart has broke |
| The modest zone, with which it first was ty'd, |
| Each man she meets will be a Carlos to her. |
| Alon. That thought has more of hell than had the former. |
| Another, and another, and another! |
| And each shall cast a smile upon my tomb. |
| I am convinc'd; I must not, will not, die. |
| Zan. You cannot die; nor can you murder her. |
| What then remains? In nature no third way, |
| But to forget, and so to love again. |
| Alon. Oh! |
| Zan. If you forgive, the world will call you good; |
| If you forget, the world will call you wise; |
| If you receive her to your grace again, |
| The world will call you—very, very kind. |
| Alon. Zanga, I understand thee well. She dies; |
| Though my arm tremble at the stroke, she dies. |
| Zan. That's truly great. What think you 'twas set up |
| The Greek and Roman name in such a lustre, |
| But doing right in stern despite to nature; |
| Shutting their ears to all her little cries, |
| When great, august, and godlike justice call'd? |
| At Aulis, one pour'd out a daughter's life, |
| And gain'd more glory than by all his wars; |
| Another, slew a sister in just rage; |
| A third, the theme of all succeeding times, |
| Gave to the cruel axe a darling son: |
| Nay more, for justice some devote themselves, |
| As he at Carthage, an immortal name! |
| Yet there is one step left above them all, |
| Above their history, above their fable: |
| A wife, bride, mistress, unenjoy'd—do that, |
| And tread upon the Greek and Roman glory. |
| Alon. 'Tis done!—Again new transports fire my brain: |
| I had forgot it, 'tis my bridal night. |
| Friend, give me joy, we must be gay together; |
| See that the festival be duly honour'd. |
| And when with garlands the full bowl is crown'd, |
| And music gives her elevating sound, |
| And golden carpets spread the sacred floor, |
| And a new day the blazing tapers pour, |
| Thou, Zanga, then my solemn friends invite, |
| From the dark realms of everlasting night; |
| Call Vengeance, call the furies, call Despair, |
| And Death, our chief-invited guest, be there; |
| He, with pale hand, shall lead the bride, and spread |
| Eternal curtains round our nuptial bed.[exeunt. |