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Ethel. Truft 'em to Heav'n.

Seof. Has then my hoary Head deferv'd no better,
Than to behold my Royal Master's Son

Lift

up his armed Hand against my Life?
Oh Prince, oh wherefore burn your Eyes, and why,
Why is your fweeteft Temper turn'd to Fury?

Ari. Oh thou haft feen, and heard, and known too
much;

Haft pry'd into the Secret of my Heart,

And found the certain Means of my undoing.
Seaf. Where is the Merit of my former Life,
The try'd Experience of my faithful Years!
Are they forgot, and can I be that Villain!

Ari. Thou wert my Father's old, his faithful Servant.
Seof. Now by thy Life, our Empire's other Hope,
O Royal Youth, I fwear my Heart bleeds for thee;
Nor can this Object of thy fond Defire,

This lovely weeping Fair, be dearer to thee,
Than thou art to thy faithful Seefrid.

I faw thy Love, I heard thy tender Sorrows,
With fomewhat like an anxious Father's Pity,
With Cares, and with a thousand Fears for thee.
Ari. What! is it poffible!
Seof: Of all the Names

Religion knows, point the most facred out,

And let me fwear by that.

Ari. I would believe thee.

Forgive the Madness of my firft Despair,

[Letting fall his Sworde

And if thou haft Compaffion, fhew it now;
Be now that Friend, be now that Father to me,
Be now that Guardian Angel which I want,
Have Pity on my Youth, and fave my Loye.

Seaf

Seof. First then, to stay these fudden Gufts of Paffion That hurry you from Reafon, reft affur'd

The Secret of your Love lives with me only.

The Dangers are not small that seem to threaten you;
Yet, would you trust you to your old Man's Care,
I durft be bold to warrant yet your Safety.

Ari. Perhaps the ruling Hand of Heav'n is in it;
And working thus unseen by fecond Causes,
Ordains thee for its Inftrument of Good,
To me, and to my Love. Then be it fo,
I truft thee with my Life; but oh! yet more
I trust thee with a Treasure that tranfcends
To infinite Degrees the Life of Aribert ;
I trust thee with the Partner of my Soul,
My Wife, the kindeft, dearest, and the trueft,
That ever wore the Name.

Seof. Now Bleffings on you

May Peace of Mind and mutual Joys attend
To crown your fair Affections. May the Sorrows,
That now fit heavy on you, pafs away,

And a long Train of smiling Years fucceed,

To pay you for the past.

Ari It was my Chance,

On that diftinguith'd Day when valiant Flavian,
A Name renown'd among the British Chiefs,
Fell by the Swords of our victorious Saxons,
To refcue this his Daughter from the Violence
Of the fierce Soldiers Rage. Nor need I tell thee,
For thou thy felf behold't her, that I lov'd her,
Lov'd her and was belov'd; our meeting Hearts
Confented foon, and Marriage made us one.
Her holy Faith and Chriftian Crofs, oppos'd
Against the Saxon Gods, join'd with the Memory

of

Of the dread King my Father's fierce Command,
Urg'd me to feek my Ethelinda's Safety,

And hide her from the World. Juft to my Wish,
Beneath the friendly Covert of a Wood,
Close by whofe Side the filver Medway ran,
I found a little pleafant, lonely Cottage,
A Manfion fit for Innocence and Love,
Had but a Guard of Angels dwelt around it
To keep off Violence-

-but forc'd from thenceFy whom betray'd-Why I behold her hereThere I am loft

Ethel. There my fad Part begins.

It was the second Morn fince thou hadft left me,
When through the Wood I took my usual Way,
To feek the Coolness of the well-spread Shade
That overlooks the Flood. On a fear Branch,
Low bending to the Bank, I fate me down,
Mufing and still; my Hand fuftain'd my Head,
My Eyes were fix'd upon the paffing Stream,
And all my Thoughts were bent on Heav'n and thee.
When fudden through the Woods a bounding Stag
Rush'd headlong down, and plung'd amidft the River.
Nor far behind upon a foaming Horse,

There follow'd hard a Man of Royal Port.

I rofe, and would have fought the thicker Wood;
But while I hurry'd on my hafty Flight,

My heedlefs Feet deceiv'd me, and I fell.
Strait leaping from his Horse, he rais'd me up.
Surpriz'd and troubl'd at the fudden Chance,
I begg'd he would permit me to retire;
But he with furious, wild, diforder'd Looks,
His Eyes and glowing Visage flashing Flame,
Swore 'twas impoffible; he never would,

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He could not leave me with ten thousand Ravings,
The Dictates of his loofer Rage. At length
He feiz'd my trembling Hand: I fhriek'd, and call'd
To Heav'n for Aid, when in a luckless Hour,
Your Faithful Servants, Adelmar and Kenwald,
Came up, and loft their Lives in my Defence.

Ari. Where will the Horror of thy Tale have End?
Ethel. The furious King (for fuch I found he was)
By three Attendants join'd, bore me away,
Refiftless, dying, fenfeless with my Fears.

Since then, a wretched Captive I deplore

Our Common Woes; for mine, I know are thine.
Ari. Witness the Sorrows of the present Hour,
The Fears that rend ev'n now my lab'ring Heart,
For thee, and for my felf. And yet, alas!
What are the present Ills, compar'd to those
That yet remain behind, for both to suffer?
Think where thy helpless Innocence is lodg'd;
The Rage of lawless Pow'r, and burning Luft,
Are bent on thee; 'tis Hell's important Cause,
And all its blackeft Fiends are arm'd against thee.
Ethel. 'Tis terrible! my Fears are mighty on me,
And all the Coward Woman trembles in me.
But oh! when Hope and never-failing Faith
Revive my fainting Soul, and lift my Thoughts
Up to yon azure Sky, and burning Lights above,
Methinks I fee the Warlike Hoft of Heaven
Radiant in glittering Arms, and beamy Gold,
The great Angelick Pow'rs go forth by Bands,
To fuccour Truth and Innocence below.
Hell trembles at the Sight, and hides its Head
In utmost Darknefs, while on Earth each Heart,

Like mine, is fill'd with Peace and Joy unutterable.-
Seof. Whatever Gods there be, their Care you are.
Nor let your gentle Breaft harbour one Thought
Of Outrage from the King: His noble Nature,
Tho' warm, tho' fierce, and prone to fudden Paffions,
Is just and gentle, when the torrent Rage
Ebbs out, and cooler Reason comes again.
Should he (which all ye holy Pow'rs avert)
Urg'd by his Love, rush on to impious Force,
If that fhould happen, in that last Extream,
On Peril of my Life I will affift you,
And you fhall find your Safety in your Flight.
Ari. Óh guard her Innocence, let all thy Care-
Be watchful, to preferve her from Difhonour.
Seof. Reft on my Diligence and Caution safe.
E'er twice the Ruler of the Day return,
To gild the chalky Cliffs on Britain's Shoar,
Some favourable Moment fhall be found,

To move the King, your Royal Brother's Heart,
With the fad tender Story of your Loves.

'Till then be chear'd, and hide your inward Sorrows
With well diffembled neceffary Smiles;

Let the King read Compliance in your Looks,
A free and ready yielding to his Wifhes.
At prefent, to prevent his Doubts, 'twere fit
That you should take a hasty Leave, and part.
Ethel, What! must we part?

Seof. But for a few fhort Hours,

That you may meet in Joy, and part no more.

Ari. Oh fatal Sound! oh Grief unknown 'till now! While thou art present my fad Heart seems lighter; I gaze, and gather Comfort from thy Beauty; Thy gentle Eyes fend forth a quick'ning Spirit,

And

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