Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

ACT IV. SCENE I.

The SCENE is a Temple adorn'd according to the Superftition of the Antient Saxons; in the Middle are plac'd their three principal Idols, Thor, Woden, and Freya.

Mufick is heard at a Diftance, as of the Priefts preparing for the Sacrifice. Then

Enter Aribert.

Ari. ALL-Night the bloody. Pricfts, ia dreadful Band,

Have watch'd intent upon their horrid Rites,

With many a dire and execrable Pray'r,

Calling the Fiends beneath, the fullen Demons
That dwell in Darkness deep, and Foe to Man,
Delight in reeking Streams of human Gore,
Now huddled on a Heap, they murmur'd hoarfe,
And hiffing whilper'd round their myftick Charms;
And now, as if by fudden Madness struck,
With Screamings thrill they fhook the vaulted Roof,
And vex'd the still, the filent folemn Midnight.
Such fure in everlasting Flames below,

Such are the Groans of poor lamenting Ghofts,
And fuch the Howlings of the laft Despair,
Anon to Sounds of Woe and magick Strings,
They danc'd in wild fantaftick Measures round;
Then all at once they bent their ghaftly Visages

On

On me, and yelling, thrice they cry'd out, Aribert!
I have endur'd their Horrors-And at length
See! the Night wears away, and chearful Morn,
All sweet and fresh, fpreads from the rofie Eaft:
Fair Nature feems reviv'd, and ev'n my Heart
Sits light and jocund at the Day's Return,
And fearless waits an End of all its Sufferings.

Enter one of the Guards, he delivers a Letter to
Aribert.

Guar. From Ofwald this, on Peril of my Life

I have engag'd to render to your Hands. [Exit. Ari. reads. Seofrid has been just to his Word; he has deliver'd the fair Ethelinda to my Charge: we have happily past all the Guards, and hope in two Hour's 10" reach the Briton's Camp

From your faithful Oswald. Then thou haft nothing left on Earth, my Soul,

Worthy thy farther Care. Why do I stay,
Why linger then, and want my Heav'n fo long?
To live is to continue to be wretched,

And robs me of a great and glorious Death.

Enter Rodogune with an Officer, he speaks to hey entring.

Offic. Thus Offa to his beauteous Sifter fends;

Depend upon a Brother's Love and Care,

To further all you wish.

Rode. 'Tis well! be near,

[Exit Officer

And wait my farther Order. See! my Heart,
See there thy dearest Choice, thy fond Defire.
See with how clear a Brow, what chearful Grace,
With all its native Sweetness undisturb'd,
The noble Youth attends his harder Fate.

[blocks in formation]

I came to join my friendly Grief with yours, [To Arib.
To curfe your Tyrant Brother, and deplore
Your youthful Hopes, thus all untimely blafted:
But you, I fee, have learn'd to fcorn your Danger;
You wear a Face of Triumph, not of Mourning:
Has Death fo little in it?

Ari. Oh! 'tis nothing,

To Minds that weigh it well: The Vulgar fear it,
And yet they know not why. Since never any
Did from that dark and doubtful Land as yet
Turn back again to tell us 'tis a Pain.

To me it feems like a long wifh'd for Happiness,
Beyond what ev'n our Expectation paints;
"Tis Comfort to the Soul, 'tis Peace, 'tis Reft;
It comes like Slumber to the fick Man's Eyes.
Burning and restless with a Feaver's Rage,
All Night he toffes on his weary Bed;
He tells the tedious Minutes as they pass,
And turns, and turns, and feeks for eafe in vain;
But if, at Morning's Dawn, fweet Sleep falls on him,
Think with what Pleasure he refigns his Senfes,
Sinks to his Pillow, and forgets his Pain.

Rodo. Perhaps it may be fuch a State of Indolence;
But fure the active Soul fhould therefore fear it.
The Gods have dealt unjustly with their Creatures,
If barely they bestow a wretched Being,

And scatter not fome Pleasures with the Pain,

To make it worth their keeping. Is there nothing
Could make you wish to live?

Ari. Oh! yes, there is;

There is a Blessing I could wish to live for,
To live, for Years, for Ages to enjoy it.

But far, alas! divided from my Arms,

It

It leaves the World a Wilderness before me,
With nothing worth defiring.

Rodo. Dull and cold!

Or cold at least to me, dull, dull Indifference.

*[Afide.

What if some pitying Pow'r look down from Heav'n,

And kindly vifit your afflicted Fortunes!

What if it fend fome unexpected Aid,

Some generous Heart, and fome prevailing Hand,

Willing to fave, and mighty to defend,

Who from the gloomy Confines of the Grave,
Timely shall snatch, fhall bring you back to Life,
And raise you up to Empire and to Love?

Ari. The wretched have few Friends, at leaft on

Earth:

Then what have I to hope?

Rodo. Hope every thing,

Hope all that Merit, fuch as yours, may claim,
Such as commands the World, exacts their Homage, I
And makes ev'n all the Good and Brave your Friends.

Ari. And can you then vouchsafe to flatter Misery?
T'enrich fo fall'n, fo loft a thing as I am,
With the sweet Breath of Praife? So pious Virgins
Rob the whole Spring to make their Garlands fine,
Then hang 'em on a senseless Marble Tomb...

Rodo. A burning Purple flushes o'er my Face,
And Shame forbids my Tongue, or I would fay,
That I----Oh Aribert!----I am thy Friend.

[ocr errors]

Yet wherefore fhould I blush to own the Thought?
For who!--who would not be the Friend of Aribert!
Ari. Why is this wondrous Goodness loft upon me?
Why is this Bounty lavish'd on a Bankrupt,

Who has not left another Hour of Life
To pay the mighty Debt?

C 5

Redo.

Rodo. Oh! let me yet,

Yet add to it, and fwell the Sum yet higher;
Nor doubt but Fate fall find the Means to pay it..
Know then that I have pafs'd this live-long Night,
Sleepless and anxious with my Cares for thee;
The Gods have fure approv'd the pious Thought,
And crown'd it with Succefs. Since I have gain'd
Alfred, the Chief of mighty Woden's Pricfts,
To find a certain Way for thy Escape.
One of the facred Habits is at Hand
Prepar❜d for thy Difguife, the holy Man
Attends to guide thee to my Brother's Camp:
My felf---Oh! yet lie ftill, my beating Heart---[Afide.
Whatever Dangers chance, my felf will be

The Partner and the Guardian of thy Flight.

Ari. Now what Return to make--Oh let me fink, With all thefe warring Thoughts together in me, Blufhing to Earth, and hide the vast Confusion.

Rodo. Ye Gods! he answers not, but hangs his Head In fullen Silence; fee! he turns away,

And bends his gloomy Vifage to the Earth..
To what am I betray'd! Oh Shame! Dishonour!
And more than Woman's Weakness! He has seen me,
Seen my fond Heart, and scorns the eafie Prize.
Blaft me, ye Lightnings, ftrike me to the Centre, 4
Drive, drive me down, down to the Depths beneath :
Let me not live, nor think----let me not think,
For I have been defpis'd--ten thousand thousand,
And yet ten thousand CurseOh my Folly!--!
Ari. Thus let me fall, thus lowly to the Earth,

[Kneeling

In humble Adoration of your Goodness;
Thus with my latest Accents breathe your Name,

And

« ZurückWeiter »