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The sigh soft mem'ry prompts, the tender tear,
That streaming o'er an object lov'd and loft
With mournful magick tortures and delights,
Relieves us while it's sweet oppression loads,
And by admitting, blunts the sting of woe.

As reason thus the mental storm feren'd,
And thro' the darkness shot her fun-bright ray
That strengthens while it chears, behold from far
Amyntor flow approaching ! on his front
O’er each sunk feature sorrow had diffus'd
Attraction sweetly fad : his noble port,
Majestick in distress, Aurelius mark'd ;
And, unresisting, felt his bosom flow
With social foftness. Straight before the door
Of his moss-silver'd cell they fate them down
In counterview ; and thus the youth began :

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• With patient ear, with calm attention, mark
Amyntor's story; then, as Justice fees,
« On either hand her equal balance weigh,
• Abfolve him or condemn. But,

I • A father's name, when truth forbids to praise, • Unblam'd pronounce! that name to ev'ry son

By Heav'n made facred, and by Nature's hand,

With honour, duty, love, her triple pale, « Fenc'd strongly round, to bar the rude approach « Of each irrev'rent thought !—These eyes, alas! • The curs'd effects of fanguinary zeal « Too near beheld, it's madness how extreme, • How blind it's fury! by the prompting priest, • Each tyrant's ready instrument of ill, • Train’d on to holy mischief: scene abhorr'd! • Fell Cruelty let loofe in Mercy's name ; • Intolerance, while o’er the free-born mind « Her heaviest chains were cast, her iron fcourge

Severest hung, yet daring to appeal ? That Pow'r whose law is meekness, and for deeds

oh! may

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? That

! That outrage Heav'n, belying Heav'n's command ! 70

• Flexile of will, misjudging, tho' fincere, į Rolando caught the spread infection, plung'd • Implicit into guilt, and headlong urg'd ? His course unjust to violence and rage ; • Unmanly rage ! when nor the charm divine

75 ? Of beauty, nor the matron's sacred age, • Secure from wrongs, could innocence secure, • Found rev’rence of distinction : yet, fuftain'd ? By conscious worth within, the matchless pair • Their threat'ning fate, imprisonment, and scorn, 80 • And death denounc'd, unshrinking, unsubdu'd © To murmur or complaint, superior bore, « With patient hope, with fortitude resign'd,

Not built on pride, not courting vain applause;

But calmly constant, without effort great, • What Reason dictates, and what Heav'n approves,

But how proceed, Aurelius ? in what sounds ç Of gracious cadence, of affuafiye pow'r, "My farther story cloath? O could I steal • From Harmony her softest-warbled strain

.90 • Of melting air, or Zephyr's vernal voice, • Or Philomela's song, when love dissolves < To liquid blandishment his ev’ning lay,

All nature smiling round! then might I speak; « Then might Amyntor, unoffending, tell

95 • How unperceiv'd and secret thro' his breaft, • As morning rises o'er the midnight shade, ? What first was ow'd humanity to both, ? A flisting piety and tender thought, ! Grew swift and silent into love for one ;

109 • My sole offence-if love can then offend, When virtue lights, and rev'rence guards it's Aame,

O Theodora! who thy world of charms, « That foul of fweetness, that soft glow of youth, Warm on thy cheek, and beaming from thine eye, 105

? Unmov'd • Unmov'd could see! that dignity of ease, « That

grace of air, by happy nature thine ! • For all in thee was native ; from within • Spontaneous flowing, as some equal stream • From it's unfailing source ! and then, too, seen

110 • In milder lights; by Sorrow's shading hand • Touch'd into pow'r more exquisitely soft, • By tears adorn’d, intender'd by distress. • O sweetness without name! when Love looks on • With Pity's melting eye, that to the foul

IIS • Endears, ennobles, her whom Fate afflicts, • Or Fortune leaves unhappy! passion then • Refines to virtue ; then a parer train · Of heav'n-inspir'd emotions, undebas'd • By self-regard, or thought of due return,

120 • The breast expanding, all it's pow'rs exalt • To emulate what Reason best conceives • Of love celestial, whose prevenient aid

Forbids approaching ill, or gracious draws, • When the lone heart with anguish inly bleeds,

123 " From pain it's sting, it's bitterness from woe!

By this plain courtship of the honest heart • To pity mov'd, at length my pleaded vows • The gentle maid, with unreluctant ear, • Would oft admit; would oft endearing crown

130 • With smiles of kind assent, with looks that spoke, < In blushing foftness, her chaste bosom touch'd • To mutual love. O Fortune's faireft hour ! • seen, but not enjoy'd ; juft hail'd, and loft * It's flattring brightness ! Theodora's form,

135 • Event unfear'd! had caught Rolando's eye ; • And Love, (if wild Desire, of Fancy born, • By furious passions nurs'd, that sacred name « Profanes not) Love his stubborn breast diffolvid

To transient goodness. But my thought shrinks back, 140 Relyetant to proceed ; and filial awe,

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• With pious hand, would o'er a parent's crime
• The veil of filence and oblivious night
• Permitted throw. His impious fuit repellid,
• Aw'd from her eye, and from her lip severe

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• Dash'd with indignant scorn each harbour'd thought
• Of foft emotion, or of social sense,
• Love, pity, kindness, alien to a soul
• That bigot rage embofoms, Aed at once,
• And all the favage re-akum'd his breast.

150 “ 'Tis just!” he cry'd ; « who thus invites disdain, “ Deserves repulse; he who, by slave-like arts, “ Would meanly steal what force may nobler take, “ And, greatly daring, dignify the deed : " When next we meet, our mutual bluh to spare, 155 “ Thine from dissembling, from base flatt’ry mine, “ Shall be my care.” This threat, by brutal (corn « Keen's and imbitter'd, terrible to both, 4 To one prov'd fatal. Silent-wafting grief, . The mortal worm that on Emilia's frame

iba • Had prey'd unfeen, now deep thro' all her pow'rs • It's poison spread, and kill'd their vital growth.

Sick’ning, the funk beneath this double weight "Of shame and horror.--Dare I yet proceed! Aurelius! O most injur'd of mankind !

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• Shall yet my tale, exasperating, add
• To woe new anguilh ! and to grief despais !
• She is no more!'.
• O Providence fevere!'
Aurelius smote his breaft, and groaning cry'd ;

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But curb’d a second groan, repell’d the voice
Of froward grief, and to the Will Supreme,
In justice awful, lowly bending his,
Nor figh, nor murmur, nor repining plaint,
By all the war of Nature tho' affail'd,

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Escap'd his lips. What! hall we from Heav'n's grace
• With life receiving happiness, our hare

• Of

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• Of ill refufe ? and are afflictions aught
• But mercies in disguise ? th' alternate cup,
• Medicinal tho' bitter, and prepar'd

By Love's own hand for falutary ends.
• But, were they ills indeed, can fond complaint
• Arrest the wing of time? Can grief command
· This noon-day fun to roll his flaming orb
· Back to yon eastern coalt, and bring again
· The hours of yesterday? or from the womb
• Of that unfounded deep the bury'd corse
* To light and life restore! Bless'd pair ! farewel!
• Yet, yet a few short days of erring grief,
• Of human fondness fighing in the breast,
« And sorrow is no more.Now, gentle youth !
• And let me call thee son, (for, O that name
· Thy faith, thy friend/hip, thy true portion borne
• Of pains for me, too fadly have deserv'd!)
• On with thy tale : 'tis mine when Heav'n amicts
• To hearken and adore.' The patient man
Thus spoke. Amyntor thus his story clos’d:

• As dumb with anguish round the bed of death
Weeping we knelt, to mine the faintly rais'd
• Her closing eyes, then fixing, in cold gaze,
• On Theodora's face" O save my child !"
• She said ; and, shrinking from her pillow, fept
• Without a groan, a pang! In hallow'd earth
« I saw her shrouded; bade eternal peace
• Her fhade receive ; and, with the trueft tears

Affection ever wept, her duft bedew'd. :
• What then 'remain'd for honour or for love?
What, but that scene of violence to fly,

With guilt profan’d, and terrible with death ;
• Rolando's fatal roof. Late at the hour,
r. When shade and filence o’er this riether orb
« With drowziest influence reign, the waining moon

Ascending mournful in the midnight sphere,

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