• That sweet recefs, where Love and Virtue long 280 • Defpoil'd, defac'd, and wrapp'd in wasteful flames: For flame and rapine their confuming march < From hill to vale by daily ruin mark’d. So, borne by winds along, in baleful cloud, On herb, fruit, flow'r, and kill the rip'ning year; a85 A man, And ghaftly famine wait. My wife and child 290 Sacred to reft, amid the fighs and tears Of all who faw and curs'd his coward rage, He forc'd, unpitying, from their midnight-bed, By menace, or by torture, from their fears · My laft retreat to learn, and ftill detains 295 Beneath his roof accurs'd, that beft of wives, ⚫ And nature bleed.-Ah! let not bufy thought Search thither, but avoid the fatal coaft: 300 • Discov'ry there, once more my peace of mind My hopes in Heav'n!' He faid: but, O fad Mufe! To shake the heart, to freeze th' arrefted blood, A 305 310 A deadly A deadly cold ran freezing thro' his veins, The traveller, from heav'n by lightning ftruck, 315 With terror glaring wild, his ftiff'ning limbs In fudden marble bound; fo ftood, fo look'd, Ere firft the thunder breaks-on either fide " on me ⚫ My horrors end!'-then madly would have plung'd O dire attempt! who'er thou art, yet stay 320 325 330 335 340 A crime that Nature fhrinks from, and to which That plac'd him here dependent on thy nod,. 345 350 • Refign'd, Refign'd, unmurm'ring, to await his hour • Of fair difmiffion hence; fhall man do this, < Then dare thy presence, rush into thy fight, Red with the fin, and recent from the stain, • Of unrepented blood! Call home thy sense; • Know what thou art, and own his hand most just Rewarding or afflicting. But, fay on : My foul, yet trembling at thy frantick deed, • Recals thy words, recals their dire import; They urge me on, they bid me ask no more. • What would I afk? My Theodora's fate, Ah, me ! is known too plain. Have I then finn'd, • Good Heav'n! beyond all grace! But fhall I blame 355 360 • It's wild excefs? Heav'n gave her to my wish; 365 • That gift Heav'n has resum'd; righteous in both : For both, his providence be ever bless'd !' By fhame reprefs'd, with rifing wonder fill'd, Amyntor, flow-recovering into thought, Submiffive on his knee the good man's hand Grafp'd close, and bore with ardour to his lips. His eye, where fear, confusion, rev'rence, spoke, Thro' fwelling tears, what language cannot tell, 370 Now rofe to meet, now shunn'd the Hermit's glance, 375 Of paffion ebbing, thus he fault'ring spoke : • What haft thou done? why fav'd a wretch unknown ? • Whom knowing, e'en thy goodness must abhor. • Mistaken man! the honour of thy name, Thy love, truth, duty, all must be my foes. I am-Aurelius! turn that look afide, That brow of terror, while this wretch can fay, 380 • Whom Nature bids me rev'rence--by her bond, • Rolando's fon; by your more facred ties, 385 As to his crimes an alien to his blood; • For crimes like his--' Rolando's fon! Just Heav'n! Ha! here, and in my pow'r! A war of thoughts, 390 • With doubtful conflict. By one stroke to reach The father's heart, tho' feas are spread between, Were great revenge!-Away! Revenge? on whom? 395 ⚫ E'en to the crime my reason most condemns In him who ruin'd me!' Deep-mov'd he spoke, 400 405 The hand of Time with twenty winter's fnow Futurity, behind her cloudy veil, Stands in fair light difclos'd. Him, after pause, 410 Aurelius drew apart, and in his care Amyntor plac'd, to lodge him and fecure; To fave him from himself, as one with grief Tempeftuous, and with rage, diftemper'd deep : 415 CANTO III. WHERE Kilda's fouthern hills their fummit lift With triple fork to heav'n, the mounted fun Full, from the midmoft, fhot in dazzling stream His noon-tide ray and now, in lowing train, Unerring mov'd. These signs obferv'd, that guide These native figns to due repaft at noon, Frugal and plain, had warn'd the temp'rate isle, By Nature's voice folicited in vain, Nor hour obferv'd, nor due repast partook. The child no more! the mother's fate untold! Both in black prospect rifing to his eye: Inclin'd alternate, fummoning each aid That virtue lends, and o'er each thought infirm Who ftrength from weakness, as from darkness light, Again he facrific'd to Heav'n's high will Each foothing weakness of a parent's breast, 10 15 20 25 39 *The cows often feed on the alga marina, and they can diftinguish exactly the tide of ebb from the tide of flood, though, at the fame time, they are not within view of the fhore. When the tide has ebbed about two hours, then they fteer their courfe directly to the nearest shore, in their ufual order, one after another. I had occafion to make this obfervation thirteen times in one week. Martin's Western Isles of Scotland, p. 156. |