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The figh 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 fweet oppreffion loads,
And by admitting, blunts the fting of woe.
As reason thus the mental ftorm feren'd,

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And thro' the darkness shot her fun-bright ray

That ftrengthens while it chears, behold from far

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Amyntor flow approaching! on his front

O'er each funk feature forrow had diffus'd
Attraction sweetly fad: his noble port,
Majestick in diftrefs, Aurelius mark'd;
And, unrefifting, felt his bofom flow

With focial foftnefs. Straight before the door
Of his mofs-filver'd cell they fate them down
In counterview; and thus the youth began:

• With patient ear, with calm attention, mark
Amyntor's story; then, as Juftice fees,
On either hand her equal balance weigh,

• Abfolve him or condemn. But, oh! may I
• A father's name, when truth forbids to praise,

• Unblam'd pronounce! that name to ev'ry fon

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By Heav'n made facred, and by Nature's hand,
With honour, duty, love, her triple pale,
Fenc'd ftrongly round, to bar the rude approach
Of each irrev'rent thought!-Thefe 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 inftrument 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 caft, her iron fcourge
Severeft hung, yet daring to appeal

That Pow'r whofe law is meeknefs, and for deeds

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That

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That outrage Heav'n, belying Heav'n's command!
Flexile of will, misjudging, tho' fincere,
Rolando caught the spread infection, plung'd
Implicit into guilt, and headlong urg'd

His courfe unjust to violence and rage;
Unmanly rage! when nor the charm divine
Of beauty, nor the matron's facred age,
Secure from wrongs, could innocence secure,

• Found rev'rence or distinction: yet, fuftain'd
By conscious worth within, the matchless pair
Their threat'ning fate, imprisonment, and scorn,
And death denounc'd, unfhrinking, unfubdu'd
To murmur or complaint, fuperior bore,
With patient hope, with fortitude refign'd,
Not built on pride, not courting vain applause;
? But calmly conftant, without effort great,

• What Reason dictates, and what Heav'n approves,
But how proceed, Aurelius? in what founds

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Of gracious cadence, of affuafive pow'r,

My farther ftory cloath? O could I steal
From Harmony her fofteft-warbled ftrain
Of melting air, or Zephyr's vernal voice,
• Or Philomela's fong, when love diffolves
To liquid blandishment his ev'ning lay,
All nature smiling round! then might I speak;
Then might Amyntor, unoffending, tell
How unperceiv'd and fecret thro' his breast,
As morning rifes o'er the midnight shade,
What first was ow'd humanity to both,
Affifting piety and tender thought,

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When virtue lights, and rev'rence guards it's flame,
O Theodora ! who thy world of charms,

That foul of fweetnefs, that foft glow of youth,
Warm on thy cheek, and beaming from thine eye,

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· Unmov'd

Unmov'd could fee! that dignity of ease, • That grace of air, by happy nature thine! For all in thee was native; from within • Spontaneous flowing, as fome equal stream From it's unfailing fource! and then, too, feen In milder lights; by Sorrow's fhading hand Touch'd into pow'r more exquifitely foft,

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By tears adorn'd, intender'd by diftrefs.

⚫ O fweetnefs without name! when Love looks on

• With Pity's melting eye, that to the foul

• Endears, ennobles, her whom Fate afflicts, • Or Fortune leaves unhappy! paffion then • Refines to virtue; then a parer train

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Of heav'n-infpir'd emotions, undebas'd
By felf-regard, or thought of due return,
The breast expanding, all it's pow'rs exalt

• To emulate what Reafon beft conceives
• Of love celeftial, whose prevenient aid
Forbids approaching ill, or gracious draws,
When the lone heart with anguifh inly bleeds,
• From pain it's fting, it's bitterness from woe!

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By this plain courtship of the honest heart

To pity mov'd, at length my pleaded vows

The gentle maid, with unreluctant ear,

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• Would oft admit; would oft endearing crown

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• With smiles of kind affent, with looks that spoke,

In blushing foftnefs, her chafte bofom touch'd
To mutual love. O Fortune's faireft hour!
O feen, but not enjoy'd; juft hail'd, and loft
It's flatt'ring brightnefs! Theodora's form,

• Event unfear'd! had caught Rolando's eye;
And Love, (if wild Defire, of Fancy born,

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By furious paffions nurs'd, that facred name

Profanes not) Love his ftubborn breast diffolv'd

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To tranfient goodness. But my thought fhrinks back, 140 Reluctant to proceed; and filial awe,

• With

• With pious hand, would o'er a parent's crime
The veil of filence and oblivious night
< Permitted throw. His impious fuit repell'd,

• Aw'd from her eye, and from her lip fevere

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• Dash'd with indignant scorn each harbour'd thought

• Of foft emotion, or of focial fenfe,

Love, pity, kindness, alien to a foul

That bigot rage embofoms, fled at once,

• And all the favage re-affum'd his breast.

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""Tis juft!" he cry'd; " who thus invites difdain,
"Deferves repulfe; he who, by flave-like arts,
"Would meanly fteal what force may nobler take,
"And, greatly daring, dignify the deed:
"When next we meet, our mutual blush to spare,
"Thine from diffembling, from bafe flatt'ry mine,
"Shall be my care." This threat, by brutal scorn
• Keen'd and imbitter'd, terrible to both,
To one prov'd fatal. Silent-wafting grief,
'The mortal worm that on Emilia's frame

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'Had prey'd unfeen, now deep thro' all her pow'rs

• It's poifon 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!

Shall yet my tale, exafperating, add

To woe new anguish! and to grief despair!
She is no more!'.

O Providence fevere!'

Aurelius fmote his breast, and groaning cry'd;
But curb'd a fecond groan, repell'd the voice
Of froward grief, and to the Will Supreme,
In justice awful, lowly bending his,

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Nor figh, nor murmur, nor repining plaint,

By all the war of Nature tho' affail'd,

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Efcap'd his lips. What! fhall we from Heav'n's grace

⚫ With life receiving happiness, our share

• Of

Of ill refufe? and are afflictions aught
But mercies in difguife? 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
Arreft the wing of time? Can grief command
This noon-day fun to roll his flaming orb
Back to yon eaftern coaft, and bring again
The hours of yesterday? or from the womb

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Of that unfounded deep the bury'd corfe

To light and life restore? Blefs'd pair! farewel!
Yet, yet a few fhort days of erring grief,

Of human fondnefs fighing in the breaft,

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And forrow is no more.-Now, gentle youth!

And let me call thee fon, (for, O that name

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Of pains for me, too fadly have deferv'd!)

Thy faith, thy friendship, thy true portion borne

• On with thy tale: 'tis mine when Heav'n afflicts

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To hearken and adore.' The patient man

Thus fpoke. Amyntor thus his ftory clos'd:

As dumb with anguifh round the bed of death
Weeping we knelt, to mine fhe faintly rais'd

Her clofing eyes, then fixing, in cold gaze,
On Theodora's face" O fave my child !"
She faid; and, fhrinking from her pillow, flépt

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• Without a groan, a pang! In hallow'd earth I faw her fhrouded; bade eternal peace

• Her fhade receive; and, with the trueft tears Affection ever wept, her duft bedew'd. ·

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• What then remain'd for honour or for love?

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What, but that scene of violence to fly,

• With guilt profan'd, and terrible with death;
Rolando's fatal roof. Late at the hour,
"When shade and filence o'er this nether orb

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• With drowzieft influence reign, the waining moon

Afcending mournful in the midnight sphere,

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. On

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