Would he pluck out his eye to give it me?
Tear out his heart?-She was his heart no more—
Nor was it with reluctance he resigned her!
By Heaven, he asked, he courted me to wed.
I thought it strange; 'tis now no longer so.
Zan. Was it his request? Are you right sure
of that?

I fear the letter was not all a tale.

Alon. A tale! There's proof equivalent to sight.

Zan. I should distrust my sight on this occasion.

Alon. And so should I; by Heaven, I think I
should.

What! Leonora, the divine, by whom
We guessed at angels! Oh! I'm all confusion.
Zan. You now are too much ruffled to think
clearly.

Thrives underneath my hand in misery.
He's gone to think; that is, to be distracted.
Isa. I overheard your conference, and saw you,
To my amazement, tear the letter.
Zan. There,

There, Isabella, I out-did myself.
For tearing it, I not secure it only
In its first force; but superadd a new.
For who can now the character examine,
To cause a doubt, much less detect the fraud?
And after tearing it, as loth to shew
The foul contents, if I should swear it now
A forgery, my lord would disbelieve me;
Nay, more, would disbelieve the more I swore.
But is the picture happily disposed of?
Isa. It is.

Zan. That's well-Ah! what is well? O pang
to think!

Since bliss and horror, life and death hang on it, dire necessity! is this my province?
Go to your chamber, there maturely weigh
Each circumstance; consider, above all,
That it is jealousy's peculiar nature

To swell small things to great; nay, out of nought
To conjure much, and then to lose its reason
Amid the hideous phantoms it has formed.

Alon. Had I ten thousand lives, I'd give them
all

To be deceived. I fear 'tis doomsday with me.
And yet she seemed so pure, that I thought Hea-

Whither, my soul! ah! whither art thou sunk
Beneath thy sphere? Ere while, far, far above
Such little arts, dissembling, falsehoods, frauds,
The trash of villany itself, which falls
To cowards, and poor wretches wanting bread.
Does this become a soldier? This become
Whom armies followed, and a people loved?
My martial glory withers at the thought.
But great my end; and since there are no other,
These means are just; they shine with borrowed
light,

Illustrious from the purpose they pursue.
And greater sure my merit, who, to gain
A point sublime, can such a task sustain;
To wade through ways obscene, my honour bend,
And shock my nature, to attain my end.

Zan. Thus far it works auspiciously. My pa- Late time shall wonder; that my joys will raise; tient

For wonder is involuntary praise. [Exeunt.

ACT IV,

SCENE I.

Enter Don ALONZO and ZANGA.

Alon. Он, what a pain to think! when every
thought,

Perplexing thought, in intricacies runs,
And reason knits the inextricable toil,
In which herself is taken! I am lost,
Poor insect that I am; I am involved,
And buried in the web myself have wrought!
One argument is balanced by another,
And reason reason meets in doubtful fight,
And proofs are countermined by equal proofs.
No more I'll bear this battle of the mind,
This inward anarchy; but find my wife,
And to her trembling heart presenting death,
Force all the secret from her.

And kill my hopes. What can I think or do?

[Aside.

Alon. What dost thou murmur?
Zan. Force the secret from her!
What's perjury to such a crime as this?
Will she confess it then? O, groundless hope!
But rest assured, she'll make this accusation,
Or false or true, your ruin with the king;
Such is her father's power.

Alon. No more, I care not;

Rather than groan beneath this load, I'll die.
Zan. But for what better will you change this
load?

Grant you should know it, would not that be
worse?

Alon. No; it would cure me of my mortal

Zan. You should not hazard life to gain the

secret.

Alon. What dost thou mean? Thou know'st
I'm on the rack.

I'll not be played with; speak, if thou hast aught,
Or I this instant fly to Leonora.

Zan. That is, to death. My lord, I am not yet
Quite so far gone in guilt to suffer it,
Though gone too far, Heaven knows-Tis I am
guilty-

I have took pains, as you, I know, observed,
To hinder you from diving in the secret,
And turned aside your thoughts from the detec-
tion.

Alon. Thou dost confound me!

Zan. I confound myself,

And frankly own it, though to my shame I own
it;

Nought but your life in danger could have torn
The secret out, and made me own my crine.
Alon. Speak quickly; Zanga, speak.
Zan. Not yet, dread sir:

First, I must be assured, that if you find
The fair one guilty, scorn, as you assured me,
Shall conquer love and rage, and heal your soul.
Alon. Oh! 'twill, by Heaven!
Zan. Alas! I fear it much,

And scarce can hope so far; but I of this
Exact your solemn oath, that you'll abstain
From all self-violence, and save my lord.
Alon, I trebly swear.

Zun. You'll bear it like a man?
Alon. A god.

Zan. Such have you been to me; these tears
confess it,

And poured forth miracles of kindness on me :
And what amends is now within my power,
But to confess, expose myself to justice,
And, as a blessing, claim my punishment?
Know, then, Don Carlos-

Alon. Oh!

Zan. You cannot bear it.

Alon. Go on, I'll have it, though it blast mankind;

I'll have it all, and instantly. Go on.

Zan. Don Carlos did return at dead of night—

Enter LEONORA,

Leon. My lord Alonzo, you are absent from us, And quite undo our joy.

Alon. I'll come, my love:

Be not our friends deserted by us both;
I'll follow you this moment.

Leon. My good lord,

I do observe severity of thought

Upon your brow.

Moors?

Leon. How good in you, my lord, whom na-
tions' cares

Solicit, and a world in arms obeys,
To drop one thought on me!

[He shews the utmost impatience.

Alon. Dost thou then prize it?
Leon. Do you then ask it?

Alon. Know then, to thy comfort,
Thou hast me all, my throbbing heart is full
With thee alone; I have thought of nothing else;
Nor shall, I from my soul believe, till death.
My life, our friends expect thee.

Leon. I obey.

[Exit.

Alon. Is that the face of cursed hypocrisy ? If she is guilty, stars are made of darkness, And beauty shall no more belong to HeavenDon Carlos did return at dead of nightProceed, good Zanga; so thy tale began.

Zan. Don Carlos did return at dead of night; That night, by chance (ill chance for me) did I Command the watch that guards the palace gate. He told me he had letters for the king, Dispatched from you.

I

Alon. The villain lied!
Zan. My lord,
pray, forbear-
-Transported at his sight,
After so long a bondage, and your friend,
(Who could suspect him of an artifice?)
No farther I enquired, but let him pass,
False to my trust, at least imprudent in it.
Our watch relieved, I went into the garden,
As is my custom, when the night's serene,
And took a moon-light walk: when soon I heard
A rustling in an arbour that was near me.
I saw two lovers in each other's arms,
Embracing and embraced. Anon the man
Arose, and, falling back some paces from her,
Gazed ardently awhile, then rushed at once,
And throwing all himself into her bosom,
There softly sighed- Oh, night of ecstacy!
When shall we meet again?-Don Carlos, then,
Led Leonora forth.

Alon. Oh, Oh my heart!

[He sinks into a chair. Zan. Groan on, and with the sound refresh my soul!

'Tis through his heart; his knees smite one another:
'Tis through his brain; his eye-balls roll in an-
guish.
[Aside.
My lord, my lord, why do ye rack my soul?
Speak to me, let me know that you still live.
Do not you know me, sir? Pray, look upon me;
You think too deeply—I am your own Zanga,
So loved, so cherished, and so faithful to you.—
Why start you in such fury? Nay, my lord,

Aught hear you from the For Heaven's sake sheath your sword! What

can this mean?

Fool that I was, to trust you with the secret,
And you unkind to break your word with me.
Oh, passion for a woman!-On the ground!
Where is your boasted courage? Where your

scorn,

And prudent rage, that was to cure your grief,
And chase your love-bred agonies away?
Rise, sir, for honour's sake. Why should the
Moors,

Why should the vanquished triumph?

Alon. Would to Heaven

That I were lower still! Oh, she was all!—
My fame, my friendship, and my love of arms,
All stoop to her; my blood was her possession.
Deep in the secret foldings of my heart
She lived with life, and far the dearer she.
But-and no more-set nature on a blaze,
Give her a fit of jealousy-away-

To think on't-is the torment of the damned,
And not to think on't is impossible.
How fair the cheek that first alarmed my soul !
How bright the eye that set it on a flame!
How soft the breast on which I laid my peace
For years to slumber, unawaked by care
How fierce the transport! how sublime the bliss!
How deep, how black, the horror and despair!
Zan. You said you would bear it like a man.
Alon. I do.

Am I not most distracted?

Zan. Pray, be calm.

Alas my head turns round, and my limbs fail me!

Zan. My lord'

Alon. Oh, villain, villain, most accurst !
If thou didst know it, why didst let me wed?

Zan. Hear me, my lord, your anger will abate.
I knew it not :-I saw them in the garden;
But saw no more than you might well expcct
To see in lovers destined for each other.
By Heaven I thought their meeting innocent.
Who could suspect fair Leonora's virtue,
Till after-proofs conspired to blacken it?
Sad proofs, which came too late, which broke not
out,

(Eternal curses on Alvarez' haste!)

Till holy rites had made the wanton yours;
And then, I own, I laboured to conceal it,
In duty and compassion to your peace.
Alon. Live now, be damned hereafter-for I
want thee-

Oh, night of ecstacy !—Ha! was't not so?
I will enjoy this murder.—Let me think-
The jasmine bower-'tis secret and remote :
Go wait me there, and take thy dagger with thee.
[Exit Zanga.

Alon. As hurricanes: be thou assured of that. How the sweet sound still sings within my ear!

When shall we meet again?-To-night, in hell!

As he is going, enter LEONORA.

Ha! I'm surprised! I stagger at her charms!
Oh, angel-devil!- -Shall I stab her now?
No-It shall be as I at first determined.
To kill her now, were half my vengeance lost.
Then must I now dissemble--it I can.

Leon. My lord, excuse me; see, a second time
I come in embassy from all your friends,
Whose joys are languid, uninspired by you.

Alon. This moment, Leonora, I was coming
To thee, and all————but sure, or I mistake,
Or thou canst well inspire my friends with joy.
Leon. Why sighs my lord?

Alon. I sighed not, Leonora.

Leon. I thought you did; your sighs are mine, my lord,

And I shall feel them all.

Alon. Dost flatter me?

Leon. If my regards for you are flattery,
Full far indeed I stretched the compliment
In this day's solemn rite.

Alon. What rite?

Leon. You sport me.

Alon. Indeed I do; my heart is full of mirth.
Leon. And so is mine- -I look on cheerful-

ness,

As on the health of virtue.

Alon. Virtue !—Damn-
Leon. What says my lord?
Alon. Thou art exceeding fair.
Leon. Beauty alone is but of little worth;
But when the soul and body of a piece,
Both shine alike, then they obtain a price,
And are a fit reward for gallant actions,

Heaven's pay on earth for such great souls as I soon will follow; that which now disturbs thee Shall be cleared up, and thou shall not condemn

And pushed it on, and bid it give her death;
But, oh, her eyes struck first, and murdered me!
Zan. I know not what to answer to my lord.
Men are but men; we did not make ourselves.
Farewell, then, my best lord, since you must die.
Oh, that I were to share your monument,
And in eternal darkness close these eyes
Against those scenes which I am doomed to suf- But to forget, and so to love again.

Alon. That thought has more of hell than had
the former.

fer!

Alon. What dost thou mean?
Zan. And is it then unknown?

Oh, grief of heart to think that you should ask it!
Sure you distrust that ardent love I bear you,
Else could you doubt when you are laid in dust-
But it will cut my poor heart through and through,
To see those revel on your sacred tomb,
Who brought you thither by their lawless loves.
For there they'll revel, and exult to find
Him sleep so fast, who else might mar their joys.
Alon. Distraction !-But Don Carlos, well
thou know'st,

Is sheathed in steel, and bent on other thoughts.
Zan. I'll work him to the murder of his friend.

[Aside.

Yes, tell the fever of his blood returns,
While her last kiss still glows upon his cheek.
But when he finds Alonzo is no more,
How will he rush like lightning to her arms !
There sigh, there languish, there pour out his
soul;

But not in grief— -sad obsequies to thee!
But thou wilt be at peace, nor see, nor hear
The burning kiss, the sigh of ecstacy,
Their throbbing hearts that jostle one another :
Thank Heaven, these torments will be all my

Another, and another, and another!
And each shall cast a smile upon my tomb!
I am convinced; I must not, will not die.
Zan. You cannot die; nor can you murder her.
What then remains? In nature no third way,

The Greek and Roman name in such a lustre,
But doing right in stern despite to nature,
Shutting their ears to all her little cries,
When great, august, and godlike justice called?
At Aulis, one poured out a daughter's life,
And gained more glory than by all his wars;
Another slew his sister in just rage;
A third, the theme of all succeeding times,
Gave to the cruel axe a darling son.
Nay, more, for justice some devote themselves,
As he at Carthage, an immortal name!
Yet there is one step left above them all,
Above their history, above their fable,
A wife, bride, mistress, unenjoyed-
And tread upon the Greek and Roman glory.
Alon. 'Tis done!- -Again new transports

fire my brain:

-do that,

I had forgot it, 'tis my bridal night.
Friend, give me joy, we must be gay together;
See that the festival be duly honoured.
And when with garlands the full bowl is crowned,
And music gives the elevating sound,
And golden carpets spread the sacred floor,
And a new day the blazing tapers pour;
Thou, Zanga, thou my solemn friends invite,
From the dark realms of everlasting night;
Call Vengeance, call the furies, call Despair,
And Death, our chief invited guest, be there;
He, with pale hand, shall lead the bride, and spread
Eternal curtains round our nuptial bed. [Exeunt.

ACT V.

Alon. On, pitiful! Oh, terrible to sight! Poor mangled shade all covered o'er with wounds.

And so disguised with blood!- Who murdered thee?

Tell thy sad tale, and thou shalt be revenged.