XVII. DISTRACTION.

ERCY!-I know it not-for I am miferable.

MER

;

I'll give thee mifery-for here fhe dwells, This is her house- -where the fun never dawns ; The bird of night fits screaming o'er the roof Grim spectres fweep along the horrid gloom; And nought is heard, but wailings and lamenting.Hark --fomething cracks above!-it fhakes! it totters !-And fee the nodding ruin falls to crush me!'Tis fallen-'tis here! -1 feel it on my brain ! A waving flood of blueish fire fwells o'er me!And now 'tis out-and I am drown'd in blood.Ha! what art thou thou horrid headlefs trunk It is my Haftings-See, he wafts me on! Away I go I fly!I follow thee!

Y

XVIII. GRATITUDE.

My father!-Oh! let me unlade my breaft;

Pour out the fulness of my foul before you ;
Shew ev'ry tender, ev'ry grateful thought,
This wondrous goodness ftirs. But, 'tis impoffible,
And utt'rance all is vile; fince I can only
Swear you reign here, but never tell how much.

R

XIX. IN TREATY.

EWARD him for the noble deed juft Heavens! For this one action, guard him, and distinguish him With fignal mercies, and with great deliverance.

Save him from wrong, adverfity and Shame.
Let never-fading honours flourish round him;
And confecrate his name, ev'n to time's end.
Let him know nothing else, but good on earth-
And everlasting bleffedness hereafter.

I BEG for pity and forgiveness.

Remember I'm your daughter; by a mother
Virtuous and noble, faithful to your honour,
Obedient to your will, and kind to your wishes,
Dear to your arms. By all the joys she gave you,
When in her blooming years she was your treasure-
Look kindly on me!---In my face behold

'The lineaments of hers you've kiss'd so often, Pleading the cause of your poor caft-off child.

XX. COMMANDING.

ILENCE, ye winds!

That make outrageous war upon the ocean:

And thou, old ocean! lull thy boist'rous waves.

Ye warring elements! be hufh'd as death,
While I impofe my dread commands on hell.
And thou, profound eft hell! whofe dreadful fway
Is given to me by fate and demogorgon

Hear, hear my powerful voice, through all thy regions;

And, from thy gloomy caverns-thunder the reply.

A

XXI. COURAGE.

GENEROUS few, the vet'ran, hardy gleanings Of many a hapless fight, with a fierce Heroic fire, infpirited each other;

Refolv'd on death; difdaining to furvive Their dearest country." If we fall," I cry'd, "Let us not tamely fall, like paffive cowards! "No-let us live, or let us die-like men` !— "Come on, my friends. To Alfred we will cut "Our glorious way or as we nobly perish, "Will offer to the genius of our country— "Whole hecatombs of Danes."-As if one foul Had mov'd them all, around their heads they flash'd Their flaming faulchions-" Lead us to thofe Danes! "Our country !-Vengeance !"-was the gen'ral cry.

THE foldiers are refresh'd.

And, tho', perchance their laft of meals,

Still joining hands, as oft they drain'd the bowl,
It feem'd fo chearful as furpafs'd my hope.
"Suceefs to England's arms," was all the cry.
At length, a hoary vet'ran rais'd his voice,

And thus addrefs'd his fellows" Courage, brothers!
"The French have never beat us; nor fhall now.
"Our great third Edward's fortune waits our arms;
"And his brave fon, whofe formidable helmet
"Nods terror to our foes, directs the fight.
"In his black armour, we will foon behold him
"Piercing their throng'd battalions.---Shall not we,
"At humble distance, emulate his ardour?
"And gather laurels to adorn his triumph ?".
Then did they smile again, shake hands, and fhout.

421

I

XXII. BOASTING.

WILL tell you, Sir, by the way of private, and un

der seal, I am a gentleman; and live here, obfcure, and to myself: but, were I known to his Majefty, and the Lords, obferve me, I would undertake, upon this poor head and life, for the pubiic benefit of the state, not only to spare the entire lives of his fubjects in general, but to fave the one half, nay three parts of his yearly charge, in holding war, and against what enemy foever. And how would I do it, think you ?---Why thus, Sir.---I would felect nineteen more to myself, throughout the land; gentlemen they fhould be; of good spirit, ftrong and able conftitution. I would chufe them by an instinct that I have. And I would teach thefe nineteen the fpecial rules; as your Punto, your Reverfo, your Stoccata, your Imbroccata, your Paffada, your Montonto; till they could all play very near, or altogether, as well as myfelf. This done, fay the enemy were forty thousand strong. We twenty, would come into the field, the tenth of March. or thereabouts; and we would challenge twenty of the enemy: they could not in their honour, refufe us! Well-we would kill them challenge twenty more— -kill them: twenty more -kill them twenty more:-kill them too. And, thus, would we kill, every man. his twenty a-day; that's twenty score; twenty fcore; that's two hundred two hundred a day; five days, a thoufand: forty thoufand--forty times five; five times forty-two hundred days kill them all up by computation. And this I will venture my poor gentleman-like carcafe to perform (provided there be no treafon practifed upon) by fair and difcreet manhood; that is, civilly, by the fword.

MY

MY arm a nobler victory ne'er gain'd;

And I am prouder to have paffed that ftream,
Than that I drove a million o'er the plain,
Can none remember? Yes, I know, all muft:
When glory, like the dazzling eagle ftood
Perch'd on my beaver in the Granick flood;
When Fortune's felf my standard, trembling, bore;
And the pale fates ftood, frighten'd, on the fhore;
When all th' immortals on the billows rode;
And I myfelf-appear'd the leading god.

LE

What can this mean ?-Is it to me averfion?

Or is it, as I fear'd, she loves another?

Ha! yes-perhaps the king, the young count Tancred?
They were bred up together---furely that,

That cannot be---Has he not giv'n his hand,
In the moft folemn manner, to Conftantia ?
Does not his crown depend upon the deed?
No---if they lov'd, and this old ftatesman knew it,
He could not to a king prefer a fubject.
His virtues I efteem---nay more, I thrust them--
So far as virtue goes--but could he place
His daughter on the throne of Sicily-

O! 'tis a glorious bribe; too much for man!---
What is it then ?—I care not what it is.