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 ; 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. I BEG for pity and forgiveness. Remember I'm your daughter; by a mother '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, 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, And thus addrefs'd his fellows" Courage, brothers! 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, 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? That cannot be---Has he not giv'n his hand, O! 'tis a glorious bribe; too much for man!--- |