Enter Percy and Sir Hubert.
Enter Percy and Sir Hubert.
Sir H.That Percy lives, and is return'd in safety,More joys my soul than all the mighty conquestsThat sun beheld, which rose on Syria's ruin.Per.I've told thee, good Sir Hubert, by what wonderI was preserv'd, though number'd with the slain.Sir H.'Twas strange, indeed!Per.'Twas Heaven's immediate work!But let me now indulge a dearer joy,Talk of a richer gift of Mercy's hand;A gift so precious to my doating heart,That life preserv'd is but a second blessing.O Hubert, let my soul indulge its softness!The hour, the spot, is sacred to Elwina.This was her fav'rite walk; I well remember,(For who forgets that loves as I have lov'd?)'Twas in that very bower she gave this scarf,Wrought by the hand of love! she bound it on,And, smiling, cried, Whate'er befal us, Percy,Be this the sacred pledge of faith between us.I knelt, and swore, call'd every power to witness,No time, nor circumstance, should force it from me,But I would lose my life and that together—Here I repeat my vow.Sir H.Is this the manBeneath whose single arm an host was crush'd?He, at whose name the Saracen turn'd pale?And when he fell, victorious armies wept,And mourn'd a conquest they had bought so dear?How has he chang'd the trumpet's martial note,And all the stirring clangor of the war,For the soft melting of the lover's lute!Why are thine eyes still bent upon the bower?Per.O Hubert, Hubert, to a soul enamour'd,There is a sort of local sympathy,Which, when we view the scenes of early passion,Paints the bright image of the object lov'dIn stronger colours than remoter scenesCould ever paint it; realizes shade,Dresses it up in all the charms it wore,Talks to it nearer, frames its answers kinder,Gives form to fancy, and embodies thought.Sir H.I should not be believ'd in Percy's camp,If I should tell them that their gallant leader,The thunder of the war, the bold Northumberland,Renouncing Mars, dissolv'd in amorous wishes,Loiter'd in shades, and pin'd in rosy bowers,To catch a transient gleam of two bright eyes.Per.Enough of conquest, and enough of war!Ambition's cloy'd—the heart resumes its rights.When England's king, and England's good, requir'd,This arm not idly the keen falchion brandish'd:Enough—for vaunting misbecomes a soldier.I live, I am return'd—am near Elwina!Seest thou those turrets? Yes, that castle holds her;But wherefore tell thee this? for thou hast seen her.How look'd, what said she? Did she hear the taleOf my imagin'd death without emotion?Sir H.Percy, thou hast seen the musk-rose, newly blown,Disclose its bashful beauties to the sun,Till an unfriendly, chilling storm descended,Crush'd all its blushing glories in their prime,Bow'd its fair head, and blasted all its sweetness;So droop'd the maid beneath the cruel weightOf my sad tale.Per.So tender and so true!Sir H.I left her fainting in her father's arms,The dying flower yet hanging on the tree.Even Raby melted at the news I brought,And envy'd thee thy glory.Per.Then I am blest!His hate subdued, I've nothing more to fear.Sir H.My embassy dispatch'd, I left the castle,Nor spoke to any of Lord Raby's household,For fear the king should chide the tardinessOf my return. My joy to find you livingYou have already heard.Per.But where is Harcourt?Ere this he should have seen her, told her all,How I surviv'd, return'd—and how I love!I tremble at the near approach of bliss,And scarcely can sustain the joy which waits me.Sir H.Grant, Heaven, the fair one prove but half so true!Per.O she is truth itself!Sir H.She may be chang'd,Spite of her tears, her fainting, and alarms.I know the sex, know them as nature made 'em,Not such as lovers wish and poets feign.Per.To doubt her virtue were suspecting Heaven,'Twere little less than infidelity!And yet I tremble. Why does terror shakeThese firm-strung nerves? But 'twill be ever thus,When fate prepares us more than mortal bliss,And gives us only human strength to bear it.Sir H.What beam of brightness breaks through yonder gloom?Per.Hubert—she comes! by all my hopes, she comes!'Tis she—the blissful vision is Elwina!But ah! what mean those tears?—She weeps for me!O transport!—go.—I'll listen unobserv'd,And for a moment taste the precious joy,The banquet of a tear which falls for love.[exit Sir Hubert. Percy goes into the bower.Enter Elwina.Shall I not weep? and have I then no cause?If I could break the eternal bands of death,And wrench the sceptre from his iron grasp;If I could bid the yawning sepulchreRestore to life its long committed dust;If I could teach the slaughtering hand of warTo give me back my dear, my murder'd Percy,Then I indeed might once more cease to weep.[Percy comes out of the bower.Per.Then cease, for Percy lives.Elw.Protect me, Heaven!Per.O joy unspeakable! My life, my love!End of my toils, and crown of all my cares!Kind as consenting peace, as conquest bright,Dearer than arms, and lovelier than renown!Elw.It is his voice—it is, it is, my Percy!And dost thou live?Per.I never liv'd till now.Elw.And did my sighs, and did my sorrows, reach thee?And art thou come at last to dry my tears?How did'st thou 'scape the fury of the foe?Per.Thy guardian genius hover'd o'er the field,And turn'd the hostile spear from Percy's breast,Lest thy fair image should be wounded there.But Harcourt should have told thee all my fate,How I surviv'd——Elw.Alas! I have not seen him.Oh! I have suffer'd much.Per.Of that no more;For every minute of our future livesShall be so bless'd, that we will learn to wonderHow we could ever think we were unhappy.Elw.Percy—I cannot speak.Per.Those tears how eloquent!I would not change this motionless, mute, joyFor the sweet strains of angels: I look downWith pity on the rest of human kind,However great may be their fame of happiness,And think their niggard fate has given them nothing,Not giving thee; or, granting some small blessing,Denies them my capacity to feel it.Elw.Alas! what mean you?Per.Can I speak my meaning?'Tis of such magnitude that words would wrong it;But surely my Elwina's faithful bosomShould beat in kind responses of delight,And feel, but never question, what I mean.Elw.Hold, hold, my heart, thou hast much more to suffer!Per.Let the slow form, and tedious ceremony,Wait on the splendid victims of ambition.Love stays for none of these. Thy father's soften'd,He will forget the fatal Cheviot chace;Raby is brave, and I have serv'd my country;I would not boast, it was for thee I conquer'd;Then come, my love.Elw.O never, never, never!Per.Am I awake? Is that Elwina's voice?Elw.Percy, thou most ador'd, and most deceiv'd!If ever fortitude sustain'd thy soul,When vulgar minds have sank beneath the stroke,Let thy imperial spirit now support thee.—If thou canst be so wond'rous merciful,Do not, O do not, curse me!—but thou wilt,Thou must—for I have done a fearful deed,A deed of wild despair, a deed of horror.I am, I am—Per.Speak, say, what art thou?Elw.Married!Per.Oh!Elw.Percy, I think I begg'd thee not to curse me;But now I do revoke the fond petition.Speak! ease thy bursting soul; reproach, upbraid,O'erwhelm me with thy wrongs——I'll bear it all.Per.Open, thou earth, and hide me from her sight!Did'st thou not bid me curse thee?Elw.Mercy! mercy!Per.And have I 'scap'd the Saracen's fell swordOnly to perish by Elwina's guilt?I would have bared my bosom to the foe,I would have died, had I but known you wish'd it.Elw.Percy, I lov'd thee most when most I wrong'd thee;Yes, by these tears I did.Per.Married! just Heaven!Married! to whom? Yet wherefore should I know?It cannot add fresh horrors to thy crime,Or my destruction.Elw.Oh! 'twill add to both.How shall I tell? Prepare for something dreadful.Hast thou not heard of—Douglas?Per.Why 'tis well!Thou awful Power, why waste thy wrath on me?Why arm omnipotence to crush a worm?I could have fallen without this waste of ruin.Married to Douglas! By my wrongs, I like it;'Tis perfidy complete, 'tis finish'd falsehood,'Tis adding fresh perdition to the sin,And filling up the measure of offence!Elw.Oh! 'twas my father's deed! he made his childAn instrument of vengeance on thy head.He wept and threaten'd, sooth'd me, and commanded.Per.And you complied, most duteously complied!Elw.I could withstand his fury; but his tears,Ah, they undid me! Percy, dost thou knowThe cruel tyranny of tenderness?Hast thou e'er felt a father's warm embrace?Hast thou e'er seen a father's flowing tears,And known that thou could'st wipe those tears away?If thou hast felt, and hast resisted these,Then thou may'st curse my weakness; but if not,Thou canst not pity, for thou canst not judge.Per.Let me not hear the music of thy voice,Or I shall love thee still; I shall forgetThy fatal marriage and my savage wrongs.Elw.Dost thou not hate me, Percy?Per.Hate thee? Yes,As dying martyrs hate the righteous causeOf that bless'd power for whom they bleed—I hate thee.[they look at each other with silent agony.]Enter Harcourt.Har.Forgive, my lord, your faithful knight——Per.Come, Harcourt,Come, and behold the wretch who once was Percy.Har.With grief I've learn'd the whole unhappy tale.Earl Douglas, whose suspicion never sleeps—Per.What, is the tyrant jealous?Elw.Hear him, Percy.Per.I will command my rage—Go on.Har.Earl DouglasKnew, by my arms and my accoutrements,That I belong'd to you; he question'd much,And much he menac'd me, but both alikeIn vain; he then arrested and confin'd me.Per.Arrest my knight! The Scot shall answer it.Elw.How came you now releas'd?Har.Your noble fatherObtain'd my freedom, having learn'd from HubertThe news of Percy's death. The good old lord,Hearing the king's return, has left the castleTo do him homage.[To Percy] Sir, you had best retire;Your safety is endanger'd by your stay.I fear, should Douglas know——Per.Should Douglas know!Why what new magic's in the name of Douglas,That it should strike Northumberland with fear?Go, seek the haughty Scot, and tell him—no—Conduct me to his presence.Elw.Percy, hold;Think not 'tis Douglas—'tis—Per.I know it well——Thou mean'st to tell me 'tis Elwina's husband;But that inflames me to superior madness.This happy husband, this triumphant Douglas,Shall not insult my misery with his bliss.I'll blast the golden promise of his joys.Conduct me to him—nay, I will have way—Come, let us seek this husband.Elw.Percy, hear me.When I was robb'd of all my peace of mind,My cruel fortune left me still one blessing,One solitary blessing, to console me;It was my fame.—'Tis a rich jewel, Percy,And I must keep it spotless, and unsoil'd:But thou wouldst plunder what e'en Douglas spar'd,And rob this single gem of all its brightness.Per.Go—thou wast born to rule the fate of Percy.Thou art my conqueror still.Elw.What noise is that?[Harcourt goes to the side of the stage.Per.Why art thou thus alarm'd?Elw.Alas! I feelThe cowardice and terrors of the wicked,Without their sense of guilt.Har.My lord, 'tis Douglas.Elw.Fly, Percy, and for ever!Per.Fly from Douglas?Elw.Then stay, barbarian, and at once destroyMy life and fame.Per.That thought is death. I go:My honour to thy dearer honour yields.Elw.Yet, yet thou art not gone!Per.Farewell, farewell![exit Percy.Elw.I dare not meet the searching eye of Douglas.I must conceal my terrors.Douglas at the side with his sword drawn,Edric holds him.Dou.Give me way.Edr.Thou shalt not enter.Dou.[struggling with Edric] If there were no hell,It would defraud my vengeance of its edge,And she should live.[breaks from Edric and comes forward.Cursed chance! he is not here.Elw.[going.] I dare not meet his fury.Dou.See she fliesWith every mark of guilt.—Go, search the bower,[aside to Edric.He shall not thus escape. Madam, return.[aloud.Now, honest Douglas, learn of her to feign.[aside.Alone, Elwina? who just parted hence?[with affected composure.Elw.My lord, 'twas Harcourt; sure you must have met him.Dou.O exquisite dissembler! [aside.] No one else!Elw.My lord!Dou.How I enjoy her criminal confusion![aside.You tremble, madam.Elw.Wherefore should I tremble?By your permission Harcourt was admitted;'Twas no mysterious, secret introduction.Dou.And yet you seem alarm'd.—If Harcourt's presenceThus agitates each nerve, makes every pulseThus wildly throb, and the warm tides of bloodMount in quick rushing tumults to your cheek;If friendship can excite such strong emotions,What tremors had a lover's presence caus'd?Elw.Ungenerous man!Dou.I feast upon her terrors.[aside.The story of his death was well contriv'd;[to her.But it affects not me; I have a wife,Compar'd with whom cold Dian was unchaste.[takes her hand.But mark me well—though it concerns not you—If there's a sin more deeply black than others,Distinguish'd from the list of common crimes,A legion in itself, and doubly dearTo the dark prince of hell, it is—hypocrisy.[throws her from him, and exit.Elw.Yes, I will bear his fearful indignation!Thou melting heart, be firm as adamant;Ye shatter'd nerves, be strung with manly force,That I may conquer all my sex's weakness,Nor let this bleeding bosom lodge one thought,Cherish one wish, or harbour one desire,That angels may not hear and Douglas know.[exit.
Enter Douglas, his sword drawn and bloody in one hand, in the other a letter. Harcourt, wounded.
Enter Douglas, his sword drawn and bloody in one hand, in the other a letter. Harcourt, wounded.
Dou.Traitor, no more! this letter shews thy office;Twice hast thou robb'd me of my dear revenge.I took thee for thy leader.—Thy base bloodWould stain the noble temper of my sword;But as the pander to thy master's lust,Thou justly fall'st by a wrong'd husband's hand.Har.Thy wife is innocent.Dou.Take him away.Har.Percy, revenge my fall![guards bear Harcourt in.Dou.Now for the letter!He begs once more to see her.—So 'tis plainThey have already met!—but to the rest——[Reads.] "In vain you wish me to restore the scarf;Dear pledge of love, while I have life I'll wear it,'Tis next my heart; no power shall force it thence;Whene'er you see it in another's hand,Conclude me dead."—My curses on them both!How tamely I peruse my shame! but thus,Thus let me tear the guilty charactersWhich register my infamy; and thus,Thus would I scatter to the winds of heavenThe vile complotters of my foul dishonour.[tears the letter in the utmost agitation.Enter Edric.Edr.My lord——Dou.[in the utmost fury, not seeing Edric.] The scarf!Edr.Lord Douglas.Dou.[still not hearing him.] Yes, the scarf!Percy, I thank thee for the glorious thought!I'll cherish it; 'twill sweeten all my pangs,And add a higher relish to revenge!Edr.My lord!Dou.How! Edric here?Edr.What new distress?Dou.Dost thou expect I should recount my shame,Dwell on each circumstance of my disgrace,And swell my infamy into a tale?Rage will not let me—But—my wife is false.Edr.Art thou convinc'd?Dou.The chronicles of hellCannot produce a falser.—But what newsOf her cursed paramour?Edr.He has escap'd.Dou.Hast thou examin'd every avenue?Each spot? the grove? the bower, her favourite haunt?Edr.I've search'd them all.Dou.He shall be yet pursued.Set guards at every gate.—Let none departOr gain admittance here, without my knowledge.Edr.What can their purpose be?Dou.Is it not clear?Harcourt has raised his arm against my life;He fail'd; the blow is now reserv'd for Percy;Then, with his sword fresh reeking from my heart,He'll revel with that wanton o'er my tomb;Nor will he bring her aught she'll hold so dear,As the curs'd hand with which he slew her husband.But he shall die! I'll drown my rage in blood,Which I will offer as a rich libationOn thy infernal altar, black revenge![exeunt.
Enter Elwina.
Enter Elwina.
Elw.Each avenue is so beset with guards,And lynx-ey'd Jealousy so broad awake,He cannot pass unseen. Protect him, heaven!Enter Birtha.My Birtha, is he safe? has he escap'd?Bir.I know not. I dispatch'd young Harcourt to him,To bid him quit the castle, as you order'd,Restore the scarf, and never see you more.But how the hard injunction was receiv'd,Or what has happen'd since, I'm yet to learn.Elw.O when shall I be eas'd of all my cares,And in the quiet bosom of the graveLay down this weary head!—I'm sick at heart!Should Douglas intercept his flight!Bir.Be calm;Douglas this very moment left the castle,With seeming peace.Elw.Ah, then, indeed there's danger!Birtha, whene'er Suspicion feigns to sleep,'Tis but to make its careless prey secure.Bir.Should Percy once again entreat to see thee,'Twere best admit him; from thy lips aloneHe will submit to hear his final doomOf everlasting exile.Elw.Birtha, no;If honour would allow the wife of DouglasTo meet his rival, yet I durst not do it.Percy! too much this rebel heart is thine:Too deeply should I feel each pang I gave;I cannot hate—but I will banish—thee.Inexorable duly, O forgive,If I can do no more!Bir.If he remains,As I suspect, within the castle walls,'Twere best I sought him out.Elw.Then tell him, Birtha,But, Oh! with gentleness, with mercy, tell him,That we must never, never, meet again.The purport of my tale must be severe,But let thy tenderness embalm the woundMy virtue gives. O soften his despair;But say—we meet no more.Enter Percy.Rash man, he's here![she attempts to go, he seizes her hand.Per.I will be heard; nay, fly not; I will speak;Lost as I am, I will not be deniedThe mournful consolation to complain.Elw.Percy, I charge thee, leave me.Per.Tyrant, no:I blush at my obedience, blush to thinkI left thee here alone, to brave the dangerI now return to share.Elw.That danger's past:Douglas was soon appeas'd; he nothing knows.Then leave me, I conjure thee, nor againEndanger my repose. Yet, ere thou goest,Restore the scarf.Per.Unkind Elwina, never!'Tis all that's left me of my buried joys,All which reminds me that I once was happy.My letter told thee I would ne'er restore it.Elw.Letter! what letter?Per.That I sent by Harcourt.Elw.Which I have ne'er receiv'd. Douglas perhaps—Who knows?Bir.Harcourt, t' elude his watchfulness,Might prudently retire.Elw.Grant heaven it prove so![Elwina going, Percy holds her.Per.Hear me, Elwina; the most savage honourForbids not that poor grace.Elw.It bids me fly thee.Per.Then, ere thou goest, if we indeed must part,To sooth the horrors of eternal exile,Say but—thou pity'st me!Elw.[weeps.] O Percy—pity thee!Imperious honour;—surely I may pity him.Yet, wherefore pity? no, I envy thee:For thou hast still the liberty to weep,In thee 'twill be no crime: thy tears are guiltless,For they infringe no duty, stain no honour,And blot no vow; but mine are criminal,Are drops of shame which wash the cheek of guilt,And every tear I shed dishonours Douglas.Per.I swear my jealous love e'en grudges theeThy sad pre-eminence in wretchedness.Elw.Rouse, rouse, my slumb'ring virtue! Percy, hear me.Heaven, when it gives such high-wrought souls as thine,Still gives as great occasions to exert them.If thou wast form'd so noble, great, and gen'rous,'Twas to surmount the passions which enslaveThe gross of human-kind.—Then think, O think,She, whom thou once didst love, is now another's.Per.Go on—and tell me that that other's Douglas.Elw.Whate'er his name, he claims respect from me:His honour's in my keeping, and I holdThe trust so pure, its sanctity is hurtE'en by thy presence.Per.Thou again hast conquer'd.Celestial virtue, like the angel spirit,Whose flaming sword defended Paradise,Stands guard on every charm,—Elwina, yes,To triumph over Douglas, we'll be virtuous.Elw.'Tis not enough to be,—we must appear so:Great souls disdain the shadow of offence,Nor must their whiteness wear the stain of guilt.Per.I shall retract—I dare not gaze upon thee;My feeble virtue staggers, and againThe fiends of jealousy torment and haunt me.They tear my heart-strings.——Oh!Elw.No more;But spare my injur'd honour the affrontTo vindicate itself.Per.But, love!Elw.But, glory!Per.Enough! a ray of thy sublimer spiritHas warm'd my dying honour to a flame!One effort and 'tis done. The world shall say,When they shall speak of my disastrous love,Percy deserv'd Elwina though he lost her.Fond tears, blind me not yet! a little longer,Let my sad eyes a little longer gaze,And leave their last beams here.Elw.[turns from him.] I do not weep.Per.Not weep? then why those eyes avoiding mine?And why that broken voice? those trembling accents?That sigh which rends my soul?Elw.No more, no more.Per.That pang decides it. Come—I'll die at once;Thou Power supreme! take all the length of days,And all the blessings kept in store for me,And add to her account.—Yet turn once more,One little look, one last, short glimpse of day,And then a long dark night.—Hold, hold, my heart,O break not yet, while I behold her sweetness;For after this dear, mournful, tender moment,I shall have nothing more to do with life.Elw.I do conjure thee, go.Per.'Tis terrible to nature!With pangs like these the soul and body part!And thus, but oh, with far less agony,The poor departing wretch still grasps at being,Thus clings to life, thus dreads the dark unknown,Thus struggles to the last to keep his hold;And when the dire convulsive groan of deathDislodges the sad spirit—thus it stays,And fondly hovers o'er the form it lov'd.Once and no more—farewell, farewell!Elw.For ever![they look at each other for some time,then exit Percy. After a pause;'Tis past—the conflict's past! retire, my Birtha,I would address me to the throne of grace.Bir.May Heaven restore that peace thy bosom wants![exit Birtha.Elw.[kneels.] Look down, thou, awful, heart-inspecting Judge,Look down with mercy on thy erring creature,And teach my soul the lowliness it needs!And if some sad remains of human weaknessShould sometimes mingle with my best resolves,O breathe thy spirit on this wayward heart,And teach me to repent th' intruding sinIn it's first birth of thought![Noise within.] What noise is that?The clash of swords! should Douglas be return'd!Enter Douglas and Percy, fighting.Dou.Yield, villain, yield!Per.Not till this good right armShall fail its master.Dou.This to thy heart, then.Per.Defend thy own.[they fight; Percy disarms Douglas.Dou.Confusion, death, and hell!Edr.[without] This way I heard the noise.Enter Edric, and many Knights and Guards,from every part of the stage.Per.Cursed treachery!But dearly will I sell my life.Dou.Seize on him.Per.I'm taken in the toils.[Percy is surrounded by Guards, who take his sword.Dou.In the cursed snareThou laid'st for me, traitor, thyself art caught.Elw.He never sought thy life.Dou.Adulteress, peace!The villain Harcourt too—but he's at rest.Per.Douglas, I'm in thy power; but do not triumph,Percy's betray'd, not conquer'd. Come, dispatch me.Elw.[to Douglas] O do not, do not, kill him!Per.Madam, forbear;For by the glorious shades of my great fathers,Their godlike spirit is not so extinct,That I should owe my life to that vile Scot.Though dangers close me round on every side,And death besets me, I am Percy still.Dou.Sorceress, I'll disappoint thee—he shall die,Thy minion shall expire before thy face,That I may feast my hatred with your pangs,And make his dying groans, and thy fond tears,A banquet for my vengeance.Elw.Savage tyrant!I would have fallen a silent sacrifice,So thou had'st spar'd my fame.—I never wrong'd thee.Per.She knew not of my coming;—I aloneHave been to blame—Spite of her interdiction,I hither came. She's pure as spotless saints.Elw.I will not be excus'd by Percy's crime;So white my innocence, it does not askThe shade of others' faults to set it off;Nor shall he need to sully his fair fameTo throw a brighter lustre round my virtue.Dou.Yet he can only die—but death for honour!Ye powers of hell, who take malignant joyIn human bloodshed, give me some dire means,Wild as my hate, and desperate as my wrongs!Per.Enough of words. Thou know'st I hate thee, Douglas;'Tis stedfast, fix'd, hereditary hate,As thine for me; our fathers did bequeath itAs part of our unalienable birthright,Which nought but death can end.—Come, end it here.Elw.[kneels] Hold, Douglas, hold!—not for myself I kneel,I do not plead for Percy, but for thee:Arm not thy hand against thy future peace,Spare thy brave breast the tortures of remorse,—Stain not a life of unpolluted honour,For, oh! as surely as thou strik'st at Percy,Thou wilt for ever stab the fame of Douglas.Per.Finish the bloody work.Dou.Then take thy wish.Per.Why dost thou start?[Percy bares his bosom. Douglas advancesto stab him, and discovers the scarf.Dou.Her scarf upon his breast!The blasting sight converts me into stone;Withers my powers like cowardice or age,Curdles the blood within my shiv'ring veins,And palsies my bold arm.Per.[ironically to the Knights] Hear you, his friends!Bear witness to the glorious, great exploit,Record it in the annals of his race,That Douglas, the renown'd—the valiant Douglas,Fenc'd round with guards, and safe in his own castle,Surpris'd a knight unarm'd, and bravely slew him.Dou.[throwing away his dagger]'Tis true—I am the very stain of knighthood.How is my glory dimm'd!Elw.It blazes brighter!Douglas was only brave—he now is generous!Per.This action has restor'd thee to thy rank,And makes thee worthy to contend with Percy.Dou.Thy joy will be as short as 'tis insulting.[to Elwina.And thou, imperious boy, restrain thy boasting.Thou hast sav'd my honour, not remov'd my hate,For my soul loaths thee for the obligation.Give him his sword.Per.Now thou'rt a noble foe,And in the field of honour I will meet thee,As knight encount'ring knight.Elw.Stay, Percy, stay,Strike at the wretched cause of all, strike here,Here sheath thy thirsty sword, but spare my husband.Dou.Turn, madam, and address those vows to me,To spare the precious life of him you love.Even now you triumph in the death of Douglas;Now your loose fancy kindles at the thought,And, wildly rioting in lawless hope,Indulges the adultery of the mind.But I'll defeat that wish.—Guards, bear her in.Nay, do not struggle.[she is borne in.Per.Let our deaths suffice,And reverence virtue in that form inshrin'd.Dou.Provoke my rage no farther.—I have kindledThe burning torch of never-dying vengeanceAt love's expiring lamp.—But mark me, friends,If Percy's happier genius should prevail,And I should fall, give him safe conduct hence,Be all observance paid him.—Go, I follow thee.[aside to Edric.Within I've something for thy private ear.Per.Now shall this mutual fury be appeas'd!These eager hands shall soon be drench'd in slaughter!Yes—like two famish'd vultures snuffing blood,And panting to destroy, we'll rush to combat;Yet I've the deepest, deadliest, cause of hate,I am but Percy, thou'rt—Elwina's husband.[exeunt.