LINENOTES:

Fernandez.But little, General! and my faithful charger105Liked it still less.The field of battle in the level plainBy Fontarabia was more to our taste.Earl Henry.Where is my brother, Don Curio! Have youSeen him of late?

Fernandez.But little, General! and my faithful charger105Liked it still less.The field of battle in the level plainBy Fontarabia was more to our taste.

Earl Henry.Where is my brother, Don Curio! Have youSeen him of late?

Fernandez.Scarcely, dear General!110For by my troth I have been laughing at himEven till the merry tears so filled my eyesThat I lost sight of him.Sandoval.But wherefore, Captain.Fernandez.He hath been studying speeches with fierce gestures;Speeches brimfull of wrath and indignation,115The which he hopes to vent in open council:And, in the heat and fury of this fancyHe grasp'd your groom of the Chamber by the throatWho squeaking piteously, Ey! quoth your brother,I cry you Mercy, Fool! Hadst been indeed120The Chancellor, I should have strangled thee.Sandoval.Ha, ha! poor Barnard!Fernandez.What you know my Gentleman,My Groom of the Chamber, my Sieur Barnard, hey?Sandoval.I know him for a barren-pated coxcomb.Fernandez.But very weedy, Sir! in worthless phrases,125A sedulous eschewer of the popularAnd the colloquial—one who seeketh dignityI' th' paths of circumlocution! It would haveSurpris'd you tho', to hear how nat'rallyHe squeak'd when Curio had him by the throat.130Sandoval.I know him too for an habitual scornerOf Truth.Fernandez.And one that lies more dully thanOld Women dream, without pretence of fancy,Humour or mirth, a most disinterested,Gratuitous Liar.Earl Henry.Ho! enough, enough!135Spare him, I pray you, were't but from respectTo the presence of his Lord.Sandoval.I stand reprov'd.Fernandez.I too, but that I know our noble GeneralMaintains him near his person, only thatIf he should ever go in jeopardy140Of being damn'd (as he's now persecuted)For his virtue and fair sense, he may be sav'dBy the supererogation of this Fellow'sFolly and Worthlessness.——

Fernandez.Scarcely, dear General!110For by my troth I have been laughing at himEven till the merry tears so filled my eyesThat I lost sight of him.

Sandoval.But wherefore, Captain.

Fernandez.He hath been studying speeches with fierce gestures;Speeches brimfull of wrath and indignation,115The which he hopes to vent in open council:And, in the heat and fury of this fancyHe grasp'd your groom of the Chamber by the throatWho squeaking piteously, Ey! quoth your brother,I cry you Mercy, Fool! Hadst been indeed120The Chancellor, I should have strangled thee.

Sandoval.Ha, ha! poor Barnard!

Fernandez.What you know my Gentleman,My Groom of the Chamber, my Sieur Barnard, hey?

Sandoval.I know him for a barren-pated coxcomb.

Fernandez.But very weedy, Sir! in worthless phrases,125A sedulous eschewer of the popularAnd the colloquial—one who seeketh dignityI' th' paths of circumlocution! It would haveSurpris'd you tho', to hear how nat'rallyHe squeak'd when Curio had him by the throat.130

Sandoval.I know him too for an habitual scornerOf Truth.

Fernandez.And one that lies more dully thanOld Women dream, without pretence of fancy,Humour or mirth, a most disinterested,Gratuitous Liar.

Earl Henry.Ho! enough, enough!135Spare him, I pray you, were't but from respectTo the presence of his Lord.

Sandoval.I stand reprov'd.

Fernandez.I too, but that I know our noble GeneralMaintains him near his person, only thatIf he should ever go in jeopardy140Of being damn'd (as he's now persecuted)For his virtue and fair sense, he may be sav'dBy the supererogation of this Fellow'sFolly and Worthlessness.——

Earl Henry.Hold, hold, good Ancient!Do you not know that this Barnard saved my life?145Well, but my brother——Fernandez.He will soon be here.I swear by this, my sword, dear General.I swear he has a Hero's soul—I onlyWish I could communicate to himMy gift of governing the spleen.—Then he150Has had his colors, the drums too of the RegimentAll put in cases—O, that stirs the Soldiery.Earl Henry.Impetuous Boy!Fernandez.Nay, Fear not for them, General.The Chancellor, no doubt, will take good careTo let their blood grow cool on garrison duty.155Sandoval.Earl Henry! Frown not thus upon Fernandez;'Tis said, and all the Soldiery believe it,That the five Regiments who return with youWill be dispers'd in garrisons and castles,And other Jails of honourable name.160So great a crime it is to have been presentIn duty and devotion to a Hero!Fernandez.What now? What now? The politic Chancellor isThe Soldier's friend, and rather than not giveSnug pensions to brave Men, he'll overlook165All small disqualifying circumstancesOf youth and health, keen eye and muscular limb,He'll count our scars, and set them down for maims.And gain us thus all privileges and profitsOf Invalids and superannuate veterans.170Earl Henry.'Tis but an idle rumour—See! they come.

Earl Henry.Hold, hold, good Ancient!Do you not know that this Barnard saved my life?145Well, but my brother——

Fernandez.He will soon be here.I swear by this, my sword, dear General.I swear he has a Hero's soul—I onlyWish I could communicate to himMy gift of governing the spleen.—Then he150Has had his colors, the drums too of the RegimentAll put in cases—O, that stirs the Soldiery.

Earl Henry.Impetuous Boy!

Fernandez.Nay, Fear not for them, General.The Chancellor, no doubt, will take good careTo let their blood grow cool on garrison duty.155

Sandoval.Earl Henry! Frown not thus upon Fernandez;'Tis said, and all the Soldiery believe it,That the five Regiments who return with youWill be dispers'd in garrisons and castles,And other Jails of honourable name.160So great a crime it is to have been presentIn duty and devotion to a Hero!

Fernandez.What now? What now? The politic Chancellor isThe Soldier's friend, and rather than not giveSnug pensions to brave Men, he'll overlook165All small disqualifying circumstancesOf youth and health, keen eye and muscular limb,He'll count our scars, and set them down for maims.And gain us thus all privileges and profitsOf Invalids and superannuate veterans.170

Earl Henry.'Tis but an idle rumour—See! they come.

EnterBarnardand a number of Soldiers, their Colours wound up, and the Drums in Cases, and after themDon Curio. All pay the military Honors to the General. During this timeFernandezhas hurried up in front of the Stage.

EnterDon Curio.

Don Curio (advancing toEarl Henry).Has Barnard told you?Insult on insult! by mine honor, Brother!(Barnardgoes besideCurio.) And by our Father's soul they mean to saint you,Having first prov'd your Patience more than mortal.175

Earl Henry.Take heed, Don Curio! lest with greater rightThey scoff my Brother for a choleric boy.What insult then?Don Curio.Our Friend, the Chancellor,Welcomes you home, and shares the common joyIn the most happy tidings of your Victory:180But as to your demand of instant audienceFrom the Queen's Royal Person,—'tis rejected!Sandoval.Rejected?Barnard (making a deep obeisance).May it please the Earl!Earl Henry.Speak, Barnard.Barnard.The noble Youth, your very valiant brother,And wise as valiant (bowing toDon Curiowho puffs at him) rightly doth insinuate185Fortune deals nothing singly—whether HonorsOr Insults, whether it be Joys or Sorrows,They crowd together on us, or at bestDrop in in quick succession.Fernandez (mocking him).'Ne'er rains it, but it pours,' or, at the best,190'More sacks upon the mill.' This fellow's aPerpetual plagiarist from his Grandmother, andHow slily in the parcel wraps [he] upThe stolen goods!Earl Henry.Be somewhat briefer, Barnard.Barnard.But could I dare insinuate to your Brother195A fearless Truth, Earl Henry—it were this:Even Lucifer, Prince of the Air, hath claimsUpon our justice.Fernandez.Give the Devil his Due!Why, thou base Lacquerer of worm-eaten proverbs,[And] wherefore dost thou not tell us at once200What the Chancellor said to thee?Barnard (looking round superciliously atFernandez).The Queen hath left the Capital affectingRural retirement, but 'I will hasten'(Thus said the Chancellor) 'I myself will hastenAnd lay before her Majesty the Tidings205Both of Earl Henry's Victory and return.She will vouchsafe, I doubt not, to re-enterHer Capital, without delay, and grantThe wish'd for Audience with all public honour.'Don Curio.A mere Device, I say, to pass a slight on us.210

Earl Henry.Take heed, Don Curio! lest with greater rightThey scoff my Brother for a choleric boy.What insult then?

Don Curio.Our Friend, the Chancellor,Welcomes you home, and shares the common joyIn the most happy tidings of your Victory:180But as to your demand of instant audienceFrom the Queen's Royal Person,—'tis rejected!

Sandoval.Rejected?

Barnard (making a deep obeisance).May it please the Earl!

Earl Henry.Speak, Barnard.

Barnard.The noble Youth, your very valiant brother,And wise as valiant (bowing toDon Curiowho puffs at him) rightly doth insinuate185Fortune deals nothing singly—whether HonorsOr Insults, whether it be Joys or Sorrows,They crowd together on us, or at bestDrop in in quick succession.

Fernandez (mocking him).'Ne'er rains it, but it pours,' or, at the best,190'More sacks upon the mill.' This fellow's aPerpetual plagiarist from his Grandmother, andHow slily in the parcel wraps [he] upThe stolen goods!

Earl Henry.Be somewhat briefer, Barnard.

Barnard.But could I dare insinuate to your Brother195A fearless Truth, Earl Henry—it were this:Even Lucifer, Prince of the Air, hath claimsUpon our justice.

Fernandez.Give the Devil his Due!Why, thou base Lacquerer of worm-eaten proverbs,[And] wherefore dost thou not tell us at once200What the Chancellor said to thee?

Barnard (looking round superciliously atFernandez).The Queen hath left the Capital affectingRural retirement, but 'I will hasten'(Thus said the Chancellor) 'I myself will hastenAnd lay before her Majesty the Tidings205Both of Earl Henry's Victory and return.She will vouchsafe, I doubt not, to re-enterHer Capital, without delay, and grantThe wish'd for Audience with all public honour.'

Don Curio.A mere Device, I say, to pass a slight on us.210

Fernandez (to himself).To think on't. Pshaw! A fellow, that must needsHave been decreed an Ass by acclamation,Had he not looked so very like an Owl.And he to—— (turns suddenly round, and facesBarnardwho had even then come close beside him).Boo!——Ah! is it you, Sieur Barnard!Barnard.No other, Sir!Fernandez.And is it not reported,215That you once sav'd the General's life?Barnard.'Tis certain!Fernandez.Was he asleep? And were the hunters comingAnd did you bite him on the nose?Barnard.What mean you?Fernandez.That was the way in which the Flea i' th' FableOnce sav'd the Lion's life.Earl Henry.'Tis well.220The Sun hath almost finish'd his Day's Travels;We too will finish ours. Go, gallant Comrades,And at the neighbouring Mansion, for us all,Claim entertainment in your General's name.

Barnard.No other, Sir!

Fernandez.And is it not reported,215That you once sav'd the General's life?

Barnard.'Tis certain!

Fernandez.Was he asleep? And were the hunters comingAnd did you bite him on the nose?

Barnard.What mean you?

Fernandez.That was the way in which the Flea i' th' FableOnce sav'd the Lion's life.

Earl Henry.'Tis well.220The Sun hath almost finish'd his Day's Travels;We too will finish ours. Go, gallant Comrades,And at the neighbouring Mansion, for us all,Claim entertainment in your General's name.

ExeuntSoldiers, &c.As they are leaving the Stage.

Fernandez(toBarnard). A word with you! You act the Chancellor225Incomparably well.Barnard.Most valiant Captain,Vouchsafe a manual union.Fernandez(griping[sic]his hand with affected fervor). 'Tis no wonder,Don Curio should mistook [sic] you for him.Barnard.Truly,The Chancellor, and I, it hath been notic'dAre of one stature.Fernandez.And Don Curio'sGripetoo230Had lent a guttural Music to your voice,[1069]A sort of bagpipe Buz, that suited wellYour dignity of utterance.Barnard (simpering courteously).Don Fernandez,Few are the storms that bring unmingled evil.Fernandez (mocking him).'Tis an ill wind, that blows no good, Sieur Barnard! [Exeunt.235

Fernandez(toBarnard). A word with you! You act the Chancellor225Incomparably well.

Barnard.Most valiant Captain,Vouchsafe a manual union.

Fernandez(griping[sic]his hand with affected fervor). 'Tis no wonder,Don Curio should mistook [sic] you for him.

Barnard.Truly,The Chancellor, and I, it hath been notic'dAre of one stature.

Fernandez.And Don Curio'sGripetoo230Had lent a guttural Music to your voice,[1069]A sort of bagpipe Buz, that suited wellYour dignity of utterance.

Barnard (simpering courteously).Don Fernandez,Few are the storms that bring unmingled evil.

Fernandez (mocking him).'Tis an ill wind, that blows no good, Sieur Barnard! [Exeunt.235

Don Curiolingering behind.

Don Curio.I have offended you, my brother.Earl H.Yes!For you've not learnt the noblest part of valour,To suffer and obey. Drums put in cases,Colours wound up—what means this Mummery?We are sunk low indeed, if wrongs like our's240Must seek redress in impotent Freaks of Anger.(This way, Don Sandoval) of boyish anger——

Don Curio.I have offended you, my brother.

Earl H.Yes!For you've not learnt the noblest part of valour,To suffer and obey. Drums put in cases,Colours wound up—what means this Mummery?We are sunk low indeed, if wrongs like our's240Must seek redress in impotent Freaks of Anger.(This way, Don Sandoval) of boyish anger——

(Walks withSandovalto the back of the Stage.)

Don Curio (to himself).Freaks! freaks! But what if they have sav'd from burstingThe swelling heart of one, whose Cup of HopeWas savagely dash'd down—even from his lips?—245Permitted just to see the face of War,Then like a truant boy, scourgd home againOne Field my whole Campaign! One glorious BattleTo madden one with Hope!—Did he not pauseTwice in the fight, and press me to his breastplate,250And cry, that all might hear him, Well done, brother!No blessed Soul, just naturalized in Heaven,Pac'd ever by the side of an ImmortalMore proudly, Henry! than I fought by thine—Shame on these tears!—this, too, is boyish anger![Exit.255

Earl HenryandSandovalreturn to the front of the stage.

Earl Henry.I spake more harshly to him, than need was.Sandoval.Observ'd you how he pull'd his beaver down—Doubtless to hide the tears, he could not check.Earl Henry.Go, sooth [sic] him, Friend!—And having reach'd the CastleGain Oropeza's private ear, and tell her260Where you have left me.

Earl Henry.I spake more harshly to him, than need was.

Sandoval.Observ'd you how he pull'd his beaver down—Doubtless to hide the tears, he could not check.

Earl Henry.Go, sooth [sic] him, Friend!—And having reach'd the CastleGain Oropeza's private ear, and tell her260Where you have left me.

(AsSandovalis going)

Nay, stay awhile with me.I am too full of dreams to meet her now.

Sandoval.You lov'd the daughter of Don Manrique?Earl Henry.Loved?Sandoval.Did you not say, you woo'd her?Earl Henry.Once I lov'dHer whom I dar'd not woo!——Sandoval.And woo'd perchance265One whom you lov'd not!Earl Henry.O I were most baseNot loving Oropeza. True, I woo'd herHoping to heal a deeper wound: but sheMet my advances with an empassion'd PrideThat kindled Love with Love. And when her Sire270Who in his dream of Hope already grasp'dThe golden circlet in his hand, rejectedMy suit, with Insult, and in memoryOf ancient Feuds, pour'd Curses on my head,Her Blessings overtook and baffled them.275But thou art stern, and with unkindling CountenanceArt inly reasoning whilst thou listenest to me.Sandoval.Anxiously, Henry! reasoning anxiously.But Oropeza—Earl Henry.Blessings gather round her!Within this wood there winds a secret passage,280Beneath the walls, which open out at lengthInto the gloomiest covert of the Garden.—The night ere my departure to the Army,She, nothing trembling, led me through that gloom,And to the covert by a silent stream,285Which, with one star reflected near its marge,Was the sole object visible around me.The night so dark, so close, the umbrage o'er us!No leaflet stirr'd;—yet pleasure hung upon us,The gloom and stillness of the balmy night-air.290A little further on an arbor stood,Fragrant with flowering Trees—I well rememberWhat an uncertain glimmer in the DarknessTheir snow-white Blossoms made—thither she led me,[1071]To that sweet bower! Then Oropeza trembled—295I heard her heart beat—if 'twere not my own.Sandoval.A rude and searing note, my friend!Earl Henry.Oh! no!I have small memory of aught but pleasure.The inquietudes of fear, like lesser StreamsStill flowing, still were lost in those of Love:300So Love grew mightier from the Pear, and Nature,Fleeing from Pain, shelter'd herself in Joy.The stars above our heads were dim and steady,Like eyes suffus'd with rapture. Life was in us:We were all life, each atom of our Frames305A living soul—I vow'd to die for her:With the faint voice of one who, having spoken,Relapses into blessedness, I vow'd it:That solemn Vow, a whisper scarcely heard,A murmur breath'd against a lady's Cheek.310Oh! there is Joy above the name of Pleasure,Deep self-possession, an intense Repose.No other than as Eastern Sages feign,The God, who floats upon a Lotos Leaf,Dreams for a thousand ages; then awaking,315Creates a world, and smiling at the bubble,Relapses into bliss. Ah! was that blissFear'd as an alien, and too vast for man?For suddenly, intolerant of its silence,Did Oropeza, starting, grasp my forehead.320I caught her arms; the veins were swelling on them.Thro' the dark Bower she sent a hollow voice;—'Oh! what if all betray me? what if thou?'I swore, and with an inward thought that seemed[1072]The unity and substance of my Being,325I swore to her, that were she red with guilt,I would exchange my unblench'd state with hers.—Friend! by that winding passage, to the BowerI now will go—all objects there will teach meUnwavering Love, and singleness of Heart.330Go, Sandoval! I am prepar'd to meet her—Say nothing of me—I myself will seek her—Nay, leave me, friend! I cannot bear the tormentAnd Inquisition of that scanning eye.—

Sandoval.You lov'd the daughter of Don Manrique?

Earl Henry.Loved?

Sandoval.Did you not say, you woo'd her?

Earl Henry.Once I lov'dHer whom I dar'd not woo!——

Sandoval.And woo'd perchance265One whom you lov'd not!

Earl Henry.O I were most baseNot loving Oropeza. True, I woo'd herHoping to heal a deeper wound: but sheMet my advances with an empassion'd PrideThat kindled Love with Love. And when her Sire270Who in his dream of Hope already grasp'dThe golden circlet in his hand, rejectedMy suit, with Insult, and in memoryOf ancient Feuds, pour'd Curses on my head,Her Blessings overtook and baffled them.275But thou art stern, and with unkindling CountenanceArt inly reasoning whilst thou listenest to me.

Sandoval.Anxiously, Henry! reasoning anxiously.But Oropeza—

Earl Henry.Blessings gather round her!Within this wood there winds a secret passage,280Beneath the walls, which open out at lengthInto the gloomiest covert of the Garden.—The night ere my departure to the Army,She, nothing trembling, led me through that gloom,And to the covert by a silent stream,285Which, with one star reflected near its marge,Was the sole object visible around me.The night so dark, so close, the umbrage o'er us!No leaflet stirr'd;—yet pleasure hung upon us,The gloom and stillness of the balmy night-air.290A little further on an arbor stood,Fragrant with flowering Trees—I well rememberWhat an uncertain glimmer in the DarknessTheir snow-white Blossoms made—thither she led me,[1071]To that sweet bower! Then Oropeza trembled—295I heard her heart beat—if 'twere not my own.

Sandoval.A rude and searing note, my friend!

Earl Henry.Oh! no!I have small memory of aught but pleasure.The inquietudes of fear, like lesser StreamsStill flowing, still were lost in those of Love:300So Love grew mightier from the Pear, and Nature,Fleeing from Pain, shelter'd herself in Joy.The stars above our heads were dim and steady,Like eyes suffus'd with rapture. Life was in us:We were all life, each atom of our Frames305A living soul—I vow'd to die for her:With the faint voice of one who, having spoken,Relapses into blessedness, I vow'd it:That solemn Vow, a whisper scarcely heard,A murmur breath'd against a lady's Cheek.310Oh! there is Joy above the name of Pleasure,Deep self-possession, an intense Repose.No other than as Eastern Sages feign,The God, who floats upon a Lotos Leaf,Dreams for a thousand ages; then awaking,315Creates a world, and smiling at the bubble,Relapses into bliss. Ah! was that blissFear'd as an alien, and too vast for man?For suddenly, intolerant of its silence,Did Oropeza, starting, grasp my forehead.320I caught her arms; the veins were swelling on them.Thro' the dark Bower she sent a hollow voice;—'Oh! what if all betray me? what if thou?'I swore, and with an inward thought that seemed[1072]The unity and substance of my Being,325I swore to her, that were she red with guilt,I would exchange my unblench'd state with hers.—Friend! by that winding passage, to the BowerI now will go—all objects there will teach meUnwavering Love, and singleness of Heart.330Go, Sandoval! I am prepar'd to meet her—Say nothing of me—I myself will seek her—Nay, leave me, friend! I cannot bear the tormentAnd Inquisition of that scanning eye.—

[Earl Henry retires into the wood.

Sandoval (alone).O Henry! always striv'st thou to be great335By thine own act—yet art thou never greatBut by the Inspiration of great Passion.The Whirl-blast comes, the desert-sands rise upAnd shape themselves; from Heaven to Earth they stand,As though they were the Pillars of a Temple,340Built by Omnipotence in its own honour!But the Blast pauses, and their shaping spiritIs fled: the mighty Columns were but sand,And lazy Snakes trail o'er the level ruins!I know, he loves the Queen. I know she is345His Soul's first love, and this is ever his nature—To his first purpose, his soul toiling backLike the poor storm-wreck'd [sailor] to his Boat,Still swept away, still struggling to regain it.[Exit.

Herreras.He dies, that stirs! Follow me this instant.350

(First Conspiratortakes his arrow, snaps it, and throws it on the ground. The two others do the same.)

Herreras.Accursed cowards! I'll go myself, and make sure work (drawing his Dagger).

(Herrerasstrides towards the arbor, before he reaches it, stops and listens and then returns hastily to the front of the stage, as he turns his Back to the Arbor,Earl Henryappears, watching theConspirators,and enters the Arbor unseen.)

First Conspirator.Has sheseenus think you?The Mask.No! she has notseenus; but she heard usdistinctly.Herreras.There was a rustling in the wood—go, all of355you, stand on the watch—towards the passage.A Voice from the Arbor.Mercy! Mercy! Tell me, whyyou murder me.Herreras.I'll do it first. (Strides towards the Arbor,EarlHenryrushes out of it.)360The Mask.Jesu Maria.

First Conspirator.Has sheseenus think you?

The Mask.No! she has notseenus; but she heard usdistinctly.

Herreras.There was a rustling in the wood—go, all of355you, stand on the watch—towards the passage.

A Voice from the Arbor.Mercy! Mercy! Tell me, whyyou murder me.

Herreras.I'll do it first. (Strides towards the Arbor,EarlHenryrushes out of it.)360

The Mask.Jesu Maria.

(They all three fly,Earl Henryattempts to seizeHerreras, who defending himself retreats into the Covert follow'd by theEarl.The Queencomes from out the arbor, veiled—stands listening a moment, then lifts up her veil, with folded hands assumes the attitude of Prayer, and after a momentary silence breaks into audible soliloquy.)

The Queen.I pray'd to thee, All-wonderful! And thouDidst make my very Prayer the Instrument,By which thy Providence sav'd me. Th' armed MurdererWho with suspended breath stood listening to me,Groan'd as I spake thy name. In that same moment,365O God! thy Mercy shot the swift RemorseThat pierc'd his Heart. And like an ElephantGor'd as he rushes to the first assault,He turn'd at once and trampled his Employers.But hark! (drops her veil)—O God in Heaven! they come again.370

(Earl Henryreturns with the Dagger in his hand.)

Earl Henry (as he is entering).The violent pull with which I seiz'd his DaggerUnpois'd me and I fell.

[End of the Fragment.]

After88in which all her wrongs will appear twofold—(or) in a mist of which her Wrongs will wander, magnified into giant shapes.MS. erased.

[110]AfterGeneral! And yet I have not stirred from his side. That is to say—MS. erased.

AfterGeneral! And yet I have not stirred from his side. That is to say—MS. erased.

Before211.Fortune! Plague take her for a blind old Baggage!That such a patch as Barnard should have hadThe Honour to have sav'd our General's life.That Barnard! that mock-man! that clumsy forgeryOf Heaven's Image. Any other heartBut mine own would have turn'd splenetic to think of it.MS. erased.

Before211.

Fortune! Plague take her for a blind old Baggage!That such a patch as Barnard should have hadThe Honour to have sav'd our General's life.That Barnard! that mock-man! that clumsy forgeryOf Heaven's Image. Any other heartBut mine own would have turn'd splenetic to think of it.

MS. erased.

[269]an empassion'dS. L.: empassioned1834.

an empassion'dS. L.: empassioned1834.

[276]unkindling] unkindlyS. L.,1834.

unkindling] unkindlyS. L.,1834.

[281]open] opensS. L.

open] opensS. L.

[285]the] that. a] thatS. L.(corr. in Errata, p. [xi])S. L.

the] that. a] thatS. L.(corr. in Errata, p. [xi])S. L.

[288]o'er] nearS. L.(corr. in Errata, p. [xi])S. L.

o'er] nearS. L.(corr. in Errata, p. [xi])S. L.

[289-290]No leaflet stirr'd; the air was almost sultry;So deep, so dark, so close, the umbrage o'er us!No leaflet stirr'd, yet pleasure hung uponS. L.

No leaflet stirr'd; the air was almost sultry;So deep, so dark, so close, the umbrage o'er us!No leaflet stirr'd, yet pleasure hung upon

S. L.

[310]Cheek] EarS. L.

Cheek] EarS. L.

After312.Deep repose of bliss we layNo other than as Eastern Sages gloss,The God who floats upon a Lotos leafDreams for a thousand ages, then awakingCreates a World, then loathing the dull taskRelapses into blessedness, when an omenScreamed from the Watch-tower—'twas the Watchman's cry,And Oropeza starting.MS. (alternative reading).

After312.

Deep repose of bliss we layNo other than as Eastern Sages gloss,The God who floats upon a Lotos leafDreams for a thousand ages, then awakingCreates a World, then loathing the dull taskRelapses into blessedness, when an omenScreamed from the Watch-tower—'twas the Watchman's cry,And Oropeza starting.

MS. (alternative reading).

[313]feign] paintS. L.

feign] paintS. L.

Before314Sandoval (with a sarcastic smile)S. L.

[314-16]Compare Letter to Thelwall, Oct. 16, 1797,Letters of S. T. C., 1895, i. 229.

Compare Letter to Thelwall, Oct. 16, 1797,Letters of S. T. C., 1895, i. 229.

[317]bliss.—Earl Henry.Ah! was that blissS. L.

bliss.—Earl Henry.Ah! was that blissS. L.

[319]intolerant] impatientS. L.

intolerant] impatientS. L.

[325]unity and] purpose and theS. L.

unity and] purpose and theS. L.

After327Even as a Herdsboy mutely plighting trothGives his true Love a Lily for a Rose.MS. erased.

After327

Even as a Herdsboy mutely plighting trothGives his true Love a Lily for a Rose.

MS. erased.

[334]Inquisition] keen inquiryS. L.

Inquisition] keen inquiryS. L.

Before335.Earl Henry thou art dear to me—perchanceFor these follies; since the Health of Reason,Our would-be Sages teach, engenders notThe Whelks and Tumours of particular Friendship.MS. erased.

Before335.

Earl Henry thou art dear to me—perchanceFor these follies; since the Health of Reason,Our would-be Sages teach, engenders notThe Whelks and Tumours of particular Friendship.

MS. erased.

[339]Heaven to Earth] Earth to HeavenS. L.

Heaven to Earth] Earth to HeavenS. L.

[Videante, p. 376.]

[As published inThe Morning Post, Sept. 11, 1802]

Hast thou a charm to stay the morning starIn his steep course—so long he seems to pauseOn thy bald awful head, O Chamouny!The Arvè and Arveiron at thy baseEave ceaselessly; but thou, dread mountain form,5Resist from forth thy silent sea of pinesHow silently! Around thee, and above,Deep is the sky, and black: transpicuous, deep,An ebon mass! Methinks thou piercest itAs with a wedge! But when I look again,10It seems thy own calm home, thy crystal shrine,Thy habitation from eternity.O dread and silent form! I gaz'd upon thee,Till thou, still present to my bodily eye,Did'st vanish from my thought. Entranc'd in pray'r,15I worshipp'd theInvisiblealone.Yet thou, meantime, wast working on my soul,E'en like some deep enchanting melody,So sweet, we know not, we are list'ning to it.But I awoke, and with a busier mind,20And active will self-conscious, offer nowNot, as before, involuntary pray'rAnd passive adoration!—Hand and voice,Awake, awake! and thou, my heart, awake!Awake ye rocks! Ye forest pines, awake!25Green fields, and icy cliffs! All join my hymn!And thou, O silent mountain, sole and bare,O blacker, than the darkness, all the night,And visited, all night, by troops of stars,Or when they climb the sky, or when they sink—30Companion of the morning star at dawn,Thyself Earth's rosy star, and of the dawnCo-herald! Wake, O wake, and utter praise!Who sank thy sunless pillars deep in earth?Who fill'd thy countenance with rosy light?35Who made thee father of perpetual streams?And you, ye five wild torrents, fiercely glad,[1075]Who call'd you forth from Night and utter Death?From darkness let you loose, and icy dens,Down those precipitous, black, jagged rocks40For ever shatter'd, and the same for ever!Who gave you your invulnerable life,Your strength, your speed, your fury, and your joy,Unceasing thunder, and eternal foam!And who commanded, and the silence came—45'Here shall the billows stiffen, and have rest?'Ye ice-falls! ye that from yon dizzy heightsAdown enormous ravines steeply slope,Torrents, methinks, that heard a mighty voice,And stopp'd at once amid their maddest plunge!50Motionless torrents! silent cataracts!Who made you glorious, as the gates of Heav'n,Beneath the keen full moon? Who bade the sunClothe you with rainbows? Who with lovely flow'rsOf living blue spread garlands at your feet?55God!God! The torrents like a shout of nations,Utter! The ice-plain bursts, and answersGod!God, sing the meadow-streams with gladsome voice,And pine groves with their soft, and soul-like sound,The silent snow-mass, loos'ning, thundersGod!60Ye dreadless flow'rs! that fringe th' eternal frost!Ye wild goats, bounding by the eagle's nest!Ye eagles, playmates of the mountain blast!Ye lightnings, the dread arrows of the clouds!Ye signs and wonders of the element,65Utter forth,God! and fill the hills with praise!And thou, O silent Form, alone and bare,Whom, as I lift again my head bow'd lowIn adoration, I again behold,And to thy summit upward from thy base70Sweep slowly with dim eyes suffus'd by tears,Awake, thou mountain form! rise, like a cloud!Rise, like a cloud of incense, from the earth!Thou kingly spirit thron'd among the hills,Thou dread ambassador from Earth to Heav'n—75Great hierarch, tell thou the silent sky,And tell the stars, and tell the rising sun,Earth with her thousand voices calls on God!

Ye ice-falls! ye that from yon dizzy heightsAdown enormous ravines steeply slope,Torrents, methinks, that heard a mighty voice,And stopp'd at once amid their maddest plunge!50Motionless torrents! silent cataracts!Who made you glorious, as the gates of Heav'n,Beneath the keen full moon? Who bade the sunClothe you with rainbows? Who with lovely flow'rsOf living blue spread garlands at your feet?55God!God! The torrents like a shout of nations,Utter! The ice-plain bursts, and answersGod!God, sing the meadow-streams with gladsome voice,And pine groves with their soft, and soul-like sound,The silent snow-mass, loos'ning, thundersGod!60Ye dreadless flow'rs! that fringe th' eternal frost!Ye wild goats, bounding by the eagle's nest!Ye eagles, playmates of the mountain blast!Ye lightnings, the dread arrows of the clouds!Ye signs and wonders of the element,65Utter forth,God! and fill the hills with praise!

And thou, O silent Form, alone and bare,Whom, as I lift again my head bow'd lowIn adoration, I again behold,And to thy summit upward from thy base70Sweep slowly with dim eyes suffus'd by tears,Awake, thou mountain form! rise, like a cloud!Rise, like a cloud of incense, from the earth!Thou kingly spirit thron'd among the hills,Thou dread ambassador from Earth to Heav'n—75Great hierarch, tell thou the silent sky,And tell the stars, and tell the rising sun,Earth with her thousand voices calls on God!

ΕΣΤΗΣΕ.

[Videante, p. 362.]

[As first printed in theMorning Post, October 4, 1802.]

Back to Index Next