At any rate-altho' you should be forced
To play the host for me and feast yourself.
Look here,

[Shows a parchment to Icilius.

How think you? Will it meet the charge?
Will it not do? We want a witness tho' !
I'll bring one; whom if you approve, I'll sign
The bond. I'll wait upon you instantly.
Luc. (L.) How feel you now, Icilius?
Icil. (c.) Like a man

Whom the next moment makes, or quite unmakes.
With the intensity of exquisite

Suspense, my breathing thickens, and my heart
Beats heavily, and with remittant throb,

As like to lose its action-See! my hope

Is bless'd! I live! I live!

[Exit, R.

[Stands, L.

Enter VIRGINIUS, R. conducting VIRGINIA, with

NUMITORIUS.

Vir. (R.) [Holding his daughter's hand.] You are my witnesses,

That this young creature I present to you,
I do pronounce-my profitably cherish'd
And most deservedly beloved child;
My daughter, truly filial-both in word
And act-yet even more in act than word:
And for the man who seeks to win her love-
A virgin, from whose lips a soul as pure
Exhales, as e'er responded to the blessing
Breath'd in a parent's kiss. [Kissing her.] Icilius !

Since

[Icilius rushes towards Virginius and kneels, c.

You are upon your knees, young man, look up;
And lift your hands to heaven-You will be all
Her father has been-added unto all

A lover would be!

Icil. All that man should be

To woman, I will be to her!

Vir. The oath

Is registered! [Icilius rises.] Didst thou but know, [Takes a hand of each.] young man,

How fondly I have watch'd her, since the day
Her mother died, and left me to a charge
Of double duty bound-how she hath been
My ponder'd thought by day, my dream by night,
My prayer, my vow, "my offering, my praise,"

My sweet companion, pupil, tutor, child!—

Thou would'st not wonder, that my drowning eye,
And choking utterance, upbraid my tongue

That tells thee, she is thine! [Joins their hands.] Icilius,
I do betroth her to thee; let but the war

Be done-you shall espouse her. Friends, a word!

[Virginius and the rest exeunt M. D. Icil. (c.) [Holding her hand.] Virginia! my Virginia! I am all

Dissolv'd-o'erpower'd with the munificence

Of this auspicious hour-And thou, not mov'st-
Nor look'st-nor speak'st-to bless me with a sign
Of sweet according joy!-I love thee, but

To make thee happy! If to make thee so

Be bliss denied to me-lo, I release

The gifted hand-that I would faster hold,

Than wretches, bound for death, would cling to life-
If thou would'st take it back-then take it back.
Virginia. I take it back-to give it thee again!
Icil. O help me to a word will speak my bliss,
Or I am beggar'd-No! there is not one!
There cannot be; for never man had bliss
Like mine to name.

Virginia. "Thou dost but beggar me,
Icilius, when thou mak'st thyself a bankrupt;
Placing a value on me far above

My real little worth."-I'd help thee to

A hundred words; each one of which would far
O'er-rate thy gain, and yet no single one
Rate over high!

Icil. Thou could'st not do it! No;

Thou could'st not do it! Every term of worth
Writ down and doubl'd, then the whole summ'd up,
Would leave with thee a rich remainder still!-
Pick from each rarer pattern of thy sex

Her rarest charın, till thou hast every charm
Of soul and body, that can blend in woman,
I would out-paragon the paragon

With thee!

Virginia. "And if thou would'st, I'd find thee,
Thy paragon, a mate-if that can be

A mate which doth transcend the thing, 'tis ta'en
To match-would make thy paragon look poor,
And I would call that so o'ermatching mate
Icilius."

for

Icil. No! I will not let thee win On such a theme as this!

Virginia. Nor will I drop

The controversy, that the richer makes me
The more I lose.

Icil. My sweet Virginia,

"

We do but lose and lose, and win and win;
"Playing for nothing but to lose and win;'
Then let us stop the game-and thus I stop it.

[Kisses her Re-enter VIRGINIUS, and the others, M. D.

Vir. Witness, my friends, that seal! Observe, it is
A living one! It is Icilius' seal;

And stamp'd upon as true and fair a bond-
Tho' it receive the impress blushingly—
As ever signet kiss'd! Are all content?
Speak else! She is thy free affianc'd wife;
Thou art her free affianc'd husband!

Come,
We have o'erdrawn our time-Farewell, Virginia;
Thy future husband for a time must be
Bellona's. To thy tasks again, my child;

Be thou the bride of study for a time.
Farewell!

Virginia. (R.) My father!

Vir. (R.) May the gods protect thee.
Virginia. My father!

Vir. Does the blood forsake thy cheek?

Come to my arms once more! Remember, girl,
The first and foremost debt a Roman owes,

Is to his country; and it must be paid,

If need be, with his life. Why, how you hold me!
Icilius, take her from me! [Icilius goes to her.] Hoa!
Within!

Within there! Servia!

Icil. (R.) Farewell, Virginia.

Vir. Take her in!

Virginia. The gods be with thee, my Icilius-Father,

The gods be with thee-and Icilius.

Vir. I swear, a battle might be fought and won

In half the time! Now, once for all, farewell;

Your sword and buckler, boy! The foe! the foe!
Does he not tread on Roman ground? Come on!
Come on! charge on him! drive him back! or die!

[Exeunt Virginia and Serviu, R.—the rest L.

SCENE III-Appius's House.

Enter APPIUS, L.

App. It was a triumph, the achieving which
O'erpaid the risk was run-and that was great.
They have made trial of their strength, and learn'd
Its value from defeat. (c.) The Senate knows
Its masters now: and the Decemvirate,
To make it reign eternal, only wants
Its own decree, which little pains will win.
Ere this, the foe has, for his mad invasion,
Been paid with chastisement. "Retir'd within
His proper limits, leisure waits upon us
To help us to the recompense, decreed
To our noble daring, who have set ourselves
In such high seats, as at our feet array
The wealth, and power, and dignity of Rome
In absolute subjection! Tyranny!

How godlike is thy port! Thou giv'st, and tak'st,
And ask'st no other leave, than what thy own
Imperial will accords. Jove does no more!"

Now, Claudius

Enter CLAUDIUS, R.

Claud. We have suffer'd a defeat!

App. What! The Decemvirs fly!

Claud. The soldiers fight

With only half a heart.

"The other half

Looks on, and cares not which side proves the winner." App. (c.) Then decimate them. Traitors! Recreants!

Why, we shall have them at our doors!

Have we lost ground, my Claudius ?

Claud. (R. C.) None, except

What we've retrac'd in fame. We strove to teach

The enemy their road lay backwards, but

They would not turn their faces for us.

Retains his former line.

Each

Enter MARCUS, R.

App. What news?

Marc. (R) The Equi

Still press upon us. Rumours are afloat
Of new disasters, which the common cry,
Be sure, still multiplies and swells. Dentatus,
That over-busy, crabbed veteran,

Walks up and down among the people, making

Your plans his theme of laughter. Nought he stints
That may reflect you in an odious light,

And lower the decemvirate.

App. A dungeon

Would do good service to him! Once within,
Strangling were easy! We must stop his mouth-
"Unwholesome food or liquor"—Where was he
When last you heard him?

Marc. In the Forum.

App. So!

He is past service, is he not? Some way
To clear the city of him. Come, we'll hear him,
And answer him, and silence him! "Tis well
The dog barks forth his spleen; it puts us on
Our guard against his bite. Come, to the Forum !
[Exeunt, R.

SCENE IV.-The Forum.

Enter DENTATUS, TITUS, SERVIUS, and Citizens, R.
Tit. (c.) What's to be done?

Den. (c.) We'll be undone that's to be done.
Ser. We'll do away with the Decemvirate.

Den. You'll do away with the Decemvirate ?—The Decemvirate will do away with you! You'll do away with yourselves! Do nothing-The enemy will do away with both of you. In another month, a Roman will be a stranger in Rome. A fine pass we are come to, Masters! Tit. (R.) But something must be done. Den. Why, what would you have? clap your hands, as if it were a victory you heard of; and yet you cry-Something must be done! Truly I know not what that something is, unless it be to make you General. How say you, Masters?

You shout and

Ser. We'd follow any man that knew how to lead us, and would rid us of our foes, and the Decemvirate together.

Den. You made these Decemvirs! You are strangely discontented with your own work! And you are over