That he may never dream I may return. But fear not Muley-Zeydan: his soft metal Seb. See where she comes again! By heav'n, when I behold those beauteous eyes, Repentance lags, and sin comes hurrying on. Alm. This is too cruel! Seb. Speak'st thou of love, of fortune, or of Or double death? for we must part, Almeyda. For all things that belong to us are cruel ; No, I must love you: Heav'n may bate me that, Nay, then there's incest in our very souls, Alm. Too like indeed, Sure, when we part (for I resolv'd it too, Alm. It would do well to curb it, if we could. If still you lov'd? you gave it air before me. Sister and wife are the two dearest names; Alm. To love, and be belov'd, and yet be Seb. To have but one poor night of all our It was indeed a glorious, guilty night; With all its guilt, it were to come again. Why did we know so soon, or why at all, That sin could be conceal'd in such a bliss ? Alm. Men have a larger privilege of words, Else I should speak: but we must part, Sebastian; That's all the name that I have left to call thee: I must not call thee by the name I would; But when I say Sebastian, dear Sebastian, I kiss the name I speak. Seb. We must make haste, or we shall never part. I would say something that's as dear as this; Nay, would do more than say: one moment longer, And I should break through laws divine and hu Alm. Here comes the sad denouncer of iny fate, To toll the mournful knell of separation: Seb. [To DOR.] Now be brief, And share the minute that remains betwixt Dor. Your fate has gratified you all she can, Unvex'd with noise, and undisturb'd with fears: Alm. O do not tell me where! Seb. Ev'n past redemption : Alm. Tell me not that: for I must boast my Dor. Your subjects, conscious of your life, are few, But all desirous to partake your exile, Alm. But how am wretched I to be dispos'd? Dor. I have a sister, abbess in Terceras, Who lost her lover on her bridal day. Alm. There fate provided me a fellow-turtle, To mingle sighs with sighs, and tears with tears. Dor. Last, for myself, if I have well fulfill'd My sad commission, let me beg the boon, To share the sorrows of your last recess, And mourn the common losses of our loves. Alv. And what becomes of me? must I be left, As age and time had worn me out of use? These sinews are not yet so much unstrung, To fail me when my master should be serv'd; And when they are, then will I steal to death, Silent, and unobserv'd, to save his tears. Seb. I've heard you both: Alvarez, have thy wish; But thine, Alonzo, thine, is too unjust. I charge thee with my last commands, return, And bless thy Violante with thy vows. Antonio, be thou happy too in thine. It would be still farewell, a thousand times, [She staggers, and her women hold her up. Seb. Help to support this feeble, drooping flower; This tender sweet, so shaken by the storm; vain, And never, never must embrace her more. [ALVAREZ goes with SEBASTIAN to one end of the Stage; women with ALMEYDA to the other. DORAX, coming up to ANTONIO and MORAYMA, who stand on the middle of the stage. Dor. Haste to attend Almeyda: for your sake Your father is forgiven: but to Antonio He forfeits half his wealth: be happy both. And let Sebastian's and Almeyda's fate This dreadful sentence to the world relate, That unrepented crimes of parents dead, Are justly punish'd on their children's head. [Exeunt omnes. EPILOGUE. SPOKEN BETWIXT ANTONIO AND MORAYMA. Mor. I QUAK'D at heart, for fear the royal fa- | And sinn'd till we repented of each other. shion Mor. Beast as you are, on nature's laws to trample ! 'Twere fitter that we follow'd their example; And since all marriage in repentance ends, 'Tis good for us to part while we are friends. To save a maid's remorses and confusions, E'en leave me now before we try conclusions. Ant. To copy their example, first make certain Of one good hour, like theirs, before our parting; Make a debauch o'er night of love and madness, And marry when we wake in sober sadness. Mor. I'll follow no new sects of your inventing, One night might cost me nine long months repenting: First wed, and if you find that life a fetter, And make me thund'ring votes of lives and for tune. THE ORPHAN; OR, THE UNHAPPY MARRIAGE. BY OTWAY. PROLOGUE. To you, great judges in this writing age, His pride much doubting, trembling and afraid You, to whom wit a common foe is grown, Nay, never once lampoon'd the harmless life Oft has he plough'd the boisterous ocean o'er, CASTALIO, his sons. POLYDORE, Servant. WOMEN. CHAMONT, a young soldier of fortune, brother to MONIMIA, the Orphan, left under the guardian. Monimia. ship of old Acasto. SERINA, Acasto's daughter. FLORELLA, Monimia's woman. SCENE, Bohemia. SCENE I. Enter PAULINO and ERNESTO. ACT I. Paul. "Tis strange, Ernesto, this severity Should still reign powerful in Acasto's mind, To hate the court, where he was bred and lived, All honours heaped on him, that power could give. But Ern. 'Tis true, he came hither a private gen- young and brave, and of a family Paul. It was his virtue at first made me serve him; He is the best of masters as of friends: Long, hard, and painful toil, he might have claimed Places in honour and employment high; Ern. Oh! I have heard him wanton in his Speak things of him might charm the ears of envy. Paul. Oh, may he live, till nature's self grow And from her womb no more can bless the earth! Ern. No; he has two sons, that were ordained As well his virtues' as his fortune's heirs. Paul. They're both of nature mild, and full of sweetness; They came twins from the womb, and still they live, As if they would go twins too to the grave: Ern. Never was parent in an offspring hap pier; He has a daughter too, whose blooming age Paul. And as there is a friendship 'twixt the So has her infant nature chosen too A faithful partner of her thoughts and wishes, Paul. The same, the daughter of the brave He was our lord's companion in the wars; Where such a wondrous friendship grew between them, As only death could end. Chamont's estate Ern. Her brother to the emperor's wars went To seek a fortune, or a noble fate; Paul. Our master never would permit his sons 'Tis daily their petition to their father, Paul. Oh, that's a royal sport! SCENE II.-A Garden. Enter CASTALIO, POLYDORE, and Page. Cast. Polydore, our sport Has been to-day much better for the danger; When, on the brink, the foaming boar I met, And in his side thought to have lodged my spear, The desperate savage rushed within my force, And bore me headlong with him down the rock. Pol. But then Cast. Ay, then, my brother, my friend, Poly- Like Perseus mounted on his winged steed, To save Castalio. 'Twas a godlike act! Pol. But, when I came, I found you conqueror. Cast. So, Polydore, methinks, we might in war Pol. No! let me purchase in my youth re nown To make me loved and valued when I am old; Has ta'en himself a surfeit of the world, And cries, It is not safe that we should taste it: Pol. Castalio, I have doubts within my heart, Will you be free and candid to your friend? Cast. Have I a thought my Polydore should not know? What can this mean? Pol. Nay, I'll conjure you too, By all the strictest bonds of faithful friendship, Pol. And should I chance to touch it nearly, With all the sufferance of a tender friend. Cast. As calmly as the wounded patient bears Pol. That's kindly said.-You know our fa- The fair Monimia. Is your heart at peace? Pol. Suppose you should not, brother? Pol. That would sound too roughly 'Twixt friends and brothers, as we two are. Cast. Is love a fault? Pol. In one of us it may be. What if I love her? Cast. Then I must inform you I loved her first, and cannot quit the claim, Cast. I will. Pol. No more, I've done. Pol. I told you I had done : 411 Not with my Polydore; though I must own Pol. But for a toy you would, a woman's toy; Cast. Prithee, where's my fault? Pol. You love Monimia. you Pol. And would kill me, Cast. No; sure we are such friends, So much one man, that our affections, too, Pol. I doat upon Monimia. Cast. Love her still; Win and enjoy her. Pol. Both of us cannot. Whose chance it prove; but let's not quarrel for it. Pol. You would not wed Monimia, would you? No; were she all desire could wish, as fair waste, She should not cheat me of my freedom. Marry! And take a wife to mortify withal. Pol. It is an elder brother's duty so No, let me live at large, and when I die- If he survives me; if not, my king, Who Cast. By yon heaven, I love My Polydore beyond all worldly joys; Pol. And by that heaven, eternally I swear, Cast. No matter whose. Cast. I was, and should have met her here |