The Road to Ruin: Comedy in Five Acts

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Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 1808 - 96 pages
 

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Page 25 - Page. Madam, there is a lady in your hall, Who begs to be admitted to your presence. Lady. Is it not one of our invited friends? Page. No, far unlike to them ; it is a stranger. Lady. How looks her countenance ? Page.
Page 37 - Twas that which drove me hither. I could not bear to meet thine eye again. Jane. Alas ! that, tempted by a sister's tears, I ever left thy house ! These few past months, These absent months, have brought us all this woe.
Page 16 - Think'st thou there are no serpents in the world But those who slide along the grassy sod, And sting the luckless foot that presses them ? There are who in the path of social life Do bask their spotted skins in Fortune's sun, And sting the soul — Ay, till its healthful frame Is chang'd to secret, fest'ring, sore disease, So deadly is the wound.
Page 90 - I've known her long : of worth most excellent ; But in the day of woe, she ever rose Upon the mind with added majesty, As the dark mountain more sublimely tow'rs Mantled in clouds and storm.
Page 70 - O no, for twice it call'd, so loudly call'd, With horrid strength, beyond the pitch of nature ; And Murder ! murder ! was the dreadful cry; A third time it return'd with feeble strength, But o'the sudden ceas'd, as tho...
Page 38 - From dev'lish pride, which now derives a bliss In seeing me thus fetter'd, sham'd, subjected With the vile favour of his poor forbearance; Whilst he securely sits with gibing brow And basely...
Page 14 - That gods might envy. Little time so spent Doth far outvalue all our life beside. This is indeed our life, our waking life, The rest dull breathing sleep.
Page 49 - Then let me say, that, with a grateful mind, I do receive these tokens of good will ; And must regret that, in my wayward moods, I have too oft forgot the due regard Your rank and talents claim.
Page 9 - I did him some slight service, o' the sudden" He overpower'd me with his grateful thanks; And would not be restrain 'd from pressing on me A noble recompense. I understood His o'erstrain'd gratitude and bounty well, And took it as he meant. MAN. Tis often thus. I would have left him many years ago, But that with all his faults there sometimes come Such bursts of natural goodness from his heart, As might engage a harder churl than I To serve him still. — And then his sister too, A noble dame, who...
Page 95 - Tis Rezenvelt I mean. Take thou this charge : 'Tis meet, that with his noble ancestors He lie entomb'd in honourable state. And now I have a sad request to make, Nor will these holy sisters scorn my boon ; That I, within these sacred cloister walls, May raise a humble, nameless tomb to him, Who, but for one dark passion, one dire deed, Had claim'da record of as noble •worth, As e'er enrich'd the sculptur'd pedestal.

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