Rosamunda :: :: University of Virginia Library

Almachilde, Romilda, Ildovaldo.
Rom.
Oh, Heaven! with whom
Do I behold him?—Oh, my baffled wishes!
Hast thou, at last, entwined thy spurious crown
With laurel wreaths? Does treachery to-day
The palm of conquest gain? And be it so.
But thou, oh warrior, of a noble soul,

Oh, Ildovaldo, wherefore dost thou waste
Thy lofty efforts in a cause like his?
Should so much virtue stoop to make itself
A shield to so much infamy?

Al.
Towards me,
Lady, eternally implacable,
Is there no length of time, then, and no mode
Of assiduity, that may avail,
E'en in the least degree, to calm, or sooth,
Thy just disdain? How in the camp I sought
That death, from which himself delivered me,
Can Ildovaldo tell thee. Ah! thy pity
Towards me was ill directed: I should there
Have died, since her my victory offends.
But Heaven, who knows the innocence of my heart,
(Ah, were my hand as pure,) Heaven, perhaps, today
Gave me not vainly conquest and renown,
There where I sought for death.

Il.
Accuse me not,
Romilda, that I fought. Clefi with arms
Came not to yonder camp to avenge thy father;
Himself the exterminator of the throne
He haughtily proclaim'd; and for that throne
I combated.

Rom.
To this oppressed race,
Clefi, as he profess'd, once more design'd
To restore freedom, or himself to reign.
And he adopted, to obtain his purpose,
Means far less infamous than those employed
By thee his predecessor. In the camp,
In the broad light of day, he boldly challenged
Man to meet man with soldier-like defiance:

And if the fates decree that an usurper
Should fill my empty patrimonial throne,
Let it, at least, belong to the most valiant.

Al.
Breathes there the man who dares to call me coward?
In their invasions of the throne, have others
More bravery shewn than I in its defence?
Dost thou eternally resent? The error
That I committed with unwilling mind,
(This all well know) I only can repair;
Yes, I alone. To yield thee good for ill
To me will be delightful: with my blood
I have meanwhile the empty throne defended;
Thine is that throne, I know; I swear to thee,
Thy rights I ne'er forget. Long, long ere now,
Had I obtain'd my wish, thou had'st possest it.
But now Rosmunda fills it, and it is ...

Rom.
Polluted throne, thou meed of treachery,
Without regret to others I resign thee;
Be by Rosmunda fill'd; she, with thyself,
Of such a heritage is well deserving.
But if thy penitence be not dissembled;
If to magnanimous words the practices
Of a degraded soul could e'er accord;
Obtain for me, I pray thee, not the throne
Of my unnatural mother, but obtain
For me alone the empire o'er myself.
I ask a free life; or I ask for death.
As if already in my murder'd father
She had not fully satisfied her rage,
The impious Rosmunda, to inflict
Torments more exquisite, protracts my life,
And sends me as a spouse to Alaric.

Il.
What do I hear?

Al.
Listen, oh Ildovaldo!
Thou now canst judge thyself, if without cause
I answered thee with doubts ...

Il.
Of barbarous Alaric?

Al.
Ah! no ...

Rom.
To Alaric hath she betroth'd me;
And of assistance never sent am I
The recompense: and she, who of my throne,
And of my father, robb'd me, hath to this
Plighted her faith: and (who would e'er believe it?)
Rosmunda will, on no condition, now
Betray her promise. By to-morrow's dawn,
I to these nuptial rites am doom'd to go:
But that to-morrow's dawn is not yet come.
Ah! if than she thou canst be less atrocious;
If 'tis indeed my fate, that I to-day
Must be a suitor to my father's murderer;
Ah! try at least to wean her from this purpose ...

Al.
Shall I try this? to thee I freely swear
That thou shalt never go.

Il.
And, by this sword,
I swear the same. Rosmunda, thou shalt hear me.

Rom.
Behold; she comes in rage.