L'ENVOY.
We have now, gentle reader, who hast borne with us
so long, brought thee to the proposed resting-place in
this our narrative. We trust that we have not journeyed
together thus far unprofitably—that—though some moments
may have hung heavily upon our hands, and something
in our speech may have at times sounded tediously
in thine ears—thou wilt forgive these, our involuntary
transgressions upon thy good taste and good temper,
in consideration of other passages in our progress which
may have amply contributed to the strengthening of the
one and the more perfect sweetening of the other. Ascribe
not this speech to our vanity, but to our hopeful
desire to please thee. At least, let it mar nothing at
our next meeting, when we propose to resume this very
narrative; bringing other actors upon the stage in addition
to some of those with whom we have in part
brought thee acquainted, and to whom we have given
either too little or too much of our regards. We hope
soon to show thee the fearful progress of the usurper
from sin to sin, and finally, as an inevitable consequence,
to destruction. We will depict before thine eyes the
downfall, with him, of the great empire of the Goth, and
the rapid conquests of the wild tribes of Mauritania, the
fate of the lovely Cava, and the unhappy, but not inexcusable,
treason of the valorous Count Julian. But let us
not vex thee now with these imperfect shadowings.
Let it be, we pray thee, an equal hope between us, that
we shall renew these journeyings together through the
wild regions of romance and the wondrous events upon
whose history we have thus begun. For the present,
we give thee our hearty benison, and crave humbly for
thy blessing in return.
The Author.
THE END.
