 | The Parricide : Or, Innocence in Distress |  |
SCENE VII.
Felix and Ariana.Felix.
Come, Ariana, and relieve my Mind;
Thou only Darling of a Father's Hopes,
And pleasing Source of all my tender Cares:
For thee, my Child, my anxious Heart is torn;
I fear to leave the World, with thee expos'd
To Fraud, to Malice, all the Ills that wait
The Charms of Beauty, and the Pomp of Wealth:
Oh, who'll protect thee, innocent and weak,
Against the Cunning of designing Men!
In Edmund's love I hop'd thy Safety sure,—
Now all those Hopes are lost.
Ariana.
My dearest Father,
Still may you live my best and safest Guard;
Beneath whose Shelter long I hope to thrive;
Till, by your Precepts firmly fortify'd,
I dare to brave the World and all its Arts.
But, oh, on Heav'n rely, whose tender Care
Will still assist the well-inclin'd of Heart;
Whose holy Angels, Guardians of the Just,
Shall hover round me, and direct my Course.
Felix.
I would, my Child, from Danger safe behold thee,
Lodg'd in the Arms of some deserving Man:
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Who with his Honours too may heir his Virtues;
To him my Ariana,—
Ariana.
Hah!—Pardon, Sir,
However worthy of his Birth and Fortune,
If Castor is a Man I cannot love.
Perhaps it is my Nature's Fault; but still
Whene'er his Image rises in my Mind,
I feel a shudd'ring Horror seize my Soul!
And still his Sight produces gloomy Thoughts.
Felix.
'Tis sickly Fancy all: A Female Weakness!—
Perhaps the Bodings of a Virgin Heart.—
Sometimes a Passion seems to operate
Almost in Contradiction to itself;
As oft it brings its Opposite in play
To strive, and bear full hard upon its Rule.
Fear runs abreast with Hope! and love, we know,
Is ever follow'd close by Jealousy;
And only changes to the fellest Hate!
A trembling Apprehension always waits
Our highest Joys! Observe the raptur'd Bride,
And you will find she glows, she scarce knows why!
Interpret then these Motions kindly, Child,
They may but prove the Preludes to thy Bliss.
Ariana.
All those Affections, Sir, are pleasing Pains;
A kind of murm'ring Joys, that gently trill
Along the Veins, and beat upon the Heart!
But what I feel, is of a Nature wide
From Friendly-boding, 'tis a fixt Disgust,
A fell Antipathy, that seems to rise
From dread, discordant Souls.
Felix.
Time may alter
The Streams of Passion, as it often does;
And Disposition makes a strong Advance,
My Ariana, in all worldly Bliss.
And let me hope no Passion will prevail
On thee to taint, by an unworthy Match,
The greatness of our Blood. A Briton born,
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My Country's Honour glows in ev'ry Vein,
And Fame and Greatness point my present Choice:
An Ancestry of Heroes Castor boasts,
Fair Freedom's Champions, and the Friends of Truth!
Unlike the sordid Tribe, whose slavish Necks
Are basely bow'd to Tyranny and Shame.
Oh, tender Object of this soft Concern,
I have no other Business now with Life
Than to resign thee to a juster Care:
When that is done, I'll fold my Glories up,
And sink with pleasure to the silent Grave.—
Then think, my Child, a Parent's Peace depends
On thy Resolves: Reflect what Care you owe
The watchful Guardian of your tender Youth,
And pay that Kindness in Obedience now.
| The Parricide : Or, Innocence in Distress | |