University of Virginia Library

ACT IV.

SCENE I.

SCENE the Garden of Felix.
Castor
Solus.
Thus far my Plots succeed to all my Hopes:
Eliza rages, and old Felix doubts:
And both those Engines move as I appoint.
But soft; Eliza comes.

SCENE II.

Castor and Eliza.
Castor.
What nothing yet?
Poor anxious Lurcher, can'st thou spring no Game?

Eliz.
Yonder I see my Husband; and he seems
To loiter, as in eager Expectation.
Hah—see he bends this way.

Castor.
Behold, for what!
His gentle Paramour there joins him; look!—

Eliz.
Hah!—how obsequious!—Furies tear them both.

Castor.
Come let us take the Shelter of this Grove;
Unseen, from thence you may observe them well.

Eliza.
Any where, ere Sense is banish'd from me,
For I shall soon be past the Power of Thought.

SCENE III.

Godrick and Ariana.
Godr.
Come, Ariana, come, you must consent;
Why will you do your self such Violence,
And thus deny a Lover's just Request?

Aria.
Yes I could hear him talk, for ever talk;
Lean on his Bosom and believe his Vows;
So well I know his Worth, his Truth, his Love!
But how can I appoint? and whither go?
We may be interrupted, be surpris'd!
My Father may discover all; and I,
Alas, may be undone.

Godr.
Leave that to me:
I'll take such care to have the Meeting secret,
That no Suspicion or Surprise shall happen.
Here, in the Garden, in that Beachen Shade,
When Night has blotted o'er yon azure Plains,
And thrown our World in sable, there we'll meet;
A Scene and Season for the Lover's Joys.
No Mid-night Miser o'er his shining Mammon,
Shall more enjoy his stoln Delights than you:
The tender Vows of Love shall bless your Ears!
A Lover's Lips shall deal the warmest Kisses!
A Lover's Arms shall fondly clasp thee round!
And Ariana lose her Fears in Bliss.

Aria.
Be witness, thou, how much a Virgin risques,
To gratify the Wish of one she loves!
I'll meet you there, attended by my Maid.
But come I charge thee only with thy Friend,
Nor trust my Rashness to another Tongue.
O, Godrick, how I tremble! sure my Heart,
My beating Heart forebodes this Meeting fatal.
Still let me contradict—

Godr.
'Tis now too late.
I have your Promise, and you must comply:
These little Fears endear the Lover's Bliss,
As they are causeless all.—Remember Night;
Prepare for softer Scenes; 'till then adieu.

Aria.
I do not beg your Stay; for busy Minds
May raise Suspicions from our meeting thus:
We must proceed with caution; so farewel
Thou faithful Friend to Love and Ariana.

SCENE IV.

Castor and Eliza advancing.
Castor.
Well, Sister; what's your fair Opinion now?

Eliza.
That Fiends are Angels to such Souls as theirs.
Oh, Castor, how have I been wrong'd, abus'd,
By this base Husband, and this faithless Friend!
Oh, smooth Hypocrisy! with Syren Tongues,
How have they lull'd my Soul to soft Repose,
And in that Sleep betray'd me.—Serpents, yes;
In silent Coverts you shall fondly twine;
And I'll assist to fix your Links so fast,
As Toads and eating Worms shall scarce unloose.
Come, Furies, come and aid me in Revenge!
Here take a full Possession of my Mind,
And give me Vengeance, such as suits my Wrongs.

Castor.
To cool Resentment let this Rage resolve;
Take just Revenge, but then with Safety take it:
Calm Thought will point you out a thousand ways
To drive the Dart, with Aggravations arm'd.

Eliza.
What, sue for Justice in litigious Courts?
Or wait the issue of Appeals to Rome?
And then, at best, sit down in dull Contempt,
For conscious Slights, and pine in silent Woe!
No; Life and Thought henceforth are only Plagues;
A meer Protraction of my Rage for Wrongs:
I'll do myself by far a nobler Right,
And in their Bosoms drive a brave Revenge.

Castor.
Do; kindly end their ignominious Shame,
And spare their Minds the Tortures of Remorse;
Don't let them linger in the Pangs of Guilt,
But suffer thou to hasten on their Rest.
This overheard Appointment plumes my Hopes
Of satiating Revenge and ending Fear:
Yes: Godrick must be kept away, or he
May hinder my Intent on Albert:—aye,—
Eliza's Rage will balk his fond Design;—
He must be school'd for my Security:
And, safe at home, yet he shall heir the Guilt.
[Aside.
Sister, as well becomes your high Descent,
With noble Indignation speak your Wrongs:
Let this base Husband see your Virtue swells,
Beyond the Current of mean, earth-born Souls.
Let Anger break with an illustrious Flash!
And Greatness doubly arm your just Contempt.
So shall your Godrick's guilty Soul be sunk
To greater depths of Horror and of Shame.
Perhaps a generous Conviction may
Correct his Heart, and drive him into Goodness.

Eliza.
Do, cool the boiling Cauldron with thy Breath.
Go, bid the blazing Cataracts give o'er,
Or to the Mountain-Billows say, Subside!
As soon the Storms of Passion will be swag'd
By cautious Councils and the sage Advice,
When Injuries foment their forceful Swell.
Nor Life, nor Safety do I know regard;
Nor Pomp of Dignity, nor Pride of Blood!
What's outward Grandeur, all the Show of State,
To inward Harmony and Love's Delights!—
They only are the lasting Joys of Life,
The rest are vain and empty ev'ry one.
My Cup's embitter'd, all the Strings are crack'd
That tun'd my Soul to Harmony and Peace:
Smooth ran my former Days, like glassy Streams,
Reflecting Love and Friendship's chearful Beams!
Soft Songs of Rapture blest the winding Tide,
And Peace and Plenty wanton'd on its side:
Amidst Security, lo, Storms assail!
And fell Confusion does o'er all prevail!
Wrongs, Rage and Vengeance now foment the Strife,
And urge to Slaughter both the Friend and Wife.

SCENE V.

Castor
Solus.
Right Woman!—resolute in ev'ry Whim,
And violent in all they undertake.—
With what a Torrent do their Passions drive!
A Gust will banish Reason from its Seat,
And fill the Mind with Anarchy and Uproar!
But I must follow still and weary out
By ceaseless Workings, this so boist'rous Rage;
As Clowns provoke the Wrath of raging Bulls,
That Fury may exhaust their native Strength,
And flagging Vigour tame them to the Yoke.

SCENE VI.

Another part of the Garden with a Fountain.
Ariana
musing.
Oh, fatal Greatness; Bane to soft Delights:
Yes, proud Ambition, absolute in Reign,
No tyrant Passion bears so sad a Sway:
By thee our Hearts are barter'd, Vows are broke,
Our Souls are blacken'd, and our Joys are lost.
Oh, far more happy is the rustic Maid,
Who feeds in humble Shades her fleecy Flock,
Than she whose Presence glads a crowded Court!
No Plea prevails on Plains but that of Worth;
Love's gentle Dictates there the Fair obeys!
She looks around, then fixes where she likes,
And Joys ensue as lasting as they're strong.
But here, with us, a thousand Calls exact
A blind Obedience to despotic Sway.
Birth, Fortune, Favour, guide a Parent's Voice;
Whose proud Decisions are beyond Appeal
To us, where prompt Submission is requir'd.
O, Albert! till this Hour of tender Thought,
I never knew how much my Heart was thine:
Forbid to love thee, here, in silent Shades,
I walk, and hug thy Image in my Mind:
Then sadly sigh, and drop a mournful Tear
In dull Reflexion on our hopeless Loves.
But see with hasty Strides my Father comes!
What means my beating Heart; I fear some Ill.

SCENE VII.

Felix and Ariana.
Felix.
Whence comes it, Ariana, that you seek
These lonely Haunts, and shun your Friends and me?
Does Grief so hard beset your gentle Soul?
Or do we owe it to a softer Passion?
But that I own's a needless Question quite;
For Castor tells me you're averse to Love.

Aria.
No wonder, Sir, if Love, whose Blights I've felt,
Is slow to shoot its Blossoms forth anew:
And Castor is, I fear, a barren Soil
For any Hopes of mine to thrive upon.

Felix.
I would believe Report has wrong'd you much,
Which says my hated Foe, young Albert, shares
No little Portion of your kind Esteem:
And tell me, Ariana, is it false?

Aria.
The proudest Virgin need not blush to own
That Albert's Virtues bear a high Demand
On Honour, Truth, and Tenderness of Soul.

Felix.
Hah!—say'st thou, foolish Girl?—O, hold my Rage:—
By Heav'n the Tales I've heard are sadly true;
This Traitor to his Country has thy Heart.

Aria.
What Guilt has he abetted? Who betray'd?—
No Village-Maid can boast a whiter Soul,
Unstain'd by Vice, unsully'd by a Crime:—
Your Castor's, Sir, is foul with many Spots.

Felix.
Who pawn'd their Honour for a Tyrant's Smiles?
And sold their Country to a foreign Yoke?
Who, but thy Albert's Race, and such as they?
O, Britain! long renown'd for stubborn Worth!
Whose hardy Sons have Ages held their Fame
For Freedom, Valour, and untainted Truth!
Must now our Voice, asserting Glory's Cause,
Be deem'd a Treason to this Norman Thief?
This base Invader of our Laws and Rights.
And shall their Blood, who sought a foreign Chain
And sold their Freedom for a Robber's Favour,
Be mixt with mine, and taint a nobler Stream?
No, Ariana: Tho' my only Child;
I throw thee out for ever from my Heart,
And swear our Line extinguishes with me,
If you but sound their Names without Contempt.

Aria.
Whatever Faults debas'd his Father's Soul,
The Son inherits nothing, Sir, of them.
The British and the Saxon Names divide
His fond Affections and enjoy him all.
He loves no Norman, takes no Courtier's Pay;
But wears a Sword which no Pretence can draw,
To Honour and to Freedom sacred held.
Sure Virtue, such as shines in all he does,
Has well aton'd a failing Parent's Guilt.

Felix.
Can all his Virtues now restore our Rights?
Those Rights his Father help'd to trample down?
To Lands o'erflow'd the Banks are after vain,
They can't expell the Streams they should have stopt.
Oh, what's Repentance when the Folly stings,
Whose rank Commission Counsel would have hinder'd!
Griefs then are insolent; and only Fools
Will feel Compassion for a headstrong Wretch
Whom mere Perverseness has involv'd in Woe:
But Knaves in dull Contrition claim Contempt.

Aria.
When Albert's Father suffer'd from Remorse,
He plain'd unpity'd; and with Justice bore
The Scoffs and Scorn of true heroic Souls.
But why should they who lent no Voice or Hand,
Contract a Guilt because their Friends were base?
The foulest Streams will purge their Filth away,
And Albert's Blood—

Felix.
Still stain the odious Hands
Of Executioners, 'till all is sluic'd
To drench that Land their Ancestor betray'd.

Aria.
Can nothing move you then to gentle Thoughts
Of Worth that suffers from your settled Hate?
Long has he pin'd with hopeless Flames of Love,
And pity now should melt your rigid Heart.

Felix.
What! am I for Injustice too arraign'd!
For brave Resentment of my Country's Wrongs?
Perverse one, cease this insolent Attempt
To taint the Splendor of thy Father's Fame,
Or I shall think that Title not thy due.
Go, study Virtue, rugged, ancient Worth!
Rouse up that Flame our great Forefathers felt,
Who won those Honours you unworthy heir:
Nor trust such soft Refinements of the Schools
As strip our noblest Passions of their Force,
The Lust of Greatness and the Love of Fame!
Hah!—well I recollect another Crime,
Which has been strongly represented to me
As hov'ring o'er thee, if thou art not tainted:
You're much in Godrick's Favour; he in yours!
Take heed, my Daughter, there is guilty Love:—
Eliza too is Ariana's Friend.

Aria.
And surely happy in a Husband's Heart.
What busy Fiend is this disturbs your Peace
With idle Tales! malicious as they're false.
No; if on Earth pure Honour still exists,
'Tis deeply rooted in the Breast of Godrick;
Whose Love and Friendship are alike sincere:
I boast the Honour of the latter Flame,
Bestow'd, and nourish'd with a gen'rous Zeal:
Yes, Godrick is a Friend to Truth and Me.

Felix.
I hardly can believe thy Guilt has soar'd
To such a height as to be base with him:
But seek no Friendships foreign to thy kind;
They may be dang'rous in a different Sex.
Remember this Advice a Father gives,
Improve in innocent Reserve and Duty;
They're Virtues that become a Female Mind.
But none of Albert, let me hear no more
Of that vile Tribe, those Renegades to Honour,
As you regard my Peace, or dread my Curse.

SCENE VIII.

Ariana
Sola.
Ye righteous Pow'rs! Supporters of the Just,
In all the Perils, all the Ills of Life;
O kindly interpose, and succour now,
A wretched Maid, devoted to your Laws:
Aid me to bear Misfortune and Disgrace,
Want, Wretchedness, and ev'ry frightful Woe
An angry Father can involve a Child in.
Yes, I will suffer Life's whole Journey through,
To gain at last an honourable Grave:
But no fond Duty, Tye, or Passion, e'er
Shall sway me to be base, unjust or cruel:
No; bound by Honour, Gratitude and Love;
While Albert lives I ne'er will be another's.

SCENE IX.

A thick Grove.
Eliza
Sola.
Yes, preach up Tameness, Castor, to my Wrongs;
And laugh, insulting Godrick, at my Woes;
I will have Justice; and this Hand shall seize
That Vagrant to my Love, a Husband's Heart.
This is the Place their Satyr-Souls appoint
To act such Rites as shudder virtuous Thought,
And claim the Vengeance both of Earth and Heav'n.
The gath'ring Clouds begin to shade the Sky;
Which twinkling Stars with glim'ring Rays bedeck:
But come not thou, chaste Goddess, from thy Bed,
To view the foul Pollutions of this Night:
Such Fumes may rise as will for ever dim
The radiant Lustre of your Virgin Beams!
But let all Hell await the Off'rings here;
The Priests, the Altars will be worthy them!
Let Darkness shadow; Darkness, that should hide
Such Crimes as shame the Day; would blot the Sun,
And strike a gazing World with Detestation!
Hark!—sure I heard a Noise!—I'll search about,
And, like a Vulture, hail my Prey with Death.

SCENE X.

The Stage darken'd.
Godrick and Albert.
Godr.
It is already dark, and this the Place:
'Twill not be long ere Ariana comes.

Albert.
O whisper in her Ear some friendly Power,
That Albert waits the promis'd Boon of Love:
Some Star direct her to my longing Arms,
Then hide thy Head to make our Joys secure.
O, Godrick! how I long to fold my Arms
Around that Object of my tend'rest Wish;
Draw in her balmy Breath with eager Kisses,
And melt away in Ecstasy and Transport!
Thou Friend to all my Hopes; whose kind Concern
Is ever watchful for thy Albert's Peace,
What vast Arrears of Kindness do I owe
Thy gen'rous Love, unweary'd for my Weal!
To thee I am beholden for this Bliss;
A Debt to burthen more that vast Account
Of all the Pleasures, Comforts of my Life.

Godr.
O pay not Duty with such lavish Praise;
Could Manhood labour less at Honour's Call?
No, Albert, all I've done your Virtue claim'd;
It was a Debt in Friendship justly due.
Hark!—I hear soft treading!—it must be she,
The Mistress of thy Vows, thy Ariana.

SCENE XI.

Godrick, Albert, Ariana and Matilda.
Albert.
Oh, where? give way, and let my eager Arms
Press that dear Maid, and bind her to my Heart.
O, Ariana! is it giv'n me then
To clasp thee thus, thus fondly to my Bosom!
This tender Minute pays an Age of Care;
Expells all Fears, all Torments from my Mind,
While feeble Hope gives way to fiercest Joy!
Let me devour thy Beauties, feed to Death:—
Oh, we will never, never part again.

Aria.
O, Albert! all my Hopes, my Soul is thine;
You take up ev'ry Portion of my Heart;
And here, to Death, I swear thee lasting Truth:
But more I cannot; evil Stars prevail,
And doom our Passions to a Virgin Grave.
My Father vows to tear me from his Heart,
And bar me all the Honours of his Name,
If I pursue my tender Hopes in thee.
Now what remains for me, unhappy Maid;
But to devote my future Days to Woe,
To heavy Anguish, and to black Despair.

Albert.
No, Ariana, Love shall light his Torch,
And we'll be blest as faithful Lovers should.
Your Father's Curses shall, like idle Winds,
Fly far away from all our soft Delights:
Uninjur'd; Malice is too foul a Crime
To ruin Worth, or baffle virtuous Hopes.

Aria.
Hah!—Would you have me brave a Parent's Rage?
And bend to Earth a hoary Head with Grief!
No; tho' his Pride, his Cruelty, his Rage,
Deprive my Soul of ev'ry earthly Joy,
But conscious Virtue and unshaken Truth:
What Wants I feel, and whatsoe'er I suffer,
Oh, bless him, Heav'n, with length of happy Days;
Be Sickness, Sorrow, Shame, unknown to him;
Thou, Time, that conquer'st all things, there be kind,
And lead him easy, thro' a soft Decay;
Gently, oh! gently lay him down in Death;
And let me wait, to share his parting Pray'r!
To catch a Blessing from his fleeting Soul.

Albert.
O, force of filial Love! Look down, ye Pow'rs,
And wonder at the perfect Work you've wrought!
Preserve such Virtue for the gen'ral Good,
That wav'ring Man may gaze with Rapture here,
And from Example fortify his Soul:
Oh, make her happy, as such Worth deserves,
And justify your Rule by gracious Ends.

Aria.
Ah! we're betray'd!—heard you that Sound of Feet?
'Tis Death to stay!—Matilda, Godrick, haste,
Examine all the Avenues around
To trace a latent Foe;—a Foe to us,
Which Curiosity or Mischief makes;
I dare not here remain; come, Albert, thou,
And take the Shelter of the neighb'ring Grot,
Observ'd, there is no Safety here for thee:
There bring us word when Apprehension dies.

SCENE XII.

Godrick and Matilda.
Godr.
Matilda, you remain attentive here
While I examine all the neighb'ring Walks;
And at the sign of Danger give th'Alarm.

SCENE XIII.

Matilda and Castor entring apart.
Matilda.
Oh, how I shudder with my rising Fears:
If we're discover'd all will be undone.

Castor.
I've reach'd the Covert; now to spring the Game;
And here's the Weapon to secure the Prize:—
Hah!—Whence this Trembling that unstrings my Nerves,
And drives a thrilling Horror to my Soul!—
I never felt such strong Attacks before;
Its Bodings sure are fatal:—Hah!—and yet!
But I will conquer thee, thou Coward Fear;—
Off, off this Clog to Manhood and Revenge.
Hah! Conscience!—keep with Thought at distance thou;
Contrition never should precede a Guilt.—
Come, Ariana, come; possess my Mind,
And drive out all opposing Thoughts to thee.

[Aside.

SCENE XIV.

Matilda list'ning. Castor and Eliza apart, on different sides of the Stage.
Eliza.
Now, to allay this Husband's raging Flame,
Oh, guide me Vengeance to his treach'rous Heart.

[Aside.
Matilda.
Methought I heard the tread of human Feet!
Hah!—by the glimm'ring Light the Moon affords,
My Eyes deceive me, or I see a Man!—
Let me approach:—Godrick, my Lord, is't you?

Eliza.
Yes, and I greet him thus—

[Stabs him.
Castor.
Confusion seize thee, whosoe'er thou art.

Eliza.
That Love you've injur'd, Monster, gives the Blow!
And with it this Revenge. [stabs herself.]
Alive forsook,
In Death at least I'll have thee mine, and sure.

Matilda.
Help! Murder! Mischief! Help!

[Runs out.
Castor.
Eliza! Hah!—
I'm murder'd by thy Hand! thy Brother's slain.

Eliza.
Castor!—Oh, thou erring Hand of Vengeance;
I've done a Deed will doubly sink my Soul
In depths of horrid Guilt!—I'm lost indeed.

SCENE XV.

Castor and Eliza wounded, Godrick and Albert enter on different sides of the Stage.
Godr.
What is this Cry of Murder? Who are here?

Albert.
Godrick! art thou in Safety?—Treason's nigh!
What hoa, there! Lights.—Good Heav'n defend us all.

Castor.
I'm fall'n into the Snare myself had laid!
Oh, Mischief, Mischief of my own dull Brains.
Where can I go to fly from Shame and Fate?—
My Blood runs fast!—But she has mist my Heart!
Oh, to the Dagger guide my Hand some Fiend!—
But Hell has now forsook me.—All my Guilt
Comes flashing on me, and with Flames so strong
As Nature can't sustain.—Forgetful Brain!
I want the Means of Death, and wear a Sword.—

[As Castor is going to kill himself, Servants enter with Lights.
Albert.
O stop this Rage of Slaughter:—Castor!—Hah!—

Godr.
What do I see! Eliza bleeding here!—

Albert.
Support this wounded Man; and on your Lives,
Take care he does no farther Violence.

[To the Servants.
Eliza.
Why who art thou?—Perfidious Monster, off!
Go leave me to the Fate your Crimes have dealt me;
And live to Plagues, to Horror, and Remorse.—
Have I no Friend to lead me from this Place?
And bless me with some Dungeon's safe Retreat,
Secure from further Guilt, and guilty Men!

Castor.
Yes, I can tear my Wound and drag out Life.

[Struggling.
Albert.
Convey him hence, and bear the Lady in:
There farther Inquests must be made, and Truth,
If possible, work'd out by cooler Heads than ours.
Away with him.—

[Eliza is led off.
Castor.
Hah! Whither? To my Fate?
To public Infamy?—a shameful End!
And after,—here Imagination, stop!—
Oh, Death, compose this Terror in my Mind.—

SCENE XVI.

Albert and Godrick, a Servant with a Light.
Albert.
Oh, Godrick! summon Reason to thy Aid,
And all thy wonted Fortitude of Mind:
Bear thy Misfortunes bravely, as becomes
A British Spirit, and a Christian Faith.

Godr.
Oh, Albert, do I live? And have I Sense?
Am I distracted, or a Wretch indeed?—
I look like one from Slumber rous'd by Cries,
Who half consum'd his burning Dwelling spies!
Aghast he stands! confounded at the Flame!
Not knowing how it rose, or whence it came:
Art, Love, are vain his Sorrows to asswage,
While like the Ruins all his Passions rage.