Review of Conscience, or the Bridal Night.

booters and taken prisoners. Their leader suddenly recognises Lorenzo as an old acquaintance, and the latter is struck by his appearance; but at the instant, a party of troops, sent from the city in pursuit of the robbers, come up, and rescue Lorenzo and his companions, upon which the free-booters lay down their arms and submit; while their Chief, Alfero, turns significantly, to Lorenzo, tells him that their safety is in his power, and desires he will use his influence with the Senate to procure their pardon. Lorenzo denies any knowledge of Alfero, who with his associates is led off. On their disappearance, Lorenzo charges Julio to return to Venice, and entreat the mercy of the Senate for Alfero; this, Julio promises, and instantly sets off, while Lorenzo and his Bride proceed to the Castle in safety.

In the mean time Julio is refused admittance to the Senate, and Alfero, thinking that Lorenzo had neglected to interest himself in his favor, acquaints Arsenio that he had a tale to tell respecting Lorenzo which particularly concerned him. In a private conference, he informs him that he had seen Lorenzo administer a poisoned draught to Rinaldo, Arsenio's brother, which caused his death.

Arsenio, glad to have an opportunity of wreaking his vengeance on Lorenzo, promises to procure Alfero a free pardon on his establishing the charge, which the other swears to do. A feeling of compassion for his daughter prompts him to see Lorenzo, that, by acquainting him with the knowledge he had obtained of his guilt, and promising silence, he may induce him to give up Elmira and fly from Italy.

Accordingly he applies to the Senate to place the prisoner Alfero in his custody for a given time, while he examines into the truth of the accusation. His request is granted, and they immediately set off for the residence of Lorenzo, accompanied by a guard.

In the interim, Lorenzo had been acquainted by Julio with the bad success of his application to the Senate, and the former, apprehensive of the consequences, and dreading the resentment of Alfero, acquaints Julio with circumstances that preyed upon his mind, and entreats his advice and assistWe subjoin the scene wherein he makes the disclosure of his guilt.

ance.

Lorenzo. If Julio fail, 'tis but to die, and so

Escape the worst. Would he were come!

Review of Conscience, or the Bridal Night.

Enter Elmira.

Elm.

Lor.

How now, my love!

Elm.

Lor.

Elm.

Lor.

Lorenzo !

Why art thou wandering thus,

Through the vast avenues and lonely halls
Of this drear mansion? As I followed thee
I heard thee talk of death.

Yes; I was thinking

That all must die; Kings, Princes must obey
The freezing call. Statesmen must one day stoop
To pay their court to the despotic tomb :
Lawyers must there refund the fee of life:
Heroes, unarmed, forgetting sieges, battles,
Must far from glory and the sound of praise
Take their last station: inspired orators
Must shun the multitude, whose mind they made,
And cleave to silence and oblivion :

The player must desert his mimic scene,
To die indeed and poets fond of hope,

With their fine sense of life, must humble too;
And at the summons, quit Castalia's spring,
To plunge amid the gloom of Erebus.
'Tis to the wretch alone that he denies
The solace of his sleep.

Thy speech affrights me.

Thou wouldst not rashly dare-thou wouldst not venture,
On the wide countries of the unknown life→→

Fear not my love,—but look where Julio comes.
Leave us to rest-1 soon will follow.

Lor

Jul.

Lor.

Jul.

Lør.

Jul.

Lor.

Jul.

Not so; for in my stead,

A friend of greater note has undertaken

To supplicate their mercy for Alfero.

Yet one thing goads my mind. The time is come
When guilt can hide no more. The only sccret

I ever kept from thee must now unfold

Its cloak to thy discovering.

An oath must seal it in thy
Thence to be never torn.

But an oath— conscious breast,

I swear

By what?

By that hereafter hope which is the source
Of constancy and virtue.

Lor.

Jal.

Lor.

Jul.

Lor.

Jul.

Lor.

Jul.

Lor.
Jul.

Lo1.

Review of Conscience, or the Bridal Night.

Nay, though torture

Should labour at thy joints, to drive it out
In drops of blood, let not confession mingle.
Nay, still, though I, thy friend, were on the rack,
And that one word would rescue me from pangs
Which live upon the body's substance long.
To the surprize and grief of nature, spurn,
Renounce the Heaven above us, if that word
Should 'scape thy lips, "wrung by a perjured mercy
From an incapable soul;"-Dost hesitate?
'Tis dreadful!—but I swear, abjuring heaven,
And claiming hell my portion, if I speak,
Even to preserve my Friend.

Then know, the wretch
Whose life I'd have thee save, was once my vassal.
I thought not then his former trade was rapine,
But chose him for his zeal. I brought him here.
Rinaldo seized my rights.-Arsenio's malice
Refused Elmira to my arms.-Despair
Imparted rage; and rage let in distraction.
One fatal day this same Alfero proffered
To do me justice; to restore my wealth;

To bless me with the wife my heart had fixed on ;
And-shall I speak it out-to poison him

Who trod those prospects down; by the great Power,
Inhabitant of yon blue monarchy,

I knew not what I said. But, for some words

In madness uttered, I am branded with

The crime of murder !

Start not thou need'st not fear me.

Never again! even at my bridal hour

Thou saw'st detection, like a witch, look on

And smile, and mock at the solemnity,

Conjuring the stars. Hark! was not that a noise?
No all is still.

Have none approached us?

None.

Then 'twas my fancy. Every passing hour
Is crowded with a thousand whisperers;
The night hath lost its silence; and the stars

Review of Conscience, or the Bridal Night.

Shoot fire upon my soul. Darkness itself
Has objects for mine eyes to gaze upon,
And sends me terror when I pray for sleep
In vain upon my knees. Nor ends it here;
My greatest dread of all-detection-casts
Her shadow on my walk, and startles me
At every turn sometimes will reason drag
Her frightful chain of probable alarms
Across my mind; or, if fatigued, she droop,
Her pangs survive the while; as you have seen
The ocean tossing when the wind is down,
And the huge storm is dying on the waters.
Once, too, I had a dream-

Jul. The shadows of our sleep should fly with sleep;
Nor hang their sickness on the memory.

Lor. Methought the dead man, rising from his tomb,
Frowned over me; Elmira, at my side,

Jul.

Lor.

Jul.

Stretched her fond arms to shield me from his wrath;
At which he frowned the more; I turned away,
Disgusted, from the spectre, and essayed

To clasp my wife; but she was pale, and cold,
And in her breast the heart was motionless,
And on her limbs the clothing of the grave,
With here and there a worm, hung heavily.
Then did the Spectre laugh, till from its mouth
Blood droop'd upon us, while it cried-' BEHOLD !
SUCH IS THE BRIDAL BED THAT WAITS THY LOVE!'
I would have struck it, (for my rage was up):
I tried the blow; but, all my senses shaken
By the convulsion, broke the tranced spell,
And darkness told me-sleep was my tormentor.
And thou woulds't have this vision prophesy
To thy delivered senses.

Banish it

Believe what is. E'en should the worst befall,
There lies a dungeon at this Castle's foot

Known but to me. It was in early time,
A refuge from the violence of war,

When savage battle spared not. In its bosom
Thou may'st elude the strictest search.

Alas!

If life were all my care, to find that dungeon
Had been a transport; but my honor, Julio!
My dread of shame!

Still is it some relief

To shun the public trial, whose result

Would more thy reputation mar than hints
Of weak surmise, though absence gave a scope
To its worst virulence.

Lor.

Jul.

Review of Conscience, or the Bridal Night.

True, true, my friend!

There are degrees in baseness. Shew this dungeɔn-
Misery may come any where, but scorn

Can be avoided; and the darkest cell

That shuts it out, is like a throne to me,

Whose glory shines in the contempt it conquers.
Observe this secret spring-

(He touches a spring—upon which a door in the back scene flies open.)

Lor:

The door now open,

By steps of solid rock, leads down to darkness.

Another portal then defends the womb

Of the deep cavern; and to silence gives
Security, by distance almost infinite.

It is not in the hollow lungs of famine
To send a shriek so high.

Replace the spring.

A foot approaches.

[Julio replaces the door.]

The arrival of Arsenio is announced, whom Lorenzo meets alone, Julio having, at his request, retired. Arsenio brands him with the title of murderer, and vows to have him "dragged, like any felon, to the place of execution," unless he instantly resolve to restore Elmira, and quit Venice; which the other refuses, but supplicates his mercy, at least for Elmira, who, as his wife, must be affected by his disgrace. Arsenio is obstinate, and calling in Alfero, blasts him with the sight of his accuser. Lorenzo draws his sword, and vows to die rather than endure the infamy attached to his offence, but, on consideration, offers to lead them by a secret passage beneath the castle, to the wood beyond, where they might confer in safety, and fix upon some course of reconcilement. To this Alfero consents, glad to escape the guards who waited without: and Arsenio, deserted by him, is compelled to consent. Julio enters, opens the secret door which led to the subterraneous passage, and Alfero and Arsenio enter, followed by Lorenzo and Julio.

Having disposed of their prisoners below, Lorenzo and Julio return by the private door, and the latter, at his friend's suggestion, to avoid suspicion, withdraws to the outside of the castle, where a boat lay moored, by which he escapes. The guards then enter and demand their prisoner Alfero, and Lorenzo attempts to deceive them by a feigned story that Alfero and Arsenio had both escaped, the life and honor of

VOL I. NO. VI.

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