Hector. King of Saxa, Scota and Bernia (and the Saxscober people[[1]]) forming the kingdom of Saxscoberland in the planet Erth. Isola. Queen Consort. Bernis. Prince of Scota, their son. Merani. The so-called Mistress of the King, but claiming to be his wife, having married him by the civil law of Scota (long previous to his union with Isola) while refusing to go through the religious ceremony, which the law of Saxscoberland adjudges necessary to constitute a legal marriage.[[2]] Vergli. Their son, claiming to be Prince of Scota. Maxim. Vergli’s school and college friend. Larar. King Hector’s equerry. Shafto. Prince of Bernia. Brother of Isola. Vulnar. A noble of Bernia. Sanctimonious. Ardrigh of Saxscoberland. Conception. Chief of “Peerers.” Judath. A spy and informer. Scrutus. A leader of the “Evolutionary Party” under Vergli. Verita. A leader also of the same party. Azalea. One of Merani’s attendants. Volio. Arflec. Conspirators.
&c., &c., &c.
[1]. No suggestion whatever is intended in the selection of these names. (1877)
[2]. The situation is created to enable the Author to deal with the degrading position assigned to woman in the Religious Marriage Service, which position that service forces her to agree to accept and enjoins her to obey. (1877)
Isola; or, The Disinherited.
PROLOGUE.
Isola, Princess of Bernia, loves Escanior, one of her father’s youthful bodyguard. The Prince of Bernia has, however, promised her in marriage to his liege lord and sovereign, Hector, paramount King of the Saxens, Scotas and Ernas, inhabitants of the three islands Saxa, Scota and Bernia, situated in the Emerald Ocean, in the Planet Erthris, or Erth, and together forming the Kingdom of Saxscoberland. Isola and Escanior attempt flight, but are pursued by the Prince of Bernia, and captured in their boat, whereupon the Prince condemns Escanior to instant death, and he is stabbed and flung into the sea, his unhappy love, Isola, being borne away to become the wife of Hector, King of the Saxscober people, and shortly afterwards the nuptials are celebrated.
Isola, Queen of the Saxscobers, sitting alone soliloquises: “Vast attribute of the Eternal mind, Thought, and thy clinging twin, fair Memory, Art thou and she imperishable parts Of Life and Matter, or but sudden sparks Born to expire and never live again? What art thou Thought and what is Memory If not the factors of undying Life, Which draws from Death fresh force to recreate And fashion new existence from Decay? Oh! Thought; oh! Memory, Ye cannot die, Ye can but sink to sleep in Death’s cold arms To wake again, a recreated force, Part of a universe which cannot end, Because its function is to recreate, Evolving Life from Nature’s boundless store, Nature the all Eternal, only God, Creator of all things known and unknown, The Great Inscrutable, which mind alone Shall understand when it is perfected. Escanior; Oh! Escanior, where art thou? Fair Memory recalls thee to thy love, Isola, who will never yield her heart To mortal man, for it is thine alone. My golden haired, my blue-eyed Escanior! They murdered thee before these starting eyes, They forced me to become another’s bride, They forced that horror on my shrinking soul And left me to endure its fearful pain. One thing they could not do. They could not take My heart away, or force it to vibrate For any other but thy own dear self, My murdered love, my vanished Escanior. Thought! speak to me. Ah! tell me where his is, What part of Nature is his woven with? When will my body, mingling with the Earth Quit this curst slavery and twine once more Its arms around the Love that cannot die? Oh! Thought so penetrating, so divine, Fathom for me the Knowledge that I seek. Shew me where I can find Escanior, Tell me and I will burst my prison bars, And seek with him the liberty I crave.”