SCENE XV.
The Demon, CYPRIAN, and CLARIN.
DEMON [aside]. Just heavens,
If my nature, in conjunction,
Once possessed both grace and science,
When 'mongst angels I was numbered,
Grace alone is what I've lost,
Science no. Then why unjustly,
If 'tis so, deprive my science
Of its proper power and function?
CYPRIAN. Lucifer, wise master mine.
CLARIN. Pray don't call him: for he'll come here
In another corse, I warrant.
DEMON. Speak, what would you?
CYPRIAN. The annulling,
The redemption of those pledges,
At whose very thought I shudder.
CLARIN. As I don't redeem my pledges,
I'll slip off here through the bushes.
[Exit.
SCENE XVI.
CYPRIAN and The Demon.
CYPRIAN. Scarcely o'er earth's wounded bosom
Had I the true spell-word uttered,
When in the ensuing action,
She, of all my dreams the subject,
My adored, divine Justina....
But why take the useless trouble,
That to tell you know already?
I embraced her, would unmuffle
Her fair face, when (woe is me!)
In her beauty I discovered
A gaunt skeleton, a statue,
A pale image, a sepulchral
Show of death, which in these measured
Words thus spoke (even yet I shudder),
"Cyprian, such are all the glories
Of the world that you so covet."—
To assert, that on thy magic
As expressed by me, the burden
Of the fault should lie, is vain,
For I, point by point, so worked it,
That of all its silent symbols
There was not a line but somewhere
Had its place, of all its spell-words
Not one word that was not uttered.
Then, 'tis plain thou has deceived me,
For though acting as instructed,
I but found an empty phantom
Where I sought a blissful substance.
DEMON. Cyprian, this defect from thee,
Nor from me, in truth, resulted:
Not from thee, because the magic
Thou didst exercise with subtle
Thought and skill; and not from me,
For I could not teach thee further.
From a higher cause, believe me,
Came this injury thou hast suffered.
But be not cast down: for I,
Who in tranquil rest would lull thee,
Will to thee unite Justina,
By a different way and juster.
CYPRIAN. That is not my intention now.
For this strange event has struck me
With such terror and confusion,
That thy ways I do not covet.
And since thou has not complied with
The conditions, the assumptions
Of my love, I only ask thee,
Now that from thy face I'm rushing,
As the contract is annulled,
That my bond thou shouldst return me.
DEMON. What I promised was to teach thee,
By a course of secret study,
How to draw to thee Justina
By the potent power impulsive
Of thy words: and since the wind
Here Justina hath conducted,
I have then fulfilled my contract,
I have kept my plighted word then.
CYPRIAN. What was offered to my love
Was that I should surely pluck here
The sweet fruit whose seeds my hope
Had to these wild wastes entrusted.
DEMON. Cyprian, I was only bound
Her to bring here.
CYPRIAN. A mere shuffle:
To my arms you swore to give her.
DEMON. In thy arms I saw her struggle.
CYPRIAN. 'Twas a phantom.
DEMON. 'Twas a portent.
CYPRIAN. Worked by whom?
DEMON. By one who worked it
To protect her.
CYPRIAN. Who was he?
DEMON [trembling]. I don't wish the name to utter.
CYPRIAN. I will turn my magic science
'Gainst thyself. By its compulsion
Speak, inform me who he is.
DEMON. Well, a god who takes this trouble
For Justina.
CYPRIAN. What's one God,
When of gods there's such a number?
DEMON. All their power in Him is centred.
CYPRIAN. Then One only, sole and sovereign,
Must He be, whose single will
Their united wills outworketh.
DEMON. I know nothing, I know nothing.
CYPRIAN. I renounce then with my utmost
Power the pact that I made with thee;
What compelled Him (this I urge thee
In that God's great name) to guard her?
DEMON [after having struggled ineffectually not to say it]. To
preserve her pure, unsullied.
CYPRIAN. Then He is the sovereign goodness
Since a wrong He will not suffer.
But if she remained here hidden
Say what loss would have resulted?
DEMON. Loss of honour, if the secret
Leaked out to the gossiping vulgar.
CYPRIAN. Then that God must be all sight,
Since he could foresee these trouble.
But, why could not thy enchantment
Be as potent and consummate?
DEMON. Ah! His power is ampler, fuller.
CYPRIAN. Then that God must be all hands,
Since whate'er He wills He worketh.
Tell me then who is that God,
Whom to-day I have discovered
The supreme of good to be,
The Creator, the Annuller,
The Omniscient, the All-seeing,
Whom I've sought for years unnumbered?
DEMON. Him I know not.
CYPRIAN. Speak, who is He?
DEMON. As I speak it, how I shudder!
He—He is the God of the Christians.
CYPRIAN. Say what moved Him to obstruct me
In my wish?
DEMON. Her Christian faith.
CYPRIAN. Does He guard so those who love Him?
DEMON. Yes; but now too late, too late,
Dost thou hope to gain His succour,
Since, in being my slave, thou canst not
Claim the privilege of His subject.
CYPRIAN. I thy slave?
DEMON. In my possession
Is thy signature.
CYPRIAN. I'll struggle
To regain it from thee, since
'Twas conditional at the utmost.
I don't doubt I will get it.
DEMON. How?
CYPRIAN. In this way.
[He draws his sword, strikes at The Demon, but cannot touch him.
DEMON. Although the lunges
Of thy naked sword against me
Are well aimed, thou hast not struck me,
Fierce as were thy blows. And now,
Even in more despair to plunge thee,
I would have thee learn at least
That the Devil is thy instructor.
CYPRIAN. What do you say?
DEMON. That I am he.
CYPRIAN. Oh! to hear thee how I shudder!—
DEMON. Not alone a slave art thou,
But MY slave; be that thy comfort.
CYPRIAN. I the slave of the Devil! I
Own a master so unworthy?
DEMON. Yes; for since thy soul thou gav'st me,
Thenceforth it to me was subject.
CYPRIAN. Is there then no gleam of hope,
No appeal, no aid, no succour,
By which I so great a crime
Can blot out?
DEMON. No.
CYPRIAN. Why doubt further?
Let not this sharp sword rest idly
In my hand, but swiftly cutting
Through my breast, become the willing
Instrument of mine own murder.
But what say I? He who could
Snatch Justina from thy clutches,
Can He not, too, rescue me?
DEMON. No. By choice thou wert a culprit,
And He does not favour crimes,
Virtues only.
CYPRIAN. If the summit
Of all power He be, to pardon
Is as easy as to punish.
DEMON. He rewardeth by His power,
He chastiseth from His justice.
CYPRIAN. One who yields He'll not chastise.
I am one, since I am humbled.
DEMON. Thou art mine, my slave: no master
Canst thou have but me.
CYPRIAN. I trust not.
DEMON. How, when still in my possession
Is that bond of thine, that bloody
Scroll inscribed by thine own hand?
CYPRIAN. He who is supreme and sovereign,
And depends not on another,
Will yet bear me through triumphant.
DEMON. In what way?
CYPRIAN. He is all sight,
And will see the fitting juncture.
DEMON. It I hold.
CYPRIAN. He is all hands,
And will burst my bonds asunder.
DEMON. Ere that comes I'll see thee dead:
Thus my clasping arms shall crush thee.
[They struggle together.
CYPRIAN. Thou great God, the Christians' God,
Oh, assist me in this struggle!
DEMON [flinging CYPRIAN from his arms].
It is He who has saved thy life.
CYPRIAN. More He'll do since I seek Him humbly.
[Exeunt.
SCENE XVII.
HALL IN THE PALACE OF THE GOVERNOR.
The Governor, FABIUS, and Soldiers.
GOVERNOR. How then was the capture made?
FABIUS. In their church, as we suspected,
We discovered them collected,
Where before their God they prayed.
With an armed guard I traced them
To this secret sacred hall,
Made them prisoners one and all,
And in different prisons placed them.
But, your patience not to tire,
The chief point I may declare,—
Captured is Justina fair,
And Lysander her old sire.
GOVERNOR. If for gold, a fair pretence,
If for rank, you would not miss,
Wherefore bring me news like this
And not claim your recompense?
FABIUS. If you deign to value thus
My poor service you may pay it.
GOVERNOR. How?
FABIUS. With great respect I say it,
Florus free, and Lelius.
GOVERNOR. Though I seemed austere and cold,
Them chastising without pity
To strike terror through the city,
Yet if the whole truth were told,
Then the cause were plain why they
Have been prisoned a whole year.
It is this, a father's fear
Lelius would preserve this way.
Florus was his rival, he
Had a host of powerful friends,
Each was jealous, and his ends
Would attain whate'er might be.
I was fearful a collision
Would ensue if they should meet,
So I thought it more discreet
Not to come to a decision.
So with this intent I sought
Some pretext, Justina's face
To expel from out this place,
But I could discover nought.
But since this event to-day,
With her damaged character,
Gives a right to banish her,
Nay, to take her life away,
Let them be released. No fear
Need you have about their fate;
Go, and Lelius liberate,
Go, and Florus bring me here.
FABIUS. Myriad times I kiss thy feet
For a favour so immense.
[Exit.
SCENE XVIII.
The Governor and Soldiers.
GOVERNOR. And since now this fair pretence,
This hypocritical deceit,
In my power at last doth lie,
Wherefore my revenge postpone
For the sorrows I have known
Through her fault? Yes, she shall die
By the bloody headsman's hand.
[To a Soldier.
Bring her hither in my name.
Let her punishment and shame
Be a terror to the land.
Let the palace she thought sweet
But her scaffold scene present.
[Exit the Soldier with others.
SCENE XIX.
FABIUS, LELIUS, and FLORUS.—THE SAME.
FABIUS. Sir, the two for whom you sent
Here are kneeling at your feet.
LELIUS. I, whose wish it is to be
Welcomed as thy son this time,
With no consciousness of crime
Do not see a judge in thee,
I an angry sire may see
With a son's respectful fear
And obedience.
FLORUS. Being here, I infer that it must be
(Though no guilt can I discern)
Thy chastising hand to feel.
See. Submissive here I kneel.
GOVERNOR. Lelius, Florus, I was stern,
Justly stern against ye two,
For as judge or father I
Could not unchastised pass by
Your offence. But then I knew
That in noble hearts the feeling
Of resentment does not last,
And as now the cause is past,
I resolved, to both appealing,
Friends to make of you once more.
So to consecrate the tie
Now embrace in amity.
LELIUS. I am glad that, as of yore,
Florus is my friend to-day.
FLORUS. That thou'rt mine this act may show.
Here's my hand.
GOVERNOR. This being so,
You are free to go or stay:—
When I tell you of the sad
Fall of her you once admired,
Northing further is required.