—a predetermined trust in man;
and holds that
He who hates man must scorn the Source of man,
And challenge as unwise his awful Maker.
The character of Dona Alda is noble and womanly—her chief trait being her great pride and jealous care of her honor. She conceives that no one will brave the
—peril, such as he must brook,
Who dares to love the wife of great Calaynos.
Her maid, Martina, tells her that
—Queens of Spain
Have had their paramours—
and she replies,
—So might it be,
Yet never hap to bride of a Calaynos!
Don Luis, the villain of the plot, thus paints his own picture: