Jul. Blind insolence! base insincerity!
Power and renown no mortal ever shared
Who could retain, or grasp them, to himself:
And, for Covilla? patience! peace! for her?
She call upon her God, and outrage him
At his own altar! she repeat the vows
She violates in repeating! who abhors
Thee and thy crimes, and wants no crown of thine.
Force may compell the abhorrent soul, or want
Lash and pursue it to the public ways;
Virtue looks back and weeps, and may return
To these, but never near the abandon’d one
Who drags religion to adultery’s feet,
And rears the altar higher for her sake.
Rod. Have then the Saracens possest thee quite,
And wilt thou never yield me thy consent?
Jul. Never.
Rod. So deep in guilt, in treachery!
Forced to acknowledge it! forced to avow
The traitor!
Jul. Not to thee, who reignest not,
But to a country ever dear to me,
And dearer now than ever: what we love
Is loveliest in departure! One I thought,
As every father thinks, the best of all,
Graceful, and mild, and sensible, and chaste:
Now all these qualities of form and soul
Fade from before me, nor on any one
Can I repose, or be consoled by any.
And yet in this torne heart I love her more
Than I could love her when I dwelt on each,
Or clasped them all united, and thanked God,
Without a wish beyond.—Away, thou fiend!
O ignominy, last and worst of all!
I weep before thee—like a child—like mine—
And tell my woes, fount of them all! to thee!
ACT I. SCENE 4.
Abdalazis enters.
Abd. Julian, to thee, the terror of the faithless,
I bring my father’s order, to prepare
For the bright day that crowns thy brave exploits:
Our enemy is at the very gate!
And art thou here, with women in thy train,
Crouching to gain admittance to their lord,
And mourning the unkindness of delay!
[Julian, much agitated, goes towards the door, and returns.
Jul. I am prepared: Prince, judge not hastily.