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"Evad. Alas, I must have one

To father children, and to bear the name
Of husband to me, that my sin may be
More honourable.

"Amin. What a strange thing am I !
"Evad. A miserable one; one that myself
Am sorry for.

"Amin. Why, show it then in this:
If thou hast pity, though thy love be none,
Kill me; and all true lovers, that shall live
In after-ages cross'd in their desires,
Shall bless thy memory, and call thee good;
Because such mercy in thy heart was found,
To rid a ling'ring wretch.

"Evad. I must have one

To fill thy room again, if thou wert dead;
Else, by this night, I would: I pity thee.

"Amin. These strange and sudden injuries have fallen

So thick upon me, that I lose all sense

Of what they are. Methinks, I am not wrong'd;

Nor is it aught, if from the censuring world

I can but hide it. Reputation!

Thou art a word, no more. But thou hast shown

An impudence so high, that to the world,

I fear, thou wilt betray or shame thyself.

"Evad. To cover shame, I took thee; never fear That I would blaze myself.

"Amin. Nor let the king

Know I conceive he wrongs me; then mine honour
Will thrust me into action, though my flesh
Could bear with patience. And it is some ease

To me in these extremes, that I knew this
Before I touch'd thee; else, had all the sins
Of mankind stood betwixt me and the king,
I had gone through 'em to his heart and thine.
I have left one desire: 't is not his crown
Shall buy me to thy bed, now I resolve,
He has dishonour'd thee. Give me thy hand;

Be careful of thy credit, and sin close:
'Tis all I wish. Upon thy chamber-floor
I'll rest to-night.

There is vigour in the preceding verses. The feeling of outraged honour in Amintor is finely contrasted with the shameless depravity of Evadne. But surely the picture is overcharged.

The next scene (the second of Act II.) contains an admirable picture of Aspatia's grief. She is in her father's house (he is governor of the citadel), with her two maids. Having demanded if they were ever in love, and received an answer in the negative, she proceeds :

"Asp. Then, my good girls, be more than women, wise: At least be more than I was; and be sure

You credit any thing the light gives light to,
Before a man. Rather believe the sea
Weeps for the ruin'd merchant, when he roars;
Rather, the wind courts but the pregnant sails,
When the strong cordage cracks; rather, the sun
Comes but to kiss the fruit in wealthy autumn,
When all falls blasted. If you needs must love,
(Forced by ill-fate) take to your maiden bosoms
Two dead-cold aspicks, and of them make lovers:
They cannot flatter, nor forswear; one kiss
Makes a long peace for all.

But man,

Oh, that beast man! Come, let's be sad, my girls!
That down-cast of thine eye, Olympias,
Shews a fine sorrow. Mark, Antiphila;
Just such another was the nymph Enone,
When Paris brought home Helen.

Now, a tear ;

And then thou are a piece expressing fully
The Carthage queen, when, from a cold sea-rock,
Full with her sorrow, she tied fast her eyes
To the fair Trojan ships; and, having lost them,
Just as thine eyes, down stole a tear. Antiphila,
What would this wench do, if she were Aspatia?
Here she would stand,, till some more pitying god
Turn'd her to marble! 'Tis enough, my wench!
Show me the piece of needlework you wrought.
"Ant. Of Ariadne, madam?

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Give us new souls "

Though this may be somewhat exaggerated, it is founded in nature: it shows us a mind trembling on the verge of sorrow and madness. And the language is as poetical as the conception is just.

The part which Amintor has to act with the two brothers of Evadne, both his friends, is a delicate one. That with the king is still more so. Seeing the affectation of cheerfulness, in the countenances of Amintor and Evadne, he becomes jealous; he suspects that the marriage has been consummated; that Amintor had confessed it; and he seems to be revenged. Evadne assures him that she has not. been faithless to him, and she calls her husband to confirm the fact. The remainder of this scene is very fine. Amintor, rendered furious by his dishonour, yet afraid to strike his king,

such is the sacredness of majesty exhibits emotions of the most opposite nature. The most finished, though not, as we have already intimated, the most natural, feature of this strange picture, is the cool effrontery of the woman, who, for the sake of the lover, insulted the husband, who trampled on that very husband in the lover's presence:

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Must right themselves: What punishment is due

From me to him that shall abuse my bed?

Is it not death? Nor can that satisfy,

Unless I send your limbs through all the land,

To show how nobly I have freed myself.

"King. Draw not thy sword; thou knowest I cannot fear

A subject's hand; but thou shalt feel the weight

Of this, if thou dost rage.

"Amin. The weight of that!

If you have any worth, for heaven's sake, think

I fear not swords; for as you are mere man,

I dare as easily kill you for this deed,
As you dare think to do it. But there is
Divinity about you, that strikes dead
My rising passions: As you are my king,
I fall before you, and present my sword
To cut mine own flesh, if it be your will.
Alas! I am nothing but a multitude
Of walking griefs! Yet, should I murder you,
I might before the world take the excuse
Of madness: for, compare my injuries,
And they will well appear too sad a weight
For reason to endure! But, fall I first
Amongst my sorrows, ere my treacherous hand
Touch holy things! But why (I know not what

I have to say), why did you chuse out me

To make thus wretched? There were thousand fools

Easy to work on, and of state enough

Within the island.

"Evad. I would not have a fool;

It were no credit for me.

"Amin. Worse and worse!

Thou, that dar'st talk unto thy husband thus,

Profess thyself a whore, and, more than so.

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