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Mine is th' ungrateful maid by heaven defign'd:
Mercy he would not give, nor mercy fhall the find.
At this the former tale again he told

With thundering tone, and dreadful to behold:
Sunk were their hearts with horror of the crime,
Nor needed to be warn'd a fecond time,

But bore each other back: fome knew the face,
And all had heard the much-lamented cafe
Of him who fell for love, and this the fatal place.
And now th' infernal minifter advanc'd,
Seiz'd the due victim, and with fury launch'd
Her back, and, piercing through her inmoft heart,
Drew backward as before th' offending part..
The reeking entrails next he tore away,
And to his meagre mastiffs made a prey.
The pale affiftants on each other star'd,
With gaping mouths for iffuing words prepar'd
The ftill-born founds upon the palate hung,
And dy'd imperfect on the faultering tongue.
The fright was general; but the female band
(A helpiefs train) in more confusion stand:
With horror fhuddering, on a heap they run,
Sick at the fight of hateful justice done;

For confcience rung th' alarm, and made the cafe their

own.

So, fpread upon a lake with upward eye,
A plump of fowl behold their foe on high;
They close their trembling troop; and all attend
On whom the fowfing eagle will defcend.

But

But moft the proud Honoria fear'd th' event,
And thought to her alone the vifion fent.
Her guilt prefents to her distracted mind
Heaven's juftice, Theodore's revengeful kind,
And the fame fate to the fame fin affign'd.
Already fees herself the monster's prey,

And feels her heart and entrails torn away.
'Twas a mute scene of forrow, mix'd with fear;
Still on the table lay th' unfinish'd cheer :

The knight and hungry mastiffs stood around,
The mangled dame lay breathlefs on the ground;
When on a fudden, re-infpir'd with breath,
Again fhe role, again to fuffer death;

Nor ftaid the hell-hounds, nor the hunter ftaid,
But follow'd, as before, the flying maid :

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Th' avenger took from earth th' avenging fword,
And mounting light as air his fable steed he spurr'd ;
The clouds difpell'd, the sky resum'd her light,
And nature stood recover'd of her fright.
But fear, the laft of ills, remain'd behind,
And horror heavy fat on every mind.
Nor Theodore encourag'd more the feast,
But fternly look'd, as hatching in his breaft
Some deep defigns; which when Honoria view'd,
The fresh impulse her former fright renew'd;
She thought herself the trembling dame who fled,
And him the grisly ghost that spurr'd th' infernal fteed:
The more difmay'd, for when the guests withdrew,
Their courteous hoft, faluting all the crew,

Regardless pafs'd her o'er; nor grac'd with kind adieu;

That

That sting infix'd within her haughty mind,
The downfall of her empire the divin'd ;
And her proud heart with fecret forrow pin'd.
Home as they went, the fad discourse renew'd,
Of the relentless dame to death pursued,
And of the fight obfcene fo lately view'd.

None durft arraign the righteous doom she bore,
Ev'n they who pity'd most, yet blam'd her more :
The parallel they needed not to name,

But in the dead they damn'd the living dame.
At every little noife fhe look'd behind,
For ftill the knight was prefent to her mind:
And anxious oft fhe started on the way,

And thought the horfeman-ghoft came thundering for his prey.

Return'd, he took her bed with little reft,
But in fhort flumbers dreamt the funeral feast :
Awak'd, the turn'd her fide, and flept again;
The fame black vapours mounted in her brain,
And the fame dreams return'd with double pain.
Now forc'd to wake, because afraid to sleep,
Her blood all fever'd, with a furious leap
She sprang from bed, distracted in her mind,
And fear'd, at every step, a twitching spright behind.
Darkling and desperate, with a staggering pace,
Of death afraid, and confcious of disgrace;
Fear, pride, remorse, at once her heart afsail'd,
Pride put remorfe to flight, but fear prevail'd.
Friday, the fatal day, when next it came,

Her foul forethought the fiend would change his

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game,

And

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And her purfue, or Theodore be flain,

And two ghofts join their packs to hunt her o'er the

plain.

This dreadful image fo poffefs'd her mind,

That, defperate any fuccour else to find,
She ceas'd all farther hope; and now began
To make reflexion on th' unhappy man.
Rich, brave, and young, who past expreffion lov'd,
Proof to difdain, and not to be remov'd:
Of all the men respected and admir'd,
Of all the dames, except herself, defir'd:'
Why not of her? preferr'd above the rest

By him with knightly deeds, and open love profefs'd?
So had another been, where he his vows addrefs'd.
This quell'd her pride, yet other doubts remain'd,
That, once difdaining, the might be difdain'd.
The fear was juft, but greater fear prevail'd,
Fear of her life by hellish hounds affail'd:
He took a lowering leave; but who can tell,
What outward hate might inward love conceal ?
Her fex's arts fhe knew; and why not, then,
Might deep diffembling have a place in men ?
Here hope began to dawn; refolv'd to try,
She fix'd on this her utmost remedy:
Death was behind, but hard it was to die.
'Twas time enough at laft on death to call,
The precipice in fight: a fhrub was all,
That kindly stood betwixt to break the fatal fall.
One maid she had, belov'd'above the reft;

Secure of her, the fecret fhe confefs'd;

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And

And now the chearful light her fears d'spell'd,
She with no winding turns the truth conceal'd,
But put the woman off, and ftood reveal'd :
With faults confess'd commiffion'd her to go,
If pity yet had place, and reconcile her foe;
The welcome meffage made, was foon receiv'd;
'Twas to be wish'd, and hop'd, but fcarce believ'd;
Fate feem'd a fair occafion to present ;

He knew the fex, and fear'd the might repent,
Should he delay the moment of confent.
There yet remain'd to gain her friends (a care
The modesty of maidens well might fpare);
But the with fuch a zeal the caufe embrac'd
(As women, where they will, are all in hafte);
The father, mother, and the kin beside,
Were overborn by fury of the tide

With full confent of all the chang'd her state;
Refiftless in her love, as in her hate.

By her example warn'd, the reft beware;
More eafy, lefs imperious, were the fair;
And that one hunting, which the devil defign'd
For one fair female, loft him half the kind.

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CYMON

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