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Whose beauty is our sov'reign good, and gives us
Our reasons to rebel, and pow'r to reign,
What could we more than to behold a monarch,
Lovely, renown'd, a conqueror, and young,
Bound in our chains, and sighing at our feet?
J. Shore. "Tis true, the royal Edward was a wonder,
The goodly pride of all our English youth;
He was the very joy of all who saw him,
Form'd to delight, to love, and to persuade.
But what had I to do with kings and courts?
My humble lot had cast me far beneath him;
And that he was the first of all mankind,
The bravest, and most lovely, was my curse.

Alicia. Sure, something more than fortune join'd your loves:

Nor could his greatness, and his gracious form, Be elsewhere match'd so well, as to the sweetness And beauty of my friend.

J. Shore, Name him no more!

He was the bane and ruin of my peace.

This anguish and these tears, these are the legacies
His fatal love has left me. Thou wilt see me,
Believe me, my Alicia, thou wilt see me,
Ere yet a few short days pass o'er my head,
Abandon'd to the very utmost wretchedness.
The hand of pow'r has siezed almost the whole
Of what was left for needy life's support;
Shortly thou wilt behold me poor, and kneeling
Before thy charitable door for bread.

Alicia. Joy of my life, my dearest Shore, forbear
To wound my heart with thy foreboding sorrows;
Raise thy sad soul to better hopes than these,
Lift up thy eyes, and let them shine once more,
Bright as the morning sun above the mist.
Exert thy charms, seek out the stern Protector,
And sooth his savage temper with thy beauty:
Spite of his deadly, unrelenting nature,
He shall be moved to pity, and redress thee.

J. Shore. My form, alas! has long forgot to please;
The scene of beauty and delight is changed;
No roses bloom upon my fading cheek,
Nor laughing graces wanton in my eyes;
But haggard Grief, lean-looking, sallow Care,
And pining Discontent, a rueful train,
Dwell on my brow, all hideous and forlorn.
One only shadow of a hope is left me;
The noble-minded Hastings, of his goodness,
Has kindly underta'en to be my advocate,
And move my humble suit to angry Gloster.
Alicia. Does Hastings undertake to plead your
cause?

But wherefore should he not? Hastings has eyes;
The gentle lord has a right tender heart,
Melting and easy, yielding to impression,

And catching the soft flame from each new beauty;
But yours shall charm him long.

J. Shore. Away, you flatterer!

Nor charge his generous meaning with a weakness,
Which his great soul and virtue must disdain.
Too much of love thy hapless friend has proved,
Too many giddy foolish hours are gone,
And in fantastic measures danced away:
May the remaining few know only friendship.
So thou, my dearest, truest, best Alicia,
Vouchsafe to lodge me in thy gentle heart,
A partner there, I will give up mankind,
Forget the transports of increasing passion,
And all the pangs we feel for its decay,
Alicia. Live! live and reign for ever in my bosom;
[Embracing.
Safe and unrivall'd there possess thy own;
And you, the brightest of the stars above,
Ye saints, that once were women here below,
Be witness of the truth, the holy friendship,
Which here to this my other self I vow.
If I not hold her nearer to my soul,

Tran eve other joy the world can give, et poverty, deformity, and shame,

straction and despair seize me on earth, * not my faithless ghost have peace hereafter, Wer taste the bliss of your celestial fellowship! . Shore. Yes, thou art true; and only thou art

true:

Therefore these jewels, once the lavish bounty rayal Edward's love, I trust to thee;

[Giving a Casket. Give this, all that I can call my own, set it rest unknown, and safe with thee; the state's injustice should oppress me, e of all, and turn me out a wanderer, etchedness may find relief from thee, clter from the storm.

c. My all is thine;

ommon hazard shall attend us both, och be fortunate, or both be wretched. thy fearful doubting heart be still; Nuts and angels have thee in their charge, things shall be well. Think not the good, catle deeds of mercy thou hast done, die forgotten all;

uan, the merciless insulter man,

who rejoices in our sex's weakness,

ty thee, and, with unwonted goodness,

athy failings, and record thy praise.

More. Why should I think, that man will do
for me

what yet he never did for wretches like me?
what partial justice we are judged:
the fate unhappy women find,
such the curse entail'd upon our kind,
man, the lawless libertine, may rove,

Ton'd, through the wilds of love;
se and nature's easy fool,
in swerve from virtue's rule,

[graphic]

If, strongly charm'd, she leave the thorny way,
And in the softer paths of pleasure stray,
Ruin ensues, reproach and endless shame,
And one false step entirely damns her fame;
In vain with tears the loss she may deplore,
In vain look back on what she was before;
She sets, like stars that fall, to rise no more.

[Exeunt.

ACT THE SECOND.

SCENE I.

An Apartment in JANE SHORE's House.

Enter ALICIA, speaking to JANE SHORE, as entering.

Alicia. No farther, gentle friend; good angels guard you,

And spread their gracious wings about your slumbers.

The drowsy night grows on the world, and now
The busy craftsman, and th' o'erlabour'd hind,
Forget the travail of the day in sleep:
Care only wakes, and moping Pensiveness;
With meagre discontented looks they sit,
And watch the wasting of the midnight taper.
Such vigils must I keep, so wakes my soul,
Restless and self-tormented! Oh, false Hastings!
Thou hast destroy'd my peace.-[Knocking without.
What noise is that?

What visitor is this, who with bold freedom
Breaks in upon the peaceful night and rest,
With such a rude approach?

Enter a SERVANT.

Serv. One from the court,

Lord Hastings (as I think) demands my lady. Alicia. Hastings!-Be still my heart, and try to meet him

With his own arts; with falsehood—But he comes. Enter LORD HASTINGS; speaks to a SERVANT as entering.

Hast. Dismiss my train, and wait alone without.— Alicia here! Unfortunate encounter!

But be it as it may.

Alicia. When humbly, thus,

The great descend to visit the afflicted,
When thus, unmindful of their rest, they come
To sooth the sorrows of the midnight mourner,
Comfort comes with them; like the golden sun
Dispels the sullen shades with her sweet influence,
And cheers the melancholy house of care.

Hast. 'Tis true, I would not over-rate a courtesy, Nor let the coldness of delay hang on it,

To nip and blast its favour, like a frost;
But rather choose, at this late hour, to come,
That your fair friend may know I have prevail'd ;

The Lord Protector has received her suit,

And means to show her grace.

Alicia. My friend, my lord!

Hast. Yes, lady, yours; none has a right more ample

To task my pow'r than you.

Alicia. I want the words,

To pay you back a compliment so courtly;
But my heart guesses at the friendly meaning,
And would not die your debtor.

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