Thy brother; I must hence, and second him
Against thy factious friends: the strife is dreadful,
And much I fear will have a bloody end;
But I must fly to succor him: farewell;
Thou art my prisoner, but I leave thee here;
Give me thy word, that shall suffice.
vamir.
I do.
lisois.
Would I could knit you in the bonds of peace!
But much more to be feared than all thy foes
And far more fatal, is the tyrant, love.
End of the Third Act.
ACT IV.
SCENE I.
vamir, amelia, emar.
amelia.
O Vamir, how the hand of heaven hath marked
My life with sad variety of woe!
The chance of war, that tore me from thy arms.
Once more hath joined us; but, alas! we meet
On mournful terms, meet but to part; my Vamir,
Didst thou not say it must be so?
vamir.
It must:
Thou seest me chained by honor’s laws beneath
A rival’s power: my sacred word is given:
Vamir may die, but must not follow thee.
amelia.
Thou who hast dared to fight, art thou afraid
To flee from him?
vamir.
I am: my honor binds me:
Take thou advantage of the general tumult,
Which favors thy retreat: a guard attends
To aid thy flight; heaven will protect thy virtues;
Hope for the best.
amelia.
What can Amelia hope,
When thou art from her?
vamir.
’Tis but for a day.
amelia.
O but that day will be an age to me.
Grant, heaven! my tears and terrors may be vain.
The Moor, I know, thirsts for my Vamir’s blood;
Thinkest thou thy brother will not give it him?
He loves with fury, and he hates with rancor;
His hatred, like his love, is in extreme:
He is thy rival, and the Moor’s ally.
I tremble for thee.
vamir.
He would never dare—
amelia.
O his impetuous passion knows no bounds!
vamir.
He must be taught to know them soon; the king
Comes to avenge us; half his force already
Throngs to the royal standard; if thou lovest me,
Fly, my Amelia, from the impending storm,
From dreadful slaughter, and the din of arms,
And all the terrors of a bloody field;
But, above all, avoid my furious rival,
Whose jealous love despised, will turn to rage;
Avoid an insult Vamir must avenge,
Or perish in the attempt: my dear Amelia,
Hope of my life, the only good on earth
I have to boast, do not expose thyself
To needless dangers, but retire in safety.
amelia.
Why wilt thou hazard then thy precious life,
And stay without Amelia?
vamir.
When thou art safe,
I shall not fear my brother; soon perhaps
Vamir may prove his best support: to-day
I am his prisoner, but perchance to-morrow
May be his patron, and persuade the king
To spare a rebel: to protect my rival
Were noble triumph. Haste, Amelia, leave
This seat of danger.
amelia.
Wheresoever fate
Shall cast my hapless lot, I’ll carry with me
My hatred and my love; ’midst every danger,
In the wild desert, or the gloomy dungeon,
In exile, or in chains, in death itself,
Still shall I think of, still adore my Vamir:
But O I cannot bear to live without thee!
vamir.
It is too much: thy griefs unman my soul.
What noise was that? O thou hast staid too long!
SCENE II.
amelia, vamir, duke of foix, Guards.
duke.
I hear his voice; ’tis he: stay, villain, thou
Who hast betrayed me.
vamir.
I betrayed thee not.
Now satiate thy revenge, and take my life;
Lose not a moment, for the hand of heaven
Is raised against thee: tremble, slave, thy king
Approaches: thou hast conquered none but Vamir:
Thy master comes, take heed.
duke.
He may avenge,
But cannot save thee; for thy blood—
amelia.
O no,
Amelia’s guilty: let Amelia die,
And not my Vamir: I deceived thy guards,
And bartered with them to assist my flight
From hated slavery, and a tyrant’s power:
Punish my crimes, but, O respect a brother,
Respect thyself, thy own unblemished fame!
He ne’er betrayed, but loves and would have served thee,
Even when thy rage had doomed him to destruction.
What crime has he committed? none, my lord,
None but the crime of loving his Amelia.
duke.
The more thou pleadest for him, the more his guilt:
Thou art his murderer: thou, whose fatal charms
Have poisoned