my mind

your back

sense

Moscon. I cannot bring my mind, Livia is she who has surprised my heart; Great as my haste to see the festival But he is more than half-way there. Certainly is, to leave you, Sir, without

Soho! Just saying some three or four thousand Livia, I come; good sport, Livia, soho! words.

(Exit. How is it possible that on a day

Cyprian. Now, since I am alone, Of such festivity, you can be content

let me examine To come forth to a solitary country The question which has long disturbed With three or four old books, and turn

With doubt, since first I read in Plinius On all this mirth?

The words of mystic import and deep Clarin. My master's in the right; There is not anything more tiresome In which he defines God. My intellect Than a procession day, with troops, and can find no God with whom these marks priests,

and signs And dances, and all that.

Fitly agree.

It is a hidden truth Moscon.

From first to last, Which I must fathom. Clarin, you are a temporisi flatterer; [CYPRIAN reads; the DÆMON, dressed You praise not what you feel but what

in a Court dress, enters. he does;

Dæmon.

Search even as thou Toadeater!

wilt, Clarin.

You lie--under a But thou shalt never find what I can mistake

hide. For this is the most civil sort of lie Cyprian. What noise is that among That can be given to a man's face. I

the boughs ? Who moves?

What art thou ?Say what I think.

Dæmon,

'Tis a foreign gentleCyprian. Enough, you foolish fellows!

Even from this morning I have lost my Puffed up with your own doting ignor

way ance,

In this wild place; and my poor horse at You always take the two sides of one last, question.

Quite overcome, has stretched himself Now go; and as I said, return for me

upon When night falls, veiling in its shadows The enamelled tapestry of this mossy wide

mountain, This glorious fabric of the universe. And feeds and rests at the same time. Moscon. How happens it, although

I was you can maintain

Upon my way to Antioch upon business The folly of enjoying festivals,

of some importance, but wrapt up in That yet you go there? Clarin.

Nay, the conse- (Who is exempt from this inheritance ?) quence

I parted from my company, and lost Is clear :—who ever did what he advises My way, and lost my servants and my Others to do?

comrades. Moscon.

Would that my feet Cyprian. 'Tis singular that even were wings,

within the sight So would I fly to Livia. [Exit. Of the high towers of Antioch you could Clarin. To speak truth,

now

man.

cares

your road.

I see

sure.

Have you

Your way. Of all the avenues and green The chair of the most high Professorpaths

ship, Of this wild wood there is not one but And obtained many votes, and though leads,

I lost, As to its centre, to the walls of Antioch; The attempt was still more glorious, Take which you will you cannot miss

than the failure

Could be dishonourable. If you believe Damon. And such is ignorance !

not, Even in the sight

Let us refer it to dispute respecting Of knowledge, it can draw no profit That which you know the best, and from it.

although I But as it still is early, and as I Know not the opinion you maintain, and Have no acquaintances in Antioch,

though Being a stranger there, I will even wait It be the true one, I will take the conThe few surviving hours of the day,

trary. Until the night shall conquer it.

Cyprian. The offer gives me pleaBoth by your dress and by the books in

I am now which

Debating with myself upon a passage You find delight and company, that of Plinius, and my mind is racked with you

doubt Are a great student;— for my part, I To understand and know who is the feel

God
Much sympathy in such pursuits. Of whom he speaks.
Cyprian.

Damon.

It is a passage, if Studied much?

I recollect it right, couched in these Dæmon. No,-and yet I

words: know enough

“God is one supreme goodness, one Not to be wholly ignorant.

pure essence, Cyprian.

Pray, Sir, One substance, and one sense, all sight, What science may you know ?

all hands.” Dæmon.

Many. Cyprian. 'Tis true. Cyprian.

Alas! Demon.

What difficulty find Much pains must we expend on one alone,

Cyprian. I do not recognise among And even then attain it not ;—but you

the Gods Have the presumption to assert that you The God defined by Plinius; if he must Know many without study.

Be supreme goodness, even Jupiter Damon.

And with truth. Is not supremely good; because we see For in the country whence I come the His deeds are evil, and his attributes sciences

Tainted with mortal weakness; in what Require no learning,—they are known. Cyprian.

Oh would Can supreme goodness be consistent I were of that bright country! for in

with this

The passions of humanity? The more we study, we the more dis- Damon.

The wisdom

of the old world masked with the names Our ignorance.

of Gods Damon.

It is so true, that I The attributes of Nature and of Man; Had so much arrogance as to oppose

A sort of popular philosophy.

you here?

manner

me, for

never

we

never

Cyprian. This reply will not satisfy Be well distinguished into persons, yet

Even in the minutest circumstance
Such awe is due to the high name of His essence must be one.
God

Dæmon.

To attain the end That ill should be imputed. The affections of the actors in the scene Then,

Must have been thus influenced by his Examining the question with more care,

voice. It follows, that the Gods would always Cyprian. But for a purpose thus will

subordinate That which is best, were they supremely He might have employed Genii, good good.

or evil,How then does one will one thing, one A sort of spirits called so by the learned, another?

Who roam about inspiring good or evil, And that you may not say that I allege And from whose influence and existence Poetical or philosophic learning : Consider the ambiguous responses May well infer our immortality. Of their oracular statues; from two Thus God might easily, without descent shrines

To a gross falsehood in his proper Two armies shall obtain the assurance of

person, One victory. Is it not indisputable Have moved the affections by this That two contending wills can

mediation lead

To the just point. To the same end? And being opposite, Damon.

These trifling conIf one be good is not the other evil?

tradictions Evil in God is inconceivable;

Do not suffice to impugn the unity But supreme goodness fails among the of the high Gods ; in things of great Gods

importance Without their union.

They still appear unanimous; consider Diemon.

I deny your major. That glorious fabric man,- his workThese responses are means towards some manship end

Is stamped with one conception. Unfathomed by our intellectual beam. Cyprian.

Who made man They are the work of providence, and Must have, methinks, the advantage of

the others. The battle's loss may profit those who If they are equal, might they not have lose,

risen Than victory advantage those who win. In opposition to the work, and being Cyprian. That I admit; and yet All hands, according to our author here, that God should not

Have still destroyed even as the other (Falsehood is incompatible with deity)

made ? Assure the victory; it would be enough If equal in their power, unequal only To have permitted the defeat. If God

In opportunity, which of the two Be all sight,—God, who had beheld the Will remain conqueror ? truth,

Damon.

On impossible Would not have given assurance of an And false hypothesis there can be built end

No argument. Say, what do you infer Never to be accomplished: thus, although From this ? The Deity may according to his attri- Cyprian. That there must be butes

a mighty God

more

run

of supreme goodness and of highest Speaks thus, –

[They fight. grace,

Cyprian.

Ila! what is this? All sight, all hands, all truth, infallible,

Lelio,--Floro, Without an equal and without a rival, Be it enough that Cyprian stands between The cause of all things and the effect of

you, nothing,

Although unarmed. One power, one will, one substance, and Lelio. Whence comest thou, to one essence.

stand And in whatever persons, one or two, Between me and my vengeance ? His attributes may be distinguished, one Floro.

From what rocks Sovereign power, one solitary essence, And desert cells ? One cause of all cause.

[They rise. Enter MOSCON and CLARIN. Damon. How can I impugn Moscon.

Run ! run ! for So clear a consequence ?

where we left Cyprian.

Do you regret My master, I now hear the clash of My victory ?

swords, Daemon. Who but regrets a check Clarin. I never to approach In rivalry of wit? I could reply

things of this sort, And urge new difficulties, but will now But only to avoid them. Sir ! Cyprian! Depart, for I hear steps of men ap

sir ! proaching,

Cyprian. Be silent, fellows! What! And it is time that I should now pursue

two friends who are My journey to the city.

In blood and fame the eyes and hope of Cyprian. Go in peace !

Antioch, Damon. Remain in peace !—Since One of the noble race of the Colalti, thus it profits him

The other son o'the Governor, adventure To study, I will wrap his senses up And cast away, on some slight cause no In sweet oblivion of all thought, but of

doubt, A piece of excellent beauty; and as I Two lives, the honour of their country? Have power given me to wage enmity Lelio.

Cyprian ! Against Justina's soul, I will extract Although my high respect towards your From one effect two vengeances.

person [Aside and exit. Holds now my sword suspended, thou Cyprian.

I never

canst not Met a more learned person. Let me now Restore it to the slumber of the scabbard : Revolve this doubt again with careful | Thou knowest more of science than the mind.

(He reads.

duel; FLORO and Lelio enter.

For when twomen of honour takethe field, Lelio. Here stop. These toppling No counsel nor respect can make them rocks and tangled boughs,

friends Impenetrable by the noonday beam, But one must die in the dispute. Shall be sole witnesses of what we

Floro. Floro.

Draw ! | That you depart hence with your people, If there were words, here is the place

and for deeds.

Leave us to finish what we have begun Lelio. Thou needest not instruct Without advantage. me; well I know

Cyprian.

Though you may That in the field, the silent tongue of imagine steel

That I know little of the laws of duel,

I pray world say

Which vanity and valour instituted, To slur her honour? What would the You are in error.

By my birth I am Held no less than yourselves to know if one should slay the other, and if she the limits

Should afterwards espouse the murderer? Of honour and of infamy, nor has study [The rivals agree to refer their quarrel Quenched the free spirit which first to CYPRIAN ; who in consequence ordered them ;

visits JUSTINA, and becomes enam. And thus to me, as one well experienced oured of her: she disdains him, and In the false quicksands of the sea of he retires to a solitary sea-shore.

honour,
You may refer the merits of the case ;

SCENE II
And if I should perceive in your relation
That either has the right to satisfaction

Cyprian. From the other, I give you my word of O memory! permit it not honour

That the tyrant of my thought To leave you.

Be another soul that still Lelio.

Under this condition then Holds dominion o'er the will, I will relate the cause, and you will cede That would refuse, but can no more, And must confess th' impossibility

To bend, to tremble, and adore. Of compromise; for the same lady is

Vain idolatry!- I saw, Beloved by Floro and myself.

And gazing, became blind with error; Floro.

It seems Weak ambition, which the awe Much to me that the light of day should

Of her presence bound to terror! look

So beautiful she was—and I, Upon that idol of my heart—but he

Between my love and jealousy, Leave us to fight, according to thy Am so convulsed with hope and fear, word.

Unworthy as it may appear ;Cyprian. Permit one question further: So bitter is the life I live, is the lady

That, hear me, Hell! I now would give Im sible to hope or not?

To thy most detested spirit Lelio.

She is

My soul, for ever to inherit, So excellent, that if the light of day

To suffer punishment and pine, Should excite Floro's jealousy, it were

So this woman may be mine. Without just cause, for even the light Hear'st thou, Hell! dost thou reject it?

My soul is offered ! Trembles to gaze on her.

Damon (unseen). I accept it. Cyprian. Would you

[Tempest, with thunder and lightning. Part, marry her? Floro. Such is my confidence.

Cyprian. Cyprian. And you?

What is this? ye heavens for ever pure, Lelio.

Oh! would that I At once intensely radiant and obscure ! could list my hope

Athwart the ethereal halls So high, for though she is extremely The lightning's arrow and the thunderpoor,

balls Her virtue is her dowry.

The day affright. Cyprian.

And if you both As from the horizon round, Would marry her, is it not weak and Burst with earthquake sound, vain,

In mighty torrents the electric founCulpable and unworthy, thus beforehand

tains;

of day

for your