Samuel Coleridge - The Complete Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Framed by a guilty wretch.

Maria. Ha! who art thou?

Albert (exceedingly agitated). My heart bursts over thee!

Maria. Didst thou murder him?

And dost thou now repent? Poor troubled man!

I do forgive thee, and may Heaven forgive thee! 135

Albert (aside). Let me be gone.

Maria. If thou didst murder him,

His spirit ever, at the throne of God,

Asks mercy for thee, prays for mercy for thee,

With tears in heaven!

Albert. Albert was not murder’d.

Your foster-mother ——

Maria. And doth she know aught? 140

Albert. She knows not aught — but haste thou to her cottage

Tomorrow early — bring Lord Velez with thee.

There ye must meet me — but your servants come.

Maria (wildly). Nay — nay — but tell me!

[A pause — then presses her forehead.

Ah! ‘tis lost again!

This dead confused pain! [A pause — she gazes at ALBERT.

Mysterious man! 145

Methinks, I cannot fear thee — for thine eye

Doth swim with pity — I will lean on thee.

[Exeunt ALBERT and MARIA.

Re-enter VELEZ and OSORIO.

Velez (sportively). You shall not see the picture, till you own

it.

Osorio. This mirth and raillery, sir! beseem your age.

I am content to be more serious. 150

Velez. Do you think I did not scent it from the first?

An excellent scheme, and excellently managed.

‘Twill blow away her doubts, and now she’ll wed you,

I’faith, the likeness is most admirable.

I saw the trick — yet these old eyes grew dimmer 155

With very foolish tears, it look’d so like him!

Osorio. Where should I get her portrait?

Velez. Get her portrait?

Portrait? You mean the picture! At the painter’s —

No difficulty then — but that you lit upon

A fellow that could play the sorcerer, 160

With such a grace and terrible majesty,

It was most rare good fortune. And how deeply

He seem’d to suffer when Maria swoon’d,

And half made love to her! I suppose you’ll ask me

Why did he so?

Osorio (with deep tones of suppressed agitation). Ay, wherefore

did he so? 165

Velez. Because you bade him — and an excellent thought!

A mighty man, and gentle as he is mighty.

He’ll wind into her confidence, and rout

A host of scruples — come, confess, Osorio!

Osorio. You pierce through mysteries with a lynx’s eye, 170

In this, your merry mood! you see it all!

Velez. Why, no! — not all. I have not yet discover’d,

At least, not wholly, what his speeches meant.

Pride and hypocrisy, and guilt and cunning —

Then when he fix’d his obstinate eye on you, 175

And you pretended to look strange and tremble.

Why — why — what ails you now?

Osorio (with a stupid stare). Me? why? what ails me?

A pricking of the blood — it might have happen’d

At any other time. Why scan you me?

Velez (clapping him on the shoulder). ‘Twon’t do—’twon’t do — I

have lived too long in the world. 180

His speech about the corse and stabs and murderers,

Had reference to the assassins in the picture:

That I made out.

Osorio (with a frantic eagerness). Assassins! what assassins!

Velez. Well-acted, on my life! Your curiosity

Runs open-mouth’d, ravenous as winter wolf. 185

I dare not stand in its way. [He shows OSORIO the picture.

Osorio. Dup’d — dup’d — dup’d!

That villain Ferdinand! (aside).

Velez. Dup’d — dup’d — not I.

As he swept by me ——

Osorio. Ha! what did he say?

Velez. He caught his garment up and hid his face.

It seem’d as he were struggling to suppress —— 190

Osorio. A laugh! a laugh! O hell! he laughs at me!

Velez. It heaved his chest more like a violent sob.

Osorio. A choking laugh! [A pause — then very wildly.

I tell thee, my dear father!

I am most glad of this!

Velez. Glad! — aye — to be sure.

Osorio. I was benumb’d, and stagger’d up and down 195

Thro’ darkness without light — dark — dark — dark —

And every inch of this my flesh did feel

As if a cold toad touch’d it! Now ‘tis sunshine,

And the blood dances freely thro’ its channels!

[He turns off — then (to himself) mimicking FERDINAND’S

manner.

‘A common trick of gratitude, my lord! 200

Old Gratitude! a dagger would dissect

His own full heart,’ ‘twere good to see its colour!

Velez (looking intently at the picture). Calm, yet commanding!

how he bares his breast,

Yet still they stand with dim uncertain looks,

As penitence had run before their crime. 205

A crime too black for aught to follow it

Save blasphemous despair! See this man’s face —

With what a difficult toil he drags his soul

To do the deed. [Then to OSORIO.

O this was delicate flattery

To poor Maria, and I love thee for it! 210

Osorio (in a slow voice with a reasoning laugh). Love — love — and

then we hate — and what? and wherefore?

Hatred and love. Strange things! both strange alike!

What if one reptile sting another reptile,

Where is the crime? The goodly face of Nature

Hath one trail less of slimy filth upon it. 215

Are we not all predestined rottenness

And cold dishonor? Grant it that this hand

Had given a morsel to the hungry worms

Somewhat too early. Where’s the guilt of this?

That this must needs bring on the idiotcy 220

Of moist-eyed penitence—’tis like a dream!

Velez. Wild talk, my child! but thy excess of feeling

[Turns off from OSORIO.

Sometimes, I fear, it will unhinge his brain!

Osorio. I kill a man and lay him in the sun,

And in a month there swarm from his dead body 225

A thousand — nay, ten thousand sentient beings

In place of that one man whom I had kill’d.

Now who shall tell me, that each one and all,

Of these ten thousand lives, is not as happy

As that one life, which being shov’d aside 230

Made room for these ten thousand?

Velez. Wild as madness!

Osorio. Come, father! you have taught me to be merry,

And merrily we’ll pore upon this picture.

Velez (holding the picture before Osorio). That Moor, who points

his sword at Albert’s breast ——

Osorio (abruptly). A tender-hearted, scrupulous, grateful

villain, 235

Whom I will strangle!

Velez. And these other two ——

Osorio. Dead — dead already! — what care I for the dead?

Velez. The heat of brain and your too strong affection

For Albert, fighting with your other passion,

Unsettle you, and give reality 240

To these your own contrivings.

Osorio. Is it so?

You see through all things with your penetration.

Now I am calm. How fares it with Maria?

My heart doth ache to see her.

Velez. Nay — defer it!

Defer it, dear Osorio! I will go. [Exit VELEZ. 245

Osorio. A rim of the sun lies yet upon the sea —

And now ‘tis gone! all may be done this night!

Enter a Servant.

Osorio. There is a man, once a Moresco chieftain,

One Ferdinand.

Servant. He lives in the Alpuxarras,

Beneath a slate rock.

Osorio. Slate rock?

Servant. Yes, my lord! 250

If you had seen it, you must have remember’d

The flight of steps his children had worn up it

With often clambering.

Osorio. Well, it may be so.

Servant. Why, now I think on’t, at this time of the year

‘Tis hid by vines.

Osorio (in a muttering voice). The cavern — aye — the cavern.

He cannot fail to find it. [To the Servant. 255

Where art going?