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Show 36 The FAIR PENITENT. Yet (hou'dft thou (which the Pow'rs above forbid; E'er ftain the Honour of thy Name with tefamy, ' 1 caft thee off, as one whofe impious Hands Had rent afunder Nature's nesrcft lies, Which once divided never ioin again To day, I have made a noble \outh thy Husband, Confider well his Worth, reward his Love, Be willing to be happy, and thou art io. [Exit Sciolto, Cal H o w hard is the Conditoa of our i>ex? Thro' ev'ry State of Life the Slaves of Man: In all the dear delightful Day of Youth, A rigid Father dictates to our Wills, And deals our Pleafure, with a fcanty Har.ti 5 T o his, the Tyrant Husband's Keign fucceeds: Proud with Opinion of fuperinr ReaTon; He holds domeftick Bus'nefs and Drvouon All we are capable to know, and (huts us, I ike cloifter'd Idiots, from the W\>rM's Acquaintance, And all the Joys of Freedom. Wherefore-ar, we Born with high Souls, but to aflert ourfeives, Sh*ke off this vile Obedience they exadt And claim an equ=l Empire o'er the W or.d! Enter Horatro Hor. She's here! yet oh! my Tongue is at a Loft. Teach me, fome Pow'r, that happy Art of Speech, T o drefs mv Purpofe up in grac:oin Words, Such as may B M y < M upon her Sou. And never Waken the tempeftuous PaflioO . {THeaVn fhe weeps! -Forgave me, fair Calfi^ If I prefume on Privilege of Fncndfnip, T o foin my Grief to yours and " ^ g ^ f t That Hurt your Peace, and quench thofcM""V S Total unlook'd for on my V ™ " ^ Speaks not the Man of Honour, nor the Friend, But rather means the Spy. Hor. Unkindly faid! , For oh! as fare as you accufe me fauely, .e to prove my^lf a ^ ^ n d taU You are my Husband * friend, rnt Tte FAIR PENITENT. 27 Har Are you not one? Are you not ioin'd by Heav'n, t<vh interwoven with the other sr ate f ? u not mix'd like Streams of meeting Rivers, S blend.d Waters are no more diftinguifh d, Kut roll into the Sea, one common Flood . Sen who can give M Friendfhip but to one ? Who can be Atamomh, and not CaUJia s< Cal Force, and the Wills of our imperious Rulers, May bind two Bodies in one wretched Chain; But Minds will ftill look on their own Cnoice. So the poor Captive in a foreign Realm, Stands on the Shore, and fends his Wifhes back To the dear native Land from whence he came. Hor. When Souls that fhou'd agree to Will the lame, To have one common Object for their Wifhes, Look different Ways, regardlefs of each other, Think what a Train of Wretchedntfs enfues: Love fhall be banifh'd from the genial Bed, The Night fhall'all be lonely and unquiet, And ev'ry Day fhall be a Day of Cares. Cal. Then all the boafted Office of thy Fricndfhip, Was but to tell Califta what a W7retch fhe is; Alas! whn reeded that? Hor. Oh! rather fay, I came to rell her how fhe might be happy 5 To foo:h the fecret Anguifh cf her Soul, To comfort that fair Mourner, that forlorn one, And teach her Steps to know the Paths of Peace, Cal. Say thou, lo whom this P;radife is knowr*, Where lies the blifsful Region? Mark my Way to For oh! 'tis fure, I long to be at reft. Hor. Then to be good is to he happy; Angels Are happier than Mankind, becaufe they are better Guilt is the Source of Sorrow; 'tis the Fiend, Th' avenging Fiend, and follows us behind With Wh.psand Sting.; the Bleft know none of this, But rrft in everlafting Peace of Mind, And find the Height of all their Heav'n is Goodneft. Ca Shal it |