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Show I • 1 r ii 3g The FAIR PENITENT. Fled from m y Arms, and wedded to a w ither, Ev'n to the M a n w h o m moft I hate on E a r t h - - C*l. Art thou fo bafe to upbraid m e with a Crime, Which nothing but thy Cruelty could caofe? If Indignation, raging in m y Sou!, For thy unmanly hfolenct and Scorn, Ore'd m e to do i Deed of Defperation, And wound myfelf to be revengM on me. Think w h o m I fliou'd devote to Death and Hell, "Whom curfe, as m y Undoer, but L.thav>.1 Hadft thou been iuft, not all Sciolto s 1 ow r, Not all the Vows and Pray'rs of fighing Jk«mm Could have prevaii'd, or won m e to fonake thee. Loth. H o w have I fail'd in Juft.ce, or in Love? Burns not m y Flame as brightly as at « * f , . Ev'n now m y Heart beats high, 1 langu.lh for thee, M v Tranfports are as fierce, as ftrong my>*> ilhes, As if thou hadft never bleft m e with thy Beauty ell. H o w didft thou dare to think that 1 would live A Slave to bafe Defires, and brutal Pleafures, T o be a wretched Wanton for thy Le.fure, T o toy, and wafte an Hour of .die Time with? M v Soul difdains thee for fo mean a 1 hought. K , The driving Storm of Paffion will have way, And I muft yield before it; wert thou ca.m, Love the poor Criminal, w h o m thou haft doom'd, Has yet a thoufand tender Things to plead, T o charm thy Rage, and mitigate his fate. Enter behind them Altamont. Alt. I have loft m y Peace-Ha! do.l l ' « « ^ Cal. Hadft thou been true how happy had I h e ^otJltamont, but thou hadft been m y Lord. But wherefore nam'd 1 H,pp:nefs with thee. It =s for thee, for thee that 1 am curlt; . i r thee m y fecret Soul each Hour arraigns me, Calls m e to anfwer for m y Virtue ftain d. M y Honour loft to thee; fer thee it hauntme, W ,h ftern JK.fr. vowing Vengeance on m e 'With Altamont complaining for his Wrongs The FAIR PENITENT. ?9 , . , {Coming forward. /It, Behold him here c [Starting. C:t The Wretch! whom thou haft made, A ' \ Sorrows haft thou heap'd upon him, ;ttrfesand Sorrowsn rDrJU;ng. ,nd Vengeance i th oriy U ^ ^ Xeand Waftaketurnslike Day andNight, (true; k\«A little Preparation ftrves m y turn, I A ^b^«Wtobm«ch, thy Breath is Poifon It ^nts the ambient Air; th. for my Father, (to me, This for Sciolto, and this laft for Altamont. I [Tbeyfabt; Lothario is wounded once or twice, and then falls. Lotb O h Altamont! thy Genius is the ftronger, Thou haft prevaii'd I My fierce, ambitious Soul Declining droops, and all her fires grow pale 5 Yet let not this Advantage fwell thy Pride, I conquer'd in my turn, in Love I triumph'd: Thofe Joys areiodg'd beyond the Reach of Fate; ""hat fweet Revenge comes fmiling to m y Thoughts, dorns my Fall, and chcars m y Heart in dying. [Dies. Cal. And what remains for me? Befet with Shame, Encompafs'd round with Wretchednefs, there is But this one Way, to break the Toil, and 'fcape. [She catches up Lothario'/ Sword, and offers to kill her-jelf; Altamont runs to htr, and urefts it from her, Alt. What means thy frantick Rage! Cal. Off I let me go. Alt. Oh! thou haft more than murder'd me; yet ftill, Still art thou here! and my Soul ftarts w th Horror, At Thought of any Danger that may reach thee. Cal. Think'ft thou I mean to live ? to be forgiven? Oh! thou haft but known little of Califta; If thou hadft never heard m y Shame, if only 1 he Midnight Moon, and lilent Stars had ieen it, 1 wou'd not bear to be reproachM by them, t\ C4 (cl h I II |