Aurel. You may be plainer.

Adur. I shall my lord; that I intended wrong— Aur. Ha! wrong! to whom? Adur. To Auria; and as far As language could prevail, didAur. Take advice,

Young lord, before your tongue betray a secret
Conceal'd yet from the world; hear and consider :
In all my flight of vanity and giddiness,

When scarce the wings of my excess were fledg'd,
When a distemperature of youthful heat
Might have excus'd disorder and ambition,
Even then, and so from thence till now the down
Of softness is exchang'd for plumes of age,
Confirm'd and harden'd,* never durst I pitch
On any, howsoever likely, rest,

Where the presumption might be construed wrong;
The word is hateful, and the sense wants pardon.
For, as I durst not wrong the meanest, so
He who but only aim'd, by any boldness,
A wrong to me, should find I must not bear it;
The one is as unmanly as the other.—

Now, without interruption.

Adur. Stand, Aurelio,

And justify thine accusation boldly;

Spare me the needless use of my confession;
And, having told no more than what thy jealousy

now the down

Of softness is exchang'd for plumes of age, &c.] This is at once a correct translation, and a good comment on the wellknown line,

66

Insperata tuæ cum veniet pluma superbiæ."

which has sorely perplexed the critics.--GIFFORD.

VOL. II.

G

Possess'd thee with, again before my face,
Urge to thy friend the breach of hospitality
Adurni trespast in, and thou conceiv'st,

Against Spinella; [when thy] proofs grow faint,
If barely not suppos'd, I'll answer guilty.
Aurel. You come not here to brave us?
Adur. No, Aurelio ;

But to reply upon that brittle evidence,
To which thy cunning never shall rejoin.
I make my judge my jury; be accountant
Whether, with all the eagerness of spleen
That a suspicious rage can plead, thou hast
Enforced the likelihood of scandal.

Aurel. Doubt not

But that I have deliver'd honest truth,
As much as I believe, and justly witness.
Adur. Loose grounds to raise a bulwark of re-
proach on!

And thus for that-My errand hither is not
In whining, truant-like submission,

To cry,

"I have offended, pray, forgive me;

I will do so no more:" but to proclaim

The power of virtue, whose commanding sove

reignty

Sets bounds to rebel-bloods; and checks, restrains, Custom of folly; by example teaches

A rule to reformation; by rewards,

Crowns worthy actions, and invites to honour.

Aurel. Honour and worthy actions best beseem Their lips who practise both, and not discourse

'em.

Aur. Peace, peace, man; I am silent.

Adur. Some there are,

And they not few in number, who resolve

No beauty can be chaste, unless attempted.
Meeting oft-times too many soon seduced, they
Conclude, all may be won by gifts, by service,
Or compliments of vows: and with this file
I stood in rank; conquest secured my confidence.
Spinella storm not, Auria-was an object
Of study for fruition; here I angled,

Not doubting the deceit could find resistance.
Aurel. After confession, follows-

Aur. Noise! observe him.

Adur. Oh, strange! by all the comforts of my hopes,

I found a woman good;-a woman good!
Yet, as I wish belief, or do desire

A memorable mention, so much majesty
Of humbleness, and scorn, appear'd at once
In fair, in chaste, in wise Spinella's eyes,
That I grew dull in utterance, and one frown
From her cool'd every flame of sensual appetite.
Aur. On, sir, and do not stop.

Adur. Without protests,

I pleaded merely love, used not a syllable,
But what a virgin might, without a blush,

Have listen'd to, and, not well arm'd, have pitied;
But she, neglecting, cry'd, " Come, Auria, come,
Fight for thy wife at home!" then in rush'd you,

sir,

Talk'd in much fury, parted; when as soon
The lady vanish'd, after her the rest.
Aur. What follow'd?

Adur. My contrition on mine error;
In execution whereof I have proved
So punctually severe, that I renounce

All memory, not to this one fault alone,
But to my other greater, and more irksome.
Now he, whoever owns a name, that construes
This repetition the report of fear,

Of falsehood, or imposture, let him tell me,
I give myself the lie, and I will clear
The injury, and man to man ;—or, if

Such justice may prove doubtful, two to two,
Or three to three, or any way reprieve
The opinion of my forfeit, without blemish.
Aur. Who can you think I am? did you expect
So great a tameness as you find, Adurni,
That you cast loud defiance? say—

Adur. I have robb'd you

Of rigour, Auria, by my strict self-penance,
For the presumption.

Aur. Sure, Italians hardly

Admit dispute in questions of this nature;
The trick is new.

Adur. I find my absolution,

By vows of change from all ignoble practice.
Aur. Why look ye, friend, I told you this be-

fore;

You would not be persuaded :—let me think— [Walks apart.

Aurel. You do not yet deny that you solicited The lady to ill purpose.

Adur. I have answer'd;

But it return'd much quiet to my mind,

Perplex'd with rare commotions.

Aur. That's the

It smooths all rubs.

Aurel. My lord?

way;

Aur. Foh! I am thinking

You may talk forward.—If it take, *'tis clear;
And then-and then,-and so and so-

Fight for thy wife at home, my Auria!"-Yes,
We can fight, my Spinella, when thine honour
Relies upon a champion.-

Now?

Re-enter TRELCATIO.

Trel. My lord,

Castanna, with her sister, and Malfato
Are newly enter'd.

Aur. Be not loud; convey them

Into the gallery.-Aurelio, friend,

Adurni, lord, we three will sit in council,

And piece a hearty league, or scuffle shrewdly.

[Exeunt.

* These musings of Auria will be better understood when the second scene of the fifth act comes under the perusal of the reader. It will then be seen that Auria, as a means of freeing every circumstance of jealousy and suspicion, is projecting a marriage between Adurni and Castanna.