And, unconcern'd for all fhe felt before,
Precipitates her flight along the shore:
The hell-hounds, as ungorg'd with flesh and blood, Pursue their prey, and feek their wonted food: The fiend remounts his courfer, mends his pace; And all the vifion vanish'd from the place.
216 Long flood the noble youth opprefs'd with awe,] And ftupid at the wondrous things he faw, Surpaffing common faith, tranfgreffing nature's law:
He would have been asleep, and wish'd to wake,
But dreams, he knew, no long impreffion make,
Though ftrong at first; if vifion, to what end,
But fuch as muft his future ftate portend?
His love the damfel, and himself the fiend.
But yet, reflecting that it could not be
From heaven, which cannot impious acts decree,
Refolv'd within himself to fhun the fnare,
Which hell for his destruction did prepare ;
And, as his better genius fhould direct,
From an ill cause to draw a good effect.
Infpir'd from heaven he homeward took his way, Nor pall'd his new design with long delay: But of his train a trusty servant fent To call his friends together at his tent. They came, and, ufual falutations paid, With words premeditated, thus he said: What you have often counsell'd, to remove
By thrift my finking fortune to repair,
Tho late yet is at last become my care:
My heart fhall be my own; my vaft expence
Reduc'd to bounds, by timely providence ;
This only I require; invite for me
Honoria, with her fathers family,
Her friends, and mine; the cause I shall display, On Friday next; for that's th' appointed day. 246 Well pleas'd were all his friends, the task was light, The father, mother, daughter, they invite; Hardly the dame was drawn to this repast;
But
yet refolv'd, because it was the last.
The day was come, the guests invited came,
And, with the reft, th' inexorable dame :
A feast prepar'd with riotous expence,
Much coft, more care, and moft magnificence.
The place ordain'd was in that haunted grove,
Where the revenging ghost purfu'd his love: 256
The tables in a proud pavilion spread,
With flowers below, and tiffue overhead:
The reft in rank, Honoria chief in place,
Was artfully contriv'd to set her face
To front the thicket, and behold the chace.
The feaft was ferv'd, the time fo well forecast,
That juft when the defert and fruits were plac'd,
The fiend's alarm began; the hollow found
Sung in the leaves, the foreft shook around,
Air blacken'd, roll'd the thunder, groan'd the
ground.
Nor long before the loud laments arife Of one distress'd, and mastiffs mingled cries; And firft the dame came rushing through the wood," And next the famish'd hounds, that fought their food, And grip'd her flanks, and oft effay'd their jaws in blood.
Laft came the felon, on his fable steed,
Arm'd with his naked fword, and urg'd his dogs to speed.
She ran, and cry'd, her flight directly bent, (A guest unbidden) to the fatal tent,
The scene of death, and place defign'd for punish
Loud was the noise, aghaft was ev'ry guest,
The women fhriek'd, the men forfook the feaft;
The hounds at nearer distance hoarsly bay'd;
The hunter close purfu'd the vifionary maid,
She rent the heav'n with loud laments, imploring
aid.
The gallants, to protect the lady's right,
Their fauchions brandish'd at the grisly spright;
High on his ftirrups he provok'd the fight,
Then on the crowd he caft a furious look,
And wither'd all their ftrength before he spoke :
Back on your lives; let be, faid he, my prey,
And let my vengeance take the destin'd way:
Vain are your arms, and vainer your defence,
Against th' eternal doom of Providence:
Mine is th' ungrateful maid by heaven defign'd:
Mercy she would not give, nor mercy shall she find,
At this the former tale again he told,
With thund'ring tone, and dreadful to behold:
Sunk were their hearts with horror of the crime,
Nor needed to be warn'd a fecond time, 296
But bore each other back: fome knew the face,
And all had heard the much-lamented case
Of him who fell for love, and this the fatal place.
And now th' infernal minister advanc'd,
Seiz'd the due victim, and with fury 'lanc'd'
Her back, and, piercing through her inmost heart,
Drew backward, as before, th' offending part.
The reeking entrails next he tore away,
maftiffs made a prey.
And to his
meagre
The pale affiftants on each other star'd,
With gaping mouths for iffuing words prepar'd;
The ftill-born founds upon the palate hung,
And dy'd imperfect on the fault'ring tongue.
The fright was general; but the female band
(A helpless train) in more confufion stand:
With horror fhudd'ring, on a heap they run,
Sick at the fight of hateful justice done;
For confcience rung th' alarm, and made the case
their own.
So fpread upon a lake, with upward eye, 315
A plump of fowl behold their foe on high;
They close their trembling troop; and all attend
On whom the fowfing eagle will descend.
But moft the proud Honoria fear'd th' event,
And thought to her alone the vision sent.
Her guilt presents to her distracted mind
Heav'n's juftice, Theodore's revengeful kind,
And the fame fate to the fame fin affign'd.
Already fees herself the monster's prey,
And feels her heart and entrails torn away.
'Twas a mute scene of sorrow, mix'd with fear; Still on the table lay th' unfinish'd cheer:
The knight and hungry maftiffs flood around,
The mangled dame lay breathlefs on the ground;
When on a fudden, re-infpir'd with breath, 330
Again the rofe, again to fuffer death;
Nor ftaid the hell-hounds, nor the hunter ftaid,
But follow'd, as before, the flying maid:
Th' avenger took from earth th' avenging fword,
And mounting light as air his fable steed he fpurr'd:
The clouds difpell'd, the fky refum'd the light,
And Nature ftood recover'd of her fright.
But fear, the last of ills, remain'd behind,
And horror heavy fat on ev'ry mind.
Nor Theodore encourag'd more the feast,
But fternly look'd, as hatching in his breaft
Some deep defigns; which when Honoria view'd,
The fresh impulse her former fright renew'd;
She thought herself the trembling dame who fled,
And him the grisly ghost that spurr'd th' infernal
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