If I delay-'twill door better so. Alon, The king expects your lordship. › I'm not i'th' way at present, good Alonzo. Alon. If't please your lordship, I'll return and say I have not seen you. Gon. Do, my best Alonzo. Yet stay; I would but go; anon will serveYet I have that requires thy speedy help. I think thou wouldst not stop to do me service. Alon. I am your creature. Gon. Say thou art my friend. Gon. Thanks; and I take thee at thy word. Among the foll'wers of the captive queen, Dumb men, who make their meaning known by signs. Alon. I have, my lord., Gon. Couldst thou procure, with speed And privacy, the wearing garb of one. Of those, though purchas'd by his death, I'd give Thee such reward as should exceed thy wish. Alon. Conclude it done. Where shall I wait your lordship? Gon. At my apartment. Use thy utmost diligence: And say I've not been seen-haste, good Alonzo. [Exit Alonzo. So, this can hardly fail. Alphonso slain, The greatest obstacle is then remov'd. Almeria widow'd, yet again may wed; And I yet fix the crown on Garcia's head. ACT V. [Exit. SCENE L-A Room of State. Enter KING, PEREZ, and ALONZO. King. Not to be found? In an ill hour he's absent. None, say you? none? what, not the fav'rite eunuch? Nor she herself, nor any of her mutes, Per. None, my lord. King. Is Osmyn so dispos'd as I commanded? Per. Fast bound in double chains, and at full length He lies supine on earth: with as much case [A Mute appears, and seeing Ha! stop and seize that mute; Alonzo, follow him. Ent'ring he met my eyes, and started back With rash and greedy haste at once to cram The morsel down his throat. I caught his arm, And hardly wrench'd his hand to wring it from him; Which done, he drew a poniard from bis side, And on the instant plung'd it in his breast. King. Remove the body thence, cre Zara see it. Alon. I'll be so bold to borrow his attire; Twill quit me from my promise to Gonsalez. [Aside. Exit. King. How's this? my mortal foe beneath my roof! [Having read the Letter. O, give me patience, all ye pow'rs! no, rather Give me new rage, implacable revenge, And trebled fury-Ha! who's there? Per. My lord! King. Hence, slave! how dar'st thou bide, to watch and pry Into how poor a thing a king descends; all Rank traitors; thou art with the rest combin'd: Thou knew'st that Osmyn was Alphonso, knew'st My daughter privately with him conferr'd, Thou art accomplice too with Zara: here, Per. It was your majesty's command I should Obey her order. King, [Reads]-And still will I set False and perfidious Zara! Strumpet daughter! Hark thee, villain, traitor-answer me, slave! Per. My service has not merited those titles. King. Dar'st thou reply? Take that-Thy service! thine! [Strikes him. What's thy whole life, thy soul, thy all, to my One moment's ease? Hear my command; and look That thou obey, or horror on thy head: Per. Sir, I will. King. 'Tis well-that when she comes to set him free, Frighted, and fumbling one hand in his bosom, His teeth may grin and mock at her remorse. As to conceal th' importance of his errand. [Perez going. [Alonzo follows him, and re--Stay thee-I've further thought-I'll add to Alon. A bloody proof of obstinate fidelity! this, And give her eyes yet greater disappointment: He snatch'd from out his bosom this-and strove Be darken'd, so as to amuse the sight. The king? Confusion! all is on the rout! I'll be conducted thither-mark me well- But see, she comes! I'll shun th' encounter; thou Zara. Ha! 'twas the king! Sel. Yes; but then, as if he thought away. Alon. My lord, he enter'd but a moment since, hoa! Gar. Perdition, slavery, and death Are ent'ring now our doors! Where is the king? Zara. Shun me when seen! I fear thou What means this blood? and why this face hast undone me. ever Sel. Avert it, heav'n! that you should e Thou shalt partake. Since fates no more af- I can but die with thee to keep my word. [Exit. SCENE II.-Opens and shows the Prison. Enter GONSALEZ, disguised like a Mute, with a Dagger. Gon. Nor sentinel, nor guard! the doors And all as still as at the noon of night! Th attempt; I'll steal and do it unperceiv'd. Then cast my skin, and leave it there to an- Enter GARCIA and ALONZO. of horror? passage, Had enter'd long ere now, and borne down all The Moor is dead. That Osmyn was Alphonso; flying, Pronounc'd aloud by Perez for Alphonso. Gon. Enter that chamber, and convince your eyes, How much report has wrong'd your easy faith. And has declar'd the cause of his revolt Re-enter GARCIA. Gar. Ruin and horror! O, heart-wounding sight! Gon. What says my son? what ruin? ha! Gar. Blasted my eyes, and speechless be Gon. Alon. The king! Gar. Dead, welt'ring, drown'd in blood! O whence, or how, or wherefore was this done? Ger. Where? where, Alonzo, where's my On me, on me, turn your avenging swords! father? where Should make atonement by a death as horrid,] Re-enter Mutes. And fall beneath the hand of my own son. What have you seen? Ha! wherefore stare Gar. Ha! what? atone this murder with a greater! across? you thus [Mutes return, and look affrighted. The horror of that thought has damp'd my rage. With haggard eyes? Why are your arms Gon. O, my son! from the blind dotage Of a father's fondness these ills arose: For thee I've been ambitions, base, and bloody; For thee I've plung'd into this sea of sin; Stemming the tide with only one weak hand, While t'other bore the crown (to wreathe thy brow), Whose weight has sunk me ere I reach'd the shore. Your heavy and desponding heads hung down? Why is't you more than speak in these sad signs? Give me more ample knowledge of this mourn mg. [They go to the Scene, which opening, she perceives the Body. Ha! prostrate! bloody! headless! O—I'm lost! Gar. Fatal ambition! Hark! the foe is en-O Osmyn! O Alphonso! Cruel fate! ter'd! Cruel, cruel, O more than killing object' The shrillness of that shout speaks 'em at hand. I came prepar'd to die, and see thee die-[Shout. Nay, came prepar'd myself to give thee death— Alon. My lord, I've thought how to con- But cannot bear to find thee thus, my OsmynO, this accurs'd, this base, this treach'rous king. you ceal the body: Require me not to tell the means, till done, to do, 'Twere fit the soldiers were amus'd with hopes; late: But I'll omit no care nor haste; and try Re-enter ALONZO. Gon. What hast thou done, Alonzo? As but an hour ago I'd not have done, Though for the crown of universal empire. But what are kings, reduc'd to common clay? Sever'd the head, and in an obscure corner Gon. 'Twas an act of horror, To aid my son. Enter ZARA, followed by SELIM, and two Zara. Silence and solitude are every where! 'Tis not that he is dead! for 'twas decreed Hover a moment yet, thou gentle spirit, O, friendly draught! already in my heart. slides Still further from me; look, he hides his face! I cannot feel it-quite beyond my reach. Let 'em set down the bowls, and warn Al-¡O, now he's gone, and all is dark Must hope to find him. Leon. Heav'ns! what dismal scene Of death is this? Alm. Show me, for I am come in search of death, But want a guide, for tears have dimm'd my sight. Leon. Alas, a little further, and behold Zara all pale and dead! two frightful men, Who seem the murderers, kneel weeping by; Feeling remorse too late for what they've done. But O, forbear-lift up your eyes no more, But haste away, fly from this fatal place, Where miseries are multiply'd; return, Return, and look not on, for there's a dagger Rely to stab the sight, and make your eyes Rain blood Give a new birth to thy long-shaded eyes, Alph. O mayst thou never dream of less Nor ever wake to less substantial joys! This is my lord, my life, my only husband: Alph. O, my heart's comfort! 'tis not giv'n to this Frail life, to be entirely bless'd. E'en now, Ill-fated Zara! Ha! a cup! alas! Whose virtue has renounc'd thy father's crimes, been? Let us, who through our innocence survive, HILL. AARON HILL, eldest son of George Hill, Esq. of Malmsbury Abbey, Wiltshire, was born in London, Febr. 10, 1684. The life of this author presents a most astonishing instance of genius and industry. At the age of 15 we find him alone in a vessel bound for Constantinople, on a visit to Lord Paget, ambassador that court, and a distant relation of his mother's. His Lordship, struck with the ardent desire of knowledge, which had induced this youth to such an undertaking, provided him with a tutor with whom he travelled through Egypt, Palestine and the greater part of the East. He returned with his Lordship from Constantinople by land; and profited of the occasion of their stay at the different courts to see the greatest part of Europe. 1710, Manager of the King's Theatre, Haymarket, be wrote the opera of Rinaldo, the music of which was the first of Handel's compositions after his arrival in England. Although no man could be more qualified for this undertaking, he relinquished the management on account of some misunderstanding; and turnéd his thoughts entirely on a project of making sweet oil from beech-nuts. He obtained a patent, and had his fortune been sufficient for the undertaking he would undoubtedly have rendered this attempt of great advantage to the nation; but borrowing a sum of 25,000 pounds, he was obliged to submit to the formation of a company, who were to act in concert with him. These people, with the most sanguine hopes of success and ignorant of the inventor's plans, or perhaps fearing to loose their money, upon a trifling delay of their hopes, immediately come menced representations; these caused disputes, and the whole affair was overthrown just at the time when profits were already rising from it, and, if pursued with vigour, would, in all probability have continued increasing and permanent. Another valuable project, that of applying the timber grown in the north of Scotland to the use of the navy, for which it had been long erroneously imagined to be unfit, he set on foot in 1727: here again we have a terrible acpunt of the obstacles he met with; when the trees were chained together into a raft, the Highlanders could not be prevailed upon to go down the river on them, till he first went himself: and he was obliged to find out a method of doing away with the rocks (by lighting fires on them at low water), which choked up the passage in different parts of the river. The commencement of a lead mine in the same country employing all the men and horses, which had heretofore been at his service, put an end to this undertaking; however he was presented with the freedom of Inverness and Aberdeen, as a compliment for his great exertions. All this time his pen did not continue idle: he produced The progress of Wit, a caveat for the use of an eminent Writer; in which he retorts very severely upon Pope, who had introduced him into The Dunciad, as one of the competitors for the prize offered by the goddess of Dulness. After the death of his wife 1751, he continued in London and in intercourse with the public till about 1758, when he withdrew to Plaistow in Essex, where his indefatigable genius projected many profitable improvements. One he lived to complete, but without benefit to himself, which was the art of making potash, equal to that brought from Russia, Here he wrote and published several poctical pieces; and adapted Voltaire's tragedy of Merope to the English Stage, which was the last work he lived to complete. He died the very day before it was to he represented for his benefit, Feb. 8. 1749, in the very minute of the earthquake. The Biographia Dramatica says him to have been a person of the most amiable disposition, extensive knowledge, and elegant conversation. We find him bestowing the profits of many of his works for the relief of distressed authors and artists; though he would never accept of a benefit for himself, till his distresses at the close of his life obliged him to solicit the acting of Merope for their relief, No labour deterred him from the prosecution of any design which appeared to him to be praiseworthy and feasible, nor was it in the power of the greatest misfortunes to overcome or even shake his fortitude of mind. Although accused of being rather too turgid, and in some places obscure; yet the nervous power, and sterling sense we find in his writings ought to make us overlook our having been obliged to take some little pains in digging through the tock in which it is conHained; while his rigid correctness will always make him stand in an exalted rank of merit. ZARA. ZARA was first produced 1735; and though it is founded on the principles of religious party, which are generally apt to throw an air of enthusiasm and bigotry into those dramatic works which are built on them, this piece has always been esteemed a very superior one. The Biographia Dramatica says, "It is borrowed originally from the Zaire of Voltaire; an author who, while he resided in England, imbibed so much of the spirit of British liberty, that his writings seem almost always calculated for the meridian of London. Mr. Hill, however, has made this as well as his other translations so much his own, that it is hard to determine which of the two may most properly be called the author of this play." It is remarkable for a very extraordinary event; it is related, that a gentleman of the name of Bond, collecting party of his friends, got up the play of Zara, at the music room in Villiers Street, York Buildings, and chose the part of Lusignan for himself. His acting was considered as a prodigy; and he yielded himself up to the force and impetuosity of his imagination, that upon the discovery of his daughter, he fainted away. The house rung with applause; but, finding that he continued a long time in that situation, the audience began to be uneasy and apprehensive. With some difficulty, the representatives of Chatillon and Nerestan placed him in his chair; he then faintly spoke, extended his arms to receive his children, raised his eyes to heaven, and then closed them for ever. ვი My fate's bound in by Sion's sacred wall: I claim no share in the remoter world, Sel. Have you forgot So nobly vow'd redemption from 'Tis plain his promise stretch'd beyond his |