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Muffled to whisper curses to the night;
Disbanded soldiers, discontented ruffians,
And desperate libertines who brawl in
taverns;

Thou herdest not with such: 'tis true, of late
I have lost sight of thee, but thou wert wont
To lead a temperate life, and break thy
bread

With honest mates, and bear a cheerful
aspect.

What hath come to thee? in thy hollow eye
And hueless cheek,and thine unquiet motions,
Sorrow and shame and conscience seem at

war

To waste thee.

Bertram. Rather shame and sorrow light
On the accursed tyranny which rides
The very air in Venice, and makes men
Madden as in the last hours of the plague
Which sweeps the soul deliriously from life!
Lioni. Some villains have been tamper-
ing with thee, Bertram;

This is not thy old language, nor own
thoughts;

Some wretch has made thee drunk with
disaffection;

But thou must not be lost so; thou wert good
And kind, and art not fit for such base acts
As vice and villany would put thee to:
Confess confide in me-thou know'st my
nature-

What is it thou and thine are bound to do,
Which should prevent thy friend, the only

son

Of him who was a friend unto thy father,
So that our good-will is a heritage
We should bequeath to our posterity
Such as ourselves received it, or augmented;
I say, what is it thou must do, that I
Should deem thee dangerous, and keep the
house

Like a sick girl?

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1 am not worthy to be singled out
From such exalted hecatombs who are they
That are in danger, and that make the
danger?

Bertram. Venice, and all that she inher-
its, are

Divided like a house against itself,
And so will perish ere to-morrow's twilight!
Lioni. More mysteries, and awful ones!
But now,

Or thou, or I, or both, it may be, are
Upon the verge of ruin; speak once out,
And thou art safe and glorious; for 'tis

more

Glorious to save than slay, and slay i' the
dark too-

Fie, Bertram! that was not a craft for thee!
How would it look to see upon a spear
The head of him whose heart was open to
thee,

Borne by thy hand before the shuddering
people?

And such may be my doom; for here I swear,
Whate'er the peril or the penalty
Of thy denunciation, I go forth,
Unless thou dost detail the cause, and show
The consequence of all which led thee here!
Bertram. Is there no way to save thee?
minutes fly,

And thou art lost!-thou! my sole bene-
factor,

The only being who was constant to me
Through every change. Yet, make me not
a traitor!

Let me save thee-but spare my honour!
Lioni. Where

Can lie the honour in a league of murder?
And who are traitors save unto the state?
Bertram. A league is still a compact,
and more binding

Bertram. Nay, question me no further: In honest hearts when words must stand

I must be gone.

Lioni. And I be murder'd!—say,
Was it not thus thou saidst, my gentle
Bertram?

Bertram. Who talks of murder? what
said I of murder?-

Tis false! I did not utter such a word. Lioni. Thou didst not; but from out thy wolfish eye,

So changed from what I knew it, there
glares forth

The gladiator. If my life's thine object,
Take it I am unarm'd,—and then away!
I would not hold my breath on such a tenure
As the capricious mercy of such things
As thou and those who have set thee to thy

taskwork.

Bertram. Sooner than spill thy blood,
I peril mine;

Sooner than harm a hair of thine, I place
In jeopardy a thousand heads, and some
As noble, nay, even nobler than thine own.

for law;

And in my mind, there is no traitor like
He whose domestic treason plants the poniard
Within the breast which trusted to his truth.
Lioni. And who will strike the steel to
mine?

Bertram. Not I;

I could have wound my soul up to all things
Save this. Thou must not die! and think

how dear

Thy life is, when I risk so many lives,
Nay, more, the life of lives, the liberty
Of future generations, not to be
The assassin thou miscall'st me;-once,

once more

I do adjure thee, pass not o'er thy threshold! Lioni. It is in vain-this moment I go forth.

Bertram. Then perish Venice rather than
my friend!

I will disclose ensnare betray-destroy-
Oh, what a villain I become for thee!

Lioni. Say, rather thy friend's saviour | SCENE 11.-The Ducal Palace-the Doge's and the state's!— Apartment. Speak—pause not—all rewards, all pledges The Dock and his nephew BERTUCCIO FALiero,

for

Thy safety and thy welfare; wealth such as The state accords her worthiest servants; nay,

Nobility itself I guarantee thee,
So that thou art sincere and penitent.
Bertram. I have thought again: it must
not be I love thee-

Thou knowest it--that I stand here is the proof,

Not least though last; but having done my duty

By thee, I now must do it by my country! Farewell!- -we meet no more in life!

farewell!

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A sudden swelling of our retinue Lioni. What, ho! Antonio-Pedro- to Had waked suspicion; and, though fierce

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and trusty,

The vassals of that district are too rude
And quick in quarrel to have long maintain'd
The secret discipline we need for such
A service, till our foes are dealt upon.

Doge. True; but when once the signal
has been given,

These are the men for such an enterprise:
These city-slaves have all their private bias,
Their prejudice against or for this noble,
Which may induce them to o'erdo or spare
Where mercy may be madness; the fierce
peasants,

Serfs of my county of Val di Marino,
Would do the bidding of their lord without
Distinguishing for love or hate his foes;
Alike to them Marcello or Cornaro,
A Gradenigo or a Foscari;

They are not used to start at those vain

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I had o'ermaster'd the weak false remorse

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Timoleon immortal, than to face
The toils and dangers of a life of war.
B. Fal. It gladdens me to see your former
wisdom

Subdue the furies which so wrung you ere
You were decided.

Doge. It was ever thus

With me; the hour of agitation came
In the first glimmerings of a purpose, when
Passion had too much room to sway; but in
The hour of action I have stood as calm
As were the dead who lay around me: this
They knew who made me what I am, and
trusted

To the subduing power which I preserved
Over my mood, when its first burst was spent.
But they were not aware that there are things
Which make revenge a virtue by reflection,
And not an impulse of mere anger; though
The laws sleep, justice wakes, and injured
souls

Oft do a public right with private wrong, And justify their deeds unto themselves.Methinks the day breaks - is it not so? look, Thine eyes are clear with youth; - the air

puts on

A morning-freshness, and, at least to me, The sea looks grayer through the lattice. B. Fal. True,

The morn is dappling in the sky.

Doge. Away, then!

See that they strike without delay, and with The first toll from St. Mark's, march on the palace

With all our house's strength! here I will meet you

The Sixteen and their companies will move In separate columns at the self-same mo

ment

Be sure you post yourself by the great gate, I would not trust "The Ten" except to usThe rest, the rabble of patricians, may Glut the more careless swords of those leagued with us.

Remember that the cry is still “Saint Mark! The Genoese are come-ho! to the rescue! Saint Mark and liberty!"-Now-now to action!

B. Fal. Farewell then, noble uncle! we will meet

In freedom and true sovereignty, or never! Doge. Come hither, my Bertuccio-one

embrace

Speed, for the day grows broader-Send

me soon

A messenger to tell me how all goes
When you rejoin our troops, and then
sound-sound

The storm-bell from Saint Mark's!
[Exit Bertuccio Faliero.
Doge (solus). He is gone,
And on each footstep moves a life.-Tis done.
Now the destroying Angel hovers o'er
Venice, and pauses ere he pours the vial,
Even as the Eagle overlooks his prey,

And for a moment poised in middle air,
Suspends the motion of his mighty wings,
Then swoops with his unerring beak.
Thou day!

That slowly walk'st the waters! march-
march on

I would not smite i' the dark, but rather see
That no stroke errs. And you, ye blue

sea-waves!

I have seen you dyed ere now, and deeply too,

With Genoese, Saracen, and Hunnish gore, While that of Venice flow'd too, but victorious:

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My nephew, brave Bertuccio's messenger.-
Now thou must wear an unmix'd crimson; no What tidings? Is he marching? Hath he
Barbaric blood can reconcile us now
Unto that horrible incarnadine,

But friend or foe will roll in civic slaughter.
And have I lived to fourscore years for this?
I, who was named Preserver of the City?
I, at whose name the million's caps were
flung

Into the air, and cries from tens of thousands
Rose up, imploring Heaven to send me
blessings,

sped ?

They here!all's lost-yet will I make an effort.

Enter a SIGNOr of the Night, with Guards. Sign. of the Night. Doge, I arrest thee of high treason!

Doge. Me!

Thy prince, of treason?-Who are they that dare

Cloak their own treason under such an order?

Sign. of the Night (showing his order). Behold my order from the assembled Ten. Doge. And where are they, and why assembled? no

Such council can be lawful, till the prince Preside there, and that duty 's mine: on thine

And fame and length of days-to see this day?
But this day black within the calendar,
Shall be succeeded by a bright millennium.
Doge Dandolo survived to ninety summers
To vanquish empires and refuse their crown;
I will resign a crown, and make the state
Renew its freedom-but oh! by what means?
The noble end must justify them-What
Are a few drops of human blood? 'tis false,
The blood of tyrants is not human; they,
Like to incarnate Molochs, feed on ours, Sign. of the Night. Duke, it may not be;
Until 'tis time to give them to the tombs Nor are they in the wonted Hall of Council,
Which they have made so populous.—Oh | But sitting in the convent of Saint Saviour's

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I charge thee, give me way, or marshal me
To the council-chamber.

Doge. You dare to disobey me then?
Sign. of the Night. I serve

The state, and needs must serve it faithfully;
My warrant is the will of those who rule it.

Doge. And till that warrant has my

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to reply, but act —

I am placed here as guard upon thy person,
And not as judge to hear or to decide.

Doge (aside). I must gain time-So that
the storm-bell sound,
All may be well yet.-Kinsman, speed-
speed speed!-

Our fate is trembling in the balance, and Woe to the vanquish'd! be they prince and people,

Or slaves and senate

[The great bell of Saint Mark's tolls. Lo! it sounds-it tolls! Doge (aloud). Hark, Signor of the Night! and you, ye hirelings,

Who wield your mercenary staves in fear, It is your knell --Swell on, thou lusty peal! Now, knaves, what ransom for your lives? Sign. of the Night. Confusion!

Stand to your arms, and guard the doorall's lost

Unless that fearful bell be silenced soon.
The officer hath miss'd his path or purpose,
Or met some unforeseen and hideous obstacle.
Anselmo, with thy company proceed
Straight to the tower; the rest remain
with me.

[Exit a part of the Guard. Doge. Wretch! if thou wouldst have thy vile life, implore it;

It is not now a lease of sixty seconds.
Ay, send thy miserable ruffians forth;
They never shall return.

Sign. of the Night. So let it be!
They die then in their duty, as will I.
Doge. Fool! the high eagle flies at nobler
game

Than thou and thy base myrmidons, live on, So thon provok'st not peril by resistance, And learn (if souls so much obscured can bear To gaze upon the sunbeams) to be free. Sign. of the Night. And learn thouR to be captive-It hath ceased,

[The bell ceases to toll. The traitorous signal, which was to have set The bloodhound - mob on their patrician

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But thou wert sent to watch, and not to prate,
As thou saidst even now then do thine office,
But let it be in silence, as behoves thee,
Since, though thy prisoner, I am thy prince.
Sign. of the Night. I did not mean to
fail in the respect
Due to your rank: in this I shall obey you.
Doge (aside). There now is nothing left
me save to die;

And yet how near success! I would have fallen,

And proudly, in the hour of triumph, but
To miss it thus!

Enter other SIGNORS OF THE NIGHT with
BERTUCCIO FALIERO prisoner.
Second Signor. We took him in the act
Of issuing from the tower, where, at his order,
As delegated from the Doge, the signal
Had thus begun to sound.

First Signor. Are all the passes
Which lead up to the palace well secured?

Second Signor. They are- besides, it matters not; the chiefs

Are all in chains, and some even now on trial

Their followers are dispersed, and many taken.

B. Fal. Uncle!

Doge. It is in vain to war with Fortune; The glory hath departed from our house. B. Fal. Who would have deem'd it?Ah! one moment sooner!

Doge. That moment would have changed the face of ages;

This gives us to eternity-We'll meet it As men whose triumph is not in success, But who can make their own minds all in all, Equal to every fortune. Droop not, 'tis But a brief passage—I would go alone, Yet if they send us, as 'tis like, together, Let us go worthy of our sires and selves.

B. Fal. I shall not shame you, uncle. First Signor. Lords, our orders Are to keep guard on both in separate chambers,

Until the council call ye to your trial.

Doge. Our trial! will they keep their

mockery up

Even to the last? but let them deal upon us, As we had dealt on them, but with less pomp. 'Tis but a game of mutual homicides, Who have cast lots for the first death, and they

Have won with false dice.-Who hath been our Judas?

First Signor. I am not warranted to answer that.

B. Fal. I'll answer for thee-'tis a certain

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