Lucifer. No! By heaven, which He Holds, and the abyss, and the immensity Of worlds and life, which I hold with him-No! I have a victor-true; but no superior. To you already in your little world? With me, then, to thine earth, and try the rest ACT III. Cain. Where? Adah. Here, or Where'er thou wilt: where'er thou art, I feel not SCENE I.-The Earth near Eden, as in Act 1. The want of this so much regretted Eden. Have I not thee, our boy, our sire, and brother, And Zillah-our sweet sister, and our Eve, To whom we owe so much besides our birth? Cain. Yes--death, too, is amongst the debts we owe her. Adah. Cain! that proud spirit, who withdrew thee hence, Hath sadden'd thine still deeper. I had hoped The promised wonders which thou hast beheld, Visions, thou sayst, of past and present worlds, Would have composed thy mind into the calm Of a contented knowledge; but I see Thy guide hath done thee evil: still I thank him, And can forgive him all, that he so soon Hath given thee back to us. Cain. So soon? Adah. Tis scarcely Two hours since ye departed: two long hours To me, but only hours upon the sun. Cain. And yet I have approach'd that | sun, and seen Worlds which he once shone on, and never more Adah. Alas! thou sinnest now my Cain; thy words Sound impious in mine ears. Though thy God left thee. Cain. Say, what have we here? During thine absence, whereupon to offer Shall light; and worlds he never lit: me- With the burnt offerings, which he daily thought Years had roll'd o'er my absence. Cain. The mind then hath capacity of time, And measures it by that which it beholds, And, gazing on eternity, methought Adah. Wherefore said he so? Cain. No: he contents him With making us the nothing which we are; And after flattering dust with glimpses of Eden and Immortality, resolves It back to dust again-for what? Adah. Thou knowetEven for our parents' error. Cain. What is that To us? they sinn'd, then let them die! Adah. Thou hast not spoken well, nor is that thought Thy own, but of the spirit who was with thee. Would I could die for them, so they might live! Cain. Why, so say I-provided that one victim Might satiate the insatiable of life, in the sun According to the curse:-must I do more? For being dust, and groveling in the dust, Be contrite? for my father's sin, already The germ of an eternal misery The rocks, than let him live to- Touch not the child-my child! thy child! Cain. Fear not! for all the stars, and all the power Which sways them, I would not accost yon Adak. Oh, do not say so! Where were then the joys, The mother's joys of watching, nourishing, For then we are all alike; is 't not so, Cain? Look! how he laughs and stretches out his arms, And opens wide his blue eyes upon thine, To hail his father; while his little form Flutters as wing'd with joy. Talk not of pain! The childless cherubs well might envy thee The pleasures of a parent! Bless him, Cain! As yet he hath no words to thank thee, but His heart will, and thine own too. Cain. Bless thee, boy! If that a mortal blessing may avail thee, Surely a father's blessing may avert Cain. Of that I doubt; But bless him ne'er the less. Enter ABEL. Abel. Welcome, Cain! My brother, The peace of God be on thee! Cain. Abel, hail! Abel. The more my grief; I pray thee To do so now thy soul seems labouring in Some strong delusion; it will calm thee. Cain. No; Abel. Our sister tells me that thou hast Nothing can calm me more. Calm! say I? I am a tiller of the ground, and must Yield what it yieldeth to my toil-its fruit: [He gathers fruits. Behold them in their various bloom and ripeness. [They dress their altars, and kindle a flame upon them. Abel. My brother, as the elder, offer first Thy prayer and thanksgiving with sacrifice. Cain. No-I am new to this; lead thou the way, And I will follow-as I may. Abel (kneeling). Oh God! Who made us, and who breathed the breath of life Within our nostrils, who hath blessed us, Sole Of good, and glory, and eternity; Without whom all were evil,and with whom Nothing can err, except to some good end Of thine omnipotent benevolence— Inscrutable, but still to be fulfill'd— Accept from out thy humble first of shepherd's First of the first-born flocks-an offering, In itself nothing -- as what offering can be Aught unto thee?-but yet accept it for The thanksgiving of him who spreads it in The face of thy high heaven,bowing his own Even to the dust, of which he is, in honour Of thee, and of thy name, for evermore! Cain (standing erect during this speech). Spirit! whate'er or whosoe'er thou art, Omnipotent, it may be-and, if good, Shown in the exemption of thy deeds from evil; Jehovah upon earth! and God in heaven! And soften'd with a sacrifice, receive them! On my right hand, hath shed it for thy service seem Good to thee, inasmuch as they have not Suffer'd in limb or life, and rather form A sample of thy works, than supplication To look on ours! If a shrine without victim, And altar without gore, may win thy favour, Look on it! and for him who dresseth it, He is-such as thou mad'st him; and seeks nothing Which must be won by kneeling: if he's evil, Strike him! thou art omnipotent, and mayst, For what can he oppose? If he be good, Strike him,or spare him, as thou wilt! since all Rests upon thee; and good and evil seem To have no power themselves, save in thy will; And whether that be good or ill I know not, Abel (kneeling). Oh, brother, pray! Abel. Thy fruits are scatter'd on the earth. Cain. From earth they came, to earth let them return; Cain. Another sacrifice! Give way, or else The native of another and worse world. That sacrifice may be Abel. What meanest thou? Cain. Give Give way! thy God loves blood!— then look to it: Give way, ere he hath more! Abel. In his great name, The earth swims round me :-what is this?_ 'tis wet; [Puts his hand to his brow, and then looks at it. And yet there are no dews! 'Tis blood-my blood My brother's and my own; and shed by me! I stand between thee and the shrine which Then what have I further to do with life, Cain (after a moment's stupefaction). My hand! 'tis all red, and with-what? Since I have taken life from my own flesh? Smite not each other. Yet-yet-speak to me. Enter ZILLAI Zillah. I heard a heavy sound: what can it be? 'Tis Cain; and watching by my husband. Dost thou there, brother? Doth he sleep? What means this paleness, and yon stream? It is not blood; for who would shed his blood? He moves not; [Along pause.-Looking slowly round. | Abel! what's this?-who hath done this? Where am I? alone! Where's Abel? where Cain? Can it be that I am he? My brother, Awake! why liest thou so on the green earth? Tis not the hour of slumber :- why so pale? Abel! I pray thee, mock me not! I smote Oh, God! Oh, God! He breathes not: and his hands drop down from mine With stony lifelessness! Ah! cruel Cain! from This violence? Whatever hath assail'd him, Between him and aggression! Father!— Adah!-come hither! Death is in the world! Abel (very faintly). What's he who speaks The name of Death so deeply, that the Empoison'd all my life, before I knew Enter ADAM, EVE, ADAH, and ZILLAH. What do I see?-Tis true!-My son!— my son! Let me see, doth it beat?_methinks_No! no! Woman, behold the serpent's work, and This is a vision, else I am become thine! [To Eve. |