Cain. Abel, I pray thee, sacrifice alone Jehovah loves thee well.

Abel.

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Both well, I hope. Cain. But thee the better: I care not for that;

Thou art fitter for his worship than I am;
Revere him, then- but let it be alone -
At least, without me.

Abel.
Brother, I should ill
Deserve the name of our great father's son,
If, as my elder, I revered thee not,
And in the worship of our God call'd not
On thee to join me, and precede me in 199
Our priesthood - 't is thy place.
Cain.
But I have ne'er
Asserted it.
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; Nothing can calm me more. Calm! say I? Never

Knew I what calm was in the soul, although I have seen the elements still'd. My Abel,

leave me !

The firstlings of the flock, and fat thereof –
A shepherd's humble offering.
Cain.
I have no flocks;
I am a tiller of the ground, and must
Yield what it yieldeth to my toil - its
[He gathers fruits.
Behold them in their various bloom and
ripeness.

fruit:

[They dress their altars, and kindle a flame upon them. Abel. My brother, as the elder, offer

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 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 shep-
herd'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 240
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!

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,

Not being omnipotent, nor fit to judge
Omnipotence, but merely to endure

Its mandate; which thus far I have endured.

[The fire upon the altar of ABEL kindles into a column of the brightest flame, and ascends to heaven; while a whirlwind throws down the altar of CAIN, and scatters the fruits abroad upon the earth.

Abel (kneeling). Oh, brother, pray! Jehovah's wroth with thee.

Cain. Why so?

280

Abel. Thy fruits are scatter'd on the

earth.

Cain. From earth they came, to earth let them return;

Let me see, doth it beat? methinks - No! no!

This is a vision, else I am become
The native of another and worse world.
The earth swims round me: - what is this?
- 't is 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! Then what have I further to do with life, Since I have taken life from my own flesh? But he cannot be dead! Is silence death?

Cain (solus). And who hath brought him there?-I- who abhor

The name of Death so deeply, that the thought

Empoison'd all my life before I knew
His aspect - I have led him here, and giv'n
My brother to his cold and still embrace,
As if he would not have asserted his
Inexorable claim without my aid.

I am awake at last. a dreary dream

Had madden'd me; - but he shall ne'er awake!

Enter ADAM, Eve, ADAH, and Zillah.

Adam. A voice of woe from Zillah brings me here. 380 What do I see? 'Tis true! My son! my son ! Woman, behold the serpent's work, and thine! [TO EVE. Eve. Oh! speak not of it now; the serpent's fangs

Are in my heart. My best beloved, Abel!
Jehovah this is punishment beyond
A mother's sin, to take him from me!
Adam.

Who, Or what hath done this deed? — speak, Cain, since thou

Wert present; was it some more hostile angel,

Who walks not with Jehovah? or some wild Brute of the forest?

Eve. Ah! a livid light 390 Breaks through, as from a thunder-cloud!

yon brand,

Massy and bloody! snatch'd from off the

On which he lays his head to sleep be strew'd

With scorpions! May his dreams be of his victim!

430

His waking a continual dread of death! May the clear rivers turn to blood as he Stoops down to stain them with his raging

lip!

May every element shun or change to

him!

May he live in the pangs which others die with!

And death itself wax something worse than death

To him who first acquainted him with man! Hence, fratricide! henceforth that word is

Cain,

Through all the coming myriads of mankind,

Adam. We will return again, when he is gone

Who hath provided for us this dread office. Come, Zillah!

Zillah. Yet one kiss on yon pale clay, And those lips once so warm — my heart! my heart!

[Exeunt ADAM and ZILLAH, weeping. Adah. Cain! thou hast heard, we must go forth. I am ready,

So shall our children be. I will bear Enoch, And you his sister. Ere the sun declines Let us depart, nor walk the wilderness Under the cloud of night. — Nay, speak to

me,

To me thine own.

Cain.

Adah.

Leave me !

Why, all have left thee. Cain. And wherefore lingerest thou?

Cursed from the earth, which open'd late her mouth

To drink thy brother's blood from thy rash hand.

Henceforth, when thou shalt till the ground, it shall not

Yield thee her strength; a fugitive shalt

thou

Be from this day, and vagabond on earth! Adah. This punishment is more than he

can bear.

Behold, thou drivest him from the face of

earth,

480

And from the face of God shall he be hid.
A fugitive and vagabond on earth,
'T will come to pass, that whoso findeth him
Shall slay him.
Cain.

Would they could! but

say

That this poor aching breast now nourishes

A murderer in my boy, and of his father. Angel. Then he would but be what his father is.

Did not the milk of Eve give nutriment 490 To him thou now see'st so besmear'd with blood?

The fratricide might well engender parricides.

But it shall not be so- the Lord thy God
And mine commandeth me to set his seal
On Cain, so that he may go forth in safety.
Who slayeth Cain, a sevenfold vengeance
shall

Be taken on his head. Come hither!
Cain.

Wouldst thou with me?

Angel.

What

To mark upon thy brow Exemption from such deeds as thou hast

done.