Without a witness. I have been within it, So have we all been oft-times; but from it, Manuel. 'T were dangerous; Content thyself with what thou know'st already. Her. Ah! Manuel! thou art elderly and wise, And couldst say much; thou hast dwelt within the castle- Manuel. Ere Count Manfred's birth, Of features or of form, but mind and habits; A warrior and a reveller; he dwelt not With books and solitude, nor made the night A gloomy vigil, but a festal time, Merrier than day; he did not walk the rocks And forests like a wolf, nor turn aside From men and their delights. Her. Beshrew the hour, But those were jocund times! I would that such As if they had forgotten them. Must change their chieftain first. Oh! I have seen Some strange things in these few years.' Her. Relate me some, to while away our watch: Come, be friendly; Altered, in the present form, to « Some strange things in them, Herman." I've heard thee darkly speak of an event Which happen'd hereabouts, by this same tower. K Look-look-the tower The tower's on fire. Oh heav'ns and earth! what sound, [A crash like thunder. Manuel. Help, help, there!—to the rescue of the Count,— The Count's in danger,-what ho! there! approach! [The Servants, Vassals, and Peasantry approach, stupified with terror. If there be any of you who have heart And love of human kind, and will to aid Those in distress-pause not-but follow me- Her. [MANUEL goes in. Come-who follows? What, none of ye?-ye recreants! shiver then His few remaining years unaided. No-all is silent-not a breath-the flame Peasant. [HERMAN goes in. Faith, not I,— Not that, if one, or two, or more, will join, I then will stay behind; but, for my part, Vassal. Cease your vain prating-come. He's dead. "Tis all in vain Her. (within.) Not so-even now methought he moved; But it is dark-so bear him gently out Softly-how cold he is! take care of his temples In winding down the staircase. Re-enter MANUEL and HERMAN, bearing MANFRED in their arms. Manuel. Hie to the castle, some of ye, and bring What aid you can. Saddle the barb, and speed For the leech to the city-quick! some water there! [They sprinkle MANFRED with water; after a pause, he Manuel. He seems to strive to speak-come-cheerly, Count! He moves his lips-canst hear him? I am old, And cannot catch faint sounds. Her. [HERMAN inclining his head and listening. I hear a word Or two-but indistinctly—what is next? What's to be done? let's bear him to the castle. [MANFRED motions with his hand not to remove him. Manuel. He disapproves-and 't were of no availHe changes rapidly. Her. 'T will soon be over. Manuel. Oh! what a death is this! that I should live Of the House of Sigismund.-And such a death! Manfred (speaking faintly and slowly). Old man! 'tis not so difficult to die.. VOL. III. [MANFRED having said this expires. 7 Her. His eyes are fix'd and lifeless.—He is gone.Manuel. Close them. My old hand quivers. He departsWhither? I dread to think-but he is gone! LETTER CCLXXVIII. TO MR MURRAY. " « Rome, May 9th, 1817. « Address all answers to Venice; for there I shall return in fifteen days, God willing. << I sent you from Florence 'The Lament of Tasso,' and from Rome the Third Act of Manfred, both of which, I trust, will duly arrive. The terms of these two I mentioned in my last, and will repeat in this : it is three hundred for each, or six hundred guineas for the two-that is, if you like, and they are good for any thing. « At last one of the parcels is arrived. In the notes to Childe Harold there is a blunder of yours or mine: you talk of arrival at St Gingo, and, immediately after, add—'on the height is the Chateau of Clarens.' This is sad work: Clarens is on the other side of the Lake, and it is quite impossible that I should have so bungled. Look at the MS.; and at any rate rectify it. « The 'Tales of my Landlord' I have read with great pleasure, and perfectly understand now why my sister and aunt are so very positive in the very erroneous persuasion that they must have been written by me. If you knew me as well as they do, you would have fallen, perhaps, into the same mistake. Some day or other, I will explain to you why-when I have time; at present it does not much matter; but you must have thought this blunder of theirs very odd, and so did I, till I had read the book.-Croker's letter to you is a very great compliment; I shall return it to you in my next. << I perceive you are publishing a Life of Raffael d'Urbino: it may perhaps interest you to hear that a set of German artists here allow their hair to grow, and trim it into his fashion, thereby drinking the cummin of the disciples of the old philosopher; if they would cut their hair, convert it into brushes, and paint like him, it would be more 'German to the matter.' I'll tell you a story: the other day, a man here ―an English-mistaking the statues of Charlemagne and Constantine, which are equestrian, for those of Peter and Paul, asked another which was Paul of these same horsemen ?-to which the reply was-'I thought, sir, that St Paul had never got on horseback since his accident?' << I'll tell you another: Henry Fox, writing to some one from Naples the other day, after an illness, adds,'and I am so changed that my oldest creditors would hardly know me.' "I am delighted with Rome-as I would be with a bandbox, that is, it is a fine thing to see, finer than Greece; but I have not been here long enough to affect it as a residence, and I must go back to Lombardy, because I am wretched at being away from Marianna. I have been riding my saddle-horses every day, and been to Albano, its Lakes, and to the top of the Alban Mount, and to Frescati, Aricia, etc. etc. with an etc. etc. etc. about the city, and in the city: for all which-vide Guide-book. As a whole, ancient and modern, it beats Greece, Constantinople, every thing-at least that I have ever seen. But I can't describe, because my first impressions are always strong and confused, and my memory selects and reduces them to order, like distance |