All thought; and all at once thou art before me,
And with such suddenness hast hit my sight,
Is such surprise, such mystery, such ecstasy,

It hurries all my soul, and stuns my sense.

Sure from thy father's tomb thou didst arise?

Osm. I did; and thou, my love, didst call me; thou. Alm. True; but how cam'st thou there?

alone?

Osm. I was, and lying on my father's lead, When broken echoes of a distant voice

Disturbed the sacred silence of the vault,

Wert thou

In murmurs round my head. I rose and listened,
And thought I heard thy spirit call Alphonso;

I thought I saw thee too; but, oh, I thought not
That I indeed should be so blessed to see thee-

Alm. But still, how cam'st thou thither? how thus?-Ha! What's he, who, like thyself, is started here

Ere seen?

Osm. Where? Ha! What do I see, Antonio !
I'm fortunate indeed- -my friend, too, safe!
Heli. Most happily, in finding you thus blessed.
Alm. More miracles! Antonio too escaped!

Osm. And twice escaped; both from the rage of seas And war for in the fight I saw him fall.

Heli. But fell unhurt, a pris'ner as yourself,
And as yourself made free;
hither I came,
Impatiently to seek you, where I knew
Your grief would lead you to lament Anselmo.

Osm. There are no wonders, or else all is wonder.
Heli. I saw you on the ground, and raised you up,
When with astonishment I saw Almeria.

Osm. I saw her too, and therefore saw not thee.

Alm. Nor I; nor could I, for my eyes were yours. Osm. What means the bounty of all-gracious Heaven, That persevering still, with open hand,

It scatters good, as in a waste of mercy?
Where will this end? But Heaven is infinite

In all, and can continue to bestow,

When scanty number shall be spent in telling.

Leon. Or I'm deceived, or I beheld the glimps Of two in shining habits cross the aisle ;

Who by their pointing seem to mark this place.

Alm. Sure I have dreamt, if we must part so soon.
Osm. I wish at least our parting were a dream;
Or we could sleep till we again were met.

Heli. Zara with Selim, sir, I saw and know 'em :
You must be quick, for love will lend her wings.
Alm. What love? Who is she?
Osm. She's the reverse of thee;

Why are you alarmed? she's my unhappiness.

Harbour no thought that may disturb thy peace;
But gently take thyself away, lest she

Should come, and see the straining of my eyes
To follow thee.

Retire, my love, I'll think how we may meet
To part no more; my friend will tell thee all;
How I escaped, how I am here, and thus;
How I'm not called Alphonso now, but Osmyn;

And he Heli. All, all he will unfold,

Ere next we meet

Alm. Sure we shall meet again—

Osm. We shall; we part not but to meet again. Gladness and warmth of ever-kindling love

Dwell with thee, and revive thy heart in absence.

[Exeunt ALMERIA, LEONORA, and HELL.

Yet I behold her-yet-and now no more.

Turn your lights inward, eyes, and view my thoughts,

So shall you still behold her-'twill not be.

Oh, impotence of sight! mechanic sense!
Which to exterior objects ow'st thy faculty,
Not seeing of election, but necessity.

Thus do our eyes, as do all common mirrors,
Successively reflect succeeding images:

Not what they would, but must; a star, or toad;
Just as the hand of chance administers.

Not so the mind, whose undetermined view
Revolves, and to the present adds the past;
Essaying farther to futurity;

But that in vain. I have Almeria here
At once, as I before have seen her often.

The City of Damascus is besieged by CALED, Leader of the Saracens.EUMENES, the Governor of Damascus, seeks the Camp of CALED, to treat for Peace.

SCENE II.-A Plain before the City. A Prospect of Tents at a distance.

Enter CALED, Abudah, and Daran.

Dar. To treat, my chiefs! -What! are we mer

chants then,

That only come to traffic with those Syrians,

And poorly cheapen conquest on conditions?

No; we were sent to fight the caliph's battles,
Till every iron neck bend to obedience.

Another storm makes this proud city ours;

What need we treat?- -I am for war and plunder.
Caled. Why, so am I——and but to save the lives
Of Mussulmans, not Christians, I would not treat:
I hate these Christian dogs; and 'tis our task,
As thou observ'st, to fight; our law enjoins it :
Heaven too is promised only to the valiant.
Oft has our Prophet said, the happy plains.
Above lie stretched beneath the blaze of swords.

Abu. Yet, Daran's loath to trust that Heaven for pay; This earth, it seems, has gifts that please him more. Caled. Check not his zeal, Abudah.

Abu. No: I praise it.

Yet, I could wish that zeal had better motives.

Has victory no fruits but blood and plunder?

That we were sent to fight, 'tis true; but wherefore?
For conquest, not destruction. That obtained,
The more we spare, the caliph has more subjects,
And Heaven is better served--But see, they come!

Enter EUMENES, HERBIS, and ARtamon.

Caled. Well, Christians, we are met-and war awhile, At your request, has stilled his angry voice,

To hear what you will purpose.

Eum. We come to know,

After so many troops you've lost in vain,

If you'll draw off in peace, and save the rest.

Her. Or rather to know first-for yet we know not-Why on your heads you call our pointed arrows,

In our own just defence!

What means this visit?

And why see we so many thousand tents

Rise in the air, and whiten all our fields?

Caled. Is that a question now? you had our summons,
When first we marched against you, to surrender.
Two moons have wasted since, and now the third
Is in its wane. 'Tis true, drawn off a while,

At Aiznadin we met, and fought the powers
Sent by your emperor to raise our siege.

Vainly you thought us gone; we gained a conquest.
You see we are returned; our hearts, our cause,
Our swords the same.

Her. But why those swords were drawn,
And what's the cause, inform us.

Eum. Speak your wrongs,

If wrongs you have received, and by what means
They may be now repaired.

Abu. Then, Christians, hear!

And Heaven inspire you to embrace its truth!

Not

wrongs ť avenge, but to establish right

Our swords were drawn: for such is Heaven's command Immutable. By us great Mahomet,

And his successor, holy Abubeker,

Invite you to the faith.

'There's no harm meant; we're only to be beaten

Into a new religion. If that's all,

I find I am already half a convert.

Eum. Now, in the name of Heaven, what faith is this, That stalks gigantic forth, thus armed with terrors,

As if it meant to ruin, not to save?

That leads embattled legions to the field,

And marks its progress out with blood and slaughter?