His pleasure! what was His high pleasure in
The fumes of scorching flesh and smoking blood,
To the pain of the bleating mothers, which
Still yearn for their dead offspring? or the pangs
Of the sad ignorant victims underneath

Thy pious knife? Give way! this bloody record
Shall not stand in the sun, to shame creation!

Abel. Brother, give back! thou shalt not touch my altar With violence: if that thou wilt adopt it,

To try another sacrifice, 'tis thine.

Cain. Another sacrifice! Give way, or else

That sacrifice may be

Abel.

Cain.

What mean'st thou ?

Give

Give way!-thy God loves blood !-then look to it :—
Give way, ere He hath more!

Abel.

In His great name,

I stand between thee and the shrine which hath
Had His acceptance.

Cain.

If thou lov'st thyself,

Stand back till I have strew'd this turf along
Its native soil:-else-

Abel (opposing him). I love God far more
Than life.

Cain (striking him with a brand, on the temples, which ke snatches from the altar).

Then take thy life unto thy God,

Since he loves lives.

Abel (falls). What hast thou done, my brother?

Cain. Brother!

Abel.

Oh, God! receive thy servant, and

Forgive his slayer, for he knew not what

He did-Cain, give me-give me thy hand; and tell
Poor Zillah-

Cain (after a moment's stupefaction).
red, and with-

My hand! 'tis all

What?
[A long pause.-Looking slowly round.
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?

What, hast thou !- -thou wert full of life this morn!
Abel! I pray thee, mock me not! I smote

Too fiercely, but not fatally. Ah, why

Wouldst thou oppose me? This is mockery;
And only done to daunt me:-'twas a blow-
And but a blow. Stir-stir-nay, only stir!

Why, so that's well!-thou breath'st! breathe upon me!
Oh, God! oh, God!

Abel (verg faintly). What's he who speaks of God?
Cain. Thy murderer.

Abel. Then may God forgive him! Cain,

Comfort poor Zillah:-she has but one brother
Now.

[ABEL dies.

Cain. And I none !-Who makes me brctherless?
His eyes are open! then he is not dead!

Death is like sleep; and sleep shuts down our lids.
His lips, too, are apart; why then he breathes!
And yet I feel it not.-His heart!-his heart !—
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?-'tis wet;

[Puts his hand to his brow, and then looks at it. And yet there are no dews! 'Tis blood-my bloodMy 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 can'not be dead!-Is silence death? No; he will wake: then let me watch by him. Life cannot be so slight as to be quench'd Thus quickly!-he hath spoken to me sinceWhat shall I say to him?-My brother!-No: He will not answer to that name; for brethren Smite not each other. Yet-yet-speak to me. Oh! for a word more of that gentle voice, That I may bear to hear my own again!

Enter ZILLAH.

Zillah. I heard a heavy sound: what can it be?
"Tis Cain; and watching by my husband. What
Dost thou there, brother? Doth he sleep? Oh, heav'n!
What means this paleness, and yon stream?-No, no!
It is not blood; for who would shed his blood?

Abel! what's this?-who hath done this? He moves not;
He breathes not: and his hands drop down from mine
With stony lifelessness! Ah! cruel Cain!

Why cam'st thou not in time to save him from
This violence? Whatever hath assail'd him,

Thou wert the stronger, and shouldst have stepp'd in
Between him and aggression! Father!-Eve!-
Adah!-come hither! Death is in the world!

[Exit ZILLAH, calling on her Parents, &c. 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.

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

Breaks through, as from a thunder-cloud! yon brand,
Massy and bloody! snatch'd from off the altar,
And black with smoke, and red with-

Adam.

Speak, and assure us, wretched as we are,

That we are not more miserable still.

Speak, my son!

Adah. Speak, Cain! and say it was not thou!

Eve. It was. I see it now: he hangs his guilty head, And covers his ferocious eye with hands

Incarnadine.

Adah.

Mother, thou dost him wrong—

Cain clear thee from this horrible accusal,
Which grief wrings from our parent.

Hear, Jehovah !

Eve.
May the eternal serpent's curse be on him!
For he was fitter for his seed than ours.
May all his days be desolate. May-

Adah.

Hold!

Curse him not, mother, for he is thy son-
Curse him not, mother, for he is my brother,
And my betroth'd.

Eve.

He hath left thee no brother

Zillah no husband-me no son -for thus

I curse him from my sight for evermore!

All bonds I break between us! as he broke

That of his nature, in yon- -Oh death! death!
Why didst thou not take me, who first incurr'd thee?
Why dost thou not so now?

Adam.

Eve! let not this,

Thy natural grief, lead to impiety!

A heavy doom was long forespoken to us;
And now that it begins, let it be borne

In such sort as may show our God, that we

Are faithful servants to His holy will.

Eve (pointing to Cain). His will? the will of yon incarnate spirit

Of death, whom I have brought upon the earth

To strew it with the dead. May all the curses
Of life be on him! and his agonies

Drive him forth o'er the wilderness, like us
From Eden, till his children do by him
As he did by his brother! May the swords
And wings of fiery cherubim pursue him

By day and night-snakes spring up in his path

Earth's fruits be ashes in his mouth-the leaves
On which he lays his head to sleep be strew'd
With scorpions! May his dreams be of his victim!
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,
Who shall abhor thee, though thou wert their sire!
May the grass wither from thy feet! the woods
Deny thee shelter! earth a home! the dust

A grave! the sun his light! and heaven her God!

[Exit EVE. Adam. Cain! get thee forth; we dwell no more together. Depart and leave the dead to me--I am Henceforth alone-we never must meet more.

Adah. Oh, part not with him thus, my father: do not

Add thy deep curse to Eve's upon his head!

Adam. I curse him not; his spirit be his curse.

Come, Zillah!

Zillah. I must watch my husband's corse.
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 for th.

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.

A dah.

Leave me !

Why, all have left thee.

I am

Cain. And wherefore lingerest thou? Dost thou not fear To dwell with one who hath done this?

Adah.

Nothing except to leave thee, much as I

I fear

Shrink from the deed which leaves thee brotherless.
I must not speak of this-it is between thee
And the great God.

A Voice from within exclaims, Cain! Cain!
Adah.

The Voice within. Cain! Cain!
Adah.

Hear'st thou that voice!

It soundeth like an angel's tone.

Enter the ANGEL of the Lord.

Angel. Where is thy brother Abel?

Cain.

Am I then

My brother's keeper?
Angel.
Cain! what hast thou done?
The voice of thy slain brother's blood cries out
Even from the ground, unto the Lord!-Now art 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,

And from the face of God shall he be hid.

A fugitive and vagabond on earth,

"Twill come pass, that whoso findeth him Shall slay him.

Cain. Would they could! but who are they

Shall slay me? Where are these on the lone earth
As yet unpeopled?

Angel.

Thou hast slain thy brother,

And who shall warrant thee against thy son?
Adah. Angel of Light! be merciful, nor 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

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.

It must not be.

[The ANGEL sets the mark on CAIN's brow. It burns

My brow, but nought to that which is within it.

Is there more? let me meet it as I may.

Angel. Stern hast thou been and stubborn from the womb, As the ground thou must henceforth till; but he

Thou slew'st was gentle as the flocks he tended.
Cain. After the fall too soon was I begotten;

Ere yet my mother's mind subsided from

The serpent, and my sire still mourn'd for Eden.
That which I am, I am; I did not seek

For life, nor did I make myself; but could I

With my own death redeem him from the dust-
And why not so? let him return to day,
And I lie ghastly! so shall be restored