Page:The Mysterious Mother - Walpole (1781).djvu/20

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
12
THE MYSTERIOUS MOTHER.
MARTIN.And Adeliza veil'Say her son were dead,And Adeliza veil'd—
BENEDICT.With fruitless ardouI press the latterWith fruitless ardour. Often as I urge it,She pleads the maiden's flushing cheek, and nature,That speaks in characters of glowing roseIts modest appetites and timid wishes.Her sex, she says, when gratified, are frail;When check'd, a hurricane of boundless passions.Then, with sweet irony and sad, she wills meAsk my own breast, if cowls and scapulariesAre charms all powerful to subdue desire?
MARTIN.'Twere wiser school the maiden: lead the trainOf young ideas to a fancied object.A mental spouse may fill her hov'ring thoughts,And bar their fixing on some earthly lover.
BENEDICT.This is already done—but Edmund's deathWere hopes more solid—
MARTIN.His letters intercepted—First report him dead,His letters intercepted—
BENEDICT.Thou true son of the cGreatly thought!Thou true son of the church!—and lo! where comesOur patroness—leave me; I will not loseAn instant. I will sound her inmost soul,And mould it to the moment of projection.[Exit Martin.
[Benedict retires within the castle.

SCENE

This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.