‘Unhappy Leonora (said she) how is thy poor unwary Heart misled?
Whither am I come? The false deluding Lights of an imaginary Flame,
have led me, a poor benighted Victim, to a real Fire. I burn and am
consumed with hopeless Love; those Beams in whose soft temperate warmth
I wanton’d heretofore, now flash destruction to my Soul, my Treacherous
greedy Eyes have suck’d the glaring Light, they have united all its
Rays, and, like a burning-Glass, convey’d the pointed Meteor to my
Heart—Ah! Aurelian, how quickly hast thou Conquer’d, and how quickly
must thou Forsake. Oh Happy (to me unfortunately Happy) Juliana! I am
to be the subject of thy Triumph—To thee Aurelian comes laden with the
Tribute of my Heart and Glories in the Oblation of his broken
Vows.—What then, is Aurelian False! False! alass, I know not what I
say; How can he be False, or True, or any Thing to me? What Promises
did he ere make or I receive? Sure I dream, or I am mad, and fansie it
to be Love; Foolish Girl, recal thy banish’d Reason.—Ah! would it were
no more, would I could rave, sure that would give me Ease, and rob me
of the Sense of Pain; at least, among my wandring Thoughts, I should at
sometime light upon Aurelian, and fansie him to be mine; kind Madness
would flatter my poor feeble Wishes, and sometimes tell me Aurelian is
not lost—not irrecoverably—not for ever lost.
Hippolito could hear no more, he had not Room for half his Transport.
When Leonora perceived a Man coming toward her, she fell a trembling,
and could not speak. Hippolito approached with Reverence, as to a
Sacred Shrine; when coming near enough to see her Consternation, he
fell upon his Knees.
‘Behold, O Adored Leonora (said he) ‘your ravished Aurelian, behold at
your Feet the Happiest of Men, be not disturb’d at my Appearance, but
think that Heaven conducted me to hear my Bliss pronounced by that dear
Mouth alone, whose breath could fill me with new Life.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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