“I hear thee! yes, I hear thee well!” Cried GOLFRE, “I’ll content thee. “I see thy vengeful eye-balls roll— “Thou com’st to claim my guilty soul— “The FIENDS—the FIENDS have sent thee!” And now a Goatherd-Boy was heard— Swift climbing up the mountain: A Kid was lost, the fearful hind— Had rov’d his truant care to find, By wood-land’s side—and fountain. And now a murm’ring throng advanc’d, And howlings echoed round them: Now GOLFRE tried the path to pace, His feet seem’d rooted to the place, As though a spell had bound them. And now loud mingling voices cried— “Pursue that WOLF, pursue him!” The guilty BARON, conscience stung, About his fainting DAUGHTER hung, As to the ground she drew him. “Oh! shield me HOLY MARY! shield “A tortur’d wretch!” he mutter’d. “A murd’rous WOLF! O GOD! I crave “A dark unhallow’d silent grave—” Aghast the Caitiff utter’d. “’Twas I, beneath the GOATHERD’s bed “The golden sword did cover; “’Twas I who tore the quiv’ring wound, “Pluck’d forth the heart, and scatter’d round “The life-stream of thy Lover.” And now he writh’d in ev’ry limb, And big his heart was swelling; Fresh peals of thunder echoed strong, With famish’d WOLVES the peaks among Their dismal chorus yelling! “O JESU Save me!” GOLFRE shriek’d— But GOLFRE shriek’d no more! The rosy dawn’s returning light Display’d his corse,—a dreadful sight, Black, wither’d, smear’d with gore! High on a gibbet, near the wood— His mangled limbs were hung; Yet ZORIETTO oft was seen Prostrate the Chapel aisles between— When holy mass was sung. And there, three lamps now dimly burn,— Twelve Monks their masses saying; And there, the midnight bell doth toll For quiet to the murd’rer’s soul— While all around are praying. For CHARITY and PITY kind, To gentle souls are given; And MERCY is the sainted pow’r, Which beams thro’ mis’ry’s darkest hour, And lights the way—TO HEAVEN! _END._ Printed by BIGGS and COTTLE, St. Augustines-Back, Bristol. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ _BOOKS_ _Printed for_ T. N. LONGMAN _and_ O. REES, _No. 39, Paternoster-Row, London_.