_Henry._ [_Running to_ MORRINGTON.] Ah, my father! he revives! _Sir Philip._ Hush! [MORRINGTON _recovers--seeing his brother, covers his face with shame, then falls at his feet._] _Mor._ Crawling in the dust, behold a repentant wretch!-- _Sir Philip._ [_Indignantly._] My brother Morrington! _Mor._ Turn not away--in mercy hear me! _Sir Philip._ Speak! _Mor._ After the dreadful hour that parted us, agonized with remorse, I was about to punish home what your arm had left unaccomplished; when some angel whispered--"Punishment is life, not death--Live and atone!" _Sir Philip._ Oh! go on! _Mor._ I flew to you--I found you surrounded by sharpers--What was to be done? I became Morrington! littered with villains! practised the arts of devils! braved the assassin's steel! possessed myself of your large estates--lived hateful to myself, detested by mankind--to do what? to save an injured brother from destruction, and lay his fortune at his feet! [_Places parchments before_ SIR PHILIP.] _Sir Philip._ Ah! is it possible! _Mor._ Oh, is that atonement? No--By me you first beheld her mother! 'Twas I that gave her fortune! Is that atonement? No--But my Henry has saved that angel's life--Kneel with me, my boy--lift up thy innocent hands, with those of thy guilty father, and beg for mercy from that injured saint. [HENRY _kneels with him._] _Sir Philip._ O God! How infinite are thy mercies! Henry, forgive me--Emma, plead for me--There--There. [_Joining their hands._] _Henry._ But my father---- _Sir Philip._ [_Approaching._] Charles! _Mor._ Philip! _Sir Philip._ Brother, I forgive thee. _Mor._ Then let me die--blest, most blest! _Sir Philip._ No, no. [_Striking his breast._] Here--I want thee here--Raise him to my heart. [_They raise_ MORRINGTON--_in the effort to embrace, he falls into their arms exhausted._] Again! [_They sink into each other's arms._] _Handy, jun._ [_Comes forward._] If forgiveness be an attribute which ennobles our nature, may we not hope to find pardon for our errors--_here?_ [_The Curtain falls._] THE END. [Transcriber's Note: The following corrections have been made to the original text. In Act I, Scene III, a missing period has been added to the sentence "I pressed forward, but they avoided me." In Act II, Scene I, a missing quotation mark has been added to the sentence, "Were you at Lady Overall's?" In Act II, Scene III, the attribution of the line "What! mayn't I lather un a bit?" has been corrected from Susan to Ashfield. In Act IV, Scene I, a comma has been changed to a period in the sentence "That is the boy."] End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Speed the Plough, by Thomas Morton