_Osorio_, 1797. _Remorse._ _VELEZ_ = _MARQUIS VALDEZ, Father to the two brothers, and Doña Teresa's Guardian._ _ALBERT_ = _DON ALVAR, the eldest son._ _OSORIO_ = _DON ORDONIO, the youngest son._ _FRANCESCO_ = _MONVIEDRO, a Dominican and Inquisitor._ _MAURICE_ = _ZULIMEZ, the faithful attendant on Alvar._ _FERDINAND_ = _ISIDORE, a Moresco Chieftain, ostensibly a Christian._ _NAOMI_ = _NAOMI._ _MARIA_ = _DOÑA TERESA, an Orphan Heiress._ _ALHADRA, wife of FERDINAND_ = _ALHADRA, Wife of Isidore._ _FAMILIARS OF THE INQUISITION._ _MOORS, SERVANTS, &C._ _Time. The reign of Philip II., just at the close of the civil wars against the Moors, and during the heat of the persecution which raged against them, shortly after the edict which forbad the wearing of Moresco apparel under pain of death._ FOOTNOTES: [518:1] First published in 1873 by Mr. John Pearson (under the editorship of R. H. Shepherd): included in _P. and D. W._ 1877-80, and in _P. W._ 1893. Four MSS. are (or were) extant, (1) the transcript of the play as sent to Sheridan in 1797 (_MS. I_); (2) a contemporary transcript sent by Coleridge to a friend (_MS. II_); (3) a third transcript (the handwriting of a 'legal character') sold at Christie's, March 8, 1895 (_MS. III_); (4) a copy of Act I in Coleridge's handwriting, which formerly belonged to Thomas Poole, and is now in the British Museum (_MS. P._). The text of the present issue follows MS. I. The variants are derived from MSS. I, II as noted by J. Dykes Campbell in _P. W._ 1893, from a MS. collation (by J. D. Campbell) of MS. III, now published for the first time, and from a fresh collation of MS. P. _Osorio_ was begun at Stowey in March, 1797. Two and a half Acts were written before June, four and a half Acts before September 13, 1797. A transcript of the play (_MS. I_) was sent to Drury Lane in October, and rejected, on the score of the 'obscurity of the last three acts', on or about December 1, 1797. See 'Art.' Coleridge, _Osorio_ and _Remorse_, by J. D. Campbell, _Athenaeum_, April 8, 1890. In the reign of Philip II shortly after the civil war against the Moors, and during the heat of the Persecution which raged against them. Maria an orphan of fortune had been espoused to Albert the eldest son of Lord Velez, but he having been supposed dead, is now addressed by Osorio the brother of Albert. In the character of Osorio I wished to represent a man, who, from his childhood had mistaken constitutional abstinence from vices, for strength of character--thro' his pride duped into guilt, and then endeavouring to shield himself from the reproaches of his own mind by misanthropy.