LEONARD. Fly to my arms; cling to my lips; come to me, my beautiful bride! Independent, free, stripped of the veils of hypocrisy, full of love, untrammelled from the chilling fetters of prejudice, come to me, thou chosen one of the lovely daughters of freedom! VOICE OF A MAIDEN. I fly to thee, beloved one! SECOND MAIDEN. Look upon me! I stretch forth my arms to thee, but have sunk fainting among the ruins; I cannot rise, and have only strength left to turn to thee, beloved! THIRD MAIDEN. I have outstripped them all; through cinders and ashes, flame and smoke, I fly to thee, beloved! THE MAN. With long, dishevelled hair far floating on the wind, with snowy bosom panting with wild excitement, she clambers up the smoking ruins to his arms! THE BAPTIZED. Thus is it every night. LEONARD. To me! to me! my bliss, my rapture! Lovely daughter of freedom, thou tremblest with delicious, god-like madness! Inspiration, flood my soul! Listen to me, all ye people, for now will I prophesy unto you! THE MAN. Her head sinks on his bosom; she faints in his arms. LEONARD. Look upon us, ye people! we offer you an image of the human race, freed from trammels, and risen into new life from the death of forms. We stand upon the ruins of old dogmas, of old gods; yea, glory unto us, for we have torn the old gods limb from limb! They have rotted into dust; our spirits have conquered theirs; their very souls have fallen into the abyss of nothingness! CHORUS OF WOMEN. Happy among women is the bride of the prophet: we stand below and envy her glory! LEONARD. I announce to you a new world; to a new god I have given the heavens; to the god of freedom and of bliss, the god of the people; every offering of their vengeance, the piled corpses of their oppressors, be his fitting altar! The old tears and agonies of humanity will be forever swept away in an ocean of blood! We now inaugurate the perpetual happiness of men; freedom and equality belong of right to all! Damnation and the gallows to him who would reorganize the Past; to him who would conspire against the common fraternity! CHORUS OF MEN. The towers of superstition, of tyranny, of pride, have fallen, have fallen! To him who would save one stone from the old buildings--damnation and death! THE BAPTIZED (_aside_). Ye blasphemers of Jehovah, I thrice spew you forth to destruction! THE MAN. Keep but thy promise, Eagle, and I will build on this very spot and upon their bowed necks a new temple to the Son of God, the Merciful! A CONFUSED CRY FROM MINGLING VOICES. Freedom! Equality! Bliss! Hurrah! hurrah! CHORUS OF THE NEW PRIESTS. Where are the lords, where are the kings, who lately walked the earth with crown and sceptre, ruled with pride and scorn? FIRST MURDERER. I killed King Alexander. SECOND MURDERER. I stabbed King Henry. THIRD MURDERER. I murdered King Immanuel! LEONARD. Go on without fear; murder without a sting of conscience!