Ordonio

“ Ordonio runs upon Alvar with his sword. Teresa flings herself on Ordonio and arrests his arm.
Stop, madman, stop!
Alvar. Does then this thin disguise impenetrably
Hide Alvar from thee? Toil and painful wounds
And long imprisonment in unwholesome dungeons,
Have marred perhaps all trait and lineament 200
Of what I was! But chiefly, chiefly, brother,
My anguish for thy guilt!
Ordonio—Brother!
Nay, nay, thou shalt embrace me.
Ordonio (drawing back, and gazing at Alvar) . Touch me not!
Touch not pollution, Alvar! I will die. ”

“ Forgive me, Alvar!——Curse me with forgiveness!
[878]
Alvar. Call back thy soul, Ordonio, and look round thee! 215
Now is the time for greatness! Think that heaven—
Teresa. O mark his eye! he hears not what you say.
Ordonio. Yes, mark his eye! there's fascination in it!
Thou said'st thou did'st not know him—That is he!
He comes upon me!
Alvar. Heal, O heal him, heaven! 220
Ordonio. Nearer and nearer! and I can not stir!
Will no one hear these stifled groans, and wake me?
He would have died to save me, and I killed him—
A husband and a father!—
Teresa. ”

“ Ordonio. This fellow is a Man—he killed for hire
One whom he knew not, yet has tender scruples! 70
[Then turning to Isidore.
[837] These doubts, these fears, thy whine, thy stammering—
Pish, fool! thou blunder'st through the book of guilt,
Spelling thy villainy.
Isidore. My lord—my lord,
I can bear much—yes, very much from you!
But there's a point where sufferance is meanness: 75
I am no villain—never kill'd for hire—
My gratitude——
Ordonio. O aye—your gratitude!
'Twas a well-sounding word—what have you done with it?
Isidore. Who proffers his past favours for my virtue—
Ordonio. ”

“ The generous Valdez, and my Lord Ordonio, 335
Have arm and will to aid a noble sufferer,
Nor shall you want my favourable pleading. [833:1]
[Exeunt Teresa and Alhadra.
Alvar (alone) . 'Tis strange! It cannot be! my Lord Ordonio!
[834] Her Lord Ordonio! Nay, I will not do it!
I cursed him once—and one curse is enough! 340
How sad she looked, and pale! but not like guilt—
And her calm tones—sweet as a song of mercy!
If the bad spirit retain'd his angel's voice,
Hell scarce were Hell. And why not innocent? ”

“ How sweet and musical the name of Alvar! 185
Then, then, Ordonio, he was dear to thee,
[877] And thou wert dear to him: heaven only knows
How very dear thou wert! Why did'st thou hate him!
O heaven! how he would fall upon thy neck,
And weep forgiveness!
Ordonio. Spirit of the dead! 190
Methinks I know thee! ha! my brain turns wild
At its own dreams!—off—off, fantastic shadow!
Alvar. I fain would tell thee what I am, but dare not!
Ordonio. Cheat! villain! traitor! whatsoever thou be—
I fear thee, man!
Teresa (rushing out and falling on Alvar's neck) . Ordonio!
'tis thy brother! ”

“ Ordonio (returning, and aloud) . Plucked in the moonlight from a ruined abbey—
Those only, which the pale rays visited!
O the unintelligible power of weeds,
When a few odd prayers have been muttered o'er them:
Then they work miracles! I warrant you, 65
There's not a leaf, but underneath it lurks
Some serviceable imp.
There's one of you
Hath sent me a strange message.
Alvar. I am he.
Ordonio. With you, then, I am to speak: [Haughtily waving his hand to Zulimez.
And mark you, alone. [Exit Zulimez. 70
[844] 'He that can bring the dead to life again!'—
Such was your message, Sir! ”

“ Thou art a man, and as a man I'll trust thee! 95
Alvar (aside) . Alas! this hollow mirth—Declare your business.
Ordonio. I love a lady, and she would love me
But for an idle and fantastic scruple.
Have you no servants here, no listeners? [Ordonio steps to the door.
Alvar. What, faithless too? False to his angel wife? 100
To such a wife? Well might'st thou look so wan,
Ill-starr'd Teresa!—--Wretch! my softer soul
Is pass'd away, and I will probe his conscience!
Ordonio. In truth this lady lov'd another man,
But he has perish'd.
[845] Alvar. What! you kill'd him? hey? 105
Ordonio. ”

“ Ordonio's dark perturbéd countenance!
Then bid me (Oh thou could'st not) bid me turn 70
From him, the joy, the triumph of our kind!
To take in exchange that brooding man, who never
Lifts up his eye from the earth, unless to scowl.
Valdez. Ungrateful woman! I have tried to stifle
An old man's passion! was it not enough, 75
That thou hast made my son a restless man,
[867] Banish'd his health, and half unhing'd his reason;
But that thou wilt insult him with suspicion?
And toil to blast his honour? I am old,
A comfortless old man!
Teresa. O grief! ”

“ He attempts to fall on his sword, Alvar and Teresa prevent him.
Alvar. We will find means to save your honour. Live, 205
Oh live, Ordonio! for our father's sake!
Spare his grey hairs!
Teresa. And you may yet be happy.
Ordonio. O horror! not a thousand years in heaven
Could recompose this miserable heart,
Or make it capable of one brief joy! 210
Live! live! Why yes! 'Twere well to live with you:
For is it fit a villain should be proud? ”

“ Ordonio. Till next we meet, farewell! [Exit Ordonio.
Alvar (alone, indignantly flings the purse away and gazes passionately
at the portrait) . And I did curse thee!
At midnight! on my knees! and I believed
Thee perjur'd, thee a traitress! thee dishonour'd!
O blind and credulous fool! O guilt of folly! 160
Should not thy inarticulate fondnesses,
[847] Thy infant loves—should not thy maiden vows
Have come upon my heart? And this sweet Image
Tied round my neck with many a chaste endearment,
And thrilling hands, that made me weep and tremble— 165
Ah, coward dupe! ”

“ Alvar presses onward to defend Ordonio.
Ordonio. Off, ruffians! I have flung away my sword. 230
Woman, my life is thine! to thee I give it!
Off! he that touches me with his hand of flesh,
I'll rend his limbs asunder! I have strength
With this bare arm to scatter you like ashes.
Alhadra. My husband—
Ordonio. Yes, I murdered him most foully. 235
Alvar and Teresa. ”

“ Ter.I hold Ordonio dear; he is your son
And Alvar's brother.
Val.Love him for himself,
Nor make the living wretched for the dead.
Ter.I mourn that you should plead in vain, Lord Valdez,
But heaven hath heard my vow, and I remain
Faithful to Alvar, be he dead or living. ”

“ Ordonio. Villain! no more. I'll hear no more of it.
Isidore. My lord, it much imports your future safety 90
That you should hear it.
Ordonio (turning off from Isidore) . Am not I a man!
'Tis as it should be! tut—the deed itself
Was idle, and these after-pangs still idler!
Isidore. We met him in the very place you mentioned.
Hard by a grove of firs—
Ordonio. Enough—enough— 95
Isidore. He fought us valiantly, and wounded all;
In fine, compelled a parley.
Ordonio. Alvar! brother!
Isidore. He offered me his purse—
Ordonio. ”

“ Isidore. Of himself he speaks. [Aside.
Alas! poor wretch! 110
Mad men are mostly proud.
Ordonio. He walked alone,
And phantom thoughts unsought-for troubled him.
Something within would still be shadowing out
All possibilities; and with these shadows
His mind held dalliance. Once, as so it happened, 115
A fancy crossed him wilder than the rest:
To this in moody murmur and low voice
He yielded utterance, as some talk in sleep:
The man who heard him.—
Why did'st thou look round?
Isidore. I have a prattler three years old, my lord! 120
[863] In truth he is my darling. ”

“ In Kean, there is an actor worthy of expressing the thoughts of the characters which you have every power of embodying; and I cannot but regret that the part of Ordonio was disposed of before his appearance at Drury Lane. We have had nothing to be mentioned in the same breath with 'Remorse' for very many years; and I should think that the reception of that play was sufficient to encourage the highest hopes of author and audience. It is to be hoped that you are proceeding in a career which could not but be successful. ”

“ Edition 1 (b) .
[Note.—In his collation of Remorse with Osorio, the Editor of P. W. 1877-1880, iv. 154 affixes to lines 289-303 of the Fifth Act of Osorio the following variant, said to be derived from the First Edition of Remorse:—After the cry of 'No mercy' (Osorio, Act V, l. 300) , 'Naomi advances with the sword and Alhadra snatches it from him and suddenly stabs Ordonio. Alvar rushes through the Moors and catches him in his arms.' After Ordonio's dying speech [ll. 304-307] , there are 'shouts of Alvar! Alvar! behind the scenes. A Moor rushes in'—
Moor. ”

“ In truth, Lord Valdez,
'Twas little probable, that Don Ordonio,
That your illustrious son, who fought so bravely
Some four years since to quell these rebel Moors,
Should prove the patron of this infidel!
The warranter of a Moresco's faith!
Remorse.
[114]
Have learnt by heart their falsehoods to gain time. Corr. in MS. III.
[118-20]
who (you know, &c., . . . with her Erased MS. III. The stage-direction (Alhadra here advances towards Ordonio) is inserted at the end of Francesco's speech.
[127-8]
om. MS. III.
[133]
Is Isidore. (Ordonio starts) Remorse. ”

“ He gives us studied special-pleadings for involuntary bursts of feeling, and the needless strain of tinkling sentiments for the point-blank language of nature. His Remorse is a spurious tragedy. Take the following passage, and then ask, whether the charge of sophistry and paradox, and dangerous morality, to startle the audience, in lieu of more legitimate methods of exciting their sympathy, which he brings against the author of Bertram, may not be retorted on his own head. Ordonio is made to defend 422the project of murdering his brother by such arguments as the following:—
‘What? ”

“ Ordham almost laughed outright as he realized how they yearned to say, “My lord.” He wished to God they could. There was no affected philosophy about Ordham. He longed as ardently to be a peer of the realm as he did for the income of the estates. But after he had convinced them that they had barely left his thoughts during the years of his exile, he added wistfully that he was glad to see the old place again and wished that death might have spared his father. ”

“ Orlando, and the charitable damsel sympathise deeply in his grief; and the lady, to prove, at least, that he was not single in his sorrows, begins the narration of her own adventures.
She informs him, that she was daughter and heir of the king of the Distant Isles, where all the treasure of the earth is accumulated. Gifted with beauty and destined to inherit such riches, two lovers came to demand her in marriage on the same day, Ordauro and Folderico; the one handsome and the other more than seventy years old. The first distinguished by his prowess, the second by his wisdom and riches. ”

“ It will be such fun to teach people, and so original.”
“I am afraid there are only tile stoves in Italy,” murmured Ordham, sleepily.
“Oh! I had forgotten Italy! Dear, darling Jackie, do let us spend six months at Ordham. With all my dreams I had hardly the ghost of an idea of how fascinating, how perfectly heavenly, it would be to live here. And not only the castle—but England, this country life, everything! I can’t go away!”
“But Mabel—not only am I due in Rome one week from to-day, but we cannot outstay our welcome. Bridg is not the most generous and hospitable of mortals. ”

“ The Paladin shed tears to hear of a case so piteous and affectionate, and in a tone of encouragement offered his services towards the rescue of his friend. Iroldo looked at him in astonishment, but sighed and said, "Ah, Sir, I thank you with all my heart, and you are doubtless a most noble cavalier, to be so fearless and good-hearted; but what right have I to bring you to destruction for no reason and to no purpose? There is not a man on earth but Orlando himself, or his cousin Rinaldo, who could possibly do us any good ”

“ On his, who paid thy love this morn with curses,
Spurning thy proffered friendship—Know'st thou not
Cæsario is Orsino's son?
Alfon. Just Heaven!
And does Orsino love him?
Orsi. Dearly, dearly,
Loves him to madness; loves him with like fury.
As hates he thee.—Oh! glorious field for vengeance:
Think how 'twill writhe his haughty soul to hear,
This son, this darling, perished on the scaffold,
Branded, disgraced, a traitor, a foiled traitor.
Joy, joy, Alfonso; ere 'tis night thy wrath
Shall gorge itself with blood. ”

“ Orlando knocked, and disturbed him from his sleep, so that he came staring to the door like a madman, for he had had a bewildering dream.
"Who knocks there?" quoth he.
"You will know too soon," answered Orlando; "I am come to make you do penance for your sins, like your brothers. Divine Providence has sent me to avenge the wrongs of the monks upon the whole set of you. Doubt it not; for Passamonte and Alabastro are already as cold as a couple of pilasters.".
"Noble knight," said Morgante, "do me no ill; but if you are a
Christian, tell me in courtesy who you are." ”

“ Orlando’s Vulnerable Part. Orlando was invulnerable except in the sole of his foot, and even there nothing could wound him but the point of a large pin; so that when Bernardo del Carpio assailed him at Roncesvallês, he took him in his arms and squeezed him to death, in imitation of Herculês, who squeezed to death the giant Antæ ́us (3 syl.) .—Cervantes, Don Quixote, II. ii. 13 (1615) .
Orlando Furioso, a continuation of Bojardo’s story, with the same hero. Bojardo leaves Orlando in love with Angelica, whom he fetched from Cathay and brought to Paris. ”

“ It is to the gray-haired Morrillo that we owe our present home. All you have ever known of your father is only what your own childish heart taught you to remember. But there is more for you to know, and you must know it. Signor Ortono was a friend to the Venetian Emperor at the time when his enemies were most numerous. ”