Enter KING ARTHUR (reading a letter) with attend

ants.

Arth. (reading) "Go on, auspicious prince, the stars are kind;

"Unfold thy banners to the willing wind;

"While I, with airy legions, help thy arms;
"Confronting art with art, and charms with charms."
So Merlin writes; nor can we doubt th' event;
With heav'n and you, our friends. Oh noble Conon!
You taught my tender hands the trade of war:
And now again you helm your hoary head,
And under double weight of age and arms,
Assert your country's freedom and my crown.
Con. No more, my son.

Artb. Most happy in that name!

Your Emmeline, to Oswald's vows refus'd,
You made my plighted bride:

Your charming daughter, who like love, born blind,
Unaiming hits with surest archery,

And innocently kills.

Can. Remember, son,

You are a general; other wars require you,
For see, the Saxon gross begins to move.
Arth. By heav'n 'tis beauteous horror!
The noble Oswald has provok'd my envy.

Enter EMMELINE, led by MATILDA.

Ha! now my love, my Emmeline appears,
A new, but oh, a softer flame inspires me:
E'en rage and vengeance slumber at her sight.

Con. Haste your farewel; I'll chear my troops and wait

you.

[Exit Conon.

Em. O father, father, I am sure you're here;

Because I see your voice.

Arth. No, thou mistak'st thy hearing for thy sight;

He's gone my Emmeline;

And I but stay to gaze on those fair eyes,

Which cannot view the conquest they have made.

Oh star like-night, dark only to thyself,

But full of glory, as those lamps of heaven,

That

That see not when they shine.

Em. What is this heaven, and stars, and night, and day, To which you thus compare my eyes and me?

I understand you when you say you love:
For, when my father clasps my hand in his,
That's cold, and I can feel it hard and wrinkled;
But when you take it, then I sigh, and pant,
And something presses to my heart.

Arth. Oh artless love! where the soul moves the tongue And only nature speaks what nature thinks!

Had she but eyes!

Em. Just now you said I had.

Artb. But neither see.

Em. I'm sure they hear you then:

What can your eyes do more?

Arth. They view your beauties.

Em. Don't I see? you have a face, like mine.
Artb. That is not sight, but touching with your hands.
Em. Then 'tis my hand that sees, and that's all one:
For is not seeing touching with your eyes?

Arth. No, for I see at distance, where I touch not.
Em. If you can see so far, and yet not touch,
I fear you see my naked legs and feet

Quite through my clothes; pray do not see so well.
Arth. Fear not, sweet innocence;

I view the lovely features of your face;

Your lips carnation, and your dark-shaded eye-brows,
Blue eyes, and milk-white forehead; all the colours
That make your beauty, and produce my love.
Em. Nay, then, you do not love on equal terms:
I love you dearly, without all these helps;

I cannot see your lips carnation,

Your shaded eye-brows, nor your milk-white eyes.
Arth. Alas, 'tis vain t' instruct your innocence.

You have no notion of light or colours.

[Trumpet sounds within.

Em. Why, is not that a trumpet?

Arth. Yes.

Em. I knew it.

And I can tell you how the sound on't looks;

It looks as if it had an angry fighting face.

Arth, 'Tis now indeed a sharp unpleasant sound,

A

Because

Because it calls me hence from her I love,
To meet ten thousand foes.

Em. How do so many men e'er come to meet?
This devil trumpet vexes 'em, and then

They feel about for one another's face.

And so they meet and kill.

Arth. When we have gain'd the field, I'll tell ye all; One kiss of your fair hand, the pledge of conquest, And so a short farewel.

[Kisses ber band, Exit. Em. My heart and vows go with him to the fight; May every foe be that, which they call blind, And none of all their swords have eyes to find him! But lead me nearer to the trumpet's face;

For that brave sound upholds my fainting heart;

And whilst I hear, methinks I fight my part.

[Flourish. Exit, led by Matilda.

SCENE, a Camp, drums, trumpets, and military shouts.
MARTIAL SONG.

Come if you dare, our trumpets sound;
Come if you dare, the foes rebound:

We come, we come, we come, we come,

Says the double, double, double beat of the thund'ring drum. See they charge on amain,

Now they rally again;

The gods from above the mad labour behold,
And pity mankind that will perish for gold.

Chor. See they charge, &c.

[Exeunt drums and trumpets: a march.

SCENE, a general engagement between the BRITONS, and SAXONS, in which the BRITONS are conquerors.

SCENE changes to a rural prospect.

Enter PHILIDEL.

Phil. Alas, for pity, of this bloody field! Piteous it needs must be, when I a spirit, Can have so soft a sense of human woes!

SCENE

SCENE draws and discovers MERLIN's cave. He comes

forward.

Mer. What art thou, spirit? of what name or order? (for I have view'd thee in my magic glass) Making thy moan among the midnight wolves, That bay the silent moon: speak, I conjure thee, 'Tis Merlin bids thee.

Phil. An airy shape, the tend'rest of my mind,
the last seduc'd, and least deform'd of hell:
Half white, and shuffled in the crowd, I fell,
Desirous to repent, and loth to sin:

Aukward in mischief, and piteous of mankind,
My name is Philidel.

Mer. Thy business here?

Phil. To shun the Saxon wizards dire commands, Osmond, the awfull'st name next thine below.

'Cause I refus'd to hurl a ois me fog,

On christen'd heads, the hue-and-cry of hell

Is rais'd against me.

Mer. Osmond shall know, a greater power protects thee Now mark me, Philidel,

I will employ thee for thy future good:

Thou know'st, in spite of vahant Oswald's arms,
Or Osmond's powerful spells, the field is ouis-
Phil. Oh master!

Grimbald is at hand,

I snuff his earthy scent:

The conquering Britons he misleads to rivers,
Mer. Be that thy task.

Warn off the bold pursuers from the chace.:.
But lest fierce Grimbalds pond'rous bulk oppress
Thy tender flitting air, I'll leave my band
Of spirits with united strength to aid thee,
And force by force repel.

[Exeunt.

SCENE, a Wood.-Enter GRIMBALD and his followers disguised like shepherds, leading King Arthur, CoNON, AURELIUS, and attendants.

Grim. Thus clad in shepherds weeds, I and my brother

fiends,

The

The foolish Britons take us for their guides.
Here, this way, Britons, follow Oswald's flight,
Arth. I thank thee, shepherd;

Expect reward, we follow thee, lead on.

[Aside.

[As Arthur is going off, enter Philidel and followers.
SONG.

Hither this way, this way bend,
Trust not that malicious fiend;
These are false deluding lights,
Wafted far and near by sprites,

Trust 'em not, for they'll deceive you,
And in bogs and marshes leave you.

Chorus of Phil spirits. Hither this way, this way bend.
Chor. of Grim spirits. This way, this way bend,
Phil sings. If you step. no danger thinking,
Down you fall, a furlong sinking:
'Tis a fiend who has annoy'd ye;

Name but heav'n, and he'll avoid ye.
Chor. of Phil spirits. Hither this way, this way
Chor. of Grim spirits. This way, this way bend.
Phil spirits. Trust not that malicious fiend.
Grim spirits. Trust me, I'm no malicious fiend.
Phil spirits. Hither this way, &c.

bend.

Grim. By hell she sings them back in my despite. I'd a voice in heav'n once, ere sulph'rous steams Had damp'd it to a hoarseness: try it now.

SONG.

Let not a moon born elf mislead ye
From your prey, and from your glory
Too far, alas! he has betray'd ye:

Follow the flames that wave before ye:
Sometimes seven, and sometimes one;
Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, on.
See, see, the footsteps plain appearing,
That way Oswald chose for flying:
Firm is the turf, and fit for bearing,
Where yonder pearly dews are lying.
Far he cannot hence be gone;
Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry on.

Artb. 'Tis true, he says; the footsteps yet are plin

Upon