echeys fama qu'ella es muerta And let it be straight reported de cierto mal que tenia

That she died of malady. y tratarse ha el casainiento So you shall arrange your marriage como cosa no sabida

As a thing of novelty; porque no sea deshonrrada

And my well-beloved daughter hija que tanto queria.

Of dishonour shall be free. Oydas estas razones

When the monarch ceased-Alarcos el buen conde respondia,

Answer'd thus respectfully : No puedo negar el rey

Truly has the infanta spoken, lo que la infanta dezia,

She has spoken verity. sino que es muy gran verdad Why deny it? her confessions todo quanto me pedia,

Are but truth and honesty. por miedo de vos el rey If I broke my promise, monarch! no case con quien deuia, 'Twas from my respect for thee; no pense que vuestra alteza

For I never dared imagine en ello consentiria

Thou so high wouldst honour me: de casar con la infanta, Sire! I'll marry the infanta yo señor bien casaria,

At thy mandate, cheerfully; mas matar a la condessa But, sire! to destroy the countess señor rey no lo haria,

That can never, never be. porque no deue morir

She deserves not death-death never la que mal no merecia.

Fell on one so pure as she.De morir tiene el buen conde Yes! good count! her death is needful por saluar la honrra mia, For my honour and for me; pues 10 mirastes primero Wherefore, when thou didst espouse her, lo que mirar se deuia

Didst thou act with treachery. sino muere la condesba,

If thou do not slay the countess, a vos costara la vida

Thou the sacrifice shalt be por la honrra de los reyes Count--for monarchs' sacred honour, muchos sin culpa morian, Many perish guiltlessly. porque muera la condessa And the countess' death has nothing no es mucha marauilla

Of such wondrous mystery. yo la matare buen rey

I will kill her, king! but never mas no sea la culpæ mia,

Let the crime be laid on me; vos os auendreys con dios Thou shalt make the account with heaven, en la fin de vuestra vida When thy death-hour visits thee. y prometo a vuestra alteza I have sworn I will destroy her, a fe de caualleria,

By the vows of chivalry. que me tengan por traydor If I fail-the recreant's curses, si lo dicho no cumplia

Traitor's vengeance, light on me; de matar a la condessa

Yes! I will destroy the countess, aunque mal no merecia

Though no taint of crime has she. buen rey si me days licencia King !-'tis settled-my departure yo luego me partiria,

Only waits a word from thee.
Vayas con dios el buen conde Go with God! good Count Alarcos,
ordenad vuestra partida, Go-prepare thee speedily.--.
Horando se parte el conde Weeping mounts the count Alarcos,
Horando sin alegria

Weeping bitterest tears is he, Dorando por la condessa Weeping for his wife devoted, que mas que a si la queria Whom he loved so tenderly; Doraua tambien el conde Weeping for his infant children por tres hijos que tenia, Infant children there were three, el vno era de teta

One was yet a helpless baby, que la condessa lo cria

Nursed upon his mother's knee ; que no queria mamar

Nurses three had bared their bosoms, de tres amas que tenia

He rejected all the three ; sino era de su madre,

For he knew his tender mother, porque bien la conocia

And upon her breast would be. los otros eran pequeños

All the rest were little children, poco sentido tenian,

Thoughtless, careless, gay, and free. antes que llegasse el conde Ere the count had reach'd his dwelling, s razones dezia':

This was his soliloquy:

a

quien podra mirar condessa

Who thy face of joy, my countess, vuestra cara de alegria

Who thy face of joy can see ; que saldreys & recibirme Hastening with thy cheerful welcome a la fin de vuestra vida At thy life's extremity! yo soy el triste culpado

Wretched I !—the sad—the guilty esta culpa toda es mia

All this shame shall light on me. en diziendo estas palabras Here he saw the countess coming, la condessa ya salia,

With her smile of gaiety; que vn paje le auia dicho For her little page had told her, como el conde ya venia,

He had told her that 'twas he. vido la condessa al conde When she saw the count Alarcos, la tristeza que tenia

Looking so despondingly, viole los ojos llorosos

With his eyelids swoln and sleepless, que hinchados los tenia, Dull with grief and misery ;de llorar por el camino

All his way he had been weeping mirando el bien que perdia, For his murderous embassy.dixo la condessa al conde, Welcome, welcome, cried the countess, bien vengays bien de mi vida Thou my life's felicity! que aueys el conde Alarcos Count, what ails thee-count, what ails thee, porque llorays vida mia, Why dost weep so mournfully? que venis tan demudado All thy countenance is alter'd que cierto n'os conocia

I had even mistaken thee: no parece vuestra cara

These are looks to thee a stranger ni el gesto que ser solia, All thy smiles departed be: dadme parte del enojo

Tell thy sorrow, tell thy sorrow como days de l'alegria,

As thou tell’st thy joy to me. dezid me lo luego conde Tell me, charm of my existence ! no mateys la vida mia,

Tell me, tell me speedily.. yo os lo dire, bien condessa

I will tell thee all, my countess, quando la hora seria,

When the proper hour shall be., si no me lo dezis conde

Tell me, count, or I shall perish cierto yo rebentaria

Under my anxiety.no me fatigueys señora

Cease to plague me now, my countess, i que no es la hora venida,

All shall soon be told to thee; cenemos luego condessa

Let the supper be provided, d'aquesso qu'en casa auia,

What there is, and instantly.Aparejado esta conde

All is ready, count Alarcos, como otras vezes solia.

Ready as 'tis used to be.Sentose el conde a la mesa

Down they sat to sup together, no cenaua ni podia

Little appetite had he; con sus hijos al costado

All his infant sons sat round him, que muy mucho los queria,

For he loved them tenderly. echo se sobre los ombros

Then he bent him on his forehead, hizo como que dormia,

As if sleeping weariedly; de lagrimas de sus ojos

And his tears bedew'd the table, toda la mesa cubria,

Flowing from his mournful ée. mirando lo la condessa

Towards him turns the tender countess, que la causa no sabia

Ignorant of all was she, no le preguntaua nada

Speak she dared not-he had sternly que no osaua ni podia,

Check'd her curiosity. leuantose luego el conde

But at last he rose impatient : dixo que dormir queria,

I would fain repose, said he. dixo tambien la condessa

And the countess utter'd briefly, qu'ella tambien dormiria,

I too will repose with theem mas entr'ellos no auia sueño There was no repose between them, si la verdad se dezia.

If I tell the verity. Van se el conde y la condessa So they went, the count and countess, a dornir donde solian,

To the accustom'd dormit'ry : dexan los niños de fuera Next they sent away the children ;que el conde no los queria So the count would have it be : lleuaron se el mas chiquito,

Save the tender little nursling, el que la condessa cria

Sleeping on its mother's knee.

el conde cierra la puerta. Then the count-a thing unusual lo que hazer no solia

Closed the sportal carefully; empeço de hablar el conde

And these accents faint and smother’d, con dolor y con manzilla.

Soon unveild his agony : O desdichada condessa

O thou miserable countess, grande fue la tu desdicha.

Dreadful is thy misery. No soy desdichada el conde Count ! O No! I deem'd me happy, por dichosa me tenia

I am happy still with thee; solo en ser vuestra muger

Am I not thy wife ? - and nothing esta fue gran dicha mia. Can be misery now to me. Si bien lo sabeys condessa Yes ! thou art my wife, my countess ! essa fue vuestra desdicha, Wretched is thy destiny. sabed que en tiempo passado Countess, know in earlier seasons, yo ame a quien seruia,

Other love had fetter'd me, la qual era la infanta

'Twas the infanta-yes! I loved her, por desdicha vuestra y mia

Luckless lot for me and thee ; prometi casar con ella

And to her I pledged my promise, y a ella que le plazia,

And that promise pledged her: she, demanda me por marido, Now demands me for her husband, por la fe que me tenia.

On my vow of constancy : puede lo muy bien hazar

Well indeed she may require it, de razon y de justicia,

On my truth and honesty ; dixo me lo el Rey su padre And the king her father claims meporque della lo sabia,

He has heard our history. otra cosa manda el Rey

He has order'd—ah! the mandate que toca en el alma mia,

Scathes my soul with misery; manda que morays condessa He has order'd thou must perish ! a fin de vuestra vida

Thou art in extremity. que no puede tener honrra For his honour must be tainted, siendo vos condessa biua. While thy life is spared to thee.Deque esto oyo la condessa To the earth the countess bent her, cayo en tierra amortecida,

Bent her in her agony -mas despues en si tornada Fainted—till at last recover'd, estas palabras dezia.

This she utter'd mournfully:Pagos son de mis seruicios Thus, then thus am I rewarded conde con que yo os seruia, For my fond fidelity. sino me matays el conde Kill me not-a better counsel yo bien os consejaria,

I would offer, count, to thee; embiedes me a mis tierras Send me to my native dwelling, que mi padre me ternia

Where I pass'd my infancy; yo criare vuestros hijos

I will educate your children; mejor que la que vernia, Lead them-love them tenderly, y'os mantendre castidad

And preserve to thee, as ever, como siempre os mantenia.

An unbroken chastity. De morir aueys condessa Thou must die-must die—my countess, antes que amanezca el dia. Ere the morn wakes smilingly. Bien parece el conde Alarcos It were well, my count Alarcos, yo ser sola en esta vida,

Well-if there were none but me. porque tengo el padre viejo But I have an aged fathermi madre ya es fallecida (0! my mother tranquilly y mataron a mi hermano

Sleeps in death). My brother Garcia, el buen conde don Garcia, He was murder'd cruellyque el Rey lo mando matar He, the noble count, was murder'a por miedo que del tenia, For the king's dark jealousy. no me pesa de mi muerte Death afflicts me not-for mortal, porque yo morir tenia

Mortal I was born to bemas pesa mas de mis hijos But my children's fate afflicts me, que pierden mi compania They must lose my company hazeme los venir conde

Let them come and take my blessingy veran mi despedida.

They my last farewell must see.No los vereys mas condessa Never shalt thou see them, countess, n dias de vuestra vida

Earth has no such bliss for thee;

See the countess is expiring,
Help her, help her speedily.
"Twas too late-in vain all succour,
Dead beyond relief was she:
So she died, and most unjustly,
Cruelly and secretly.

But the rest ere long all follow'd
Ere the thirty days did flee:
On the twelfth the vile infanta,
Stretch'd upon her bier we see ;
Twenty-five, the monarch's portion;
On the thirtieth, perish'd he

He, the count:-they all departed,
Summon'd to eternity!

Here may God in grace preserve us,
There reward us gloriously.

NUGE CRITICE:

BY THE AUTHOR OF ELIA.
No. II.

ON A PASSAGE IN THE TEMPEST.