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. 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; abraçad este chiquito que aquest es el que os perdia. Pesa me de vos condessa quanto pesar me podia no os puedo valer señora, que mas me va que la vida encomendaos a dios que esto hazer se tenia. Dexeys me dezir buen conde vna oracion que sabia. Dezidla presto condessa antes que amanezca el dia. Presto la aure dicho conde no estare vn'aue Maria. Hincho en tierra las rodillas y esta oracion dezia. En las tus manos señor encomiendo en alma mia, no me juzgues mis pecados segun que yo merecia, mas segun tu gran piedad y la tu gracia infinita. Acabada es ya buen conde la oracion que sabia, encomiend'os essos hijos que entre vos y mi auia, y rogad a dios por mi mientra tuuieredes vida que a ello soys obligado, pues que sin culpa moria dedes me aca esse hijo mamara por despedida. No lo desperteys condessa dexaldo estar que dormia, sino que os pido perdon porque ya llegaua el dia. A vos yo perdono conde por el amor que tenia mas yo no perdono al Rey ni a la infanta su hija, sino que queden citados delante la alta justicia que alla vayan a juyzio dentro de los treynta dias. Estas palabras diziendo el conde se apercebia echo la por la garganta vna toca que tenia apreto con las dos manos con la fuerça que podia, -no le afloxo la garganta mientra que vida tenia, quando ya la vido el conde traspassada y fallecida desnudole los vestidos y las ropas que tenia echo la encima la cama cubrio la como solia, desnudo se a su costado obra de vn aue Maria, leuantose dando vozes a la gente que tenia But embrace thy smiling infant, Countess, ere the dawn of morning Pardon-for the day is breaking, Press'd her with his hands, applying When he saw she had departed— Straight he stripp'd her of her garments, All she wore, and hurriedly Laid her on her bed as wonted, Then he roused him shouting loudly socorred mis escuderos que la condessa se fina, hallan la condessa muerta los que a socorrer venian, assi murio la condessa sin razon y sin justicia, mas tambien todos murieron dentro de los treynta dias los doze dias passados la infanta ya moria, el Rey a los veynte cinco el conde al treynteno dia, alla fueron a dar cuenta a la justicia diuina aca nos de dios su gracia y alla la gloria cumplida. See the countess is expiring, But the rest ere long all follow'd He, the count:-they all departed, Here may God in grace preserve us, NUGE CRITICE: BY THE AUTHOR OF ELIA. ON A PASSAGE IN THE TEMPEST. As long as I can remember the play of the Tempest, one passage in it has always set me upon wondering. It has puzzled me beyond measure. In vain I strove to find the meaning of it. I seemed doomed to cherish infinite hopeless curiosity. It is where Prospero, relating the banishment of Sycorax from Argier, adds For one thing that she did They would not take her lifehow have I pondered over this, when a boy! how have I longed for some authentic memoir of the witch to clear up the obscurity !-Was the story extant in the Chronicles of Algiers? Could I get at it by some fortunate introduction to the Algerine ambassador? Was a voyage thither practicable? The Spectator (I knew) went to Grand Cairo, only to measure a pyramid. Was not the object of my quest of at least as much importance? The blue-eyed hagcould she have done any thing good or meritorious? might that Succubus relent? then might there be hope for the devil. I have often admired since, that none of the commentators have boggled at this passage-how they could swallow this camel-such a tantalising piece of obscurity, such an abortion of an anecdote. At length I think I have lighted upon a clue, which may lead to show what was passing in the mind of Shakspeare, when he dropped this imperfect rumour. In the “accurate description of Africa, by John Ogilby (Folio) 1670," page 230, I find written, as follows. The marginal title to the narrative is Charles the Fifth besieges Algier. In the last place, we will briefly give an account of the Emperour Charles the Fifth, when he besieg'd this city; and of the great loss he suffer'd therein. This Prince in the year one thousand five hundred forty one, having embarqued upon the sea an army of twenty two thousand men aboard eighteen gallies, and an hundred tall ships, not counting the barques and shallops, and other small boats, in which he had engaged the principal of the Spanish and Italian nobility, with a good number of the knights of Maltha; he was to land on the coast of Barbary, at a cape call'd Matifou. From this place unto the city of Algier a flat shore or strand extends itself for about four leagues, the which is exceeding favourable to gallies. There he put ashore with his army, and in a few days caused a fortress to be built, which unto this day is call'd the Castle of the Emperor. the alarm, having in it at that time but In the mean time the city of Algier took eight hundred Turks, and six thousand Moors, poor-spirited men, and unexercised in martial affairs; besides it was at that time fortifi'd onely with walls, and had no out-works: insomuch that by reason of its weakness, and the great forces of the Em |