A third and better nature rises up

My mere Man's-nature! And I yield to it—

I love thee-I-who did not love before!

An. Djabal!

Dja. It seemed love, but true love it was notHow could I love while thou adoredst me?

Now thou despisest, art above me so
Immeasurably-thou, no other, doomest
My death now; this my steel shall execute
Thy judgment; I shall feel thy hand in it!
Oh, luxury to worship, to submit,

Transcended, doomed to death by thee!

An.

My Djabal ! Dja. Dost hesitate? I force thee then! Approach, Druses for I am out of reach of fate;

No further evil awaits me. Speak the truth!

Hear, Druses, and hear, Nuncio, and hear, Loys!
An. HAKEEM !

[She falls dead.

[The Druses scream, grovelling before him. Ah, Hakeem !—not on me thy wrath!

Biamrallah, pardon-never doubted I!

Ah, dog, how sayest thou?

[They surround and seize the NUNCIO and his Guards. Loys flings himself upon the body of ANAEL, on which DJABAL continues to gaze as stupefied.

Nuncio.

Caitives! Have ye eyes?

Whips, racks, should teach you! What, his fools?

his dupes?

Leave me unhand me!

Kha. [approaching DJABAL timidly.] Save her for

my sake!

She was already thine-she would have shared

To-day thine exaltation: think! this day

Her hair was plaited thus because of thee:
Yes, feel the soft bright hair-feel !

Nuncio [struggling with those who have seized him.]

What, because

His leman dies for him? You think it hard

To die? Oh, would you were at Rhodes, and choice Of deaths should suit you!

Kha. [bending over ANAEL's body.] Just restore

her life!

So little does it! there-the eyelids tremble!
'Twas not my breath that made them—and the lips
Move of themselves-I could restore her life!
Hakeem, we have forgotten, have presumed
On our free converse: we are better taught.
See, I kiss how I kiss thy garment's hem
For her! She kisses it-Oh, take her deed
In mine! Thou dost believe now, Anael?-See
She smiles! Were her lips open o'er the teeth
So, when I spoke first? She believes in thee !
Go not without her to the Cedars, Lord!
Or leave us both-I cannot go alone!
I have obeyed thee, if I dare so speak :
Hath Hakeem thus forgot all Djabal knew?
Thou feelest then my tears fall hot and fast
Upon thy hand—and yet thou speakest not!
Ere the Venetian trumpet sound--ere thou
Exalt thyself, O Hakeem! save thou her!

Nuncio. And the accursed Republic will arrive
And find me in their toils-dead, very like,
Under their feet!

What way? not one way yet

To foil them? None?

[Observing DJABAL'S face.

What ails the Khalif? Ah,

That ghastly face-a way to foil them yet!

[To the Druses.] Look to your Khalif, Druses! Is that face

God Hakeem's? Where is triumph--where is.

what

Said he of exaltation-hath he promised

So much to-day? Why, then, exalt thyself!
Cast off that husk, thy form, set free thy soul
In splendour! Now, bear witness! here I stand-
I challenge him exalt himself, and I

Become, for that, a Druse like all of you!

The Druses. Exalt thyself! exalt thyself-O Hakeem!

Dja. [advances.] I can confess now all from first to

last.

There is no longer shame for me!

I am....

[Here the Venetian trumpet sounds-the Druses shout: his eye catches the expression of those about him, and, as the old dream comes back, he is again confident and inspired.

Am I not Hakeem? And ye would have crawled

But yesterday within these impure courts

Where now ye stand erect!-Not grand enough?
-What more could be conceded to such beasts
As all of you, so sunk and base as you,
But a mere man?-A man among such beasts
Was miracle enough-yet him you doubt,
Him you forsake, him fain would you destroy-
With the Venetians at your gate, the Nuncio
-(see the baffled hypocrite !) and, best,

ect there!

Druses.

No, Hakeem, ever thine!

Nuncio. He lies-and twice he lies-and thrice he

lies!

Exalt thyself, Mahound! Exalt thyself!

Dja. Druses! we shall henceforth be far away!
Out of mere mortal ken-above the Cedars-
But we shall see ye go, hear ye return,
Repeopling the old solitudes,—through thee,
My Khalil! Thou art full of me—I fill
Thee full-my hands thus fill thee!

Yestereve,

-Nay, but this morn-I deemed thee ignorant
Of all to do, requiring words of mine
To teach it now, thou hast all gifts in one,
With truth and purity go other gifts!

All gifts come clustering to that! Go, lead
My People home whate'er betide!

[Turning to the Druses.]

Ye take

This Khalil for my delegate? To him

Bow as to me? He leads to Lebanon

Ye follow ?

Druses. We follow! Now exalt thyself!

Dja. [raises Loys.] Then to thee, Loys! How I

wronged thee, Loys!

-Yet, wronged, no less thou shalt have full revenge,
Fit for thy noble self, revenge-and thus:
Thou, loaded with these wrongs, the princely soul,
The first sword of Christ's sepulchre-thou shalt
Guard Khalil and my Druses home again!
Justice, no less-God's justice and no more,
For those I leave !—to seeking this, devote
Some few days out of thy Knight's brilliant life,
And, this obtained them, leave their Lebanon,
My Druses' blessing in thine ears—
rs-(they shall

N

Bless thee with blessing sure to have its way)
-One cedar-blossom in thy Ducal cap,

One thought of Anael in thy heart-perchance,
One thought of him who thus, to bid thee speed,
His last word to the living speaks! This done,
Resume thy course, and, first amid the first
In Europe, take my heart along with thee!
Go boldly, go serenely, go augustly—
What shall withstand thee then?

[He bends over ANAEL.] And last to thee!
Ah, did I dream I was to have this day
Exalted thee? A vain dream-hast thou not
Won greater exaltation? What remains
But press to thee, exalt myself to thee?
Thus I exalt myself, set free my soul !

[He stabs himself as he falls, supported by
KHALIL and Loys, the Venetians enter: the
ADMIRAL advances.

Admiral. God and St. Mark for Venice! Plant the Lion!

[At the clash of the planted standard, the Druses shout, and move tumultuously forward, Loys drawing his sword.

Dja. [leading them a few steps between KHALIL and Loys.]

On to the Mountain! At the Mountain, Druses!

[Dies.