A face I know not- Senator! your name,

You, by your garb, Chief of the Forty!

Mem.

I am the son of Marco Memmo.

Doge.

Signor,

Ah!

Your father was my friend. But sons and fathers!
What, ho! my servants there!

Att.

Doge.

Deputation.]

My prince!

No prince

There are the princes of the prince! [Pointing to the Ten's

Prepare

To part from hence upon the instant.

Chief of the Ten.

So rashly? 't will give scandal.

Doge.

Why

Answer that;

[To the Ten.

It is your province.- Sirs, bestir yourselves :

[To the Servants.

There is one burthen which I beg you bear
With care, although 't is past all farther harm
But I will look to that myself.

Without these jealous spies upon the great.
Signors, you may depart: what would you more?
We are going: do you fear that we shall bear
The palace with us? Its old walls, ten times
As old as I am, and I'm very old,

Have served you, so have I, and I and they
Could tell a tale; but I invoke them not
To fall upon you! else they would, as erst
The pillars of stone Dagon's temple on
The Israelite and his Philistine foes.
Such power I do believe there might exist
In such a curse as mine, provoked by such
As you;
but I curse not. Adieu, good signors!
May the next duke be better than the present.

Lor. The present duke is Paschal Malipiero. Doge. Not till I pass the threshold of these doors. Lor. Saint Mark's great bell is soon about to toll For his inauguration.

Doge.

Earth and heaven!

Ye will reverberate this peal; and I

Live to hear this! — the first doge who e'er heard
Such sound for his successor: Happier he,

My attainted predecessor, stern Faliero -
This insult at the least was spared him.

Chief of the Ten. My lord, if you indeed Are bent upon this rash abandonment

Of the state's palace, at the least retire

By the private staircase, which conducts you towards
The landing-place of the canal.

Doge.

No. I

Will not descend the stairs by which I mounted
To sovereignty- the Giants' Stairs, on whose
Broad eminence I was invested duke.

My services have called me up those steps,
The malice of my foes will drive me down them.
There five and thirty years ago was I

Install'd, and traversed these same halls, from which
I never thought to be divorced except

A corse
-a corse, it might be, fighting for them
But not push'd hence by fellow-citizens.
But come; my son and I will go together
He to his grave, and I to pray for mine.
Chief of the Ten. What! thus in public?
Doge.

Elected, and so will I be deposed.
Marina! art thou willing?

Mar.

I was publicly

Doge. And here my staff: thus propp'd will I go forth.

Chief of the Ten. It must not be

ceive it.

Doge. The people!

know it,

the people will per

There's no people, you well

Else you dare not deal thus by them or me.

There is a populace, perhaps, whose looks

May shame you; but they dare not groan nor curse you, Save with their hearts and eyes.

More than my wont it is a foible which
Was not of mine, but more excuses you,
Inasmuch as it shows that I approach
A dotage which may justify this deed
Of yours, although the law does not, nor will.
Farewell, sirs!

Bar.

You shall not depart without
An escort fitting past and present rank.
We will accompany, with due respect,
The Doge unto his private palace. Say!
My brethren, will we not?

Different voices.

Doge.

Ay! - Ay!

Stir in my train, at least. I enter'd here
As sovereign-I go out as citizen

By the same portals, but as citizen

All these vain ceremonies are base insults,
Which only ulcerate the heart the more,
Applying poisons there as antidotes.

Pomp is for princes

You shall not

-I am none!

That's false,

Hark!

I am, but only to these gates.- Ah!

Lor.

Bar. The bell!

[The great bell of St. Mark's tolls.

Chief of the Ten. St. Mark's, which tolls for the election Of Malipiero.

Doge.

Well I recognise,

The sound! I heard it once, but once before,

And that is five and thirty years ago;

Even then I was not young.

You tremble.

Bar.

Doge.

Sit down, my lord!

"T is the knell of my poor boy!

My heart aches bitterly.

Doge. No; my seat here has been a throne till now. Marina! let us go.

Doge (walks a few steps, then stops). I feel athirst — will no one bring me here

Lor.

And I

[The DOGE takes a goblet from the hand of LOREDANO.

Doge. I take yours, Loredano, from the hand Most fit for such an hour as this.

Lor.

Why so?

Doge. 'T is said that our Venetian crystal has
Such pure antipathy to poisons as

To burst, if aught of venom touches it.
You bore this goblet, and it is not broken.

Lor. Well, sir!

Then it is false, or you are true.

For my own part, I credit neither; 't is

Doge.

An idle legend.

Had better now be seated, nor as yet

Depart. Ah! now you look as look'd my husband!

Bar. He sinks! support him!

-

support him!

Doge. The bell tolls on! - let's hence

fire!

Bar. I do beseech you, lean upon us!
Doge.

No!

A sovereign should die standing. My poor boy!
Off with your arms! That bell!

Mar.

Bar. (to Lor.) Behold! your work 's completed!

Chief of the Ten.

[The DoGE drops down and dies. My God! My God!

Is there then

'Tis all over.

No aid? Call in assistance !

Att.

Chief of the Ten. If it be so, at least his obsequies Shall be such as befits his name and nation,

His rank and his devotion to the duties

Of the realm, while his age permitted him

To do himself and them full justice. Brethren,
Say, shall it not be so?

The misery to die a subject where

He reign'd then let his funeral rites be princely.
Chief of the Ten. We are agreed, then?

All, except Lor. answer,

Chief of the Ten.

Yes.

Heaven's peace be with him!

Mar. Signors, your pardon: this is mockery. Juggle no more with that poor remnant, which, A moment since, while yet it had a soul,

(A soul by whom you have increased your empire,
And made your power as proud as was his glory,)
You banish'd from his palace, and tore down
From his high place, with such relentless coldness;
And now, when he can neither know these honours,
Nor would accept them if he could, you, signors,
Purpose, with idle and superfluous pomp,
To make a pageant over what you trampled.
A princely funeral will be your reproach,
And not his honour.

Chief of the Ten.

Lady, we revoke not

I know it,

Our purposes so readily.

Mar.

As far as touches torturing the living.

I thought the dead had been beyond even you,

Though (some, no doubt) consign'd to powers which may Resemble that you exercise on earth.

Leave him to me; you would have done so for

His dregs of life, which you have kindly shorten'd:
It is my last of duties, and may prove

A dreary comfort in my desolation.
Grief is fantastical, and loves the dead,
And the apparel of the grave.
Chief of the Ten.

Pretend still to this office?

Mar.

Do you

I do, signor.

Though his possessions have been all consumed
In the state's service, I have still my dowry,
Which shall be consecrated to his rites,

And those of

[She stops with agitation. Chief of the Ten. Best retain it for your children. Mar. Ay, they are fatherless, I thank you.. Chief of the Ten.

We

Cannot comply with your request. His relics
Shall be exposed with wonted pomp, and follow'd
Unto their home by the new Doge, not clad

As Doge, but simply as a senator.

Mar. I have heard of murderers, who have interr'd
Their victims; but ne'er heard, until this hour,
Of so much splendour in hypocrisy

O'er those they slew. I've heard of widows' tears
Alas! I have shed some always thanks to you!
I've heard of heirs in sables you have left none
To the deceased, so you would act the part

Of such. Well, sirs, your will be done! as one day,
I trust, Heaven's will be done too!