Soft music. Enter Belvidera distracted, led by two of her women, Priuli and Servants.

Priu. Strengthen her heart with patience, pitying Heaven.

Belv. Come come come come come, nay, come to bed!
Prithee my love. The winds! hark how they whistle!
And the rain beats: oh, how the weather shrinks me!
You are angry now, who cares? pish, no indeed.
Choose then, I say you shall not go, you shall not;
Whip your ill nature; get you gone then! oh,

[Jaffeir’s ghost rises.

Are you return’d? See, father, here he’s come again!
Am I to blame to love him? O thou dear one!

[Ghost sinks.

Why do you fly me? are you angry still, then?
Jaffeir! where art thou? Father, why do you do thus?
Stand off, don’t hide him from me. He’s here somewhere.

Enter Officer and others.

Stand off, I say! what, gone? remember’t Tyrant!
I may revenge myself for this trick one day.
I’ll do’t—I’ll do’t! Renault’s a nasty fellow.
Hang him, hang him, hang him.

Priu. News, what news?

[Officer whispers Priuli.

Offic. Most sad, sir.
Jaffeir, upon the seaffold, to prevent
A shameful death, stabb’d Pierre, and next himself:
Both fell together.

[The ghosts of Jaffeir and Pierre rise together, both bloody.

Priu. Daughter.

Belv. Ha, look there!
My husband bloody, and his friend too! Murther!
Who has done this? speak to me, thou sad vision,

[Ghosts oink.

On these poor trembling knees I beg it. Vanish’d!
Here they went down; oh, I’ll dig, dig the den up.
You shan’t delude me thus. Ho, Jaffeir, Jaffeir,
Peep up and give me but a look. I have him!
I’ve got him, father: oh, how I’ll s[n]uggle him!
My love! my dear! my blessing! help me, help me!
They’ve hold on me, and drag me to the bottom.
Nay—now they pull so hard—farewell—

[She dies.

Maid. She’s dead.
Breathless and dead.

Priu. Then guard me from the sight on’t;
Lead me into some place that’s fit for mourning;
Where the free air, light, and the cheerful sun
May never enter: hang it round with black:
Set up one taper that may last a day
As long as I’ve to live: and there leave me.
Sparing no tears when you this tale relate,
But bid all cruel fathers dread my fate.

[Curtain falls. Exeunt omnes.

The text is done, and now for application,
And when that’s ended pass your approbation.
Though the conspiracy’s prevented here,
Methinks I see another hatching there;
And there’s a certain faotion fain would sway,
If they had strength enough, and damn this play,
But this the author bade me boldly say:
If