— In his collation of Remorse with Osorio, the Editor of P.W. 1877-1880, iv. 154 affixes to lines 289-303 of the Fifth Act of
Osorio the following variant, said to be derived from the First
Edition of Remorse: — After the cry of ‘No mercy’ (Osorio, Act V, l.
300), ‘NAOMI advances with the sword and ALHADRA snatches it from him
and suddenly stabs ORDONIO. ALVAR rushes through the Moors and catches
him in his arms.’ After Ordonio’s dying speech [ll. 304-307], there are
‘shouts of Alvar! Alvar! behind the scenes. A Moor rushes in’ —
Moor. We are surprised! away! away! this instant!
The country is in arms! Lord Valdez heads them,
And still cries out, ‘My son! my Alvar lives!’
Haste to the shore! they come the opposite road.
Your wives and children are already safe.
The boat is on the shore — the vessel waits.
Alhadra. Thou then art Alvar! to my aid and safety
Thy word stands pledged.
Alvar. Arm of avenging Heaven!
I had two cherish’d hopes — the one remains,
The other thou hast snatch’d from me: but my word
Is pledged to thee; nor shall it be retracted —
Edition 1 (c) (?).
[For MS. version of this variant see note on p. 597.]]
[After 259] (ORDONIO follows ALHADRA with his eye which then
raising languidly to ALVAR he compleats his meaning, but substituting
‘the’ for ‘Thee’). Marginal stage-direction inserted in MS. R.]
Stage-direction preceding 265 and 265-79: om. Edition 1.
[Before 280] [The stage fills with armed peasants … ALVAR’S arms.
Edition 1.
APPENDIX
The following Scene, as unfit for the stage, was taken from the tragedy,
in the year 1797, and published in the Lyrical Ballads. [1798, pp.
28-31: vide ante, pp. 182-4.]
Enter Teresa and Selma.
Teresa. ‘Tis said, he spake of you familiarly,
As mine and Alvar’s common foster-mother.
Selma. Now blessings on the man, whoe’er he be
That joined your names with mine! O my sweet Lady,
As often as I think of those dear times, 5
When you two little ones would stand, at eve,
On each side of my chair, and make me learn
All you had learnt in the day; and how to talk
In gentle phrase; then bid me sing to you ——
‘Tis more like heaven to come, than what has been! 10
Teresa. But that entrance, Selma?
Selma. Can no one hear? It is a perilous
tale!
Teresa. No one.
Selma. My husband’s father told it me,
Poor old Sesina — angels rest his soul;
He was a woodman, and could fell and saw
With lusty arm. You know that huge round beam 15
Which props the hanging wall of the old chapel?
Beneath that tree, while yet it was a tree,
He found a baby wrapt in mosses, lined
With thistle-beards, and such small locks of wool
As hang on brambles. Well, he brought him home, 20
And reared him at the then Lord Valdez’ cost.
And so the babe grew up a pretty boy,
A pretty boy, but most unteachable ——
And never learn’d a prayer, nor told a bead,
But knew the names of birds, and mocked their notes, 25
And whistled, as he were a bird himself.
And all the autumn ‘twas his only play
To gather seeds of wild flowers, and to plant them
With earth and water on the stumps of trees.
A Friar, who gathered simples in the wood, 30
A grey-haired man, he loved this little boy:
The boy loved him, and, when the friar taught him,
He soon could write with the pen; and from that time
Lived chiefly at the convent or the castle.
So he became a rare and learned youth: 35
But O! poor wretch! he read, and read, and read,
Till his brain turned; and ere his twentieth year
He had unlawful thoughts of many things:
And though he prayed, he never loved to pray
With holy men, nor in a holy place. 40
But yet his speech, it was so soft and sweet,
The late Lord Valdez ne’er was wearied with him.
And once, as by the north side of the chapel
They stood together chained in deep discourse,
The earth heaved under them with such a groan, 45
That the wall tottered, and had well nigh fallen
Right on their heads. My Lord was sorely frightened;
A fever seized him, and he made confession
Of all the heretical and lawless talk
Which brought this judgment: so the
