1828.] The Revenger's Tragedy. 143 



she has been fearfully punished, by the latter pretending for a moment 

 that her mother's arguments and persuasions have wrought to their 

 desired end, and that she is determined to receive the addresses of Lusu- 

 rioso. This scene ends very beautifully : - 



Cas. O mother, let me twine about your neck, 

 And kiss you till my soul melt on your lips ! 

 I did but this to try you. 



Gra. O speak truth ! 



Cas. Indeed I did not ; for no tongue has force 

 To alter me from honest. 



If maidens would, men's words could have no power ; 

 A virgin's honour is a crystal tower, 

 Which, being weak, is guarded with good spirits ; 

 Until she basely yields, no ill inherits. 



This is followed by a scene in which Vindici so contrives the dis- 

 covery of the murdered duke, that the whole court are satisfied to throw 

 the crime on the supposed absentee, whom Vindici himself lately repre- 

 sented. During the whole of this scene, a great and striking effect is 

 produced by the presence of the actual murderer, and still more by the 

 strain of quaint irony in which he replies (aside) to the remarks of all 

 present, on the catastrophe. After this, we have a short scene, in which 

 the final catastrophe is plotted between the brothers and some discon- 

 tented noblemen ; and then follows the banquet, at which all is consum- 

 mated somewhat extravagantly and fantastically, it must be confessed, 

 amidst dancing and music but still with a terrible truth and vigour of 

 hand in many of the details which ensue. It appears that the -step- sons 

 and the bastard have plotted to murder the new duke, Lusurioso ; but 

 they are discovered and anticipated by Vindici and his friends ; and are, 

 in turn, dispatched themselves : such at least seems to be the catastrophe 

 of the duke's family for the details of it cannot with any certainty be 

 made out, from the very confused nature of the stage directions, &c. of 

 this last scene. But the final catastrophe of the Revengers, though clear 

 enough as to fact, involves an uncertainty as to motive, which strikes us 

 as displaying, in more than one particular, a very subtle and profound 

 acquaintance with the workings of the human heart. Antonio, heir to 

 the dukedom (and who is also husband to the lady on whom, at the com- 

 mencement of the play, one of the duke's step- sons had committed an 

 outrage which cost him his life), is well enough satisfied with the circum- 

 stances (bloody as they are) which have so unexpectedly placed the 

 dukedom in his hands; but he seems marvellously perplexed as to the 

 manner in which the old duke came by his death. Upon which Vindici 

 immediately confesses, or rather boasts, that it was he and his brother 

 who murdered him : 



Ant. You two ? 



Vin. None else, my lord, i' faith. Nay, 'twas well managed. 

 Ant. Lay hands upon those villains ! 

 Vin. How ! on us ! 

 Ant. Bear 'em to speedy execution. 

 Vin. 'Heart ! was't riot for your good, my lord ? 

 Ant. My good ! Away with them ! Such an old man as he ! 

 You that would murder him, would murder me. 



Now what we would remark in this is, first, the sympathy of age with 

 age, in Antonio. He could see with perfect calmness the younger branches 



