1828.] The White Devil ; or, Vittoria Corombona. 129 
Flam. Franciscans. 
They have brought the extreme unction. 
Brach. On pain of death let no man name death to me ! 
It is a word most infinitely terrible. 
There is a terrible beauty in the passages marked in italics; and the 
last of them includes one of the finest natural conceits (so to speak) that 
passion ever produced—“ On pain of death let no man name death to me.” 
Brachiano now retires in agony to his chamber ; and the scene pre- 
sently changes to that place, where he is lying on a bed distracted, 
attended by Vittoria and others, and by two of the conspirators, disguised 
as priests. There is an exquisite little passage here, which we must stop 
to give. The seeming priests present a crucifix to Brachiano in his 
extremity :— 
Lod. Pray give us leave: attende, domine, Brachiano. 
Flam. See—see how firmly he doth fix his eye 
Upon the crucifix! 
Vit. O, hold it constant. 
Tt settles his wild spirit ; and so his eyes 
Melt into tears. 
It is almost impossible for those who are acquainted with Kean’s 
acting, to read this exquisite touch of natural pathos, without seeing (in 
imagination) that great artist embody it into a visible picture. 
At length, as Brachiano draws near his end, the conspirators, in their 
adopted character of priests, require the royal patient to be left alone 
with them ; and then occurs one of those terrible scenes, of which there 
are several in the drama of this age, where revenge is made to pursue its 
victim even beyond the limits of life. All but the murderers having 
left the chamber, they rouse Brachiano from the momentary trance into 
which he has fallen, and triumphantly proclaim to him, with every 
species of outrage and indignity, who it is that has given him his death ; 
they then, on his unexpectedly crying out for help, strangle him at once, 
and all this portion of the catastrophe is at an end. It only remains now, 
to inflict “ poetical justice” on Vittoria, and her still more guilty accom- 
plice and brother, Flamineo. The character of this latter is brought out 
with infinite force and effect in this concluding act of the play ; so much 
so, that it merits particular attention and examination, and would have 
obtained them from us if our limits had permitted. Vittoria, having 
been appointed by Brachiano sole Regent of the Dukedom during the 
minority of his son, Flamineo determines on instantly ascertaining in 
what manner she means to reward his services, by which, chiefly, she has 
been lifted to her present state and station. After a momentary feeling 
of remorseful pity, called forth by the sight of his mad mother, and the 
corse of his brother, killed by him in a quarrel, he continues :— 
“ This night I'll know the utmost of my fate ; 
T'll be resolved what my rich sister means 
To assign me for my services. I have lived 
Riotously ill, like some that live in court ; 
And sometimes, when my face was full of smiles, 
Have felt the maze of conscience in my breast. 
Oft gay and honoured robes those tortures try : 
We think caged birds sing, when indeed they cry.” 
M.M. New Serics—Vou. VI. No. 32. Ss 
