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Article THE CONVERT. ← Page 6 of 7 →
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The Convert.
Hernwald , the Arch-Druid , suddenly appeared before them . The king , remembering bis former violence , instinctively grasped his sword . " Fear , not , " said the priest calmly , " thou art fallen beneath my vengeance—superior powers have wrought thy shame , aye , " he continued , sarcastically surveying the building , " a goodly pile and cunningly devised—but were is the proud fabric of Egbert ' s honour ? fallen by the infamy of his wife and her minionthe new priest Urah . "
, " Liar , " exclaimed the indignant husband , with difficulty restraining his hands from shedding the old man ' s blood— " begone , lest thy grey hairs fail to protect thee . " "Rest then contented in thy shame , " replied the Arch-Druid , "but remember the lips which never yet uttered falsehood , now brand thee with thy dishonour . " " The proofthe proof" uttered Ebert wildlcertain recollections
, , g y , of Carialla ' s coldness for the first time creating a pang of jealousy . " Even now the lovers wander in the grove , " answered the old man , his eyes flashing with ill-concealed triumph . " Lead on , " said Morovan sternly , " if thy tale be sooth , I know my duty—if false , look to thy forfeit life . " Without waiting for reply , the Arch-Druid led the way through the
mazes of the adjoining forest , followed closely by the unhappy husband and indignant brother , till they reached what had been lately a druid's circle , upon the overturned altar of which the queen was seated with her head reclining upon the bosom of Urah . No further evidence was necessary . "Behold O King , " said Hernwald , "the punishment of thy crime , the temple thou hast destroyed is the scene of thy disgrace . " Ere Egbert could reply , the impatient Morovan levelled his bow , and the unerring arrow peirced the heart of the adulteress—the guilty Urah
fled , but was soon ovetaken by the incensed Britons , and condemned to drink the fatal cup of nightshade , whose subtle venom caused the criminal to linger in excruciating torments ; scarcely was the fatal chalice drained ere Hernwald , eager to enjoy the agonies of his rival , entered the rude prison , and in scorn demanded of the dying man , " where was now the faith which he had laboured to implant in the breast of the Britons , where the temple he had idly reared . " Soon" he added triumphantl
, y , " shall it be ashes , and thy impious worship banished from the shores . " " There , " replied the penitent man , " thou hast prcbed my guiltinessthe light of truth will be quenched through the unworthiness of its minister , called to enlighten this unhappy people . I have myself fallen in the ways of darkness , betrayed the trust providence had assigned me , that thought is a keener punishment than the frail body ' s torture . "
" Say rather , " interrupted the Druid , " that thou sufferest for thy vain delusions , by thy folly the falsehood of doctrines now are known . " "Heathen , " replied the prisoner , " thou canst not judge thus—truth is immutable , nor can my dereliction from the paths of virtue lessen the value ofthe light I preach . If human weakness is the test of faith , where shall we find it perfect ? where the code whose pure ethics its ministers have never violated;—tax thine own heart , —and it will tell thee of crimes , the frailty of thy nature sanctioned , and not the imperfection of thy faith . " Thus even with his dying breath , did the intrepid but guilty Urah defend the cause , Ids fall from virtue so fatally had injured . Hernwald
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Convert.
Hernwald , the Arch-Druid , suddenly appeared before them . The king , remembering bis former violence , instinctively grasped his sword . " Fear , not , " said the priest calmly , " thou art fallen beneath my vengeance—superior powers have wrought thy shame , aye , " he continued , sarcastically surveying the building , " a goodly pile and cunningly devised—but were is the proud fabric of Egbert ' s honour ? fallen by the infamy of his wife and her minionthe new priest Urah . "
, " Liar , " exclaimed the indignant husband , with difficulty restraining his hands from shedding the old man ' s blood— " begone , lest thy grey hairs fail to protect thee . " "Rest then contented in thy shame , " replied the Arch-Druid , "but remember the lips which never yet uttered falsehood , now brand thee with thy dishonour . " " The proofthe proof" uttered Ebert wildlcertain recollections
, , g y , of Carialla ' s coldness for the first time creating a pang of jealousy . " Even now the lovers wander in the grove , " answered the old man , his eyes flashing with ill-concealed triumph . " Lead on , " said Morovan sternly , " if thy tale be sooth , I know my duty—if false , look to thy forfeit life . " Without waiting for reply , the Arch-Druid led the way through the
mazes of the adjoining forest , followed closely by the unhappy husband and indignant brother , till they reached what had been lately a druid's circle , upon the overturned altar of which the queen was seated with her head reclining upon the bosom of Urah . No further evidence was necessary . "Behold O King , " said Hernwald , "the punishment of thy crime , the temple thou hast destroyed is the scene of thy disgrace . " Ere Egbert could reply , the impatient Morovan levelled his bow , and the unerring arrow peirced the heart of the adulteress—the guilty Urah
fled , but was soon ovetaken by the incensed Britons , and condemned to drink the fatal cup of nightshade , whose subtle venom caused the criminal to linger in excruciating torments ; scarcely was the fatal chalice drained ere Hernwald , eager to enjoy the agonies of his rival , entered the rude prison , and in scorn demanded of the dying man , " where was now the faith which he had laboured to implant in the breast of the Britons , where the temple he had idly reared . " Soon" he added triumphantl
, y , " shall it be ashes , and thy impious worship banished from the shores . " " There , " replied the penitent man , " thou hast prcbed my guiltinessthe light of truth will be quenched through the unworthiness of its minister , called to enlighten this unhappy people . I have myself fallen in the ways of darkness , betrayed the trust providence had assigned me , that thought is a keener punishment than the frail body ' s torture . "
" Say rather , " interrupted the Druid , " that thou sufferest for thy vain delusions , by thy folly the falsehood of doctrines now are known . " "Heathen , " replied the prisoner , " thou canst not judge thus—truth is immutable , nor can my dereliction from the paths of virtue lessen the value ofthe light I preach . If human weakness is the test of faith , where shall we find it perfect ? where the code whose pure ethics its ministers have never violated;—tax thine own heart , —and it will tell thee of crimes , the frailty of thy nature sanctioned , and not the imperfection of thy faith . " Thus even with his dying breath , did the intrepid but guilty Urah defend the cause , Ids fall from virtue so fatally had injured . Hernwald