As he ended this air, fhe heard a { noise at a distance, and faw her flave Ines hastily approaching; Ines, a young Spanish captive, who had long been a tached to Zoraida, the confidante of all her fufferings, and the most affectionate dependant fle had at her court. You fhall foon be informed, re turned Boabdil, in a terrible tone; and turning to the people who attentively liffened to him," Muffulmen, exclaimed he, in this memorable night, you meant to fave my life, and you have faved the ftate. Learn the perfidious defigns of thofe base Abencerrages, whom you have just driven without your walls. They are affociated with the Spaniards by a fhameful treaty: they have pro They maffacre each other in the Alhambra, exclaimed Ines, almoft deprived of utterance; the Abencerrages are in arms, and attack and burn the palace. I have endeavour-mifed to them my head. You have ed to penetrate to the place where the battle rages, but the guards beLiege your apartment, and no perfon is permitted to enter or go out of it. By what new misfortunes are we threatened! I will, however, my dear mistress, perish by your fide. She faid, and the tumult increased. The fhock of contending warsiors, the cries of the Abencerrages, and the fhouts of their enemies, were diftinctly heard. The queen, pale and fainting, funk into the arms of 1nes; he had loft the power of fpeech, and could only weep and udder. The night was paled in th. fe horrors, and as foon as the rays of day feemed to have restored tranquillity, te guards of Boabdil appeared before Zoraida. Their chief brought the order of the king, that the fhould that moment appear before the people who were aflembled. Aftonished and terrified, the interrogated the meffenger, but he refused to answer her. The queen immediately obeyed: fhe covered herfelf with her veil, and, leaning on her dear Ines, and conducted by the foldiers, proceeded toward the palace with trembling steps. She paffed through the crouds o people whom the mere fight of her had excited to compaffion: the advanced, enquiring for the king whom the found furrounded by the Zegris; the raised her veil, and with a trembling voice, asked fo what'crime the was to be punished. feen them attack me even in my pa. lace, and, after having plunged their daggers in my heart, they would have fet Granada in flames. "Your country owes to you its fafety; and your king wifhes to honour you for the deed. Abenhamet, the ungrateful Abenbamet, to whom my mercy had granted his forfeited life, was the affalia chofen by his tribe. My guilty confort was his accomplice. This very night the was surprifed with him in the Generalif. Shame forbids me to relate the rest. Muffelmen, I accufe before you, Zoraida! You fhall revenge the outrage committed against religion, the laws, and your fovereign." He ceafed-Zoraida flood fpeech. lefs with amazement and horror. The people fhewed by long and loud murmurs, that they could not believe her guilty; when Mofarix, Ali, Sahal, and Moctader, the braveft of the Zegris, came forwards, and declared that they bad feen the queen in the arms of Abenhamet, under a rofetree, in the Generalif: to the truth of this they fore, and, drawing their feyn etais, engaged to maintain their teftimony. Zoraida liftened to them, fixed on them her indignant eyes, which e afterwards raised to Heaven, and then funk motionle fs on the ground. She was immediately carried into the palace, where her apartment became her prifon. Ten judges were directly appointed, and the king cauled Gonzalo de Cordova. An Heroic Romance.: caufed to be laid before them the head of Abenhas et, the poignard found in his bufom, and the habit of a flave, in which he was oifgu fed. Thefe proofs, added to the attack on the palace, and the teftimony of the formidable Zegris, either perfuade or intimidate the judges. No one dares to undertake the defence of Zoraida, and the tranfitory compaf fion of the multitude vanishes in the moment of its birth. The judges, urged by the law, the witnefles, and the proofs of guilt, at length pronounce the dreadful fentence, which; for ever baniflies from Granada the tribe of the Abencerrages, and condemns the queen to perish in the flames, unlefs, within three days, the hall find warriors who may triumph over her accufers. The palace of Albayzin, in which my father refided with his family, is fitusted on the fummit of an emipence, at some distance from the Alhambra. We were the last who received intelligence of thefe fatal events. Almanzor, on hearing the dreadful tidings, reproached himself with the death of Abenhamet, and flying to the prifon where the queen was confined, demanded to fpeak to her. Boabdil, from whom an order muff be obtained, dared not refufe Almanzor. Mulei Haffem, Moraima, and myself, accompanied my brother, and arrived at the moment when the wretched Zoraida had learned at once the fentence of her judges, and the death of Abenhamet. No, my lord, I will not endeavour to defcribe to you the dreadful fituation in which we found her. Stretched on the marble pavement, with her eyes wildly faring, her hair dishevelled, the uttered inarticulate cries which feemed not to refemble a human voice. Her hands, her fett, her whole body, were agitated with a dreadful trembling. Her countenance fcarcely exhibited the vestiges of her former features. The faithful Ines, drowned in tears, feated near her, fupported her languid head on her botom, covered it with k fles and tears, and endeavoured to hold her hands, which convulfive morions incefiantly forced from her. We haftened towards her, but she' fcarcely recollected us. Without an fwering us, or repelling our embraces, the fuffered us to bear her to a couch, on which we fupported her in our arms. The head of Zoraida refied on the white hairs of the venerable Mulei: Almanzor, ftanding, with his hands clasped, furveyed her in filence, and remained motionlel's and thoughtful. The whole day elapfed, and we were unable to reffore her to fenfe. Her attendant Ines requested us to leave her to take fame repofe. My brother, refolved to accomplish the generous defign he meditated, left us to feek in the fatal court of the lions the bleeding remains of the Abencerrages. He caufed them to be conveyed without the city, to a diftant valley, paid them the laft duties, and concealed in a thick wood the grave he bad dug for Abenhamet. While he discharged this melancholy office, Mulei Haffem and Moraima returned to the palace; but I, notwithttanding the e: treaties of Ines, ftaid with Zoraida, and would not leave her a fingle moment; when Ines threw herself at, my feet, and, in the most paffionate manner thus addressed me: "If, indeed you are affected with fuch lively emotion, and feel fo much pity for the wretched fate of my unhappy mistress, you wil doubtiefs give me your affistance. I can fave her from death, Swear to me, by all that is dear to you, that you will not betray the fecret I am abour to confide to you." I raised her up, encouraged her, and promifed eternal fecrecy. Immediately the took my hand, joined it to that of the queen, and preffing both to her heart: Lifted Listen to me, faid fhe, and may you approve the defign with which Heaven infpires me. Zoraida has only two days allowed her to find four warriors who may combat in her defence. Her deteftable accufers are the terror of Granada, and the favourites of the king. No Moor will dare to oppose them; the bravest will dread the anger of Boabdil as much as the ftrength of their adverfaries. Zoraida must perish if we look for her defenders among the Granadines only. I am a Spaniard and a Christian. I know the courage and gallantry of the valiant knights of my country, and efpecially do I know the prowefs and the honour of that Gonzalo, whofe name alone has made your armies tremble, and whofe virtues, and whofe humanity perhaps exceed his valour. Let the queen write to Gonzalo; let her call heaven to witness the juftice of her caufe, and commit her defence to him. You will foon fee him appear alone, or followed by other heroes; you will fee him triumph, and restore my amiable miftrefs that life and honour of which he muft otherwife be deprived. to Thus fpoke the lovely Ines. Zo raida fcarcely heard her. Let me die, said she; I wish, I folicit death. I have caused the death of the most virtuous, the most affectionate of men; Abenhamet died for me; I de fire, I wish, to follow him, I ought You ought to vindicate your honour, interrupted the youthful captive; you ought to defcend to the grave pure and unpolluted, as you have lived. Can you permit that your memory fhould be polluted with the fufpicion of a crime? Can you confent that ignominy fhould accompany your last moments; that the horrid name of adulerefs fhould defile the ftone placed over your grave? Daughter of ibrahim, your life is yours, but your honour is God's, and you are accountable for it to men. Let them be enforced to ac knowledge your innocence; let them publifh it, let them revere it; then may you die. Moved by these words, pronounced in an elevated tone of voice, the queen embraced her attendant, and yielded to her counfels. The fear of difhonour restored to her that ftrength which had deferted her. She confidered with me the bold project of Ines, and we weighed together all its difficulties. War was declared. Ifabella and Ferdinand advanced to besiege us; Gonzalo could not, without extreme danger, venture to appear within our walls. His arm, however formidable it might be, could not withstand four Zegris. It was neceffary that he fhould have three companions, and the fear of difpleafing their fovereigns would prevent all the Caftilians from accompanying him. Notwithstanding, however, thefe dif couraging reflections, notwithftanding fo little hope could be entertained of fuccefs, the queen approved the plan. Time was precious, and fhe immediately wrote to Gonzalo in the following words: Moors; Iam their unfortunate queen, "You are the enemy of the and fend to implore your fuccour. I am condemned to death, but I call and the God whom you adore, that to witness the God whom I adore, I am polluted with no guilt. Within two days I must expire in the flames. This fate I can only avoid by the victory of four warriors over four of the most valiant of the Ze gris. I have chofen Gonzalo for my defender; if this hero, for the first time fhould refufe his fuccour to innocence, I fhall believe that Heaven has decreed my deftruction, and fubmit to death without a mur mur. ZORAIDA, QUEEN OF GRANADA." As foon as this letter was fealed, I fought in the prifon a Spanish cap The Czar Peter's Danger from Robbers. 119 tive, whofe ranfom I paid, only afk-young, ftout, and vigorous, got up, and feized one of the robbers by the hair of his head, and pulled him out of their fledge; and, keeping his hold, drove out of their reach, dragging the fellow along with him till he reached the refident's houfe, which was not far, and entered, to their great furprize, all in a sweat, still holding the fellow by the hair. He ordered the gates to be immediately fhut, that none of the fervants might go out till he had examined the robber. When the fellow underflood that it was the czar they had attacked, he shook and trembled, faying, if they had known who he was, they would not have meddled with him, and then begged he might be put to death, without being put to the torture. To this his majesty confented, on condition he discovered the rest of his gang; but this the fellow would not do, without a promise of his life and a reward, which was alfo granted him, and he went with a detachment of foldiers to the rendezvous of his companions, and coming to the houfe, he called to them to open the door. On hearing ing from his gratitude that he would The CZAR PETER's danger from his voice they directly opened it, and ROBBERS. n rushed the foldiers, and feized not only his feven accomplices, but thirteen others of the fame gang, who were foon after all executed, except Gentleman of the name of the informer. "A had been refident from Sweden be- "At another time, the czar was attacked on his way from Moscow to Novogorod, when he was attended by four fervants only. Going from Twer, he was ftopped by a strong party of Rafbonicks, on which he immediately jumped out of his fledge, with a fword drawn in one hand, and a cocked piftol in the other, and told them he was the czar,afking them what they wanted? They replied they were poor fellows reduced to great want, and as he was their lord and mafter, he was the properest perfon to relieve them: he told them he had no money about him; to which they answered, if he had, they they would take none from him, but Urius, prior of Ulm, who was deured that he would give them a confecrated the first abbor, in the written order to the governor of year 1020, got the abbey exempted Novogorod for what fum he pleased from epifcopal jurisdiction, and ento beltow upon them, begging that compafled that and the town with a it might be fuch as woul relieve wall and ditch; the ruins of which them from their ftr its. The czar in feveral places are still to be seen, then asked them, if one thousand and the abbots afterwards were made rubles would be fufficient; and on parliamentary barons. But in the their faying it would, he wrote an reign of King Henry VIII. it hard order for that fum payable at fight, the common tate of all religious and for which they directly dispatch-houfes, and the prince put an end to ed one of their number, who very all its glory. foon returned with the money: they then obliged the czar to return to Twer, and to pledge his royal word not to profecue, or even enquire after them, promifing to amend their lives and become good fubjects for the future. Instead of proceeding to Novogorod, the czar returned back to Mufcow." ACCOUNT of St. EDMUND'S-BURY ABBEY, SUFFOLK. [With an elegant Engracing.] HIS abbey,once fo famous, was king of the East Angles, foon after Christianity was planted here; and when finished (about the year 618), that king retired into it, and hut himself from the world. King Edmund, from whom the town takes its name, began to reign over the East Angles, in the year 85, in the fourteenth year of his age, and reigned fifteen years; being killed anno 870, as fuppofed, at Hosne, at twenty-nine years old, and his corpfe was thirty-three years after removed to Bury. The abbey was much enriched thereby, and the monks, who were of the Benedicine order, found means, about the year 1012, to get it entirely to themselves, excluding the feculars; and the king Canute, in the fourth year of his reign, founded a more magnificent church, in honour of St. Edmund, which was finished in twelve years, and dedicated to Chrift, St. Mary, and St. Edmund. When the abbey was in its profperiry, there was a chapel at every one of its five gates, and the tow!! abounded with chapels and oratories. It is poffible there might be hofpitals; for there was an hofpi tal of St. Peter's without Rifby gate; an hofpiral of St. Saviour's without North-gate; an hospital of St. Nicholas, at or near Eat-gate ;; and God's houfe or St. John's at the South-gare; a college of priests with a guild, to the holy of fweet name of Jefus, the fituation of which we cannot find; and a house of grey But at this time there are only two churches, which indeed. are very beautiful and fately, and ftand in the fame church-yard; the one de dicated to St. Mary, the other built in the reign of Edward VI. to St. James. The latter has a convenient library; and at the Weft end of the South aifle are interred the bodies of the late lord chief baron Reynolds,, and his lady, to whofe memories two large monuments are erected. The church of St Mary has on the northe fide of the altar (to which we approach by a fine afcent of six steps), the tomb of Mary, queen of France, fifter of Henry VIII. and wite of Charles Brandon, duke of Suffolk. Her coffin is of lead, and has this infeription onit; Mary Queen, 1533, of France, Edmund H- -There are other handfome monuments in this church, ALEXIS: |