The novels and romances of A.E. Bray, Volume 5

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Page 246 - He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha! And he smelleth the battle afar off, The thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
Page 46 - Tis now the very witching time of night When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out Contagion to this world. Now could I drink hot blood, And do such bitter business as the day Would quake to look on.
Page 316 - the ransom of Hamet. I am ready to bear thy bonds; and these arms," he added, as he stretched them abroad, "these arms that have resisted thee in battle, shall now yield themselves to thy chains, as gently as doth the lamb that is bound for the sacrifice. King, I am ready. Lead me to death; I will not deny thy right to bind on me cords or chains." " Moor," said Alonso, " I will bind on thee chains, but such as shall be stronger than those of iron. Thy own greatness of mind shall be the bonds in which...
Page 90 - ... please, to enforce obedience more than to win confidence and affection ; all shewed the cavalier to be no other than Don Manuel de Castro ; that patriot, who had preferred his country to every motive of self-interest; who had suffered, bled, and been exiled, in the cause of freedom, in defence of the oppressed. A Castilian by birth, an enthusiast by nature, — though driven into banishment, he still carried the worshipped image of his country in his heart, at whose shrine every sacrifice was...
Page 317 - ... search out amongst thy own people the youthful Ferdinand, bring him harmless to these arms, and then will I treat with thee, who wert the leader of those Moorish hosts, on the terms of such a peace as thou this night hast recommended to me. Alonso, who honours valour in a foe, will be proud to show the Talba, that an infidel Moor shall not in greatness of mind surpass a Christian king." " I will do this," said Hassan : " I know not by what means Prince Ferdinand came into the hands of our people...
Page 92 - OInes! beware: I know the sacred tie, which, through the medium of his boy, binds thee to Don Pedro. Beware, lest it becomes abused. The prince, both by the laws of the church and of his station, can never be more to thee than he now is. There lies a gulf between you. To pass it would be infamy. It is a boundary guarded by the interdict of heaven itself. Whilst you respect it, you are safe. Attempt to climb the height on which the prince soars so far above you, and ruin, misery, and death must follow....
Page 317 - ... than I would rely on dungeons treble walled in strength to confine thy limbs. Moor, thou art free — yet a liberated prisoner : — and I will this night trust thee to do me a service that shall render me the best thanks thou canst give for sparing thee thy life." " But Hamet "—said the Talba. thyself still as our prisoner. Go, then, search out amongst thy own people the youthful Ferdinand, bring him harmless to these arms, and then will I treat with thee, who wert the leader of those Moorish...
Page 358 - Convulsive staggers rock the' eternal ground, And heave the Tagus from his bed profound ; A dark red cloud the towers of Lisboa veils ; Ah, Heaven, what dreadful groan ! the rising gales Bring light; and Lisboa smoking in the dust Lies fallen.
Page 313 - Alonso, who though sensible to pity and every gentler feeling of a Christian, still possessed that attribute of a warrior king, a high estimation of the great and the heroic even in an enemy when no sudden burst of passion obscured his judgment or prejudiced his feelings, was struck with that admiration which becomes involuntary praise, when he said in a voice full of energy, " Can such generosity of spirit live in the bosom of a Moor ? Talba, thou art the most deadly foe I have encountered in war,...
Page 315 - Our race," said the Talba, as his eye dilated and glowed with the high thoughts he entertained for his ancient people — " our race is descended from the favoured and chosen people of God. The dark sons of Ismael once looked on Allah face to face, as on a familiar friend, though shining in the majesty of heaven, — Abraham, the father of Ismael ; Moses, the first prophet of the land, spoke to God in the cloud amid the thunderings and the lightnings of Sinai. These elements of fire and air burst...

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