fore cool'd by what ought to have increased it: In a Word, the Queen carried her Point ; the Prince promis'd to obey their Majefties, and all things were immediately directed for a fplendid Equipage, in order to his Journey for Pannonia.

ons;

Prince Honorius had too good Intelligence at Court to miss this, however secret the Queen and Prince affected to keep it; he had heard fomething of his Niece's Inclinatibut hoping it was not true, without putting her to the Pain of questioning her upon a Subject that might diftrefs her Modefy; he contented himself by way of Confidence, to tell her of Prince Alexis's Marriage with the Princefs Emely, as a Thing the Court had refolved upon, and that as foon as his Equipage cou'd be formed, his Highness would depart.

Whatever Conftancy Honoria was Mistress of, fhe fummon'd it all at this dangerous Juncture, that the Prince her Uncle might not read the Secret of her Soul; but when no longer reftrain'd by his Prefence, the gave a Loofe to Sorrow and Defpair: What Heart cou'd be fo obdurate as to remain unmoved at her Tears and Sufferings? She ran to me with a diftracted Air, throwing her felf upon my Bofom, wept aloud; her Words were fo interrupted by Sobs and Groans, that it was a long while before my Importunity cou'd prevail with her to tell me what had caufed her Woe. To me who had been fo many times a Witnefs of their inEs

nocent

nocent Endearments, fhe could not fcruple to impart the News of his Inconftancy. He is falfe! he is falfe! Muty, faid the, would you believe that lovely Prince should introduce amongst the Sarmatians a new Sin, only to render the unfortunate Honoria miferable? My Life is the intended Victim; by this Novelty I am murthered. Here the Prince enter'd, who imagined not that the was acquainted with his Crime, but feeing her all in Tears, her Drefs diforder'd, Def pair in her Eyes, and yet never fo beautiful as now when the appeared moft diftreffed, made hafte tenderly to ask the Occafion of that Scene of Woe? Doft thou (Traitor, fhe cry'd,) enquire what thus afflicts the abandoned Honoria? What can it be, but Prince Alexis's Perjury? Thy early Falfehood; thy, 'till now, unpractised Sin of Vow-breach! Art thou not mine? Thou art, if Oaths are binding, and yet thou doft attempt, and I living, to be another's. Oh! never! That must never happen, affure thy felf; my Death fhall at once convince thee of my Love, and do thee the Obligation to fet thee free from the Tye thou would'ft in vain, without me, difpenfe with.'

<

The Prince finding himfelf difcovered, never attempted to deny, but barely to extenuate his Fault, by telling us the positive Commands of his Majefty, and what the Queen had faid to him; he begg'd Honoria, however, to believe, that he ftill lov'd her

above all Confiderations; and to fhow her that he did, if fhe could refolve to oblige him in her Turn, by admitting him privately, without the Nuptial Ceremony, to her Bed, he wou'd renounce all other Pretenfions but thofe that engaged him to be a tender and unalterable Husband to her alone.

Honoria, however fhe had been broken and oppreffed by Sorrow before fhe had heard this Propofition, in a moment returned her felf to that Calm which infeparably accompanies Vertue, and with a compofed and majeftick Air, her Eyes full of that Fire which true Glory infpires, faid, No, my Lord, if there be no other way to make your Highnefs Juft, but by Honoria's be coming Bafe, affure your felf, you fhall for ever be a Criminal; I will fink into my Tomb untainted even in my Thought or With; my Innocence fhall mingle with my Afhes! My Vertue, facred, as I thought your Vows, is not like them to be violated, but muft to the laft Moment adorn my Life, and make me worthy of a better Destiny! But to fhow you I am fo far a mortal Woman, as to love with Rage and Conftancy, I must refolve to die, to free my felf from Miferies I cannot bear -Farewel, my Lord- -Mine whilft you were Juft farewel, not only to your Highnefs, but with your Highnefs a laft Farewel to any earthly Happiness. Here the Tears fell in fuch an abundance from her Eyes,

that

that to conceal the too powerful Weaknefs, the paffed into her Cabinet, and left the Prince to retire ruminating and difordered.

However, his Remorfe was not powerful enough to hinder his intended Journey to Pannonia; he feem'd to give himself no farther Pain about the Injustice and Barbarity he was going to be guilty of, in relation to Honoria, the Breach of facre Vows fat light upon him; he pretended rather to retain Indignation againft her, for refufing to facrifice her Vertue, than to feel any Remorfe in himself for breaking fo folemn an Engagement, and when I attempted to tell him her Sorrows and Sufferings, that I fear'd they would be fatal to her: "He answered, few died of Grief that talk'd fo much of it; and received all I faid with an Air fo little ferious, that I could not but conclude his Heart was entirely difengaged, or transferred to his new Pretenfions, fince he did not fail to take the minuteft Care, as to whatever concerned the Magnificence of his intended Equipage.

Honoria paffed the Time in real Distress and Solitude; the Pretence of Indifpofition favour'd her Retreat, though it was more than a Pretence. Her Love was unalterable, even by Injuries, and being as well as her Vertue fixed upon Principles, nothing but Death could remove it. When her Hopes were entirely defperate, fhe intended not to furvive the Lofs of what was fo

dear

dear to her: But if poffible, to give the Prince fome Remorfe, fhe refolved to die before he should depart, and even in fuch a manner, that he might fee her when dead. I was but a Slave, born to obey, and not betray her; and though the Affiftance I lent this unhappy Victim, was a Heart_wounding Diftrefs to me, yet it was my Duty to perform whatever the commanded, elfe I cou'd never hope a Bleffing from our Gods. After having prefumed, though in vain, to endeavour at overcoming her Refolves by Argument and Reafon, I became her Convert inftead of making her mine; fhe convinced me throughly of the Neceffity there was to rid her felf of a State, where the Evil fo far furmounted the Good; Death was become incomparably, to her, more eligible than Life: Her Love, her Hopes, her Happiness, being fixed upon the Prince, it was not to be fuppofed the could furvive the Lofs of him without Horror and Lofs of Senfe, which would make her Frantick Being, defpicable, forlorn, and much more. wretched than are the Dead or Dying: Neither her Youth, Beauty, or Innocence, could perfuade her to any Compaffion for her felf; black Defpair and hourly Anguifh took entire Poffeffion of her Soul, nor could the wifh or foresee any Relief but Death: She commanded me to infufe fome of that deadly Gum which grows in great abundance among the Trees in the Country of the Alans, which, as your Excellency cannot want to

be