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Article THE DOOMED ONE AND THE EXECUTIONER. ← Page 9 of 9 Article SEMIRAMIS. Page 1 of 6 →
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The Doomed One And The Executioner.
of the officer had long since been established by the confession and suicide of the real assassin . Thc unhappy wife of florian declared , that charmed by his person in the diligence , she had entreated hcr father to act towards the youth the character he hacl done . The jarring of the sword and axe was an invention to work upon thc fears of the youth , whom she hoped to ensnare into marriage ; and thus had the innocent Florian become a victim , not to the omen , but to the want of moral courage .
Semiramis.
SEMIRAMIS .
THE last rays of an eastern sun had fallen upon the lofty towers ol imperial Babylon , when Semiramis , the favourite wife of Ninus , thc Assyrian king , quitted her luxurious chamber to breathe the cool evening air in those terraced gardens , which the incredible labour of a race of slaves had raised on the roof of the imperial palace . Of more than earthly beauty , her imperious air , as she moved among her attendantsat her the
, once proclaimed queen ; deep thought was seated upon her brow , which quickly changed to a bewitching smile as her feeble husband was seen to approach . "Yes ! " exclaimed Ninus , after a glance of admiration , "of all my wives , thou art the one I love best . None possess so many graces and attractions as you ; for you I willingly renounce all my other wives . " The declaration was listened to with a half-gratified , half- incredulous smile . "Suppose 1 should believe my lord , " replied the gratified beauty , " and asked him to shut up his seraglio ;" " What then ? " demanded Ninns .
" What then : " replied Semiramis , " I should be the only one whom you would love—who would share your power : I should be the only Queen of Assyria . " She spoke with an ardour which made her appear a thousand times more lovel y ; but to shut up his seraglio was rather a delicate matter , Ninus , therefore , did not answer her direct , but renewed his conversation and caresses . "Queen of Assyria!—and art thou not so , " he exclaimed , gazing fondl her features sinceb
y upon , " , y thy beauty , thou reignest over the heart of Assyria ' s king . " "No , " answered Semiramis , mournfully , "I am only your slave : a being whom you love to-day , but whom you may desert for some fresh face to-morrow . I do not reign —if I give an order to your slaves they consult you before it is obeyed . " " And do you think" demanded Ninuswith a smile" that it would
, , , be a pleasure to reign ?" "Yes , king , for one who never enjoyed it . " " Have then your wish , " said Ninus , imprinting a kiss upon her beautiful cheek ; "for one day be mistress of Assyria : I cede to you my power , and my golden sceptre , its emblem . " "Suppose I should shut up the seraglio ? " exclaimed the delighted fair one , with a coquetish smile .
" I will not retract my word , " replied the king . " For one entire clay you shall be queen and mistress—I swear it ; it shall no longer be to mc that the palace and empire shal ! pav obedience , but to vou . VOL . vn . ' •_ v
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Doomed One And The Executioner.
of the officer had long since been established by the confession and suicide of the real assassin . Thc unhappy wife of florian declared , that charmed by his person in the diligence , she had entreated hcr father to act towards the youth the character he hacl done . The jarring of the sword and axe was an invention to work upon thc fears of the youth , whom she hoped to ensnare into marriage ; and thus had the innocent Florian become a victim , not to the omen , but to the want of moral courage .
Semiramis.
SEMIRAMIS .
THE last rays of an eastern sun had fallen upon the lofty towers ol imperial Babylon , when Semiramis , the favourite wife of Ninus , thc Assyrian king , quitted her luxurious chamber to breathe the cool evening air in those terraced gardens , which the incredible labour of a race of slaves had raised on the roof of the imperial palace . Of more than earthly beauty , her imperious air , as she moved among her attendantsat her the
, once proclaimed queen ; deep thought was seated upon her brow , which quickly changed to a bewitching smile as her feeble husband was seen to approach . "Yes ! " exclaimed Ninus , after a glance of admiration , "of all my wives , thou art the one I love best . None possess so many graces and attractions as you ; for you I willingly renounce all my other wives . " The declaration was listened to with a half-gratified , half- incredulous smile . "Suppose 1 should believe my lord , " replied the gratified beauty , " and asked him to shut up his seraglio ;" " What then ? " demanded Ninns .
" What then : " replied Semiramis , " I should be the only one whom you would love—who would share your power : I should be the only Queen of Assyria . " She spoke with an ardour which made her appear a thousand times more lovel y ; but to shut up his seraglio was rather a delicate matter , Ninus , therefore , did not answer her direct , but renewed his conversation and caresses . "Queen of Assyria!—and art thou not so , " he exclaimed , gazing fondl her features sinceb
y upon , " , y thy beauty , thou reignest over the heart of Assyria ' s king . " "No , " answered Semiramis , mournfully , "I am only your slave : a being whom you love to-day , but whom you may desert for some fresh face to-morrow . I do not reign —if I give an order to your slaves they consult you before it is obeyed . " " And do you think" demanded Ninuswith a smile" that it would
, , , be a pleasure to reign ?" "Yes , king , for one who never enjoyed it . " " Have then your wish , " said Ninus , imprinting a kiss upon her beautiful cheek ; "for one day be mistress of Assyria : I cede to you my power , and my golden sceptre , its emblem . " "Suppose I should shut up the seraglio ? " exclaimed the delighted fair one , with a coquetish smile .
" I will not retract my word , " replied the king . " For one entire clay you shall be queen and mistress—I swear it ; it shall no longer be to mc that the palace and empire shal ! pav obedience , but to vou . VOL . vn . ' •_ v