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Incognita; or, Love and Duty Reconcil'd by William Congreve
page 43 of 65 (66%)
sate thus thoughtless, or rather drowned in Thought; but a Servant
bringing Lights into the Room awakened them: And Hippolito's Speech,
usher'd by a profound Sigh, broke Silence.

'Well! (said he) what must we do, Aurelian? We must suffer, replied
Aurelian faintly. When immediately raising his Voice, he cry'd out, 'Oh
ye unequal Powers, why do ye urge us to desire what ye doom us to
forbear; give us a Will to chuse, then curb us with a Duty to restrain
that Choice! Cruel Father, Will nothing else suffice! Am I to be the
Sacrifice to expiate your Offences past; past ere I was born? Were I to
lose my Life, I'd gladly Seal your Reconcilement with my Blood. 'But Oh
my Soul is free, you have no Title to my Immortal Being, that has
Existence independent of your Power; and must I lose my Love, the Extract
of that Being, the Joy, Light, Life, and Darling of my Soul? No, I'll
own my Flame, and plead my Title too.--But hold, wretched Aurelian, hold,
whither does thy Passion hurry thee? Alas! the cruel fair Incognita
Loves thee not! She knows not of thy Love! If she did, what Merit hast
thou to pretend?--Only Love.--Excess of Love. And all the World has
that. All that have seen her. Yet I had only seen her once, and in that
once I lov'd above the World; nay, lov'd beyond my self, such vigorous
Flame, so strong, so quick she darted at my Breast; it must rebound, and
by Reflection, warm her self. Ah! welcome Thought, lovely deluding
Fancy, hang still upon my Soul, let me but think, that once she Loves and
perish my Despair.

Here a suddain stop gave a Period also to Hippolito's Expectation, and he
hoped now that his Friend had given his Passion so free a vent, he might
recollect and bethink himself of what was convenient to be done; but
Aurelia, as if he had mustered up all his Spirits purely to acquit
himself of that passionate Harangue, stood mute and insensible like an
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