As the ground thou must henceforth till; but he
Thou slew'st was gentle as the flocks he tended.

Cain. After the fall too soon was I begotten;
Ere yet my mother's mind subsided from
The serpent, and my sire still mourn'd for Eden.
That which I am, I am; I did not seek
For life, nor did I make myself; but could I
With my own death redeem him from the dust-
And why not so? let him return to day,
And I lie ghastly! so shall be restored

By God the life to him he loved; and taken
From me a being I ne'er loved to bear.

Angel. Who shall heal murder? what is done is done.
Go forth fulfil thy days! and be thy deeds

Cain.

[The ANGEL disappears.

Ah! little knows he what he weeps for !
And I who have shed blood cannot shed tears!
But the four rivers would not cleanse my soul.
Think'st thou my boy will bear to look on me?
Adah. If I thought that he would not, I would—
Cain. (interrupting her).

No more of threats: we 've had too many of them :
Go to our children; I will follow thee.

Adah. I will not leave thee lonely with the dead;
Let us depart together.

And everlasting witness! whose unsinking

Blood darkens earth and heaven! what thou now art,

I know not! but if thou see'st what I am,

I think thou wilt forgive him, whom his God

Can ne'er forgive, nor his own soul.-Farewell!

I must not, dare not, touch what I have made thee.

I, who sprang from the same womb with thee, drain'd

The same breast, clasp'd thee often to my own,
In fondness brotherly and boyish, I

Can never meet thee more, nor even dare

To do that for thee, which thou shouldst have done

For me-compose thy limbs into their

The first grave yet dug for mortality.

grave

No,

But who hath dug that grave? Oh, earth! Oh, earth!

For all the fruits thou hast render'd to me, I

Give thee back this.-Now for the wilderness.

[ADAH stoops down and kisses the body of ABEL.

*The "four rivers" which flowed round Eden, and consequently the only waters with which Cain was acquainted upon the earth,

Adah. A dreary, and an early doom, my brother,
Has been thy lot! Of all who mourn for thee,
My office is

I alone must not weep.
Henceforth to dry up tears, and not to shed them;
But yet, of all who mourn, none mourn like me,
Not only for thyself, but him who slew thee.
Now, Cain! I will divide thy burden with thee.

Cain. Eastward from Eden will we take our way;

'T is the most desolate, and suits my steps.

Adah. Lead! thou shalt be my guide, and may our God Be thine! Now let us carry forth our children.

Cain. And he who lieth there was childless. I

Have dried the fountain of a gentle race,

Which might have graced his recent marriage couch,
And might have temper'd this stern blood of mine,
Uniting with our children Abel's offspring!

O Abel!

Adah. Peace be with him!

Cain.

But with me

[Exeunt.

WERNER,

OR THE INHERITANCE;

A TRAGEDY.

TO THE ILLUSTRIOUS GOETHE,

BY ONE OF HIS HUMBLEST ADMIRERS,

THIS TRAGEDY IS DEDICATED.