oke from her with
sudden fury: 'If the world should sue,' said he, 'I would spurn it off.
There is no pang that cunning can invent, which he shall not suffer: and
when death at length shall disappoint my vengeance, his mangled limbs
shall be cast out unburied, to feed the beasts of the desert and the
fowls of heaven.' During this menace, ALMEIDA sunk down without signs of
life; and HAMET struggling in vain for liberty to raise her from the
ground, she was carried off by some women who were called to her
assistance.

In this awful crisis, HAMET, who felt his own fortitude give way, looked
up, and though he conceived no words, a prayer ascended from his heart
to heaven, and was accepted by Him, to whom our thoughts are known while
they are yet afar off. For HAMET, the fountain of strength was opened
from above; his eye sparkled with confidence, and his breast was dilated
by hope. He commanded the guard that were leading him away to stop, and
they implicitly obeyed; he then stretched out his hand towards ALMORAN,
whose spirit was rebuked before him: 'Hear me,' said he, 'thou tyrant!
for it is thy genius that speaks by my voice. What has been the fruit of
all thy guilt, but accumulated misery? What joy hast thou derived from
undivided empire? what joy from the prohibition of my marriage with
ALMEIDA? what good from that power, which some evil daemon has added to
thy own? what, at this moment, is thy portion, but rage and anguish,
disappointment, and despair? Even I, whom thou seest the captive of thy
power, whom thou hast wronged of empire, and yet more of love; even I am
happy, in comparison of thee. I know that my sufferings, however
multiplied, are short, for they shall end with life, and no life is
long: then shall the everlasting ages commence; and through everlasting
ages thy sufferings shall increase. The moment is now near, when thou
shalt tread that line which alone is the path to heaven, the narrow
path that is stretched over the pit, which smokes for ever, and for
ever! When thine aking eye shall look forward to the end that is far
distant, and when behind thou shalt find no retreat; when thy steps
shall faulter, and thou shalt tremble at the depth beneath, which
thought itself is not able to fathom; then shall the angel of
distribution lift his inexorable hand against thee: from the irremeable
way shall thy feet be smitten; thou shalt plunge in the burning flood;
and though thou shalt live for ever, thou shalt r