“Dark lowers our fate,
And terrible the storm that gathers o’er us;
But nothing, till that latest agony
Which severs1 thee from nature shall unloose
This fixed2 and sacred hold. In thy dark prison-house;
In the terrific force of armed law;
Yea! on the scaffold, if it needs must be,
I never will forsake3 thee.”—Joanna Baillie.
About the middle of the eighteenth century, the little town of Montes, situated4 some forty or fifty miles from Lisbon, was thrown into most unusual excitement by the magnificence attending the nuptials5 of Alvar Rodriguez and Almah Diaz; an excitement which the extraordinary beauty of the bride, who, though the betrothed6 of Alvar from her childhood, had never been seen in Montes before, of course not a little increased. The little church of Montes looked gay and glittering, for the large sums lavished7 by Alvar on the officiating priests, and in presents to their patron saints, had occasioned every picture, shrine8, and image to blaze in uncovered gold and jewels, and the altar to be fed with the richest incense9, and lighted with tapers10 of the finest wax, to do him honour.
The church was full; for, although the bridal party did not exceed twenty, the village appeared to have emptied itself there; Alvar’s munificence11 to all classes, on all occasions, having rendered him the universal idol13, and caused the fame of that day’s rejoicing to extend many miles around.
There was nothing remarkable14 in the behaviour of either bride or bridegroom, except that both were decidedly more calm than such occasions usually warrant. Nay15, in the fine, manly16 countenance17 of Alvar, ever and anon an expression seemed to flit, that in any but so true a son of the church would have been accounted scorn. In such a one, of course, it was neither seen nor regarded, except by his bride; for at such times her eyes met his with an earnest and entreating18 glance, that the peculiar19 look was changed into a quiet, tender seriousness which reassured20 her.
From the church they adjourned21 to the lordly mansion22 of Rodriguez, which, in the midst of the flowering orange and citron trees, stood about two miles from the town.
The remainder of the day passed in festivity. The banquet and dance and song, both within and around the house, diversified23 the scene and increased hilarity24 in all. By sunset, all but the immediate25 friends and relatives of the newly wedded26 had departed. Some splendid and novel fireworks from the heights having attracted universal attention, Alvar, with his usual indulgence, gave his servants and retainers permission to join the festive27 crowds; liberty, to all who wished it, was given for the next two hours.
In a very brief interval28 the house was cleared, with the exception of a young Moor29, the secretary or book-keeper of Alvar, and four or five aged31" target="_blank">middle-aged30 domestics of both sexes.
Gradually, and it appeared undesignedly, the bride and her female companions were left alone, and for the first time the beautiful face of Almah was shadowed by emotion.
“Shall I, oh, shall I indeed be his?” she said, half-aloud. “There are moments when our dread32 secrets are so terrible; it seems to forbode discovery at the very moment it would be most agonizing33 to bear.”
“Hush34, silly one!” was the reply of an older friend; “discovery is not so easily or readily accomplished35. The persecuted36 and the nameless have acquired wisdom and caution at the price of blood—learned to deceive, that they may triumph—to conceal37, that they may flourish still. Almah, we are not to fall!”
“I know it, Inez. A superhuman agency upholds us; we had been cast off, rooted out, plucked from the very face of the earth long since else. But there are times when human nature will shrink and tremble—when the path of deception38 and concealment39 allotted40 for us to tread seems fraught41 with danger at every turn. I know it is all folly42, yet there is a dim foreboding, shadowing our fair horizon of joy as a hovering43 thunder-cloud. There has been suspicion, torture, death. Oh, if my Alvar—”
“Nay, Almah; this is childish. It is only because you are too happy, and happiness, in its extent is ever pain. In good time comes your venerable guardian44, to chide45 and silence all such foolish fancies. How many weddings have there been, and will there still be, like this? Come, smile, love, while I re-arrange your veil.”
Almah obeyed, though the smile was faint, as if the soul yet trembled in its joy. On the entrance of Gonzolas, her guardian (she was an orphan46 and an heiress), her veil was thrown around her, so as completely to envelope face and form. Taking his arm, and followed by all her female companions, she was hastily and silently led to a sort of ante-room or cabinet, opening, by a massive door concealed47 with tapestry48, from the suite49 of rooms appropriated to the private use of the merchant and his family. There Alvar and his friends awaited her. A canopy50, supported by four of the youngest males present, was held over the bride and bridegroom as they stood facing the east. A silver salver lay at their feet, and opposite stood an aged man, with a small richly-bound volume in his hand. It was open and displayed letters and words of unusual form and sound. Another of Alvar’s friends stood near, holding a goblet51 of sacred wine; and to a third was given a slight and thin Venetian glass. After a brief and solemn pause, the old man read or rather chanted from the book he held, joined in parts by those around; and then he tasted the sacred wine, and passed it to the bride and bridegroom. Almah’s veil was upraised, for her to touch the goblet with her lips, now quivering with emotion, and not permitted to fall again. And Alvar, where now was the expression of scorn and contempt that had been stamped on his bold brow and curling lip before? Gone—lost before the powerful emotion which scarcely permitted his lifting the goblet a second time to his lips. Then, taking the Venetian glass, he broke it on the salver at his feet, and the strange rites52 were completed.
Yet no words of congratulation came. Drawn53 together in a closer knot, while Alvar folded the now almost fainting Almah to his bosom54, and said, in the deep, low tones of intense feeling, “Mine, mine for ever now—mine in the sight of our God, the God of the exile and the faithful; our fate, whatever it be, henceforth is one;” the old man lifted up his clasped hands, and prayed.
“God of the nameless and homeless,” he said, and it was in the same strange yet solemn-sounding language as before, “have mercy on these Thy servants, joined together in Thy Holy name, to share the lot on earth Thy will assigns them, with one heart and mind. Strengthen Thou them to keep the secret of their faith and race—to teach it to their offspring as they received it from their fathers. Pardon Thou, them and us, the deceit we do to keep holy Thy law and Thine inheritance. In the land of the persecutor56, the exterminator57, be Thou their shield, and save them for Thy Holy name. But if discovery and its horrible consequences—imprisonment, torture, death—await them, strengthen Thou them for their endurance—to die as they would live for Thee. Father, hear us! homeless and nameless upon earth, we are Thine own!”
“Aye, strengthen me for him, my husband; turn my woman weakness into Thy strength for him, Almighty58 Father,” was the voiceless prayer with which Almah lifted up her pale face from her husband’s bosom, where it had rested during the whole of that strange and terrible prayer; and in the calmness stealing on her throbbing60 heart, she read her answer.
It was some few minutes ere the excited spirits of the devoted61 few then present, male or female, master or servant, could subside62 into their wonted control. But such scenes, such feelings were not of rare occurrence; and ere the domestics of Rodriguez returned, there was nothing either in the mansion or its inmates64 to denote that anything uncommon65 had taken place during their absence.
The Portuguese66 are not fond of society at any time, so that Alvar and his young bride should, after one week of festivity, live in comparative retirement67, elicited68 no surprise. The former attended his house of business at Montes as usual; and whoever chanced to visit him at his beautiful estate, returned delighted with his entertainment and his hosts; so that, far and near, the merchant Alvar became noted69 alike for his munificence and the strict orthodox Catholicism in which he conducted his establishment.
And was Alvar Rodriguez indeed what he seemed? If so, what were those strange mysterious rites with which in secret he celebrated70 his marriage? For what were those many contrivances in his mansion, secret receptacles even from his own sitting-rooms, into which all kinds of forbidden food were conveyed from his very table, that his soul might not be polluted by disobedience? How did it so happen that one day in every year Alvar gave a general holiday—leave of absence for four and twenty hours, under some well-arranged pretence71, to all save those who entreated72 permission to remain with him? And that on that day, Alvar, his wife, his Moorish73 secretary, and all those domestics who had witnessed his marriage, spent in holy fast and prayer—permitting no particle of food or drink to pass their lips from eve unto eve; or if, by any chance, the holiday could not be given, their several meals to be laid and served, yet so contriving74 that, while the food looked as if it had been partaken of, not a portion had they touched? That the Saturday should be passed in seeming preparation for the Sunday, in cessation from work of any kind, and in frequent prayer, was perhaps of trivial importance; but for the previous mysteries—mysteries known to Alvar, his wife, and five or six of his establishment, yet never by word or sign betrayed; how may we account for them? There may be some to whom the memory of such things, as common to their ancestors, may be yet familiar; but to by far the greater number of English readers, they are, in all probability, as incomprehensible as uncommon.
Alvar Rodriguez was a Jew. One of the many who, in Portugal and Spain, fulfilled the awful prophecy of their great lawgiver Moses, and bowed before the imaged saints and martyrs75 of the Catholic, to shrine the religion of their fathers yet closer in their hearts and homes. From father to son the secret of their faith and race descended76, so early and so mysteriously taught, that little children imbibed77 it—not alone the faith, but so effectually to conceal it, as to avert78 and mystify all inquisitorial questioning, long before they knew the meaning or necessity of what they learned.
How this was accomplished, how the religion of God was thus preserved in the very midst of persecution79 and intolerance, must ever remain a mystery, as, happily for Israel such fearful training is no longer needed. But that it did exist, that Jewish children, in the very midst of monastic and convent tuition, yet adhered to the religion of their fathers, never by word or sign betrayed the secret with which they were intrusted; and, in their turn, became husbands and fathers, conveying their solemn and dangerous inheritance to their posterity—that such things were, there are those still amongst the Hebrews of England to affirm and recall, claiming among their own ancestry80, but one generation removed, those who have thus concealed and thus adhered. It was the power of God, not the power of man. Human strength had been utterly81 inefficient82. Torture and death would long before have annihilated83 every remnant of Israel’s devoted race. But it might not be; for God had spoken. And, as a living miracle, a lasting85 record of His truth, His justice, aye, and mercy, Israel was preserved in the midst of danger, in the very face of death, and will be preserved for ever.
It was no mere86 rejoicing ceremony, that of marriage, amongst the disguised and hidden Israelites of Portugal and Spain. They were binding87 themselves to preserve and propagate a persecuted faith. They were no longer its sole repositors. Did the strength of one waver, all was at end. They were united in the sweet links of love—framing for themselves new ties, new hopes, new blessings89 in a rising family—all of which, at one blow, might be destroyed. They existed in an atmosphere of death, yet they lived and flourished. But so situated, it was not strange that human emotion, both in Alvar and his bride, should, on their wedding-day, have gained ascendency; and the solemn hour which made them one in the sight of the God they worshipped, should have been fraught with a terror and a shuddering91, of which Jewish lovers in free and happy England can have no knowledge.
Alvar Rodriguez was one of those high and noble spirits, on whom the chain of deceit and concealment weighed heavily; and there were times when it had been difficult to suppress and conceal his scorn of those outward observances which his apparent Catholicism compelled. When united to Almah, however, he had a stronger incentive93 than his own safety; and as time passed on, and he became a father, caution and circumspection94, if possible, increased with the deep passionate95 feelings of tenderness towards the mother and child. As the boy grew and flourished, the first feelings of dread, which the very love he excited called forth55 at his birth, subsided96 into a kind of tranquil97 calm, which even Almah’s foreboding spirit trusted would last, as the happiness of others of her race.
Though Alvar’s business was carried on both at Montes and at Lisbon, the bulk of both his own and his wife’s property was, by a strange chance, invested at Badajoz, a frontier town of Spain, and whence he had often intended to remove it, but had always been prevented. It happened that early in the month of June, some affairs calling him to Lisbon, he resolved to delay removing it no longer, smiling at his young wife’s half solicitation98 to let it remain where it was, and playfully accusing her of superstition99, a charge she cared not to deny. The night before his intended departure his young Moorish secretary, in other words, an Israelite of Barbary extraction, entered his private closet, with a countenance of entreaty100 and alarm, earnestly conjuring101 his master to give up his Lisbon expedition, and retire with his wife and son to Badajoz or Oporto, or some distant city, at least for a while. Anxiously Rodriguez inquired wherefore.
“You remember the Senor Leyva, your worship’s guest a week or two ago?”
“Perfectly102. What of him?”
“Master, I like him not. If danger befall us it will come through him. I watched him closely, and every hour of his stay shrunk from him the more. He was a stranger?”
“Yes; benighted103, and had lost his way. It was impossible to refuse him hospitality. That he stayed longer than he had need, I grant; but there is no cause of alarm in that—he liked his quarters.”
“Master,” replied the Moor, earnestly, “I do not believe his tale. He was no casual traveller. I cannot trust him.”
“You are not called upon to do so, man,” said Alvar, laughing. “What do you believe him to be that you would inoculate104 me with your own baseless alarm?”
Hassan Ben Ahmed’s answer, whatever it might be, for it was whispered fearfully in his master’s ear, had the effect of sending every drop of blood from Alvar’s face to his very heart. But he shook off the stagnating105 dread. He combated the prejudices of his follower106 as unreasonable107 and unfounded. Hassan’s alarm, however, could only be soothed108 by the fact, that so suddenly to change his plans would but excite suspicion. If Leyva were what he feared, his visit must already have been followed by the usual terrific effects.
Alvar promised, however, to settle his affairs at Lisbon as speedily as he could, and return for Almah and his son, and convey them to some place of greater security until the imagined danger was passed.
In spite of his assumed indifference109, however, Rodriguez could not bid his wife and child farewell without a pang110 of dread, which it was difficult to conceal. The step between life and death—security and destruction—was so small, it might be passed unconsciously, and then the strongest nerve might shudder92 at the dark abyss before him. Again and again he turned to go, and yet again returned; and it was with a feeling literally111 of desperation he at length tore himself away.
A fearful trembling was on Almah’s heart as she gazed after him, but she would not listen to its voice.
“It is folly,” she said, self-upbraidingly. “My Alvar is ever chiding112 this too doubting heart. I will not disobey him, by fear and foreboding in his absence. The God of the nameless is with him and me,” and she raised her eyes to the blue arch above her, with an expression that needed not voice to mark it prayer.
About a week after Alvar’s departure, Almah was sitting by the cradle of her boy, watching his soft and rosy113 slumbers114, with a calm, sweet thankfulness that such a treasure was her own. The season had been unusually hot and dry, but the apartment in which the young mother sat opened on a pleasant spot, thickly shaded with orange, lemon, and almond trees, and decked with a hundred other richly-hued and richly-scented plants; in the centre of which a fountain sent up its heavy showers, which fell back on the marble bed, with a splash and coolness peculiarly refreshing116, and sparkled in the sun as glittering gems117.
A fleet yet heavy step resounded118 from the garden, which seemed suddenly and forcibly restrained into a less agitated119 movement. A shadow fell between her and the sunshine, and, starting, Almah looked hastily up. Hassan Ben Ahmed stood before her, a paleness on his swarthy cheek, and a compression on his nether120 lip, betraying strong emotion painfully restrained.
“My husband! Hassan. What news bring you of him? Why are you alone?”
He laid his hand on her arm, and answered in a voice which so quivered that only ears eager as her own could have distinguished121 his meaning.
“Lady, dear, dear lady, you have a firm and faithful heart. Oh! for the love of Him who calls on you to suffer, awake its strength and firmness. My dear, my honoured lady, sink not, fail not! O God of mercy support her now!” he added, flinging himself on his knees before her, as Almah one moment sprang up with a smothered122 shriek123, and the next sank back on her seat rigid124 as marble.
Not another word she needed. Hassan thought to have prepared, gradually to have told his dread intelligence; but he had said enough. Called upon to suffer, and for Him, her God—her doom125 was revealed in those brief words. One minute of such agonized126 struggle, that her soul and body seemed about to part beneath it; and the wife and mother roused herself to do. Lip, cheek, and brow vied in their ashen127 whiteness with her robe; the blue veins128 rose distended129 as cords; and the voice—had not Hassan gazed upon her, he had not known it as her own.
She commanded him to tell her briefly130 all, and even while he spoke84, seemed revolving131 in her own mind the decision which not four and twenty hours after Hassan’s intelligence she put into execution.
It was as Ben Ahmed had feared. The known popularity and rumoured132 riches of Alvar Rodriguez had excited the jealousy133 of that secret and awful tribunal, the Inquisition, one of whose innumerable spies, under the feigned134 name of Leyva, had obtained entrance within Alvar’s hospitable135 walls. One unguarded word or movement, the faintest semblance136 of secrecy137 or caution, were all-sufficient; nay, without these, more than a common share of wealth or felicity was enough for the unconscious victims to be marked, tracked, and seized, without preparation or suspicion of their fate. Alvar had chanced to mention his intended visit to Lisbon; and the better to conceal the agent of his arrest, as also to make it more secure, they waited till his arrival there, watched their opportunity, and seized and conveyed him to those cells whence few returned in life, propagating the charge of relapsed Judaism as the cause of his arrest. It was a charge too common for remark, and the power which interfered139 too mighty59 for resistance. The confusion of the arrest soon subsided; but it lasted long enough for the faithful Hassan to escape, and, by dint140 of very rapid travelling, he reached Montes not four hours after his master’s seizure141. The day was in consequence before them, and he ceased not to conjure142 his lady to fly at once; the officers of the Inquisition could scarcely be there before nightfall.
“You must take advantage of it, Hassan, and all of you who love me. For my child, my boy,” she had clasped him to her bosom, and a convulsion contracted her beautiful features as she spoke, “you must take care of him; convey him to Holland or England. Take jewels and gold sufficient; and—and make him love his parents—he may never see either of them more. Hassan, Hassan, swear to protect my child!” she added, with a burst of such sudden and passionate agony, it seemed as if life or reason must bend beneath it. Bewildered by her words, as terrified by her emotion, Ben Ahmed gently removed the trembling child from the fond arms that for the first time failed to support him, gave him hastily to the care of his nurse, who was also a Jewess, said a few words in Hebrew, detailing what had passed, beseeching143 her to prepare for flight, and then returned to his mistress. The effects of that prostrating144 agony remained, but she had so far conquered, as to seem outwardly calm; and in answer to his respectful and anxious looks, besought145 him not to fear for her, nor to dissuade146 her from her purpose, but to aid her in its accomplishment147. She summoned her household around her, detailed148 what had befallen, and bade them seek their own safety in flight; and when in tears and grief they left her, and but those of her own faith remained, she solemnly committed her child to their care, and informed them of her own determination to proceed directly to Lisbon. In vain Hassan Ben Ahmed conjured149 her to give up the idea; it was little short of madness. How could she aid his master? why not secure her own safety, that if indeed he should escape, the blessing88 of her love would be yet preserved him?
“Do not fear for your master, Hassan,” was the calm reply; “ask not of my plans, for at this moment they seem but chaos150, but of this be assured, we shall live or die together.”
More she revealed not; but when the officers of the Inquisition arrived, near nightfall, they found nothing but deserted151 walls. The magnificent furniture and splendid paintings which alone remained, of course were seized by the Holy Office, by whom Alvar’s property was also confiscated152. Had his arrest been deferred153 three months longer, all would have gone—swept off by the same rapacious154 power, to whom great wealth was ever proof of great guilt155—but as it was, the greater part, secured in Spain, remained untouched; a circumstance peculiarly fortunate, as Almah’s plans needed the aid of gold.
We have no space to linger on the mother’s feelings, as she parted from her boy; gazing on him, perhaps, for the last time. Yet she neither wept nor sighed. There was but one other feeling strong in that gentle bosom—a wife’s devotion—and to that alone she might listen now.
Great was old Gonzalos’ terror and astonishment156 when Almah, attended only by Hassan Ben Ahmed, and both attired157 in the Moorish costume, entered his dwelling158 and implored159 his concealment and aid. The arrest of Alvar Rodriguez had, of course, thrown every secret Hebrew into the greatest alarm, though none dared be evinced. Gonzalos’ only hope and consolation160 was that Almah and her child had escaped; and to see her in the very centre of danger, even to listen to her calmly proposed plans, seemed so like madness, that he used every effort to alarm her into their relinquishment161. But this could not be; and with the darkest forebodings, the old man at length yielded to the stronger, more devoted spirit with whom he had to deal.
His mistress once safely under Gonzalos’ roof, Ben Ahmed departed, under cover of night, in compliance162 with her earnest entreaties163, to rejoin her child, and to convey him and his nurse to England, that blessed land, where the veil of secrecy could be removed.
About a week after the incarceration164 of Alvar, a young Moor sought and obtained admission to the presence of Juan Pacheco, the secretary of the Inquisition, as informer against Alvar Rodriguez. He stated that he had taken service with him as clerk or secretary, on condition that he would give him baptism and instruction in the holy Catholic faith; that Alvar had not yet done so; that many things in his establishment proclaimed a looseness of orthodox principles, which the Holy Office would do well to notice. Meanwhile he humbly165 offered a purse containing seventy pieces of gold, to obtain masses for his salvation166.
This last argument carried more weight than all the rest. The young Moor, who boldly gave his name as Hassan Ben Ahmed (which was confirmation167 strong of his previous statement, as in Leyva’s information of Alvar and his household the Moorish secretary was particularly specified), was listened to with attention, and finally received in Pacheco’s own household, as junior clerk and servant to the Holy Office.
Despite his extreme youthfulness and delicacy168 of figure, face, and voice, Hassan’s activity and zeal169 to oblige every member of the Holy Office, superiors and inferiors, gradually gained him the favour and goodwill170 of all. There was no end to his resources for serving others; and thus he had more opportunities of seeing the prisoners in a few weeks, than others of the same rank as himself had had in years. But the prisoner he most longed to see was still unfound, and it was not till summoned before his judges, in the grand hall of inquisition and of torture, Hassan Ben Ahmed gazed once more upon his former master. He had attended Pacheco in his situation of junior clerk, but had seated himself so deeply in the shade that, though every movement in both the face and form of Alvar was distinguishable to him, Hassan himself was invisible.
The trial, if trial such iniquitous171 proceedings172 may be called, proceeded; but in nought173 did Alvar Rodriguez fail in his bearing or defence. Marvellous and superhuman must that power have been which, in such a scene and hour, prevented all betrayal of the true faith the victims bore. Once Judaism confessed, the doom was death; and again and again have the sons of Israel remained in the terrible dungeons174 of the Inquisition—endured every species of torture during a space of seven, ten, or twelve years, and then been released, because no proof could be brought of their being indeed that accursed thing—a Jew. And then it was that they fled from scenes of such fearful trial to lands of toleration and freedom, and there embrace openly and rejoicingly that blessed faith, for which in secret they had borne so much.
Alvar Rodriguez was one of these—prepared to suffer, but not reveal. They applied176 the torture, but neither word nor groan177 was extracted from him. Engrossed178 with the prisoner, for it was his task to write down whatever disjointed words might escape his lips, Pacheco neither noticed not even remembered the presence of the young Moor. No unusual paleness could be visible on his embrowned cheek, but his whole frame felt to himself to have become rigid as stone; a deadly sickness had crept over him, and the terrible conviction of all which rested with him to do alone prevented his sinking senseless on the earth.
The terrible struggle was at length at an end. Alvar was released for the time being, and remanded to his dungeon175. Availing himself of the liberty he enjoyed in the little notice now taken of his movements, Hassan reached the prison before either Alvar or his guards. A rapid glance told him its situation, overlooking a retired179 part of the court, cultivated as a garden. The height of the wall seemed about forty feet, and there were no windows of observation on either side. This was fortunate, the more so as Hassan had before made friends with the old gardener, and pretending excessive love of gardening, had worked just under the window, little dreaming its vicinity to him he sought.
A well-known Hebrew air, with its plaintive180 Hebrew words, sung tremblingly and softly under his window, first roused Alvar to the sense that a friend was near. He started, almost in superstitious181 terror, for the voice seemed an echo to that which was ever sounding in his heart. That loved one it could not be, nay, he dared not even wish it; but still the words were Hebrew, and, for the first time, memory flashed back a figure in Moorish garb183 who had flitted by him on his return to his prison, after his examination.
Hassan, the faithful Hassan! Alvar felt certain it could be none but he; though, in the moment of sudden excitement, the voice had seemed another’s. He looked from the window; the Moor was bending over the flowers, but Alvar felt confirmed in his suspicions, and his heart throbbed184 with the sudden hope of liberty. He whistled, and a movement in the figure below convinced him he was heard.
One point was gained; the next was more fraught with danger, yet it was accomplished. In a bunch of flowers, drawn up by a thin string which Alvar chanced to possess, Ben Ahmed had concealed a file; and as he watched it ascend90, and beheld185 the flowers scattered186 to the winds, in token that they had done their work, for Alvar dared not retain them in his prison, Hassan felt again the prostration187 of bodily power which had before assailed188 him for such a different cause, and it was an almost convulsive effort to retain his faculties189; but a merciful Providence190 watched over him and Alvar, making the feeblest and the weakest, instruments of His all-sustaining love.
We are not permitted space to linger on the various ingenious methods adopted by Hassan Ben Ahmed to forward and mature his plans. Suffice it that all seemed to smile upon him. The termination of the garden wall led, by a concealed door, to a subterranean191 passage running to the banks of the Tagus. This fact, as also the secret spring of the trap, the old gardener in a moment of unwise conviviality192 imparted to Ben Ahmed, little imagining the special blessing which such unexpected information secured.
An alcayde and about twenty guards did sometimes patrol the garden within sight of Alvar’s window; but this did not occur often, such caution seeming unnecessary.
It had been an evening of unwonted festivity among the soldiers and servants of the Holy Office, which had at length subsided into the heavy slumbers of general intoxication193. Hassan had supped with the gardener, and plying194 him well with wine, soon produced the desired effect. Four months had the Moor spent within the dreaded195 walls, and the moment had now come when delay need be no more. At midnight all was hushed into profound silence, not a leaf stirred, and the night was so unusually still that the faintest sound would have been distinguished. Hassan stealthily crept round the outposts. Many of the guards were slumbering196 in various attitudes upon their posts, and others, dependent on his promised watchfulness197, were literally deserted. He stood beneath the window. One moment he clasped his hands and bowed his head in one mighty, piercing, though silent prayer, and then dug hastily in the flower-bed at his feet, removing from thence a ladder of ropes, which had lain there some days concealed, and flung a pebble198 with correct aim against the bars of Alvar’s window. The sound, though scarcely loud enough to disturb a bird, reverberated199 on the trembling heart which heard, as if a thousand cannons200 had been discharged.
A moment of agonized suspense201, and Alvar Rodriguez stood at the window, the bar he had removed, in his hand. He let down the string, to which Hassan’s now trembling hands secured the ladder and drew it to the wall. His descent could not have occupied two minutes, at the extent; but to that solitary202 watcher what eternity203 of suffering did they seem! Alvar was at his side, had clasped his hands, had called him “Hassan! brother!” in tones of intense feeling, but no word replied. He sought to fly, to point to the desired haven204, but his feet seemed suddenly rooted to the earth. Alvar threw his arm around him, and drew him forwards. A sudden and unnatural205 strength returned. Noiselessly and fleetly as their feet could go, they sped beneath the shadow of the wall. A hundred yards alone divided them from the secret door. A sudden sound broke the oppressive stillness. It was the tramp of heavy feet and the clash of arms; the light of many torches flashed upon the darkness. They darted206 forward in the fearful excitement of despair; but the effort was void and vain. A wild shout of challenge—of alarm—and they were surrounded, captured, so suddenly, so rapidly, Alvar’s very senses seemed to reel; but frightfully they were recalled. A shriek, so piercing, it seemed to rend12 the very heavens, burst through the still air. The figure of the Moor rushed from the detaining grasp of the soldiery, regardless of bared steel and pointed208 guns, and flung himself at the feet of Alvar.
“O God, my husband—I have murdered him!” were the strange appalling209 words which burst upon his ear, and the lights flashing upon his face, as he sank prostrate211 and lifeless on the earth, revealed to Alvar’s tortured senses the features of his wife.
How long that dead faint continued Almah knew not, but when sense returned she found herself in a dark and dismal212 cell, her upper garment and turban removed, while the plentiful213 supply of water, which had partially214 restored life, had removed in a great degree the dye which had given her countenance its Moorish hue115. Had she wished to continue concealment, one glance around her would have proved the effort vain. Her sex was already known, and the stern dark countenances215 near her breathed but ruthlessness and rage. Some brief questions were asked relative to her name, intent, and faith, which she answered calmly.
“In revealing my name,” she said, “my intention must also be disclosed. The wife of Alvar Rodriguez had not sought these realms of torture and death, had not undergone all the miseries216 of disguise and servitude, but for one hope, one intent—the liberty of her husband.”
“Thus proving his guilt,” was the rejoinder. “Had you known him innocent, you would have waited the justice of the Holy Office to give him freedom.”
“Justice!” she repeated, bitterly. “Had the innocent never suffered, I might have trusted. But I knew accusation217 was synonymous with death, and therefore came I here. For my faith, mine is my husband’s.”
“And know you the doom of all who attempt or abet218 escape? Death—death by burning! and this you have hurled219 upon him and yourself. It is not the Holy Office, but his wife who has condemned220 him,” and with gibing221 laugh they left her, securing with heavy bolt and bar the iron door. She darted forwards, beseeching them, as they hoped for mercy, to take her to her husband, to confine them underground a thousand fathoms222 deep, so that they might but be together; but only the hollow echo of her own voice replied, and the wretched girl sunk back upon the ground, relieved from present suffering by long hours of utter insensibility.
It was not till brought from their respective prisons to hear pronounced on them the sentence of death, that Alvar Rodriguez and his heroic wife once more gazed upon each other.
They had provided Almah, at her own entreaty, with female habiliments; for, in the bewildering agony of her spirit, she attributed the failure of her scheme for the rescue of her husband to her having disobeyed the positive command of God, and adopted a male disguise, which in His eyes was abomination, but which in her wild desire to save Alvar she had completely overlooked, and she now in consequence shrunk from the fatal garb with agony and loathing223. Yet despite the haggard look of intense mental and bodily suffering, the loss of her lovely hair, which she had cut close to her head, lest by the merest chance its length and luxuriance should discover her, so exquisite224, so touching225, was her delicate loveliness, that her very judges, stern, unbending as was their nature, looked on her with an admiration226 almost softening227 them to mercy.
And now, for the first time, Alvar’s manly composure seemed about to desert him. He, too, had suffered almost as herself, save that her devotedness228, her love, appeared to give him strength, to endow him with courage, even to look upon her fate, blended as it now was with his own, with calmness in that merciful God who called him thus early to Himself. Almah could not realize such thoughts. But one image was ever present, seeming to mock her very misery229 to madness. Her effort had failed; had she not so wildly sought her husband’s escape—had she but waited—they might have released him; and now, what was she but his murderess?
Little passed between the prisoners and their judges. Their guilt was all-sufficiently proved by their endeavours to escape, which in itself was a crime always visited by death; and for these manifold sins and misdemeanours they were sentenced to be burnt alive, on All Saints’ day, in the grand square of the Inquisition, at nine o’clock in the morning, and proclamation commanded to be made throughout Lisbon, that all who sought to witness and assist at the ceremony should receive remission of sins, and be accounted worthy230 servants of Jesus Christ. The lesser231 severity of strangling the victims before burning was denied them, as they neither repented232 nor had trusted to the justice and clemency233 of the Holy Office, but had attempted to avert a deserved fate by flight.
Not a muscle of Alvar’s fine countenance moved during this awful sentence. He stood proudly and loftily erect234, regarding those that spake with an eye, bright, stern, unflinching as their own; but a change passed over it as, breaking from the guard around, Almah flung herself on her knees at his feet.
“Alvar! Alvar! I have murdered—my husband, oh, my husband, say you forgive—forgive—”
“Hush, hush, beloved! mine own heroic Almah, fail not now!” he answered, with a calm and tender seriousness, which seeming to still that crushing agony, strengthened her to bear; and raising her, he pressed her to his breast.
“We have but to die as we have lived, my own! true to that God whose chosen and whose firstborn we are, have been, and shall be unto death, aye, and beyond it. He will protect our poor orphan, for He has promised the fatherless shall be His care. Look up, my beloved, and say you can face death with Alvar, calmly, faithfully, as you sought to live for him. God has chosen for us a better heritage than one of earth.”
She raised her head from his bosom; the terror and the agony had passed from that sweet face—it was tranquil as his own.
“It was not my own death I feared,” she said, unfalteringly, “it was but the weakness of human love; but it is over now. Love is mightier235 than death; there is only love in heaven.”
“Aye!” answered Alvar, and proudly and sternly he waved back the soldiers who had hurried forward to divide them. “Men of a mistaken and bloody236 creed237, behold238 how the scorned and persecuted Israelites can love and die. While there was a hope that we could serve our God, the Holy and the only One, better in life than in death, it was our duty to preserve that life, and endure torture for His sake, rather than reveal the precious secret of our sainted faith and heavenly heritage. But now that hope is at an end, now that no human means can save us from the doom pronounced, know ye have judged rightly of our creed. We are those chosen children of God, by you deemed blasphemous239 and heretic. Do what ye will, men of blood and guile240, ye cannot rob us of our faith.”
The impassioned tones of natural eloquence241 awed242 even the rude crowd around; but more was not permitted. Rudely severed243, and committed to their own guards, the prisoners were borne to their respective dungeons. To Almah, those earnest words had been as the voice of an angel, hushing every former pang to rest; and in the solitude244 and darkness of the intervening hours, even the thought of her child could not rob her soul of its calm, or prayer of its strength.
The first of November, 1755, dawned cloudless and lovely, as it had been the last forty days. Never had there been a season more gorgeous in its sunny splendour, more brilliant in the intense azure245 of its arching heaven than the present. Scarcely any rain had fallen for many months, and the heat had at first been intolerable, but within the last six weeks a freshness and coolness had infused the atmosphere and revived the earth.
As it was not a regular auto246 da fé (Alvar and his wife being the only victims), the awful ceremony of burning was to take place in the square, of which the buildings of the Inquisition formed one side. Mass had been performed before daybreak, in the chapel247 of the Inquisition, at which the victims were compelled to be present, and about half-past seven the dread procession left the Inquisition gates. The soldiers and minor248 servitors marched first, forming a hollow square, in the centre of which were the stakes and huge faggots piled around. Then came the sacred cross, covered with a black veil, and its body-guard of priests. The victims, each surrounded by monks249, appeared next, closely followed by the higher officers and inquisitors, and a band of fifty men, in rich dresses of black satin and silver, closed the procession.
We have no space to linger on the ceremonies always attendant on the burning of Inquisitorial prisoners. Although, from the more private nature of the rites, these ceremonies were greatly curtailed250, it was rather more than half an hour after nine when the victims were bound to their respective stakes, and the executioners approached with their blazing brands.
There was no change in the countenance of either prisoner. Pale they were, yet calm and firm; all of human feeling had been merged251 in the martyr’s courage, and the martyr’s faith.
One look had been exchanged between them—of love spiritualized to look beyond the grave—of encouragement to endure for their God, even to the end. The sky was still cloudless, the sun still looked down on that scene of horror; and then was a hush—a pause—for so it felt in nature, that stilled the very breathing of those around.
“Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One—the Sole and Holy One; there is no unity138 like His unity!” were the words which broke that awful pause, in a voice distinct, unfaltering, and musical as its wont63; and it was echoed by the sweet tones from woman’s lips, so thrilling in their melody, the rudest nature started. It was the signal of their fate. The executioners hastened forward, the brands were applied to the turf of the piles, the flames burst up beneath their hand—when at that moment there came a shock as if the very earth were cloven asunder252, the heavens rent in twain. A crash so loud, so fearful, so appalling, as if the whole of Lisbon had been shivered to its foundations, and a shriek, or rather thousands and thousands of human voices, blended in one wild-piercing cry of agony and terror, seeming to burst from every quarter at the self-same instant, and fraught with universal woe253. The buildings around shook, as impelled254 by a mighty whirlwind, though no sound of such was heard. The earth heaved, yawned, closed, and rocked again, as the billows of the ocean were lashed182 to fury. It was a moment of untold255 horror. The crowd assembled to witness the martyr’s death fled, wildly shrieking256, on every side. Scattered to the heaving ground, the blazing piles lay powerless to injure; their bonds were shivered, their guards were fled. One bound brought Alvar to his wife, and he clasped her in his arms. “God, God of Mercy, save us yet again! Be with us to the end!” he exclaimed, and faith winged the prayer. On, on he sped; up, up, in direction of the heights, where he knew comparative safety lay; but ere he reached them, the innumerable sights and sounds of horror that yawned upon his way! Every street, and square, and avenue was choked with shattered ruins, rent from top to bottom; houses, convents, and churches presented the most fearful aspect of ruin; while every second minute a new impetus257 seemed to be given to the convulsed earth, causing those that remained still perfect to rock and rend. Huge stones, falling from every crack, were crushing the miserable258 fugitives259 as they rushed on, seeking safety they knew not where. The rafters of every roof, wrenched260 from their fastenings, stood upright a brief while, and then fell in hundreds together, with a crash perfectly appalling. The very ties of nature were severed in the wild search for safety. Individual life alone appeared worth preserving. None dared seek the fate of friends—none dared ask, “Who lives?” in that one scene of universal death.
On, on sped Alvar and his precious burden, on, over the piles of ruins; on, unhurt amidst the shower of stones, which, hurled in the air as easily as a ball cast from an infant’s hand, fell back again laden261 with a hundred deaths; on, amid the rocking and yawning earth, beholding262 thousands swallowed up, crushed and maimed, worse than death itself, for they were left to a lingering torture—to die a thousand deaths in anticipating one; on, over the disfigured heaps of dead, and the unrecognised masses of what had once been magnificent and gorgeous buildings. His eye was well-nigh blinded with the shaking and tottering263 movement of all things animate264 and inanimate before him; and his path obscured by the sudden and awful darkness, which had changed that bright glowing blue of the sunny sky into a pall210 of dense265 and terrible blackness, becoming thicker and denser266 with every succeeding minute, till a darkness which might be felt, enveloped267 that devoted city as with the grim shadow of death. His ear was deafened268 by the appalling sounds of human agony and Nature’s wrath269; for now, sounds as of a hundred water-spouts, the dull continued roar of subterranean thunder, becoming at times loud as the discharge of a thousand cannons; at others, resembling the sharp grating sound of hundreds and hundreds of chariots driven full speed over the stones; and this, mingled270 with the piercing shrieks271 of women, the hoarser272 cries and shouts of men, the deep terrible groans273 of mental agony, and the shriller screams of instantaneous death, had usurped274 the place of the previous awful stillness, till every sense of those who yet survived seemed distorted and maddened. And Nature herself, convulsed and freed from restraining bonds, appeared about to return to that chaos whence she had leaped at the word of God.
Still, still Alvar rushed forwards, preserved amidst it all, as if the arm of a merciful Providence was indeed around him and his Almah, marking them for life in the very midst of death. Making his rapid way across the ruins of St. Paul’s, which magnificent church had fallen in the first shock, crushing the vast congregation assembled within its walls, Alvar paused one moment, undecided whether to seek the banks of the river or still to make for the western heights. There was a moment’s hush and pause in the convulsion of nature, but Alvar dared not hope for its continuance. Ever and anon the earth still heaved, and houses opened from base to roof and closed without further damage. With a brief fervid275 cry for continued guidance and protection, scarcely conscious which way in reality he took, and still holding Almah to his bosom—so supernaturally strengthened that the weakness of humanity seemed far from him, Rodriguez hurried on, taking the most open path to the Estrella Hill. An open space was gained, half-way to the summit, commanding a view of the banks of the river and the ruins around. Panting, almost breathless, yet still struggling with his own exhaustion276 to encourage Almah, Alvar an instant rested, ere he plunged277 anew into the narrower streets. A shock, violent, destructive, convulsive as the first, flung them prostrate; while the renewed and increased sounds of wailing278, the tremendous and repeated crashes on every side, the disappearance279 of the towers, steeples, and turrets280 which yet remained, revealed the further destructiveness which had befallen. A new and terrible cry added to the universal horror.
“The sea! the sea!” Alvar sprung to his feet, and, clasped in each other’s arms, he and Almah gazed beneath. Not a breath of wind stirred, yet the river (which being at that point four miles wide appeared like the element they had termed it) tossed and heaved as impelled by a mighty storm—and on it came, roaring, foaming281 tumbling, as if every bound were loosed; on, over the land to the very heart of the devoted city, sweeping282 off hundreds in its course, and retiring with such velocity283, and so far beyond its natural banks, that vessels284 were left dry which had five minutes before ridden in water seven fathoms deep. Again and again this phenomenon took place; the vessels in the river, at the same instant, whirled round and round with frightful207 rapidity, and smaller boats dashed upwards285, falling back to disappear beneath the booming waters. As if chained to the spot where they stood, fascinated by this very horror, Alvar and his wife yet gazed; their glance fixed on the new marble quay286, where thousands and thousands of the fugitives had congregated287, fixed, as if unconsciously foreboding what was to befall. Again the tide rushed in—on, on, over the massive ruins, heaving, raging, swelling288, as a living thing; and at the same instant the quay and its vast burthen of humanity sunk within an abyss of boiling waters, into which the innumerable boats around were alike impelled, leaving not a trace, even when the angry waters returned to their channel, suddenly as they had left it, to mark what had been.
“’Twas the voice of God impelled me hither, rather than pausing beside those fatal banks. Almah, my best beloved, bear up yet a brief while more—He will spare and save us as He hath done now. Merciful Providence! Behold another wrathful element threatens to swallow up all of life and property which yet remains289. Great God, this is terrible!”
And terrible it was: from three several parts of the ruined city huge fires suddenly blazed up, hissing290, crackling, ascending291 as clear columns of liquid flame; up against the pitchy darkness, infusing it with tenfold horror—spreading on every side—consuming all of wood and wall which the earth and water had left unscathed; wreathing its serpent-like folds in and out the ruins, forming strange and terribly beautiful shapes of glowing colouring; fascinating the eye with admiration, yet bidding the blood chill and the flesh creep. Fresh cries and shouts had marked its rise and progress; but, aghast and stupefied, those who yet survived made no effort to check its way, and on every side it spread, forming lanes and squares of glowing red, flinging its lurid292 glare so vividly293 around, that even those on the distant heights could see to read by it; and fearful was the scene that awful light revealed. Now, for the first time, could Alvar trace the full extent of destruction which had befallen. That glorious city, which a few brief hours previous lay reposing294 in its gorgeous sunlight—mighty in its palaces and towers—in its churches, convents, theatres, magazines, and dwellings—rich in its numberless artizans and stores—lay perished and prostrate as the grim spectre of long ages past, save that the fearful groups yet passing to and fro, or huddled295 in kneeling and standing296 masses, some bathed in the red glare of the increasing fires, others black and shapeless—save when a sudden flame flashed on them, disclosing what they were—revealed a strange and horrible PRESENT, yet lingering amid what seemed the shadows of a fearful PAST. Nor was the convulsion of nature yet at an end;—the earth still rocked and heaved at intervals297, often impelling298 the hissing flames more strongly and devouringly299 forward, and by tossing the masses of burning ruin to and fro, gave them the semblance of a sea of flame. The ocean itself, too, yet rose and sunk, and rose again; vessels were torn from their cables, anchors wrenched from their soundings and hurled in the air—while the warring waters, the muttering thunders, the crackling flames, formed a combination of sounds which, even without their dread adjuncts of human agony and terror, were all-sufficient to freeze the very life-blood, and banish300 every sense and feeling, save that of stupefying dread.
But human love, and superhuman faith, saved from the stagnating horror. The conviction that the God of his fathers was present with him, and would save him and Almah to the end, never left him for an instant, but urged him to exertions301 which, had he not had this all-supporting faith, he would himself have deemed impossible. And his faith spake truth. The God of infinite mercy, who had stretched out His own right hand to save, and marked the impotence of the wrath and cruelty of man, was with him still, and, despite of the horrors yet lingering round them, despite of the varied302 trials, fatigues303, and privations attendant on their rapid flight, led them to life and joy, and bade them stand forth the witnesses and proclaimers of His unfailing love, His everlasting304 providence!
With the great earthquake of Lisbon, the commencement of which our preceding pages have faintly endeavoured to portray305, and its terrible effects on four millions of square miles, our tale has no further connection. The third day brought our poor fugitives to Badajoz, where Alvar’s property had been secured. They tarried there only long enough to learn the blessed tidings of Hassan Ben Ahmed’s safe arrival in England with their child; that his faithfulness, in conjunction with that of their agent in Spain, had already safely transmitted the bulk of their property to the English funds; and to obtain Ben Ahmed’s address, forward tidings of their providential escape to him, and proceed on their journey.
An anxious but not a prolonged interval enabled them to accomplish it safely, and once more did the doubly-rescued press their precious boy to their yearning306 hearts, and feel that conjugal307 and parental308 love burned, if it could be, the dearer, brighter, more unspeakably precious, from the dangers they had passed; and not human love alone. The veil of secrecy was removed, they were in a land whose merciful and liberal government granted to the exile and the wanderer a home of peace and rest, where they might worship the God of Israel according to the law he gave; and in hearts like those of Alvar and his Almah, prosperity could have no power to extinguish or deaden the religion of love and faith which adversity had engendered309.
The appearance of old Gonzalos and his family in England, a short time after Alvar’s arrival there, removed their last remaining anxiety, and gave them increased cause for thankfulness. Not a member of the merchant’s family, and more wonderful still, not a portion of his property, had been lost amid the universal ruin; and to this very day, his descendants recall his providential preservation310 by giving, on every returning anniversary of that awful day, certain articles of clothing to a limited number of male and female poor.
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1
severs
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| v.切断，断绝( sever的第三人称单数 )；断，裂 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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forsake
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| vt.遗弃，抛弃；舍弃，放弃 | |
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situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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nuptials
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| n.婚礼；婚礼( nuptial的名词复数 ) | |
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6
betrothed
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| n. 已订婚者 动词betroth的过去式和过去分词 | |
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lavished
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| v.过分给予，滥施( lavish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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shrine
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| n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣 | |
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9
incense
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| v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气 | |
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10
tapers
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| （长形物体的）逐渐变窄( taper的名词复数 )； 微弱的光； 极细的蜡烛 | |
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munificence
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| n.宽宏大量，慷慨给与 | |
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rend
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| vt.把…撕开，割裂；把…揪下来，强行夺取 | |
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13
idol
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| n.偶像，红人，宠儿 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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entreating
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| 恳求，乞求( entreat的现在分词 ) | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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reassured
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| adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词) | |
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21
adjourned
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| （使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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diversified
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| adj.多样化的，多种经营的v.使多样化，多样化( diversify的过去式和过去分词 )；进入新的商业领域 | |
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hilarity
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| n.欢乐；热闹 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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wedded
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| adj.正式结婚的；渴望…的，执著于…的v.嫁，娶，（与…）结婚( wed的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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festive
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| adj.欢宴的，节日的 | |
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interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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moor
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| n.荒野，沼泽；vt.(使)停泊；vi.停泊 | |
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middle-aged
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| adj.中年的 | |
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aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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agonizing
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| adj.痛苦难忍的；使人苦恼的v.使极度痛苦；折磨(agonize的ing形式) | |
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hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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persecuted
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| （尤指宗教或政治信仰的）迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的过去式和过去分词 )； 烦扰，困扰或骚扰某人 | |
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conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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38
deception
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| n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计 | |
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39
concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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40
allotted
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| 分配，拨给，摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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41
fraught
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| adj.充满…的，伴有(危险等)的；忧虑的 | |
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42
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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43
hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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44
guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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45
chide
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| v.叱责；谴责 | |
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46
orphan
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| n.孤儿；adj.无父母的 | |
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47
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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48
tapestry
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| n.挂毯，丰富多采的画面 | |
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49
suite
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| n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员 | |
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50
canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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51
goblet
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| n.高脚酒杯 | |
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52
rites
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| 仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 ) | |
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53
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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54
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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55
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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56
persecutor
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| n. 迫害者 | |
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57
exterminator
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| n.扑灭的人，害虫驱除剂 | |
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58
almighty
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| adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的 | |
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59
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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60
throbbing
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| a. 跳动的,悸动的 | |
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61
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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62
subside
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| vi.平静，平息；下沉，塌陷，沉降 | |
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63
wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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64
inmates
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| n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 ) | |
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65
uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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66
Portuguese
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| n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语 | |
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67
retirement
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| n.退休，退职 | |
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68
elicited
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| 引出，探出( elicit的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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69
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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70
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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71
pretence
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| n.假装，作假；借口，口实；虚伪；虚饰 | |
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72
entreated
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| 恳求，乞求( entreat的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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73
moorish
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| adj.沼地的，荒野的，生[住]在沼地的 | |
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74
contriving
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| （不顾困难地）促成某事( contrive的现在分词 )； 巧妙地策划，精巧地制造（如机器）； 设法做到 | |
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75
martyrs
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| n.martyr的复数形式；烈士( martyr的名词复数 )；殉道者；殉教者；乞怜者（向人诉苦以博取同情） | |
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76
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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77
imbibed
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| v.吸收( imbibe的过去式和过去分词 )；喝；吸取；吸气 | |
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78
avert
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| v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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79
persecution
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| n. 迫害,烦扰 | |
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80
ancestry
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| n.祖先，家世 | |
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81
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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82
inefficient
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| adj.效率低的，无效的 | |
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83
annihilated
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|
| v.（彻底）消灭( annihilate的过去式和过去分词 )；使无效；废止；彻底击溃 | |
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84
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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85
lasting
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| adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持 | |
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86
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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87
binding
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| 有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的 | |
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88
blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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89
blessings
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| n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福 | |
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90
ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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91
shuddering
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| v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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92
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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93
incentive
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| n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机 | |
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94
circumspection
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| n.细心，慎重 | |
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95
passionate
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|
| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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96
subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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97
tranquil
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| adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
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98
solicitation
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| n.诱惑；揽货；恳切地要求；游说 | |
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99
superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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100
entreaty
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| n.恳求，哀求 | |
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101
conjuring
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| n.魔术 | |
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102
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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103
benighted
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| adj.蒙昧的 | |
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104
inoculate
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|
| v.给...接种，给...注射疫苗 | |
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105
stagnating
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|
| v.停滞，不流动，不发展( stagnate的现在分词 ) | |
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106
follower
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|
| n.跟随者；随员；门徒；信徒 | |
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107
unreasonable
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|
| adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的 | |
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108
soothed
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|
| v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 )；抚慰；使舒服；减轻痛苦 | |
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109
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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110
pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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111
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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112
chiding
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| v.责骂，责备( chide的现在分词 ) | |
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113
rosy
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|
| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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114
slumbers
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| 睡眠，安眠( slumber的名词复数 ) | |
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115
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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116
refreshing
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| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
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117
gems
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|
| growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长 | |
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118
resounded
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| v.（指声音等）回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 )；产生回响；（指某处）回荡着声音 | |
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119
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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120
nether
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| adj.下部的，下面的；n.阴间；下层社会 | |
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121
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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122
smothered
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| （使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制 | |
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123
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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124
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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125
doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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126
agonized
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| v.使（极度）痛苦，折磨( agonize的过去式和过去分词 )；苦斗；苦苦思索；感到极度痛苦 | |
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127
ashen
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| adj.灰的 | |
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128
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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129
distended
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| v.（使）膨胀，肿胀( distend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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130
briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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131
revolving
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|
| adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想 | |
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132
rumoured
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| adj.谣传的；传说的；风 | |
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133
jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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134
feigned
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| a.假装的，不真诚的 | |
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135
hospitable
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| adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的 | |
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136
semblance
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| n.外貌，外表 | |
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137
secrecy
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| n.秘密，保密，隐蔽 | |
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138
unity
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| n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调 | |
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139
interfered
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| v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉 | |
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140
dint
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| n.由于，靠；凹坑 | |
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141
seizure
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| n.没收；占有；抵押 | |
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142
conjure
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| v.恳求，祈求；变魔术，变戏法 | |
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143
beseeching
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| adj.恳求似的v.恳求，乞求（某事物）( beseech的现在分词 ) | |
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144
prostrating
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|
| v.使俯伏，使拜倒( prostrate的现在分词 )；（指疾病、天气等）使某人无能为力 | |
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145
besought
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| v.恳求，乞求（某事物）( beseech的过去式和过去分词 )；(beseech的过去式与过去分词) | |
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146
dissuade
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| v.劝阻，阻止 | |
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147
accomplishment
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| n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能 | |
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148
detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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149
conjured
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| 用魔术变出( conjure的过去式和过去分词 )； 祈求，恳求； 变戏法； （变魔术般地） 使…出现 | |
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150
chaos
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| n.混乱，无秩序 | |
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151
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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152
confiscated
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| 没收，充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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153
deferred
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|
| adj.延期的，缓召的v.拖延，延缓，推迟( defer的过去式和过去分词 )；服从某人的意愿，遵从 | |
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154
rapacious
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| adj.贪婪的，强夺的 | |
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155
guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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156
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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157
attired
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|
| adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服，使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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158
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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159
implored
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| 恳求或乞求（某人）( implore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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160
consolation
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| n.安慰，慰问 | |
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161
relinquishment
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| n.放弃；撤回；停止 | |
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162
compliance
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| n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从 | |
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163
entreaties
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| n.恳求，乞求( entreaty的名词复数 ) | |
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164
incarceration
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| n.监禁，禁闭；钳闭 | |
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165
humbly
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| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
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166
salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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167
confirmation
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| n.证实，确认，批准 | |
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168
delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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169
zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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170
goodwill
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| n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉 | |
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171
iniquitous
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|
| adj.不公正的；邪恶的；高得出奇的 | |
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172
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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173
nought
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| n.／adj.无，零 | |
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174
dungeons
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| n.地牢( dungeon的名词复数 ) | |
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175
dungeon
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| n.地牢，土牢 | |
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176
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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177
groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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178
engrossed
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| adj.全神贯注的 | |
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179
retired
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|
| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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180
plaintive
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| adj.可怜的，伤心的 | |
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181
superstitious
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| adj.迷信的 | |
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182
lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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183
garb
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| n.服装，装束 | |
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184
throbbed
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| 抽痛( throb的过去式和过去分词 )； （心脏、脉搏等）跳动 | |
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185
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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186
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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187
prostration
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| n. 平伏, 跪倒, 疲劳 | |
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188
assailed
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| v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对 | |
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189
faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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190
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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191
subterranean
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| adj.地下的，地表下的 | |
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192
conviviality
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| n.欢宴，高兴，欢乐 | |
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193
intoxication
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| n.wild excitement;drunkenness；poisoning | |
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194
plying
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| v.使用（工具）( ply的现在分词 )；经常供应（食物、饮料）；固定往来；经营生意 | |
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195
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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196
slumbering
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的现在分词形式） | |
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197
watchfulness
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| 警惕，留心； 警觉（性） | |
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198
pebble
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| n.卵石，小圆石 | |
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199
reverberated
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| 回响，回荡( reverberate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使反响，使回荡，使反射 | |
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200
cannons
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| n.加农炮，大炮，火炮( cannon的名词复数 ) | |
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201
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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202
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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203
eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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204
haven
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| n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所 | |
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205
unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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206
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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207
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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208
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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209
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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210
pall
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| v.覆盖，使平淡无味；n.柩衣，棺罩；棺材；帷幕 | |
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211
prostrate
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| v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的 | |
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212
dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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213
plentiful
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| adj.富裕的，丰富的 | |
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214
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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215
countenances
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| n.面容( countenance的名词复数 )；表情；镇静；道义支持 | |
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216
miseries
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| n.痛苦( misery的名词复数 )；痛苦的事；穷困；常发牢骚的人 | |
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217
accusation
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| n.控告，指责，谴责 | |
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218
abet
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| v.教唆，鼓励帮助 | |
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219
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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220
condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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221
gibing
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| adj.讥刺的，嘲弄的v.嘲笑，嘲弄( gibe的现在分词 ) | |
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222
fathoms
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| 英寻( fathom的名词复数 ) | |
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223
loathing
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| n.厌恶，憎恨v.憎恨，厌恶( loathe的现在分词)；极不喜欢 | |
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224
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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225
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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226
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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227
softening
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| 变软，软化 | |
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228
devotedness
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229
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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230
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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231
lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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232
repented
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| 对（自己的所为）感到懊悔或忏悔( repent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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233
clemency
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| n.温和，仁慈，宽厚 | |
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234
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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235
mightier
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| adj. 强有力的，强大的，巨大的 adv. 很，极其 | |
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236
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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237
creed
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| n.信条；信念，纲领 | |
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238
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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239
blasphemous
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|
| adj.亵渎神明的，不敬神的 | |
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240
guile
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| n.诈术 | |
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241
eloquence
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|
| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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242
awed
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| adj.充满敬畏的，表示敬畏的v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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243
severed
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| v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂 | |
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244
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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245
azure
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| adj.天蓝色的，蔚蓝色的 | |
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246
auto
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| n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车 | |
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247
chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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248
minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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249
monks
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| n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 ) | |
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250
curtailed
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| v.截断，缩短( curtail的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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251
merged
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| （使）混合( merge的过去式和过去分词 )； 相融； 融入； 渐渐消失在某物中 | |
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252
asunder
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| adj.分离的，化为碎片 | |
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253
woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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254
impelled
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| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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255
untold
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|
| adj.数不清的，无数的 | |
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256
shrieking
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| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
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257
impetus
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| n.推动，促进，刺激；推动力 | |
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258
miserable
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|
| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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259
fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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260
wrenched
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| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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261
laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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262
beholding
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| v.看，注视( behold的现在分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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263
tottering
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| adj.蹒跚的，动摇的v.走得或动得不稳( totter的现在分词 )；踉跄；蹒跚；摇摇欲坠 | |
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264
animate
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| v.赋于生命，鼓励；adj.有生命的，有生气的 | |
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265
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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266
denser
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| adj. 不易看透的, 密集的, 浓厚的, 愚钝的 | |
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267
enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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268
deafened
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| 使聋( deafen的过去式和过去分词 )； 使隔音 | |
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269
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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270
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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271
shrieks
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| n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 ) | |
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272
hoarser
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| （指声音）粗哑的，嘶哑的( hoarse的比较级 ) | |
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273
groans
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| n.呻吟，叹息( groan的名词复数 )；呻吟般的声音v.呻吟( groan的第三人称单数 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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274
usurped
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| 篡夺，霸占( usurp的过去式和过去分词 )； 盗用； 篡夺，篡权 | |
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275
fervid
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| adj.热情的；炽热的 | |
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276
exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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277
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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278
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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279
disappearance
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| n.消失，消散，失踪 | |
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280
turrets
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| （六角）转台( turret的名词复数 )； （战舰和坦克等上的）转动炮塔； （摄影机等上的）镜头转台； （旧时攻城用的）塔车 | |
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281
foaming
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| adj.布满泡沫的；发泡 | |
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282
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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283
velocity
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| n.速度，速率 | |
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284
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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285
upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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286
quay
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| n.码头，靠岸处 | |
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287
congregated
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| （使）集合，聚集( congregate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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288
swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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289
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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290
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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291
ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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292
lurid
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| adj.可怕的；血红的；苍白的 | |
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293
vividly
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| adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地 | |
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294
reposing
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| v.将（手臂等）靠在某人（某物）上( repose的现在分词 ) | |
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295
huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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296
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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297
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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298
impelling
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| adj.迫使性的，强有力的v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的现在分词 ) | |
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299
devouringly
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| 贪婪地，贪食地 | |
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300
banish
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| vt.放逐，驱逐；消除，排除 | |
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301
exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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302
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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303
fatigues
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| n.疲劳( fatigue的名词复数 )；杂役；厌倦；（士兵穿的）工作服 | |
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304
everlasting
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| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
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305
portray
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| v.描写，描述；画(人物、景象等) | |
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306
yearning
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| a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的 | |
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307
conjugal
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| adj.婚姻的，婚姻性的 | |
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308
parental
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| adj.父母的；父的；母的 | |
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309
engendered
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| v.产生（某形势或状况），造成，引起( engender的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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310
preservation
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| n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持 | |
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