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Crufade"-" A fecond Crufade! O my God! my King then undertakes thy defence! And is this, Adelaide, the cause of your diftrefs? What! my daughter, the wife of a Chevalier ! does the weep when my fon rufhes to glory, follows his Sovereign to the field, and revenges his country and his God?. Where is he, this dear fon, that I, may prefs him to my heart? Happy youth! he will fee the fhores of Jordan he will view the Holy Sepulchre! O heavens! must an inglorious old age confine here the companion of Godfrey? Ah! reftore to me, reftore that arm which has stretched on the ground fo many enemies of our holy religion. Adelaide, conceal thefe fhameful tears. Great God! if the life of my fon only be necessary to deliver the holy places, take it ; it is thine.” "O my father! can you utter fuch a wifh? Would you that my hufband, my dear husband perish ?" "And were you not a Christian, my daughter, before you were a wife? Think you that Raymond is lefs dear to me than to yourfelf? But glory, honour, the caufe of God himself, are they not objects to a warrior, who is my fon, the honour and the hope of my grey hairs? Adelaide, ceafe to exafperate me by this unworthy grief?” He perceives Raymond haftening to his wife, The venerable man feems animated with new vigour. He meets his fon, and, with a pro-, fufion of kifles and tears, hangs over the crofs that was upon his fhoulder." I fee you again then, my fon, decorated with the moft fplendid ornament with which a Crequi can be honoured! Let my tears remain on this divine crofs. Raymond, I myself have borne it!"

In the mean time Adelaide, viewing this badge of the Crufaders, had fainted in the arms of her women, When, by the ten

der care of her husband, she had recovered her fenfes, with the voice of woe the exclaimed, "Raymond! what have I feen? This crofs tells me all I have to dread."-" Do you love me, my Adelaide, and cannot my glory infpire you ?" You talk to me of glory! ah! Raymond, Raymond, I feel only my love-the miferies, the diftracting miferies of abfence. Oh! think, my Raymond-I already bear the dear fruit of that tenderness that will unite me to you for ever, and can you thus abandon me? Cruel and dear hufband, ah! you love not like Adelaide! The first looks of your child you will not fee! He will not extend his dear careffing arms to you! Perhaps O dreadful idea! he will never fee you! His mother will not furvive you! She will leave him a wretched orphan!"-" Adelaide, it is for God we combat. We fhall obtain the victory. You will fee me again, covered with laurels. What pleafure fhall F then tafte in laying them at your feet! I fhall then be more worthy, of your love, and dearer to my child, to whom I fhall give examples that will be glorious to follow.. Adelaide, conceal a forrow that diftreffes me. Be comforted. You will be the first to applaud my firmnefs. Be affured, that I will do juftice to the Chevalier, to the Chriftian, and to the Husband!"

Gerard was inceffantly relating to his fon the glorious actions that had immortalifed the first Crusade:

Fail not," faid he, "to vifit the Holy Sepulchre, and to water it with your tears. I was the first; who, fword in hand, rushed into the thickest of our foes, at the famous battle we gained over the Soldan of Egypt. Your father. faved the valiant Tancred's life. That immortal day established the Chriftians in their conquefts. Years, have fince paffed away, and it was

but

but yesterday we triumphed. I fee our brave Chevaliers, vying with each other in courage and zeal. I hear the fhouts of the conquerors, and the cries of the wretched Saracens expiring under our feet. O my God! why cannot I terminate my life in thofe plains? What honours, my fon, await you! Would my age permit me, I would yet have the fatisfaction before I die, to redden my hands in the blood of that reprobated tace."

In the mean time, the King, according to the cuftem of his predecellors, after many acts of devotion, was gone to receive the royal ftandard at Saint Dennis. He next received the benediction of the Pope, with the pilgrim's mantle and ftaff, and departed for Metz, where he was joined by his two maternal uncles, the Count de Morienne and the Marquis de Montferrat.

The moment is arrived: Raymond de Crequi must repair to his Sovereign without delay. Two of his brothers and twenty-feven Efquires are ranged under his banner. Raymond would fain fpare his wife the cruel fcenes of feparation. Sinking under the fatigue of many nights which he had paffed in tears, overcome by fleep, the taftes an agitated repofe. Raymond contemplates her with an unutterable tenderness and mingled anguish. Often he leaves her, and often returns; each time imprinting gentle kiffes on her lovely cheek watered by his tears" Dear Adelaide! my adorable wife! glory and religion would be offended by thefe tears! I leave you! but our confidence is in heaven; and, next to God, it is from my fword that I hope for a return equally glorious and happy."

The young Chevalier, however, had the greatest difficulty in thus leaving his Adelaide. It would be

a kind of treason to reproach hint with it.

Gerard, under the armour of an old foldier, concealed not a heart fo infenfible to tenderness, as he had been willing to perfuade himfelf it was. Throwing himself at the feet of a crucifix, he poured forth his paternal foul in fupplications for the fafety of his fon, yet refigning him, his all, himfelf, in heroic facrifice to the holy caule in which Chriftendom was engaged. Perceiving his fon approach, he rifes, and haftens towards him ;"Come, Raymond, come, my fon; receive my embrace. May your father fee you again! but I fhall defcend happy to the grave, if I learn that you do honour to your anceftors. You weep, my fon! do tears of regret efcape a Crequi ?"— "Ah! my father, I leave youI leave you oppreffed by the weight of years! Adelaide, alas! the knows not of our feparation; I left her in the illufions of a fleep, which perhaps prefents to her only flattering pictures. She may awake. Tell her, my father, that I dreaded the excefs of her fenfibility." Raymond returning, continued: "Tell her that the is dearer to me than ever. Let her be your daughter-dear as your fon, who cannot break from your embrace and my child-Raymond could fpeak no more: I believe," replied Gerard, "that we fink into mutual weaknefs; but a young man fhould prefent me with an example of firmness! are we women? Come, my son, we must feparate. Let us contemplate in future only, you the brilliant profpet before you, and I my opening tomb refplendent with the beams of your glory. Go, my fon, let me be informed of your victories, and I refign myfelf without, a murmur to the great arbiter of all."

They

They are interrupted by a moft affecting object. Adelaide awaked, by the continual alarms, no doubt, that purfued her very fleep, furprifed not to find Raymond at her ide, had precipitately rifen. The preparations for an approaching departure were the first that fixed her attention, Inftantly, in that negligence of drefs that gives new charms to beauty, her hair flowing, her eyes bathed in tears, her panting bofom but half concealed, tranf ported by grief and love, fhe runs, The flies to Raymond, and finks into his arms; "You leave me, cruel-I repofed in your bofom, and do you betray me! this cafque, this buckler, thefe arms, ah! Raymond, all tell me it is for the laft time you will ever see my tears."She speaks no more-fhe weeps profufely." Adelaide, Adelaide, can you thus reproach me? Fain would I have fpared you this diftrefs! O my adorable wife, refpect my duty. I fhall never ceafe to love you. Oh! moderate this grief, it diftracts me."

Gerard takes his fon by the arm: "Raymond, no weakness. The trumpet founds. Tear yourself away."" I obey you, my father, I obey you; but will you refufe me your bleffing ?"-He throws himfelf at his feet."My bleffing, my dear Raymond! why cannot I give you my life, and enfure your glory."

The venerable man lifts his hands to heaven; then inclining them some moments after over the head of the young Banneret, he utters with a pathetic voice this prayer: "Gracious God! I lift up my heart and my foul to thee! Behold my fad anxiety with compaffion. Omnipotent God! thou canst bless my fon! blefs him in this thy own enterprife, and may he return to his native country under thy holy prosection!"

Raymond embraces his father,

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Some tears efcape from each, which each endeavours to conceal. "No," exclaims Adelaide, emerging as it were from a deep and diftrefsful revery, no, we will never part. I follow you, Raymond. I partake of your victories, your dangers. I will tread in your fteps in the thickeft of the battle. I will receive the assaults that threaten you. I will die by your fide.

Eternal obftacles," interrupted the old Chevalier, roufed into a noble rage: "If your husband were dear to you-but you love him not! accompany him! do you forget your fituation? Recollect that all the fenfibility, all the cares of a mother, muft foon be your's. Adelaide, are you my daughter ?"

"Yes, my Lord, I am can you doubt it, when I have yet fo much power over myfelf, as not to die with grief before your eyes? Yes, I am the wife of Raymond. The welfare of the ftate, the glory of my husband, my religion, are dear to me; but my heart-my heart will never more be happy.""Behold a hero." A hero, alas! I fee my husband only, and he leaves me. My eyes drowned in tears, in vain to-morrow will they feek him."-On a fudden the changes her tone, and seems armed with unexpected firmness: "Raymond," the continues, “I fubmit to that God who commands enter the scenes of glory that invite you, Go-fight for your country, for heaven, for that heaven which will behold my days confumed in grief. Promise me only, my deareft hufband, to haften your return when your duty is fulfilled. Here is a poor token of my love. bracelet in which my hair is woven, let me fix it to your arm. It is wetted by my tears-it will remind you of your Adelaide."" Ah! my adorable wife, can you imagine you will be abfent one moment from my heart? Oh! that fome

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/NEW ZEALAND WARRIOR.

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