was contracted to the son; can I wed the father?—No, madam, no; force should not drag me to Manfred’s hated bed. I loathe him, I abhor him: divine and human laws forbid.—And my friend, my dearest Matilda! would I wound her tender soul by injuring her adored mother? my own mother—I never have known another.——Oh! she is the mother of both! cried Matilda. Can we, can we, Isabella, adore her too much? My
