Freed from thy fears, Rosmunda, let my prayers,
My agony prevail.
Rosmunda.
Restore me to my rights;
Cast off thy paramour; I am not now
The pliant girl, whose easy, yielding heart
You moulded to your will. The slave of man,
Too long consigned to tyranny and wrong,
I know the value of the power I hold;
And, taught a better lesson[1], will return
The evil I have suffered. Give me way;
I will proclaim my sorrows to the world,
And force thee to an act of justice.
Giovanni.
Hold!
You pass not till I bind you with an oath,
That shall secure me from your frantic threats.
Trifle not, wretched woman, with your life—
[Exit Rosmunda.
By Heaven, she has escaped me; she will kill
My gentle Helen with her tale. Away!
