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4(i MEMOIBS OP EACHEL.

had conquered her terrors, and again taken her place of su-
premacy with the dignified assurance of conscious genius.
Abjuring Olympus and its pagan divinities, she trod with firm
step the volcanic soil of the harem, and with admirable entente
presented the vivid picture of the struggle between love and
ambition. She gave in the difficult rSle of the absolute sul-
tana the most complete personification of the despotism, the
stern, pitiless politics of the vast empire of the world at that
period, joined to the most truly feminine embodiment of love.
"With Amurath she exhibited the remorseless, unflinching de-
termination of the Eastern male despot; with Bajazd, the gen-
tle, yielding affection of woman, whatever be her clime; as the
duped lover, the angry passions of both sexes.

The second night her success was absolute; on the third
there was a riot at the doors to obtain admittance, while the
scene within the house beggared description. Every one seem-
ed possessed by a frantic admiration, which was vented in a
storm of applause. The ovation thus tributed contrasted with
the chill, sulky aspect the same audience presented on the fore-
going night.

But, though envy was foiled, it was not disarmed. The
critics caviled at her peculiar delivery of certain passages,
more especially that of the famous "Sortezf in the second
act, when Saxane offers the throne to Bajazet, and the latter
refuses it, alleging specious reasons in order to conceal the real
one—his love for Atalide. While Eachel listened to his an-
swer, the rage she refrained from uttering was most vividly
depicted on the expressive countenance; when he had ended,
her look was such as no other woman could assume: it spoke
not so much the fury of the offended woman, loud, stormy,
tearing passion to rags, as that of the insulted sovereign, deep,
, concentrated, implacable, ferocious in its very calmness. Ba-
jazet had evidently scorned the love of a tigress, not a dove.
With extended hand she motioned him to the door, and with
her harsh voice uttered the " Sortez I" that brought down en-
thusiastic applause from judges of refined taste. In that little
word the sentence was signed, the dumb executioner summon-
ed, the death knelled. No rant, no violent gesture, no loud
burst of passion accompanied it; the utterance was calm as



	4(i MEMOIBS OP EACHEL. had conquered her terrors, and again taken her place of su- premacy with the dignified assurance of conscious genius. Abjuring Olympus and its pagan divinities, she trod with firm step the volcanic soil of the harem, and with admirable entente presented the vivid picture of the struggle between love and ambition. She gave in the difficult rSle of the absolute sul- tana the most complete personification of the despotism, the stern, pitiless politics of the vast empire of the world at that period, joined to the most truly feminine embodiment of love. "With Amurath she exhibited the remorseless, unflinching de- termination of the Eastern male despot; with Bajazd, the gen- tle, yielding affection of woman, whatever be her clime; as the duped lover, the angry passions of both sexes. The second night her success was absolute; on the third there was a riot at the doors to obtain admittance, while the scene within the house beggared description. Every one seem- ed possessed by a frantic admiration, which was vented in a storm of applause. The ovation thus tributed contrasted with the chill, sulky aspect the same audience presented on the fore- going night. But, though envy was foiled, it was not disarmed. The critics caviled at her peculiar delivery of certain passages, more especially that of the famous "Sortezf in the second act, when Saxane offers the throne to Bajazet, and the latter refuses it, alleging specious reasons in order to conceal the real one—his love for Atalide. While Eachel listened to his an- swer, the rage she refrained from uttering was most vividly depicted on the expressive countenance; when he had ended, her look was such as no other woman could assume: it spoke not so much the fury of the offended woman, loud, stormy, tearing passion to rags, as that of the insulted sovereign, deep, , concentrated, implacable, ferocious in its very calmness. Ba- jazet had evidently scorned the love of a tigress, not a dove. With extended hand she motioned him to the door, and with her harsh voice uttered the " Sortez I" that brought down en- thusiastic applause from judges of refined taste. In that little word the sentence was signed, the dumb executioner summon- ed, the death knelled. No rant, no violent gesture, no loud burst of passion accompanied it; the utterance was calm as