JOAD.
Princess, the time's accomplished, I must speak!
You may conceal your rescued charge no longer.
The guilty vauntings of Jehovah's foes,
Misdeeming against Him His silence deep,
Too long of falsehood's taxed His promises:
What do I say? Success imparting life
Into their fury, even on our shrines
Your cruel stepmother would offer up
To Baal idolatrous incense. Let us show
The infant monarch, whom your hands have saved,
Raised in the temple 'neath the Lord's defence.
He will possess the courage of our princes;
His mind already mounts above his years.
Before my voice explains his destiny,
I go to offer him to God, by Whom
Our sovereigns rule; our Levites and our priests,
Immediately assembling, I to them
The offspring of their princes will declare.


JOSABET.
Knows he his name and noble parentage?


JOAD.
He answers only to Eliacin,
And by his mother thinks himself abandoned,
To whom I have in pity served as father.


JOSABET.
Alas! what perils I have known him 'scape!
What peril is he nigh to come to, still?


JOAD.
What! does your faith, already weak, shrink back?


JOSABET.
To your wise counsels, lord, I yield myself:
For, from the day I snatched that child from death,
Into your hands I've placed the care of him;
Dreading the violence of my love, I have,
As much as possible, e'en shunned his sight,
For fear, when seeing him, some foolish grief
Should bring to light my secret with my tears.
But, above all, I have believed it good
To consecrate three days and nights entire
To tears and prayers. However, may I ask
Of you to-day, What friends have you prepared
To second you? Will Abner, the brave Abner,
Come to defend us? Has he taken oath
To show himself beside his king?


JOAD.
Though we can be assured of Abner's faith,
He even knows not yet, we have a king.


JOSABET.
To whom do you confide the care of Joas?
Obed or Ammon does that honour favour?
The benefits showered on them by my sire—


JOAD.
To Athaliah they have sold themselves.


JOSABET.
Whom, then, do you engage against her guards?


JOAD.
Have I not said? Our Levites and our priests.


JOSABET.
I know that under your foreseeing care
Their numbers are redoubled, secretly
Assembled near you; that full of love
For you, for Athaliah boundless hate,
A solemn oath anticipating, binds
Them to the son of David, when revealed;
But with that noble fire with which they burn
Can they, alone, avenge their prince's cause?
For such great object is their zeal sufficient?
Doubt you that Athaliah, at the word
First spread abroad—that Ochoziah's son
Is here concealed—will fail her barbarous troop
Of strangers to collect about the temple,
And violate its gates? Will it suffice
'Gainst them to place your sacred ministers,
Who never scattered but their victims' blood;
Who, raising to the Lord their harmless hands,
Can only groan and pray for our offences?
Perhaps, when in their arms, Joas pierced with wounds—


JOAD.
Then count you God for nought who fights for us!
God, who protects the orphans' innocence,
And in their weakness testifies His power;
God, who hates tyrants, who in Jezreel
Swore Jezabel and Ahab to uproot;
God, who smote Joram, husband of their daughter,
And even to his son pursued their house;
God, whose avenging arm, awhile withheld,
Is always threatening o'er that impious race:


JOSABET.
And 'tis His rigid justice on those kings
That throes me for my wretched brother's son.
For who can say that child, at birth, was not
Condemned with them—included in their guilt?
That God, for David's sake, will grant him favour,
And separate him from a hateful race?
Alas! the horrible perplexing state,
In which heaven represents itself to me,
Haunts me incessantly, and frights my soul.
The chambers gorged with princes massacred—
Inexorable Athaliah, armed
With poniard, fires her barbarous soldiery
Unto the carnage, and pursues the course
Of her assassinations. Left for dead,
Joas strikes my sight! Methinks I still behold
His nurse, distracted, throw her feeble form
In vain before the murderers; and him,
Extended on the earth, clasp to her breast
I take him up all bloody—with my tears
Bathing his visage—bring him back to life;
And still in terror, or caressing me,
I feel his innocent arms upon me press.
Great God! let not my love be fatal to him,
The precious relic of the loyal David:
Brought up within Thy house to love Thy law,
He knows no other father yet than Thee.
About to attack a homicidal queen,
If peril's aspect terrifies my faith,
If flesh and blood to-day, bewildered being,
Have too great part in tears I shed for him,
Heir of Thy sacred promises, preserve him,
And punish me alone for all my frailty!


JOAD.
Your griefs are crimeless, Josabet; but God
Would have us trust in His paternal care.
Upon the son who fears Him He does not
Call blindly in His wrath to answer for
His sire's impiety. All that remain
Still faithful Hebrews, will come forth to-day
To make their vows anew; all that revere
The race of David, Athaliah hate!
Joas will affect them with his modesty,
Through which appears to glow his royal blood,
And our example, by His very voice
The Lord supporting, will moreover speak
Within His temple straight unto their hearts.
Two unbelieving kings in turns have braved Him;
Tis now imperative a king be raised
Upon the throne, who shall avow hereafter
That, to the honour of his ancestors,
God caused him, by the influence of His priests,
To re-ascend; and, by their hands, hath snatched
Him, Joas, from the oblivion of the tomb,
To light again the fire of David's ashes.
Great God! if Thou foreseest that of his race
Unworthy, he will stray from David's footsteps,
Yea, let him be as fruit whilst growing, plucked,
Or blighted in its bloom by hostile blast!
But if this child, obedient to Thy rule,
Is to be useful aid in Thy designs,
Restore the sceptre to the rightful heir;
Give into my weak hands his potent foes;
Confound the councils of the cruel queen!
Deign, deign, my God, on Mathan and on her
To cast the spirit of vanity and falsehood,
Fatal forerunner of the fall of kings!
Adieu; the hour is pressing. Unto you,
His sister and our son advancing, bring
The daughters of the families most devout.