An oak, the monarch of the plain, towards which
he bent his rapid course, was suddenly struck with the bolt of heaven,
and blasted in his sight. Its large and spreading branches were
withered; its leaves shrunk up and faded. In the very trunk a gaping and
tremendous rift appeared. At the same moment two huge and craggy cliffs
burst from the surrounding rocks, to which they had grown for ages, and
tumbling with a hideous noise, trundled along the plain.
At length a third spectacle, more horrible than the rest, presented
itself to the affrighted eyes of Edwin. He saw a figure, larger than the
human, that walked among the clouds, and piloted the storm. Its
appearance was dreadful, and its shape, loose and undistinguishable,
seemed to be blended with the encircling darkness. From its coutenance
gleamed a barbarous smile, ten times more terrific than the frown of any
other being. Triumph, inhuman triumph, glistened in its eye, and, with
relentless delight, it brewed the tempest, and hurled the destructive
lightning. Edwin gazed upon this astonishing apparition, and knew it for
a goblin of darkness. The heart of Edwin, which no human terror could
appal, sunk within him; his nerves trembled, and the objects that
surrounded him, swam in confusion before his eyes.
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