Pagina 419 di 483

Liberty, however, had been a useless gift to me, had I not, as I

awakened to reason, at the same time awakened to revenge. As the

memory of past misfortunes pressed upon me, I began to reflect on

their cause-the monster whom I had created, the miserable daemon

whom I had sent abroad into the world for my destruction. I was

possessed by a maddening rage when I thought of him, and desired

and ardently prayed that I might have him within my grasp to

wreak a great and signal revenge on his cursed head.

Nor did my hate long confine itself to useless wishes; I began to

reflect on the best means of securing him; and for this purpose,

about a month after my release, I repaired to a criminal judge in

the town and told him that I had an accusation to make, that I

knew the destroyer of my family, and that I required him to exert

his whole authority for the apprehension of the murderer.