And now was I indeed wretched beyond the wretchedness of mere Humanity.
And a brute beast -- whose fellow I had contemptuously destroyed -- a brute beast to work out
for me -- for me a man, fashioned in the image of the High God -- so much of insufferable woe! Alas! neither by day nor by night knew I the blessing of Rest any more! During the former the creature left me no moment alone; and, in the latter, I started, hourly, from dreams of unutterable fear, to find the hot breath of the thing upon my face, and its vast weight -- an incarnate Night-Mare that I had no power to shake off -- incumbent eternally upon my heart !
by Edgar Allan Poe
http://poestories.com/read/blackcat>
I'd like to know in the underlined sentence, what is a main verb.
Thank you in advance for your help.