Sa.’Tis like your majestyHath been deluded by some airy visionBred in the troubled brain.K.Nay, he was there.Sa.The spirits of the dead have power to fixThe image of their presence in the placeWhere life was robbed: there are a thousand storiesOf such frail apparitions.Enter Messenger.2031K.Who cometh here?MESSENGER.Your majesty’s command.K.I know thee: speak.Mess.The scouts returned report the Christians campedTo north of Alrah on the stream’s left bank.They do not hold the hill, and set no guardSave on their front.K.What numbers are they guessed?Mess.At some four thousand: and prince FerdinandIs with them.K.Who?Mess.The scouts, your majesty,Spake of prince Ferdinand’s escape. They saw him2040Ride at full speed into the Christian camp.K.When saw they him?Mess.At dusk.K.It could not be.Mess.They tell he galloped thro’their company.They might have touched him. When they called his nameHe took no heed. Some fired their pieces at him:And some pursued: but he, as tho’his horseWere winged, held on, nor ever turned his head,And soon was out of reach.K.Enough. Begone.[Exit Messenger.I knew I had seen him, Sala: ’tis his spirit.What is thy counsel?Sa.Think no more of this.2050Take a sufficient force within the walls:The rest entrenched upon the hill without,We must abide their coming on at dawn.K.What is your force?Sa.At most eight hundred men.K.We are so o’ermatched, Sala, I shall not wait,I shall assault their camp to-night. The darknessWill hide our numbers: we will steal upon them.Sa.I pray you, sire, be well advised. Consider,If our small force be sundered in the darkness....K.The darkness is our friend. We know the ground.Would I could blot the moon from heaven to-night.2061My plan is fixed. Take thou five hundred menAnd steal upon their rear, when battle joinsI with the rest will charge their front.Sa.My dutyBids me dissuade thee, ere I can obey.K.I am brave to fight, Sala: but not to wait;I will not wait an hour; nay, not an instant.Thou wilt not move me. Not a word, I bid thee.’Tis my last hope. Come, get thy men together:If once they hear these hellish tales, we are lost.
Sa.’Tis like your majestyHath been deluded by some airy visionBred in the troubled brain.K.Nay, he was there.Sa.The spirits of the dead have power to fixThe image of their presence in the placeWhere life was robbed: there are a thousand storiesOf such frail apparitions.Enter Messenger.2031K.Who cometh here?MESSENGER.Your majesty’s command.K.I know thee: speak.Mess.The scouts returned report the Christians campedTo north of Alrah on the stream’s left bank.They do not hold the hill, and set no guardSave on their front.K.What numbers are they guessed?Mess.At some four thousand: and prince FerdinandIs with them.K.Who?Mess.The scouts, your majesty,Spake of prince Ferdinand’s escape. They saw him2040Ride at full speed into the Christian camp.K.When saw they him?Mess.At dusk.K.It could not be.Mess.They tell he galloped thro’their company.They might have touched him. When they called his nameHe took no heed. Some fired their pieces at him:And some pursued: but he, as tho’his horseWere winged, held on, nor ever turned his head,And soon was out of reach.K.Enough. Begone.[Exit Messenger.I knew I had seen him, Sala: ’tis his spirit.What is thy counsel?Sa.Think no more of this.2050Take a sufficient force within the walls:The rest entrenched upon the hill without,We must abide their coming on at dawn.K.What is your force?Sa.At most eight hundred men.K.We are so o’ermatched, Sala, I shall not wait,I shall assault their camp to-night. The darknessWill hide our numbers: we will steal upon them.Sa.I pray you, sire, be well advised. Consider,If our small force be sundered in the darkness....K.The darkness is our friend. We know the ground.Would I could blot the moon from heaven to-night.2061My plan is fixed. Take thou five hundred menAnd steal upon their rear, when battle joinsI with the rest will charge their front.Sa.My dutyBids me dissuade thee, ere I can obey.K.I am brave to fight, Sala: but not to wait;I will not wait an hour; nay, not an instant.Thou wilt not move me. Not a word, I bid thee.’Tis my last hope. Come, get thy men together:If once they hear these hellish tales, we are lost.
Sa.’Tis like your majestyHath been deluded by some airy visionBred in the troubled brain.
Sa.’Tis like your majesty
Hath been deluded by some airy vision
Bred in the troubled brain.
K.Nay, he was there.
K.Nay, he was there.
Sa.The spirits of the dead have power to fixThe image of their presence in the placeWhere life was robbed: there are a thousand storiesOf such frail apparitions.
Sa.The spirits of the dead have power to fix
The image of their presence in the place
Where life was robbed: there are a thousand stories
Of such frail apparitions.
Enter Messenger.
Enter Messenger.
2031K.Who cometh here?
K.Who cometh here?
MESSENGER.
MESSENGER.
Your majesty’s command.
Your majesty’s command.
K.I know thee: speak.
K.I know thee: speak.
Mess.The scouts returned report the Christians campedTo north of Alrah on the stream’s left bank.They do not hold the hill, and set no guardSave on their front.
Mess.The scouts returned report the Christians camped
To north of Alrah on the stream’s left bank.
They do not hold the hill, and set no guard
Save on their front.
K.What numbers are they guessed?
K.What numbers are they guessed?
Mess.At some four thousand: and prince FerdinandIs with them.
Mess.At some four thousand: and prince Ferdinand
Is with them.
K.Who?
K.Who?
Mess.The scouts, your majesty,Spake of prince Ferdinand’s escape. They saw him2040Ride at full speed into the Christian camp.
Mess.The scouts, your majesty,
Spake of prince Ferdinand’s escape. They saw him
Ride at full speed into the Christian camp.
K.When saw they him?
K.When saw they him?
Mess.At dusk.
Mess.At dusk.
K.It could not be.
K.It could not be.
Mess.They tell he galloped thro’their company.They might have touched him. When they called his nameHe took no heed. Some fired their pieces at him:And some pursued: but he, as tho’his horseWere winged, held on, nor ever turned his head,And soon was out of reach.
Mess.They tell he galloped thro’their company.
They might have touched him. When they called his name
He took no heed. Some fired their pieces at him:
And some pursued: but he, as tho’his horse
Were winged, held on, nor ever turned his head,
And soon was out of reach.
K.Enough. Begone.[Exit Messenger.I knew I had seen him, Sala: ’tis his spirit.What is thy counsel?
K.Enough. Begone.[Exit Messenger.
I knew I had seen him, Sala: ’tis his spirit.
What is thy counsel?
Sa.Think no more of this.2050Take a sufficient force within the walls:The rest entrenched upon the hill without,We must abide their coming on at dawn.
Sa.Think no more of this.
Take a sufficient force within the walls:
The rest entrenched upon the hill without,
We must abide their coming on at dawn.
K.What is your force?
K.What is your force?
Sa.At most eight hundred men.
Sa.At most eight hundred men.
K.We are so o’ermatched, Sala, I shall not wait,I shall assault their camp to-night. The darknessWill hide our numbers: we will steal upon them.
K.We are so o’ermatched, Sala, I shall not wait,
I shall assault their camp to-night. The darkness
Will hide our numbers: we will steal upon them.
Sa.I pray you, sire, be well advised. Consider,If our small force be sundered in the darkness....
Sa.I pray you, sire, be well advised. Consider,
If our small force be sundered in the darkness....
K.The darkness is our friend. We know the ground.Would I could blot the moon from heaven to-night.2061My plan is fixed. Take thou five hundred menAnd steal upon their rear, when battle joinsI with the rest will charge their front.
K.The darkness is our friend. We know the ground.
Would I could blot the moon from heaven to-night.
My plan is fixed. Take thou five hundred men
And steal upon their rear, when battle joins
I with the rest will charge their front.
Sa.My dutyBids me dissuade thee, ere I can obey.
Sa.My duty
Bids me dissuade thee, ere I can obey.
K.I am brave to fight, Sala: but not to wait;I will not wait an hour; nay, not an instant.Thou wilt not move me. Not a word, I bid thee.’Tis my last hope. Come, get thy men together:If once they hear these hellish tales, we are lost.
K.I am brave to fight, Sala: but not to wait;
I will not wait an hour; nay, not an instant.
Thou wilt not move me. Not a word, I bid thee.
’Tis my last hope. Come, get thy men together:
If once they hear these hellish tales, we are lost.