END OF QUEEN MARY.
TO HIS EXCELLENCY THE RIGHT HON. LORD LYTTON, VICEROY ANDGOVERNOR-GENERAL OF INDIA.My Dear Lord Lytton,—After old-world records—such as the Bayeuxtapestry and the Roman de Rou,—Edward Freeman's History of the NormanConquest, and your father's Historical Romance treating of the sametimes, have been mainly helpful to me in writing this Drama. Yourfather dedicated his 'Harold' to my father's brother; allow me todedicate my 'Harold' to yourself.A. TENNYSON.
SHOW-DAY AT BATTLE ABBEY, 1876.A garden here—May breath and bloom of spring—The cuckoo yonder from an English elmCrying 'with my false egg I overwhelmThe native nest:' and fancy hears the ringOf harness, and that deathful arrow sing,And Saxon battleaxe clang on Norman helm.Here rose the dragon-banner of our realm:Here fought, here fell, our Norman-slander'd king.O Garden blossoming out of English blood!O strange hate-healer Time! We stroll and stareWhere might made right eight hundred years ago;Might, right? ay good, so all things make for good—But he and he, if soul be soul, are whereEach stands full face with all he did below.
DRAMATIS PERSONAEKING EDWARD THE CONFESSOR.STIGAND,created Archbishop of Canterbury by the Antipope Benedict.ALDRED,Archbishop of York.THE NORMAN BISHOP OF LONDON.HAROLD,Earl of Wessex, afterwards King of England, Son of GodwinTOSTIG,Earl of Northumbria, Son of GodwinGURTH,Earl of East Anglia, Son of GodwinLEOFWIN,Earl of Kent and Essex, Son of GodwinWULFNOTHCOUNT WILLIAM OF NORMANDY.WILLIAM RUFUS.WILLIAM MALET,a Norman Noble.[1]EDWIN,Earl of Mercia, Son of Alfgar of MerciaMORCAR,Earl of Northumbria after Tostig, Son of Alfgar of MerciaGAMEL,a Northumbrian Thane.GUY,Count of Ponthieu.ROLF,a Ponthieu Fisherman.HUGH MARGOT,a Norman Monk.OSGODandATHELRIC,Canons from Waltham.THE QUEEN,Edward the Confessor's Wife, Daughter of Godwin.ALDWYTH,Daughter of Alfgar and Widow of Griffyth, King of Wales.EDITH,Ward of King Edward.Courtiers, Earls and Thanes, Men-at-Arms, Canons of Waltham,Fishermen, etc.
[Footnote 1: ... quidam partim Normannus et AnglusCompater Heraldi. (Guy of Amiens, 587.)]
HAROLD
ACT I.
SCENE I.—LONDON. THE KING'S PALACE.(A comet seen through the open window.)ALDWYTH, GAMEL, COURTIERStalking together.
FIRST COURTIER. Lo! there once more—this is the seventh night!Yon grimly-glaring, treble-brandish'd scourge Of England!SECOND COURTIER. Horrible!FIRST COURTIER. Look you, there's a starThat dances in it as mad with agony!THIRD COURTIER. Ay, like a spirit in Hell who skips and fliesTo right and left, and cannot scape the flame.SECOND COURTIER. Steam'd upward from the undescendableAbysm.FIRST COURTIER. Or floated downward from the throneOf God Almighty.ALDWYTH. Gamel, son of Orm,What thinkest thou this means?GAMEL. War, my dear lady!ALDWYTH. Doth this affright thee?GAMEL. Mightily, my dear lady!ALDWYTH. Stand by me then, and look upon my face,Not on the comet.EnterMORCAR.Brother! why so pale?MORCAR. It glares in heaven, it flares upon the Thames,The people are as thick as bees below,They hum like bees,—they cannot speak—for awe;Look to the skies, then to the river, strikeTheir hearts, and hold their babies up to it.I think that they would Molochize them too,To have the heavens clear.ALDWYTH. They fright not me.EnterLEOFWIN,after himGURTH.Ask thou Lord Leofwin what he thinks of this!MORCAR. Lord Leofwin, dost thou believe, that theseThree rods of blood-red fire up yonder meanThe doom of England and the wrath of Heaven?BISHOP OF LONDON (passing).Did ye not cast with bestial violenceOur holy Norman bishops down from allTheir thrones in England? I alone remain.Why should not Heaven be wroth?LEOFWIN. With us, or thee?BISHOP OF LONDON. Did ye not outlaw your archbishop Robert,Robert of Jumieges—well-nigh murder him too?Is there no reason for the wrath of Heaven?LEOFWIN. Why then the wrath of Heaven hath three tails,The devil only one.[ExitBISHOP OF LONDON.EnterARCHBISHOP STIGAND.AskourArchbishop.Stigand should know the purposes of Heaven.STIGAND. Not I. I cannot read the face of heaven;Perhaps our vines will grow the better for it.LEOFWIN (laughing).He can but read the king's face on his coins.STIGAND. Ay, ay, young lord,therethe king's face is power.GURTH. O father, mock not at a public fear,But tell us, is this pendent hell in heavenA harm to England?STIGAND. Ask it of King Edward!And he may tell thee,Iam a harm to England.Old uncanonical Stigand—ask ofmeWho had my pallium from an Antipope!Not he the man—for in our windy worldWhat's up is faith, what's down is heresy.Our friends, the Normans, holp to shake his chair.I have a Norman fever on me, son,And cannot answer sanely.... What it means?Ask our broad Earl.[Pointing toHAROLD,who enters.HAROLD (seeingGAMEL).Hail, Gamel, son of Orm!Albeit no rolling stone, my good friend Gamel,Thou hast rounded since we met. Thy life at homeIs easier than mine here. Look! am I notWork-wan, flesh-fallen?GAMEL. Art thou sick, good Earl?HAROLD. Sick as an autumn swallow for a voyage,Sick for an idle week of hawk and houndBeyond the seas—a change! When camest thou hither?GAMEL. To-day, good Earl.HAROLD. Is the North quiet, Gamel?GAMEL. Nay, there be murmurs, for thy brother breaks usWith over-taxing—quiet, ay, as yet—Nothing as yet.HAROLD. Stand by him, mine old friend,Thou art a great voice in Northumberland!Advise him: speak him sweetly, he will hear thee.He is passionate but honest. Stand thou by him!More talk of this to-morrow, if yon weird signNot blast us in our dreams.—Well, father Stigand—[ToSTIGAND,who advances to him.STIGAND (pointing to the comet).War there, my son? is that the doom of England?HAROLD. Why not the doom of all the world as well?For all the world sees it as well as England.These meteors came and went before our day,Not harming any: it threatens us no moreThan French or Norman. War? the worst that followsThings that seem jerk'd out of the common rutOf Nature is the hot religious fool,Who, seeing war in heaven, for heaven's creditMakes it on earth: but look, where Edward drawsA faint foot hither, leaning upon Tostig.He hath learnt to love our Tostig much of late.LEOFWIN. Andhehath learnt, despite the tiger in him,To sleek and supple himself to the king's hand.GURTH. I trust the kingly touch that cures the evilMay serve to charm the tiger out of him.LEOFWIN. He hath as much of cat as tiger in him.Our Tostig loves the hand and not the man.HAROLD. Nay! Better die than lie!EnterKING, QUEEN,andTOSTIG.EDWARD. In heaven signs!Signs upon earth! signs everywhere! your PriestsGross, worldly, simoniacal, unlearn'd!They scarce can read their Psalter; and your churchesUncouth, unhandsome, while in NormanlandGod speaks thro' abler voices, as He dwellsIn statelier shrines. I say not this, as beingHalf Norman-blooded, nor as some have held,Because I love the Norman better—no,But dreading God's revenge upon this realmFor narrowness and coldness: and I say itFor the last time perchance, before I goTo find the sweet refreshment of the Saints.I have lived a life of utter purity:I have builded the great church of Holy Peter:I have wrought miracles—to God the glory—And miracles will in my name be wroughtHereafter.—I have fought the fight and go—I see the flashing of the gates of pearl—And it is well with me, tho' some of youHave scorn'd me—ay—but after I am goneWoe, woe to England! I have had a vision;The seven sleepers in the cave at EphesusHave turn'd from right to left.HAROLD. My most dear Master,What matters? let them turn from left to rightAnd sleep again.TOSTIG. Too hardy with thy king!A life of prayer and fasting well may seeDeeper into the mysteries of heavenThan thou, good brother.ALDWYTH (aside). Sees he into thine,That thou wouldst have his promise for the crown?EDWARD. Tostig says true; my son, thou art too hard,Not stagger'd by this ominous earth and heaven:But heaven and earth are threads of the same loom,Play into one another, and weave the webThat may confound thee yet.HAROLD. Nay, I trust not,For I have served thee long and honestly.EDWARD. I know it, son; I am not thankless: thouHast broken all my foes, lighten'd for meThe weight of this poor crown, and left me timeAnd peace for prayer to gain a better one.Twelve years of service! England loves thee for it.Thou art the man to rule her!ALDWYTH (aside). So, not Tostig!HAROLD. And after those twelve years a boon, my king,Respite, a holiday: thyself wast wontTo love the chase: thy leave to set my feetOn board, and hunt and hawk beyond the seas!EDWARD. What, with this flaming horror overhead?HAROLD. Well, when it passes then.EDWARD. Ay if it pass.Go not to Normandy—go not to Normandy.HAROLD. And wherefore not, my king, to Normandy?Is not my brother Wulfnoth hostage thereFor my dead father's loyalty to thee?I pray thee, let me hence and bring him home.EDWARD. Not thee, my son: some other messenger.HAROLD. And why not me, my lord, to Normandy?Is not the Norman Count thy friend and mine?EDWARD. I pray thee, do not go to Normandy.HAROLD. Because my father drove the Normans outOf England?—That was many a summer gone—Forgotten and forgiven by them and thee.EDWARD. Harold, I will not yield thee leave to go.HAROLD. Why then to Flanders. I will hawk and huntIn Flanders.EDWARD. Be there not fair woods and fieldsIn England? Wilful, wilful. Go—the SaintsPilot and prosper all thy wandering outAnd homeward. Tostig, I am faint again.Son Harold, I will in and pray for thee.[Exit, leaning onTOSTIG,and followed bySTIGAND, MORCAR,andCOURTIERS.HAROLD. What lies upon the mind of our good kingThat he should harp this way on Normandy?QUEEN. Brother, the king is wiser than he seems;And Tostig knows it; Tostig loves the king.HAROLD. And love should know; and—be theking so wise,—Then Tostig too were wiser than he seems.I love the man but not his phantasies.Re-enterTOSTIG.Well, brother,When didst thou hear from thy Northumbria?TOSTIG. When did I hear aught but this 'When' from thee?Leave me alone, brother, with my Northumbria:She ismymistress, letmelook to her!The King hath made me Earl; make me not fool!Nor make the King a fool, who made me Earl!HAROLD. No, Tostig—lest I make myself a foolWho made the King who made thee, make thee Earl.TOSTIG. Why chafe me then? Thou knowest I soon go wild.GURTH. Come, come! as yet thou art not gone so wildBut thou canst hear the best and wisest of us.HAROLD. So says old Gurth, not I: yet hear! thine earldom,Tostig, hath been a kingdom. Their old crownIs yet a force among them, a sun setBut leaving light enough for Alfgar's houseTo strike thee down by—nay, this ghastly glareMay heat their fancies.TOSTIG. My most worthy brother,Thou art the quietest man in all the world—Ay, ay and wise in peace and great in war—Pray God the people choose thee for their king!But all the powers of the house of GodwinAre not enframed in thee.HAROLD. Thank the Saints, no!But thou hast drain'd them shallow by thy tolls,And thou art ever here about the King:Thine absence well may seem a want of care.Cling to their love; for, now the sons of GodwinSit topmost in the field of England, envy,Like the rough bear beneath the tree, good brother,Waits till the man let go.TOSTIG. Good counsel truly!I heard from my Northumbria yesterday.HAROLD. How goes it then with thy Northumbria?Well?TOSTIG. And wouldst thou that it went aught else than well?HAROLD. I would it went as well as with mine earldom,Leofwin's and Gurth's.TOSTIG. Ye govern milder men.GURTH. We have made them milder by just government.TOSTIG. Ay, ever give yourselves your own good word.LEOFWIN. An honest gift, by all the Saints, if giverAnd taker be but honest! but they bribeEach other, and so often, an honest worldWill not believe them.HAROLD. I may tell thee, Tostig,I heard from thy Northumberland to-day.TOSTIG. From spies of thine to spy my nakednessIn my poor North!HAROLD. There is a movement there,A blind one—nothing yet.TOSTIG. Crush it at onceWith all the power I have!—I must—I will!—Crush it half-born! Fool still? or wisdom there,My wise head-shaking Harold?HAROLD. Make not thouThe nothing something. Wisdom when in powerAnd wisest, should not frown as Power, but smileAs kindness, watching all, till the truemustShall make her strike as Power: but when to strike—O Tostig, O dear brother—If they prance,Rein in, not lash them, lest they rear and runAnd break both neck and axle.TOSTIG. Good again!Good counsel tho' scarce needed. Pour not waterIn the full vessel running out at topTo swamp the house.LEOFWIN. Nor thou be a wild thingOut of the waste, to turn and bite the handWould help thee from the trap.TOSTIG. Thou playest in tune.LEOFWIN. To the deaf adder thee, that wilt not danceHowever wisely charm'd.TOSTIG. No more, no more!GURTH. I likewise cry 'no more.' Unwholesome talkFor Godwin's house! Leofwin, thou hast a tongue!Tostig, thou look'st as thou wouldst spring upon him.St. Olaf, not while I am by! Come, come,Join hands, let brethren dwell in unity;Let kith and kin stand close as our shield-wall,Who breaks us then? I say, thou hast a tongue,And Tostig is not stout enough to bear it.Vex him not, Leofwin.TOSTIG. No, I am not vext,—Altho' ye seek to vex me, one and all.I have to make report of my good earldomTo the good king who gave it—not to you—Not any of you.—I am not vext at all.HAROLD. The king? the king is ever at his prayers;In all that handles matter of the stateI am the king.TOSTIG. That shall thou never beIf I can thwart thee.HAROLD. Brother, brother!TOSTIG. Away![ExitTOSTIG.QUEEN. Spite of this grisly star ye three must gallPoor Tostig.LEOFWIN. Tostig, sister, galls himself;He cannot smell a rose but pricks his noseAgainst the thorn, and rails against the rose.QUEEN. I am the only rose of all the stockThat never thorn'd him; Edward loves him, soYe hate him. Harold always hated him.Why—how they fought when boys—and, Holy Mary!How Harold used to beat him!HAROLD. Why, boys will fight.Leofwin would often fight me, and I beat him.Even old Gurth would fight. I had much adoTo hold mine own against old Gurth. Old Gurth,We fought like great states for grave cause; butTostig—On a sudden—at a something—for a nothing—The boy would fist me hard, and when we foughtI conquer'd, and he loved me none the less,Till thou wouldst get him all apart, and tell himThat where he was but worsted, he was wrong'd.Ah! thou hast taught the king to spoil him too;Now the spoilt child sways both. Take heed, take heed;Thou art the Queen; ye are boy and girl no more:Side not with Tostig in any violence,Lest thou be sideways guilty of the violence.QUEEN. Come fall not foul on me. I leave thee, brother.HAROLD. Nay, my good sister—[ExeuntQUEEN, HAROLD, GURTH,andLEOFWIN.ALDWYTH. Gamel, son of Orm,What thinkest thou this means? [Pointing to the comet.GAMEL. War, my dear lady,War, waste, plague, famine, all malignities.ALDWYTH. It means the fall of Tostig from his earldom.GAMEL. That were too small a matter for a comet!ALDWYTH. It means the lifting of the house of Alfgar.GAMEL. Too small! a comet would not show for that!ALDWYTH. Not small for thee, if thou canst compass it.GAMEL. Thy love?ALDWYTH. As much as I can give thee, man;This Tostig is, or like to be, a tyrant;Stir up thy people: oust him!GAMEL. And thy love?ALDWYTH. As much as thou canst bear.GAMEL. I can bear all,And not be giddy.ALDWYTH. No more now: to-morrow.
SCENE II.—IN THE GARDEN. THE KING'S HOUSE NEAR LONDON. SUNSET.
EDITH. Mad for thy mate, passionate nightingale....I love thee for it—ay, but stay a moment;Hecan but stay a moment: he is going.I fain would hear him coming!... near me ... near.Somewhere—To draw him nearer with a charmLike thine to thine.(Singing.)Love is come with a song and a smile,Welcome Love with a smile and a song:Love can stay but a little while.Why cannot he stay? They call him away:Ye do him wrong, ye do him wrong;Love will stay for a whole life long.EnterHAROLD.HAROLD. The nightingales in Havering-at-the-BowerSang out their loves so loud, that Edward's prayersWere deafen'd and he pray'd them dumb, and thusI dumb thee too, my wingless nightingale![Kissing her.EDITH. Thou art my music! Would their wings were mineTo follow thee to Flanders! Must thou go?HAROLD. Not must, but will. It is but for one moon.EDITH. Leaving so many foes in Edward's hallTo league against thy weal. The Lady AldwythWas here to-day, and when she touch'd on thee,She stammer'd in her hate; I am sure she hates thee,Pants for thy blood.HAROLD. Well, I have given her cause—I fear no woman.EDITH. Hate not one who feltSome pity for thy hater! I am sureHer morning wanted sunlight, she so praisedThe convent and lone life—within the pale—Beyond the passion. Nay—she held with Edward,At least methought she held with holy Edward,That marriage was half sin.HAROLD. A lesson worthFinger and thumb—thus (snaps his fingers). And my answer to it—See here—an interwoven H and E!Take thou this ring; I will demand his wardFrom Edward when I come again. Ay, would she?She to shut up my blossom in the dark!Thou artmynun, thy cloister in mine arms.EDITH (taking the ring).Yea, but Earl Tostig—HAROLD. That's a truer fear!For if the North take fire, I should be back;I shall be, soon enough.EDITH. Ay, but last nightAn evil dream that ever came and went—HAROLD. A gnat that vext thy pillow! Had I been by,I would have spoil'd his horn. My girl, what was it?EDITH. Oh! that thou wert not going!For so methought it was our marriage-morn,And while we stood together, a dead manRose from behind the altar, tore awayMy marriage ring, and rent my bridal veil;And then I turn'd, and saw the church all fill'dWith dead men upright from their graves, and allThe dead men made at thee to murder thee,But thou didst back thyself against a pillar,And strike among them with thy battle-axe—There, what a dream!HAROLD. Well, well—a dream—no more!EDITH. Did not Heaven speak to men in dreams of old?HAROLD. Ay—well—of old. I tell thee what, my child;Thou hast misread this merry dream of thine,Taken the rifted pillars of the woodFor smooth stone columns of the sanctuary,The shadows of a hundred fat dead deerFor dead men's ghosts. True, that the battle-axeWas out of place; it should have been the bow.—Come, thou shalt dream no more such dreams; I swear it,By mine own eyes—and these two sapphires—theseTwin rubies, that are amulets against allThe kisses of all kind of womankindIn Flanders, till the sea shall roll me backTo tumble at thy feet.EDITH. That would but shame me,Rather than make me vain. The sea may rollSand, shingle, shore-weed, not the living rockWhich guards the land.HAROLD. Except it be a soft one,And undereaten to the fall. Mine amulet ...This last ... upon thine eyelids, to shut inA happier dream. Sleep, sleep, and thou shalt seeMy grayhounds fleeting like a beam of light,And hear my peregrine and her bells in heaven;And other bells on earth, which yet are heaven's;Guess what they be.EDITH. He cannot guess who knows.Farewell, my king.HAROLD. Not yet, but then—my queen.[Exeunt.EnterALDWYTHfrom the thicket.ALDWYTH. The kiss that charms thine eyelids into sleep,Will hold mine waking. Hate him? I could love himMore, tenfold, than this fearful child can do;Griffyth I hated: why not hate the foeOf England? Griffyth when I saw him flee,Chased deer-like up his mountains, all the bloodThat should have only pulsed for Griffyth, beatFor his pursuer. I love him or think I love him.If he were King of England, I his queen,I might be sure of it. Nay, I do love him.—She must be cloister'd somehow, lest the kingShould yield his ward to Harold's will. What harm?She hath but blood enough to live, not love.—When Harold goes and Tostig, shall I playThe craftier Tostig with him? fawn upon him?Chime in with all? 'O thou more saint than king!'And that were true enough. 'O blessed relics!''O Holy Peter!' If he found me thus,Harold might hate me; he is broad and honest,Breathing an easy gladness ... not like Aldwyth ...For which I strangely love him. Should not EnglandLove Aldwyth, if she stay the feuds that partThe sons of Godwin from the sons of AlfgarBy such a marrying? Courage, noble Aldwyth!Let all thy people bless thee!Our wild Tostig,Edward hath made him Earl: he would be king:—The dog that snapt the shadow, dropt the bone.—I trust he may do well, this Gamel, whomI play upon, that he may play the noteWhereat the dog shall howl and run, and HaroldHear the king's music, all alone with him,Pronounced his heir of England.I see the goal and half the way to it.—Peace-lover is our Harold for the sakeOf England's wholeness—so—to shake the NorthWith earthquake and disruption—some division—Then fling mine own fair person in the gapA sacrifice to Harold, a peace-offering,A scape-goat marriage—all the sins of bothThe houses on mine head—then a fair lifeAnd bless the Queen of England.MORCAR (coming from the thicket).Art thou assuredBy this, that Harold loves but Edith?ALDWYTH. Morcar!Why creep'st thou like a timorous beast of preyOut of the bush by night?MORCAR. I follow'd thee.ALDWYTH. Follow my lead, and I will make thee earl.MORCAR. What lead then?ALDWYTH. Thou shalt flash it secretlyAmong the good Northumbrian folk, that I—That Harold loves me—yea, and presentlyThat I and Harold are betroth'd—and last—Perchance that Harold wrongs me; tho' I would notThat it should come to that.MORCAR. I will both flashAnd thunder for thee.ALDWYTH. I said 'secretly;'It is the flash that murders, the poor thunderNever harm'd head.MORCAR. But thunder may bring downThat which the flash hath stricken.ALDWYTH. Down with Tostig!That first of all—And when doth Harold go?MORCAR. To-morrow—first to Bosham, then to Flanders.ALDWYTH. Not to come back till Tostig shall have shownAnd redden'd with his people's blood the teethThat shall be broken by us—yea, and thouChair'd in his place. Good-night, and dream thyselfTheir chosen Earl.[ExitALDWYTH.MORCAR. Earl first, and after thatWho knows I may not dream myself their king!
ACT II.
SCENE I.—SEASHORE. PONTHIEU. NIGHT.HAROLDand hisMEN,wrecked.
HAROLD. Friends, in that last inhospitable plungeOur boat hath burst her ribs; but ours are whole;I have but bark'd my hands.ATTENDANT. I dug mine intoMy old fast friend the shore, and clinging thusFelt the remorseless outdraught of the deepHaul like a great strong fellow at my legs,And then I rose and ran. The blast that cameSo suddenly hath fallen as suddenly—Put thou the comet and this blast together—HAROLD. Put thou thyself and mother-wit together.Be not a fool!EnterFISHERMENwith torches, HAROLDgoingup to one of them, ROLF.Wicked sea-will-o'-the-wisp!Wolf of the shore! dog, with thy lying lightsThou hast betray'd us on these rocks of thine!ROLF. Ay, but thou liest as loud as the black herring-pond behindthee. We be fishermen; I came to see after my nets.HAROLD. To drag us into them. Fishermen? devils!Who, while ye fish for men with your false fires,Let the great Devil fish for your own souls.ROLF. Nay then, we be liker the blessed Apostles;theywere fishersof men, Father Jean says.HAROLD. I had liefer that the fish had swallowed me,Like Jonah, than have known there were such devils.What's to be done?[To hisMEN—goes apart with them.FISHERMAN. Rolf, what fish did swallow Jonah?ROLF. A whale!FISHERMAN. Then a whale to a whelk we have swallowed the King ofEngland. I saw him over there. Look thee, Rolf, when I was down in thefever,shewas down with the hunger, and thou didst stand by her andgive her thy crabs, and set her up again, till now, by the patientSaints, she's as crabb'd as ever.ROLF. And I'll give her my crabs again, when thou art down again.FISHERMAN. I thank thee, Rolf. Run thou to Count Guy; he is hard athand. Tell him what hath crept into our creel, and he will fee thee asfreely as he will wrench this outlander's ransom out of him—and whynot? for what right had he to get himself wrecked on another man'sland?ROLF. Thou art the human-heartedest, Christian-charitiest of allcrab-catchers. Share and share alike![Exit.HAROLD (toFISHERMAN).Fellow, dost thou catch crabs?FISHERMAN. As few as I may in a wind, and less than I would in a calm.Ay!HAROLD. I have a mind that thou shalt catch no more.FISHERMAN. How?HAROLD. I have a mind to brain thee with mine axe.FISHERMAN. Ay, do, do, and our great Count-crab will make his nippersmeet in thine heart; he'll sweat it out of thee, he'll sweat it out ofthee. Look, he's here! He'll speak for himself! Hold thine own, ifthou canst!EnterGUY, COUNT OF PONTHIEU.HAROLD. Guy, Count of Ponthieu?GUY. Harold, Earl of Wessex!HAROLD. Thy villains with their lying lights have wreck'd us!GUY. Art thou not Earl of Wessex?HAROLD. In mine earldomA man may hang gold bracelets on a bush,And leave them for a year, and coming backFind them again.GUY. Thou art a mighty manIn thine own earldom!HAROLD. Were such murderous liarsIn Wessex—if I caught them, they should hangCliff-gibbeted for sea-marks; our sea-mewWinging their only wail!GUY. Ay, but my menHold that the shipwreckt are accursed of God;—What hinders me to hold with mine own men?HAROLD. The Christian manhood of the man who reigns!GUY. Ay, rave thy worst, but in our oubliettesThou shalt or rot or ransom. Hale him hence![To one of hisATTENDANTS.Fly thou to William; tell him we have Harold.
SCENE II.—BAYEUX. PALACE.COUNT WILLIAMandWILLIAM MALET.
WILLIAM. We hold our Saxon woodcock in the springe,But he begins to flutter. As I thinkHe was thine host in England when I wentTo visit Edward.MALET. Yea, and there, my lord,To make allowance for their rougher fashions,I found him all a noble host should be.WILLIAM. Thou art his friend: thou know'st my claim on EnglandThro' Edward's promise: we have him in the toils.And it were well, if thou shouldst let him feel,How dense a fold of danger nets him round,So that he bristle himself against my will.MALET. What would I do, my lord, if I were you?WILLIAM. What wouldst thou do?MALET. My lord, he is thy guest.WILLIAM. Nay, by the splendour of God, no guest of mine.He came not to see me, had past me byTo hunt and hawk elsewhere, save for the fateWhich huntedhimwhen that un-Saxon blast,And bolts of thunder moulded in high heavenTo serve the Norman purpose, drave and crack'dHis boat on Ponthieu beach; where our friend GuyHad wrung his ransom from him by the rack,But that I slept between and purchased him,Translating his captivity from GuyTo mine own hearth at Bayeux, where he sitsMy ransom'd prisoner.MALET. Well, if not with gold,With golden deeds and iron strokes that broughtThy war with Brittany to a goodlier closeThan else had been, he paid his ransom back.WILLIAM. So that henceforth they are not like to leagueWith Harold againstme.MALET. A marvel, howHe from the liquid sands of CoesnonHaled thy shore-swallow'd, armour'd Normans upTo fight for thee again!WILLIAM. Perchance againstTheir saver, save thou save him from himself.MALET. But I should let him home again, my lord.WILLIAM. Simple! let fly the bird within the hand,To catch the bird again within the bush!No.Smooth thou my way, before he clash with me;I want his voice in England for the crown,I want thy voice with him to bring him round;And being brave he must be subtly cow'd,And being truthful wrought upon to swearVows that he dare not break. England our ownThro' Harold's help, he shall be my dear friendAs well as thine, and thou thyself shalt haveLarge lordship there of lands and territory.MALET. I knew thy purpose; he and Wulfnoth neverHave met, except in public; shall they meetIn private? I have often talk'd with Wulfnoth,And stuff'd the boy with fears that these may actOn Harold when they meet.WILLIAM. Then let them meet!MALET. I can but love this noble, honest Harold.WILLIAM. Love him! why not? thine is a loving office,I have commission'd thee to save the man:Help the good ship, showing the sunken rock,Or he is wreckt for ever.EnterWILLIAM RUFUS.WILLIAM RUFUS. Father.WILLIAM. Well, boy.WILLIAM RUFUS. They have taken away the toy thou gavest me,The Norman knight.WILLIAM. Why, boy?WILLIAM RUFUS. Because I brokeThe horse's leg—it was mine own to break;I like to have my toys, and break them too.WILLIAM. Well, thou shalt have another Norman knight!WILLIAM RUFUS. And may I break his legs?WILLIAM. Yea,—get thee gone!WILLIAM RUFUS. I'll tell them I have had my way with thee.[Exit.MALET. I never knew thee check thy will for oughtSave for the prattling of thy little ones.WILLIAM. Who shall be kings of England. I am heirOf England by the promise of her king.MALET. But there the great Assembly choose their king,The choice of England is the voice of England.WILLIAM. I will be king of England by the laws,The choice, and voice of England.MALET. Can that be?WILLIAM. The voice of any people is the swordThat guards them, or the sword that beats them down.Here comes the would-be what I will be ... king-like ...Tho' scarce at ease; for, save our meshes break,More kinglike he than like to prove a king.EnterHAROLD,musing, with his eyes on the ground.He sees me not—and yet he dreams of me.Earl, wilt thou fly my falcons this fair day?They are of the best, strong-wing'd against the wind.HAROLD (looking up suddenly, having caught but the last word).Whichway does it blow?WILLIAM. Blowing for England, ha?Not yet. Thou hast not learnt thy quarters here.The winds so cross and jostle among these towers.HAROLD. Count of the Normans, thou hast ransom'd us,Maintain'd, and entertain'd us royally!WILLIAM. And thou for us hast fought as loyally,Which binds us friendship-fast for ever!HAROLD. Good!But lest we turn the scale of courtesyBy too much pressure on it, I would fain,Since thou hast promised Wulfnoth home with us,Be home again with Wulfnoth.WILLIAM. Stay—as yetThou hast but seen how Norman hands can strike,But walk'd our Norman field, scarce touch'd or tastedThe splendours of our Court.HAROLD. I am in no mood:I should be as the shadow of a cloudCrossing your light.WILLIAM. Nay, rest a week or two,And we will fill thee full of Norman sun,And send thee back among thine island mistsWith laughter.HAROLD. Count, I thank thee, but had ratherBreathe the free wind from off our Saxon downs,Tho' charged with all the wet of all the west.WILLIAM. Why if thou wilt, so let it be—thou shalt.That were a graceless hospitalityTo chain the free guest to the banquet-board;To-morrow we will ride with thee to Harfleur,And see thee shipt, and pray in thy behalfFor happier homeward winds than that which crack'dThy bark at Ponthieu,—yet to us, in faith,A happy one—whereby we came to knowThy valour and thy value, noble earl.Ay, and perchance a happy one for thee,Provided—I will go with thee to-morrow—Nay—but there be conditions, easy ones,So thou, fair friend, will take them easily.EnterPAGE.PAGE. My lord, there is a post from over seasWith news for thee. [ExitPAGE.WILLIAM. Come, Malet, let us hear![ExeuntCOUNT WILLIAMandMALET.HAROLD. Conditions? What conditions? pay him backHis ransom? 'easy '—that were easy—nay—No money-lover he! What said the King?'I pray you do not go to Normandy.'And fate hath blown me hither, bound me tooWith bitter obligation to the Count—Have I not fought it out? What did he mean?There lodged a gleaming grimness in his eyes,Gave his shorn smile the lie. The walls oppress me,And yon huge keep that hinders half the heaven.Free air! free field![Moves to go out. AMAN-AT-ARMSfollows him.HAROLD (to theMAN-AT-ARMS).I need thee not. Why dost thou follow me?MAN-AT-ARMS. I have the Count's commands to follow thee.HAROLD. What then? Am I in danger in this court?MAN-AT-ARMS. I cannot tell. I have the Count's commands.HAROLD. Stand out of earshot then, and keep me stillIn eyeshot.MAN-AT-ARMS. Yea, lord Harold. [Withdraws.HAROLD. And arm'd menEver keep watch beside my chamber door,And if I walk within the lonely wood,There is an arm'd man ever glides behind!EnterMALET.Why am I follow'd, haunted, harass'd, watch'd?See yonder! [Pointing to theMAN-AT-ARMS.MALET. 'Tis the good Count's care for thee!The Normans love thee not, nor thou the Normans,Or—so they deem.HAROLD. But wherefore is the wind,Which way soever the vane-arrow swing,Not ever fair for England? Why but nowHe said (thou heardst him) that I must not henceSave on conditions.MALET. So in truth he said.HAROLD. Malet, thy mother was an Englishwoman;There somewhere beats an English pulse in thee!MALET. Well—for my mother's sake I love your England,But for my father I love Normandy.HAROLD. Speak for thy mother's sake, and tell me true.MALET. Then for my mother's sake, and England's sakeThat suffers in the daily want of thee,Obey the Count's conditions, my good friend.HAROLD. How, Malet, if they be not honourable!MALET. Seem to obey them.HAROLD. Better die than lie!MALET. Choose therefore whether thou wilt have thy conscienceWhite as a maiden's hand, or whether EnglandBe shatter'd into fragments.HAROLD. News from England?MALET. Morcar and Edwin have stirr'd up the ThanesAgainst thy brother Tostig's governance;And all the North of Humber is one storm.HAROLD. I should be there, Malet, I should be there!MALET. And Tostig in his own hall on suspicionHath massacred the Thane that was his guest,Gamel, the son of Orm: and there be moreAs villainously slain.HAROLD. The wolf! the beast!Ill news for guests, ha, Malet! More? What more?What do they say? did Edward know of this?MALET. They say, his wife was knowing and abetting.HAROLD. They say, his wife!—To marry and have no husbandMakes the wife fool. My God, I should be there.I'll hack my way to the sea.MALET. Thou canst not, Harold;Our Duke is all between thee and the sea,Our Duke is all about thee like a God;All passes block'd. Obey him, speak him fair,For he is only debonair to thoseThat follow where he leads, but stark as deathTo those that cross him.—Look thou, here is Wulfnoth!I leave thee to thy talk with him alone;How wan, poor lad! how sick and sad for home![ExitMALET.HAROLD (muttering).Go not to Normandy—go not to Normandy!EnterWULFNOTH.Poor brother! still a hostage!WULFNOTH. Yea, and IShall see the dewy kiss of dawn no moreMake blush the maiden-white of our tall cliffs,Nor mark the sea-bird rouse himself and hoverAbove the windy ripple, and fill the skyWith free sea-laughter—never—save indeedThou canst make yield this iron-mooded DukeTo let me go.HAROLD. Why, brother, so he will;But on conditions. Canst thou guess at them?WULFNOTH. Draw nearer,—I was in the corridor,I saw him coming with his brother OdoThe Bayeux bishop, and I hid myself.HAROLD. They did thee wrong who made thee hostage; thouWast ever fearful.WULFNOTH. And he spoke—I heard him—'This Harold is not of the royal blood,Can have no right to the crown,' and Odo said,'Thine is the right, for thine the might; he is here,And yonder is thy keep.'HAROLD. No, Wulfnoth, no.WULFNOTH. And William laugh'd and swore that might was right,Far as he knew in this poor world of ours—'Marry, the Saints must go 'along with us,And, brother, we will find a way,' said he—Yea, yea, he would be king of England.HAROLD. Never!WULFNOTH. Yea, but thou must not this way answerhim.HAROLD. Is it not better still to speak the truth?WULFNOTH. Not here, or thou wilt never hence nor I:For in the racing toward this golden goalHe turns not right or left, but tramples flatWhatever thwarts him; hast thou never heardHis savagery at Alencon,—the townHung out raw hides along their walls, and cried'Work for the tanner.'HAROLD. That had anger'dmeHad I been William.WULFNOTH. Nay, but he had prisoners,He tore their eyes out, sliced their hands away,And flung them streaming o'er the battlementsUpon the heads of those who walk'd within—O speak him fair, Harold, for thine own sake.HAROLD. Your Welshman says, 'The Truth against the World,'Much more the truth against myself.WULFNOTH. Thyself?But for my sake, oh brother! oh! for my sake!HAROLD. Poor Wulfnoth! do they not entreat thee well?WULFNOTH. I see the blackness of my dungeon loomAcross their lamps of revel, and beyondThe merriest murmurs of their banquet clankThe shackles that will bind me to the wall.HAROLD. Too fearful still!WULFNOTH. Oh no, no—speak him fair!Call it to temporize; and not to lie;Harold, I do not counsel thee to lie.The man that hath to foil a murderous aimMay, surely, play with words.HAROLD. Words are the man.Not ev'n for thy sake, brother, would I lie.WULFNOTH. Then for thine Edith?HAROLD. There thou prick'st me deep.WULFNOTH. And for our Mother England?HAROLD. Deeper still.WULFNOTH. And deeper still the deep-down oubliette,Down thirty feet below the smiling day—In blackness—dogs' food thrown upon thy head.And over thee the suns arise and set,And the lark sings, the sweet stars come and go,And men are at their markets, in their fields,And woo their loves and have forgotten thee;And thou art upright in thy living grave,Where there is barely room to shift thy side,And all thine England hath forgotten thee;And he our lazy-pious Norman King,With all his Normans round him once again,Counts his old beads, and hath forgotten thee.HAROLD. Thou art of my blood, and so methinks, my boy,Thy fears infect me beyond reason. Peace!WULFNOTH. And then our fiery Tostig, while thy handsAre palsied here, if his Northumbrians riseAnd hurl him from them,—I have heard the NormansCount upon this confusion—may he not makeA league with William, so to bring him back?HAROLD. That lies within the shadow of the chance.WULFNOTH. And like a river in flood thro' a burst damDescends the ruthless Norman—our good KingKneels mumbling some old bone—our helpless folkAre wash'd away, wailing, in their own blood—HAROLD. Wailing! not warring? Boy, thou hast forgottenThat thou art English.WULFNOTH. Then our modest women—I know the Norman license—thine own Edith—HAROLD. No more! I will not hear thee—William comes.WULFNOTH. I dare not well be seen in talk with thee.Make thou not mention that I spake with thee.[Moves away to the back of the stage.EnterWILLIAM, MALET,andOFFICER.OFFICER. We have the man that rail'd against thy birth.WILLIAM. Tear out his tongue.OFFICER. He shall not rail again.He said that he should see confusion fallOn thee and on thine house.WILLIAM. Tear out his eyes, And plunge him into prison.OFFICER. It shall be done.[ExitOFFICER.WILLIAM. Look not amazed, fair earl! Better leave undoneThan do by halves—tongueless and eyeless, prison'd—HAROLD. Better methinks have slain the man at once!WILLIAM. We have respect for man's immortal soul,We seldom take man's life, except in war;It frights the traitor more to maim and blind.HAROLD. In mine own land I should have scorn'd the man,Or lash'd his rascal back, and let him go.WILLIAM. And let him go? To slander thee again!Yet in thine own land in thy father's dayThey blinded my young kinsman, Alfred—ay,Some said it was thy father's deed.HAROLD. They lied.WILLIAM. But thou and he—whom at thy word, for thouArt known a speaker of the truth, I freeFrom this foul charge—HAROLD. Nay, nay, he freed himselfBy oath and compurgation from the charge.The king, the lords, the people clear'd him of it.WILLIAM. But thou and he drove our good Normans outFrom England, and this rankles in us yet.Archbishop Robert hardly scaped with life.HAROLD. Archbishop Robert! Robert the Archbishop!Robert of Jumieges, he that—MALET. Quiet! quiet!HAROLD. Count! if there sat within the Norman chairA ruler all for England—one who fill'dAll offices, all bishopricks with English—We could not move from Dover to the HumberSaving thro' Norman bishopricks—I sayYe would applaud that Norman who should driveThe stranger to the fiends!WILLIAM. Why, that is reason!Warrior thou art, and mighty wise withal!Ay, ay, but many among our Norman lordsHate thee for this, and press upon me—sayingGod and the sea have given thee to our hands—To plunge thee into life-long prison here:—Yet I hold out against them, as I may,Yea—would hold out, yea, tho' they should revolt—For thou hast done the battle in my cause;I am thy fastest friend in Normandy.HAROLD. I am doubly bound to thee ... if this be so.WILLIAM. And I would bind thee more, and would myselfBe bounden to thee more.HAROLD. Then let me hence With Wulfnoth to King Edward.WILLIAM. So we will. We hear he hath not long to live.HAROLD. It may be.WILLIAM. Why then the heir of England, who is he?HAROLD. The Atheling is nearest to the throne.WILLIAM. But sickly, slight, half-witted and a child,Will England have him king?HAROLD. It may be, no.WILLIAM. And hath King Edward not pronounced his heir?HAROLD. Not that I know.WILLIAM. When he was here in Normandy,He loved us and we him, because we found him.A Norman of the Normans.HAROLD. So did we.WILLIAM. A gentle, gracious, pure and saintly man!And grateful to the hand that shielded him,He promised that if ever he were kingIn England, he would give his kingly voiceTo me as his successor. Knowest thou this?HAROLD. I learn it now.WILLIAM. Thou knowest I am his cousin,And that my wife descends from Alfred?HAROLD. Ay.WILLIAM. Who hath a better claim then to the crownSo that ye will not crown the Atheling?HAROLD. None that I know ... if that but hung uponKing Edward's will.WILLIAM. Wilt thou uphold my claim?MALET (aside toHAROLD).Be careful of thine answer, my good friend.WULFNOTH (aside toHAROLD).Oh! Harold, for my sake and for thine own!HAROLD. Ay ... if the king have not revoked his promise.WILLIAM. But hath he done it then?HAROLD. Not that I know.WILLIAM. Good, good, and thou wilt help me to the crown?HAROLD. Ay ... if the Witan will consent to this.WILLIAM. Thou art the mightiest voice in England, man,Thy voice will lead the Witan—shall I have it?WULFNOTH (aside toHAROLD).Oh! Harold, if thou love thine Edith, ay.HAROLD. Ay, if—MALET (aside toHAROLD).Thine 'ifs' will sear thine eyes out—ay.WILLIAM. I ask thee, wilt thou help me to the crown?And I will make thee my great Earl of Earls,Foremost in England and in Normandy;Thou shalt be verily king—all but the name—For I shall most sojourn in Normandy;And thou be my vice-king in England. Speak.WULFNOTH (aside toHAROLD).Ay, brother—for the sake of England—ay.HAROLD. My lord—MALET (aside toHAROLD).Take heed now.HAROLD. Ay.WILLIAM. I am content,For thou art truthful, and thy word thy bond.To-morrow will we ride with thee to Harfleur.[ExitWILLIAM.MALET. Harold, I am thy friend, one life with thee,And even as I should bless thee saving mine,I thank thee now for having saved thyself.[ExitMALET.HAROLD. For having lost myself to save myself,Said 'ay' when I meant 'no,' lied like a ladThat dreads the pendent scourge, said 'ay' for 'no'!Ay! No!—he hath not bound me by an oath—Is 'ay' an oath? is 'ay' strong as an oath?Or is it the same sin to break my wordAs break mine oath? He call'd my word my bond!He is a liar who knows I am a liar,And makes believe that he believes my word—The crime be on his head—not bounden—no.[Suddenly doors are flung open, discovering in aninner hallCOUNT WILLIAMin his state robes,seated upon his throne, between twoBISHOPS,ODO OP BAYEUXbeing one: in the centre ofthe hall an ark covered with cloth of gold;and on either side of it theNORMAN BARONS.Enter aJAILORbeforeWILLIAM'Sthrone.WILLIAM (toJAILOR).Knave, hast thou let thy prisoner scape?JAILOR. Sir Count,He had but one foot, he must have hopt away,Yea, some familiar spirit must have help'd him.WILLIAM. Woe knave to thy familiar and to thee!Give me thy keys. [They fall clashing.Nay let them lie. Stand there and wait my will.[TheJAILORstands aside.WILLIAM (toHAROLD).Hast thou such trustless jailors in thy North?HAROLD. We have few prisoners in mine earldom there,So less chance for false keepers.WILLIAM. We have heardOf thy just, mild, and equal governance;Honour to thee! thou art perfect in all honour!Thy naked word thy bond! confirm it nowBefore our gather'd Norman baronage,For they will not believe thee—as I believe.[Descends from his throne and stands by the ark.Let all men here bear witness of our bond![Beckons toHAROLD,who advances.EnterMALETbehind him.Lay thou thy hand upon this golden pall!Behold the jewel of St. PancratiusWoven into the gold. Swear thou on this!HAROLD. What should I swear? Why should I swear on this?WILLIAM (savagely).Swear thou to help me to the crown of England.MALET (whisperingHAROLD).My friend, thou hast gone too far to palter now.WULFNOTH (whisperingHAROLD).Swear thou to-day, to-morrow is thine own.HAROLD. I swear to help thee to the crown of England ...According as King Edward promises.WILLIAM. Thou must swear absolutely, noble Earl.MALET (whispering).Delay is death to thee, ruin to England.WULFNOTH (whispering).Swear, dearest brother, I beseech thee, swear!HAROLD (putting his hand on the jewel).I swear to help thee to the crown of England.WILLIAM. Thanks, truthful Earl; I did not doubt thy word,But that my barons might believe thy word,And that the Holy Saints of NormandyWhen thou art home in England, with thine own,Might strengthen thee in keeping of thy word,I made thee swear.—Show him by whom he hath sworn.[The twoBISHOPSadvance, and raise the cloth of gold.The bodies and bones of Saints are seen lying in the ark.The holy bones of all the CanonisedFrom all the holiest shrines in Normandy!HAROLD. Horrible! [They let the cloth fall again.WILLIAM. Ay, for thou hast sworn an oathWhich, if not kept, would make the hard earth riveTo the very Devil's horns, the bright sky cleaveTo the very feet of God, and send her hostsOf injured Saints to scatter sparks of plagueThro' all your cities, blast your infants, dashThe torch of war among your standing corn,Dabble your hearths with your own blood.—Enough!Thou wilt not break it! I, the Count—the King—Thy friend—am grateful for thine honest oath,Not coming fiercely like a conqueror, now,But softly as a bridegroom to his own.For I shall rule according to your laws,And make your ever-jarring Earldoms moveTo music and in order—Angle, Jute,Dane, Saxon, Norman, help to build a throneOut-towering hers of France.... The wind is fairFor England now.... To-night we will be merry.To-morrow will I ride with thee to Harfleur.[ExeuntWILLIAMand all theNORMAN BARONS,etc.HAROLD. To-night we will be merry—and to-morrow—Juggler and bastard—bastard—he hates that most—William the tanner's bastard! Would he heard me!O God, that I were in some wide, waste fieldWith nothing but my battle-axe and himTo spatter his brains! Why let earth rive, gulf inThese cursed Normans—yea and mine own self.Cleave heaven, and send thy saints that I may sayEv'n to their faces, 'If ye side with WilliamYe are not noble.' How their pointed fingersGlared at me! Am I Harold, Harold, sonOf our great Godwin? Lo! I touch mine arms,My limbs—they are not mine—they are a liar's—I mean to be a liar—I am not bound—Stigand shall give me absolution for it—Did the chest move? did it move? I am utter craven!O Wulfnoth, Wulfnoth, brother, thou hast betray'd me!WULFNOTH. Forgive me, brother, I will live here and die.EnterPAGE.PAGE. My lord! the Duke awaits thee at the banquet.HAROLD. Where they eat dead men's flesh, and drink their blood.PAGE. My lord—HAROLD. I know your Norman cookery is so spiced,It masks all this.PAGE. My lord! thou art white as death.HAROLD. With looking on the dead. Am I so white?Thy Duke will seem the darker. Hence, I follow.[Exeunt.