orThe Merryman and His Maid
Book byW.S. GILBERTMusic byARTHUR SULLIVAN
First produced at the Savoy Theatre in London, England,on October 3, 1888.THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARDDRAMATIS PERSONAE
SIR RICHARD CHOLMONDELEY [pronounced Chum'lee](Lieutenant of the Tower) BaritoneCOLONEL FAIRFAX (under sentence of death) TenorSERGEANT MERYLL (of the Yeomen of the Guard) Bass/BaritoneLEONARD MERYLL (his son) TenorJACK POINT (a Strolling Jester) Light BaritoneWILFRED SHADBOLT(Head Jailer and Assistant Tormentor) Bass/BaritoneTHE HEADSMAN Non-singingFIRST YEOMAN BaritoneSECOND YEOMAN TenorTHIRD YEOMAN [optional] BaritoneFOURTH YEOMAN [optional] TenorFIRST CITIZEN ChorusSECOND CITIZEN ChorusELSIE MAYNARD (a Strolling Singer) SopranoPHOEBE MERYLL (Sergeant Meryll's Daughter) Mezzo-SopranoDAME CARRUTHERS (Housekeeper to the Tower) ContraltoKATE (her Niece) Soprano
Chorus of YEOMEN of the Guard, GENTLEMEN, CITIZENS, etc.
SCENE: Tower Green16th Century
[Scene.— Tower Green][Phoebe discovered spinning.No. 1. When maiden loves, she sits and sighs(INTRODUCTION and SONG)PhoebePHOEBE When maiden loves, she sits and sighs,She wanders to and fro;Unbidden tear-drops fill her eyes,And to all questions she replies,With a sad "Heigh-ho!"'Tis but a little word—"Heigh-ho!"So soft, 'tis scarcely heard—"Heigh-ho!"An idle breath—Yet life and deathMay hang upon a maid's "Heigh-ho!"When maiden loves, she mopes apart,As owl mopes on a tree;Although she keenly feels the smart,She cannot tell what ails her heart,With its sad "Ah, me!"'Tis but a foolish sigh—"Ah, me!"Born but to droop and die—"Ah, me!"Yet all the senseOf eloquenceLies hidden in a maid's "Ah, me!"Yet all the senseOf eloquenceLies hidden in a maid's "Ah, me!""Ah, me!", "Ah, me!"Yet all the senseOf eloquenceLies hidden in a maid's "Ah, me!"[PHOEBE weeps[Enter WILFREDWILFRED Mistress Meryll!PHOEBE [looking up] Eh! Oh! it's you, is it? You may goaway,if you like. Because I don't want you, you know.WILFRED Haven't you anything to say to me?PHOEBE Oh yes! Are the birds all caged? The wild beasts alllittered down? All the locks, chains, bolts, and barsin good order? Is the Little Ease sufficientlycomfortable? The racks, pincers, and thumbscrews allready for work? Ugh! you brute!WILFRED These allusions to my professional duties are indoubtful taste. I didn't become a head-jailer becauseI like head-jailing. I didn't become an assistant-tormentor because I like assistant-tormenting. Wecan't all be sorcerers, you know. [PHOEBE is annoyed]Ah! you brought that upon yourself.PHOEBE Colonel Fairfax is not a sorcerer. He's a man ofscience and an alchemist.WILFRED Well, whatever he is, he won't be one for long, forhe's to be beheaded to-day for dealings with thedevil. His master nearly had him last night, when thefire broke out in the Beauchamp [pronounced Bee'cham]Tower.PHOEBE Oh! how I wish he had escaped in the confusion! Buttake care; there's still time for a reply to hispetition for mercy.WILFRED Ah! I'm content to chance that. This evening at half-past seven— ah! [Gesture of chopping off a head.]PHOEBE You're a cruel monster to speak so unfeelingly of thedeath of a young and handsome soldier.WILFRED Young and handsome! How do you know he's young andhandsome?PHOEBE Because I've seen him every day for weeks past takinghis exercise on the Beauchamp [pronounced Bee'cham]Tower.WILFRED Curse him!PHOEBE There, I believe you're jealous of him, now. Jealousof a man I've never spoken to! Jealous of a poor soulwho's to die in an hour!WILFRED I am! I'm jealous of everybody and everything. I'mjealous of the very words I speak to you— because theyreach your ears— and I mustn't go near 'em!PHOEBE How unjust you are! Jealous of the words you speak tome! Why, you know as well as I do that I don't evenlike them.WILFRED You used to like 'em.PHOEBE I used to pretend I like them. It was mere politenessto comparative strangers.[Exit PHOEBE, with spinning wheelWILFRED I don't believe you know what jealousy is! I don'tbelieve you know how it eats into a man's heart— anddisorders his digestion— and turns his interior intoboiling lead. Oh, you are a heartless jade to triflewith the delicate organization of the human interior.No. 1A. When jealous torments(OPTIONAL SONG)WilfredWILFRED When jealous torments rack my soul,My agonies I can't control,Oh, better sit on red hot coalThan love a heartless jade.The red hot coal will hurt no doubt,But red hot coals in time die out,But jealousy you can not rout,Its fires will never fade.It's much less painful on the wholeTo go and sit on red hot coal'Til you're completely flayed,Or ask a kindly friend to crackYour wretched bones upon the rackThan love a heartless jade,Than love a heartless jade.The kerchief on your neck of snowI look on as a deadly foe,It goeth where I dare not goAnd stops there all day long.The belt that holds you in its graspIs to my peace of mind a rasp,It claspeth what I can not clasp,Correct me if I'm wrong.It's much less painful on the wholeTo go and sit on red hot coal'Til you're completely flayed,Or ask a kindly friend to crackYour wretched bones upon the rackThan love a heartless jade,Than love a heartless jade.The bird that breakfasts on your lip,I would I had him in my grip,He sippeth where I dare not sip,I can't get over that.The cat you fondle soft and sly,He layeth where I dare not lie.We're not on terms, that cat and I.I do not like that cat.It's much less painful on the wholeTo go and sit on red hot coal'Til you're completely flayed,Or ask a kindly friend to crackYour wretched bones upon the rackThan love a heartless jade,Than love a heartless jade.Or ask a kindly friend to crackYour wretched bones upon the rackThan love a heartless jade.[Exit WILFRED. Enter people excitedly, followed by YEOMENof the Guard with SERGEANT MERYLL at rear.No. 2. Tower warders, Under orders(Double Chorus)CROWD and YEOMEN, with Solo 2ND YEOMENCROWD Tower warders,Under orders,Gallant pikemen, valiant sworders!Brave in bearing,Foemen scaring,In their bygone days of daring!Ne'er a strangerThere to danger—Each was o'er the world a ranger;To the storyOf our gloryEach a bold, a bold contributory!YEOMEN In the autumn of our life,Here at rest in ample clover,We rejoice in telling overOur impetuous May and June.In the evening of our day,With the sun of life declining,We recall without repiningAll the heat of bygone noon,We recall without repiningAll the heat,We recall, recallAll of bygone noon.2ND YEOMAN This the autumn of our life,This the evening of our day;Weary we of battle strife,Weary we of mortal fray.But our year is not so spent,And our days are not so faded,But that we with one consent,Were our loved land invaded,Still would face a foreign foe,As in days of long ago,Still would face a foreign foe,As in days of long ago,As in days of long ago,As in days of long ago.YEOMEN Still would face a foreign foe,As in days of long ago.CROWD Tower warders,Under orders,Gallant pikemen, valiant sworders!Brave in bearing, Foemen scaring,In their bygone days of daring!CROWD YEOMENTower warders, This the autumn of our lifeUnder orders,Gallant pikemen,Valiant swordersBrave in bearing, This the evening of our day;Foemen scaring,In their bygone days of daring!Ne'er a stranger Weary we of battle strife,There to dangerEach was o'er the world a ranger:To the story Weary we of mortal fray.Of our gloryEach a bold,A bold contributory.To the story This the autumn of our life.Of our gloryEach a bold contributory! This the evening of our day,Each a bold contributory! This the evening of our day.[Exit CROWD. Manent YEOMEN. Enter DAME CARRUTHERS.DAME A good day to you!2NDYEOMAN Good day, Dame Carruthers. Busy to-day?DAME Busy, aye! the fire in the Beauchamp [pronouncedBee'cham] last night has given me work enough. A dozenpoor prisoners— Richard Colfax, Sir Martin Byfleet,Colonel Fairfax, Warren the preacher-poet, and half-a-score others— all packed into one small cell, not sixfeet square. Poor Colonel Fairfax, who's to die to-day, is to be removed to no. 14 in the Cold Harbourthat he may have his last hour alone with hisconfessor; and I've to see to that.2NDYEOMAN Poor gentleman! He'll die bravely. I fought under himtwo years since, and he valued his life as it were afeather!PHOEBE He's the bravest, the handsomest, and the best younggentleman in England! He twice saved my father's life;and it's a cruel thing, a wicked thing, and abarbarous thing that so gallant a hero should lose hishead— for it's the handsomest head in England!DAME For dealings with the devil. Aye! if all were beheadedwho dealt with him, there'd be busy things on TowerGreen.PHOEBE You know very well that Colonel Fairfax is a studentof alchemy— nothing more, and nothing less; but thiswicked Tower, like a cruel giant in a fairy-tale, mustbe fed with blood, and that blood must be the best andbravest in England, or it's not good enough for theold Blunderbore. Ugh!DAME Silence, you silly girl; you know not what you say. Iwas born in the old keep, and I've grown grey in it,and, please God, I shall die and be buried in it; andthere's not a stone in its walls that is not as deartome as my right hand.
No. 3. When our gallant Norman foes(SONG WITH CHORUS)Dame Carruthers and YeomenDAME When our gallant Norman foesMade our merry land their own,And the Saxons from the Conqueror were flying,At his bidding it arose,In its panoply of stone,A sentinel unliving and undying.Insensible, I trow,As a sentinel should be,Though a queen to save her head shouldcome a-suing,There's a legend on its browThat is eloquent to me,And it tells of duty done and duty doing.The screw may twist and the rack may turn,And men may bleed and men may burn,O'er London town and its golden hoardI keep my silent watch and ward!CHORUS The screw may twist and the rack may turn,O'er London town and all its hoard,And men may bleed and men may burn,O'er London town and all its hoard,O'er London town and its golden hoardI keep my silent watch and ward!DAME Within its wall of rockThe flower of the braveHave perished with a constancy unshaken.From the dungeon to the block,From the scaffold to the grave,Is a journey many gallant hearts have taken.And the wicked flames may hissRound the heroes who have foughtFor conscience and for home in all its beauty,But the grim old fortaliceTakes little heed of aughtThat comes not in the measure of its duty.The screw may twist and the rack may turn,And men may bleed and men may burn,O'er London town and its golden hoardI keep my silent watch and ward!CHORUS The screw may twist and the rack may turn,O'er London town and all its hoard,And men may bleed and men may burn,O'er London town and all its hoard,O'er London town and its golden hoardI keep my silent watch and ward![Exeunt all but PHOEBE. Enter SERGEANT MERYLL.PHOEBE Father! Has no reprieve arrived for the poorgentleman?MERYLL No, my lass; but there's one hope yet. Thy brotherLeonard, who, as a reward for his valour in saving hisstandard and cutting his way through fifty foes whowould have hanged him, has been appointed a Yeoman ofthe Guard, will arrive to-day; and as he comesstraight from Windsor, where the Court is, it may be—it may be— that he will bring the expected reprievewith him.PHOEBE Oh, that he may!MERYLL Amen to that! For the Colonel twice saved my life, andI'd give the rest of my life to save his! And wiltthou not be glad to welcome thy brave brother, withthe fame of whose exploits all England is a-ringing?PHOEBE Aye, truly, if he brings the reprieve.MERYLL And not otherwise?PHOEBE Well, he's a brave fellow indeed, and I love bravemen.MERYLL All brave men?PHOEBE Most of them, I verily believe! But I hope Leonardwill not be too strict with me— they say he is a verydragon of virtue and circumspection! Now, my dear oldfather is kindness itself, and——MERYLL And leaves thee pretty well to thine own ways, eh?Well, I've no fears for thee; thou hast a feather-brain, but thou'rt a good lass.PHOEBE Yes, that's all very well, but if Leonard is going totell me that I may not do this and I may not do that,and I must not talk to this one, or walk with thatone, but go through the world with my lips pursed upand my eyes cats down, like a poor nun who hasrenounced mankind— why, as I have not renouncedmankind, and don't mean to renounce mankind, I won'thave it— there!
MERYLL Nay, he'll not check thee more than is good for thee,Phoebe! He's a brave fellow, and bravest among bravefellows, and yet it seems but yesterday that he robbedthe Lieutenant's orchard.No. 3A. A laughing boy(OPTIONAL SONG)Sergeant MeryllMERYLL A laughing boy but yesterday,A merry urchin blithe and gay,Whose joyous shout came ringing outUnchecked by care or sorrow.Today a warrior all sunbrown,When deeds of soldierly renownAre not the boast of London town,A veteran tomorrow, today a warrior,A veteran tomorrow!When at my Leonard's deeds sublime,A soldier's pulse beats double time,And grave hearts thrill as brave hearts willAt tales of martial glory.I burn with flush of pride and joy,A pride unbittered by alloy,To find my boy, my darling boy,The theme of song and story,To find my darling boyThe theme of song and story!To find my boy, my darling boy,The theme of song and story![Enter LEONARD MERYLLLEONARD Father!MERYLL Leonard! my brave boy! I'm right glad to see thee, andso is Phoebe!PHOEBE Aye— hast thou brought Colonel Fairfax's reprieve?LEONARD Nay, I have here a despatch for the Lieutenant, but noreprieve for the Colonel!PHOEBE Poor gentleman! poor gentleman!LEONARD Aye, I would I had brought better news. I'd give myright hand— nay, my body— my life, to save his!MERYLL Dost thou speak in earnest, my lad?LEONARD Aye, father— I'm no braggart. Did he not save thylife? and am I not his foster-brother?MERYLL Then hearken to me. Thou hast come to join the Yeomenof the Guard!LEONARD Well?MERYLL None has seen thee but ourselves?LEONARD And a sentry, who took scant notice of me.MERYLL Now to prove thy words. Give me the despatch and getthee hence at once! Here is money, and I'll send theemore. Lie hidden for a space, and let no one know.I'll convey a suit of Yeoman's uniform to theColonel's cell— he shall shave off his beard, so thatnone shall know him, and I'll own him as my son, thebrave Leonard Meryll, who saved his flag and cut hisway through fifty foes who thirsted for his life. Hewill be welcomed without question by my brother-Yeomen, I'll warrant that. Now, how to get access tothe Colonel's cell? [To PHOEBE] The key is with theysour-faced admirer, Wilfred Shadbolt.PHOEBE [demurely] I think— I say, I think— I can get anythingI want from Wilfred. I think— mind I say, I think— youmay leave that to me.MERYLL Then get thee hence at once, lad— and bless thee forthis sacrifice.PHOEBE And take my blessing, too, dear, dear Leonard!LEONARD And thine. eh? Humph! Thy love is newborn; wrap it upcarefully, lest it take cold and die.No. 4. Alas! I waver to and fro(TRIO)Phoebe, Leonard, and MeryllPHOEBE Alas! I waver to and fro!Dark danger hangs upon the deed!ALL Dark danger hangs upon the deed!LEONARD The scheme is rash and well may fail;But ours are not the hearts that quail,The hands that shrink, the cheeks that paleIn hours of need!ALL No, ours are not the hearts that quail,The hands that shrink, the cheeks that paleThe hands that shrink, the cheeks that paleIn hours of need!MERYLL The air I breathe to him I owe:My life is his— I count it naught!PHOEBEand LEONARD That life is his— so count it naught!MERYLL And shall I reckon risks I runWhen services are to be doneTo save the life of such an one?Unworthy thought! Unworthy thought!PHOEBEand LEONARD And shall we reckon risks we runTo save the life of such an one?ALL Unworthy thought! Unworthy thought!We may succeed— who can foretell?May heav'n help our hope—May heav'n help our hope,farewell!May heav'n help our hope,Help our hope,farewell![LEONARD embraces MERYLL and PHOEBE, and then exits. PHOEBEweeping.MERYLL [goes up to PHOEBE] Nay, lass, be of good cheer, wemay save him yet.PHOEBE Oh! see, after— they bring the poor gentleman from theBeauchamp! [pronounced Bee'cham] Oh, father! his houris not yet come?MERYLL No, no— they lead him to the Cold Harbour Tower toawait his end in solitude. But softly— the Lieutenantapproaches! He should not see thee weep.[Enter FAIRFAX, guarded by YEOMEN. The LIEUTENANT enters,meeting him.LIEUT. Halt! Colonel Fairfax, my old friend, we meet butsadly.FAIRFAX Sir, I greet you with all good-will; and I thank youfor the zealous acre with which you have guarded mefrom the pestilent dangers which threaten human lifeoutside. In this happy little community, Death, whenhe comes, doth so in punctual and business-likefashion; and, like a courtly gentleman, giveth duenotice of his advent, that one may not be takenunawares.LIEUT. Sir, you bear this bravely, as a brave man should.FAIRFAX Why, sir, it is no light boon to die swiftly andsurely at a given hour and in a given fashion! Truthto tell, I would gladly have my life; but if that maynot be, I have the next best thing to it, which isdeath. Believe me, sir, my lot is not so much amiss!PHOEBE [aside to MERYLL] Oh, father, father, I cannot bearit!MERYLL My poor lass!FAIRFAX Nay, pretty one, why weepest thou? Come, be comforted.Such a life as mine is not worth weeping for. [seesMERYLL] Sergeant Meryll, is it not? [to LIEUTENANT]May I greet my old friend? [Shakes MERYLL's hand;MERYLL begins to weep] Why, man, what's all this? Thouand I have faced the grim old king a dozen times, andnever has his majesty come to me in such goodlyfashion. Keep a stout heart, good fellow— we aresoldiers, and we know how to die, thou and I. Take myword for it, it is easier to die well than to livewell— for, in sooth, I have tried both.No. 5. Is life a boon?(BALLAD)FairfaxFAIRFAX Is life a boon?If so, it must befallThat Death, whene'er he call,Must call too soon.Though fourscore years he give,Yet one would pray to liveAnother moon!What kind of plaint have I,Who perish in July,who perish in July?I might have had to die,Perchance, in June!I might have had to die,Perchance, in June!Is life a thorn?Then count it not a whit!Nay, count it not a whit!Man is well done with it;Soon as he's bornHe should all means essayTo put the plague away;And I, war-worn,Poor captured fugitive,My life most gladly give—I might have had to live,Another morn!I might have had to live,Another morn![At the end, PHOEBE is led off, weeping, by MERYLL.FAIRFAX And now, Sir Richard, I have a boon to beg. I am inthis strait for no better reason than because mykinsman, Sir Clarence Poltwhistle, one of theSecretaries of State, has charged me with sorcery, inorder that he may succeed in my estate, which devolvesto him provided I die unmarried.LIEUT. As thou wilt most surely do.FAIRFAX Nay, as I will most surely not do, by your worship'sgrace! I have a mind to thwart this good cousin ofmine.LIEUT. How?FAIRFAX By marrying forthwith, to be sure!LIEUT. But heaven ha' mercy, whom wouldst thou marry?FAIRFAX Nay, I am indifferent on that score. Coming Death hathmade of me a true and chivalrous knight, who holds allwomankind in such esteem that the oldest, and themeanest, and the worst-favoured of them is good enoughfor him. So, my good Lieutenant, if thou wouldst servea poor soldier who has but an hour to live, find methe first that comes— my confessor shall marry us, andher dower shall be my dishonoured name and a hundredcrowns to boot. No such poor dower for an hour ofmatrimony!LIEUT. A strange request. I doubt that I should be warrantedin granting it.FAIRFAX There never was a marriage fraught with so little ofevil to the contracting parties. In an hour she'll bea widow, and I— a bachelor again for aught I know!LIEUT. Well, I will see what can be done, for I hold thykinsman in abhorrence for the scurvy trick he hasplayed thee.FAIRFAX A thousand thanks, good sir; we meet again in thisspot in an hour or so. I shall be a bridegroom then,and your worship will wish me joy. Till then,farewell. [To GUARD] I am ready, good fellows.[Exit with GUARD into Cold Harbour Tower]LIEUT. He is a brave fellow, and it is a pity that he shoulddie. Now, how to find him a bride at such shortnotice? Well, the task should be easy! [Exit][Enter JACK POINT and ELSIE MAYNARD, pursued by a CROWD ofmen and women. POINT and ELSIE are much terrified; POINT,however, assuming an appearance of self-possession.
No. 6. Here's a man of jollity(CHORUS)People, Elsie, and Jack PointCHORUS Here's a man of jollity,Jibe, joke, jollify!Give us of your quality,Come, fool, follify!If you vapour vapidly,River runneth rapidly,Into it we flingBird who doesn't sing!Give us an experimentIn the art of merriment;Into it we throwCock who doesn't crow!Banish your timidity,And with all rapidityGive us quip and quiddity—Willy-nilly, O!River none can mollify;Into it we throwFool who doesn't follify,Cock who doesn't crow!Banish your timidity,And with all rapidityGive us quip and quiddity—Willy-nilly, O!POINT [alarmed] My masters, I pray you bear with us, and wewill satisfy you, for we are merry folk who would makeall merry as ourselves. For, look you, there is humourin all things, and the truest philosophy is that whichteaches us to find it and to make the most of it.ELSIE [struggling with 1ST CITIZEN] Hands off, I say,unmannerly fellow! [she boxes his ears]POINT [to 1ST CITIZEN] Ha! Didst thou hear her say, "Handsoff"?1STCITIZEN Aye, I heard her say it, and I felt her do it! Whatthen?POINT Thou dost not see the humour of that?1STCITIZEN Nay, if I do, hang me!POINT Thou dost not? Now, observe. She said, "Hands off!"Whose hands? Thine. Off whom? Off her. Why? Becauseshe is a woman. Now, had she not been a woman, thinehands had not been set upon her at all. So the reasonfor the laying on of hands is the reason for thetaking off of hands, and herein is contradictioncontradicted! It is the very marriage of pro with con;and no such lopsided union either, as times go, forpro is not more unlike con than man is unlike woman—yet men and women marry every day with none to say,"Oh, the pity of it!" but I and fools like me! Nowwherewithal shall we please you? We can rhyme youcouplet, triolet, quatrain, sonnet,rondolet, ballade,what you will. Or we can dance you saraband, gondolet,carole, pimpernel, or Jumping Joan.ELSIE Let us give them the singing farce of the Merryman andhis Maid— therein is song and dance too.ALL Aye, the Merryman and his Maid!
No. 7. I have a song to sing, O!(DUET)Elsie and PointPOINT I have a song to sing, O!ELSIE Sing me your song, O!POINT It is sung to the moonBy a love-lorn loon,Who fled from the mocking throng, O!It's a song of a merryman, moping mum,Whose soul was sad, and whose glance was glum,Who sipped no sup, and who craved no crumb,As he sighed for the love of a ladye.Heighdy! heighdy!Misery me—lack-a-day-dee!He sipped no sup, and he craved no crumb,As he sighed for the love of a ladye!ELSIE I have a song to sing, O!POINT Sing me your song, O!ELSIE It is sung with the ringOf the songs maids singWho love with a love life-long, O!It's the song of a merrymaid, peerly proud,Who loved a lord, and who laughed aloudAt the moan of the merryman, moping mum,Whose soul was sad, and whose glance was glum,Who sipped no sup, and who craved no crumb,As he sighed for the love of a ladye!Heighdy! heighdy!Misery me—lack-a-day-dee!He sipped no sup, and he craved no crumb,As he sighed for the love of a ladye!POINT I have a song to sing, O!ELSIE Sing me your song, O!POINT It is sung to the knellOf a churchyard bell,And a doleful dirge, ding dong, O!It's a song of a popinjay, bravely born,Who turned up his noble nose with scornAt the humble merrymaid, peerly proud,Who loved a lord, and who laughed aloudAt the moan of the merryman, moping mum,Whose soul was sad, and whose glance was glum,Who sipped no sup, and who craved no crumb,As he sighed for the love of a ladye!Heighdy! heighdy!Misery me—lack-a-day-dee!He sipped no sup, and he craved no crumb,As he sighed for the love of a ladye!ELSIE I have a song to sing, O!POINT Sing me your song, O!ELSIE It is sung with a sighAnd a tear in the eye,For it tells of a righted wrong, O!It's a song of the merrymaid, once so gay,Who turned on her heel and tripped awayFrom the peacock popinjay, bravely born,Who turned up his noble nose with scornAt the humble heart that he did not prize:So she begged on her knees, with downcast eyes,For the love of the merryman, moping mum,Whose soul was sad, and whose glance was glum,Who sipped no sup, and who craved no crumb,As he sighed for the love of a ladye!BOTH Heighdy! heighdy!Misery me—lack-a-day-dee!His pains were o'er, and he sighed no more,For he lived in the love of a ladye!Heighdy! heighdy!Misery me—lack-a-day-dee!His pains were o'er, and he sighed no more,For he lived in the love of a ladye!1STCITIZEN Well sung and well danced!2NDCITIZEN A kiss for that, pretty maid!ALL Aye, a kiss all round. [CROWD gathers around her]ELSIE [drawing dagger] Best beware! I am armed!POINT Back, sirs— back! This is going too far.2NDCITIZEN Thou dost not see the humour of it, eh? Yet there ishumour in all things— even in this. [Trying to kissher]ELSIE Help! Help![Enter LIEUTENANT with GUARD. CROWD falls backLIEUT. What is the pother?ELSIE Sir, we sang to these folk, and they would have repaidus with gross courtesy, but for your honour's coming.LIEUT. [to CROWD] Away with ye! Clear the rabble.[GUARDS push CROWD off, and go off with them]Now, my girl, who are you, and what do you here?ELSIE May it please you, sir, we are two strolling players,Jack Point and I, Elsie Maynard, at your worship'sservice. We go from fair to fair, singing, anddancing, and playing brief interludes; and so we makea poor living.LIEUT. You two, eh? Are ye man and wife?POINT No, sir; for though I'm a fool, there is a limit to myfolly. Her mother, old Bridget Maynard, travels withus (for Elsie is a good girl), but the old woman is a-bed with fever, and we have come here to pick up somesilver to buy an electuary for her.LIEUT. Hark ye, my girl! Your mother is ill?ELSIE Sorely ill, sir.LIEUT. And needs good food, and many things that thou canstnot buy?ELSIE Alas! sir, it is too true.LIEUT. Wouldst thou earn an hundred crowns?ELSIE An hundred crowns! They might save her life!LIEUT. Then listen! A worthy but unhappy gentleman is to bebeheaded in an hour on this very spot. For sufficientreasons, he desires to marry before he dies, and hehath asked me to find him a wife. Wilt thou be thatwife?ELSIE The wife of a man I have never seen!POINT Why, sir, look you, I am concerned in this; for thoughI am not yet wedded to Elsie Maynard, time workswonders, and there's no knowing what may be in storefor us. Have we your worship's word for it that thisgentleman will die to-day?LIEUT. Nothing is more certain, I grieve to say.POINT And that the maiden will be allowed to depart the veryinstant the ceremony is at an end?LIEUT. The very instant. I pledge my honour that it shall beso.POINT An hundred crowns?LIEUT. An hundred crowns!POINT For my part, I consent. It is for Elsie to speak.