LINENOTES:

Casimir.O agony![ToEmerick.Sire, hear me![ToKiuprili, who turns from him.Hear me, father!Emerick.Take in arrest that traitor and assassin!Who pleads for his life, strikes at mine, his sovereign's.410Raab Kiuprili.As the Co-regent of the Realm, I standAmenable to none save to the StatesMet in due course of law. But ye are bond-slaves,Yet witness ye that before God and manI here impeach Lord Emerick of foul treason,415And on strong grounds attaint him with suspicionOf murder—Emerick.Hence with the madman!Raab Kiuprili.Your Queen's murder,The royal orphan's murder: and to the death[897]Defy him, as a tyrant and usurper.[Hurried off byRagozziand theGuard.Emerick.Ere twice the sun hath risen, by my sceptre420This insolence shall be avenged.Casimir.O banish him!This infamy will crush me. O for my sake,Banish him, my liege lord!Emerick.What? to the army?Be calm, young friend! Nought shall be done in anger.The child o'erpowers the man. In this emergence425I must take counsel for us both. Retire.[ExitCasimir.Emerick (alone, looks at a Calendar).The changeful planet, now in her decay,Dips down at midnight, to be seen no more.With her shall sink the enemies of Emerick,Cursed by the last look of the waning moon:430And my bright destiny, with sharpened horns,Shall greet me fearless in the new-born crescent.[Exit.

Casimir.O agony![ToEmerick.Sire, hear me![ToKiuprili, who turns from him.Hear me, father!

Emerick.Take in arrest that traitor and assassin!Who pleads for his life, strikes at mine, his sovereign's.410

Raab Kiuprili.As the Co-regent of the Realm, I standAmenable to none save to the StatesMet in due course of law. But ye are bond-slaves,Yet witness ye that before God and manI here impeach Lord Emerick of foul treason,415And on strong grounds attaint him with suspicionOf murder—

Emerick.Hence with the madman!

Raab Kiuprili.Your Queen's murder,The royal orphan's murder: and to the death[897]Defy him, as a tyrant and usurper.[Hurried off byRagozziand theGuard.

Emerick.Ere twice the sun hath risen, by my sceptre420This insolence shall be avenged.

Casimir.O banish him!This infamy will crush me. O for my sake,Banish him, my liege lord!

Emerick.What? to the army?Be calm, young friend! Nought shall be done in anger.The child o'erpowers the man. In this emergence425I must take counsel for us both. Retire.[ExitCasimir.

Emerick (alone, looks at a Calendar).The changeful planet, now in her decay,Dips down at midnight, to be seen no more.With her shall sink the enemies of Emerick,Cursed by the last look of the waning moon:430And my bright destiny, with sharpened horns,Shall greet me fearless in the new-born crescent.[Exit.

Scene changes to the back of the Palace—a Wooded Park, and Mountains. EnterZapolya, with an infant in arms.

Zapolya.Hush, dear one! hush! My trembling arm disturbs thee!Thou, the protector of the helpless! Thou,The widow's husband and the orphan's father,435Direct my steps! Ah whither? O send downThy angel to a houseless babe and mother,Driven forth into the cruel wilderness!Hush, sweet one! Thou art no Hagar's offspring: thou artThe rightful heir of an anointed king!440What sounds are those? It is the vesper chauntOf labouring men returning to their home!Their queen has no home! Hear me, heavenly Father!And let this darkness——Be as the shadow of thy outspread wings445To hide and shield us! Start'st thou in thy slumbers?Thou canst not dream of savage Emerick. Hush!Betray not thy poor mother! For if they seize theeI shall grow mad indeed, and they'll believeThy wicked uncle's lie. Ha! what? A soldier?450

[EnterChef Ragozzi.

Chef Ragozzi.Sure Heaven befriends us. Well! he hath escaped!O rare tune of a tyrant's promisesThat can enchant the serpent treacheryFrom forth its lurking hole in the heart. 'Ragozzi!O brave Ragozzi! Count! Commander! What not?'455And all this too for nothing! a poor nothing!Merely to play the underling in the murderOf my best friend Kiuprili! His own son—monstrous!Tyrant! I owe thee thanks, and in good hourWill I repay thee, for that thou thought'st me too460A serviceable villain. Could I nowBut gain some sure intelligence of the queen:Heaven bless and guard her!Zapolya (coming forward).Art thou not Ragozzi?Chef Ragozzi.The Queen! Now then the miracle is full!465I see heaven's wisdom is an over-matchFor the devil's cunning. This way, madam, haste!Zapolya.Stay! Oh, no! Forgive me if I wrong thee!This is thy sovereign's child: Oh, pity us,And be not treacherous![Kneeling.Chef Ragozzi (raising her).Madam! For mercy's sake!470Zapolya.But tyrants have a hundred eyes and arms!Chef Ragozzi.Take courage, madam! 'Twere too horrible,(I can not do't) to swear I'm not a monster!—Scarce had I barr'd the door on Raab Kiuprili—Zapolya.Kiuprili! How?Chef Ragozzi.There is not time to tell it,—475The tyrant called me to him, praised my zeal—(And be assured I overtopt his cunningAnd seemed right zealous.) But time wastes: In fine,Bids me dispatch my trustiest friends, as couriersWith letters to the army. The thought at once480Flashed on me. I disguised my prisoner—Zapolya.What, Raab Kiuprili?Chef Ragozzi.Yes! my noble general!I sent him off, with Emerick's own pacquet,Haste, and post haste—Prepared to follow him——

Zapolya (coming forward).Art thou not Ragozzi?

Chef Ragozzi.The Queen! Now then the miracle is full!465I see heaven's wisdom is an over-matchFor the devil's cunning. This way, madam, haste!

Zapolya.Stay! Oh, no! Forgive me if I wrong thee!This is thy sovereign's child: Oh, pity us,And be not treacherous![Kneeling.

Chef Ragozzi (raising her).Madam! For mercy's sake!470

Zapolya.But tyrants have a hundred eyes and arms!

Chef Ragozzi.Take courage, madam! 'Twere too horrible,(I can not do't) to swear I'm not a monster!—Scarce had I barr'd the door on Raab Kiuprili—

Zapolya.Kiuprili! How?

Chef Ragozzi.There is not time to tell it,—475The tyrant called me to him, praised my zeal—(And be assured I overtopt his cunningAnd seemed right zealous.) But time wastes: In fine,Bids me dispatch my trustiest friends, as couriersWith letters to the army. The thought at once480Flashed on me. I disguised my prisoner—

Zapolya.What, Raab Kiuprili?

Chef Ragozzi.Yes! my noble general!I sent him off, with Emerick's own pacquet,Haste, and post haste—Prepared to follow him——

Zapolya.Ah, how? Is it joy or fear? My limbs seem sinking!—485Chef Ragozzi (supporting her).Heaven still befriends us. I have left my charger,A gentle beast and fleet, and my boy's mule,One that can shoot a precipice like a bird,Just where the wood begins to climb the mountains.The course we'll thread will mock the tyrant's guesses,490Or scare the followers. Ere we reach the main roadThe Lord Kiuprili will have sent a troopTo escort me. Oh, thrice happy when he findsThe treasure which I convoy!Zapolya.One brief moment,That praying for strength I may have strength. This babe,495Heaven's eye is on it, and its innocenceIs, as a prophet's prayer, strong and prevailing!Through thee, dear babe, the inspiring thought possessed me,When the loud clamor rose, and all the palaceEmptied itself—(They sought my life, Ragozzi!)500Like a swift shadow gliding, I made wayTo the deserted chamber of my lord.—[Then to the infant.And thou didst kiss thy father's lifeless lips,And in thy helpless hand, sweet slumberer!Still clasp'st the signet of thy royalty.505As I removed the seal, the heavy armDropt from the couch aslant, and the stiff fingerSeemed pointing at my feet. Provident Heaven!Lo, I was standing on the secret door,Which, through a long descent where all sound perishes,510Led out beyond the palace. Well I knew it——But Andreas framed it not! He was no tyrant!Chef Ragozzi.Haste, madam! Let me take this precious burden![He kneels as he takes the child.Zapolya.Take him! And if we be pursued, I charge thee,Flee thou and leave me! Flee and save thy king!515[Then as going off, she looks back on the palace.Thou tyrant's den, be called no more a palace!The orphan's angel at the throne of heavenStands up against thee, and there hover o'er theeA Queen's, a Mother's, and a Widow's curse.Henceforth a dragon's haunt, fear and suspicion520Stand sentry at thy portals! Faith and honour,[900]Driven from the throne, shall leave the attainted nation:And, for the iniquity that houses in thee,False glory, thirst of blood, and lust of rapine,(Fateful conjunction of malignant planets)525Shall shoot their blastments on the land. The fathersHenceforth shall have no joy in their young men,And when they cry: Lo! a male child is born!The mother shall make answer with a groan.For bloody usurpation, like a vulture,530Shall clog its beak within Illyria's heart.Remorseless slaves of a remorseless tyrant,They shall be mocked with sounds of liberty,And liberty shall be proclaimed aloneTo thee, O Fire! O Pestilence! O Sword!535Till Vengeance hath her fill.—And thou, snatched hence,Poor friendless fugitive! with mother's wailing,Offspring of Royal Andreas, shalt return,With trump and timbrel-clang, and popular shout,In triumph to the palace of thy fathers![Exeunt.

Zapolya.Ah, how? Is it joy or fear? My limbs seem sinking!—485

Chef Ragozzi (supporting her).Heaven still befriends us. I have left my charger,A gentle beast and fleet, and my boy's mule,One that can shoot a precipice like a bird,Just where the wood begins to climb the mountains.The course we'll thread will mock the tyrant's guesses,490Or scare the followers. Ere we reach the main roadThe Lord Kiuprili will have sent a troopTo escort me. Oh, thrice happy when he findsThe treasure which I convoy!

Zapolya.One brief moment,That praying for strength I may have strength. This babe,495Heaven's eye is on it, and its innocenceIs, as a prophet's prayer, strong and prevailing!Through thee, dear babe, the inspiring thought possessed me,When the loud clamor rose, and all the palaceEmptied itself—(They sought my life, Ragozzi!)500Like a swift shadow gliding, I made wayTo the deserted chamber of my lord.—[Then to the infant.And thou didst kiss thy father's lifeless lips,And in thy helpless hand, sweet slumberer!Still clasp'st the signet of thy royalty.505As I removed the seal, the heavy armDropt from the couch aslant, and the stiff fingerSeemed pointing at my feet. Provident Heaven!Lo, I was standing on the secret door,Which, through a long descent where all sound perishes,510Led out beyond the palace. Well I knew it——But Andreas framed it not! He was no tyrant!

Chef Ragozzi.Haste, madam! Let me take this precious burden![He kneels as he takes the child.

Zapolya.Take him! And if we be pursued, I charge thee,Flee thou and leave me! Flee and save thy king!515[Then as going off, she looks back on the palace.Thou tyrant's den, be called no more a palace!The orphan's angel at the throne of heavenStands up against thee, and there hover o'er theeA Queen's, a Mother's, and a Widow's curse.Henceforth a dragon's haunt, fear and suspicion520Stand sentry at thy portals! Faith and honour,[900]Driven from the throne, shall leave the attainted nation:And, for the iniquity that houses in thee,False glory, thirst of blood, and lust of rapine,(Fateful conjunction of malignant planets)525Shall shoot their blastments on the land. The fathersHenceforth shall have no joy in their young men,And when they cry: Lo! a male child is born!The mother shall make answer with a groan.For bloody usurpation, like a vulture,530Shall clog its beak within Illyria's heart.Remorseless slaves of a remorseless tyrant,They shall be mocked with sounds of liberty,And liberty shall be proclaimed aloneTo thee, O Fire! O Pestilence! O Sword!535Till Vengeance hath her fill.—And thou, snatched hence,Poor friendless fugitive! with mother's wailing,Offspring of Royal Andreas, shalt return,With trump and timbrel-clang, and popular shout,In triumph to the palace of thy fathers![Exeunt.

[3]such1817,1828,1829.

such1817,1828,1829.

[20]Andasa child have reared thee1817. Andasa child I, &c.1828,1829.

Andasa child have reared thee1817. Andasa child I, &c.1828,1829.

[22]to] on1817.

to] on1817.

Before30Raab Kiuprili (his hand to his heart).1817,1828,1829.

[32]commanders'] commander's1817,1828,1829.

commanders'] commander's1817,1828,1829.

[35]All——[Then, in a subdued and saddened voice.1817,1828,1829.

All——[Then, in a subdued and saddened voice.

1817,1828,1829.

[39]Andreas1817,1828,1829.

Andreas1817,1828,1829.

[43]Zapolya1817,1828,1829.

Zapolya1817,1828,1829.

[70]thy1817,1828,1829.

thy1817,1828,1829.

Before103Raab Kiuprili (looking forwards anxiously).1817,1828,1829.

[113]Bought like themselves![During this conversation music is heard, first solemn and funereal, and then changing to spirited and triumphal.1817,1828,1829.

Bought like themselves!

[During this conversation music is heard, first solemn and funereal, and then changing to spirited and triumphal.

1817,1828,1829.

[118]. . . I applaud, Ragozzi![Musing to himself—then—1817,1828,1829.

. . . I applaud, Ragozzi![Musing to himself—then—

1817,1828,1829.

[135]lawful1817,1828,1829.

lawful1817,1828,1829.

[159]Victory1817,1828,1829.

Victory1817,1828,1829.

[160]Peace1817,1828,1829.

Peace1817,1828,1829.

After172[During the last four lines, enterLord Casimir, with expressions of anger and alarm.1817,1828,1829.

After174[Starts—then approaching with timid respect.1817,1828,1829.

[175]My father!Raab Kiuprili (turning away).1817,1828,1829.

My father!Raab Kiuprili (turning away).1817,1828,1829.

Before177Casimir (with reverence).1817,1828,1829.

[187]Your1817,1828,1829.

Your1817,1828,1829.

Before192Casimir (struggling with his passion).1817,1828,1829.

[210]my1817,1828,1829.

my1817,1828,1829.

[223]his1817.

his1817.

[224]Theyboastednottheirbaseness.[Starts, and draws his sword.1817,1828,1829.

Theyboastednottheirbaseness.[Starts, and draws his sword.

1817,1828,1829.

[230.]Kiuprili? Ha!—--[With lowered voice, at the same time with one hand making, &c.1817,1828,1829.

Kiuprili? Ha!—--[With lowered voice, at the same time with one hand making, &c.

1817,1828,1829.

After230[Music . . . Palace.—During which timeEmerickandKiupriliregard each other stedfastly.1817,1828,1829.

[233]thy—I1817,1828,1829.

thy—I1817,1828,1829.

[234]thanks] thank1817.

thanks] thank1817.

[240]me1817,1828,1829.

me1817,1828,1829.

[243]Emerick (with a contemptuous sneer).Aye!—Writ, &c.1817,1828,1829.

Emerick (with a contemptuous sneer).Aye!—Writ, &c.1817,1828,1829.

[252]my1817,1828,1829.

my1817,1828,1829.

[268]thee1817,1828,1829.

thee1817,1828,1829.

[271]fraud]frauds1817: fraud's1828,1829.

fraud]frauds1817: fraud's1828,1829.

[288]speak1817,1828,1829.

speak1817,1828,1829.

Before298Raab Kiuprili (sternly).1817,1828,1829.

Before343Raab Kiuprili (in a somewhat suppressed voice).1817,1828,1829.

[349]Coils round its perplexity1817.

Coils round its perplexity1817.

Before351Raab Kiuprili (aloud: he and Emerick standing at equi-distance from the Palace and the Guard-house).1817,1828,1829.

[351]fancied1817,1828,1829.

fancied1817,1828,1829.

[354]popular choice1817,1828,1829.

popular choice1817,1828,1829.

Before375Raab Kiuprili (aloud).1817,1828,1829.

[395]thou1817,1828,1829.

thou1817,1828,1829.

[410]his1817,1828,1829.

his1817,1828,1829.

[423]Emerick (scornfully).What? &c.1817,1828,1829.

Emerick (scornfully).What? &c.1817,1828,1829.

After426[ExitCasimirin agitation.1817,1828,1829.

Before433Scene changes to another view, namely the back, &c.1817,1828,1829.

[447]Thou1817,1828,1829.

Thou1817,1828,1829.

Before451[She starts back—and enter, &c.1817,1828,1829.

[454-5]'Ragozzi . . . What not?']Ragozzi . . . What not?1817,1828,1829.

'Ragozzi . . . What not?']Ragozzi . . . What not?1817,1828,1829.

[460]me1817,1828,1829.

me1817,1828,1829.

Before464Zapolya (coming fearfully forward).1817,1828,1829.

[483]him1817,1828,1829.

him1817,1828,1829.

[495]have1817,1828,1829.

have1817,1828,1829.

[512]Andreas:He1817,1828,1829.

Andreas:He1817,1828,1829.

[524]rapine] ravine1817.

rapine] ravine1817.

[528]Lo! . . . borne!1817,1828,1829.

Lo! . . . borne!1817,1828,1829.

[533]sounds1817,1828,1829.

sounds1817,1828,1829.

After536[Again to the infant.1817,1828,1829.

After540End Of The Prelude.1817.

Old Bathory, a Mountaineer.

Bethlen Bathory, the young Prince Andreas, supposed son of OldBathory.

Lord Rudolph, a Courtier, but friend to the Queen's party.

Laska, Steward toCasimir, betrothed toGlycine.

Pestalutz, an Assassin, inEmerick'semploy.

Lady Sarolta, Wife ofLord Casimir.

Glycine, Orphan Daughter ofChef Ragozzi.

Between the flight of the Queen, and the civil war which immediately followed, and in whichEmerickremained the victor, a space of twenty years is supposed to have elapsed.

A Mountainous Country.Bathory'sDwelling at the end of the Stage. EnterLady SaroltaandGlycine.

Glycine.Well then! our round of charity is finished.Rest, Madam! You breathe quick.Sarolta.What, tired, Glycine?No delicate court-dame, but a mountaineerBy choice no less than birth, I gladly useThe good strength Nature gave me.Glycine.That last cottage5Is built as if an eagle or a ravenHad chosen it for her nest.Sarolta.So many areThe sufferings which no human aid can reach,It needs must be a duty doubly sweetTo heal the few we can. Well! let us rest.10Glycine.There?[Pointing toBathory'sdwelling.Sarolta.Here! For on this spot Lord CasimirTook his last leave. On yonder mountain-ridgeI lost the misty image which so longLingered, or seemed at least to linger on it.

Glycine.Well then! our round of charity is finished.Rest, Madam! You breathe quick.

Sarolta.What, tired, Glycine?No delicate court-dame, but a mountaineerBy choice no less than birth, I gladly useThe good strength Nature gave me.

Glycine.That last cottage5Is built as if an eagle or a ravenHad chosen it for her nest.

Sarolta.So many areThe sufferings which no human aid can reach,It needs must be a duty doubly sweetTo heal the few we can. Well! let us rest.10

Glycine.There?[Pointing toBathory'sdwelling.

Sarolta.Here! For on this spot Lord CasimirTook his last leave. On yonder mountain-ridgeI lost the misty image which so longLingered, or seemed at least to linger on it.

Glycine.And what if even now, on that same ridge,15A speck should rise, and still enlarging, lengthening,As it clomb downwards, shape itself at lastTo a numerous cavalcade, and spurring foremost,Who but Sarolta's own dear lord returnedFrom his high embassy?Sarolta.Thou hast hit my thought!20All the long day, from yester-morn to evening,The restless hope fluttered about my heart.Oh we are querulous creatures! Little lessThan all things can suffice to make us happy;And little more than nothing is enough25To discontent us.—Were he come, then should IRepine he had not arrived just one day earlierTo keep his birth-day here, in his own birth-place.Glycine.But our best sports belike, and gay processionsWould to my lord have seemed but work-day sights30Compared with those the royal court affords.Sarolta.I have small wish to see them. A spring morningWith its wild gladsome minstrelsy of birdsAnd its bright jewelry of flowers and dew-drops(Each orbéd drop an orb of glory in it)35Would put them all in eclipse. This sweet retirementLord Casimir's wish alone would have made sacred:But, in good truth, his loving jealousyDid but command, what I had else entreated.Glycine.And yet had I been born Lady Sarolta,40Been wedded to the noblest of the realm,So beautiful besides, and yet so stately——Sarolta.Hush! Innocent flatterer!Glycine.Nay! to my poor fancyThe royal court would seem an earthly heaven,Made for such stars to shine in, and be gracious.45Sarolta.So doth the ignorant distance still delude us!Thy fancied heaven, dear girl, like that above thee,In its mere self cold, drear, colourless void,Seen from below and in the large, becomesThe bright blue ether, and the seat of gods!50Well! but this broil that scared you from the dance?And was not Laska there: he, your betrothed?Glycine.Yes, madam! he was there. So was the maypole,For we danced round it.Sarolta.Ah, Glycine! why,[903]Why did you then betroth yourself?Glycine.Because55My own dear lady wished it! 'twas you asked me!Sarolta.Yes, at my lord's request, but never wished,My poor affectionate girl, to see thee wretched.Thou knowest not yet the duties of a wife.Glycine.Oh, yes! It is a wife's chief duty, madam!60To stand in awe of her husband, and obey him,And, I am sure, I never shall see LaskaBut I shall tremble.Sarolta.Not with fear, I think,For you still mock him. Bring a seat from the cottage.[ExitGlycineinto the cottage,Saroltacontinues her speech looking after her.Something above thy rank there hangs about thee,65And in thy countenance, thy voice, and motion,Yea, e'en in thy simplicity, Glycine,A fine and feminine grace, that makes me feelMore as a mother than a mistress to thee!Thou art a soldier's orphan! that—the courage,70Which rising in thine eye, seems oft to giveA new soul to its gentleness, doth prove thee!Thou art sprung too of no ignoble blood,Or there's no faith in instinct![Angry voices and clamour within.

Sarolta.Thou hast hit my thought!20All the long day, from yester-morn to evening,The restless hope fluttered about my heart.Oh we are querulous creatures! Little lessThan all things can suffice to make us happy;And little more than nothing is enough25To discontent us.—Were he come, then should IRepine he had not arrived just one day earlierTo keep his birth-day here, in his own birth-place.

Glycine.But our best sports belike, and gay processionsWould to my lord have seemed but work-day sights30Compared with those the royal court affords.

Sarolta.I have small wish to see them. A spring morningWith its wild gladsome minstrelsy of birdsAnd its bright jewelry of flowers and dew-drops(Each orbéd drop an orb of glory in it)35Would put them all in eclipse. This sweet retirementLord Casimir's wish alone would have made sacred:But, in good truth, his loving jealousyDid but command, what I had else entreated.

Glycine.And yet had I been born Lady Sarolta,40Been wedded to the noblest of the realm,So beautiful besides, and yet so stately——

Sarolta.Hush! Innocent flatterer!

Glycine.Nay! to my poor fancyThe royal court would seem an earthly heaven,Made for such stars to shine in, and be gracious.45

Sarolta.So doth the ignorant distance still delude us!Thy fancied heaven, dear girl, like that above thee,In its mere self cold, drear, colourless void,Seen from below and in the large, becomesThe bright blue ether, and the seat of gods!50Well! but this broil that scared you from the dance?And was not Laska there: he, your betrothed?

Glycine.Yes, madam! he was there. So was the maypole,For we danced round it.

Sarolta.Ah, Glycine! why,[903]Why did you then betroth yourself?

Glycine.Because55My own dear lady wished it! 'twas you asked me!

Sarolta.Yes, at my lord's request, but never wished,My poor affectionate girl, to see thee wretched.Thou knowest not yet the duties of a wife.

Glycine.Oh, yes! It is a wife's chief duty, madam!60To stand in awe of her husband, and obey him,And, I am sure, I never shall see LaskaBut I shall tremble.

Sarolta.Not with fear, I think,For you still mock him. Bring a seat from the cottage.[ExitGlycineinto the cottage,Saroltacontinues her speech looking after her.Something above thy rank there hangs about thee,65And in thy countenance, thy voice, and motion,Yea, e'en in thy simplicity, Glycine,A fine and feminine grace, that makes me feelMore as a mother than a mistress to thee!Thou art a soldier's orphan! that—the courage,70Which rising in thine eye, seems oft to giveA new soul to its gentleness, doth prove thee!Thou art sprung too of no ignoble blood,Or there's no faith in instinct![Angry voices and clamour within.

Re-enterGlycine.

Glycine.Oh, madam! there's a party of your servants,75And my lord's steward, Laska, at their head,Have come to search for old Bathory's son,Bethlen, that brave young man! 'twas he, my lady,That took our parts, and beat off the intruders,And in mere spite and malice, now they charge him80With bad words of Lord Casimir and the king.Pray don't believe them, madam! This way! This way!Lady Sarolta's here.—[Calling without.Sarolta.Be calm, Glycine.

Sarolta.Be calm, Glycine.

EnterLaskaandServantswithOld Bathory.

Laska (to Bathory).We have no concern with you! What needs your presence?Old Bathory.What! Do you think I'll suffer my brave boy85[904]To be slandered by a set of coward-ruffians,And leave it to their malice,—yes, mere malice!—To tell its own tale?[LaskaandServantsbow to LadySarolta.Sarolta.Laska! What may this mean?Laska.Madam! and may it please your ladyship!This old man's son, by name Bethlen Bathory,90Stands charged, on weighty evidence, that he,On yester-eve, being his lordship's birth-day,Did traitorously defame Lord Casimir:The lord high steward of the realm, moreover——Sarolta.Be brief! We know his titles!Laska.And moreover95Raved like a traitor at our liege King Emerick.And furthermore, said witnesses make oath,Led on the assault upon his lordship's servants;Yea, insolently tore, from this, your huntsman,His badge of livery of your noble house,100And trampled it in scorn.Sarolta (to the Servants who offer to speak).You have had your spokesman!Where is the young man thus accused?Old Bathory.I know not:But if no ill betide him on the mountains,He will not long be absent!Sarolta.Thou art his father?105Old Bathory.None ever with more reason prized a son;Yet I hate falsehood more than I love him.But more than one, now in my lady's presence,Witnessed the affray, besides these men of malice;And if I swerve from truth——Glycine.Yes! good old man!110My lady! pray believe him!Sarolta.Hush, GlycineBe silent, I command you.[Then toBathory.Speak! we hear you!Old Bathory.My tale is brief. During our festive dance,Your servants, the accusers of my son,Offered gross insults, in unmanly sort,115To our village maidens. He (could he do less?)Rose in defence of outraged modesty,And so persuasive did his cudgel prove,[905](Your hectoring sparks so over-brave to womenAre always cowards) that they soon took flight,120And now in mere revenge, like baffled boasters,Have framed this tale, out of some hasty wordsWhich their own threats provoked.Sarolta.Old man! you talkToo bluntly! Did your son owe no respectTo the livery of our house?Old Bathory.Even such respect125As the sheep's skin should gain for the hot wolfThat hath begun to worry the poor lambs!Laska.Old insolent ruffian!Glycine.Pardon! pardon, madam!I saw the whole affray. The good old manMeans no offence, sweet lady!—You, yourself,130Laska! know well, that these men were the ruffians!Shame on you!Sarolta.What! Glycine? Go, retire![ExitGlycine.Be it then that these men faulted. Yet yourself,Or better still belike the maidens' parents,Might have complained to us. Was ever access135Denied you? Or free audience? Or are weWeak and unfit to punish our own servants?Old Bathory.So then! So then! Heaven grant an old man patience!And must the gardener leave his seedling plants,Leave his young roses to the rooting swine140While he goes ask their master, if perchanceHis leisure serve to scourge them from their ravage?Laska.Ho! Take the rude clown from your lady's presence!I will report her further will!Sarolta.Wait then,Till thou hast learnt it! Fervent good old man!145Forgive me that, to try thee, I put onA face of sternness, alien to my meaning![Then speaks to theServants.Hence! leave my presence! and you, Laska! mark me!Those rioters are no longer of my household!If we but shake a dewdrop from a rose150In vain would we replace it, and as vainlyRestore the tear of wounded modesty[906]To a maiden's eye familiarized to licence.—But these men, Laska—Laska (aside).Yes, now 'tis coming.Sarolta.Brutal aggressors first, then baffled dastards,155That they have sought to piece out their revengeWith a tale of words lured from the lips of angerStamps them most dangerous; and till I wantFit means for wicked ends, we shall not needTheir services. Discharge them! You, Bathory!160Are henceforth of my household! I shall place youNear my own person. When your son returns,Present him to us!Old Bathory.Ha! what strangers here![906:1]What business have they in an old man's eye?Your goodness, lady—and it came so sudden—165I can not—must not—let you be deceived.I have yet another tale, but—[Then toSaroltaaside.not for all ears!Sarolta.I oft have passed your cottage, and still praisedIts beauty, and that trim orchard-plot, whose blossomsThe gusts of April showered aslant its thatch.170Come, you shall show it me! And, while you bid itFarewell, be not ashamed that I should witnessThe oil of gladness glittering on the waterOf an ebbing grief.[Bathoryshows her into his cottage.Laska (alone).Vexation! baffled! school'd!Ho! Laska! wake! why? what can all this mean?175She sent away that cockatrice in anger!Oh the false witch! It is too plain, she loves him.And now, the old man near my lady's person,She'll see this Bethlen hourly![Laskaflings himself into the seat.Glycinepeeps in.Glycine.Laska! Laska!Ismy lady gone?Laska.Gone.

Laska (to Bathory).We have no concern with you! What needs your presence?

Old Bathory.What! Do you think I'll suffer my brave boy85[904]To be slandered by a set of coward-ruffians,And leave it to their malice,—yes, mere malice!—To tell its own tale?[LaskaandServantsbow to LadySarolta.

Sarolta.Laska! What may this mean?

Laska.Madam! and may it please your ladyship!This old man's son, by name Bethlen Bathory,90Stands charged, on weighty evidence, that he,On yester-eve, being his lordship's birth-day,Did traitorously defame Lord Casimir:The lord high steward of the realm, moreover——

Sarolta.Be brief! We know his titles!

Laska.And moreover95Raved like a traitor at our liege King Emerick.And furthermore, said witnesses make oath,Led on the assault upon his lordship's servants;Yea, insolently tore, from this, your huntsman,His badge of livery of your noble house,100And trampled it in scorn.

Sarolta (to the Servants who offer to speak).You have had your spokesman!Where is the young man thus accused?

Old Bathory.I know not:But if no ill betide him on the mountains,He will not long be absent!

Sarolta.Thou art his father?105

Old Bathory.None ever with more reason prized a son;Yet I hate falsehood more than I love him.But more than one, now in my lady's presence,Witnessed the affray, besides these men of malice;And if I swerve from truth——

Glycine.Yes! good old man!110My lady! pray believe him!

Sarolta.Hush, GlycineBe silent, I command you.[Then toBathory.Speak! we hear you!

Old Bathory.My tale is brief. During our festive dance,Your servants, the accusers of my son,Offered gross insults, in unmanly sort,115To our village maidens. He (could he do less?)Rose in defence of outraged modesty,And so persuasive did his cudgel prove,[905](Your hectoring sparks so over-brave to womenAre always cowards) that they soon took flight,120And now in mere revenge, like baffled boasters,Have framed this tale, out of some hasty wordsWhich their own threats provoked.

Sarolta.Old man! you talkToo bluntly! Did your son owe no respectTo the livery of our house?

Old Bathory.Even such respect125As the sheep's skin should gain for the hot wolfThat hath begun to worry the poor lambs!

Laska.Old insolent ruffian!

Glycine.Pardon! pardon, madam!I saw the whole affray. The good old manMeans no offence, sweet lady!—You, yourself,130Laska! know well, that these men were the ruffians!Shame on you!

Sarolta.What! Glycine? Go, retire![ExitGlycine.Be it then that these men faulted. Yet yourself,Or better still belike the maidens' parents,Might have complained to us. Was ever access135Denied you? Or free audience? Or are weWeak and unfit to punish our own servants?

Old Bathory.So then! So then! Heaven grant an old man patience!And must the gardener leave his seedling plants,Leave his young roses to the rooting swine140While he goes ask their master, if perchanceHis leisure serve to scourge them from their ravage?

Laska.Ho! Take the rude clown from your lady's presence!I will report her further will!

Sarolta.Wait then,Till thou hast learnt it! Fervent good old man!145Forgive me that, to try thee, I put onA face of sternness, alien to my meaning![Then speaks to theServants.Hence! leave my presence! and you, Laska! mark me!Those rioters are no longer of my household!If we but shake a dewdrop from a rose150In vain would we replace it, and as vainlyRestore the tear of wounded modesty[906]To a maiden's eye familiarized to licence.—But these men, Laska—

Laska (aside).Yes, now 'tis coming.

Sarolta.Brutal aggressors first, then baffled dastards,155That they have sought to piece out their revengeWith a tale of words lured from the lips of angerStamps them most dangerous; and till I wantFit means for wicked ends, we shall not needTheir services. Discharge them! You, Bathory!160Are henceforth of my household! I shall place youNear my own person. When your son returns,Present him to us!

Old Bathory.Ha! what strangers here![906:1]What business have they in an old man's eye?Your goodness, lady—and it came so sudden—165I can not—must not—let you be deceived.I have yet another tale, but—[Then toSaroltaaside.not for all ears!

Sarolta.I oft have passed your cottage, and still praisedIts beauty, and that trim orchard-plot, whose blossomsThe gusts of April showered aslant its thatch.170Come, you shall show it me! And, while you bid itFarewell, be not ashamed that I should witnessThe oil of gladness glittering on the waterOf an ebbing grief.[Bathoryshows her into his cottage.

Laska (alone).Vexation! baffled! school'd!Ho! Laska! wake! why? what can all this mean?175She sent away that cockatrice in anger!Oh the false witch! It is too plain, she loves him.And now, the old man near my lady's person,She'll see this Bethlen hourly![Laskaflings himself into the seat.Glycinepeeps in.

Glycine.Laska! Laska!Ismy lady gone?

Laska.Gone.

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