What have I done? Oh, miserable woman![She sinks upon the bank.
[She sinks upon the bank.
DIDIER.
Miserable! Yes!
SAVERNY (embracesMarquis de Nangis, then turns toLaffemas).
Is your pay doubledWhen you bring two heads?
LACKEY (entering, toMarquis de Nangis).
My lord,The funeral preparations for the MarquisAre now completed. I am sent to youTo know what hour and day the ceremonyWill be performed.
LAFFEMAS.
Come back one month from now.
[The Guards lead offDidierandSaverny.
THE KING
Scene.—Chambord. The guard-room in the Castle of Chambord
Duke de Bellegarde, rich court costume covered with embroidery and lace, the order of the Holy Ghost around his neck, and the star upon his cloak.Marquis de Nangis, in deep mourning and followed by his escort of Guards. Both cross the back of the hall
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
Condemned?
MARQUIS DE NANGIS.
Condemned!
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
E'en so! The King can pardon.It is his kingly right and royal duty.Have no more fear. In heart as well as nameHe's son of Henry IV.
MARQUIS DE NANGIS.
I was his comrade.
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
Indeed, we spoiled full many a coat of armorFor the proud sire! Now go unto the son,Show him your gray hairs, and in lieu of prayerCry out "Ventre Saint Gris!" Let RichelieuHimself give better reason! Hide here now.[He opens a side door.He's coming soon. Do you know, to be frank,Your costume's of a style to make one laugh.
[He opens a side door.
MARQUIS DE NANGIS.
Laugh at my mourning?
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
Ah, these coxcombs here!Old friend, stay there; you'll not have long to wait.I will dispose him 'gainst the Cardinal.I'll stamp upon the ground for signal; thenCome out.
MARQUIS DE NANGIS (grasping his hand).
May God repay you!
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE (to aMusketeerwho walks up and down in front of a small gilt door).
Monsieur, pray,What does the King?
MUSKETEER.
He's working, my lord duke![Lowering his voice.A man in black is with him.
[Lowering his voice.
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE (aside).
At this momentHe is singing a death-warrant, I believe.[To the oldMarquis, grasping his hand.Be brave![He conducts him to a neighboring gallery.While waiting for the signal, lookAt these new ceilings, they're by Primatice.
[To the oldMarquis, grasping his hand.
[He conducts him to a neighboring gallery.
[Both go out.Marion, in deep mourning, enters through the great door in the back, which opens on a staircase.
Marion, the Guards
HALBERDIER (toMarion).
Madame, you cannot enter!
MARION (advancing).
Sir!
HALBERDIER (placing his halberd against the door).
I say,No entrance!
MARION (with contempt).
Here you turn your lance againstA woman. Elsewhere, 'tis in her defense.
MUSKETEER (laughing, toHalberdier).
Well said!
MARION (firmly).
I must immediately have audienceWith the Duke de Bellegarde.
HALBERDIER (lowering his halberd, aside).
Ah, these gallants!
MUSKETEER.
Enter, madame.
[She enters with determined step.
HALBERDIER (aside, watching her from the corner of his eye).
Well, the old duke is notAs feeble as he looks. This rendezvousWould have cost him a sojourn in the Louvre,In former times.
MUSKETEER (making sign toHalberdierto keep still).
The door is open.
[The little gilt door is opened.M. de Laffemascomes out, holding in his hand a parchment to which a red seal hangs by strands of silk.
Marion,Laffemas: gesture of surprise from both.Marionturns away from him with horror
LAFFEMAS (low, advancing slowly towardMarion).
You!What is your errand here?
MARION.
What's yours?
LAFFEMAS (unrolls the parchment and spreads it out before her eyes).
Signed byThe King!
MARION (glances at it, then buries her face in her hands).
Good God!
LAFFEMAS (speaking in her ear).
Will you?[Marionshivers and looks him in the face; he fixes his eyes on hers: lowering his voice.Wilt thou?
[Marionshivers and looks him in the face; he fixes his eyes on hers: lowering his voice.
MARION (pushing him away).
Away!Foul tempter!
LAFFEMAS (straightening himself up, sneeringly).
You will not!
MARION.
I have no fear!The King can pardon: 'tis the King who reigns.
LAFFEMAS.
Go try him. See what his good will is worth![He turns away, then turns back: folds his arms and whispers to her.Beware of waiting until I refuse!
[He turns away, then turns back: folds his arms and whispers to her.
[Exits.Duke de Bellegardeenters.
Marion, Duke de Bellegarde
MARION (going towardDuke de Bellegarde).
Here you are captain, my lord duke.
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
'Tis you,My beauty! [Bowing.Speak! What does my queen desire?
MARION.
To see the King.
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
When?
MARION.
Now!
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
This is short notice!Why?
MARION.
For something!
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE (bursting into a laugh).
We will send for him!How she goes on!
MARION.
Then you refuse me?
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
Nay!Am I not yours? Have we refused each otherAnything?
MARION.
That's very well, my lord!When shall I see the King?
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
After the Duke.I promise you shall see him when he passesThrough this hall. But while waiting, talk with me!Ah, little woman, are we good? In black?Lady-in-waiting you might be. You usedTo laugh so much.
MARION.
I don't laugh now.
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
Indeed!I think she's weeping! Marion! You?
MARION (wiping her eyes: with firm tone).
My lord,I want to see his Majesty at once!
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
For what?
MARION.
Just Heaven! For—
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
Is it againstThe Cardinal?
MARION.
It is!
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE (opening the gallery for her).
Please enter here.I put the discontented all in there;Do not come out before the signal, please.[Marionenters; he shuts door.I would have run the risk for my old friend.It costs no more to do it for them both.
[Marionenters; he shuts door.
[The hall is gradually filled with Courtiers; they talk together.Duke de Bellegardegoes from one to the other.L'Angelyenters.
The same.Duke de Beaupréau,Laffemas,Viscount de Rohan,Count de Charnacé,Abbé de Gondi, and other courtiers
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE (toDuke de Beaupréau).
Good-morning, Duke!
DUKE DE BEAUPRÉAU.
Good-morning!
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
Any news?
DUKE DE BEAUPRÉAU.
There's talk of a new cardinal.
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
Which one?The Archbishop of Arle?
DUKE DE BEAUPRÉAU.
No! Bishop of Autun.All Paris thinks he has obtained the hat.
ABBÉ DE GONDI.
'Tis his by right. He was commander ofArtillery at the siege of La Rochelle.
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
That's true!
L'ANGELY.
The Holy See has my approval.This one will be a cardinal accordingTo the canons.
ABBÉ DE GONDI (laughing).
L'Angely—the fool!
L'ANGELY (bowing).
My lord knows all my names.
[Laffemasenters; all the Courtiers vie with each other in paying court to him and surrounding him.Duke de Bellegardewatches them with vexation.
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE (toL'Angely).
Fool, who's that manWho wears the ermine cloak?
L'ANGELY.
Whom every oneIs paying court to?
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
Yes. I know him not.Is he a follower of Monsieur d'Orleans?
L'ANGELY.
They would not fawn on him so much.
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE (watchingLaffemas, who struts about).
What airs!As if he were grandee of Spain!
L'ANGELY (low).
It isSir Laffemas, intendant of Champagne,Lieutenant-Criminal—
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE (low).
Infernal, say!He's called the Cardinal's executioner?
L'ANGELY (still low).
The same.
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
That man at Court!
L'ANGELY.
Why not? One extraTiger-cat in the menagerie!Shall I present him?
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE (haughtily).
Peace, you fool!
L'ANGELY.
I thinkI'd cultivate him if I were a lord.Be friendly! Unto each man comes his day.If he takes not your hand, he may your head.
[He seeksLaffemas, presents him toDuke de Bellegarde, who bows with ill-concealed displeasure.
LAFFEMAS (bowing).
Sir Duke!
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
Sir, I am charmed—[Aside.] Upon my life,We're fallen low, Monsieur de Richelieu!
[Laffemaswalks away.
VISCOUNT DE ROHAN (bursting into laughter among a group of Courtiers in the back of the hall).
Delightful!
L'ANGELY.
What?
VISCOUNT DE ROHAN.
That Marion is here.
L'ANGELY.
Here—Marion?
VISCOUNT DE ROHAN.
We were just saying this:"Chaste Louis's guest is Marion." How rich!
L'ANGELY.
A charming piece of wit, indeed, my lord!
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE (toCount de Charnacé).
Sir wolf-hunter, have you found any prey?Is hunting good?
COUNT DE CHARNACÉ.
There's nothing! YesterdayI had great expectations, for three peasantsHad been devoured by wolves. At first I thoughtWe would find several at Chambord. I beatThe woods, but not a wolf, nor trace of one![ToL'Angely.] Fool, know you anything that's gay?
L'ANGELY.
Nothing,My lord, except two men will soon be hangedAt Beaugency for dueling.
ABBÉ DE GONDI.
So little,Bah! [The small gilt door is opened.
AN USHER.
The King!
[The Kingenters; he is in black, his eyes are cast down. The order of the Holy Ghost is on his doublet and his cloak. Hat on his head. The Courtiers all uncover and range themselves, silently, in two rows. The Guards lower their pikes and present muskets.
The same.The King.The Kingenters slowly, passes through the crowd of Courtiers, without lifting his head, stops at front of stage, and stands for several instants absorbed and silent. The Courtiers retire to the back of the hall
THE KING.
All things move on from bad to worse. Yes, all![To Courtiers, nodding his head.God keep you, gentlemen![He throws himself into a large armchair and sighs profoundly.I have slept ill![ToDuke de Bellegarde.My lord!
[To Courtiers, nodding his head.
[He throws himself into a large armchair and sighs profoundly.
[ToDuke de Bellegarde.
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE (advancing with three profound salutations).
The time for sleeping, sire, is past.
THE KING (eagerly).
True, Duke! The State is rushing to destructionWith giant strides!
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
'Tis guided by a handBoth strong and wise.
THE KING.
He bears a heavy burden,Our good lord cardinal!
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
Sire!
THE KING.
He is old.I ought to spare him, but I have enoughTo do with living, without reigning!
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
Sire,The Cardinal's not old!
THE KING.
Pray, tell me frankly—No one is watching or is listening here—What do you think of him?
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
Of whom, sire?
THE KING.
Him!
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
His Eminence?
THE KING.
Of course!
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
My dazzled eyesCan hardly fix themselves—
THE KING.
Is that your frankness?There is no cardinal here, nor red, nor gray!No spies! Speak! Why are you afraid? The KingWants your opinion of the Cardinal.
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
Entirely frank, sire?
THE KING.
Yes, entirely frank.
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE (boldly).
Well, then, I think him a great man!
THE KING.
If needfulYou would proclaim it on the house-tops? Good!Can you not understand? The State, mark me,Is suffering, because he does it allAnd I am nothing!
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
Ah!
THE KING.
Rules he not warAnd peace, finances, states? Makes he not laws,Edicts, mandates, and ordinances too?Through treachery he broke the Catholic league;He strikes the house of Austria—friendlyTo me—to which the Queen belongs.
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
Ah, sire,He lets you keep a vivary withinThe Louvre. You have your share.
THE KING.
Then he intriguesWith Denmark.
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
But he let you fix the marcAmong the jewelers.
THE KING (whose ill-humor increases).
He fights with Rome!
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
He let you issue an edict, alone,By which a citizen was not allowedTo eat more than a crown's worth at a tavern,E'en though he wished to.
THE KING.
All the treaties heConcludes in secret.
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
Yes; but then you haveYour hunting mansion at Planchette.
THE KING.
All—all!He does it all! All with petitions rushTo him! I'm but a shadow to the French!Is there a single one who comes to meFor help?
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
Those who have the king's evil come.
[The anger ofThe Kingincreases.
THE KING.
He means to give my order to his brother!I will not have it! I rebel.
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
But, sire—
THE KING.
I am disgusted with his people!
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
Sire!
THE KING.
His niece, Combalet, leads a model life.
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
'Tis slander, sire!
THE KING.
Two hundred foot-guards!
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
ButOnly a hundred horse-guards!
THE KING.
What a shame!
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
He saves France, sire.
THE KING.
Does he? He damns my soul!With one arm fights the heathen, with the otherHe signs a compact with the Huguenots.[Whispering toDuke de Bellegarde.Then, if I dared to count upon my handThe heads—the heads that fall for him at Grève!All friends of mine! His purple robes are madeOf their hearts' blood! 'Tis he who forces meTo wear eternal mourning.
[Whispering toDuke de Bellegarde.
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
Treats he his ownMore kindly? Did he spare Saint Preuil?
THE KING.
He hasA bitter tenderness, they say, for thoseHe loves. He must love me tremendously![Abruptly, after a pause, folding his arms.He has exiled my mother!
[Abruptly, after a pause, folding his arms.
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
But he thinksHe does your will. He's faithful. He is firmAnd sure.
THE KING.
I hate him! He is in my way.He crushes me! I am not master here—Not free! And yet I might be something. Ah,When he walks o'er me with such heavy tread,Does he not fear to rouse a slumbering king?For trembling near me, be it ne'er so high,His fortune vacillates with every breathI draw, and all would crumble at a word,Did I wish loud, what I wish in my heart![A pause.That man makes good men bad, and bad men vile!The kingdom, like the king, already sick,Grows worse. Without is cardinal, withinIs cardinal; no king is anywhere!He torments Austria, lets any oneCapture my vessels in Gascony's Bay.Allies me with Gustavus Adolphus!What more? I do not know. He's everywhere:As if he were soul of the king, he fillsMy kingdom, and my family, and me.I am much to be pitied. [Going to window.Always rain.
[A pause.
DUKE DE BELLEGARDE.
Your Majesty is suffering?
THE KING.
I am bored.[A pause.I am the first in France and yet the last!I'd change my lot to lead a poacher's life—To hunt all day; to have no cares to fretThe pleasures of the chase; to sleep 'neath trees;To laugh at the King's officers, to singDuring the storm; to live as freely in the woodsAs birds live in the air. The peasant inHis hut, at least, is master and is king;But with that scarlet man forever there,Forever stern and cold, and speaking thus,"This must be your good pleasure, sire!" Oh, outrage!This man conceals me from my people's gaze.As with young children, he hides me beneathHis robe; and when a passer-by asks, "WhoIs that behind the Cardinal?" they say,"The King!" Then there are new lists every day.Last week the Huguenots; the duelistsTo-day! He wants their heads. Such a great crime—A duel! But the heads; what does he doWith them?
[A pause.
[Duke de Bellegardestamps his foot. EnterMarquis de NangisandMarion.
The same.Marion,Marquis de Nangis.Marquis de Nangisadvances with his escort to within a few steps ofThe King; he kneels there.Marionfalls on her knees at the door
MARQUIS DE NANGIS.
Justice, my sire.
THE KING.
Against whom? Speak!
MARQUIS DE NANGIS.
Against a cruel tyrant—against Armand,Called here the cardinal-minister!
MARION.
Mercy,My sire!
THE KING.
For whom?
MARION.
For Didier!
MARQUIS DE NANGIS.
And for him,Gaspard de Saverny!
THE KING.
I've heard those names.
MARQUIS DE NANGIS.
Justice and mercy, sire!
THE KING.
What title?
MARQUIS DE NANGIS.
Sire,I am uncle of one.
THE KING.
And you?
MARION.
I'm sisterUnto the other!
THE KING.
Why do you come here,Sister and uncle?
MARQUIS DE NANGIS (indicating first one ofThe King'shands, then the other).
To entreat mercyFrom this hand, and justice from that! My sire,I, William, Marquis de Nangis, CaptainOf Hundred Lances, Baron of MountainAnd Field, do make appeal to my two lords—The King of France and God, for justice 'gainstArmand du Plessis, Cardinal Richelieu.Gaspard de Saverny, for whom I makeThis prayer, is my nephew—
MARION (low toMarquis de Nangis).
Oh, speak for both,My lord!
MARQUIS DE NANGIS (continuing).
Last month he had a duel withA captain, a young nobleman, Didier.Of parentage uncertain. 'Twas a fault.They were too rash and brave. The ministerHad stationed sergeants—
THE KING.
Yes, I know the story.Well, what have you to say?
MARQUIS DE NANGIS.
That 'tis high timeYou thought about these things! The Cardinal-DukeHas more than one disastrous scheme afoot.He drinks the best blood of your subjects, sire!Your father, Henry IV., of royal heart,Would not have sacrificed his nobles thus!He never struck them down without dire need!Well served by them, he sought to guard them well.He knew good soldiers had more use in themThan trunkless heads. He knew their worth in war,This soldier-king whose doublet smelled of battle!Great days were those. I shared, I honor them!A few of the old race are living yet.Never could priest have touched one of those lords.There was no selling of a great head cheap!Sire, in these treacherous days to which we've come,Trust an old man, keep a few nobles by.Perhaps, in your turn, you will need their help.The time may come when you will groan to thinkOf all the honors lavished on La Grève!Then, sadly, your regretful eyes will seekThose lords indomitably brave and true,Who, dead so long, had still been young to-day.The country's heart yet pants with civil war;The tocsin of past years re-echoes yet,Be saving of the executioner's arm!He is the one should sheathe his sword, not we!Be miserly with scaffolds, O my sire!'Twill be a woful thing some later dayTo mourn this great man's help, who hangs to-dayA whitening skeleton on gallows-tree!For blood, my king, is no good, wholesome dew.You'll reap no crops from irrigated Grève!The people will avoid the sight of kings.That flattering voice which tells you all is well,Tells you you're son of Henry IV., and Bourbon—That voice, my sire, however high it soars,Can never drown the thud of falling heads!Take my advice: play not this costly game.You, King, are bound to look God in the face,Hark to the words of fate, ere it rebels!War is a nobler thing than massacre!'Tis not a prosperous nor joyful StateWhen headsmen have more work than soldiers have!He for our country is a pastor hard,Who dares collect his tithes in slaughtered heads!Look! this proud lord of inhumanityWho holds your scepter has blood-covered hands!
THE KING.