THE QUEEN
Scene.—A room in the royal apartment. The gospel open on a prie-Dieu. The royal crown upon a stool. Side doors. A large door in the center. A portion of the background concealed by a large tapestry, representing a grand tournament
The Queen, splendidly dressed, reclining upon a couch;Fabiano Fabianiseated on a folding-chair. Magnificent costume. The garter
FABIANI (a guitar in his hands, singing).
When you sleep, calm and pure, love,In shadow, 'neath my eyes,And your soft breathing gives my heartIts tenderest replies;On your sweet form my eyes can feast,Oh, beauty's priceless store!Then sleep, my beauty, sleep, my love,Sleep on, for evermore!And when you say, "I love you,"In truth, it seems to beAs if God's heaven were openingEspecially for me.I see dreams hidden in your eyesThat we've not dreamed before;Then love me, oh, my beauty,Love me for evermore!You see, the whole of life, dear,Lies in those words, just four—All things that people envy,All things that men adore,All things that are seductiveOn which our hearts set store,To sing, to laugh, my beauty,To sleep, to love, no more!
When you sleep, calm and pure, love,In shadow, 'neath my eyes,And your soft breathing gives my heartIts tenderest replies;On your sweet form my eyes can feast,Oh, beauty's priceless store!Then sleep, my beauty, sleep, my love,Sleep on, for evermore!
And when you say, "I love you,"In truth, it seems to beAs if God's heaven were openingEspecially for me.I see dreams hidden in your eyesThat we've not dreamed before;Then love me, oh, my beauty,Love me for evermore!
You see, the whole of life, dear,Lies in those words, just four—All things that people envy,All things that men adore,All things that are seductiveOn which our hearts set store,To sing, to laugh, my beauty,To sleep, to love, no more!
[He puts down his guitar.
Oh, I love you more than I can tell, madame! But this Simon Renard—this Simon Renard, who is more powerful here than you yourself—I hate him!
THE QUEEN.
I can't help it, my lord; you know that. He is here as the ambassador of the Prince of Spain, my future husband.
FABIANI.
Your future husband!
THE QUEEN.
Come, my lord, let us not speak of that. I love you! What more do you wish? Moreover, it is time for you to go, now.
FABIANI.
One moment more, Mary!
THE QUEEN.
It is time for the secret council to meet. Until now, there has been only a woman here. We must let the Queen enter.
FABIANI.
I wish the woman would keep the Queen waiting at the door.
THE QUEEN.
You wish, do you? You wish, do you? Look at me, my lord! Fabiani, you have a young and beautiful head!
FABIANI.
It is you who are beautiful, madame. You need only your beauty to be all-powerful. There is something on your head which tells me you are the Queen; but it is written plainer on your brow than on your crown!
THE QUEEN.
Flatterer!
FABIANI.
I love you!
THE QUEEN.
You love me, do you not? You love only me? Say it to me again, just like that, with the same eyes! Alas! we poor women, we never know just what is passing in a man's heart. We have to trust your eyes; and the handsomest eyes, Fabiani, are often the most false. But yours, my lord, are so full of loyalty, so full of candor, so full of good faith, they could not deceive, those eyes—could they? Yes, my beautiful page, your glances are artless and sincere. Oh, it would be shameful to take such heavenly eyes to betray with! Your eyes are the eyes either of a devil or an angel!
FABIANI.
Neither angel nor devil. A man who loves you!
THE QUEEN.
Who loves the Queen?
FABIANI.
Who loves Mary.
THE QUEEN.
Listen to me, Fabiani. I love you, too. You are young; there are many beautiful women who smile tenderly on you—I know it. People get tired of queens as well as of other women.—Don't interrupt me!—If you ever fall in love with another woman, I want you to tell me about it.—Don't interrupt me, dear!—I may forgive you, if you tell me about it. You don't know how much I love you. I don't know myself. It is true, there are moments when I would rather see you dead than happy with another; but there are also moments when I would rather have you happy. Indeed, I don't know why they try to make me out such a wicked woman!
FABIANI.
I can only be happy with you, Mary! I love no one but you!
THE QUEEN.
Are you sure? Look at me! Are you sure? Oh, I am jealous sometimes! I imagine—where is the woman who does not think of these things?—sometimes I imagine that you are false to me. I would like to be invisible, so that I might follow you, and always know what you are doing, what you are saying, where you are! In fairy stories they tell about a ring which makes one invisible; I would give my crown to have such a ring as that. I keep thinking that you go to see the beautiful women in the city. Oh, you must not deceive me—indeed, you must not!
FABIANI.
Banish such thoughts from your mind, madame. I false to you, my love, my queen, my kind mistress! To do that, I would have to be the most thankless, the most miserable of men. And I have given you no reason to think me the most thankless, the most miserable of men. I love you, Mary; I adore you! I could not even look at another woman! I love you, I say; but don't you see it in my eyes? There must be some way to persuade you! Look at me well! Do I look like a man who is false? When a man deceives a woman, you can see it at once. Women are seldom mistaken about that. And what a time you choose to tell me these things—the one moment in my life when I love you the most! It is true, I am sure I never loved you so much as I do to-day. I am not speaking to the Queen. What do I care about the Queen? What can she do to me? She can have my head cut off; what does that amount to? You, Mary, can break my heart. It isn't your sovereignty that I love, it is yourself. It is your beautiful white and soft hand that I love to kiss; it isn't your scepter, madame.
THE QUEEN.
Thank you, my Fabiano. Good-by! Ah, my lord, how young you are! What beautiful black hair, what a graceful head you have! Come back to me in an hour.
FABIANI.
What you call an hour, I call a century!
[He goes out. As soon as he is gone,The Queenrises hastily, goes to a concealed door, opens it, and ushers inSimon Renard.
The Queen, Simon Renard
THE QUEEN.
Come in, Sir Bailiff! Well, did you stay there? Did you hear him?
SIMON RENARD.
Yes, madame.
THE QUEEN.
What do you say to it? Oh, of all men on earth he is the most false, the most deceitful! What do you say to it?
SIMON RENARD.
I say, madame, that it is plain to be seen his name ends ini.
THE QUEEN.
Are you sure that he goes to this woman at night? Did you see him?
SIMON RENARD.
I myself, Chandos, Clinton, Montague. Ten witnesses!
THE QUEEN.
Oh, it is indeed infamous!
SIMON RENARD.
The whole affair will be still better proved to the Queen in a short time. The young woman is here, as I told your Majesty. I had her brought from her house last night.
THE QUEEN.
Isn't this a sufficient crime for his execution, sir?
SIMON RENARD.
What! To go to see a pretty girl by night! Oh, no, madame! Your Majesty had Frogmorton tried for a similar crime. Frogmorton was acquitted.
THE QUEEN.
I punished Frogmorton's judges.
SIMON RENARD.
Try not to have to punish Fabiani's judges.
THE QUEEN.
How shall I revenge myself on this traitor?
SIMON RENARD.
Your Majesty wants only a certain kind of revenge?
THE QUEEN.
The only kind worthy of me!
SIMON RENARD.
Frogmorton was acquitted, madame. There is only one way. I have explained it to your Majesty. The man who is there!
THE QUEEN.
Will he do whatever I wish?
SIMON RENARD.
If you do all that he wishes.
THE QUEEN.
Will he give his life?
SIMON RENARD.
He will make his own conditions, but he will give his life.
THE QUEEN.
What does he want? Do you know?
SIMON RENARD.
What you yourself want—revenge!
THE QUEEN.
Bid him come in, but stay you out there, within call, Sir Bailiff.
SIMON RENARD (coming back).
Madame!
THE QUEEN.
Tell my Lord Chandos to hold himself in the next room, with six men of my ordinance, in readiness to appear. And the woman also, let her be ready to appear. Go.
[Simon Renardgoes out.
Oh! it would be frightful!
[The Queenalone. A side door opens;Simon RenardandGilbertenter.
The Queen, Gilbert, Simon Renard
GILBERT.
Before whom do I stand?
SIMON RENARD.
Before the Queen.
GILBERT.
The Queen!
THE QUEEN.
Yes, the Queen. I am the Queen. There is no time for astonishment. You, sir, are Gilbert, a workman, an engraver. You live somewhere beyond the borders of the river, with a woman named Jane, who is your betrothed, and who deceives you, whose lover is a man named Fabiano, who deceives me. You want revenge, so do I. In order to get it, I must be able to make any disposition I please of your life. It is necessary that you should say what I command you to say, no matter what it is. For you, there must be no longer either false or true, good or bad, justice or injustice—nothing but my vengeance and my will. I shall require you to let me act, and to let yourself be acted upon. Do you consent?
GILBERT.
Madame—
THE QUEEN.
You shall have your revenge; but I warn you, it will cost you your life—that is all. Make your conditions. If you have an old mother and you want her tablecloth covered with ingots of gold, speak, I will do it. Sell me your life as dear as you please.
GILBERT.
I am no longer willing to die, madame.
THE QUEEN.
What!
GILBERT.
I have been thinking about it all night. Nothing is proved yet. I saw a man who boasted that he was Jane's lover. How do I know that he did not lie? I saw a key! How do I know that he did not steal it? I saw a letter! How do I know that she was not forced to write it? I don't even know whether it was her writing; it was dark, I was excited, I could not see. I can't give up my life, which is her life, like that. I don't believe any of it, I am not sure of any of it, I have not seen Jane!
THE QUEEN.
It is easy to see that you love. You are like me, you refuse all the proofs. But if you see her, your Jane, if you hear her confess the crime, will you do what I wish?
GILBERT.
Yes, upon one condition.
THE QUEEN.
Tell it to me afterward. [ToSimon Renard.] Bring this woman here at once.
[Simon Renardgoes out.The QueenplacesGilbertbehind a curtain which covers part of the background of the apartment.
Stand there!
[Janeenters, pale and trembling.
The Queen; Jane; Gilbertbehind the curtain
THE QUEEN.
Approach, young woman. You know who we are?
JANE.
Yes, madame.
THE QUEEN.
You know who is the man who seduced you?
JANE.
Yes, madame.
THE QUEEN.
He deceived you. He passed himself off for a nobleman called Amyas Pawlet?
JANE.
Yes, madame.
THE QUEEN.
You know now that it is Fabiano Fabiani, Earl of Clanbrassil?
JANE.
Yes, madame.
THE QUEEN.
Last night, when they seized you in your house, you had given him a rendezvous, you were waiting for him?
JANE (wringing her hands).
Heavens, madame!
THE QUEEN.
Answer!
JANE (with feeble voice).
Yes.
THE QUEEN.
You understand that there is no more hope, neither for him nor for you?
JANE.
Nothing but death! That is a hope!
THE QUEEN.
Tell me all about it. Where did you meet this man first?
JANE.
The first time I saw him was— But what is the use? A poor wretched girl of the people, frivolous and vain, in love with jewels and fine clothes, a girl dazzled with the handsome looks of a great lord—that is all. I am seduced, I am dishonored, I am lost. There is nothing to add to that. My God, madame, don't you see that each word I speak is killing me?
THE QUEEN.
Enough.
JANE.
Your anger is terrible, I know it, madame. My head bends now beneath the punishment you have prepared for me.
THE QUEEN.
Punishment for you? Do you think I concern myself about you, simpleton? Who are you, wretched creature, that the Queen should concern herself about you? Oh, no! Fabiano is my affair. As for you, madame, some one else will look out for your punishment.
JANE.
Well, madame, whoever that one may be, whatever the punishment, I will endure all without a murmur. I will even thank you if you will listen to one prayer I am about to make. There is a man who took me in, an orphan from my birth, who adopted me, brought me up, nourished me, loved me, and who loves me still; a man of whom I am most unworthy, toward whom I have been most guilty, and yet whose image lies at the bottom of my heart, beloved, revered, sacred as is that of God; a man who now, while I am speaking to you, finds his home empty, deserted, robbed, who can't understand it, and who rends his garments in anguish. Well, madame, what I ask of your Majesty is that he may never understand, that I may disappear without his knowing what has become of me, what I have done, or what you have done with me. Alas, kind Heaven, I do not know how to make you understand, but you ought to feel that I have a friend in him—a noble, generous friend. Poor Gilbert! yes, it is true, he respects me and believes me pure, and I do not want him to hate me and despise me! Oh, you understand me, don't you, madame? That man's respect is a great deal more to me than my life. And then it will make him suffer so much—such a surprise! He won't believe it at first. No, he will not believe it. My God! Poor Gilbert. Oh, madame, have pity on him and on me! He has done you no harm! In the name of Heaven, keep him from knowing the awful truth! In the name of Heaven, don't let him know that I am guilty. He will kill himself. Don't let him know that I am dead. He will die too.
THE QUEEN.
The man you are speaking of is here; he is listening to you; he will judge you, he will punish you! [Gilbertappears.
JANE.
Heavens! Gilbert!
GILBERT (to theQueen).
My life belongs to you, madame.
THE QUEEN.
Good. Have you any conditions to make?
GILBERT.
Yes, madame!
THE QUEEN.
What are they? We give you our royal word that we will grant them.
GILBERT.
This, madame. It is very simple. It is a debt of gratitude I pay to one of your noble lords, who employed me a great deal in my capacity as engraver.
THE QUEEN.
Speak!
GILBERT.
This lord has a secret liaison with a woman whom he cannot marry because she belongs to a proscribed family. This woman, who up to the present time has lived in concealment, is the only daughter and heiress of the last Lord Talbot, beheaded under King Henry VIII.
THE QUEEN.
What? Are you sure of what you are saying? You say, John Talbot, the good Catholic lord, the loyal defender of my mother of Aragon, has left a daughter? Upon my crown, if that is true, this child is my daughter. And what John Talbot did for the mother of Mary of England, Mary of England will do for the daughter of John Talbot.
GILBERT.
Then, of course, it will be a pleasure to your Majesty to give back Lord Talbot's estates to his daughter?
THE QUEEN.
Yes, truly, and to take them away from Fabiano. But are there proofs that this heiress exists?
GILBERT.
There are!
THE QUEEN.
And if there are not, we will make them! We are not a queen for nothing!
GILBERT.
Your Majesty will give back to Lord Talbot's daughter the estates, lands, rank, coat-of-arms, and device of her father. Your Majesty will remove her from all proscription, and will guarantee that her life shall be safe. Your Majesty will marry her to this lord, who is the only man she can marry. Upon these conditions, madame, you can dispose of me, of my liberty, of my life, and of my will as you see fit.
THE QUEEN.
Good! I will do what you have asked.
GILBERT.
Your Majesty will do what I have asked? The Queen of England swears it to me, Gilbert the engraver, upon her crown which is here, and upon the open gospel which is there?
THE QUEEN.
Upon the royal crown which is here, and the divine gospel which is there, I swear it.
GILBERT.
The compact is concluded, madame. Have a tomb prepared for me and a nuptial bed prepared for the lovers. The lord I speak of is Fabiani, Earl of Clanbrassil. Talbot's heiress, behold her!
JANE.
What does he say?
THE QUEEN.
Am I dealing with a fool? What do you mean? Have a care, sir! You are bold to mock the Queen of England! In the royal chambers people should look to their words; there are times when the lips bring the head to the block!
GILBERT.
You have my head, madame; I have your oath.
THE QUEEN.
You do not mean to say you are speaking seriously? This Fabiano—this Jane! Come, come!
GILBERT.
This Jane is the daughter and the heiress of Lord Talbot.
THE QUEEN.
Bah! Nonsense! Delusion! Fancy! Have you got the proofs?
GILBERT.
Complete!
[He takes a packet from his breast.
Read these papers.
THE QUEEN.
Have I time to read your papers? Did I ask for your papers? What do your papers matter to me? If they prove anything, upon my soul, I will throw them into the fire and nothing will be left of them.
GILBERT.
Nothing but your oath, madame!
THE QUEEN.
My oath, my oath!
GILBERT.
Upon the crown and upon the gospel, madame; that is to say, on your head and your soul—on your life in this world, and on your life in the next.
THE QUEEN.
But what do you want? Oh, I swear you are mad!
GILBERT.
What do I want? Jane has lost her rank, give it back to her! Jane has lost her honor, give it back to her! Proclaim her the daughter of Lord Talbot and the wife of Lord Clanbrassil, and then take my life.
THE QUEEN.
Your life! What do you want me to do with your life then? I didn't want it except to use for vengeance on this man—this Fabiano. You can't understand anything at all, can you? Well! I can't understand you, either. You talked about vengeance! That is the way you avenge yourself, is it? These men of the people are stupid! And after all, do you suppose I believe your ridiculous story about an heiress of Talbot? The papers! You show me papers! I won't look at them. Oh, a woman wrongs you, and you play the magnanimous. Well, do it if it suits you! I am not magnanimous! No! My heart is full of rage and hate. I will avenge myself and you shall help me! Oh, but this man is mad, mad, mad! My God! why do I need him? It is exasperating to have to deal with people like this, at such a serious time.
GILBERT.
I have your word, as Catholic Queen. Lord Clanbrassil has seduced Jane; he shall marry her!
THE QUEEN.
And if he refuses to marry her?
GILBERT.
You will force him to do it.
JANE.
Oh, no! Have pity upon me, Gilbert!
GILBERT.
Well, then, if this infamous wretch refuses, your Majesty can do what she pleases with him and with me!
THE QUEEN (with joy).
Ah, that is all I ask!
GILBERT.
In that case, I will do everything the Queen commands, provided the crown of the Countess of Waterford is solemnly replaced by the Queen on the sacred and inviolable head of Jane, who stands here!
THE QUEEN.
Everything?
GILBERT.
Everything! Even a crime, if it is a crime you want. I will not stop at treachery, which is more than a crime; nor at infamy, which is more than treachery.
THE QUEEN.
You will say what I want you to say? You will die the death that I want you to die?
GILBERT.
The death that you want me to die!
JANE.
Oh, my God!
THE QUEEN.
You swear it?
GILBERT.
I swear it!
THE QUEEN.
Then it is settled. It is enough! I have your word, you have mine! It is agreed.
[She seems to reflect a moment.
[ToJane.] You are not needed here: go out. I will send for you.
JANE.
Oh, Gilbert, what is this you have done? Oh, Gilbert, I am a wretched creature, and I don't dare to raise my eyes to you. Oh, Gilbert, you are more than an angel, for you have the virtues of an angel and a man's passions at the same time. [She goes out.
The Queen, Gilbert, afterwardSimon Renard, Lord Chandos, and the Guards
THE QUEEN (toGilbert).
Have you a weapon about you? A knife, a dagger, anything!
GILBERT (drawing from his breastLord Clanbrassil'sdagger).
A dagger? Yes, madame.
THE QUEEN.
Good! Hold it in your hand!
[She seizes his arm quickly.
Sir bailiff D'Amont! Lord Chandos!
[EnterSimon Renard, Lord Chandos, and Guards.
Seize this man! He has threatened my life, with his dagger! I seized his arm as he was about to strike me. He is an assassin!
GILBERT.
Madame!
THE QUEEN (low toGilbert).
Have you forgotten your agreement so soon? Is this the way you let me use you? [Aloud.] You are all witnesses that he had a dagger in his hand. Sir Bailiff, what is the name of the executioner of the Tower of London?
SIMON RENARD.
He is an Irishman called Mac Dermot.
THE QUEEN.
Send for him. I want to speak to him.
SIMON RENARD.
Yourself?
THE QUEEN.
Myself.
SIMON RENARD.
The Queen will speak to the executioner!
THE QUEEN.
Yes, the Queen will speak to the executioner. The head will speak to the hand! Send for him.
[A Guard goes out.
My Lord Chandos, and you, gentlemen, will answer to me for this man. Keep him there among you, back of you. Certain things are about to happen here which he must witness. Sir Lieutenant d'Amont, is Lord Clanbrassil in the palace?
SIMON RENARD.
He is there, in the painted chamber, awaiting the Queen's good pleasure to see him.
THE QUEEN.
Does he suspect anything?
SIMON RENARD.
Nothing.
THE QUEEN (toLord Chandos).
Let him come in!
SIMON RENARD.
The entire Court is also waiting there. Will nobody be admitted before Lord Clanbrassil?
THE QUEEN.
Who are those among our nobles who hate Fabiani?
SIMON RENARD.
All!
THE QUEEN.
Which hate him the most?
SIMON RENARD.
Clinton, Montague, Somerset, Earl of Derby, Gerard Fitz-Gerard, Lord Paget, and the Lord Chancellor.
THE QUEEN (toLord Chandos).
Admit them all—except the Lord Chancellor. Go! [Chandosgoes out.
[ToSimon Renard.] The worthy Bishop Chancellor is not any fonder of Fabiani than the rest, but he is a more scrupulous man.
[Noticing the papers whichGilbertleft upon the table.
Ah, I must look over these papers!
[While she is examining them, the door in the background opens. Those lords designated byThe Queenenter, making profound salutations.
The same.Lord Clintonand the other lords.
THE QUEEN.
Good-day, gentlemen! God be with you, my lords! [ToLord Montague.] Anthony Brown, I do not forget that you held your own most worthily against John of Montmorency and the Count of Toulouse during my negotiations with my uncle, the Emperor! Lord Paget, to-day you will receive your letters patent of Baron Paget de Beaudesert in Stafford. And this is our old friend, Lord Clinton. We are always your good friend, my lord. It was you who exterminated Thomas Wyatt in St. James's Field. Let us all remember it, my lords. The crown of England was saved that day by a bridge which enabled my troops to reach the rebels, and by a wall which prevented the rebels from reaching me! The bridge was London Bridge. The wall was my Lord Clinton!
LORD CLINTON (low toSimon Renard).
The Queen has not spoken to me for six months. How kind she is to-day!
SIMON RENARD (low toLord Clinton).
Patience, my lord. She will be kinder still, by-and-by.
THE QUEEN (toLord Chandos).
My Lord Clanbrassil may enter. [ToSimon Renard.] After he has been here a few moments—
[She speaks to him in a low voice and indicates the door through whichJanepassed.
SIMON RENARD.
I understand, madame. [Fabianienters.
The same.Fabiani
THE QUEEN.
Ah, here he is!
[She continues to speak toSimon Renardin a low voice.
FABIANI (everybody salutes him; he looks around him. Aside).
What does this mean? There are only my enemies here, this morning! The Queen is speaking in a low tone to Simon Renard. The devil! She is laughing! It is a bad sign.
THE QUEEN (graciously toFabiani).
God be with you, my lord!
FABIANI (seizing her hand which he kisses).
Madame— [Aside.] She smiled at me! The danger is not for me!
THE QUEEN (still graciously).
I want to speak to you.
[She advances to the front of the stage with him.
FABIANI.
And I also, I want to speak to you, madame. I have a right to reproach you! To keep me away, to exile me so long! Ah, it wouldn't be thus if you thought of me during these hours of absence as I think of you!
THE QUEEN.
You are unjust. Since you left me, I have thought of no one but you!
FABIANI.
Is that really true? Does so much happiness belong to me? Say it to me again!
THE QUEEN (always smiling).
I swear it to you!
FABIANI.
Then you do indeed love me as I love you?
THE QUEEN.
Yes, my lord! Truly, I have thought of no one but you. So much so, that I have tried to plan a pleasant surprise for your return.
FABIANI.
What do you mean? What surprise?
THE QUEEN.
A meeting which will give you pleasure!
FABIANI.
A meeting with whom?
THE QUEEN.
Guess! Can't you guess?
FABIANI.
No, madame!
THE QUEEN.
Turn around!
[He turns and seesJaneon the threshold of the little door, which is half open.
FABIANI (aside).
Jane!
JANE (aside).
It is he!
THE QUEEN (with the same smile).
My lord, do you know this young woman?
FABIANI.
No, madame!
THE QUEEN.
Young woman, do you know this lord?
JANE.
Truth before life! Yes, madame.
THE QUEEN.
So, my lord, you do not know this woman?
FABIANI.
Madame, this is a conspiracy. I am surrounded by enemies. This woman is doubtless in league with them. I do not know her, madame! I do not even know who she is, madame!
THE QUEEN (rising and striking him in the face with her glove).
Ah, you are a coward! You betray one and disown the other! You don't even know who she is? Do you want me to tell you? This woman is Jane Talbot, daughter of John Talbot, the good Catholic lord who perished on the scaffold for my mother. This woman is Jane Talbot, my cousin: Jane Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury, Countess of Wexford, Countess of Waterford, peeress of England. That is who she is, this woman! Lord Paget, you are commissioner of the private seal; you will remember our words. The Queen of England solemnly recognizes this woman here present, as Jane, daughter and sole heiress of the last Earl of Waterford. [Showing the papers.] Here are the titles and the proofs, which you will have sealed with the great seal. It is our will.
[ToFabiani] Yes, Countess of Waterford, and it is proved! And you will give back her estates, you wretched man! Ah, you don't know this woman? You don't know who she is? Well, I am telling you! It is Jane Talbot. Shall I tell you more yet?
[Looking him in the face, in a low voice, between her teeth.
Coward, she is your mistress!
FABIANI.
Madame!
THE QUEEN.
That is what she is! Now, this is what you are! You are a man without soul, a man without heart, a man without brains. You are a liar and a villain! You are—By my faith, gentlemen, you need not draw away. I am quite willing you should hear what I have to say to this man. I am not lowering my voice, it seems to me. Fabiano, you are a wretch; a traitor to me, a coward to her; a lying lackey, the most vile, the lowest of all men. Yet it is true, I made you Earl of Clanbrassil, Baron of Dinasmonddy and what more? Baron of Darmouth in Devonshire. Ah, well! I was an idiot! My lords, I ask your pardon for having forced you to be elbowed by that man there. You, a knight! you, a noble! you, a lord! Compare yourself a little with those who are such. Look! look around you! There stand noblemen. There is Bridges, Baron Chandos; there is Seymour, Duke of Somerset. There are the Stanleys, who have been Earls of Derby since 1485. There are the Clintons, who have been barons since 1298. Do you imagine you are like these people—you? You say that you are allied to the Spanish family of Peñalver, but it is not true; you are only a bad Italian. Nothing—worse than nothing! Son of a shoemaker in the village of Larino! Yes, gentlemen, the son of a shoemaker! I knew it, and I did not tell it; I concealed it, and I made believe I credited this man when he talked about his nobility. That is the way we are, we women. Oh, Heaven! I wish there were women here; it would be a lesson to them all. This scoundrel! this scoundrel! he betrays one woman and disowns the other. Infamous creature! Oh, yes, indeed you are infamous. What! I have been speaking all this time and he is not yet on his knees? On your knees, Fabiani! My lords, force this man to kneel!
FABIANI.
Your Majesty—
THE QUEEN.
This creature whom I have loaded with benefits! this Neapolitan lackey whom I have made a noble knight and a proud earl of England. Ah, I ought to have expected this! But I am always like that; I am obstinate, and afterward I see that I am wrong. It is my fault. Italian stands for liar: Neapolitan for coward. Every time that my father made use of an Italian, he repented of it. This Fabiani! You see Lady Jane, unfortunate child, to what a man you have surrendered yourself! But I will avenge you. Oh, I ought to have known it from the first. You will find nothing in an Italian's pocket but a stiletto, nothing in his soul but treachery.
FABIANI.
Madame, I swear to you—
THE QUEEN.
Good! Now he will perjure himself; he will descend to the depths of infamy; he will make us blush to our finger-tips before these men—we women who have loved him. He will not even lift up his head!
FABIANI.
Yes, madame, I will lift it up! I am lost; I see it clearly. My death is decided. You will make use of every means, dagger, poison—
THE QUEEN (taking hold of both his hands and dragging him violently to the front of the stage).
Poison! Dagger! What are you saying, Italian? A treacherous vengeance, a disgraceful vengeance—a vengeance from the back, a vengeance such as you take in your country? No, Signor Fabiani, neither dagger nor poison. Do I have to conceal myself? Do I have to hide in the corners of the street at night and make myself small when I want revenge? No, by my faith, I want the daylight! Do you hear, my lord?—the full noonday, the bright sun, the public square, the ax and the stake, the crowds in the street, the crowds at the windows, the crowds on the roofs! A hundred thousand witnesses! I want people to be afraid, do you hear, my lord? I want them to think it splendid, frightful, magnificent. I want them to say, "It is a woman who has been wronged, but it is a Queen who takes revenge!" This much envied favorite, this handsome, insolent young man, whom I have dressed in velvets and satins, I want to see him bent double, terrified and trembling, on his knees before a black cloth, with naked feet, with manacled wrists, hissed by the people, fingered by the executioner. On this white neck, where I have put a golden collar, I want to put a rope. I have seen how Fabiani looks upon a throne, I want to see how he looks upon a scaffold.
FABIANI.
Madame—
THE QUEEN.
Not a word! Not a word! You are indeed lost, as you say. You will mount the scaffold as did Suffolk and Northumberland. This will be a festival such as I have given before to my good city of London. You know how she hates you, this good city of mine! Faith, when one wants vengeance, it's a good thing to be Mary, Queen of England, daughter of Henry VIII. and mistress of four seas. When you are on the scaffold, you can make a long speech to the people, if you like, as Northumberland did, or a long prayer to God, as Suffolk did, in order to give pardon the time to arrive; but God is my witness that you are a traitor, and the pardon will not come. This wretched liar who talked of love to me, and this morning even said "thou" to me—Eh, gentlemen, it seems to amaze you that I talk thus openly before you; but I repeat it, what do I care?
[ToLord Somerset.] My lord duke, you are constable of the Tower; demand this man's sword!
FABIANI.
Here it is; but I protest. Admitting that it is proved that I deceived or seduced a woman—
THE QUEEN.
What does it matter to me whether you have seduced a woman? Do I concern myself about that? These gentlemen are witnesses, it is a matter of indifference to me!
FABIANI.
The seduction of a woman is not a capital offense, madame. Your Majesty could not procure Frogmorton's condemnation upon the same accusation!
THE QUEEN.
I believe he defies us now! The worm has become a serpent. Who says you are accused of that?
FABIANI.
Of what else am I accused? I am not an Englishman; I am no subject of your Majesty. I am a subject of the King of Naples and a vassal of the Holy Father. I will appeal to his embassador, the eminent Cardinal Polus, to save me. I will defend myself, madame. I am a stranger! I cannot be tried unless I have committed a crime—a real crime. What is my crime?
THE QUEEN.
You ask what your crime is?
FABIANI.
Yes, madame.
THE QUEEN.
You all hear this question that he has asked, my lords? You shall hear the answer. Listen, and look out for yourselves, all of you, however great you may be, because you will see that I need only stamp upon the earth with my foot to bring from out of it a scaffold. Chandos, open that folding-door. Call the Court—every one! Bid every one enter.
[The door at the back is opened. The entire Court enters.
The same. TheLord Chancellor, all the Court
THE QUEEN.
Enter, enter, my lords! I am truly pleased to see you to-day. Good! good! The officers of the law this way: nearer, nearer! Where are the sergeants-at-arms of the House of Lords? Harriot and Herbert? Ah, there you are, gentlemen! Be welcome! Draw your swords. Good! Place yourselves at the right and at the left of that man. He is your prisoner.
FABIANI.
Madame, what is my crime?
THE QUEEN.
My Lord Gardiner, my learned friend, you are chancellor of England. We order you and the twelve lord commissioners of the Star Chamber, whom we regret not to see here, to assemble yourselves in haste. Strange things are passing in this palace. Listen, my lords! Madame Elizabeth has raised more than one enemy to our crown. We have had the Pietro Caro plot—that man who started the Exeter movement, and who communicated with Madame Elizabeth by means of a cipher cut on her guitar. We have had the treachery of Thomas Wyatt who roused the county of Kent. We have had the rebellion of the Duke of Suffolk, who was captured in the hollow of a tree, after his followers were defeated. To-day we have a new attempt. Listen, all of you. To-day, this morning, a man presented himself at my audience. After a few words, he drew his dagger on me. I stopped his hand in time. Lord Chandos and the bailiff D'Amont seized the man. He says that he was urged to the crime by Lord Clanbrassil.
FABIANI.
By me! It is not true! This is a frightful thing! This man does not exist. This man cannot be found! Who is he? Where is he?
THE QUEEN.
He is here!
GILBERT (coming out from among the soldiers, behind whom he has been hidden up to this time).
I am the man!
THE QUEEN.
According to this man's declarations, we Mary, Queen, accuse before the Star Chamber this other man, Fabiano Fabiani, Earl of Clanbrassil, of high treason, and of an attempt of regicide upon our imperial and sacred person.
FABIANI.
Regicide? I? This is monstrous. Oh, my brain is bewildered! I cannot see clear! What is this trap? Whoever you may be, wretched creature, dare you affirm that what the Queen says is true?
GILBERT.
Yes!
FABIANI.
I urged you to regicide?
GILBERT.
Yes.
FABIANI.
Yes, always yes! Malediction! Oh, it is impossible for you to know how false that is, gentlemen. That man comes from hell! Unfortunate wretch, you want to ruin me, but don't you see that you ruin yourself in the same breath? The crime you charge upon me falls upon you too. You will send me to the block, but you will die also. Madman, with a single word you cause two heads to fall! Did you know that?
GILBERT.
I know it.
FABIANI.
My lords, this man is bribed—
GILBERT.
By you. Here is the purse full of gold which you paid me for the crime. Your crest and your monogram are embroidered upon it.
FABIANI.
Just Heaven! But you don't show me the dagger with which this man, it is said, attempted to strike the Queen. Where is the dagger?
LORD CHANDOS.
Here it is!
GILBERT (toFabiani).
It is yours. You gave it to me for that purpose. They will find the sheath at your house!
THE LORD CHANCELLOR.
Earl of Clanbrassil, what reply do you make? Do you recognize this man?
FABIANI.
No!
GILBERT.
In truth, he only saw me by night. Let me whisper two words to him, madame, they will help his memory. [He approachesFabiani.] My lord, you appear to recognize no one to-day—neither the man you have wronged, nor the woman you have seduced. Ah, the Queen avenges herself; but the man of the people, he avenges himself also. You defied me to do it, I think. Behold yourself caught between a double vengeance, my lord! What do you say to that? I am Gilbert the engraver!
FABIANI.
Yes, I recognize you. My lords, I recognize this man. Since it is with him I have to deal, I have nothing more to say.
THE QUEEN.
He confesses!
THE LORD CHANCELLOR (toGilbert).
According to Norman law and Statute 25, Henry VIII., in a case of high treason of the first degree, a confession does not save the accomplice. Do not forget, it is a case wherein the Queen has not the right of mercy, and you will die upon the scaffold as well as the man you accuse. Therefore reflect! Do you confirm all you have said?
GILBERT.
I know that I shall die, and I confirm it.
JANE (aside).
My God! if this is a dream, it is very horrible.
THE LORD CHANCELLOR (toGilbert).
Are you willing to repeat your statements with your hand upon the gospel?
[He presents the gospel toGilbert, who puts his hand upon it.
GILBERT.
With my hand upon the gospel, and my approaching death before my eyes, I swear that this man is an assassin; that this dagger, which is his, was used for the crime; that this purse, which is his, was given to me in payment for the crime. May God help me! It is the truth!
THE LORD CHANCELLOR (toFabiani).
My lord, what have you to say?
FABIANI.
Nothing! I am lost.
SIMON RENARD (low toThe Queen).
Your Majesty sent for the executioner. He is there!
THE QUEEN.
Good! Let him come in!
[The row of noblemen divides and the Executioner appears; he is dressed in red and black, and on his shoulder bears a long sword in its scabbard.
The same.Executioner
THE QUEEN.
My lord Duke of Somerset, these two men to the Tower! My Lord Gardiner, our chancellor, let their trial before the twelve peers of the Star Chamber commence to-morrow, and may God keep watch over England. We expect them to be judged, both of them, before we leave for Exford, where we are to open Parliament, and for Windsor, where we are to spend Easter.
[To theExecutioner.] Approach! I am glad to see you! You are a faithful servant. You are old; you have already witnessed three reigns. It is customary for the sovereigns of this kingdom to make you as costly a gift as possible, upon their ascension. My father, Henry VIII., gave you the diamond clasp of his cloak. My brother, Edward VI., gave you a goblet of chased gold. It is my turn now; I have not given you anything yet. I must give you a present. Come nearer! [IndicatingFabiani.] Do you see that head—that young, adorable head; that head, which, up to this morning, was the dearest, the most precious thing to me, in all my kingdom? Well! that head—look at it well—I give it to you!
PART I
WHICH OF THE TWO?
Scene.—Hall in the interior of the Tower of London. Pointed arch upheld by large pillars. To the right and to the left two low doors to two cells. To the right a dormer-window, which is supposed to overlook the Thames. To the left a dormer-window, which is supposed to overlook the streets. On each side a door concealed in the wall. In the background, a gallery with a sort of balcony shut in by glass and overlooking the exterior courts of the Tower
Gilbert, Joshua
GILBERT.
Well?
JOSHUA.
Alas!
GILBERT.
No more hope?
JOSHUA.
No more hope. [Gilbertgoes to the window.
You won't see anything from the window.
GILBERT.
You inquired, didn't you?
JOSHUA.
I am only too sure.
GILBERT.
It is for Fabiani?
JOSHUA.
It is for Fabiani.
GILBERT.
How fortunate that man is! Maledictions on me!
JOSHUA.
Poor Gilbert! Your turn will come! To-day, it is he; to-morrow it will be you!
GILBERT.
What do you say? We are not thinking of the same thing. What are you talking about?
JOSHUA.
About the scaffold which they are building.
GILBERT.
And I—I am speaking of Jane!
JOSHUA.
Of Jane?
GILBERT.
Yes, of Jane! Only of Jane. What does the rest matter to me? You have forgotten, have you? You don't remember that for one whole month, glued to the bars of my cell, from which I can look into the street, I have watched her, pale and sad, wandering around the base of this tower, which holds two men, Fabiani and me. You have forgotten all about my anguish, have you, and my doubts, my misgivings? For which of us does she come? Poor wretch, I ask myself this question day and night. I asked you, Joshua; and last night you promised to try to see her, and speak to her. Oh, tell me! Did you learn anything! Is it for me she comes, or is it for Fabiani?
JOSHUA.
I learned that Fabiani is certainly to be beheaded to-day, and you to-morrow, and from that moment I confess I lost my head, Gilbert. The scaffold drove Jane entirely out of my thoughts. Your death—
GILBERT.
My death! What do you mean by that word! My death is that Jane loves me no longer. From the day that I was no longer beloved, I was dead. Oh, yes! truly dead. Joshua, what has remained of me since that time won't be worth taking to-morrow. Oh, Joshua, you don't know, you can't understand what a man is when he loves. If any one had said to me, two months ago, "Jane, your Jane without reproach, your Jane so pure, your love, your pride, your lily, your treasure, Jane will give herself to another; will you take her then?" I should have said, "No, I will not have her! rather death a thousand times for her and for myself." And I should have crushed under my feet any one who had dared to speak to me like that. If I would take her?—To-day, you know, Jane is no longer the Jane without stain, whom I adored, the Jane whose brow I hardly dared touch with my lips. Jane has given herself to another—to a wretch! I know it—and—well, it's all the same to me. I love her! My heart is broken, but I love her! I would kiss the hem of her dress, and I would ask her pardon, if she would only take me. She might be in the gutter with those who belong there, and I would take her out, and I would hold her close to my heart, Joshua! Joshua, I would give, not a hundred years of life, since I no longer possess one day, but the eternity which will be mine to-morrow, just to see her smile at me once more—just once more before my death—and to have her say to me those dear words she used to say, "I love you." Joshua, Joshua, that is the way a man's heart is, when he loves. You think you would kill the woman who betrays you? No, you wouldn't kill her; you would lie at her feet afterward, the same as before, only you would be sad. You think I am weak? What should I have gained in killing Jane? Oh, my heart will burst with all these unbearable thoughts! If she only loved me now, what would it matter to me, what she has done? But she loves Fabiani! But she loves Fabiani! It is for Fabiani that she comes here! There is one thing that is sure, it is that I want to die. Have pity on me, Joshua!
JOSHUA.
Fabiani will die to-day.
GILBERT.
And I to-morrow.
JOSHUA.
God is above all.
GILBERT.
I will be revenged on him to-day. To-morrow, he will be revenged on me!
JOSHUA.
My brother, here is the second constable of the Tower, Master Eneas Dulverton. You must go in. I will see you again to-night.
GILBERT.
Oh, to die without being beloved! To have no one to weep for us! Jane! Jane! Jane!
[Re-enters his cell.
JOSHUA.
Poor Gilbert! Good God! Who could have foretold that what has happened would happen?
[Goes out. EnterSimon RenardandMaster Eneas.
Simon Renard, Master Eneas Dulverton
SIMON RENARD.
As you say, it is very extraordinary. But what can you expect? The Queen is crazy. She doesn't know what she wants. You can't count upon anything. She is a woman. I would like to know what she is here for. Well! a woman's heart is a riddle of which King Francis I. wrote the solution on that pane of glass at Chambord—