Nydia, the Blind Girl of Pompeii.Adapted from Helen Potter’s rendering, by Frances E. Peirce.Nydia was a Thessalonian, and well-born. Being taken prisoner by the Romans, she was sold into slavery, and treated with great cruelty. Her blindness, beauty, and pitiful condition appealed to the sympathies of Glaucus, a wealthy young Athenian, who purchased her. Arbaces, envious of her possession, and an enemy of Glaucus, captured and imprisoned her, and caused Glaucus to be accused of murder and condemned to fight a lion in the arena. The lion refused, however, to touch him, and Nydia, escaping from her prison at the time of the dreadful eruption of Vesuvius, found Glaucus, and conducted him and hisfiancéeto the sea. Finding that he loved another, she drowned herself.Kind Sosia, chide[1050]me not. I cannot endure to be so long alone; the solitude appals[1051]me. Sit with me, I pray, a little while. Nay,[1052]fear not that I should attempt to escape. Place thy seat[1053]before the door. Keep thine eye on me, I will not stir from this spot. Alas! why[1054]am I imprisoned here?[1055]What is the hour? Evening, thou sayest? Hast thou heard how went the trial of the Athenian, Glaucus? He is condemnedfor shedding priestly blood![1056]The gods forbid! ’Tis false, ’tis false, I say! Arbaces saw[1057]the deed? Arbaces, the Egyptian? Arbaces hates the priest; hates Glaucus, too. Come, Truth,[1058]and triumph o’er thy foes.(Exit Sosia.)What shrieks are those I hear;[1059]so near and yet so far! It seems this way,[1060]here! Ah! yes. (Calls.) Who is it in distress? Who cries aloud? Calenus, the priest? What, you saw Arbaces strike the blow! Then you can prove dear Glaucus innocent. But why are you here? (Aside.) Ah! me! if free to speak, he could save[1061]my master! (Calls again.) Listen, if you were free, would you give testimony against Arbaces, the rich and powerful Arbaces? Would you the truth proclaim? Would you save the Athenian? Your priestly word can save him. If I procure you liberty, you will not play me false? No, no! I will not doubt you; you could not be so cruel! Remember, Calenus, you have promised![1062]How can I release the priest?[1063]how best the truth make known? how gain the præetor’s ear? Ah! these gems[1064]I have worn so long may clear the way. I was not born a slave—no, no! My birth is equal his. Why, then freedom would give me the right to love dear Glaucus.Sosia! Sosia! Come hither,[1065]guard. Sosia, how much dost thou require to make up the purchase of thy freedom? Two thousand sesterces! The gods be praised![1066]Not more? Seest thou these bracelets[1067]and this chain?[1068]I’ll give them thee if thou wilt let me out, only for one little hour; let me out at midnight; I will return before to-morrow’s dawn; nay, thou[1069]canst go with me, keep mein sight, and bring me back again. How could I flee from thee against thy will? I am blind! Thou sayest me nay?[1070]Is there no hope, then? Oh! he is leaving me![1071]I shall go mad,[1072]mad! Stay,[1073]one moment—only one—thou wilt not at least refuse to take a letter for me; thy master cannot kill thee for that. Thou wilt? The gods be praised![1074]Bring me a tablet of wax and a stilus. (Writes.)“[1075]Nydia, the slave, to Sallust, the friend of Glaucus. I am a prisoner in the house of Arbaces. Hasten to the prætor and procure my release, and we shall yet save Glaucus from the lion. There is another prisoner within these walls, whose witness can exonerate the Athenian from the charge against him; one who saw the crime—who can prove the criminal is a villain hitherto unsuspected. Fly! hasten! quick! quick! Bring with you armed men, lest resistance be made, and a cunning and dexterous smith; for the dungeon of my fellow-prisoner is thick and strong. Oh! by thy right hand, and thy father’s ashes, lose not a moment.”Sosia, I am blind and in prison. Thou mayest think to deceive me—thou mayest pretend only to take the letter to Sallust, but here I solemnly dedicate[1076]thy head to vengeance, thy soul to the infernal[1077]powers, if thou wrongest thy trust, and I call upon thee to place thy right hand of faith in mine,[1078]and repeat after me these words: “By the ground on which we stand—by the elements which contain life, and can curse life—by Orcus, the all-avenging—by the Olympian Jupiter, the all-seeing—I swear that I will discharge my trust and faithfully deliver into the hands of Sallust this letter. And if I perjure myself in this oath, may the full curses ofheaven and hell be wreaked upon me.” Enough!—I trust thee—take thy reward.[1079]It is already dark—depart at once. (Exit Sosia.)And I, alas, I am a slave forevermore.[1080]No more can look for freedom—for love. Tears, tears! Why, why should eyes that cannot see have power to weep?Hark![1081]the lion roars as if in fear. It is the amphitheatre and the games are on! I hear a cry, I hear a voice[1082]—“The lion touches not the victim!” Aye, even the wild beasts love Glaucus. “Arbaces, the Egyptian, is the murderer! Glaucus is innocent! Set him free! Set him free!” He is saved, he is saved![1083]What heaviness[1084]fills the air? The ground trembles as though rocked by an earthquake, or is it the throbbing of my heart?[1085]What does it mean? Sosia, Sosia! Unlock the door and let me out.[1086]What sounds do I hear? What thunder shakes the ground; what cries—what strange sounds; the air is hot and stifling—I cannot breathe! Oh! Sallust, is that thy voice? Speak! and tell me what has happened. Vesuvius all ablaze, and the sun gone down at noon? Ah! the gods[1087]are angry! Canst thou tell me of Glaucus? Hast thou seen him?crouched beneath the arch of the Forum? Ah, then, I can find him, for I am free! Some friendly hand slipped the bolts of my prison.[1088]Glaucus! Glaucus! How can I hope to reach his ears amidst all this tumult and confusion? Hark![1089]a new sound comes from afar. It is the chant of the Christians on their way to their temple to worship.(Chanted.)Woe! woe! Behold the Lord descendeth to judgment!He maketh fire come down from the heavens in the sight of men!Woe! woe! ye strong and mighty!Woe to ye of the fasces and the purple!Woe to the idolater and the worshiper of the beast!Woe to ye who pour forth the blood of saints and gloat over the death pangs of the sons of God! Woe! woe!Glaucus! Glaucus![1090]He answers my call. Ah! take[1091]my hand; this way,[1092]this way; to the sea, to the sea! Trust me, I know the way! To the sea, to the sea! (Exit.)(Chant off the stage.)Woe to the proud ones who defy Him;Woe to the wicked who deny Him;Woe to the wicked, woe!—Lord Lytton.Gestures.[1050]V. con.[1051]B. V. H. O.[1052]V. con.[1053]H. F.[1054]Drop hand hopelessly.[1055]Sits.[1056]Rises suddenly.[1057]Ind. H. F.[1058]B. H. F.[1059]Lis.[1060]Feels her way round the wall.[1061]Clasp hands.[1062]Feels her way back again.[1063]Intense thoughtful position.[1064]Feels wrists and throat.[1065]Beckon.[1066]Clasp hands.[1067]Show wrists.[1068]To neck.[1069]H. F.[1070]Both hands appealingly to front, then stagger back.[1071]Start forward.[1072]Hand to head.[1073]P. H. F.[1074]Throw B. up.[1075]Motion of writing for the whole letter.[1076]Ind. straight up.[1077]Ind. D. F.[1078]H. F.[1079]H. F.[1080]Weeps.[1081]Lis.[1082]For all words italicized use a far-off, imitative voice.[1083]B. thrown upward.[1084]Hand to breast.[1085]To heart.[1086]The next lines must be given with strong dramatic power, natural gestures, and intense facial expression.[1087]Clasp hands.[1088]Take several steps to right.[1089]Lis. to left.[1090]Speak to right.[1091]H. O.[1092]Left H. O.
Adapted from Helen Potter’s rendering, by Frances E. Peirce.
Nydia was a Thessalonian, and well-born. Being taken prisoner by the Romans, she was sold into slavery, and treated with great cruelty. Her blindness, beauty, and pitiful condition appealed to the sympathies of Glaucus, a wealthy young Athenian, who purchased her. Arbaces, envious of her possession, and an enemy of Glaucus, captured and imprisoned her, and caused Glaucus to be accused of murder and condemned to fight a lion in the arena. The lion refused, however, to touch him, and Nydia, escaping from her prison at the time of the dreadful eruption of Vesuvius, found Glaucus, and conducted him and hisfiancéeto the sea. Finding that he loved another, she drowned herself.
Kind Sosia, chide[1050]me not. I cannot endure to be so long alone; the solitude appals[1051]me. Sit with me, I pray, a little while. Nay,[1052]fear not that I should attempt to escape. Place thy seat[1053]before the door. Keep thine eye on me, I will not stir from this spot. Alas! why[1054]am I imprisoned here?[1055]What is the hour? Evening, thou sayest? Hast thou heard how went the trial of the Athenian, Glaucus? He is condemnedfor shedding priestly blood![1056]The gods forbid! ’Tis false, ’tis false, I say! Arbaces saw[1057]the deed? Arbaces, the Egyptian? Arbaces hates the priest; hates Glaucus, too. Come, Truth,[1058]and triumph o’er thy foes.(Exit Sosia.)
What shrieks are those I hear;[1059]so near and yet so far! It seems this way,[1060]here! Ah! yes. (Calls.) Who is it in distress? Who cries aloud? Calenus, the priest? What, you saw Arbaces strike the blow! Then you can prove dear Glaucus innocent. But why are you here? (Aside.) Ah! me! if free to speak, he could save[1061]my master! (Calls again.) Listen, if you were free, would you give testimony against Arbaces, the rich and powerful Arbaces? Would you the truth proclaim? Would you save the Athenian? Your priestly word can save him. If I procure you liberty, you will not play me false? No, no! I will not doubt you; you could not be so cruel! Remember, Calenus, you have promised![1062]
How can I release the priest?[1063]how best the truth make known? how gain the præetor’s ear? Ah! these gems[1064]I have worn so long may clear the way. I was not born a slave—no, no! My birth is equal his. Why, then freedom would give me the right to love dear Glaucus.
Sosia! Sosia! Come hither,[1065]guard. Sosia, how much dost thou require to make up the purchase of thy freedom? Two thousand sesterces! The gods be praised![1066]Not more? Seest thou these bracelets[1067]and this chain?[1068]I’ll give them thee if thou wilt let me out, only for one little hour; let me out at midnight; I will return before to-morrow’s dawn; nay, thou[1069]canst go with me, keep mein sight, and bring me back again. How could I flee from thee against thy will? I am blind! Thou sayest me nay?[1070]Is there no hope, then? Oh! he is leaving me![1071]I shall go mad,[1072]mad! Stay,[1073]one moment—only one—thou wilt not at least refuse to take a letter for me; thy master cannot kill thee for that. Thou wilt? The gods be praised![1074]Bring me a tablet of wax and a stilus. (Writes.)
“[1075]Nydia, the slave, to Sallust, the friend of Glaucus. I am a prisoner in the house of Arbaces. Hasten to the prætor and procure my release, and we shall yet save Glaucus from the lion. There is another prisoner within these walls, whose witness can exonerate the Athenian from the charge against him; one who saw the crime—who can prove the criminal is a villain hitherto unsuspected. Fly! hasten! quick! quick! Bring with you armed men, lest resistance be made, and a cunning and dexterous smith; for the dungeon of my fellow-prisoner is thick and strong. Oh! by thy right hand, and thy father’s ashes, lose not a moment.”
Sosia, I am blind and in prison. Thou mayest think to deceive me—thou mayest pretend only to take the letter to Sallust, but here I solemnly dedicate[1076]thy head to vengeance, thy soul to the infernal[1077]powers, if thou wrongest thy trust, and I call upon thee to place thy right hand of faith in mine,[1078]and repeat after me these words: “By the ground on which we stand—by the elements which contain life, and can curse life—by Orcus, the all-avenging—by the Olympian Jupiter, the all-seeing—I swear that I will discharge my trust and faithfully deliver into the hands of Sallust this letter. And if I perjure myself in this oath, may the full curses ofheaven and hell be wreaked upon me.” Enough!—I trust thee—take thy reward.[1079]It is already dark—depart at once. (Exit Sosia.)
And I, alas, I am a slave forevermore.[1080]No more can look for freedom—for love. Tears, tears! Why, why should eyes that cannot see have power to weep?
Hark![1081]the lion roars as if in fear. It is the amphitheatre and the games are on! I hear a cry, I hear a voice[1082]—“The lion touches not the victim!” Aye, even the wild beasts love Glaucus. “Arbaces, the Egyptian, is the murderer! Glaucus is innocent! Set him free! Set him free!” He is saved, he is saved![1083]What heaviness[1084]fills the air? The ground trembles as though rocked by an earthquake, or is it the throbbing of my heart?[1085]What does it mean? Sosia, Sosia! Unlock the door and let me out.[1086]What sounds do I hear? What thunder shakes the ground; what cries—what strange sounds; the air is hot and stifling—I cannot breathe! Oh! Sallust, is that thy voice? Speak! and tell me what has happened. Vesuvius all ablaze, and the sun gone down at noon? Ah! the gods[1087]are angry! Canst thou tell me of Glaucus? Hast thou seen him?crouched beneath the arch of the Forum? Ah, then, I can find him, for I am free! Some friendly hand slipped the bolts of my prison.
[1088]Glaucus! Glaucus! How can I hope to reach his ears amidst all this tumult and confusion? Hark![1089]a new sound comes from afar. It is the chant of the Christians on their way to their temple to worship.
(Chanted.)
Woe! woe! Behold the Lord descendeth to judgment!He maketh fire come down from the heavens in the sight of men!Woe! woe! ye strong and mighty!Woe to ye of the fasces and the purple!Woe to the idolater and the worshiper of the beast!Woe to ye who pour forth the blood of saints and gloat over the death pangs of the sons of God! Woe! woe!
Woe! woe! Behold the Lord descendeth to judgment!He maketh fire come down from the heavens in the sight of men!Woe! woe! ye strong and mighty!Woe to ye of the fasces and the purple!Woe to the idolater and the worshiper of the beast!Woe to ye who pour forth the blood of saints and gloat over the death pangs of the sons of God! Woe! woe!
Woe! woe! Behold the Lord descendeth to judgment!
He maketh fire come down from the heavens in the sight of men!
Woe! woe! ye strong and mighty!
Woe to ye of the fasces and the purple!
Woe to the idolater and the worshiper of the beast!
Woe to ye who pour forth the blood of saints and gloat over the death pangs of the sons of God! Woe! woe!
Glaucus! Glaucus![1090]He answers my call. Ah! take[1091]my hand; this way,[1092]this way; to the sea, to the sea! Trust me, I know the way! To the sea, to the sea! (Exit.)
(Chant off the stage.)
Woe to the proud ones who defy Him;Woe to the wicked who deny Him;Woe to the wicked, woe!
Woe to the proud ones who defy Him;Woe to the wicked who deny Him;Woe to the wicked, woe!
Woe to the proud ones who defy Him;
Woe to the wicked who deny Him;
Woe to the wicked, woe!
—Lord Lytton.
Gestures.