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    Murder-In Cathederal

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    anzala noor

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    v es +a > > 2s 1a i : i a > > a2 e re, Murder in the Cathedral, ay . - : a y? oe tm a ‘ ° oat : > > : * : o : ° - > > > . > = = . > : 2 > > os ° ae a * a . 7 > > 7? — , Z : i 20 > > es > . A de < . : . : e o. 2} * : - a a : : = a . 2, 2 > 2, > as eee fy Taught 3 a > ao. ‘ a? j 4 » a . . 2 Ae. : : (ther books by I. S. Hhot * * ee coe eae gee Collected Poems 1909-1935 ° «°The Waste Lard and Other Poems . Four Quartets* © : . Sweeney Agoniste? The Cocktail Party + TNF Phe Ramily Reunion ~ 4 ¢Stlected Essay;s 3 Exsaf's Ancient and Modern The Use of Poetry and the Use of as After Strange Gods ° Thoughts after Larnbeth ~ The Idea of a Christian Society n What is a Classic? * Notes Towards the Definition of Culture - © Points of View * +” Olid Bassum’s Book of Practical Cats f va . - © ao . x r i © . « * 5 a - me \ i is & te £ 4 7 oe : y 7 ‘MURDER IN THE CATHEDRAL, . ¥ . » “TVS. Eltote * °° FABER AND FABER LTD 24 Rusgell Square . . London . ” Pe ~4 . con tes eee g . o . : [ Wels * First, published jn June Mémzxxe by Faber and Faber Linited © 24 Russell Square London, W.C:1 Second Impression Novembér Memaxxv = * + Second Edition January Memzxzvi Reprinted June Mcmzxxvi, Decamber Memxxxvi * and February Memazpxvii ” Third Edition Aygust Memxxxvit Reprinted September Memzxzvtii, March Memzli s ~ =" April Mémxiti, Noveinber Memzlii” ve August Memzlitiy May Memzliv, January Memzlv May Memzlw August Memzlv, January Memzlvi January Memzluii, May Memzlvit “- December Memzlvii, April Memzlviii * , November Memzlviti, December Memzlviti April Mem; and January Memlii» ~ Printed tn Great Britain by e ~~ —— -R. MacLehose afid Company*Limited The University-Press Glasgow - Allrights reserved ~ This play is fully protected by copyright “= = and no performance car-be given without Sees alicence from the Author’s agents, « °° The League of Dramatists, - ‘s 84 Drayton Gardens, London, S.W, 10 at * from whose Secretary all information © about fees or royalties can be obiained. ve = . oF . . ey Tus play was written for production (in an abbrevigted form) at the Canterbury Festival, June 1985. For help in its construction I,am much indebted to Mr. E. Mar- tin Browne, the producergand to Mr. Rupert Doone; and for incidental criticisms, toyMine F. W. Mosleyy and Mr. Jolin Hayward. , =e April 1955 | In thé second edition a chorus was substituted for the ifttroits which, in- the firet edition, constituted the opening of Part II. To this third edition the introits have been addéd as an appendix, and may be wed instead of that chorus in productions of the play. At the suggestion of Mr. E. Martin Browne, I have in Part II reassigned most of the lines formerly atéri- Buted, to the Fourth Knight. When, a8-was originally intended, the parts of the Tempters are agubled with those of the Knights, the advgntage of these alterations should be dbvious. ‘s June 1937 oe . In this fourth edition certain further rearrangements _ and deletions have been made, which have beer® found » advisable by experiment in the course of production. March 1958 TSE. . 7 i . . . oe. . 7 eo "tet oe 5 e oe ee 2 $ . ws : > 4 - a? 4 . = , ce — an . . . : ~ - : . oe one e * . ~ e oe ~ a fi ° nos cl sé 2 : . - 7 - 4 aes a ) 2 ' 4 2 : ? wb a . ub > eo 8 ee - : : i ’ ist . Pant I ° . x > * ose : Characters * , . f A Corus oF WoMEN oF CANTERBURY ‘ PuREE PRIESTS OF THE CATHEDR4L Hy if A? MESSENGER . é ok ° AxcHBIsHop THOMAS BECKET » ¥ -Four TEMPTERS 2 a. , ATTENDANTS . . ee The Scene is the Archbishop's Hall, sos . on December 2nd, 1170. + °° “ * ° 2° oe ° . : . oe } “eal . . ° * af 23 i a ° nee é : . ie . fe , ‘ ake « "s e fete Soe é Boe “ ee Perper , ; e F * woe ; oe « ote ji ie Sgeuatliseg cine A oye Banka (2 Sega Ree ear atl i ‘ ™ 6 ‘ pent mary i i 4 te e : € : ce e ‘ : : ‘ > Ce : : | fe ee . ‘ : ‘ 3 : : 2 | : ‘ « ‘ ‘ e - &. ‘ ‘ i * * ‘ ot Ht . a o \ ‘ ; ‘ - ‘ : ‘ 8 « t ‘ « € ‘ ° f ( é : : : ‘ cs ae ; e - ‘ 2 i: . . a . : : e é 2 : : CaonUs Se oe Here let us stand, close py the cathedral. Here let us wait. . Are we drawn by danger? Is it the knowledge of safety, ee that draws our feet ae Toward the cathedral? What danger can he * ” For®us, jhe poor, the poor women of Canterbury? what ® tribulation = With which we dre not already familiar? There is n8 danger : For us, and there is no safety in the catHedral. Some presage of an act . Which our eyes are compelled to witness, has ‘forcedtour feet Towards the cathedral. We are forced to bear ¥ witness. : one Since golden October declined into sombre November ae And‘the apples were gathered and stored, and the land . - became brown sharp points of death in a waste of é water ang mud, . . : Phe New Year waits, breathes, waits, whispers in dark- 2 ness, While the labourer kicks offfa muddy boot and sees eis hand’to the fire, 11 eee . ak c toe - The New Yea waits, destiny waits for the,coming. : ; Whol has stretched out his hand to ¢he fire and remem- ‘bered the Stints at All Halloyc, * Remenihered the martyrs and saints who wait? and * who shall Stretch owt his hand to the fire, re deny his master? who shall be warm + + By thedire, and deny his master? : Seven years awd the summer is over Seven years since the Archbishop left us, He who Was always kind to his people. * But it would not be wellifheshouldreturn, . * King rulés or barons rules We have suffered various oppression,” But mostly we are left to dur own devices, ‘And we are Content if we are left alone. We try to keep our households in order; The merchanf, shy and cautious, tries to compile a lisile fortune, And the® labourer bends to his piece of earth, earth- ‘colour, hisown colour, . Preferring to pass unobserved. Now! fear disturbance of the e quiet seasons: . Winter shall come bringing death from the sea, Ruixous spring shall beat at our doors, Root and shoot shall eat our eyes and our ears, - Disestrous summer burn up the beds of our streams” And the poor shall wait for another decaying October. Why should the uae bring consolatiofi . 12 a > Le SRE Car aR ERR EOC E- ‘or autumn fires aild winter fogs? i : What shall we do in*the heat of summer But wait in barren otshards for anothe? October? ” Some malady is coming upon ug. We wait, we wait, > And the saints and martyrs wait, for those who shall bé martyrs and saints. > Destiny waits in the hand o?God, shaping the still un- shapen: so er, Ihave seen these things in a shaft ®f sunlight. Destiny waits in the hand of God, not iA the hands of statgsmen se? Who do} some well, sqme ill, planning andguéssing, Ha¥ingstheir aims which turn in their hands i in the” pattern of time. Come, happy December, who ‘shall observe you, who shall preserve You? Shall the Son of Man be born again in the litter of scorn? oe Forus, the poor, there is no action, i . But only to wait and to witness. [Enter Priests.] , a. First Priest Seven years and the summer is over. Seven years siice the Archbishop left us. « SECOND, PRIEST °® * ‘What does the Archbishop do, aud our Sovereign fare. the Pope : With the stubborn King and fthe French King é , In ceageless i intrigue, combinations, 13 In conference, meetings accepted, nieetings refused, « Meetings unended or endless [ At one place or another in Francer* . TuraD PRIEST J. lesee nothing quite conclusive i in the art of temporal government, _ Bet violence, duplicity and frequent malyersation. King: rules or bat ‘ons | fule: The strong man strongly and the weak man by caprice. They have but one law, to seize the power and keep it, And the. steadfast can i the greed aijd lust of Ps others,” The feeble is devoured by his own, - First Prizst* Shall these things not end . Until the poor at the gate Have forgotten their friend, their Father in God, have * forgotteh < That they had a friend? : < [Enter Mussznczn.] _ MESSENGER Sevants of God, and watchers of the temple, © dam here to inform you, without circumlocution: © The Archbishop is in England, and is close outside the * " city. : . I was sent before in haste Hig To'give you notice of his coming, as much as $vas pos- sikle, - s That you may prepare to meet him. a 14 i a . enim * rn a 6 3 fos ° e a f Pitas 7 . Finst Prest ¢ What, i is the exile ended, is our Lord Archbishop , 4 Reunited with the Ring? what 'reconcifiation “ Of two proud men? ‘ . . - . ° | Tarp PRIEST . * What peace éan be found * To grow between the hammer and the anyjl? ° i . as ee. SECOND PRIEST e Tell us, : Are the old disputes at an end, is the wall of pride cast dotmn . ‘Tht diyided them? Isit peace or war? .° FIRST PREEST o - . e Does he come In full assurance, or only secure 6 In the power of Rome, the spiritual rule, a The assurance of right, and the love of the people? MESSENGER You are right to express a certain incredulity. : : a 2. He comes ir pride and sorrow, affirming all his claims, Assured, beyond doubt, of the devotion of the people, oS Whi receive him with scepes of frenzied enthusiasm,, . + Lining the road and throwing down their capes, . Strewing the,way with leaves and fate flowers of the . . season. 2 “The streets of thie city will be packed to suffocation,® . And I think thatshis horse will be deprived of itg tail, ° A single hair $f which becomes a Precious relic. ’ : 15 Pa as ae « e¢ Heis at‘one with the Pope, and with’the King of Fh rance, : Whoindeed would have liked to detain him in his king- : . «, * dom: rf But as fer our King, that, is another matter. . -Finst Priest But again, is it war or peaco? oe ae “MESSENGER . . Peace, but not the kiss of peace. A patched up affair, if you ask my opinion. And if’ you ask me, I think the Lord Archbishop Is not the man to, cherish any illusions, A) Or yet to S‘diminish the least of his pretensions. ‘if you ask my opinion, Tthink that this peace 1s nothing like an_ end, or like a begifaning. Itis common knowledge that when the Archbishop Parted from the King, he said to the King, My'Lord, he said, leave you as a man Whom in this life I shall not see again. i « Jhave this, assure you, on the highest authority; There are several opinions as to what he meant, But no one considers it a happy prognostic. moe ' oe) [Bate] ° ° First Priest . I fear for the Archbishop, Ifear forthe Church, _- cS I kttow that the pride bred of sudden prosperity « Was but confirmed by bitter adversity: I saw him as Chancellor, flattered by hie King, 16 > & 4% “Liked or feared by courtiers, intheir overbearing fashion, Despised and despising, alyrays isolated, Never one among thm, always insecute; His pride always feeding upon his own virtuesy” . . Pride drawing sustenance from impartiality; Pride drawing sustenance from generosity, Loathing power given by temporal devolution, Wishing sybjection to Godalone., , . ee . Had the King been greater, or haé he been weaker . ‘Things had'perhaps been different for Thomas. ee oe : Psa amet 7 . SECOND PRIEST Ae ‘ Yet our,lord is returned. Ous lord has come back to his” . . é own again. ‘e r We have had endugh of waiting, from, December t8 ie - dismal December. : . |» The Archbishop shall be at our head, dispélling dismay : ' and doubt. * MSc | 2 Hewill tell us what we are to do, he will give i¢our es orders, instruct us. Our Lord is at one with the Pope, and also the King of . o Frances We can lean on a rock, we can feel a firm foothold, os Against the perpetual wash of tides of balance off forces . + of barons and landholders. pes ,, The rock of God is beneath our feet, Let us mees the - ‘| e Archbishop with cordial thanksgiving: 5 . ur logd, or Archbishop returns. And when the ASch- . bishop returns °. ubts are dispelled, Let us therefore * soices . 17 : ec! weet . 8 : Soe 65. we ‘ . foe e¢ Heisat‘one with the Pope, and with‘the King of Fr vance, . Whoindeed would have liked to detain him in his king- ‘dom: . of But as for our King, that is another matter. . : ‘First PRIEST But again, is it war or peace? = : a) sd a € . “MESSENGER ’ Peace, but not the kiss of peace. A patched up affair, if you ask my opinion. And if} you ask me, I think the Lord Archbishop “ Ts not the man to cherish eny illusions, ao Or yet to ‘diminish the least of his pretensions. “if you ask my opinion, I think that this peace Is nothing like an end, or fike a begianing, Ibis common knowledge that when the Archbishop . Parted from the King, he said to the King, “ My Lord, he Said, Ileave you asa man ° ‘Whom in this life I shall not see again. , o « Ihave this, I assure you, on the highest authority; There are several opinions as to what he meant, oe But no one considers it a happy prognostic. pol Uhl é [Exit.] 2 ° First PRIEST . I fear for the Archbishop, I fear for the Church, 2 I ktfow that the pride bred of sudden prosperity « Was but confirmed by bitter adversity: I saw him as Chancellor, flattered by the King, x . 16 eo é “Liked or feared by courtiers, in their overbearing’ fashion, Despised and despising, alyvays isolated, Never one améng th&m, always insecute; ; His pride always feeding upon his own virtuesy . i. 4 Pride drawing sustenance from impartiality; Pride drawing sustenance from generosity, ° Loathing power given by temporal devolution, Wishing sybjection to God alone.,, Ae oe. . Had the King been greater, or had he been weaker Things had’perhaps been different for Thomas. . SEconD PaiEsT o Yet our,lord is returned. Our lord has come back to his” own again. i We have had endugh of waiting, from December 18 dismal Decentber. : - ‘The Archbishop shall be at our head, dispélling dismay and doubt. ‘He will tell us what we are to do, he will give bf our orders, instruct us. Our Lord is at one with the Pope, and also the King of . Frances We can lean on a rock, we can feel a firm foothold, Against the perpetual wash of tides of balance of! forceg of barons and landholders. The rock of Qod is beneath our feet. Let us mees the ._ Archbishop with cordial thanksgiving: Gur logd, or Archbishop returns. And when the Afch- bishop retusns a Our deubis ar€ dispelled. Let us therefore? Tejoice; B . 17 : Sela . a . . . e nba Isay rejoice, ad show a glad face for his welcome. , 1 am, the Archbishop’s may. Lete us give the Arch- Bishop welcome! * fea Turtkp Priest For good oz ill, let the wheel turn, The wheel has been still, these seven years, and no > good. - . For ill or good, let the wheel turn. For who knows the end of good or evil? + Until the grinders cease And te door shall be shut in the street, “. ~ And all the daughters of music sh&ll be brought low, - Cuorus ., Here is no continuing city, here is no abiding stay. Il the wind, ill the time, uncertain the profit, certain the danger. ¢ late late latg, late is the time, late too late, and Tptten. ” the year; Evil the wind, and bitter the sea, and grey the sky, “grey grey grey. « OThomas, return, Archbishop; return, return to France. Retusn. Quickly. Quietly. Leave us to perish in quiet. You come with applause, yeu come with rejoicing, but you come bringing death into Canterbury: A doom on the house, a dgom on yourself, a doom on o the world. > a ae We do pot wish anything to happen. - Sev en years we have lived quietly, . a 18 % > * Succeeded ig avoiding notice, 8 Living and paftly Bying. . There have been ofpression and luxuty, There have been poverty andjicence, There has been min6r injustice. Yet we have gone of living, . Living and partly liying. Sometimes the corn has faileduy Sometimes the harvest is good, One year is a year of rain, Another ayear of dryness, One year the apples are abundant, : Ahother year the plums are lacking. , Yet we have gone on living, . { Living and partly living. " We have kept the feasts, heard the masses, ‘We have brewed beer and cyder, Gathered wood against the winter, . Talked at the corner of the fire, Talked at the corners of streets, Talked not always in whispers, Living and partly living. We have seen births, deaths and marriages, We have had various scandals, We have been afflicted with taxes, We have had laughter and gossip, © * Several girlshaye disappeared * Unacfountably, and some not able to. We have all had our private terrors, * Ourfarticular shadows, our secret fears. - 19 ‘ But now a great fear is upon us, a fear not pf one but of” many, oo A fear like birth and on whph we “see birth and . death alone . Tna void apart. We ‘ Are afraid in a fear-which we cartnot know, which we . cannot face, which nofie understands, ” And ouz hearts are to-n from us, our brains unskinned like the layers of’an onion, ovr selves are lost lost In a final feat which none understands. O Thomas -Azehbishop, * O Thomas our Lord, leave us and leave us ber i in our humble and, tarnishéd frame of existence, ledve us; donotaskus To stand to the doom on the ee ‘the doom on the Archbishop, the doom on the world. Archbishop, secure and assured of your fate, unaffrayed. = among the shades, do you realise what you ask, “do you realise what it means To the small folk drawn into the pattern of fate, the small folk who live among small things, The strain on the brain of the small folk who stand to the doom of the house, the doom of their lord, the » doom of the world? . . O Thomas, Archbishop, leave us, leave us, leave sullen Dover, and set sail for France. Thomas our Arch- bishop still our -Archbishop even, in Franoo,_ "Thomas Archbishop, set the white sail between the grey, sky and the bitter sea, leave us, leave us for France, . : ae . *Szconp PRIEST. 6 What a wayNotallsat suck a juncture! You are foolish, imeRodest and babblitig women.” Do you not know that the good Archbishop -" —. Is likely to arrive at any moment? . - The crowds in the styeets will be cheering arld cheering, ae ‘You go on croaking like frogs in the treetops: But frogs at least can 1 be cooked ayd eaten? ce Whatever you are afraid of, in pour craven apprehen- sion, * . ae Let me ask you at the least to put on pleasant faces, . And gite a hearty welcome to our good Anchbishop, [Hnter .THoMas.] . ° * ‘THomAs ie 5. | Peace. And let them be, in their exaltation. } They speak better than they know,” and*beyond your understanding. i. ~~ ‘Phey know and as not know, what tt is to “ate or fone sulfer. They know and do not know, that action is suffering . o And suffering is action. Neither does the agent suffer Nor the patient act. But both are fixed 5 Pars In m eternal action, an eternal patience se To which all must consent that it may be willed aes And which al] must suffer that they may willit, « . That the pattern may subsist, ,for the pattern is the . * agtion . 7 5 And the suffering, that the‘wheel may turn ang still * Be fgyever still. . = 21 awn Cog ge Bee Psd » “ . * . - ° — ~ Spme who hold me in bitteres} hate. _ By God’s grace aware of their prevision t ct F t SEconp Priest‘ <0 my Lord, forgive me, I did pot seeyourcoming, Engrossed by the thatter Of these fgolish Women. Forgive us, my Lord, you would have had a better welcome « If we had been sooner prepared forahe event. But your Lordship knows that seven years of waiting, “Seven years of prayer, seven years of emptiness, Have better prepared cur hearts for your coming, Than seven days could make ready Canterbury. However, I will have fires laid in all your rooms, To take the chill off our English December, * “Your Lordship now being used to a better climaje. + Your Lordship will find your rooms in 1 order as you left them. _ THomas * And will try to leave them in order as I find them. Tam more than grateful for all your kind attentions. These are small matters. Little restin Canterbury’ With eager enemies restless about us. i « Rebellious bishops, York, London, Salisbury, Would have intercepted our letters, . Filled the coast with spies and sent to meet me Isentmy letters orf another day, . Had fair crossing, found at Sandwich Brocy Warenne, and the Sheriff of Kent; ~ és Those who had sworn to have my head from me Only John, the Dean of Salisbury, ~ "Fearing for the Kifg’s name, warning against treason, Made them hold their hands. So for the time Weare unmolested, : : First Priest , . | . But do they follow after? 1 + THoMas . For a littlé time the hungry haw t . Will only sgar and hover, circling lower, Waiting excuse, pretence, opportunity. : 7 End wid be simple, sudden, God-given. ur Meanwhile the substance of our first act * wil be'shadows, and the strife with shadows,, Heavier the interval than the éonsummation. a . All things prepare the event, Watch. \ [Enter First TeMrrer.] co First TEMPTER : 7° ~~ Yeu see, my Lord, I do not wait upon ceremony: * Here Ihave come, forgetting all acrimony, Hoping that your present gravity : . | Will find excuse for my humble levity Remembering all the good time past. és Your Lordship won't despise an old friend out of eee favour? Saute Old Tom, gay Tom, Becket of Londén, . . Your Lordship won't forget sthat evening on she om a iver 6 When the King, and you” and I were all friends to- egether?” 5 : ‘ 23 : Pet | | | | i | aE . os : Friendship should be more than ‘biting Time can‘ . sever. . . What, my Lord, now that you arecgiter Favour ‘with the King,,shall we say that summer’s "over * ' Or that the good time cannot last? « Fluting in the meadows, vitls in the hall, * Laughter and apple-bjossom floating on the water, Singing at nightfall, whispering in chambers, ef Fires devouring the winter season, . . Eatingup the darkness, with wit and wine and yisdom! Now that'the-King and you are in amity, t “Clergy and laity may return to gaiety, oe Mirth and sportfulness need not walk warily. ° : THOMAS You talk of season that are past. lremember Not worth forgetting. e . TEMPTER “ . And of the new season. * Spring has come in winter. Snow in the branches Shall float as sweet as blossoms. Ice along the ditches 8 Mirror the sunlight. Love in the orchard * Send the sap shooting. Mirth matches melancholy.” . * THOMAS « ‘We do not know very much of the future . 2 Excépt that from generation to generation * The same things happen agfin and again. Men learn little from others’ experience. . o a 24 ‘ * But in the life of che man, neyer 4 « The same time returns. Sever The cord, shed the sale. Only . The fool, fixed in his folly, may think . . ss He can turn the wheel on which he turns. - TEMPTER . | My Lord, a nod is as good asa wink, e . ie Aman will often love what he spurns? { For the godd times past, that are come again | Tam your man. . | ° . { 8 * THomas : . | Not insthis train.. / Look to your behaviour. You were safer . od Think of penitence and folloyy your master. e e TEMPTER Not at this gait! . ° cas ir, "you go so fast, others may go faster. : Your Lordship is too proud! . The safest beast is not the one shat roars most loud, This was not the way of the King our master! You were not used to be so hard upon sinners « Wren they were your friends. Be easy, man! ors The easy man lives to eat the best dinners. Take a friend's advice. Leave well alone, i me « Gryour googe may be cooked arn eaten to the bone, =~ . . Tuomas < Yousome twenty years too late? ‘ . 26 : eos ws il . ®, oF ; . Tempren © / , Then { leave you to your fate, ce leave you to the’ pleasures of yourhigher vices, Which will have to be paid for at higher prices. Farewell, my Lord, I do not wait upon ceremony, Tleave qsI came, forgetting all acrimony, Hoping that your present gtavity | * WilLfind exctise for my humble levity. 7 If you will remember me, my Lord, at your prayers, Tl remember you at kissing-time below the stairs. oe THomas Leave-well-alone, the springtime fancy, So one theught gdeswhistling down the wind. ‘Fhe impossible is still temptation. ~. The impossible, the undesiwable, , Voices undersleep, waking a dead world, So that the mind may not be whole in the present. [Enter Second TempTeRr.] . SECOND TEMPTER + Your Lordship has forgotten me, perhaps. I will remind you. ‘We met at Clarendon, at Northampton, ~ Amd last at Montmirail, in Maine. Now that I havé re- called them, Let us but set thesé not too pleasant memgries In balance against other, earlier es And weightier ones: those of the Chancellorship. - See how.the late ones rise! You, masterof policy Whom all acknowledged, should guide the state again. 26 : . ° Tuomas , , | Your meaning? . i : . us ‘ “STenerer The Chancellprship that you ‘esiguted - When you were made Archbishop—that wag a mistake - On your part—still may be regained. Think, my Lord, | es is Life lasting, a permanent possession. Power obtained grows to glory, a A templed tomb, monnment of niarble. | | | | Rule over men reckon no madness. : Se ° THOMAS gous i ° Toshe man of God what gladness? ° oe * .°” TEMPTER . ‘e Sadness | Only to those giving love to God along, | Shall he who held the solid substance Wander waking with deceitful shadows?s . Ley Power i is present. Holiness hereafter. > THomas we Who then? . , TEMPTER ay The Chancellor. King and Chancellor. King commands. Chancellor richly rules. 5 This is a sentence not taught in the sehools. 4 ; To set down the great, protect the*poor, * Beneath the throne of God can man do more? ” Disarm the ruffjan, strengthen the laws, Rulggfor the Zood of the better cause, t . e , oo Dispensing justiceymake all even, ‘ : . Is thrive on earth, and perhaps in heaven.’ . . : . : . e e Tuomas ? What méans? . . . “ : TEMPTER , Real power + Is Purchased at price of a certain submission. | Your spiritual power is earthly perdition. Power is presegt, for him who will wield. . cea THOMAS " Who shall have it? . . 7° ” “" TEMPTER | e He who will come: — Tuomas What shall be the month? Pa moe . . . TEMPTER o The last from the’first. - ie . : THomas ‘What shall we give for it? os | TEMPTER . . . Pretence of priestly power. i. Tuomas . - Why should we give it? ie awe : Coy ie TEMPTER j f - For the power ahd the glory. ee " : 28 7 ms “ , ee . ’ * ° e . Tuomas « °& No! wee . e = of - . * Tempren ° ‘Yes! Or bravery, will be bfoken, Cabined in Canterbury, realmlessruler, ¢ Self-bound servant of a powgrless Pope, The old stag, circled tvith hounds. .S . - e ; +THomas ° No! * é TEMPTER od e «Yes! men must manoguyre. Monarchs also, Waging war abroad, need fast friends ‘at homé? Private policy is public profit; * Dignity still shall be dressed twith decorum. e e THOMAS You forget the bishops e « Whom J have laid under excommunication. TEMPT: ER Hungry hatred ‘Will not strive against intelligent self-interest. 4 . ¢ THOMAS You forget the barons. Who will not forget Constant curbing of petty privilege. . TEMPTER Against the barons B Is Ktig’s cause, churl’s cause, CHancellor’s cause. Cy 29 eo ais 2 % a ? 2 ff haomac Z No! shall I, who keepthgkeys * . Of heaven and hell, supreme alont‘in England, Who bind and loose, with power from the Pope, Descend tg desire a punier power? Delegate to deal the doom « of damhation; Te condemn kings, not serve among their servants, Is riy dpen office. Not Go. : . TEMPTER Then il leave you to your fate. Your sin‘soars sunward, covering | kings’ falcons! . * THo MAS “Temporal power, to build a good world, To keep order, as the work knows arder. - Those who fut tHeir faith in wordly order Not controlled ay, the order of God, In confident if ignorance, but arrest disorder, n Make it fast, breed fatal disease, i Degradé what they exalt. Power with the King— Iwas the King, his arms his better reason. But what was once exaltation Woula now be only mean descent. . [Enter TuinD TEMPTER.] THIRD TEMPTER ° 5 Tam an unexpected visitor. woe ae . i - . Tuomas Soe . Texpected you. = 50 . ae - a . Oe e "6:8 . . TeMprga ee But not in tite guise or for my present purpose. *% Taomas ‘ « No purpose brings surprise. 4 ° » TEMPTER , Well, my Lord, Iam no trifler, and no politician. gee . To idle or intrigue at court . Ihave no skill. I am no courtier. . Iknow a horse, a dog, a wench; knowhow to Hold my estates imorder, , * Asountry-keeping lord who minds his own business, e It is we country lords who know thé country And we who know: what the country needs, . It is our country. We care fof the country. Weare the backbone of the nation. ° * We, not the plotting parasites : Adout the King. Excuse my bluntness: . ° Iam a rough straightforward Englishman. THOMAS 7 7 Proceed straight forward. ° TEMPTER : Purpose is plain. Endurance of friendship does not depend i Upon ourselves, but upon circumstance. But circumstance is not undetermined. Unreal friendship may turn to real Butgeal friefidship, once ended; cannot be mended. - Bt 2 € ~ f Sooner shall enmity turn,to alliance.‘ The enmity that never knew friendship: “ Can sooner know‘accord. * “ THOMAS a Fora countryman ‘You wrap your meafiing i inas dark generality 7; weeny c courtier. « . «TEMPTER, « Thisis the simple fact! You, haye no hope of reconciliation With Heiiry the King. You look only . G . © To blind assertion in isolation. ae That isamistake. * : e . . THOMAS a « © OHenry, O my King! oH TEMPTER : © € * Other friends * May be found in the present situation. King in England is not all- -powerful; King is in France, squabbling in Anjou; Round-him waiting hungry sons. We are for England. We are in England. . You and I, my Lord, are Normans. . England is a land for Norman Sovereignty. Let the Angevin : Destroy himself, fightingin Anjou. *° ° . He does not understand us, the English, barons. Weare the people. . ‘< ase eat . q . : ° Tuomas, oe To what does’this lead? , . 2 . : *TempTER vo. » Toa appy coalition und Of intelligent interesjs. . . ‘THOMAS . = But what have you If you do speak for baréns— : : ‘TEMPTER 2 . For a powerfal party WhBich kas turned its eyes in Your divestion—., To gain from you, your Lordship asks. For us, Church favour would be an advantage, Blessing of Pope powérful protection, In the fight for liberty. You, my Lord, In being with us, would fight a good stroke, oo Avonce, for England and for Rome, Ending the tyrannous jurisdiction io Of king’s court over bishop’s court, Of king’s court over baron’s court. “. ° < THOMAS ° Which I helped to found. . ° - : TEMPTER, : * . = Which you helped to found, But time past is time forgottén. ‘We expect the’rise of'a new constellation. * c . 38 . mie ote et . ° ‘ee e ® ae THOMAS And/f the Archbishop cannot trustthe Kihg, How can he trust those who work-for King’s undoing? i Yemprer- Kings will allow no,power but their own; Church and people have good cause against the throne. , THOMAS If the Archbishop cannot trust the Throne, « He has good cause to trust none but God alone. Iruled ence as Chancellor : x = And men like you were glad to wait at my door. Not only'in the Court, but in the field * And in the tilt-yard I niade many yield. Shall I who ruled like anvagle over doves Now take the shape of a wolf among wolves? Pursue your treacheries as you have done before: Noone shall say that I betrayed a king. : = TEMPTER Then, my Lord, I shal not wait at your door. . And I well hope, before another spring The Ring will show his regard for your loyalty. THOMAS To inake, then bfeak, this thought has came before, The desperate exercise of failing power. | Samson in Gaza did no more. & But if I break, I must bredk myself alone. (Enter FouRTH TEMPTER.] e = ME mec ohne : ; Fourts Tamprsr * Well done, ‘Tyomes, younwillishardtobend. + And with me besidéayou, you ‘shall nof lack a frjend. « THoms Who are you? I expected Three visitors, not four. . aw TEMPTER ® Do not be surprised to'receive one more. ° Had I been expected, I had been here before. Lalways precede expectation. . = : oe THomas , . a « Who are you? e+ TEMPTER As you do not know me, I do not need andme, And, as you know me, that is why I come. Zou know me, but have never seen my face. ° To meét before was never time or place. THom&s Say what you come to say. ~ . . TEMPTER It shall be said at last. Hooks have been baited with morsels of the past. ° ‘Wantonness.is weakness. As for the King, é His hardened hatred shall have no end. You know trply, the King will never trust ‘TwiBe, the man who has been his friend. 35 - Power to bind and loose: bind, Thomas, bind, Borrow use catfiiously, employ Your rervices as long as you have to tend! : You would wait for traptosnap s Having sérved your turn, broken and crushed. ‘As for barons, envy of lesser men * { Is still more stubborn than king’s anger. Kings have public policy, bérons private profit, * Jealously raging possession of the fiend. . Barons are employable’against each other; Greater enemiés must kings destroy. ft { ” ae THOMAS : What is your counsel? - - TEMPTER + Fare forward to the end, Allother ways areglosedtoyou °” ae Except the way already chosen. sale But what is pleasure, kingly rule, 2 Or rule of men beneath a king, io * With craft in corners, stealthy stratagem, ft ~ To general grasp of spiritual power? Man oppressed by sin, since Adam fell— You heid the keys of heaven and hell. King and bishop under your heel. King; emperor, bishop, baron, king: . Uncertain mastery of melting armies, ne . War, plague, and revolution, > 5 : #: New conspiracies, broken pacts; a To be master or servant within an hour, = & 36 * ‘That is the course of temporalpowey. ° How long shall this be? The Old Kinfgshald knov, it, when at last breathy No sons, no empire bites Broken téeth. : ‘You hold the skein: wind, Thomas, wind fi . The thread of eternal life and death. You hold this power, hold it. . . ° THOMAS . _ Suprerfie, in this larid? “TEMPTER ° Supreme, but for one. ‘se * Tuomas That I do fiot understand. TEMPTER e It is not for me to tell you how this may be so; Iam only here, Thomas, to tell you what you know. - oe THOMAS - ° TEMPTER Save what you know already, ask nothing of me. But think, Thomas, think of glory after death. Whiten king js dead, there’s another king, And one more king is another reign. King is forgotten, when another shall come: Saint and Martyr rule from the somb. Think, Thomas; think of enemies dismayed, Creeping in penance, frighfened of a shades Théak of of pilgrims, standing in Itne 37 ve . Thave thought of these things. . Before the glittering jewelled shrine, From generation to generation oF Bending t the knedin supplication, .* : Think of the miracles, by God's grace, Aid think of your enemies, in another place. ° Tuomas TEMPTER, 2 That is why'I tell you. Your thoughts have more power than kings to _conapel you. *You have also thought, sorrietinies at your prayers, ~ Sometimes hesitating at the angles of,stairs, ‘And between sleep and waking, early in the morning, When the bird cries, have Thought of further scorning. That nothing lasts, Put the wheel turns, The nest is rifled, and the bird mourns; That'the shrine shall be pillaged, and the gold spent, ~ - The jewels gone for light ladies’ ornament, The sanctuary broken, and its stores Swept into the laps of parasites and whores. When miracles cease, and the faithful desert you. And men shall only do their best to forget you. : And later is worse, when men will not hate you Enough to defame or to execrate you, : But pondering the qualities that you lacked ‘ ‘Will only try to find the historical fact." ” ec When men shall declare thdt there was no mystery About this man who played a certain part in historx. : 38 cl . the : ; : ni “Tmomgs ce” But what is there tado? what is left to bedone? 4 Is there no enduring,crown td be won? . TEMPTER : 7 Yes, Thomas, yes; you have thought of that too. What can compare with glory of Saints Dwelling forever in presenc8 of God? What earthly glory, ofkingorempery, ° © « What earthly pride, that is not poverty Compared with richness of heavenly grahdeur? Seek the way of martyrdom, make yourself the-lpwest On earth, to be high in heaven. Arid seefar off below you, wHere the gulf is fixed, Your persecutors, én timeless terment, Parched passion, beyond expiation. THOMAS +» » No! Who are you, tempting with my own detires? * | ‘Others have come, temporal tempters, With pleasure and power at palpable price.» What do you offer? what do you ask? TEMPTER LT offer what you desire. I ask ‘What you have to give. Is it too much For such a vision of eternal | grandenx? - THoMAs, Otheys offered réal goods, worthless But real. You oply offer * Drgams to damuation. . 8 TRMPTER . . You, have eftert dreamt them. . . ce : . Tuomas ” Is there no way, in my so'al’s sickngss, Does not Iéad to damnation in pride? I well know that these temptations - Méan pyesentvanity and future torment. Can Sinful pride Ge driyen out Only by more gjnful? Can I neither act nor stiffer . Without perdition? ae . 4 TEMPTER ¢ . You know. and donet know, what it is to act or suffer. You know and do not know, that acti6n is suffering, And suffering action. Neither does the agent suffer Nor the patient act. But both are fixed In an eternal action, an eternal patience Té@which all nfast consent that it may be willed And which all must suffer that they may will it,- That theattern may subsist, that the wheel may turn Z and still . Be forever still. “ CHoRus . . . There is no rest in the house. There is no rest in the street. . < s I hear restless movement of feet. And the air is heavy — e “and thick. Thick and heavy the sky.”And the earth presses up - against oar feet. > 7 ’ } * What is the sickly smell, the vapour? the dark green light from a cloud on a withered tree? Thd earth is heaving to grturition of issué of hell, What is the sticky dew that forms on the back of my hand? 7 > , Tur FourTEMPTERS : Man’s life is a cheat and a disappointment; All things are unreal, » Unreal or disappointing: The Catherine wheel, the pantomime cat, | *s * The prizes given at the children’s party, TRe prize awarded for the Exiglish Essay, The scholar’s degree, the statesman’s decoration. o All things become less real, man passes From unreality to whreality. > This man is obstinate, blind, intent On self-destruction, . 7? “Passing from deception to deception, From grandeur to final illusion. . Lost in the wonder of his own greatness, The enemy of society, enemy of himself. . THE THREE PRIESTS , O Thomas my Lord do not fight the intractable tide, Do not sail the irresistible wind; in the storm, . Should we not wait for the sea tosubside, in the night ” Abide the coming of day, when the traveller may find his way, . The sailor lay course by the sun? : 44 ee eh eset 7 edly 3 ? ° 2c 5 Cc. P, 4 bs “C. QA P. T. . Come whispering through tHié ear, or a sudden 7 : Cuorus, Pripsts amd TEMPTERS alternately Istit the owl that calls, or a gignai between the trees? : e Poe a the window-bar mgde fast, is is the door under lock and bolt? Is it- rain that taps at the wintow, is it wind that . pokes at the door? Doe$ the torch flame in the hall, the candle in the room? . . Does the witchman walk by the wall . Does the mastiff prowl by the gate?, . Death has a hundred hands ang walks bya thousand WAYS. 6 6 = He may come in the sight of all, he may pass un- seen unheard. . shock on the skull. Ce Aman may walk with a lamp at night, and yet be drowned in a ditch. = + P. Amap may climb the stair in the day, and lip on a . T: broken step. , A man may sit at meat, and feel the cold in his * groin. Cuorus We Rave not beer! happy, my Lord, we bave not been , too happy. - - we. are not ignorant wroment we know what we must * expect and not expect.” oe We know of oppressiorf and torture, - : 42 eee - ¢ ee baer) f ve Oa “We know of extortion and violence, » * Destitution, distase} . . ’ The old without fire’ i vfinter, The child without milk in summer, Our labour taken awa} from us, Our sins made heavier upon us. a We have seen the young matt mutilated, The torn girl trembling by the mill-strgam. ee And meanwhile we have gone on living, Living and partly living, * Picking gogether,the pieces,

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