The Complete Poetical Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge Volume II Part 22

The Complete Poetical Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge Volume II Part 22

_Osorio (alone)._ The tongue can't stir when the mouth is fill'd with mould.

A little earth stops up most eloquent mouths, 260 And a square stone with a few pious texts Cut neatly on it, keeps the earth down tight.

_Scene changes to the s.p.a.ce before the castle._

_FRANCESCO and a_ Spy.

_Francesco._ Yes! yes! I have the key of all their lives.

If a man fears me, he is forced to love me.

And if I can, and do not ruin him, 265 He is fast bound to serve and honour me!

[_ALBERT enters from the castle, and is crossing the stage._

_Spy._ There--there--your Reverence! That is the sorcerer.

[_FRANCESCO runs up and rudely catches hold of ALBERT. ALBERT dashes him to the earth.

FRANCESCO and the_ Spy _make an uproar, and the servants rush from out the castle._

_Francesco._ Seize, seize and gag him! or the Church curses you!

[_The servants seize and gag ALBERT._

_Enter VELEZ and OSORIO._

_Osorio (aside)._ This is most lucky!

_Francesco (inarticulate with rage)._ See you this, Lord Velez?

Good evidence have I of most foul sorcery, 270 And in the name of Holy Church command you To give me up the keys--the keys, my lord!

Of that same dungeon-hole beneath your castle.

This imp of h.e.l.l--but we delay enquiry Till to Granada we have convoy'd him. 275

_Osorio (to the Servants)._ Why haste you not? Go, fly and dungeon him!

Then bring the keys and give them to his Reverence.

[_The_ Servants _hurry off ALBERT. OSORIO goes up to FRANCESCO, and pointing at ALBERT._

_Osorio (with a laugh)._ 'He that can bring the dead to life again.'

_Francesco._ What? did _you_ hear it?

_Osorio._ Yes, and plann'd this scheme To bring conviction on him. Ho! a wizard, 280 Thought I--but where's the proof! I plann'd this scheme.

The scheme has answer'd--we have proof enough.

_Francesco._ My lord, your pious policy astounds me.

I trust my honest zeal----

_Osorio._ Nay, reverend father!

It has but raised my veneration for you. 285 But 'twould be well to stop all intertalk Between my servants and this child of darkness.

_Francesco._ My lord! with speed I'll go, make swift return, And humbly redeliver you the keys. [_Exit FRANCESCO._

_Osorio (alone)._ 'The stranger, that lives nigh, still picking weeds.' 290 And this was his friend, his crony, his twin-brother!

O! I am green, a very simple stripling-- The wise men of this world make nothing of me.

By Heaven, 'twas well contrived! And I, forsooth, I was to cut my throat in honour of conscience. 295 And this tall wizard--ho!--he was to pa.s.s For Albert's friend! He _hath_ a trick of his manner.

He was to tune his voice to honey'd sadness, And win her to a transfer of her love By lamentable tales of her dear Albert, 300 And his dear Albert! Yea, she would have lov'd him.

He, that can sigh out in a woman's ear Sad recollections of her perish'd lover, And sob and smile with veering sympathy, And, now and then, as if by accident, 305 Pa.s.s his mouth close enough to touch her cheek With timid lip, he takes the lover's place, He takes his place, for certain! Dusky rogue, Were it not sport to whimper with thy mistress, Then steal away and roll upon my grave, 310 Till thy sides shook with laughter? Blood! blood! blood!

They want thy blood! thy blood, Osorio!

[END OF ACT THE THIRD.]

FOOTNOTES:

[555:1] In MS. II this speech is crossed out, and on the blank page opposite the following is written in Coleridge's hand:--

'Instead of Maria's portrait, Albert places on the altar a small picture of his attempted a.s.sa.s.sination. The scene is not wholly without _poetical_ merit, but it is miserably undramatic, or rather untragic. A scene of magic is introduced in which no single person on the stage has the least faith--all, though in different ways, think or know it to be a _trick_----consequently, &c.' _P. W._, 1893, p. 494, _Editor's Note_.

In MS. III the following stage-direction is written (in S. T. C.'s handwriting) on the page opposite to lines 113-15:--

'Albert has placed on the altar a small picture representing the attempt to a.s.sa.s.sinate him, instead of the portrait of Maria which Osorio had given him.'

[556:1] In MS. II Coleridge has written opposite this:--'Velez supposes the picture is an innocent contrivance of Osorio's to remove Maria's scruples: Osorio, that it is the portrait of Maria which he had himself given the supposed Wizard.' _P. W._, 1893, p. 495, _Editors Note_.

In MS. III Coleridge wrote on the opposite page:--'Velez supposes the picture which represents the attempt to a.s.sa.s.sinate Albert, to have been a mere invention contrived by Osorio with the most innocent intentions.

Osorio supposes it of course, to be the _portrait_ of Maria which he had restored to Albert!'

[556:2] The transcriber of MS. I had here written 'superst.i.tious', which is marked through with ink, and 'serious' is subst.i.tuted, in Coleridge's own hand. In MS. II 'superst.i.tious' is left undisturbed. _P. W._, 1893, p. 495, _Editor's Note_. In MS. III 'serious' is erased and 'superst.i.tious' is superscribed.

[558:1] In MS. II Coleridge has written opposite this:--'Osorio immediately supposes that this wizard whom Ferdinand had recommended to him, was in truth, an accomplice of Ferdinand, to whom the whole secret had been betrayed.' _P. W._, 1893, p. 496, _Editor's Note_.

[559:1] Opposite the pa.s.sage in MS. II the following is written in the transcriber's hand:--

Ce malheur, dites-vous, est le bien d'un autre etre-- De mon corps tout sanglant, mille insectes vont naitre.

Quand la mort met le comble aux maux que j'ai souffert, Le beau soulagement d'etre mange de vers!

Je ne suis du grand TOUT qu'une faible partie-- Oui; mais les animaux cond.a.m.nes a la vie Sous les etres sentants nes sous la meme loi Vivent dans la douleur, et meurent comme moi.

_Desastre de Lisbonne._ _P. W._, 1893, p. 491, _Editor's Note_.

LINENOTES:

[Before 1]

ACT III.

SCENE 1.--_A Hall of armory, with an altar at the back of the stage.

Soft music from an instrument of gla.s.s or steel. VALDEZ, ORDONIO, and ALVAR in a Sorcerer's robe, are discovered._

_Ord._ This was too melancholy, father.