第 175 节
作者:
空白协议书 更新:2021-02-21 16:30 字数:9320
Into his own。 He was the first man in them。
KEMPTHORN。
For swearing; was it?
MERRY。
No; it was for charging;
He charged the town too much; and so the town;
To make things square; set him in his own stocks;
And fined him five pounds sterling;just enough
To settle his own bill。
KEMPTHORN。
And served him right;
But; Master Merry; is it not eight bells?
MERRY。
Not quite。
KEMPTHORN。
For; do you see? I'm getting tired
Of being perched aloft here in this cro' nest
Like the first mate of a whaler; or a Middy
Mast…headed; looking out for land! Sail ho!
Here comes a heavy…laden merchant…man
With the lee clews eased off and running free
Before the wind。 A solid man of Boston。
A comfortable man; with dividends;
And the first salmon; and the first green peas。
A gentleman passes。
He does not even turn his head to look。
He's gone without a word。 Here comes another;
A different kind of craft on a taut bow…line;
Deacon Giles Firmin the apothecary;
A pious and a ponderous citizen;
Looking as rubicund and round and splendid
As the great bottle in his own shop window!
DEACON FIRMIN passes。
And here's my host of the Three Mariners;
My creditor and trusty taverner;
My corporal in the Great Artillery!
He's not a man to pass me without speaking。
COLE looks away and passes。
Don't yaw so; keep your luff; old hypocrite!
Respectable; ah yes; respectable;
You; with your seat in the new Meeting…house;
Your cow…right on the Common! But who's this?
I did not know the Mary Ann was in!
And yet this is my old friend; Captain Goldsmith;
As sure as I stand in the bilboes here。
Why; Ralph; my boy!
Enter RALPH GOLDSMITH。
GOLDSMITH。
Why; Simon; is it you?
Set in the bilboes?
KEMPTHORN。
Chock…a…block; you see;
And without chafing…gear。
GOLDSMITH。
And what's it for?
KEMPTHORN。
Ask that starbowline with the boat…hook there;
That handsome man。
MERRY (bowing)。
For swearing。
KEMPTHORN。
In this town
They put sea…captains in the stocks for swearing;
And Quakers for not swearing。 So look out。
GOLDSMITH。
I pray you set him free; he meant no harm;
'T is an old habit he picked up afloat。
MERRY。
Well; as your time is out; you may come down;
The law allows you now to go at large
Like Elder Oliver's horse upon the Common。
KEMPTHORN。
Now; hearties; bear a hand! Let go and haul。
KEMPTHORN is set free; and comes forward; shaking GOLDSMITH'S
hand。
KEMPTHORN。
Give me your hand; Ralph。 Ah; how good it feels!
The hand of an old friend。
GOLDSMITH。
God bless you; Simon!
KEMPTHORN。
Now let us make a straight wake for the tavern
Of the Three Mariners; Samuel Cole commander;
Where we can take our ease; and see the shipping;
And talk about old times。
GOLDSMITH。
First I must pay
My duty to the Governor; and take him
His letters and despatches。 Come with me。
KEMPTHORN。
I'd rather not。 I saw him yesterday。
GOLDSMITH。
Then wait for me at the Three Nuns and Comb。
KEMPTHORN。
I thank you。 That's too near to the town pump。
I will go with you to the Governor's;
And wait outside there; sailing off and on;
If I am wanted; you can hoist a signal。
MERRY。
Shall I go with you and point out the way?
GOLDSMITH。
Oh no; I thank you。 I am not a stranger
Here in your crooked little town。
MERRY。
How now; sir?
Do you abuse our town? 'Exit。
GOLDSMITH。
Oh; no offence。
KEMPTHORN。
Ralph; I am under bonds for a hundred pound。
GOLDSMITH。
Hard lines。 What for?
KEMPTHORN。
To take some Quakers back
I brought here from Barbadoes in the Swallow。
And how to do it I don't clearly see;
For one of them is banished; and another
Is sentenced to be hanged! What shall I do?
GOLDSMITH。
Just slip your hawser on some cloudy night;
Sheer off; and pay it with the topsail; Simon!
'Exeunt。
SCENE II。 Street in front of the prison。 In the background a
gateway and several flights of steps leading up terraces to the
Governor's house。 A pump on one side of the street。 JOHN
ENDICOTT; MERRY; UPSALL; and others。 A drum beats。
JOHN ENDICOTT。
Oh shame; shame; shame!
MERRY。
Yes; it would be a shame
But for the damnable sin of Heresy!
JOHN ENDICOTT。
A woman scourged and dragged about our streets!
MERRY。
Well; Roxbury and Dorchester must take
Their share of shame。 She will he whipped in each!
Three towns; and Forty Stripes save one; that makes
Thirteen in each。
JOHN ENDICOTT。
And are we Jews or Christians?
See where she comes; amid a gaping crowd!
And she a child。 Oh; pitiful! pitiful!
There's blood upon her clothes; her hands; her feet!
Enter MARSHAL and a drummer。 EDITH; stripped to the waist;
followed by the hangman with a scourge; and a noisy crowd。
EDITH。
Here let me rest one moment。 I am tired。
Will some one give me water?
MERRY。
At his peril。
UPSALL。
Alas! that I should live to see this day!
A WOMAN。
Did I forsake my father and my mother
And come here to New England to see this?
EDITH。
I am athirst。 Will no one give me water?
JOHN ENDICOTT (making his way through the crowd with water)。
In the Lord's name!
EDITH (drinking。
In his name I receive it!
Sweet as the water of Samaria's well
This water tastes。 I thank thee。 Is it thou?
I was afraid thou hadst deserted me。
JOHN ENDICOTT。
Never will I desert thee; nor deny thee。
Be comforted。
MERRY。
O Master Endicott;
Be careful what you say。
JOHN ENDICOTT。
Peace; idle babbler!
MERRY。
You'll rue these words!
JOHN ENDICOTT。
Art thou not better now?
EDITH。
They've struck me as with roses。
JOHN ENDICOTT。
Ah; these wounds!
These bloody garments!
EDITH。
It is granted me
To seal my testimony with my blood。
JOHN ENDICOTT。
O blood…red seal of man's vindictive wrath!
O roses in the garden of the Lord!
I; of the household of Iscariot;
I have betrayed in thee my Lord and Master。
WENLOCK CHRISTISON appears above; at the window of the prison;
stretching out his hands through the bars。
CHRISTISON。
Be of good courage; O my child! my child!
Blessed art thou when men shall persecute thee!
Fear not their faces; saith the Lord; fear not;
For I am with thee to deliver thee。
A CITIZEN。
Who is it crying from the prison yonder。
MERRY。
It is old Wenlock Christison。
CHRISTISON。
Remember
Him who was scourged; and mocked; and crucified!
I see his messengers attending thee。
Be steadfast; oh; be steadfast to the end!
EDITH (with exultation)。
I cannot reach thee with these arms; O father!
But closely in my soul do I embrace thee
And hold thee。 In thy dungeon and thy death
I will be with thee; and will comfort thee
MARSHAL。
Come; put an end to this。 Let the drum beat。
The drum beats。 Exeunt all but JOHN ENDICOTT; UPSALL; and MERRY。
CHRISTISON。
Dear child; farewell! Never shall I behold
Thy face again with these bleared eyes of flesh;
And never wast thou fairer; lovelier; dearer
Than now; when scourged and bleeding; and insulted
For the truth's sake。 O pitiless; pitiless town!
The wrath of God hangs over thee; and the day
Is near at hand when thou shalt be abandoned
To desolation and the breeding of nettles。
The bittern and the cormorant shall lodge
Upon thine upper lintels; and their voice
Sing in thy windows。 Yea; thus saith the Lord!
JOHN ENDICOTT。
Awake! awake! ye sleepers; ere too late;
And wipe these bloody statutes from your books!
'Exit。
MERRY。
Take heed; the walls have ears!
UPSALL。
At last; the heart
Of every honest man must speak or break!
Enter GOVERNOR ENDICOTT with his halberdiers。
ENDICOTT。
What is this stir and tumult in the street?
MERRY。
Worshipful sir; the whipping of a girl;
And her old father howling from the prison。
ENDICOTT (to his halberdiers)。
Go on。
CHRISTISON。
Antiochus! Antiochus!
O thou that slayest the Maccabees! The Lord
Shall smite thee with incurable disease;
And no man shall endure to carry thee!
MERRY。
Peace; old blasphemer!
CHRISTISON。
I both feel and see
The presence and the waft of death go forth