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