Complete Works of Thomas Hardy (Illustrated) (1034 page)

Bespeak too much anxiety for me,

And underrate his services so far

That he has doubts if his high deeds deserve

Such size of recognition by the State

As would award slim pensions to his kin.

He had been fain to write down his intents,

But the quill dropped from his unmuscled hand.—

Now his friend Tomline pens what he dictates

And gleans the lippings of his last desires.

[ROSE and LADY HESTER turn.  They see the Bishop bending over

the bed with a sheet of paper on which he has previously been

writing.  A little later he dips a quill and holds it within

the bed-curtain, spreading the paper beneath.  A thin white

hand emerges from behind the curtain and signs the paper.  The

Bishop beckons forward the two servants, who also sign.

FARQUHAR on one side of the bed, and TOMLINE on the other, are

spoken to by the dying man.  The Bishop afterwards withdraws

from the bed and comes to the landing where the others are.]

TOMLINE

A list of his directions has been drawn,

And feeling somewhat more at mental ease

He asks Sir Walter if he has long to live.

Farquhar just answered, in a soothing tone,

That hope still frailly breathed recovery.

At this my dear friend smiled and shook his head,

As if to say: "I can translate your words,

But I reproach not friendship's lullabies."

ROSE

Rest he required; and rest was not for him.

[FARQUHAR comes forward as they wait.]

FARQUHAR

His spell of concentration on these things,

Determined now, that long have wasted him,

Have left him in a numbing lethargy,

From which I fear he may not rouse to strength

For speech with earth again.

ROSE

But hark.  He does.

[The listen.]

PITT

My country!  How I leave my country!...

TOMLINE

     Ah,—

Immense the matter those poor words contain!

ROSE

Still does his soul stay wrestling with that theme,

And still it will, even semi-consciously,

Until the drama's done.

[They continue to converse by the doorway in whispers.  PITT

sinks slowly into a stupor, from which he never awakens.]

SPIRIT OF THE PITIES
[to Spirit of the Years]

Do you intend to speak to him ere the close?

SPIRIT OF THE YEARS

Nay, I have spoke too often!  Time and time,

When all Earth's light has lain on the nether side,

And yapping midnight winds have leapt on the roofs,

And raised for him an evil harlequinade

Of national disasters in long train,

That tortured him with harrowing grimace,

Now I would leave him to pass out in peace,

And seek the silence unperturbedly.

SPIRIT SINISTER

Even ITS official Spirit can show ruth

At man's fag end, when his destruction's sure!

SPIRIT OF THE YEARS

It suits us ill to cavil each with each.

I might retort.  I only say to thee

ITS slaves we are: ITS slaves must ever be!

CHORUS
[aerial music]

Yea, from the Void we fetch, like these,

     And tarry till That please

To null us by Whose stress we emanate.—

     Our incorporeal sense,

Our overseeings, our supernal state,

     Our readings Why and Whence,

Are but the flower of Man's intelligence;

And that but an unreckoned incident

Of the all-urging Will, raptly magnipotent.

[A gauze of shadow overdraws.]

PART SECOND

CHARACTERS

I. PHANTOM INTELLIGENCES

THE ANCIENT SPIRIT OF THE YEARS/CHORUS OF THE YEARS.

THE SPIRIT OF THE PITIES/CHORUS OF THE PITIES.

SPIRITS SINISTER AND IRONIC/CHORUSES OF SINISTER AND IRONIC SPIRITS.

THE SPIRIT OF RUMOUR/CHORUS OF RUMOURS.

THE SHADE OF THE EARTH.

SPIRIT-MESSENGERS.

RECORDING ANGELS.

II. PERSONS
[The names in lower case are mute figures.]

MEN

GEORGE THE THIRD.

THE PRINCE OF WALES, afterwards PRINCE REGENT.

The Royal Dukes.

FOX.

PERCEVAL.

CASTLEREAGH.

AN UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE.

SHERIDAN.

TWO YOUNG LORDS.

Lords Yarmouth and Keith.

ANOTHER LORD.

Other Peers, Ambassadors, Ministers, ex-Ministers, Members of

Parliament, and Persons of Quality and Office.

..........

Sir Arthur Wellesley, afterwards Lord Wellington.

SIR JOHN MOORE.

SIR JOHN HOPE.

Sir David Baird.

General Beresford.

COLONEL ANDERSON.

COLONEL GRAHAM.

MAJOR COLBORNE, principal Aide-de-Camp to MOORE.

CAPTAIN HARDINGE.

Paget, Fraser, Hill, Napier.

A CAPTAIN OF HUSSARS AND OTHERS.

Other English Generals, Colonels, Aides, Couriers, and Military

Officers.

TWO SPIES.

TWO ARMY SURGEONS.

AN ARMY CHAPLAIN.

A SERGEANT OF THE FORTY-THIRD.

TWO SOLDIERS OF THE NINTH.

English Forces.

DESERTERS AND STRAGGLERS.

..........

DR. WILLIS.

SIR HENRY HALFORD.

DR. HEBERDEN.

DR. BAILLIE.

THE KING'S APOTHECARY.

A GENTLEMAN.

TWO ATTENDANTS ON THE KING.

..........

MEMBERS OF A LONDON CLUB.

AN ENGLISHMAN IN VIENNA.

TROTTER, SECRETARY TO FOX.

MR. BAGOT.

MR. FORTH, MASTER OF CEREMONIES.

SERVANTS.

A Beau, A Constable, etc.

..........

NAPOLEON BONAPARTE.

Joseph Bonaparte.

Louis and Jerome Bonaparte, and other Members of Napoleon's Family.

CAMBACERES, ARCH-CHANCELLOR.

TALLEYRAND.

PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE.

Caulaincourt.

Lebrun, Duroc, Prince of Neufchatel, Grand-Duke of Berg.

Eugene de Beauharnais.

CHAMPAGNY, FOREIGN MINISTER

DE BAUSSET, CHAMBERLAIN.

MURAT.

SOULT.

MASSENA.

BERTHIER.

JUNOT.

FOY.

LOISON.

Ney, Lannes, and other French Marshals, general and regimental

Officers, Aides, and Couriers.

TWO FRENCH SUBALTERNS.

ANOTHER FRENCH OFFICER.

French Forces.

..........

Grand Marshal, Grand Almoners, Heralds, and other Officials at

Napoleon's  marriage.

ABBE DE PRADT, CHAPEL-MASTER.

Corvisart, First Physician to Marie Louis.

BOURDIER, SECOND PHYSICIAN to Marie Louise.

DUBOIS, ACCOUCHEUR to Marie Louise.

Maskers at a Ball.

TWO SERVANTS AT THE TUILERIES.

A PARISIAN CROWD.

GUILLET DE GEVRILLIERE, A CONSPIRATOR.

Louis XVIII. of France.

French Princes in England.

..........

THE KING OF PRUSSIA.

Prince Henry of Prussia.

Prince Royal of Bavaria.

PRINCE HOHENLOHE.

Generals Ruchel, Tauenzien, and Attendant Officers.

Prussian Forces.

PRUSSIAN STRAGGLERS.

BERLIN CITIZENS.

..........

CARLOS IV., KING OF SPAIN.

FERNANDO, PRINCE OF ASTURIAS, Son to the King.

GODOY, "PRINCE OF PEACE," Lover of the Queen.

COUNT OF MONTIJO.

VISCOUNT MATEROSA, Spanish Deputy.

DON DIEGO DE LA VEGA, Spanish Deputy.

Godoy's Guards and other Soldiery.

SPANISH CITIZENS.

A SERVANT TO GODOY.

Spanish Forces.

Camp-Followers.

..........

FRANCIS, EMPEROR OF AUSTRIA.

METTERNICH.

ANOTHER AUSTRIAN MINISTER.

SCHWARZENBERG.

D'AUDENARDE, AN EQUERRY.

AUSTRIAN OFFICERS.

AIDES-DE-CAMP.

Austrian Forces.

Couriers and Secretaries.

VIENNESE CITIZENS.

..........

THE EMPEROR ALEXANDER.

The Grand-Duke Constantine.

Prince Labanoff.

Count Lieven.

Generals Bennigsen, Ouwaroff, and others.

Officers in attendance on Alexander.

WOMEN

CAROLINE, PRINCESS OF WALES.

DUCHESS OF YORK.

DUCHESS OF RUTLAND.

MARCHIONESS OF SALISBURY.

MARCHIONESS OF HERTFORD.

Other Peeresses.

MRS. FITZHERBERT.

Ambassadors' Wives, Wives of Minister and Members of Parliament,

and other Ladies of Note.

..........

THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE.

HORTENSE, QUEEN OF HOLLAND.

The Mother of Napoleon.

Princess Pauline, and others of Napoleon's Family.

DUCHESS OF MONTEBELLO.

MADAME DE MONTESQUIOU.

MADAME BLAISE, NURSE TO MARIE LOUIS.

Wives of French Ministers, and of other Officials.

Other Ladies of the French Court.

DUCHESS OF ANGOULEME.

..........

LOUISA, QUEEN OF PRUSSIA.

The Countess Voss, Lady-in-Waiting.

BERLIN LADIES.

..........

MARIA LUISA, QUEEN OF SPAIN.

THEREZA OF BOURBON, WIFE OF GODOY.

DONA JOSEFA TUDO, MISTRESS OF GODOY.

Lady-in-Waiting to the Queen.

A Servant.

..........

M. LOUISA BEATRIX, EMPRESS OF AUSTRIA.

THE ARCHDUCHESS MARIE LOUISA, afterwards the EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE.

MADAME METTERNICH.

LADIES OF THE AUSTRIAN COURT.

..........

THE EMPRESS-MOTHER OF RUSSIA.

GRAND-DUCHESS ANNE OF RUSSIA.

ACT FIRST

SCENE I

LONDON.  FOX'S LODGINGS, ARLINGTON STREET

[FOX, the Foreign Secretary in the new Ministry of All-the-Talents,

sits at a table writing.  He is a stout, swarthy man, with shaggy

eyebrows, and his breathing is somewhat obstructed.  His clothes

look as though they had been slept in.  TROTTER, his private

secretary, is writing at another table near.  A servant enters.]

SERVANT

Another stranger presses to see you, sir.

FOX
[without raising his eyes]

Oh, another.  What's he like?

SERVANT

A foreigner, sir; though not so out-at-elbows as might be thought

from the denomination.  He says he's from Gravesend, having lately

left Paris, and that you sent him a passport.  He comes with a

police-officer.

FOX

Ah, to be sure.  I remember.  Bring him in, and tell the officer

to wait outside. 
[Servant goes out.]
  Trotter, will you leave us

for a few minutes?  But be within hail.

[The secretary retires, and the servant shows in a man who calls

himself GUILLET DE GEVRILLIERE—a tall, thin figure of thirty,

with restless eyes.  The door being shut behind him, he is left

alone with the minister.  FOX points to a seat, leans back, and

surveys his visitor.]

GEVRILLIERE

Thanks to you, sir, for this high privilege

Of hailing England, and of entering here.

Without a fore-extended confidence

Like this of yours, my plans would not have sped. 
[A Pause.]

Europe, alas! sir, has her waiting foot

Upon the sill of further slaughter-scenes!

FOX

I fear it is so!—In your lines you wrote,

I think, that you are a true Frenchman born?

GEVRILLIERE

I did, sir.

FOX

How contrived you, then, to cross?

GEVRILLIERE

It was from Embden that I shipped for Gravesend,

In a small sailer called the "Toby," sir,

Masked under Prussian colours.  Embden I reached

On foot, on horseback, and by sundry shifts,

From Paris over Holland, secretly.

FOX

And you are stored with tidings of much pith,

Whose tenour would be priceless to the state?

GEVRILLIERE

I am.  It is, in brief, no more nor less

Than means to mitigate and even end

These welfare-wasting wars; ay, usher in

A painless spell of peace.

FOX

     Prithee speak on.

No statesman can desire it more than I.

GEVRILLIERE
[looking to see that the door is shut]

No nation, sir, can live its natural life,

Or think its thoughts in these days unassailed,

No crown-capt head enjoy tranquillity.

The fount of such high spring-tide of disorder,

Fevered disquietude, and forceful death,

Is One,—a single man.  He—need I name?—

The ruler is of France.

FOX

     Well, in the past

I fear that it has liked so.  But we see

Good reason still to hope that broadening views,

Politer wisdom now is helping him

To saner guidance of his arrogant car.

GEVRILLIERE

The generous hope will never be fulfilled!

Ceasing to bluff, then ceases he to be.

None sees that written largelier than himself.

FOX

Then what may be the valued revelation

That you can unlock in such circumstance?

Sir, I incline to spell you as a spy,

And not the honest help for honest men

You gave you out to be!

GEVRILLIERE

     I beg, sir,