Abortionus
Be
patient till the last. Americans, countrymen, and lovers! Hear
me for my cause, and be silent, that you may hear: believe me
for mine honor, and have respect to mine honor, that you may believe: censure me in your
wisdom, and awake your senses, that you may the better judge.
If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend of the aborted child's, to him I say,
that Abortionus' love to the
child was no less than his. If then that friend demand why Abortionus rose against the child, this is my answer: -- not that I loved the child less, but that I loved
America more. Had you rather the child were living and die all
slaves to your families, than that the child were dead, to live all
free men? As the child loved me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate,
I rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honor him: but, as he was
ambitious, I slew him. There is tears for his love; joy for his fortune; honor for his valor; and death for his ambition.
Who is here so base that would be a bondman? If any, speak; for
him have I offended. Who is here so rude that would not be an
American? If any, speak; for him have I offended. Who is here so vile that will not love his country? If any, speak; for
him have I offended. I pause for a reply.
All
None, Abortionus, none.
Abortionus
Then
none have I offended. I have done no more to the child than you shall do to
Abortionus. The question of his death is enrolled in the
Capitol; his glory not extenuated, wherein he was worthy,
nor his offences enforced, for which he suffered death.
Enter
Patrus and others, with the child's body
Here comes his body, mourned by
Patrus: who, though he had no hand in his death, shall receive
the benefit of his dying, a place in the commonwealth; as which of you shall
not? With this I depart,--that, as I slew my best lover for the
good of America, I have the same dagger for myself, when it shall please my country to
need my death when I am old and as worthless as a baby.
All
Live, Abortionus! Live, live!
First Citizen
Bring him with triumph home unto his
house.
Second Citizen
Give him a statue with his
ancestors.
Third Citizen
Let him be President.
Fourth Citizen
The child's better parts
shall be crowned in Abortionus.
First Citizen
We'll bring him to his house
with shouts and clamors.
Abortionus
My countrymen,--
Second Citizen
Peace, silence! Abortionus speaks.
First Citizen
Peace, ho!
Abortionus
Good
countrymen, let me depart alone, and, for my sake, stay here with Patrus:
do grace to the child's corpse, and grace his speech tending to the child's glories;
which Patrus, by our permission, is allowed to make.
I do entreat you, not a man depart, save I alone, till Patrus have spoken.
Exit
First Citizen
Stay, ho! And let us hear Patrus.
Third Citizen
Let him go up into the public chair;
we’ll hear him. Noble Patrus, go up.
Patrus
For
Abortionus' sake, I am beholding to you.
Goes
into the pulpit
Fourth Citizen
What does he say of Abortionus?
Third Citizen
He says, for Abortionus ' sake,
he finds himself beholding to us all.
Fourth Citizen
It were best he speak no harm of Abortionus
here.
First Citizen
This child was a tyrant.
Third Citizen
Nay, that's certain:
we are blest that America is rid of him.
Second Citizen
Peace! Let us hear what Patrus can
say.
Patrus
You gentle Americans,--
Citizens
Peace, ho! Let us hear him.
Patrus
Friends, America, countrymen, lend
me your ears; I come to bury this child, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their
bones; so let it be with this child. The noble Abortionus hath told you this child was
ambitious: if it were so, it was a grievous fault, and grievously hath this child answered it. Here, under
leave of Abortionus and the rest-- for Abortionus is an honorable
man; so are they all, all honorable men-- come I
to speak in this child's funeral. He was my friend, faithful and
just to me: but Abortionus says he was ambitious;
and Abortionus is an honorable man. He hath brought many
captives home to America whose ransoms did the general coffers
fill: did this in the child seem ambitious? When
that the poor have cried, the child hath wept: ambition should
be made of sterner stuff: yet Abortionus says he was ambitious; and Abortionus is an honorable man. You all did see
that on the Court I thrice presented him a kingly crown, which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition? Yet Abortionus
says he was ambitious; and, sure, he is an honorable man. I speak not to disprove what Abortionus spoke, but
here I am to speak what I do know. You all did love him once,
not without cause: what cause withholds you then, to mourn for
him? O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts, and men have lost their reason. Bear with me; my
heart is in the coffin there with this child, and I must pause
till it come back to me.
First Citizen
Methinks there is much reason in his
sayings.
Second Citizen
If thou consider rightly of the
matter, this child has had great wrong.
Third Citizen
Has he, masters?
I fear there will a worse come in his place.
Fourth Citizen
Marked you his words? He would not
take the crown; therefore 'tis certain he was not ambitious.
First Citizen
If it be found so, some will dear
abide it.
Second Citizen
Poor soul! His eyes are red as fire
with weeping.
Third Citizen
There's not a nobler man in America
than Patrus.
Fourth Citizen
Now mark him, he begins again to
speak.
Patrus
But yesterday the word of this child
might have stood against the world; now lies he there.
And none so poor to do him reverence. O masters, if I were disposed to
stir your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,
I should do Abortionus wrong, and Rightus wrong, who, you all know, are honorable
men: I will not do them wrong; I rather choose
to wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you, than I will wrong such honorable
men. But here's a parchment with the seal of this child;
I found it in his closet, 'tis his will: let but the commons hear this
testament-- Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read--
and they would go and kiss this dead child's wounds and dip their napkins in his sacred
blood, yea, beg a hair of him for memory,
and, dying, mention it within their wills, bequeathing it as a rich legacy
unto their issue.
Fourth Citizen
We'll hear the will: read it, Patrus.
All
The will, the will! We will hear
this child's will.
Patrus
Have patience, gentle friends, I
must not read it; it is not meet you know how this child loved you.
You are not wood, you are not stones, but men; and, being men, bearing the will of
this child, it will inflame you, and it will make you mad:
'tis good you know not that you are his heirs; for, if you should, O, what would come of it!
Fourth Citizen
Read the will; we'll hear it, Patrus;
you shall read us the will, this child's will.
Patrus
Will you be patient? Will you stay
awhile? I have overshot myself to tell you of it:
I fear I wrong the honorable men whose daggers have stabbed the
child; I do fear it.
Fourth Citizen
They were traitors: honorable men!
All
The will! The testament!
Second Citizen
They were villains, murderers: the
will! Read the will.
Patrus
You will compel me, then, to read
the will? Then make a ring about the corpse of this child, and let me show you him that made the will. Shall I descend? And will you give me leave?
Several Citizens
Come down.
Second Citizen
Descend.
Third Citizen
You
shall have leave.
Patrus
comes down
Fourth Citizen
A ring; stand round.
First Citizen
Stand from the hearse, stand from
the body.
Second Citizen
Room for Patrus, most noble Patrus.
Patrus
Nay, press not so upon me; stand far
off.
Several Citizens
Stand back; room; bear back.
Patrus
If you have tears, prepare to shed
them now. You all do know this mantle: I remember
the first time ever this child put it on; 'twas on a summer's evening, in his
tent, that day he was born: look, in this place ran Rightus'
dagger through: see what a rent the envious Governus made:
through this the well-beloved Abortionus stabbed; and as he plucked his cursed steel
away, mark how the blood of this child followed it,
as rushing out of doors, to be resolved if Abortionus so unkindly knocked,
or no; for Abortionus, as you know, was this child's angel:
judge, O you gods, how dearly this child loved him! This was the most unkindest cut of
all; for when the noble
child saw him stab, ingratitude, more strong than traitors'
arms, quite vanquished him: then burst his mighty heart; and, in his mantle muffling up his face, even at the
base of Washington's statue, which all the while ran blood,
this great child fell. O, what a fall was there, my countrymen! Then I, and you, and all of us fell down, whilst
bloody treason flourished over us. O, now you weep; and, I
perceive, you feel the dint of pity: these are gracious drops. Kind souls, what, weep you when you but behold our child's
vesture wounded? Look you here, here is himself, marred, as you
see, with traitors.
First Citizen
O piteous spectacle!
Second Citizen
O noble Caesar!
Third Citizen
O woeful day!
Fourth Citizen
O traitors, villains!
First Citizen
O most bloody sight!
Second Citizen
We will be revenged.
All
Revenge! About! Seek! Burn! Fire!
Kill! Slay! Let not a traitor live!
Patrus
Stay, countrymen.
First Citizen
Peace there! Hear the noble Patrus.
Second Citizen
We'll hear him, we'll follow him,
we'll die with him.
Patrus
Good friends, sweet friends, let me
not stir you up To such a sudden flood of mutiny. They that have done this deed are honorable:
what private griefs they have, alas, I know not, that made them do it: they are wise
and honorable, and will, no doubt, with reasons answer you.
I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts: I am no orator, as Abortionus is;
but, as you know me all, a plain blunt man, that love my friend; and that they
know full well that gave me public leave to speak of him:
for I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth, action, nor utterance, nor the
power of speech, to stir men's blood: I only speak right on;
I tell you that which you yourselves do know; show you this sweet child's wounds,
poor poor dumb mouths, and bid them speak for me: but were
I Abortionus, and Abortionus Patrus, there were an Patrus would ruffle up your spirits and put a
tongue in every wound of Caesar that should move the stones of Rome to rise and mutiny.
All
We'll mutiny.
First Citizen
We'll burn the house of Abortionus.
Third Citizen
Away, then! Come, seek the
conspirators.
Patrus
Yet hear me, countrymen; yet hear me
speak.
All
Peace, ho! Hear Patrus. Most noble Patrus!
Patrus
Why, friends, you go to do you know
not what: Wherein hath this child thus deserved your loves?
Alas, you know not: I must tell you then: you have forgot the will I told you
of.
All
Most true. The will! Let's stay and
hear the will.
Patrus
Here is the will, and under the
child's seal. To every American citizen he gives,
to every several man, seventy-five drachmas.
Second Citizen
Most noble child! We'll revenge his
death.
Third Citizen
O royal child!
Patrus
Hear me with patience.
All
Peace, ho!
Patrus
Moreover, he hath left you all his
walks, His private arbors and new-planted orchards,
on this side Tiber; he hath left them you, and to your heirs forever, common
pleasures, to walk abroad, and recreate yourselves.
Here was a child! When comes such another?
First Citizen
Never, never. Come, away, away!
We'll burn his body in the holy place, and with the brands fire the
traitors' houses. Take up the body.
Second Citizen
Go fetch fire.
Third Citizen
Pluck down benches.
Fourth Citizen
Pluck
down forms, windows, anything.
Exeunt
Citizens with the body
Patrus
Now
let it work. Mischief, thou art afoot, take thou what course thou wilt!
Enter
a Servant
How now, fellow!
Servant
Sir, Joshua is already come to
Washington.
Patrus
Where is he?
Servant
He and Spiritus are at the child's
house.
Patrus
And thither will I straight to visit
him: he comes upon a wish. Fortune is merry,
and in this mood will give us anything.
Servant
I heard him say, Abortionus and Rightus are rid like madmen through the gates of
Washington.
Patrus
Belike
they had some notice of the people, how I had moved them. Bring me to Joshua.
Exeunt
No comments:
Post a Comment