登陆注册
5419700000234

第234章

Andrew or Walter, you're a merry fellow;

I'll swear to that.

MERRY.

No swearing, let me tell you.

The other day one Shorthose had his tongue Put into a cleft stick for profane swearing.

COLE brings the ale.

KEMPTHORN.

Well, where's my flip? As sure as my name's Kempthorn--MERRY.

Is your name Kempthorn?

KEMPTHORN.

That's the name I go by.

MERRY.

What, Captain Simon Kempthorn of the Swallow?

KEMPTHORN.

No other.

MERRY (touching him on the shoulder).

Then you're wanted.I arrest you In the King's name.

KEMPTHORN.

And where's your warrant?

MERRY (unfolding a paper, and reading).

Here.

Listen to me."Hereby you are required, In the King's name, to apprehend the body Of Simon Kempthorn, mariner, and him Safely to bring before me, there to answer All such objections as are laid to him, Touching the Quakers." Signed, John Endicott.

KEMPTHORN.

Has it the Governor's seal?

MERRY.

Ay, here it is.

KEMPTHORN.

Death's head and cross-bones.That's a pirate's flag!

MERRY.

Beware how you revile the Magistrates;

You may be whipped for that.

KEMPTHORN.

Then mum's the word.

Exeunt MERRY and KEMPTHORN.

COLE.

There's mischief brewing! Sure, there's mischief brewing.

I feel like Master Josselyn when he found The hornet's nest, and thought it some strange fruit, Until the seeds came out, and then he dropped it.

[Exit.

Scene III.-- A room in the Governor's house, Enter GOVERNORENDICOTT and MERRY.

ENDICOTT.

My son, you say?

MERRY.

Your Worship's eldest son.

ENDICOTT.

Speaking against the laws?

MERRY.

Ay, worshipful sir.

ENDICOTT.

And in the public market-place?

MERRY.

I saw him With my own eyes, heard him with my own ears.

ENDICOTT.

Impossible!

MERRY.

He stood there in the crowd With Nicholas Upsall, when the laws were read To-day against the Quakers, and I heard him Denounce and vilipend them as unjust, And cruel, wicked, and abominable.

ENDICOTT.

Ungrateful son! O God! thou layest upon me A burden heavier than I can bear!

Surely the power of Satan must be great Upon the earth, if even the elect Are thus deceived and fall away from grace!

MERRY.

Worshipful sir! I meant no harm--

ENDICOTT.

'T is well.

You've done your duty, though you've done it roughly, And every word you've uttered since you came Has stabbed me to the heart!

MERRY.

I do beseech Your Worship's pardon!

ENDICOTT.

He whom I have nurtured And brought up in the reverence of the Lord!

The child of all my hopes and my affections!

He upon whom I leaned as a sure staff For my old age! It is God's chastisement For leaning upon any arm but His!

MERRY.

Your Worship!--

ENDICOTT.

And this comes from holding parley With the delusions and deceits of Satan.

At once, forever, must they be crushed out, Or all the land will reek with heresy!

Pray, have you any children?

MERRY.

No, not any.

ENDICOTT.

Thank God for that.He has delivered you From a great care.Enough; my private griefs Too long have kept me from the public service.

Exit MERRY, ENDICOTT seats himself at the table and arranges his papers.

The hour has come; and I am eager now To sit in judgment on these Heretics.

A knock.

Come in.Who is it? (Not looking up).

JOHN ENDICOTT.

It is I.

ENDICOTT (restraining himself).

Sit down!

JOHN ENDICOTT (sitting down).

I come to intercede for these poor people Who are in prison, and await their trial.

ENDICOTT.

It is of them I wished to speak with you.

I have been angry with you, but 't is passed.

For when I hear your footsteps come or go, See in your features your dead mother's face, And in your voice detect some tone of hers, All anger vanishes, and I remember The days that are no more, and come no more, When as a child you sat upon my knee, And prattled of your playthings, and the games You played among the pear trees in the orchard!

JOHN ENDICOTT.

Oh, let the memory of my noble mother Plead with you to be mild and merciful!

For mercy more becomes a Magistrate Than the vindictive wrath which men call justice!

ENDICOTT.

The sin of heresy is a deadly sin.

'T is like the falling of the snow, whose crystals The traveller plays with, thoughtless of his danger, Until he sees the air so full of light That it is dark; and blindly staggering onward, Lost and bewildered, he sits down to rest;There falls a pleasant drowsiness upon him, And what he thinks is sleep, alas! is death.

JOHN ENDICOTT.

And yet who is there that has never doubted?

And doubting and believing, has not said, "Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief"?

ENDICOTT.

In the same way we trifle with our doubts, Whose shining shapes are like the stars descending;Until at last, bewildered and dismayed, Blinded by that which seemed to give us light, We sink to sleep, and find that it is death,Rising.

Death to the soul through all eternity!

Alas that I should see you growing up To man's estate, and in the admonition And nurture of the law, to find you now Pleading for Heretics!

JOHN ENDICOTT (rising).

In the sight of God, Perhaps all men are Heretics.Who dares To say that he alone has found the truth?

We cannot always feel and think and act As those who go before us.Had you done so, You would not now be here.

ENDICOTT.

Have you forgotten The doom of Heretics, and the fate of those Who aid and comfort them? Have you forgotten That in the market-place this very day You trampled on the laws? What right have you, An inexperienced and untravelled youth, To sit in judgment here upon the acts Of older men and wiser than yourself, Thus stirring up sedition in the streets, And making me a byword and a jest?

JOHN ENDICOTT.

Words of an inexperienced youth like me Were powerless if the acts of older men Were not before them.'T is these laws themselves Stir up sedition, not my judgment of them.

ENDICOTT.

Take heed, lest I be called, as Brutus was, To be the judge of my own son.Begone!

When you are tired of feeding upon husks, Return again to duty and submission, But not till then.

JOHN ENDICOTT.

I hear and I obey!

[Exit.

ENDICOTT.

Oh happy, happy they who have no children!

He's gone! I hear the hall door shut behind him.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 九十九度甜婚

    九十九度甜婚

    【甜蜜指数十颗星】【正文完,番外更新中】代姐出嫁,她从孤女一夜成为了T市第一豪门的少奶奶。新婚夜,他高冷凉薄,“就算你耍手段嫁进了穆家,在我眼里也什么都不是!”她淡定无情,“穆少别太把自己当回事,你的人和你的钱,我都看不上!”婚后——穆大少化身妻奴,24小时全程粘人,“你说你看不上我哪点,嗯?”洛晨曦不堪骚扰,愤而甩出离婚协议书,“这日子没法过了,离婚!”下一秒,小公主提着hellokitty行李箱跑了过来,兴奋地抱住大腿,“麻麻,我们又要玩离家出走的游戏了咩?”
  • 岭外代答

    岭外代答

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 少年侦探团

    少年侦探团

    《少年侦探团》讲述东京来了个“黑怪物”,时而融入黑暗,时而化成一道影子,阴惨惨的白牙撕开一道口子,夜行人便可窥见地狱的罪恶……“黑怪物”到底是何方神圣?侦探团团员发现的惊天秘密,使得明智小五郎也大惊失色。真相拉开了名侦探与怪盗二十面相第二次对决的序幕。
  • 刀剑聊斋

    刀剑聊斋

    花妖鬼狐是这个世界的主人,他却驾驭着至强的狐女。卖妻?诱拐小萝莉?把女鬼当成暖床丫头?被拐卖到女儿国?从弃子而起,率家族对抗世界;身藏无数传世诗文,美女们却更爱他的杀戮果断。只因诅咒宝器的世界,你不懂!
  • 不乱

    不乱

    本书主要内容包括:静心修身,不染尘埃;常保信心,功德无量;平常心,非常道;心境谦虚,淡看沉浮等。
  • 快穿法则之我家宿主帅到爆

    快穿法则之我家宿主帅到爆

    原语死了,是被自己炸死的。而且,死后还绑定了一个病态系统。“我亲爱的主人,我相信凭借你的实力肯定可以战胜眼前的困难的。所以,还得请主人好好努力哦!”“当然!毕竟,以后还要和你“好好”执行任务的,不是吗?”原语疾速奔跑着,躲避着身后的丧尸,而她的左臂已被丧尸啃得血肉模糊。而这一切,都是系统的手笔!-----------------------------------------------------“系统,你说这人呐,就是见不得别人比他好。可我就不同,我希望你好好的,好好地从斗兽场里出来。”“我亲爱的主人,我定会不辜负你的期望。”系统听闻,笑了笑,挣扎着站起身,向在空中冷眼旁观的原语鞠了个躬。“啧啧,又是这幅虚伪的模样,无趣!”绑定了一个病态的系统又怎样呢?我啊,跟系统都是同一种人呢。
  • 《盗梦空间》与亚当·斯密:电影与经济的思想共鸣

    《盗梦空间》与亚当·斯密:电影与经济的思想共鸣

    "身为经济世界中活动的一分子,本该能看懂经济舞台上发生的一切,并理智地参与其中,不幸的是,我们的经济世界被分割成两半:一边是高谈阔论的专业人士,在高端的圈子内自说白话、我行我素;另一边是懵懵-瞳懂的普通人士,在平凡的世界里朦胧地 理解经济世界发生的变化。《盗梦空间与亚当·斯密》这本书,就是要将思 考力和参与权还给经济高墙外的普通大众——《盗梦空间》与国际货币体系演变 《少年派的奇幻漂流》与中国经济增长 《绿野仙踪》与金本位复辟打开电影看经济,我们能发现不同空间里的同一种逻辑!
  • 她在古代超甜的

    她在古代超甜的

    穿越成人人喊打的弃妇又如何?咱身怀异能更生个天才宝贝。未婚先孕,没男人敢娶又如何?咱与儿子强强联手打出一方天地,天下美男尽情挑选。萌宝:娘亲银子神兽都给你找来了,还缺啥!某女:男人!萌宝:娘亲,门外美男三千给你送来了。某女扶额:肤白肉嫩小白脸,不喜!某妖男邪笑:天材地宝你的,金银珠宝你的,整个大陆你的。可否?母子对视:美男在手,再无敌手!成交。推荐新文《酷炫六小姐:王爷扛不住》
  • 艾尔德兰伯爵与他的人偶

    艾尔德兰伯爵与他的人偶

    艾尔德兰只有父亲早年留下的一个人偶为伴。但是在一次意外中人偶受到了严重的外伤,出于无奈的情况下艾尔德兰只好冒险一搏……
  • 长翅膀的妈妈

    长翅膀的妈妈

    去看大海的小河、小怪齿龙嘟嘟、咳嗽的老烟囱、收集快乐的小绿妖、长翅膀的妈妈……曲折有趣的故事,干净活泼的语言,生动鲜活的人物,令人抱腹的幽默和搞笑,让人在阅读时欲罢不能,不忍释卷,沉浸在亦真亦幻的童话世界里,在不知不觉中受到主流价值观和人生观的教育。