Samuel Coleridge - The Complete Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge

You must deliver to this Ferdinand

A letter. Stay till I have written it. [Exit the Servant.

Osorio (alone). The tongue can’t stir when the mouth is fill’d

with mould.

A little earth stops up most eloquent mouths, 260

And a square stone with a few pious texts

Cut neatly on it, keeps the earth down tight.

Scene changes to the space before the castle.

FRANCESCO and a Spy.

Francesco. Yes! yes! I have the key of all their lives.

If a man fears me, he is forced to love me.

And if I can, and do not ruin him, 265

He is fast bound to serve and honour me!

[ALBERT enters from the castle, and is crossing

the stage.

Spy. There — there — your Reverence! That is the sorcerer.

[FRANCESCO runs up and rudely catches hold of

ALBERT. ALBERT dashes him to the earth.

FRANCESCO and the Spy make an uproar,

and the servants rush from out the

castle.

Francesco. Seize, seize and gag him! or the Church curses you!

[The servants seize and gag ALBERT.

Enter VELEZ and OSORIO.

Osorio (aside). This is most lucky!

Francesco (inarticulate with rage). See you this, Lord Velez?

Good evidence have I of most foul sorcery, 270

And in the name of Holy Church command you

To give me up the keys — the keys, my lord!

Of that same dungeon-hole beneath your castle.

This imp of hell — but we delay enquiry

Till to Granada we have convoy’d him. 275

Osorio (to the Servants). Why haste you not? Go, fly and

dungeon him!

Then bring the keys and give them to his Reverence.

[The Servants hurry off ALBERT. OSORIO goes up

to FRANCESCO, and pointing at ALBERT.

Osorio (with a laugh). ‘He that can bring the dead to life

again.’

Francesco. What? did you hear it?

Osorio. Yes, and plann’d this scheme

To bring conviction on him. Ho! a wizard, 280

Thought I — but where’s the proof! I plann’d this scheme.

The scheme has answer’d — we have proof enough.

Francesco. My lord, your pious policy astounds me.

I trust my honest zeal ——

Osorio. Nay, reverend father!

It has but raised my veneration for you. 285

But ‘twould be well to stop all intertalk

Between my servants and this child of darkness.

Francesco. My lord! with speed I’ll go, make swift return,

And humbly redeliver you the keys. [Exit FRANCESCO.

Osorio (alone). ‘The stranger, that lives nigh, still picking

weeds.’ 290

And this was his friend, his crony, his twin-brother!

O! I am green, a very simple stripling —

The wise men of this world make nothing of me.

By Heaven, ‘twas well contrived! And I, forsooth,

I was to cut my throat in honour of conscience. 295

And this tall wizard — ho! — he was to pass

For Albert’s friend! He hath a trick of his manner.

He was to tune his voice to honey’d sadness,

And win her to a transfer of her love

By lamentable tales of her dear Albert, 300

And his dear Albert! Yea, she would have lov’d him.

He, that can sigh out in a woman’s ear

Sad recollections of her perish’d lover,

And sob and smile with veering sympathy,

And, now and then, as if by accident, 305

Pass his mouth close enough to touch her cheek

With timid lip, he takes the lover’s place,

He takes his place, for certain! Dusky rogue,

Were it not sport to whimper with thy mistress,

Then steal away and roll upon my grave, 310

Till thy sides shook with laughter? Blood! blood! blood!

They want thy blood! thy blood, Osorio!

[END OF ACT THE THIRD.]

ACT III.

SCENE 1. — A Hall of armory, with an altar at the back of the stage.

Soft music from an instrument of glass or steel. VALDEZ, ORDONIO, and

ALVAR in a Sorcerer’s robe, are discovered.

Ord. This was too melancholy, father.

Val. Nay,

My Alvar lov’d sad music from a child.

Once he was lost; and after weary search

We found him in an open place in [of Osor.] the wood,

To which spot he had followed a blind boy,

Who breath’d into a pipe of sycamore

Some strangely-moving notes: and these, he said,

Were taught him in a dream. Him we first saw

Stretch’d on the broad top of a sunny heath-bank;

And lower down poor Alvar, fast asleep,

His head upon the blind boy’s dog. It pleas’d me

To mark how he had fasten’d round the pipe

A silver toy his {grandmother had Osor.

{grandam had late given him.

Methinks I see him now as he then look’d —

{ His infant dress was grown too short for him, Osor.

{ Even so! — He had outgrown his infant dress,

Yet still he wore it.

Alv. (aside). My tears must not flow!

I must not clasp his knees, and cry, My father!

Enter TERESA and attendants.

Remorse.

[These lines with the variants as noted above are included in Osorio,

Act III, lines 58-74.]

[After 3] stage-direction om. Remorse.

[Between 3 and 4]

Ordonio. Believe you then no preternatural influence?

{ Believe you not that spirits throng around us?

{ I thought you held that spirits throng’d around us?

Corr. in MS. III.

Ter. Say rather that I have imagined it

A possible thing; and it has sooth’d my soul

As other fancies have; but ne’er seduced me

To traffic with the black and frenzied hope,

That the dead hear the voice of witch or wizard.

Remorse.

[After 10] [Here, &c… . scene Remorse.

[After 23] [Music Remorse.

sweet Spirit.’ Remorse.

[After 43] SONG. — Behind the scenes, &c. Remorse.

A silver toy his grandam had late given him,

Methinks I see him now as he then look’d —

Even so! — He had outgrown his infant dress,

Remorse, Act III, ll. 13-15.

But what if he had a brother,

Who had lived even so

Remorse.

Valdez. Idly prating man!

Thou hast guess’d ill: Don Alvar’s only brother

Stands here before thee — a father’s blessing on him!

He is most virtuous.

Remorse.

[Between 104 and 105]

[Music again.

Teresa. ‘Tis strange, I tremble at my own conjectures!

But whatso’er it mean, I dare no longer

Be present at these lawless mysteries,

This dark provoking of the hidden Powers!

Already I affront — if not high Heaven —

Yet Alvar’s memory! — Hark! I make appeal

Against the unholy rite, and hasten hence

To bend before a lawful shrine, and seek

That voice which whispers, when the still heart listens,

Comfort and faithful hope! Let us retire.

Alv. (to TERESA).

O full of faith and guileless love, thy spirit

Still prompts thee wisely. Let the pangs of guilt

Surprise the guilty: thou art innocent!

[Exeunt TERESA and Attendant. Music as before.

Remorse.

[After 110] The whole music clashes into a Chorus Remorse.

post pp. 851-8. According to the Editor of Osorio as first published

in 1873, ‘The rest of this Act is entirely different in the published

Remorse.’ This statement needs qualification. The remainder of Act III

of Osorio was rewritten, much was omitted, much added, and the ‘dramatic

ordonnance’ of this part of the play was remodelled on a different plan,

but the following lines 174-82, 195-202, 210-31 and 246-7 were included,

with certain alterations, in Remorse. See Remorse, Act III, Scene II,

ll. 64-71, 79-87, 94-114 and 185-6.

[After 146]

Doth swim with love and pity — Well Ordonio

O my foreboding Spirit, he suborn’d thee,

And thou didst spare his life

Corr. in MS. III.