Knowledge house - Oscar Wilde - The Complete Works

herod

I am not afraid of him. I am afraid of no man.

herodias

I tell you, you are afraid of him. If you are not afraid of him why do you not deliver him to the Jews, who for these six months past have been clamouring for him?

a jew

Truly, my lord, it were better to deliver him into our hands.

·34· herod

Enough on this subject. I have already given you my answer. I will not deliver him into your hands. He is a holy man. He is a man who has seen God.

a jew

That cannot be. There is no man who hath seen God since the prophet Elias. He is the last man who saw God. In these days God doth not show Himself. He hideth Himself. Therefore great evils have come upon the land.

another jew

Verily, no man knoweth if Elias the prophet did indeed see God. Peradventure it was but the shadow of God that he saw.

a third jew

God is at no time hidden. He showeth Himself at all times and in everything. God is in what is evil even as He is in what is good.

a fourth jew

That must not be said. It is a very dangerous doctrine. It is a doctrine that cometh from the schools at Alexandria, where men teach the philosophy of the Greeks. And the Greeks are Gentiles: They are not even circumcised.

a fifth jew

No one can tell how God worketh. His ways are very mysterious. It may be that the things ·35· which we call evil are good, and that the things which we call good are evil. There is no knowledge of any thing. We must needs submit to everything, for God is very strong. He breaketh in pieces the strong together with the weak, for He regardeth not any man.

first jew

Thou speaketh truly. God is terrible; He breaketh the strong and the weak as a man brays corn in a mortar. But this man hath never seen God. No man hath seen God since the prophet Elias.

herodias

Make them be silent. They weary me.

herod

But I have heard it said that Jokanaan himself is your prophet Elias.

the jew

That cannot be. It is more than three hundred years since the days of the prophet Elias.

herod

There be some who say that this man is the prophet Elias.

a nazarene

I am sure that he is the prophet Elias.

·36· the jew

Nay, but he is not the prophet Elias.

the voice of jokanaan

So the day is come, the day of the Lord, and I hear upon the mountains the feet of Him who shall be the Saviour of the world.

herod

What does that mean? The Saviour of the world.

tigellinus

It is a title that Cæsar takes.

herod

But Cæsar is not coming into Judæa. Only yesterday I received letters from Rome. They contained nothing concerning this matter. And you, Tigellinus, who were at Rome during the winter, you heard nothing concerning this matter, did you?

tigellinus

Sire, I heard nothing concerning the matter. I was explaining the title. It is one of Cæsar’s titles.

herod

But Cæsar cannot come. He is too gouty. They say that his feet are like the feet of an elephant. Also there are reasons of State. He who leaves Rome loses Rome. He will not ·37· come. Howbeit, Cæsar is lord, he will come if he wishes. Nevertheless, I do not think he will come.

first nazarene

It was not concerning Cæsar that the prophet spake these words, sire.

herod

Not of Cæsar?

first nazarene

No, sire.

herod

Concerning whom then did he speak?

first nazarene

Concerning Messias who has come.

a jew

Messiah hath not come.

first nazarene

He hath come, and everywhere He worketh miracles.

herodias

Ho! ho! miracles! I do not believe in miracles. I have seen too many. [ To the page .] My fan!

·38· first nazarene

This man worketh true miracles. Thus, at a marriage which took place in a little town of Galilee, a town of some importance, He changed water into wine. Certain persons who were present related it to me. Also He healed two lepers that were seated before the Gate of Capernaum simply by touching them.

second nazarene

Nay, it was blind men that he healed at Capernaum.

first nazarene

Nay; they were lepers. But He hath healed blind people also, and He was seen on a mountain talking with angels.

a sadducee

Angels do not exist.

a pharisee

Angels exist, but I do not believe that this Man has talked with them.

first nazarene

He was seen by a great multitude of people talking with angels.

a sadducee

Not with angels.

·39· herodias

How these men weary me! They are ridiculous! [ To the page ] Well! my fan! [ The page gives her the fan .] You have a dreamer’s look; you must not dream. It is only sick people who dream. [ She strikes the page with her fan .]

second nazarene

There is also the miracle of the daughter of Jairus.

first nazarene

Yes, that is sure. No man can gainsay it.

herodias

These men are mad. They have looked too long on the moon. Command them to be silent.

herod

What is this miracle of the daughter of Jairus?

first nazarene

The daughter of Jairus was dead. He raised her from the dead.

herod

He raises the dead?

first nazarene

Yea, sire, He raiseth the dead.

·40· herod

I do not wish Him to do that. I forbid Him to do that. I allow no man to raise the dead. This Man must be found and told that I forbid Him to raise the dead. Where is this Man at present?

second nazarene

He is in every place, my lord, but it is hard to find Him.

first nazarene

It is said that He is now in Samaria.

a jew

It is easy to see that this is not Messias, if He is in Samaria. It is not to the Samaritans that Messias shall come. The Samaritans are accursed. They bring no offerings to the Temple.

second nazarene

He left Samaria a few days since. I think that at the present moment He is in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem.

first nazarene

No; He is not there. I have just come from Jerusalem. For two months they have had no tidings of Him.

herod

No matter! But let them find Him, and tell Him from me, I will not allow him to raise the ·41· dead! To change water into wine, to heal the lepers and the blind…. He may do these things if He will. I say nothing against these things. In truth I hold it a good deed to heal a leper. But I allow no man to raise the dead. It would be terrible if the dead came back.

the voice of jokanaan

Ah! the wanton! The harlot! Ah! the daughter of Babylon with her golden eyes and her gilded eyelids! Thus saith the Lord God. Let there come up against her a multitude of men. Let the people take stones and stone her….

herodias

Command him to be silent.

the voice of jokanaan

Let the war captains pierce her with their swords, let them crush her beneath their shields.

herodias

Nay, but it is infamous.

the voice of jokanaan

It is thus that I will wipe out all wickedness from the earth, and that all women shall learn not to imitate her abominations.

herodias

You hear what he says against me? You allow him to revile your wife?

·42· herod

He did not speak your name.

herodias

What does that matter? You know well that it is I whom he seeks to revile. And I am your wife, am I not?

herod

Of a truth, dear and noble Herodias, you are my wife, and before that you were the wife of my brother.

herodias

It was you who tore me from his arms.

herod

Of a truth I was stronger…. But let us not talk of that matter. I do not desire to talk of it. It is the cause of the terrible words that the prophet has spoken. Peradventure on account of it a misfortune will come. Let us not speak of this matter. Noble Herodias, we are not mindful of our guests. Fill thou my cup, my well-beloved. Fill with wine the great goblets of silver, and the great goblets of glass. I will drink to Cæsar. There are Romans here, we must drink to Cæsar.