Plays, Roswitha of Gandersheim [readera ebook reader TXT] 📗

the third. Irena You will find her as rebellious and as determined to resist. Diocletian Irena, you are the youngest in years. Show yourself the oldest in dignity. Irena Pray tell me how. Diocletian Bow your head to the gods, and set an example to your sisters. It may rebuke and save them. Irena Let those who wish to provoke the wrath of the Most High prostrate themselves before idols! I will not dishonour this head which has been anointed with heavenly oil by abasing it at the feet of images. Diocletian The worship of the gods does not bring dishonour to those who practise it, but, on the contrary, the greatest honour. Irena What could be more shameful baseness, what baser shame, than to venerate slaves as if they were lords? Diocletian I do not ask you to worship slaves, but the gods of princes and the rulers of the earth. Irena A god who can be bought cheap in the marketplace, what is he but a slave? Diocletian Enough of this presumptuous chatter. The rack shall put an end to it! Irena That is what we desire. We ask nothing better than to suffer the most cruel tortures for the love of Christ. Diocletian Let these obstinate women who dare to defy our authority be laden with chains and thrown into a dungeon. Let them be examined by Governor Dulcitius. Scene II Dulcitius Soldiers, produce your prisoners. Soldiers The ones you wanted to see are in there. Dulcitius Ye Gods, but these girls are beautiful! What grace, what charm! Soldiers Perfect! Dulcitius I am enraptured! Soldiers No wonder! Dulcitius I’m in love! Do you think they will fall in love with me? Soldiers From what we know, you will have little success. Dulcitius Why? Soldiers Their faith is too strong. Dulcitius A few sweet words will work wonders! Soldiers They despise flattery. Dulcitius Then I shall woo in another fashion⁠—with torture! Soldiers They would not care. Dulcitius What’s to be done, then? Soldiers That is for you to find out. Dulcitius Lock them in the inner room⁠—the one leading out of the passage where the pots and pans are kept. Soldiers Why there? Dulcitius I can visit them oftener. Soldiers It shall be done. Scene III Dulcitius What can the prisoners be doing at this hour of night? Soldiers They pass the time singing hymns. Dulcitius Let us approach. Soldiers Now you can hear their silver-sweet voices in the distance. Dulcitius Take your torches, and guard the doors. I will go in and enjoy myself in those lovely arms! Soldiers Enter. We will wait for you here. Scene IV Agape What noise is that outside the door? Irena It is that wretch Dulcitius. Chionia Now may God protect us! Agape Amen. Chionia There is more noise! It sounds like the clashing of pots and pans and fire-irons. Irena I will go and look. Come quick and peep through the crack of the door! Agape What is it? Irena Oh, look! He must be out of his senses! I believe he thinks that he is kissing us. Agape What is he doing? Irena Now he presses the saucepans tenderly to his breast, now the kettles and frying-pans! He is kissing them hard! Chionia How absurd! Irena His face, his hands, his clothes! They are all as black as soot. He looks like an Ethiope. Agape I am glad. His body should turn black⁠—to match his soul, which is possessed of a devil. Irena Look! He is going now. Let us watch the soldiers and see what they do when he goes out. Scene V Soldiers What’s this? Either one possessed by the devil, or the devil himself. Let’s be off! Dulcitius Soldiers, soldiers! Why do you hurry away? Stay, wait! Light me to my house with your torches. Soldiers The voice is our master’s voice, but the face is a devil’s. Come, let’s take to our heels! This devil means us no good. Dulcitius I will hasten to the palace. I will tell the whole court how I have been insulted. Scene VI Dulcitius Ushers, admit me at once. I have important business with the Emperor. Ushers Who is this fearsome, horrid monster? Coming here in these filthy rags! Come, let us beat him and throw him down the steps. Stop him from coming further. Dulcitius Ye gods, what has happened to me? Am I not dressed in my best? Am I not clean and fine in my person? And yet everyone who meets me expresses disgust at the sight of me and treats me as if I were some foul monster! I will go to my wife. She will tell me the truth. But here she comes. Her looks are wild, her hair unbound, and all her household follow her weeping. Scene VII Wife of Dulcitius My lord, my lord, what evil has come on you? Have you lost your reason, Dulcitius? Have the Christ-worshippers put a spell on you? Dulcitius Now at last I know! Those artful women have made an ass of me! Wife of Dulcitius What troubled me most, and made my heart ache, was that you should not know there was anything amiss with you. Dulcitius Those impudent wenches shall be stripped and exposed naked in public. They shall have a taste of the outrage to which I have been subjected! Scene VIII Soldiers Here we are sweating like pigs and what’s the use? Their clothes cling to their bodies like their own skin. What’s more, our chief, who ordered us to strip them, sits there snoring, and there’s no way of waking him. We will go to the Emperor and tell him all that has passed. Scene IX Diocletian I grieve to hear of the outrageous way in which the Governor Dulcitius has been insulted and hoaxed! But these girls shall not boast of having blasphemed our gods with impunity, or of having made a mock of those who worship them. I will entrust the execution of my vengeance to Count Sisinnius. Scene X Sisinnius Soldiers, where are these impudent hussies who are to be put to the torture? Soldiers In there. Sisinnius Keep Irena back, and bring the others here. Soldiers Why is one