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

in Christ, I reject life and choose death. I would rather not exist than see them swelling with grace and virtue! John Oh, incredible envy of the devil! Oh, malice of the old serpent, who since he made our first parents taste death has never ceased to writhe at the glory of the righteous! Oh, Fortunatus, brimful of Satan’s bitter gall, how much do you resemble the rotten tree that, bearing only bad fruit, must be cut down and cast into the fire! To the fire you must go, where, deprived of the society of those who fear God, you will be tormented without respite forever. Andronicus Look! Oh, look! His wounds have opened again. He has been taken at his word. He is dying. John Let him die and go down to hell, who through envious spite rejected the gift of life. Andronicus A terrible fate. John Nothing is more terrible than envy, nothing more evil than pride. Andronicus Both are vile. John The man who is the victim of one is the victim of the other, for they have no separate existence. Andronicus Please explain. John The proud are envious, and the envious are proud. A jealous man cannot endure to hear others praised, and seeks to belittle those who are more perfect. He disdains to take a lower place, and arrogantly seeks to be put above his equals. Andronicus That is clear. John This wretched man’s pride was wounded. He could not endure the humiliation of recognizing his inferiority to these two in whom he could not deny God had made more grace to shine. Andronicus I understand now why his resurrection was not spoken of. It was known he would die again. John He deserved to die twice, for to his crime of profaning the sacred grave entrusted to him, he added hatred and envy of those who had been restored to life. Andronicus The wretched creature is dead now. John Come, let us go⁠—Satan must have his own. This day shall be kept as a festival in thanksgiving for the wonderful conversion of Callimachus. Men shall long speak of it, and of his resurrection from the dead, and of Drusiana, on whom his love brought misery. Let us give thanks to God, that just and penetrating Judge Who alone can search the heart and reins and reward or punish fairly. To Him alone be honour, strength, glory, praise, and blessing, world without end. Amen. Abraham Argument

The fall and repentance of Mary, the niece of the hermit Abraham, who, after she has spent twenty years in the religious life as a solitary, abandons it in despair, and, returning to the world, does not shrink from becoming a harlot. But two years later Abraham, in the disguise of a lover, seeks her out and reclaims her. For twenty years she does penance for her sins with many tears, fastings, vigils, and prayers.

Characters

Abraham

Ephrem

Mary

A friend to Abraham

An Innkeeper

Abraham Scene I Abraham Brother Ephrem, my dear comrade in the hermit life, may I speak to you now, or shall I wait until you have finished your divine praises? Ephrem And what can you have to say to me which is not praise of Him Who said: “Where two or three are gathered together in My Name, I am with them”? Abraham I have not come to speak of anything which He would not like to hear. Ephrem I am sure of it. So speak at once. Abraham It concerns a decision I have to make. I long for your approval. Ephrem We have one heart and one soul. We ought to agree. Abraham I have a little niece of tender years. She has lost both her parents, and my affection for her has been deepened by compassion for her lonely state. I am in constant anxiety on her account. Ephrem Ought you who have triumphed over the world to be vexed by its cares! Abraham My only care is her radiant beauty! What if it should one day be dimmed by sin. Ephrem No one can blame you for being anxious. Abraham I hope not. Ephrem How old is she? Abraham At the end of this year she will be eight. Ephrem She is very young. Abraham That does not lessen my anxiety. Ephrem Where does she live? Abraham At my hermitage now; for at the request of her other kinsfolk I have undertaken to bring her up. The fortune left her ought, I think, to be given to the poor. Ephrem A mind taught so early to despise temporal things should be fixed on heaven. Abraham I desire with all my heart to see her the spouse of Christ and devoted entirely to His service. Ephrem A praiseworthy wish. Abraham I was inspired by her name. Ephrem What is she called? Abraham Mary. Ephrem Mary! Such a name ought to be adorned with the crown of virginity. Abraham I have no fear that she will be unwilling, but we must be gentle. Ephrem Come, let us go, and impress on her that no life is so sweet and secure as the religious one. Scene II Abraham Mary, my child by adoption, whom I love as my own soul! Listen to my advice as to a father’s, and to Brother Ephrem’s as that of a very wise man. Strive to imitate the chastity of the holy Virgin whose name you bear. Ephrem Child, would it not be a shame if you, who through the mystery of your name are called to mount to the stars where Mary the mother of God reigns, chose instead the low pleasures of the earth? Mary I know nothing about the mystery of my name, so how can I tell what you mean? Ephrem Mary, my child, means “star of the sea”⁠—that star which rules the world and all the peoples in the world. Mary Why is it called the star of the sea? Ephrem Because it never sets, but shines always in the heavens to show mariners their right course. Mary And how can such a poor thing as I am⁠—made out of slime, as my uncle says⁠—shine like my name? Ephrem By keeping your