Tragic Poem of Wold, The - Act 5, Scene 8
SCENE VIII. — The Place of Execution in Wold .
P HILIP DE V ALMA , M OUNTNORRIS , and Soldiers . L ORD . W OLD is seen lying on the ground in his blood, a grim old soldier holding the bloody sword that in transfixed him .
L ADY M ERVYN rushes in, and kneels by L ORD W OLD'S dead body .
L ADY M ER . Stay for me, my dear lord, I'm coming with you!
P HIL . ( aside ). Would I myself had smote him!
Yet what a pair! goodlier was never laid
Down with the worm! Both of them loved my brother;
They should have lived for that. I think they should:
There was no blood in that, no flavour of death.
Might they but live! But 'twas not written so
In the Old Dateless Book.
Enter S IR L IONEI C HAYR , leaning on a spear
C HAYR . How's this? Is this the deliverance
I struggled for to the death? Oh evil day!
And she's there, too? Beautiful child of Mervyn,
I'll look at thee once more: 'Tis a sweet face!
Bear in these bodies.
Hold!
'Tis a bold note!
Enter the D UCHESS OF W OLD .
E UCH . What summoner's that?
C HAYR . 'Tis Henry's blast, methinks.
D UCH . Would that it were! we'd show him then — But first
Take in that body
C HAYR . Oh look, Madam — bodies.
D UCH . Bodies? How so?
C HAYR . Lord Wold's, and his young bride's.
She, too, is dead; slain, bringing help to him.
Angel of duty! Rarest of God's creatures
In this sore world of ours! The strength, the strength
Of a wife's love, determined not to die
Till she had done the very last for him,
That, and nought else but that, could have sustained her
Up to this moment, with that fatal arrow
Buried in her dear side: Wo worth the day!
Had I not been waylaid by evil men,
All had been well.
The trumpet blows again at the gate.
D UCH . Draw off, Mountnorris: Scorn them: Keep the gate
We'll see the bodies in, then join you forthwith.
But leave us four o' your men to bear them in
P HIL . ( aside ). 'Tis Henry: I'll to the gate: were he but in
Would I could help him in! Dame Wold has struck
My heart's own prey, her son; would I could conquer
His conqueror then, ending their house at once,
By letting Henry in! Darconnell thus
Would have his heel upon Wold's neck — for ever!
D UCH You're hurt, Sir Lionel: grieved am I to see it:
Rest on this rock: I'll be out straight: your arm,
We'll miss it in this pinch; so much the more
Let's have your heart of counsel.
Louder alarms are heard.
A FRA ( seen standing on the topmost tower ) Wo! wo! wo!
A soldier comes running in.
S OLD . Treason!
D UCH . Out with it, sirrah
S OLD . A force from the new King demanded entrance —
D UCH . And were denied? — defied?
S OLD . They're in them, Madam,
And masters here: Martin was by the gate,
And let them in.
D UCH . The traitor! bring him hither.
S OLD . Mountnorris slew him One they called The Leech
Sprung on, and helped the opening of the gate;
Him too Mountnorris smote, and trampled down
D UCH . What have we here?
Enter H ENRY IV, H ASTINGS , and Captains .
H ENRY . Where's my renowned brother,
Thomas of Wold?
D UCH . What would you with the dead?
H ENRY . I am too late then? — though I spurred to save him,
Being told by Hastings of his danger here
Within your cruel gripe.
D UCH . No, not too late
To take thy lesson from that stricken man:
Blood-stained Usurper, learn the Avenging Powers;
Nor dare to touch, with further hands of guilt,
King Richard's life!
H ENRY . Woman of blood yourself,
You do interpret me from your own heart
C HAYR . Save him, then, good my Lord! Grim threatening faces
Are round about him. I beheld them there,
When I last night prayed for, and gained admittance
To Pomfret Castle. On my knees I begged him
To interpose, and get Lord Wold's life spared.
Then when he took my borrowed sword, and shore
A lock with it from his head already gray,
To send in his letter on with me to Wold —
Token that he forgave with all his heart
Lord Wold, his foeman, and would have him spared —
He told me, smiling sweetly, he could wish
That sword for his bed-fellow there. I craved to stay
And guard his life. He pushed me out: " Spur, spur
For Wold! " he said. But first he made me promise
To stand to the death by his heroic sister,
The faithful woman of Wold: His bosom heaved,
As if 'twould burst, and tears ran down his cheeks,
Speaking of all that she had done for him,
Despite his own harsh usage of her house.
My King! how kingly still!
Enter a Gentleman in haste.
G ENT . Woful news, Madam!
King Richard's murdered. Woful though it be,
I thought it dutiful to post, that you,
His last best friend in England's kingdom wide,
Might know it straight.
H ENRY . My soul abhors the deed:
It makes me heavy sad.
T HE D UCHESS OF W OLD turns in silence, as if to depart
D UCH . My King! — My Son!
C HAYR . Burst is that great true heart: Good-night to Wold.
A FRA . ( on high ). — T HE E ND OF W OLD !
P HILIP DE V ALMA , M OUNTNORRIS , and Soldiers . L ORD . W OLD is seen lying on the ground in his blood, a grim old soldier holding the bloody sword that in transfixed him .
L ADY M ERVYN rushes in, and kneels by L ORD W OLD'S dead body .
L ADY M ER . Stay for me, my dear lord, I'm coming with you!
P HIL . ( aside ). Would I myself had smote him!
Yet what a pair! goodlier was never laid
Down with the worm! Both of them loved my brother;
They should have lived for that. I think they should:
There was no blood in that, no flavour of death.
Might they but live! But 'twas not written so
In the Old Dateless Book.
Enter S IR L IONEI C HAYR , leaning on a spear
C HAYR . How's this? Is this the deliverance
I struggled for to the death? Oh evil day!
And she's there, too? Beautiful child of Mervyn,
I'll look at thee once more: 'Tis a sweet face!
Bear in these bodies.
Hold!
'Tis a bold note!
Enter the D UCHESS OF W OLD .
E UCH . What summoner's that?
C HAYR . 'Tis Henry's blast, methinks.
D UCH . Would that it were! we'd show him then — But first
Take in that body
C HAYR . Oh look, Madam — bodies.
D UCH . Bodies? How so?
C HAYR . Lord Wold's, and his young bride's.
She, too, is dead; slain, bringing help to him.
Angel of duty! Rarest of God's creatures
In this sore world of ours! The strength, the strength
Of a wife's love, determined not to die
Till she had done the very last for him,
That, and nought else but that, could have sustained her
Up to this moment, with that fatal arrow
Buried in her dear side: Wo worth the day!
Had I not been waylaid by evil men,
All had been well.
The trumpet blows again at the gate.
D UCH . Draw off, Mountnorris: Scorn them: Keep the gate
We'll see the bodies in, then join you forthwith.
But leave us four o' your men to bear them in
P HIL . ( aside ). 'Tis Henry: I'll to the gate: were he but in
Would I could help him in! Dame Wold has struck
My heart's own prey, her son; would I could conquer
His conqueror then, ending their house at once,
By letting Henry in! Darconnell thus
Would have his heel upon Wold's neck — for ever!
D UCH You're hurt, Sir Lionel: grieved am I to see it:
Rest on this rock: I'll be out straight: your arm,
We'll miss it in this pinch; so much the more
Let's have your heart of counsel.
Louder alarms are heard.
A FRA ( seen standing on the topmost tower ) Wo! wo! wo!
A soldier comes running in.
S OLD . Treason!
D UCH . Out with it, sirrah
S OLD . A force from the new King demanded entrance —
D UCH . And were denied? — defied?
S OLD . They're in them, Madam,
And masters here: Martin was by the gate,
And let them in.
D UCH . The traitor! bring him hither.
S OLD . Mountnorris slew him One they called The Leech
Sprung on, and helped the opening of the gate;
Him too Mountnorris smote, and trampled down
D UCH . What have we here?
Enter H ENRY IV, H ASTINGS , and Captains .
H ENRY . Where's my renowned brother,
Thomas of Wold?
D UCH . What would you with the dead?
H ENRY . I am too late then? — though I spurred to save him,
Being told by Hastings of his danger here
Within your cruel gripe.
D UCH . No, not too late
To take thy lesson from that stricken man:
Blood-stained Usurper, learn the Avenging Powers;
Nor dare to touch, with further hands of guilt,
King Richard's life!
H ENRY . Woman of blood yourself,
You do interpret me from your own heart
C HAYR . Save him, then, good my Lord! Grim threatening faces
Are round about him. I beheld them there,
When I last night prayed for, and gained admittance
To Pomfret Castle. On my knees I begged him
To interpose, and get Lord Wold's life spared.
Then when he took my borrowed sword, and shore
A lock with it from his head already gray,
To send in his letter on with me to Wold —
Token that he forgave with all his heart
Lord Wold, his foeman, and would have him spared —
He told me, smiling sweetly, he could wish
That sword for his bed-fellow there. I craved to stay
And guard his life. He pushed me out: " Spur, spur
For Wold! " he said. But first he made me promise
To stand to the death by his heroic sister,
The faithful woman of Wold: His bosom heaved,
As if 'twould burst, and tears ran down his cheeks,
Speaking of all that she had done for him,
Despite his own harsh usage of her house.
My King! how kingly still!
Enter a Gentleman in haste.
G ENT . Woful news, Madam!
King Richard's murdered. Woful though it be,
I thought it dutiful to post, that you,
His last best friend in England's kingdom wide,
Might know it straight.
H ENRY . My soul abhors the deed:
It makes me heavy sad.
T HE D UCHESS OF W OLD turns in silence, as if to depart
D UCH . My King! — My Son!
C HAYR . Burst is that great true heart: Good-night to Wold.
A FRA . ( on high ). — T HE E ND OF W OLD !
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