University of Virginia Library

Scene I.

—The Court of the House of the Bastard of Montargis. The Bastard of Montargis and his two Squires, Raoul de Rouvroy and Ranulph de Roche-Baron.
Montargis.
The house I speak of bears above the porch
An image of our Lady; old and batter'd
Are house and image both: none dwells within
Save a bald porter, old and batter'd too.
Let his old ears inform him I have need
To store some wine that comes to me from Bourg,
And hire the house; give him whate'er he asks;
Then cask these weapons that I tell you of
And take them thither. On this roll is writ
The names of certain of my men at arms;
Call them together; hold them on the wing,
And after nightfall drop them one by one
Into that house. Then keep them fast and close,
And till I come,—mayhap to-morrow night,
Early or late,—let no man pass the door.
Be secret, ye and they.

[Exit.
De Roche-Baron.
What may this mean?

De Rouvroy.
Mischief it means, if I have ears. Tomorrow
Will be St. Clement's Eve. The Bastard walks
In the world's eye untroubled, but in heart
He bears his Monday night's discomfiture
As new caged tigers bear captivity.
Some bird has whistled that the booty wrench'd
From him, has fallen to that crowing Duke,
Whom if he hated humanly before
He hates with hatred more than human now.
With that he broods upon a prophecy
Which babbles of St. Clement's Eve, and tells
How on that night the gutters shall run blood,
And lilies redden in the morning sun.
There is an ancient picture too, wherein
St. Clement, with the anchor round his neck,
Sinks and draws with him underneath the wave
A knotted staff, twined with the Fleur de Lys,
And holding on its point a porcupine
Enscrolled with “Far and Near,” the Duke's device:
And hearten'd by these figurings and sings
He holds the time auspicious.

De Roche-Baron.
But Duke John—
Him must we carry with us; without him
I hardly deem St. Clement will suffice
To hold us harmless. True, revenge is sweet,
And neither thou nor I have cause to love
His Grace of Orleans; but revenge were mad
Without the one Duke's warrant and support,
In case of need, to practise on the other.

De Rouvroy.
Trust to the Bastard to draw in Duke John.
He's forward in a scheme for melting down
This newly-solder'd fellowship of the Duke's.
He's gone even now to put it in the pot
Of those two Monk-magicians. As for me,
My lot is cast with his; whither he dares,
Thither I follow.

De Roche-Baron.
With Duke John to boot,
I say the same.

De Rouvroy.
No question of Duke John;
No question but he'll lead him like a lamb.