Scene 5
The Same. Aaron. The Five Judges. Alexandra. Salome. Afterwards, Mariamne.
Alex.
My King and Lord, I give you lowly greeting.
Herod.
My thanks to you.
[He seats himself on the throne. Titus places himself at his side. Then The Judges seat themselves at a signal in a semicircle round the tribunal.
Alex. (while this is being done).
The fate of Mariamne
I sunder from my own, and save myself,
Like to a torch, to break in future blaze.
[She sits next to Salome.
Herod (to The Judges).
You know why I have had you summoned here.
Aaron.
In deepest pain do we appear before you.
Herod.
I do not doubt it. With my house and me
You’re closely bonded all as friend and kin;
What hurts me must hurt you. You will rejoice,
Touching the Queen, if you—(stops short) forgive me that!
You will rejoice if you should not condemn her,
If you may send her, cleared before her spouse,
Again unto my house, not Golgotha,
Yet will you not, faced with the uttermost,
Quake marrowless at its necessity.
Since luck and evil luck with me you share
You share my shame and honour alike with me.
Then to your duty!
[He gives Joab a sign. Joab goes out and appears again with Mariamne. A long pause.
Herod.
Aaron!
Aaron.
Queen, we have
A heavy task. You stand before your judges.
Mar.
Before my judges, yes. Before you too.
Aaron.
Do you repudiate this court?
Mar.
I see
A higher here. If that allow your questions
The answering word from me, then I shall speak,
And hold my peace if such the same forbid.
I scarcely see you clear, for there behind you
Stand ghosts that gaze augustly, dumb, and earnest;
They are the great Forefathers of my stem.
Three nights I saw them ere this hour in dream,
Now too they come by day to me, and well
I know what it must mean when thus assembled
The Dead already ope for me their ranks
And when what lives and breathes for me is pale.
See there behind yon throne on which a king
In seeming sits, stands Judas Maccabaeus—
Hero of Heroes, look thou not so darkly
Upon me from on high! Thou shalt be glad of me!
Alex.
Curb your defiance, Mariamne!
Mar.
Mother!
Farewell! (To Aaron.) Say wherefore I am here accused.
Aaron.
The accusation’s this—your King and Lord
You have deceived. (To Herod.) ’Tis so?
Mar.
Deceived? Ah, folly!
Did he not find me in the way he thought
That he would find me, at the dance and play?
And did I don, when I had heard the death-news,
My mourning-raiment? Did I shed my tears?
And did I tear dishevelled locks? Then had I
Deceived him; but these things I have not done,
And can bring solid proof. Salome, speak!
Herod.
I found her as she says. She does not need
To look about for other witnesses.
But I had never, never had such thought.
Mar.
Ne’er had such thought? Yet feigned and had the headsman
Set close upon my back? That cannot be.
As I at parting stood before his spirit
E’en so at our reunion he has found me.
Therefore I must deny that I deceived.
Herod (breaking into wild laughter).
Nay, she has not deceived because there’s naught
She did but what foreshadowing Sentience,
All praise to her, dusked warning Deity,
Caused me to feel. (To Mariamne.) Woman, this fits you well!
But build not overfast on this, that I
With peace and happiness have lost my strength;
Perchance some jot has still survived for vengeance
And—e’en as boy I ever sent a bird
A chasing dart if it outflew my range.
Mar.
Speak not of sentience foreshadowing, speak
Of fear alone. You trembled at the thing
That you deserved. It is the way of man.
You can no longer trust the sister, since you
Have done to death the brother; all that’s grossest
Your sullying mind imputes and thinks that I
Must give response, yea, and out-Herod you.
Speak truth, or did you always, when you marched
In honourable open war to death,
Set headsmen close behind my back? You’re silent.
Good then! Since you’re so deeply sensitive
On what in me is seemly; since your fear
Schoolmasters me on duty, then will I
Now at long last fulfil this holy duty.
Therefore I sunder me from you for aye.
Herod.
Answer! Do you confess or not confess?
[Mariamne is silent.
(To the Judges.) You see that all confession fails. Also
I’ve not the proofs as such that you will need.
But on a murderer once I saw you pass
The doom of death because the slain man’s jewel
Was found on him. It was no help that he
Had pointed to his cleanly-washen hands,
And none too that he swore the dead man gave it
As gift. You had the sentence executed.
Good then! It stands thus here. She has the jewel
That proves to me more undeniably
Than ever any tongue of man could do it
She shamed me with the abhorred of all abhorred.
A miracle must not alone have happened.
It must in other case have been repeated,
And miracles were ne’er repeated yet.[15]
[Mariamne makes a gesture.
’Tis true she’ll speak just as the murderer spoke—
“’Twas given her for a gift!” And she may dare it
Because a chamber, like a wood, is dumb.
But were you tempted thus to give her credit
Then I will set in scale my inmost feeling
And probing of each possibility
As counterbalance, and demand her death,—
Her death, I say! no more this nauseous goblet
I’ll empty which her proud defiance fills,
Nor day on day be gadflied with the riddle
If such a pride’s the most repellent face
Of Innocence, or the most brazen mask
Of Sin. I’ll rescue me from out this whirlpool
Boiling with hate and love ere I be choked,
And be the cost as high as e’er it may.
Therefore away with her! You dally still?
It’s settled! What? I missed the telling point?
Then speak! I know that silence is my part,
But speak! speak! Sit not there like Solomon
Between the mothers with the pair of children.
Her case is clear; you need no more for sentence
Than what you see! A woman that stands there
As she does, earns her death though she were clean
Of every guilt. And still you never speak?
Will you perchance first have the proof how fast
Is my conviction that she has deceived?
Such I will give you through Soemus’ head
And that at once.
[He goes up to Joab.
Titus (rising).
I say this is not trial.
Your pardon!
[Is about to go.
Mar.
Roman, stay! I recognise it,
Who can repudiate it if not I?
[Titus seats himself again. Alexandra rises.
Mar. (approaching her, and in a subdued voice).
You’ve wrought on me much harm and never has
Your meed of happiness by mine been measured.
If I’m to pardon that, be silent now.
You alter naught; my will is firm and fixed.
[Alexandra seats herself again.
And now, my Judges?
Aaron (to the other Judges).
Let that man rise up
Who deems the sentence of the King unjust!
[All remain seated.
You therefore all resolve yourselves for death?
(Rising.) Queen, you are here condemned to suffer death.
Have you aught still to answer?
Mar.
If the headsman
Is not bespoke already and by now
Awaits me with his axe, then I would crave
A final word with Titus ere my death.
(To Herod.) It is not wont to give the last request
Of dying men refusal. Can you grant it,
Then let my life be added unto yours.
Herod.
The Headsman is not yet bespoke. I can.
And since you promise me eternity
As my reward, I must, and more, I will.
(To Titus.) This woman is an awesome thing!
Titus.
She stands
Before a man as never woman should;
Make then an end.
Salome (advancing).
Oh do it! For your mother
Is sick unto the death. She will be whole
If spared to see it.
Herod (to Alexandra).
Did you not say aught?
Alex.
No.
[Herod gazes long at Mariamne. Mariamne remains dumb.
Herod.
Die! (To Joab.) I lay it in your hands.
[Goes off quickly. Salome follows him.
Alex. (looking after Herod).
I have
An arrow still for you. (To Mariamne.) You wished it so!
Mar.
I thank you.
[Exit Alexandra.
Aaron (to the other Judges).
Can we not even now attempt
To soften him? This fills me o’er with horror.
She is the last of Maccabean daughters.
If we could only gain the briefest respite!
Now ’twere not feasible that we withstood him.
Soon will he be his former self again
And then it’s possible he’ll punish us
Because to-day we made him no resistance.
Follow him!
[Exit.
Joab (approaching Mariamne).
You forgive? I must obey.
Mar.
Do what your Lord commands and do it swift.
I shall be ready soon as you yourself,
And queens, you know, are never wont to wait.
[Exit Joab.