SCENE III
LONDON: THE MARCHIONESS OF SALISBURY’S
[A large reception-room is disclosed, arranged for a conversazione.
It is an evening in summer following, and at present the chamber is
empty and in gloom. At one end is an elaborate device, representing
Britannia offering her assistance to Spain, and at the other a
figure of Time crowning the Spanish Patriots’ flag with laurel.]
SPIRIT OF THE YEARS
O clarionists of human welterings,
Relate how Europe’s madding movement brings
This easeful haunt into the path of palpitating things!
RUMOURS [chanting]
The Spanish King has bowed unto the Fate
Which bade him abdicate:
The sensual Queen, whose passionate caprice
Has held her chambering with “the Prince of Peace,”
And wrought the Bourbon’s fall,
Holds to her Love in all;
And Bonaparte has ruled that his and he
Henceforth displace the Bourbon dynasty.
II
The Spanish people, handled in such sort,
As chattels of a Court,
Dream dreams of England. Messengers are sent
In secret to the assembled Parliament,
In faith that England’s hand
Will stouten them to stand,
And crown a cause which, hold they, bond and free
Must advocate enthusiastically.
SPIRIT OF THE YEARS
So the Will heaves through Space, and moulds the times,
With mortals for Its fingers! We shall see
Again men’s passions, virtues, visions, crimes,
Obey resistlessly
The purposive, unmotived, dominant Thing
Which sways in brooding dark their wayfaring!
[The reception room is lighted up, and the hostess comes in. There
arrive Ambassadors and their wives, the Dukes and Duchesses of
RUTLAND and SOMERSET, the Marquis and Marchioness of STAFFORD,
the Earls of STAIR, WESTMORELAND, GOWER, ESSEX, Viscounts and
Viscountesses CRANLEY and MORPETH, Viscount MELBOURNE, Lord and
Lady KINNAIRD, Baron de ROLLE, Lady CHARLES GRENVILLE, the Ladies
CAVENDISH, Mr. and Mrs. THOMAS HOPE, MR. GUNNING, MRS. FITZHERBERT,
and many other notable personages. Lastly, she goes to the door
to welcome severally the PRINCE OF WALES, the PRINCES OF FRANCE,
and the PRINCESS CASTELCICALA.]
LADY SALISBURY [to the Prince of Wales]
I am sorry to say, sir, that the Spanish Patriots are not yet
arrived. I doubt not but that they have been delayed by their
ignorance of the town, and will soon be here.
PRINCE OF WALES
No hurry whatever, my dear hostess. Gad, we’ve enough to talk about!
I understand that the arrangement between our ministers and these
noblemen will include the liberation of Spanish prisoners in this
country, and the providing ’em with arms, to go back and fight for
their independence.
LADY SALISBURY
It will be a blessed event if they do check the career of this
infamous Corsican. I have just heard that that poor foreigner
Guillet de la Gevrillière, who proposed to Mr. Fox to assassinate
him, died a miserable death a few days ago the Bicetre—probably
by torture, though nobody knows. Really one almost wishes Mr. Fox
had—-. O here they are!
[Enter the Spanish Viscount de MATEROSA, and DON DIEGO de la VEGA.
They are introduced by CAPTAIN HILL and MR. BAGOT, who escort them.
LADY SALISBURY presents them to the PRINCE and others.]
PRINCE OF WALES
By gad, Viscount, we were just talking of ’ee. You had some
adventures in getting to this country?
MATEROSA [assisted by Bagot as interpreter]
Sir, it has indeed been a trying experience for us. But here we
are, impressed by a deep sense of gratitude for the signal marks of
attachment your country has shown us.
PRINCE OF WALES
You represent, practically, the Spanish people?
MATEROSA
We are immediately deputed, sir,
By the Assembly of Asturias,
More sailing soon from other provinces.
We bring official writings, charging us
To clinch and solder Treaties with this realm
That may promote our cause against the foe.
Nextly a letter to your gracious King;
Also a Proclamation, soon to sound
And swell the pulse of the Peninsula,
Declaring that the act by which King Carlos
And his son Prince Fernando cede the throne
To whomsoever Napoléon may appoint,
Being an act of cheatery, not of choice,
Unfetters us from our allegiant oath.
MRS. FITZHERBERT
The usurpation began, I suppose, with the divisions in the Royal
Family?
MATEROSA
Yes, madam, and the protection they foolishly requested from the
Emperor; and their timid intent of flying secretly helped it on.
It was an opportunity he had been awaiting for years.
MRS. FITZHERBERT
All brought about by this man Godoy, Prince of Peace!
PRINCE OF WALES
Dash my wig, mighty much you know about it, Maria! Why, sure,
Boney thought to himself, “This Spain is a pretty place; ’twill
just suit me as an extra acre or two; so here goes.”
DON DIEGO [aside to Bagot]
This lady is the Princess of Wales?
BAGOT
Hsh! no, Senor. The Princess lives at large at Kensington and
other places, and has parties of her own, and doesn’t keep house
with her husband. This lady is—well, really his wife, you know,
in the opinion of many; but—-
DON DIEGO
Ah! Ladies a little mixed, as they were at our Court! She’s the
Pepa Tudo to THIS Prince of Peace?
BAGOT
O no—not exactly that, Senor.
DON DIEGO
Ya, ya. Good. I’ll be careful, my friend. You are not saints in
England more than we are in Spain!
BAGOT
We are not. Only you sin with naked faces, and we with masks on.
DON DIEGO
Virtuous country!
DUCHESS OF RUTLAND
It was understood that Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias, was to marry
a French princess, and so unite the countries peacefully?
MATEROSA
It was. And our credulous prince was tempted to meet Napoléon at
Bayonne. Also the poor simple King, and the infatuated Queen, and
Manuel Godoy.
DUCHESS OF RUTLAND
Then Godoy escaped from Aranjuez?
MATEROSA
Yes, by hiding in the garret. Then they all threw themselves
upon Napoléon’s protection. In his presence the Queen swore
that the King was not Fernando’s father! Altogether they form
a queer little menagerie. What will happen to them nobody knows.
PRINCE OF WALES
And do you wish us to send an army at once?
MATEROSA
What we most want, sir, are arms and ammunition. But we leave the
English Ministry to co-operate in its own wise way, anyhow, so as
to sustain us in resenting these insults from the Tyrant of the
Earth.
DUCHESS OF RUTLAND [to the Prince of Wales]
What sort of aid shall we send, sir?
PRINCE OF WALES
We are going to vote fifty millions, I hear. We’ll whack him,
and preserve your noble country for ’ee, Senor Viscount. The
debate thereon is to come off to-morrow. It will be the finest
thing the Commons have had since Pitt’s time. Sheridan, who is
open to it, says he and Canning are to be absolutely unanimous;
and, by God, like the parties in his “Critic,” when Government
and Opposition do agree, their unanimity is wonderful! Viscount
Materosa, you and your friends must be in the Gallery. O, dammy,
you must!
MATEROSA
Sir, we are already pledged to be there.
PRINCE OF WALES
And hark ye, Senor Viscount. You will then learn what a mighty
fine thing a debate in the English Parliament is! No Continental
humbug there. Not but that the Court has a trouble to keep ’em
in their places sometimes; and I would it had been one in the
Lords instead. However, Sheridan says he has been learning his
speech these two days, and has hunted his father’s dictionary
through for some stunning long words.—Now, Maria [to Mrs.
Fitzherbert], I am going home.
LADY SALISBURY
At last, then, England will take her place in the forefront of
this mortal struggle, and in pure disinterestedness fight with
all her strength for the European deliverance. God defend the
right!
[The Prince of Wales leaves, and the other guests begin to
depart.]
SEMICHORUS I OF THE YEARS [aerial music]
Leave this glib throng to its conjecturing,
And let four burdened weeks uncover what they bring!
SEMICHORUS II
The said Debate, to wit; its close in deed;
Till England stands enlisted for the Patriots’ needs.
SEMICHORUS I
And transports in the docks gulp down their freight
Of buckled fighting-flesh, and gale-bound, watch and wait.
SEMICHORUS II
Till gracious zephyrs shoulder on their sails
To where the brine of Biscay moans its tragic tales.
CHORUS
Bear we, too, south, as we were swallow-vanned,
And mark the game now played there by the Master-hand!
[The reception-chamber is shut over by the night without, and
the point of view rapidly recedes south, London and its streets
and lights diminishing till they are lost in the distance, and
its noises being succeeded by the babble of the Channel and
Biscay waves.]