Emp. Hell confound them!
Bend. The reverend father, with a holy leer,
Saw he might well be spared, and soon withdrew:
This forced my servant to a quick retreat,
For fear to be discovered.—Guess the rest.
Emp. I do: My fancy is too exquisite,
And tortures me with their imagined bliss.
Some earthquake should have risen and rent the ground,
Have swallowed him, and left the longing bride
In agony of unaccomplished love.[Walks disorderly.
Enter the Mufti.
Bend. In an unlucky hour
355 That fool intrudes, raw in this great affair,
And uninstructed how to stem the tide.—[Aside.
[Coming up the Mufti,—aside.]
The emperor must not marry, nor enjoy:—
Keep to that point: Stand firm, for all's at stake.
Emp. [Seeing him.]
You druggerman[4] of heaven, must I attend
Your droning prayers? Why came ye not before?
Dost thou not know the captive king has dared
To wed Almeyda? Cancel me that marriage,
And make her mine: About the business, quick!—
Expound thy Mahomet; make him speak my sense,
Or he's no prophet here, and thou no Mufti;
Unless thou know'st the trick of thy vocation,
To wrest and rend the law, to please thy prince.
Muf. Why, verily, the law is monstrous plain:
There's not one doubtful text in all the alcoran,
Which can be wrenched in favour to your project.
Emp. Forge one, and foist it into some bye-place
Of some old rotten roll: Do't, I command thee!
Must I teach thee thy trade?
Muf. It cannot be;
For matrimony being the dearest point
Of law, the people have it all by heart:
A cheat on procreation will not pass.
Besides, [In a higher tone.] the offence is so exorbitant,
To mingle with a misbelieving race,
That speedy vengeance would pursue your crime,
And holy Mahomet launch himself from heaven,
Before the unready thunderbolts were formed.
[Emperor, taking him by the throat with one hand, snatches out his sword with the other, and points it to his breast.
356 Emp. Slave, have I raised thee to this pomp and power,
To preach against my will?—Know, I am law;
And thou, not Mahomet's messenger but mine!—
Make it, I charge thee, make my pleasure lawful;
Or, first, I strip thee of thy ghostly greatness,
Then send thee post to tell thy tale above.
And bring thy vain memorials to thy prophet,
Of justice done below for disobedience.