SCENE VII

The Hills of Romagna. Sheepfolds and Shepherds; Duke Cesare de Valentinois della Romagna lying down in the midst of them.

SHEPHERD.

.... You are our shepherd
And ruler of our flocks: we are your flock.

AN OLD SHEPHERD.

Signore, I am happy, being blind
To sit in the sun: I feel you are the sun.

A YOUNG SHEPHERD.

Lord Duke, you are our shepherd—
The reason this, that we forget our flocks,
And yet our flocks graze placidly and seek
The shadow and the stream as they were led.

A FATHER.

You are our king; you have danced with us—our maidens
Consent to any yoke, for by-and-by
They will bear children you will train in arms.