War, my dear lady! Aldwyth. Doth this affright thee? Gamel. Leofwin. Why then the wrath of The devil only one. [Exit BISHOP OF LONDON. Enter ARCHBISHOP STIGAND. Ask our Archbishop. Stigand should know the purposes of Stigand. Not I. I cannot read the face of heaven. Heaven. Mightily, my dear lady! Aldwyth. Stand by me then, and look upon my face, Not on the comet. Perhaps our vines will grow the better for it. Leofwin (laughing). He can but read the king's face on his coins. Stigand. Ay, ay, young lord, there the king's face is power. Gurth. O father, mock not at a public fear, But tell us, is this pendent hell in heaven A harm to England? Stigand. Ask it of King Edward! And may he tell thee, I am a harm to England. Old uncanonical Stigand-ask of me Who had my pallium from an Antipope! Not he the man-for in our windy world What's up is faith, what's down is heresy. Our friends, the Normans, holp to shake his chair. I have a Norman fever on me, son, And cannot answer sanely.... What it means? Ask our broad Earl. [Pointing to HAROLD, who enters. Harold (seeing GAMEL). Hail, Gamel, son of Orm! Albeit no rolling stone, my good friend Gamel, Thou hast rounded since we met. Thy life at home Is easier than mine here. Look! am I not Work-wan, flesh-fallen? Gamel. Art thou sick, good Earl? Harold. Sick as an autumn swallow for a voyage, Sick for an idle week of hawk and hound For all the world sees it as well as England. These meteors came and went before our day, Not harming any: it threatens us no more Than French or Norman. War? the worst that follows Things that seem jerk'd out of the common rut Of Nature is the hot religious fool, Who, seeing war in heaven, for heav en's credit Makes it on earth: but look, where Edward draws A faint foot hither, leaning upon Tostig. He hath learnt to love our Tostig much of late. Leofwin. And he hath learnt, despite the tiger in him, To sleek and supple himself to the king's hand. Gurth. I trust the kingly touch that cures the evil Beyond the seas-a change! When May serve to charm the tiger out of camest thou hither? Gamel. To-day, good Earl. Harold. Is the North quiet, Gamel? Gamel. Nay, there be murmurs, for thy brother breaks us With over-taxing-quiet, ay, as yetNothing as yet. Harold. Stand by him, mine old friend, Thou art a great voice in Northumberland! Advise him: speak him sweetly, he will hear thee. He is passionate but honest. Stand thou by him! More talk of this to-morrow, if yon weird sign Not blast us in our dreams.-Well, father Stigand— [To STIGAND, who advances to him. Stigand (pointing to the comet). War there, my son? is that the doom of England? Harold. Nay! Better die than lie! Enter KING, QUEEN and TOSTIG. Edward. In heaven signs! Signs upon earth! signs everywhere! your Priests Gross, worldly, simoniacal, unlearn'd! They scarce can read their Psalter; and your churches Uncouth, unhandsome, while in Normanland God speaks thro' abler voices, as He dwells In statelier shrines. I say not this, as being Half Norman-blooded, nor, as some have held, Because I love the Norman better-no, Harold. Why not the doom of all the But dreading God's revenge upon this world as well? realm In England? Wilful, wilful. Go-the Saints Pilot and prosper all thy wandering out And homeward. Tostig, I am faint again. Son Harold, I will in and pray for thee. [Exit, leaning on TOSTIG, and followed by STIGAND, MORCAR, and COURTIERS. Harold. What lies upon the mind of our good king That he should harp this way on Normandy? Queen. Brother, the king is wiser than he seems; And Tostig knows it; Tostig loves the king. Harold. And love should know; and -be the king so wise,Then Tostig too were wiser than he seems. I love the man but not his fantasies. Re-enter TOSTIG. Well, brother, When didst thou hear from thy Northumbria ? Tostig. When did I hear aught but this "When" from thee? Leave me alone, brother, with my Northumbria: She is my mistress, let me look to her! The king hath made me Earl; make me not fool! Nor make the King a fool, who made me Earl ! Harold. No, Tostig-lest I make myself a fool Who made the King who made thee, make the Earl. Tostig. Why chafe me, then? Thou But thou canst hear the best and wisest Is yet a force among them. a sun set But leaving light enough for Alfgar's house To strike thee down by-nay, this ghastly glare May heat their fancies. Tostig. My most worthy brother, That art the quietest man in all the world[warAy, ay, and wise in peace and great in Pray God the people choose thee for their king! But all the powers of the house of Are not enframed in thee. Thank the Saints, no! But thou hast drain'd them shallow by thy tolls, And thou art ever here about the King: Thine absence well may seem a want of care. Cling to their love; for, now the sons of Godwin Sit topmost in the field of England, envy, Like the rough bear beneath the tree, Good counsel, truly! I heard from my Northumbria yesterday. Harold. How goes it then with thy Northumbria? Well? Tostig. And wouldst thou that it went aught else than well? Harold. I would it went as well as with mine earldom, Leofwin's and Gurth's. Tostig. Ye govern milder men. Gurth We have made them milder by just government. Tostig. Ay, ever give yourselves your Leofwin. An honest gift, by all the And taker be but honest! but they bribe Each other, and so often, an honest world Will not believe them. Harold. I may tell thee, Tostig, I heard from thy Northumberland today. Tostig. From spies of thine to spy my nakedness In my poor North! Let kith and kin stand close as our shield-wall, Who breaks us then? I say, thou hast a tongue, And Tostig is not stout enough to bear it. Harold. There is a movement there, Vex him not, Leofwin. A blind one-nothing yet. Tostig. Crush it at once With all the power I have !-I mustI will! Crush it half-born! Fool still? or My wise head-shaking Harold? And wisest, should not frown as Power, [must As kindness, watching all, till the true Tostig. To the good king who gave it—not to Not any of you.-I am not vext at all. In all that handles matter of the state That shalt thou never be Queen. I am the only rose of all the stock That never thorn'd him; Edward loves him, so Ye hate him. Harold always hated him. Why-how they fought when boys- How Harold used to beat him! Even old Gurth would fight. I had To hold mine own against old Gurth. We fought like great states for grave On a sudden-at a something—for a nothing |