Urahra 5359 Share Posted May 18, 2021 The Temptation of St. Julia A Canonist Play by Anthony Bentarus Published in 1820 IST Based on the Book of Horen in the Scroll of Gospel Dedicated To James Chapel & Henry Penton CAST (in order of appearance) Horen - The youngest son of the First Man and First Woman. Father of humankind and the Prophet of Virtue, so chosen by GOD. Husband of Julia and the patriarch of his tribe. Julia - Horen's wife, a virtuous woman. The mother of humankind. Saul - A member of Horen's tribe, who was seduced by the Daemon. Beset by feelings of envy toward Horen's greatness and favor with GOD. Iblees - A daemon who rebelled against God and descended into the Void, intent to rule over the realm of sin. Appears in the form of a female dark elf. SETTING An encampment upon the plains of Aegis, the ancient lost continent. The encampment would feature all the necessary accoutrements for a people's survival. Upon the right side of the stage, a tabernacle with purple curtains embroidered with golden thread. The interior of the tabernacle is not visible. ACT THE FIRST Spoiler Horen enters the stage via the tabernacle, pushing aside the curtain. His expression set into a mask of grim determination, for he has lately been issued a task from the Almighty God. HOREN (shouting) Julia! ENTER Julia, holding her babes in her arms. JULIA Here am I, my lord, for thou did call unto me. HOREN Harken well, wife. Many hours have I knelt in prayer within the tabernacle, prostrated before the Holiest of Holies. And in the blackest hour of night, GOD delivered unto me His entreaties. JULIA What is the thing the LORD has said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from your bride, whom you have sheltered in your house. HOREN The Voice of the LORD spoke through the aengul Artifai, who bid me journey forth to the Grotto of Gamesh. There, as I kneel beside the sacred waters, GOD shall imbue me with His Holy Wisdom, which shall be the inheritance of our tribe. JULIA O, that is many leagues and many days' journey from here! Shall my lord leave his tribe undefended for such lengths of time? Without thine ministrations, the people shall fall prey to the Denier! Already they turn away from the face of GOD. Already they say amongst themselves 'Let us go and worship other gods, like unto our kinsmen the elves and orcs. Our throats cry out for water and our bellies ache for food, yet GOD answers not our prayers. GOD promised an inheritance to our People yet He has not delivered ' The tribe is weak of faith and ignorant to the forms of daemons! HOREN The tribe will be safe, for Julia shall defend them. JULIA I, my lord? She whose dainty hands have never held a sword? HOREN Let thy faith be as a sword, wife, to cut away the guise of evil. To she who has knelt afore the Holiest as often as I, I entrust the care and keeping of my clan. JULIA How will I know the Denier if he comes before me? HOREN When Iblees realizes I have gone out of the camp, he will ascend up from the Void through the emanations of glory and make himself known among the people. They will not recognize him, for Iblees takes the fair and unblemished form of a maiden. And in this form, he shall tempt them. JULIA What form, my lord? HOREN With blackened skin like pitch and eyes of cinder, he shall tempt them. With hair of starlight, he shall tempt them. Thus thou shall know the Denier's visage. When thou glimpses him amongst the people, cry out in the name of GOD! Cry out and banish him! JULIA Does the Denier boast other forms? How will I know them? HOREN These nights I am away - prostrate thyself within the tabernacle and plead GOD's guidance shine upon thee. Remember that evil cannot tread within our Holiest of Holies, for GOD repels all sorceries of the Void. Keep well the people of GOD and keep well our laws - so then the LORD shall deliver thee from the Denier's cunning. JULIA May the words from your mouth be as my vow. I'll shelter thy sons with me inside the tabernacle. HOREN GOD bless and keep thou, O she whom my soul loveth. Exit Horen. JULIA O, a trembling o'ertakest my form. My hands, they are a-quiver and my heart is weak, for I am without the voice of my beloved. He who brought me to the right hand of his banqueting table and placed his banner o'er me. My lord, my king! Go not so far from my side! O, temptation begs me to cry out! To clutch at thy robes and plead 'Stay! Stay for the sake of thine bride and babes, who shall be made vulnerable without thee!' Yet GOD has issued his decree and so my lord must answer. My lord requires of me a stalwart heart, so let my faith stand as a buttress 'gainst the Denier's terror. Enter Saul. SAUL Lo, Sister of Man, what means the great tumult that has o'ertaken the camp? Am I to understand Horen, King of Men, has gone out ahead of us? JULIA My lord has indeed departed from the camp, to make for the Grotto of Gamesh many leagues from here. SAUL Woe be unto us, for there has not been such a thing heretofore! Ne'er has there been a time such as this, when Horen has gone out of the camp! Woe unto us, for glory is departed! JULIA Speak not so, knave! For GOD is with Horen in his sojourns - and so too does GOD reside in the camp. Look upon the tabernacle and know it as the fortress of our faith. For so long as it stands, GOD's hand will be o'er us. Julia enters the tabernacle with her infant sons, leaving Saul. SAUL Woe, for though Julia is she whom my heart covets, she speaks harshly and reprimands me. Once, amidst the cedars of the hill and the clefts of the rock, I courted her and said - 'Sweet is thy voice! Comely is thy countenance! Foremost among women is Julia!' Yet she loved me not, for GOD promised her heart to Horen and made her his wife. To Horen, all treasures of men and Heaven are given! What inheritance is left for the rest of us? Exit Saul. ACT THE SECOND Spoiler Night has fallen over the camp. Julia steps through the tent flaps of the tabernacle. She lifts a lantern high and peers about cautiously. JULIA What great noise shakes me from my rest? Enter Saul. SAUL Hark, O Sister! JULIA Was it you that gave up such a shout, Saul? SAUL Ay, an elfkin - a daughter of your husband's brother - trespasses upon the borders of our camp. JULIA What desires this elfkin? SAUL Sickly is she and cries out to the LORD for aid. Her forest gods, who dwell hidden amongst the trees and fields, have forsaken her. Let us not withhold GOD's mercy from her, Sister, though she is a pagan. Afflicted is she with many wounds and shall perish without our help. JULIA Bring forth the elfkin. Exit Saul, who returns moments later with a dark elf in tow. IBLEES Praise be the name of Julia, foremost among women! Her name is sung e'en in the halls of our forest gods. All the spirits of the air and all the beasts of the field bow their heads in awe when Julia passes by! JULIA Thou hast heard of me? IBLEES Who in this great land knows not of Julia? JULIA Pray, by what name should I call thee, elfkin? IBLEES Among the trees, the elven bards pluck this name 'pon their lyres. Ishtar, they call me, for I am the black wyrm out of the caves. The dripping moss what gilds the low-slung tree. She who reigns in the deep places. Ishtar, daughter of Malin and princess among the dark-kin tribes. JULIA Strange is this princess who travels with no court nor kinsmen. IBLEES O, misfortune befell my company and separated me from them, resulting in the grievous wounds that mar my form. I entreat thee, good Julia - take pity upon your cousin! Let me not die of my wounds! Extend your mercy and my father shall reward thee with the sweet treasures of the forest! JULIA May GOD deal with me, be it ever so severely, should I deny care to one suff'ring such mortal blows. Thou need but step into the tabernacle and there I shall minister care. IBLEES O, but I cannot tread another step! JULIA Then Saul shall lift you. IBLEES I fear that if I am jostled, my wounds will split me further and my blood shall spew forth onto the soil! Bring the bandages out here to me, I beg thee! JULIA Those goods that enter the tabernacle are considered holy and, by our laws, cannot be removed from their place. 'Tis only a step further. Ask me not to break our laws for the sake of a few paces! IBLEES To take one step more would be death! O, would your GOD not forgive a single indiscretion? Is he so harsh e'en with his chosen people? Bring the bandages here or I shall die! SAUL Make haste, Sister! Bring care for her wounds - lest this princess's blood be on our hands! Her death would surely invite war from the elfkin! JULIA Be it far from me to break our tribe's sacred law, even in this most dire circumstance! Princess Elf, I bid thee enter the tabernacle should thou wish to live. IBLEES O, a clever and faithful woman is Julia, who keeps to the holy laws! If pity cannot induce thou to break thine vows - then perhaps terror shall! JULIA Fie! You are indeed the daemon Iblees! Iblees rushes at Julia to attack her - but Julia smashes her lantern on the ground. The flaming oil catches on the daemon's robes, lighting him on fire. He screams in pain! JULIA Out! Out, foul beast, in the name of GOD! Get thee gone - and never trouble this camp again! Iblees flees off-stage. Saul hurriedly smothers the fire. SAUL Woe unto us, that Iblees would announce his presence within our camp! Woe that the Denier walks in mortal form among GOD's chosen people! But rejoice, O Man, for Julia has cast him out! Rejoice, for the daemon has fallen on his ear! JULIA No evil may enter the tabernacle, for it is consecrated by GOD. Should the daemon's feet e'er tread on holy ground, then truly we would be lost! Good Saul, should the beast show its face again, thou must roundly curse its evil and cast it out as I have. Be not becharmed by its trickeries again. SAUL May GOD deal with me, be it ever so severely, should I let it cross our borders twice. Exit Saul. Julia returns to the tabernacle. ACT THE THIRD Spoiler Saul stands sentry outside of the tabernacle with sword and shield. SAUL How low I am. Lower e'en than the worm, snake, or any other creatures that crawls on its belly. Though I aided the lady Julia - fairest among women - in casting out the devil, she has given me no single sign of favor. Indeed, she rejects me as thoroughly as she rejected the daemon. Would that I might, by some magic, assume the form of Horen - become that lily among thorns, that young hart among donkeys. Then her face would turn toward me and her eyes would express their love for my eyes. IBLEES (off-stage) Speak prayers unto the LORD and he is deaf! But speak prayers unto the Void and they are answered! Enter Iblees, burnt and wounded. Saul readies his weapon! SAUL By GOD, stay back! Tread not one step further, you beast of sin! Iblees falls to his knees and cowers, weeping. IBLEES Stay thy hand, O warrior! O champion of Man! I am naught but a writhing worm before thee! A low and filthy creature who pleads only thine pity! Saul hesitates and lowers his sword. SAUL This is the great daemon of which Horen warned us? IBLEES Let thy servant find mercy in thy sight, my lord. I come not to do thee harm, but to offer prizes unto this noble warrior of GOD. O, let the goodly name of Saul be sung e'en in Heaven's highest spheres - for he has shown today the quality of his grace! Your servant utters your praises, my lord. SAUL The daemon calls itself my servant? What manner of ruse is this? It is said Iblees flung himself into the Void rather than serve the LORD - yet he bends the knee for Saul? IBLEES I make myself prostrate before thee, my lord, for we are twins of the soul. Deep within thy heart of hearts - there festers resentment for the one who rules over thee. SAUL Thou speakst of Horen? IBLEES Ay, the so-called chosen of GOD. SAUL Nay, I could not hate him! For he is my king! Lord o'er all the sons of man! IBLEES Indeed, and what a king! E'ery foe is delivered into his hand. All the fruits and flowers of the field ornament his banquet table. And at his right hand, the fairest and most virtuous of women. But what makes Horen so deserving of these boons? SAUL From his Heavenly sphere in the Skies, GOD does issue tokens of his favor unto the Son of Man. Horen is his chosen. All who walk with our tribe know it to be true. IBLEES I challenge thee to name but one quality that renders Horen superior to Saul. But one natural grace that separates Horen and places him so far above his legions of men. Among all the feet that trod the earth, why - O Heaven - have thee showered thine gifts o'er this one? SAUL (hesitating) If this be a riddle, I cannot puzzle it out... IBLEES Ay! And such is natural, for there is no quality that marks Horen as greater than Saul! Was Saul not called once the greatest among men? Thou wert praised more for thine skill with the sword than Horen - and also for thine gentle temper and even hand. Did Julia not love Saul best among men afore Horen made theft of her? SAUL I ought rebuke thee, but - thou givest voice to those thoughts that have occurred to me in my darkest hours. IBLEES Has Horen not done evil unto thee and made thee suffer? He called thee brother, yet wickedly robbed thee of thine bride. I say, thou hast every cause to hate Horen - yet thou art required to love him as thy king and submit faithfully to his rule! What mockery of poor Saul, that he is made to kneel before one who did him harm! SAUL Begone, daemon! I bid thee, go and whisper sweetly in another man's ear! Begone! Iblees senses his weakness and advances on him. IBLEES My lord, I come to thee as thine humble servant. Look, I might offer thee casks of gold and silver. Sweet wine and the fattened part of the calf. Those are the gifts I offer unto thee and thine camp, to reprieve thee of thy suff'ring. Do the people not cry out in Horen's absence? Has he not abandoned them in this needful hour? I will make thee a king superior e'en to Horen - and those things Horen has that you covet... they shall be thine. SAUL (hesitating) E'en Julia? IBLEES That thing which thou covet most in thy heart - it shall be thine. E'en in this form, my power is great and I might bestow upon thee the likeness of thine foe. So that when Julia looks upon thee, her eyes might shine as they do when she looks upon Horen. SAUL Try as I might, I cannot resist such an offer! Make me into the likeness of Horen, then... so that I might take his crown and his bride unbeknownst to him. IBLEES Let it be done. Iblees leads Saul off-stage. ACT THE FOURTH Spoiler Enter Saul, in the guise of Horen. He carries casks of silver and gold. SAUL (as Horen) Arise, my love! My fair one! Arise, O dove that rests in the cleft of the rocks! Arise, O flower of the earth, O fig tree of the grove! Your lord returns with his spoils, to feed you among the lilies, to seat you at the right hand of his banquet table! JULIA (off-stage) Hark, is that the voice of my beloved? Enter Julia, through the tabernacle. JULIA My lord! My king! He whom my soul loves best. Returned is he from the Grotto of Gamesh! Returned with the gifts of GOD in tow! SAUL Come hither and kiss me. Julia approaches to kiss him as instructed. Yet... she suddenly notices something strange about him. JULIA (changing the subject) What have you carried from the Grotto of Gamesh? These casks of silver and gold - be they the inheritance promised to our tribe by GOD? SAUL Wealth to last an age and empower our clan beyond measure. All the green fields of the earth are our claim. Every fruit of the valley and bird amongst the hedge. Let us make merry, for GOD's blessing is with us. Saul moves to embrace her, but Julia takes a step back - denying him tacitly. JULIA I have kept well the tabernacle and held fast to our laws. Come, my lord. Your sons are safe within the fortress of our faith. Come and see them, for they are eager for your eyes. SAUL Bring them out. I wish to behold them in the light of the sun. JULIA The youngest lies sleeping abed. I should not disturb him. SAUL Another time, then. JULIA My lord has been abroad in foreign lands. Does he not wish to cleanse himself in the tabernacle's sacred waters? And kneel in thanks at the Holiest of Holies? SAUL Another time, another time. Vex me not with too many requests, for I am fatigued. I should wish to rest my head upon the shoulder of my beloved. To taste her lips as sweet as pomegranates and caress her silkspun hair. Come hither, kiss me! JULIA It should offend my modesty to kiss in the square. SAUL Am I not thy lord? JULIA As surely as I am thy lady. SAUL Then vex me not, I say! Kiss me, if thou love me! Saul grabs Julia and attempts to kiss her. She pulls away and runs into the tabernacle. SAUL Curse this woman, so foul-tempered and mercurial! Come forth, your lord demands your presence! JULIA Why does Horen fear to enter the tabernacle? Why will he not stand before the altar of the LORD? SAUL Why does a wife disobey her husband? JULIA Enter, if thou may! Begone if thou cannot! Saul grabs his sword. SAUL If the door is barred, simply cut a new one! He attacks the walls of the tabernacle, only to find they are impervious to his blade. SAUL What sorcery is this? Enter Horen, carrying his Holy Scroll. HOREN What sorcery indeed? Saul turns around. SAUL Fie, a specter conjured by wicked powers! A doppelganger sent by the Denier to deceive the people! HOREN Would a king lay siege to his own tabernacle? What sinful creature is this? What envious devil covets and imitates my form? SAUL Come no closer, vile impersonator! Or your head will be taken from your body! HOREN I have no need to venture further, for I might dispatch you from here. Behold, the proof of my person and the inheritance of Man. Begone, O daemon, in the name of the LORD! Horen unfurls his scroll and holds it aloft. The power of GOD's word burns forth from the page. Saul hisses in pain and collapses to the ground, withered to death by the light of GOD. Horen steps over the prone body of Saul and pulls back the curtain of the tabernacle. HOREN Julia. Enter Julia. JULIA Here am I, my lord, for thou did call unto me. HOREN My beloved, O daughter of GOD, O sister of Man, O river of sweet waters, O rain-drenched flower. O she to whom my soul cleaves, with a love like unto God for his chosen people. You have kept well to our laws and cast out the devil. And so now the inheritance of our people is granted. He presents the Scroll to her. HOREN Shelter this as you have sheltered our sons, as you have sheltered our people. None may touch it but you, for none has been so good a helpmeet as you. JULIA As my lord honors me, so forevermore I honor him. They embrace. Curtain falls. 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesmellypocket 1841 Share Posted May 25, 2021 "A most excellent work of popular piety, edifying and well-written." Says one poor squire. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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