COLUMBUS, AN HISTORIGAL -AND- RomantiC) Drama IN THREE ACTS, J. M FORREST. CHAKLESTON, S. C. : Edward Perry & Co., Printers and Stationers, 217 Meeting Street, Opposite Charleston Hotel. 1893. COPYRIGHTED, 1893, BY J. M. FORREST. (All Rights Reserved.) COLUMBUS, AN HISTORIGAL RoMANTid Drama, IN THREE ACTS. 3V J. M. FORREST. ,^ A l// CHARLESTON, S. C. : 3o7/ U J Edward Perry & Co., Printers and Stationers, 217 Meeting Street, Opposite Charleston Hotel, 1893. K- COLUMBUS, AN HISTORICAL AND ROMANTIC DRAMA, IN THREE ACTS, DRAMATIS PERSONS: Ferdinand, Kino; of Arragon. Isabella, Queen of Castile. Prince Juan, Heir Apparent to both Crowns. Christopher Columbus, Discoverer. Diego, Sons of Columbus. Fernando, J Beatrix Enriques, Mother of Fernando. Diego, )MEW, j mothers of Columbus Bartholomew Friar Juan Perez, Prior of the Convent of La Rabida. Bishop Fonseca, Administrator of the Indies. Luis de St. Angel, Receiver of the Ecclesiastical Revenues in Arragon. Don Francisco de Bobadilla, Commissioner to San Domingo. Don Nicholas de Ovando, Successor to Bobadilla. Don Alonzo de Ojeda, Daring Adventurer. Martin Pinzon, Navigator, Captain of the Pinta. Don Ignacio, Traitor to Columbus. Espinosa, a Vile Wretch. Francisco Roldan, Conspirator. Diego de Deza, Archbishop of Seville. Professor, Couriers, Soldiers, Sailors, Prelates, No- bles, Indians, Showmen. Tutor, &c. TMP92-008888 COLUMBUS. ACT I. Scene 1. ({rounds in front of the Convent of La Rabida. Dim light in the icindows. Time. A night in February {about 8 P. M.). [Columbus in troubled meditation paces to and fro. His young son is lying on the ground behind him asleep, his head resting on an empty baskest.'] Columbus, Now the spangled frontage of the heavens Eoofs in the open temple of the night, And silence tolls its psalm—it tolls proud hope Of grand adventure to eternal rest. Later than the turn of the moon that's past, I asked the King to grant a caravel Or two, to try the venturous voyage. He paused, then mumbled that the rapid needs Of war conferred upon coin a double count. Pray delay, he said, until that plenty-day When the proud Alhambra's topmost tower Strikes the unholy crescent to our flag, Then your attendance I shall welcome once Again. Crushed a seventh time in seven years, I stood, run out of words. But as darkening clouds That break not silence whilst they gather, My silent soul gathered all its forces, Then it rumbled 'gainst the sunshine of the King; And in resenting thunders I humbled For once, at least, the slippery majesty Of Ferdinand. Seven wasted years Outside the battlements of royalty Have I lurked, and mixed with scullions, to learn The ways and tempers of puffed officials, Whose pompous intercessions were feathers In a flaw, and deceptive obligations. Columbus. From place to place, I followed the court, And being much abroad, the vulgar called me Show-struck, and the very children as I passed Tapped their foreheads at the madman, Ferdinand of Arragon ! Sage, Prince! True soldier of the faith, my faith in thee Hath wrought a ruin. When first I unveiled The prospective dawn of empire beyond The seas, your quick perception rose to ripe Intent. Intent soon withered. In its dust 1 have dragged a slimy snail track. The golden Indies and their pearl-fringed coasts, Spiced and scented lands, Solomon's mines And all the glories of Marco Polo's words I have offered to the reach of Spain. But Spain Within Spain shall long remain. If she seeks Columbus, she shall seek in vain. Ho ! Diego. Tired and sound asleep, Filling your basket with nutritious dreams ? Diego, Ho ! Diego, asleep ? Diego. Yes, good father, out of bed I never slept before. Columbus. Without a bed a sleep is better than A bed without a sleep, as some hidalgos Know. Diego. Without a bunk I dreamt a sailor's dream. Columbus. A dream ? How did it run ? Diego. I dreamt you were in the Bay of Biscay tossed And all the biscuits overboard were washed, But you remembered that the waves forgot A case of biscuits, hiding, piping hot. Columbus. That's a lucky dream. The case of biscuits Foreshadows plenty. But our case now is Without the biscuits. With no venders here For traffic, suppose we present our case At the holy portal of this convent. Diego. Our word the Fathers will nut doubt. COLUM BUS. Nor our looks. Words are sometimes counterfeits. But looks lire glimpses of the soul. Come Diego, We must introduce ourselves. ( Rings t lie convent bell.) (Enter Friar Juan Perez.) Friar. Good strangers, pence and blessings to you both. What service is in the convent's gift that I can bestow ? Columbus. -Reverence ! your words much needed cheer impart. J ust now it would exceed a feast to give A drink of water and a little bread To my tired and foot-sore son. For myself Want of appetite is not wanting. Friar. We will contrive a better feast than that, But pray what urgency occasioned his fatigue ? Columbus. Learning from report, some miles from Palos dwelt Substantial kindred of my lamented wife ; We journeyed out on foot some days ago To test their nature for our name. My aim In this distasteful quest is to obtain Aid. to gain a pass to France from Spain, Never to return again. Friar. Your story draws a tide of thought. Has France In your vocation run entirely short ; Or has Spain a surplusage of worthy sons To cause your hasty unrest ? Columbus. In Spain, through adverse winds of patronage, I'm denied not the rights of my vocation, But the rights of Spain therein. Expansion Being now the policy of Arragon, A timely scheme I shaped to far exceed The utmost span of Ferdinand's desires. Columbus. To him it offered an abounding profit; For me abounding hazard it would yield. But pauper counsel goes before the broom, And oft the sweepings fertilize the fame Of unentitled cheats. Friar. Attentive ear I have bestowed and your cause I know not yet. In honored confidence we speak, and hence I would have your delicacy yield all Clouded-up reserve. First, I would exact The honor of your name; then all bearing On your calling. Columbus. As to my vocation, 'Tis at best but an offspring of the wind. When with the wind, its rhumb line blithesome runs, But like the changing looks of royalty The wind, too, needs be humored, till with tact And tacking the compass point is reached. I'm a lover of the waves, the wind-kissed waves ; A seafarer, I am, wind and wave-worn ; An humble sailor, wishing for a name To replace the unlucky one I have. Friar. What name is that? Columbus. Columbus. Friar. Columbus! Memory reverberates Most joyously at the ring of that name. There lived in Lisbon, many years ago, A stranger at whom science shook its head, A most profound cosmographer he was, And so deeply schooled in navigation, He offered to carry the astrolabe Over oceans yet unknown. His theories Whirled storms through academical halls, And the ruffled sages battled with their wits. Friar. Whether still lives this able theorist, Or not, I have no warrant or account. His name was Christopher Columbus. Possibly, you have heard of him ? Columbus. Yes, I have. Friar. He was married in Lisbon, I think. Columbus. He was ; so was I. Friar. He was a Genoese. Columbus. And so am I. Friar. Now, I remember that once he appeared Before the council of Salamanca. Columbus. So did I ; that is, so did he. Friar. (Aside) So did I; so did he. A surprise is at hand. Pray give me your Christian name? Columbus. Christopher. Friar. Then all points and particulars applied, You must be a very counterfeit of, If not, the celebrated navigator yourself. Columbus. I am Christopher Columbus; Known as a visionary and a fool, In two countries, at least. Friar. I am silenced. That is enough. What's ours, is yours. The convent's hospitality accept, And to-morrow some important men Shall be assembled to entertain you. Is this your only child ? 8 Columbus. The only one my lamented wife has left me. Friar. He will shine yet in the glitter of his proud name. Columbus. Your assuring words make our hopes shine. Friar. The fingerpost of fate will shine to-morrow. Now to 'scape the unwholesome dews of night And being braced with consolation, to rest We'll all retire. Follow me. Columbus. (Aside) We are guests, not mendicants. [Exeunt.] (Enter Beatrix Bnriquez with he?' young son Fernando.) Beatrix. Along the dismal road we toiled unseen, Watching the wanderer. To this refuge We have traced his footsteps. His perturbations May find some calm in the restfulness of This retreat. My poor presence here would but add Fury to his sorrows ; hence, I'll hide me With my poor child in some brambled hollow Of these grounds, and through the dewy leaves Watch the morning's dawn. 1 am forgotten By brave Columbus, but I am not dead. His ponderous projects have entombed his love ; His golden Indies are coffined in his hopes, And his life is but a leaden monument, Crushing upon his mighty soul. His wrongs Are mine, though mine in his concern are nought. But anguish to-night is not incurable, For the heavens are express in starry (She looks up at the heavens.) Combinations. True interpretation Decrees a turn of fortune. Plainly read, The forecast says, the angular distance Twixt the moon and Cor Leonis shall be (Keeps looking at the sky, while she reads the stars.) Less painfully acute, and in good time Shall be right-angled. Then, here is the moon, There is Cor Leonis. Heaventy portents ! 9 Beatrix. (Points to herself, then to the convent, then looks up at the sky.) A new star, that is a now world. A world By infallible sign shall be discovered ! Then trumpets shall sound, Columbus shall triumph, His glory shall thunder the land and sea. The rocks shall be chiseled and lifted To give him the Earth's veneration. My exultations shall filing my last sigh Into the multitudinous roar Of the joyous Earth. But girlhood is past And unrelished womanhood has settled on me. The romp, and all the tiny freaks that make The mountains of a girl's joys are past. Undrowsed, 1 drank of the deep expoundings Of Columbus, and struggled with tangents, Angles and degrees, till my little brain Lost all its spring and bound. But my tutor Fondled to my earnestness, and I was earnest In love for him. But night grows apace, And the moon must now to her quarters hie. Come, Fernando, let us now discover Where discovery least invites. I see it. Yonder thicket is the place. We'll away. [Exeunt, ,] (Beatrix has faith in astrology ; she reads the stars.) Scene 2. A Public Road. (Enter Two Couriers.) 1st Courier. Didn't the King look war and wonder at us As he shot his words into our errand ? 2nd C. He looked to me all reddened to the scalp. The tears of toil rolled down from every pore, As if he had been ditching:. 10 1st C. Ditching moors. The moors he'll ditch till the ghost of Islam Has jumped the straits. 2nd C. Gibralter and the straits We shall jump if we fail to find Columbus. 1st C. Find, but catch him not, unless in the act Of leaving Spain, arc the King's strict commands. 2nd C. Suppose that now outside the bounds of Spain He dwells; would that mean banishment or death For us ? 1st 0. Worse, I fear. Dungeons dark, irons, Musty rations, vanishing anatomy, And our sepulchral bones rattling lor death Would be our lot. 2nd C. Then 'tis time to climb the highest tree, or drop Down the tallest chimnc}^. IstC. Be collected, your fortitude renew, Here conies a stranger, we'll sound him for a clue. {Enter old Professor, hurrying past to meet his class.) Worthy gentleman, with salutations Most respectful, we humbly approach you To win from your wisdom some advice. Professor. The wrong man you have not met. Eight questions, wrong answers ne'er beget, Nor evasions breed. Hasten and proceed. 1st C. Most distinguished sir. from your sage remarks, We judge that Doctor Spitlingo you must be. Or, perhaps 3-011 are not. 11 Professor. I am expositor of multifarious arts Ami concatenated incognoscibilities. Five and twenty sciences 1 expound, And give gloss and finish to a multitude Of costly accomplishments, such as law, Medicine, and the flute. A class of students Now await my clear elucidations Of those complex transcendantal questions Which would liquify the shell in which your brains Now rattle. 2nd C. (Aside). The class is waiting. 1st 0. (Aside, silence!) My friend in prayer, is given to ejaculating. Most learned Doctor, in a limited sense, We comprehend the vastness of your mind. Your apprehension we shall not blind With winding fables. Our business then : Commissioned, we have been by our master, Who is the most exalted in the land, To search these kingdoms for a wandering, But gifted man, whose name is Columbus. Professor. It cannot be Christopher Columbus ? 1st C. The same. Professor. I can offer the best authority For stating, that he is at the convent Down the road. Perhaps, in holy orders, He intends to end his days. 2nd C. That ends our orders and must)' rations. 1st C. Tush man! tighten up your wits. Excuse the pious ejaculations of my friend : He bubbles thus all da}'. 12 Professor. I am in haste. The class is waiting. But I'll sum up Columbus before I go. Impossible theories have crazed him. Why should he suppose that the Earth is round ? Why may not the Earth exhibit the divers Bulges of the human skull, plus the plump Carbuncles of the physiognomy. We live upon the physiognomy. The eyes are volcanoes; the hypotheneuse Of the nose is an alpine ridge ; the whiskers Primeval forests; and the mouth agape Is the Mediterranean sea. And out 'pon The Earth's skull no living thing can live. 2no C. The class is waiting. 1st C. {Aside— shameful). Most learned Doctor, We arc profoundly struck. Professor. I can strike you dumb. Suppose the Earth's huge skull on my shoulders. Observe how the occiput is braced By a conchoidal-cissoid curving under The great trapezium which crushes up The polar axis of the cranium. Then sweeping Down the great hyperborean region, A bold hyperbolical curve lashes The occidental knob, from the summit Of which, an accurate horizontal Parallax might be taken. Dipping thence Into a double hypotrochoid which links A flying quad rat rix with the drooping Catenary of the bristled chin completes Three-fifths of guod erat demonstrandum. (Takes off his hat and applies his hand to his head while describing). What does Columbus know about that? Could he approximate a surd? 1st C. It is absurd. 13 2nd C. It really is, 'pon my word. Diabolical. 1st C. My friend at prayer again, Ejaculating. Professor. The class is waiting. But on the black-board with chalk, I could sweep You and Columbus 'round the Earth, and sketch you As hanging antipodes, with your skulls Glancing up at your vamps, like unto Falling angels with all the blood and marrow In your heads, cut loose upon your descending Expedition to parts unknown. Just as Columbus wants to do. 1st C. (Aside). Close his volcanoes with a sweep of your hand ! Make an antipode of him! Land him On his skull ! Professor. The wind hath changed a quarter point, Bringing with it a moistened cloud which plays Painfully upon an osseous formation On my littlest toe. Therefore, punctual Time, to keep with my expectant class, I will depart with quick but limping step. I will gratify your appreciative ears Soon again with profounder views. Adieu. \_Exit.~] 1st C. Health and happiness! Adieu. 2nd C. His due would be to bruise his osseous formation. That old spluttermug is crazy. The buffer Knows nothing of where Columbus is. Let us Go in search at once. 1st C. You think so? You may be right. Let us learn for ourselves. 14 2nd C. We should have dune so sooner, instead Of gaping at that scuttled skull maniac. Then away ! [Exeunt.'] Scene. — Front of Alhambra Palace During the Surrender of Granada. (Shots heard inside. Drums, bugles). Dead and dying on the ground. (Bustle, Ambulances, &c). Enter the King, surrounded by officers. A Courier in attendance. King (to Courier). Place a saddle upon the wind, or find A swifter horse than that which bore my last Dispatch. Carry this important message To the Queen, and acquaint her majesty In your own words of all that you have seen Of The storming and surrender. Tell her We witnessed the lowering of the crescent, Heard the last shot fired, have the Alhambra And all the forts in hand, and Boabdil In safety ; and that in the panic The city's needs have been generously met. Speed your way and ere the blink of twilight Find me at the Alhambra with return news. [Exit Courier]. ( To officers and soldiers). Comrades in arms! Once again a Spaniard, A Spaniard is, for Spain belongs to Spain. This day the historian lays down his pen. The story of eight hundred years is ended. During eight centuries the swarming vampires Have sucked the veins and arteries of Spain, And have left our skeleton in the school-books, Nothing better than a tradition. Now The multitudinous resurrection Of our race, shall as much surprise the Earth As it has confounded our enemy. 15 King. No more symbols, signs, or shows of Islam Shall defile our hind. Yet from our captives, Mercy measured with a leaning balance, Shall not be withheld. War resounds no more. Its smoke, turned to golden clouds, canopies A jubilee of peace. Nothing remains For us who hold direction of affairs Hut to administer with collective wisdom Our long lost, well won province. Let the troops Relieved from action defile before us. That we may exchange greetings and observe Their exulting pride [aside]. Our plenty-day lias come. Now for Columbus ! (Review, music, cheers, &c). Scene. — A public street. Enter Punchinello and Pipes (two strolling showmen), from opposite sides. Punch. War and thunder, brother showman ; that's not you ? Pipes. Slight mistake, if it's not. Punch. Where have you been starring it, past five years? Pipes. Under ground, part of the time. Where have you been ? Punch. Just escaped. Wrenched a lock, forced a holt. Filed a chain, bored a six foot hole. Couldn't digest hard tack. Who rammed you underground? Pipes. No one. It was voluntary compulsion. Within the walls of Granada J stayed While the raging siege; progressed. The maddened . Moors resolved to spike all Spaniards in the town. 16 Pipes. Taking the hint, I took a bucket too, And jumped the bucket with myself Down into a well, full forty feet in depth, And bumped on rats and reptiles whose thirsty shrieks Told that the well was dry. After twenty-seven days, Welcome shouts of triumphant Spaniards rang, I climbed to daylight and here I am again. Punch. The law was out of order, you will judge In my case. I started two fandango fellows Before a sick man's house, to wring some coins From his agony. He showered the money out To get us off. I then redoubled The racket of the pipes to worry him, But instead of sending out more money, He sent for the officers of the law, Who grasped and chucked me, while my partners Vanished with the cash. Pipes. I stifle to think that our profession Should have come under the bludgeon of the law. Punch. Did it ever strike you that our profession Is rattling down the hill? Pipes. Yes; it struck me insensible at the bottom Of the well. Punch. I grieve to observe that third-class impostors Are imitating our entertainment. Pipes. Bad enough ; but blame the war more than all. The lower orders of the Moors always Patronized our entertainments. To catch the upper classes, a slow broken bone Lamentation was just the thing. The Moors Are now down, and we may fling the pipes And Punchinello on top of them. 17 Punch. Hold! here comes an angel with two children. (Enter Beatrix and two children passing along). Pardon, gracious madam, our overflowing Desire to gratify the little hearts of children. Our show being chaste, they can look, laugh, and listen, And investigate free of all expense. Beatrix. Accept the expense. You can owe them The amusement. (Gives them money). ( While Punch is speaking, Pipes stands aloof, gazing in wonder at Beatrix). We are pressed for time. Pipes (aside). Madam, pardon one word more. Startled By your resemblance to a most distinguished Lad}' whom my sister nursed, impelled, I feel To speak. Many generations of her race My family have served, in humble grade. Beatrix. Whereto, belonged those people of whom you speak ? Pipes. Cordova. Beatrix. Their name. Pipes. Enriquez. The youngest daughter, Beatrix, was by My sister nursed. My father her father's Tast}^ gardener was ; and. as trusty coachman My grandfather drove a noted span for Her grandfather. Beatrix. What is 3 T our name? Pipes. Espinosa. 18 Beatrix. That the strict breeding of a sobered home, Should have east off a fantastic rover Like you, seems strange, Pipes. A restless boyhood drifted me to sea. By savage pirates I was then enslaved. 1 tricked their vigilance, and from bondage Tore to the open sea again. A ship-wreck Changed the current of my thoughts, and I roved For years upon the land, blowing the horn At times, for the royal mail. A showman I then bought out. This is my career. Beatrix. You are a man of honor without reward. Perhaps your lucky hour has come. Would money Tempt you to the sea again ? Pipes. Any day for good pay I am ready. Beatrix. Then come aside. You can cage a secret? I am Beatrix Enriquez. These are children of Columbus. I am conveying them to court unknown To him. You have heard of Columbus? Pipes. Many and many a time. Beatrix. Talk is rife again about his expedition. Should his canvas spread, I shall have on board Observant eyes to play the faithful watch. The place is yours. Like your messmates you must Also play the sailor. But secretly You shall make in briefest diction a record Daily of every incident of moment To Columbus. Note his orders, tone of voice, The cloud and sunshine on his looks ; His health, appetite, and snatching slumbers, And above all his joys, if any, he reveals. His joys are the dress garments of my poor love. 19 Beatrix. Alas! my love is charted as a reef, Or quicksand by him, but second soundings Will prove it, the sunken wreck of affection. I am comforted now at meeting one Of the time-tried followers of my kindred [\\ whom I can confide. To-morrow, dawn, Vou will meet me again, where this card instructs. (Gives him a card). If worthy, your comrade might share my friend- ship, too. Pipes. 1 am all action without prattle. Prattlers and tattlers were scarce in my family. Beatrix. Time is pressing. Come children, wo must away. Adieu. [Exit]. ( While Pipes is speaking with Beatrix, Punch is enlight- ening the children on the mysteries of the show). Punch. Who was that meek inspiration ? Pipes. Can you cage a secret ? Punch. \ r es ; and I can stitch it in tlie lining Of my coat. Pipes. Whisper. She's a discovery. Punch. Has she discovered on us? Any danger? Pipes. Danger and discovery are sometimes Fields of fortune. Punch. * Yes, I have found them so, When discovery of danger, disclosed The danger of discover)-. 20 Pipes. Danger or. death, I am going to discover something. I shall auction off the pipes and jingling bobs. I am into a prime game of go-between With money on both sides. Between my claws The lovers shall feel a squeeze. Punch. Why not give your chum a chance? I'll give you points. Pipes. We'll talk it over. Bring your traps along. Your companionship may yield some Cunning hints. [Exeunt]. Scene — Interior of La Ribida. Columbus, Prior Juan Perez, Martin Pinzon, Doctor Fernandez, &c. Friar. Her majesty I found at Santa Fe, In that gracious mood which is hers .alone. Being a former penitent of mine, Her royal presence reproduced old joys. Welcome I expected, but more I received, And to your advantage very much indeed. Isabella rose to bounding plaudits As her voice mounted to yowx bold conceptions. She expressly charged, without stop or stay, That you at court present yourself in person, To instruct her in your plans, requirements, And the possibilities of results. In your approval lies your own success. Columbus. I must decline, finally, for ever. A month or two ago had Ferdinand Thrown me his pockethandkerchicf in jest, I would have carried it to the mast-head As a flag, and proudly dared the ocean With a ten ton caravel. Worlds were cheap When a worthless rag could have fired adventure. Since then new worlds have sobered in their rates. 21 Columbus. Values have advanced far beyond the reach Of Arragon. That which I propose to find I shall carry to a foreign marl for sale. Glory, debased by profit, may not yield Sweet rhymes to poets. But rhymes and glory Have no stalls in market. Therefore, I'll strike A sharp bargain with those who will but trade. Friar. Know } 7 ou, now Columbus, That you have not to treat with Arragon. Your fortune lies in Castile. Commission, Ships, seamen, and supplies, a protecting Hag, And a cheering smile for a fair wind, Are all yours from good Queen Isabella's heart. The monarchs are united by sacred And domestic ties, but Isabella .Rules Castile. You will meet a sailor, a Plato, A Ca?sar, and an angel, in the Queen. Columbus. Kind Father, just when night was blackest, And the dismal journey of life was crossed By puzzling and unfamiliar paths, you, By inscrutible destiny, arose At the point whereat I paused, and led mc Into the pleasant sunshine of hope. I am not short of gratitude, but of terms In which to word it. Your words have saved me From my blind intentions. Your careful soundings At Santa Fe have given me a chart, But above all, you have paid the ransom Of my imprisoned pride, by acting for me. And now my will is yours, with this single .Reservation, that I myself dictate The terms, if I am commissioned. Friar. The means to the end can be proportioned By you alone. Pinzon. Reverend Father, my interposition You will forgive. In your absence, talking With our honored friend, Columbus, upon 22 PiNZON. This self-same question of ways and means, I diffidently let slip the offer Of a seventy-ton first-class caravel, To assist in any expedition With Columbus in command. A sea-boat, Worthy of the waves, she's named the Pinta, And I, her captain, will gladly guide her Wherever Columbus leads. Columbus. Captain Pinzon, our friendship is scaled. Should Isabella prove half as willing As the Captain of the Pinta, the port Of Palos, soon will ring with departing cheers. Friar. Then it is agreed that we have agreed On immediate action. Columbus. Action, if no reaction chills the royal will. Pinzon. Reaction and inaction were buried In the fall of Grenada. At present, Action is the word that applies in Spain. Friar. Then let us act forthwith, each to his work. But friends, all, let us first repair To our humble oratory for a parting prayer. [Exeunt']. Scene. — Private Chamber In the Palace. King Ferdi- nand and Luis St. Angel. Ferdinand. With all our glory I am dismayed by dark Forebodings. St. Angel. The sum of triumph, comes not to the grasp at at once. Sometimes Like fern leaves, the results of war fructify _ On the back; the seeds unseen in propagation Thrive, and in time the land becomes enriched. 23 Ferdinand. How, if sudden blight should blast all the seeds ? Noxious omens now are being waited round. St. Angel. Being exalted, your majesty's ken extends beyond Ours In many things. To common Spanish hearts The prospect could not present more comfort. Ferdinand. Comfort if nothing lay beyond. See that Pompous stretching of the limbs at Lisbon. "Tis meant for might and mettle, but is envy In disguise. From us no active notice Is demanded, but Spain must keep her eye Upon our little neighbor. St. Angel. Confronting possibilities, the safest Statecraft is: A poodle pup fattened Into impudence is not a mastiff; ITis barking at our heels is more fun than fright. Ferdinand. Suppose that poodle should shed all his fleece except The mane, and give a lion's roar. How then? St. Angel. Let all the lions loose that 3-our majesty Loosened on the Moors. Ferdinand. Observation at present, and provision 'Gainst insecurity for the future Is our best policy. It is plain to all That rapid aggrandizement from discoveries Has given vigor to the whole face Of Portugal. Where are we upon the seas ? Pay and bounty must drive our fleets abroad Or else we must recede and brook dictation. St. Angel. Outside empire, if any still remains. Be it rock or region, shall own your flag By the simple sanction of your word. 24 Ferdinand. Outside our word 'twould take some magic meaus To give us that accrument. St. Angel. We have one daring spirit in our midst, With thoughts unborrowed, and too big to lend ; Who can locate a land of gold, his eyes Have never seen. I vouch he can, from proof His words have given. Ferdinand. You mean Columbus? St. Angel. I do. Ferdinand. I know the man as an apparition In my thoughts. He has dogged us with his vast And tedious theories; and approached us Only when the risks of war strained our thoughts. With something sharper than a sword, I cut His theories short. If his soul is hurt, The healing time is come. We'll make amends. St. Angel. To rekindle his esteem, reparation's Easiest course would be a royal order To proceed to sea at once. Ferdinand. That order I cannot give. JSTo party Can I be to an enterprise which hangs As much on chance as on the sailor's skill. Failure would wreck our prestige. St. Angel. Hold your sanction till it has succeeded. The means to float it is what is needed. Ferdinand. It will acquit us best, perhaps, to leave All arrangements to the Queen. Twice she spoke Of summoning Columbus to the court To learn from his lips the positive And the very doubtful certainties of his scheme. 1 would have 3 T our counsel assist her Should Columbus present himself at court; Her sanction should not run too lavish. 25 St. Angel. Between business and benevolence Her majesty can draw the line. To profit By her wisdom, I shall attend upon her, And will suggest, if anything is forgotten. Ferdinand. We are competitors for the world's trade, And it is true new territory we covet, But that from the barbarian only. Find him where we may, by Christendom un- claimed, In palms, or golden filigree attired, We shall trim his traditions and clothe him In the fashions of a new existence. St. Angel. Sound in wisdom every word. But to end Small measurings I say, Columbus westward Let him sail. Discovery's the thing. Ferdinand. Then let Columbus have the chance he craves. His nature's paradox being rashly right, Fits him for the work. His words sound sagel}^ But as ripples are no gauge of depth, drop A well-greased lead into his theories, Humor his ambition with assurance Of honors on his triumphant return. Above all, place his loyalt}^ beyond The touch of our neighbor's envy. At once To the Queen repair. Colum-bus may be In audience at this moment. St. Angel. Your royal words in rekindling echo Shall be rendered to her majesty. The tide is with us. Yea, the awaiting flood Is more momentous than that which carried Caesar and his fortunes. Every ebb of tide Now counts against us. To the Queen forthwith ! [Exit], 26 Ferdinand. Two uncommon citizens ! a prophet And a discoverer. Whether the waves Our words bemoan or loudly verify, We shall the meanwhile spend the interest Of that fictitious capital called hope. But the rank unwholesome Moorish question Has left unfinished work, which strains the strength Of all our" thoughts. A train of sturdy Measures must be enforced to end the question Forever and forever. [Exit]. Columbus before Isabella at Santa Fe. Present- Nobles, Prelates, Sage Professors, and distinguished Ladies. Isabella. Christopher Columbus, our inaction During the interlapse, since your first appeal, Was caused by the turmoil and financial Drain of protracted war. To make amends Now, we have summoned you to our presence. Your bold proposals in all their bearings, G-iven from your own lips, will best satisfy Our judgment. You shall supremely govern Our whole attention, by now proceeding With any method of instruction you may adopt. {Enter Luis St. Angel). Columbus. Your most gracious majesty, descrying The golden. Indies would be an ecstacy, But the pride of discovery would not Half compare with the exalted pleasure Imparted by your royal and befriending Words. To the whole world it is no secret That your majesty has a generous heart ; Therefore, I have made no discovery. But to gratify that heart, discovery I shall bestow, if sanction is vouchsafed. In bringing my theories before you, I shall strike all philosophy from them, 27 Columbus. Save the points that failed at Salamanca. First point: are antipodes impossible If the earth is round. Ptolemy says no. He belts the Earth with four and twenty hours, And fifteen of these he precisely gives To the extended are ttoit joins Thina> In Asia, to the Canaries' ancient group. One hour more to the Azores, makes sixteen, And makes all of the world that now is known. I propose to find the eight hours missing, Which in degrees, six score measure. 'Tis plain If our race can swarm with an all-angled Footing upon a curve, twelve score degrees, They can hold the remaining arc. But still We are asked is the world round. Shadows an- swer that. But a sailor's proof is deemed the simplest. Before he sights the ship itself, he sees The lofty sails. Next blurted question is : Are the glittering Indies fiction To make the toddlings gape. The answer must come From the very lips of the illustrious dead. Marco Palo, w T ho had seen the roofs of gold, The golden stairway, the hundred thousand Elephants, all caparisoned in gold, And the dazzing profusion of precious stones, Was asked upon his dying bed to retract His statements. He said no. After him The noble Mandeville swej)t the Indies, And others followed, and their narratives Endorse each other. Marco Palo went By an eastern route. I propose to go By a western route to plant the banners Of your majesties in the golden Indies. Isabella. Columbus, enough ; decision is reached. We are convinced. You may forthwith proceed With active preparations. I hereby Assume the Avhole responsibility And cost of the expedition on the part Isabella. Of my own crown exclusively. The funds By personal sacrifice shall be found. My jewels shall be pawned and the proceeds To your credit written. St. Angel. I beg to assure your generous majesty That for this sacrifice there is no need. That money can he advanced from the funds Of Arragon, I have authority to state. Isabella. Either way will equally please. Columbus. With most profound respect and highest Sense of gratitude, I thank your majesty For your most enlightened action. It now becomes my duty to submit The terms on which I accept your commission. To compel strict obedience in the fleet, I demand the title of admiral Of the Spanish seas. To gain submission From strange peoples, I demand the title And dignities of viceroy of the lands I shall discover; and in addition, I demand one-tenth of all the products And trade of said lands in perpetuity. St. Angel. Columbus, her majesty's approval .Reflects the King's. For both, I say your demands Are outside compliance. Should your venture Come to nothing, titles would be mere sounds Without rank. Titles should succeed success. Columbus. Every means essential to my enterprise I have well considered, and the result Is given in the conditions named. Before embarking from the shores of Spain I shall humbly claim a royal patent Embodying all my rights and titles. The imperishable parchment engrossed In .Roman letters, and not a letter less, Shall be my credentials to the grand Kahn Of all the Indies. 29 [SAB ELLA. I do think Columbus should be clothed With superior power to compel respect From his warrior seamen. Concession- Most generous we are willing to make. St. Angel. These shrewd claims so suddenly announced Call for consideration. Columbus. I shall all abandon, or insist. No compromise. St. Angel. Then I propose immediate conference With the King. That will satisfy us all. Columbus. Satisfied 1 am, if I am satisfied. Isabella. Now Columbus, the time is come to say Goodbye. Take this little cross for my sake To the dismal seas, and in tempest and Solicitude, it will remind you that The seas arc swept by the merciful eye Of Him who died for you. Health ! Safety ! And a triumphant return ! Adieu ! Columbus. With that cross, your majesty, other crosses Shall be overcome. St. Angel. Now to the King for conference. {All withdraw). ACT II. Barcelona. — Scene. — A Street. In centre a public font surmounted by statue, behind which Beatrix secretly listens. Time — Midnight. Enter Don Ignacio {in dis- guise) and Espinosa. Ignacio. Out with it now, this deserted byway sleeps. None can hear us ; minutes count. Espinosa. Come, funnel up your ears, and I'll fill you up With sea-water, notes, and memoranda Splashed from the admiral's own log. No lie. That log is mine ; a mine of gold it's worth. This is the fourtune treacherous Pinzon lost. lie deserted Columbus, and steered home To be the first to trumpet to the court The great discoveries, and claim the prize. This book opens the road to the new world Without the company of Columbus. . I, therefore, am the richest man in Spain. Ignacio. How fell this precious record to your luck ? Espinosa. Too full of wonder am I now to tell. Ignacio. To kill impatience burst the wonder quick. Espinosa. There may be profit in patience. Attend : Now I know nothing about azimuth, Longitude, and angular distance. But this book is crammed with these ocean mile- stones, Which mark the unerring path for ships to sail. You or I can reach the new world now. Ignacio. Did Columbus rejoice at finding land? 31 ESPINOSA. Yes; and our hardships were ejected from our heads By the novelty of the scene. Ignacio. Did be name the place first Bighted? Espinosa. Yes; being fond of prayers and holy names, He called it the Island of San Salvador. Ignacio. On your return to Spain did Palos fling Her bugging arms round you ? Espinosa. Yes ; her arms took our legs from under us. Tossed we were as first-born babes into the air. The whole journey from Palos to Barcelona Was one foaming wine-drinking, trumpeting Triumph. Ignacio. You will show your shining buttons In to-morrow's triumphal procession ? Espinosa. Yes; all who have returned from the Indies Will escort Columbus and the Indians Through the streets. Ignacio. You will return to the Indies ? Usptnosa. Never as a sailor; perhaps, as a speculator. 10NACIO. Well, suppose that I speculate in that book, And that you speculate with the gold exchange? Espinosa. Where is your cloud-capt mountain of gold With which to buy it? Pooh ! if I go to any Of the hangers-on round the court, such as Bobadilla, Ovando, or De Ojcida, They will sack the royal mint and give me Barrows of bullion for one single peep At this guide to the land of gold. 32 Ignacio. O, come to business. How to your luck Did this log book chance to fall? Espinosa. That's a history. A scapegrace life I lived for many }^ears ; at last I chanced To meet a mystery — a love struck lady. She idolized no less a person than Columbus. In vain she schemed at playing The stowaway in the Santa Maria. But detection fearing, with bribes she tempted me To ship, and plaj r the watch. With her name in- scribed, That vapory maiden handed me this book. In it I was to make a daily note Of every action, mood and emotion Of Columbus, to soothe her pining soul. 1 jumped on board and chuckeled. Then threw the book Under the keen eye of the Admiral. As if the dead had risen he whitened At reading Beatrix Enriquez On the first page. I claimed the book, and more 1 claimed the lady as the benefactress Of my humble family. His heart burst bounds. I was made admiral's valet with charge Of all private papers and the log. Ignacio. Then you stole the log? Espinosa. No ; from it I made a daily copy Of every recorded observation, for outward And return voyage. This is the copy And true log. Ignacio. You have deceived Columbus and the lady. Espinosa. Yes ; I have. But think you, that I who had prowled In the raw winds of poverty and lain In the lairs of hounded thugs, and smut clouts, Could have suddenly recast my nature 33 ESPTNOSA. To compile u cupid's love-book, for this Fitful damsel, to construe her dreams by? No ; T risked my life for fortune ; let him Who will, give his life for glory. Ignacio. Some royalty of soul sparkles in your words. When honesty becomes enriched by toil, Its independence is storm-proof. Espinosa. Sir, you do me justice. My true motives Being not misunderstood, breeds an inward Satisfaction. Ignacio. Our sympathies entwining for mutual good Prove us as well matched as nature's twins. Espinosa. May this healthy friendship never need a drug. Ignacio. Gilded pills are the drugs for enmity. Each the other we, in barter may outbid, But he who bids for one, must buy us both. Espinosa. Your lusty frankness is a cue to business. To a midnight tavern let us quickly trip And with a flask of wine place tuis treasure (the book) In the scales. Ignacio. Agreed. ESPTNOSA. You know Barcelona? Is there an open house? Ignacio. Yes ; two turns of the street will bring the sign Of the Caravel in sight, where good wines, A rosy widow, and welcome can be found. Espinosa. Then let us thither, away. [Exeunt], {Enter Beatrix from behind the Font). 34 Beatrix. Angels of heaven disarm my vengeance Whilst I pursue these demons. The ghoul-eyed Slimy spiders now spread their midnight mesh To catch their incautious prey. To entangle The brave Columbus is their aim. Round me Already the poisoned coils are wreathed, But the sleepless sentinels who keep watch Over unwary souls, w r ill blast the plot, And cast the shame of daylight upon the rogues. The iron knaves, with swine-fat phrases rub Each other. I'll track them to hear the last Syllable of their reeking spume, though death Doth follow. ' \Mxi£\. Scene. — A vast and magnificent Saloon in the Royal Palace of Barcelona. Thrones under a rich canopy of brocade of gold. King, Queen, and Prince Juan seated. A throng of nobles, cardinals, and Court dignitaries. Enter Columbus accompanied by In- dians. All kneel down, and tJ