May in the issue of this marriage see

A hand, a sword, a claimant of the Crown

A cause of strife. I grant the marriage rash,

But out of common life this lesson cull:
A marriage unadvisedly contracted

By a hot stripling, in the parent's heart
Kindles a flame at first; but useless ire
Is transient with the wise; for were it not,
Age should in anger more exorbitate
Than youth in love. The parent pacified,
Binds by a frank forgiveness to himself
In bonds of gratitude his erring son:

And even as he his son, I deem the Church,

With reconciling and reclaiming love,

Should conquer back the King. My humble voice, Bending to better judgments, thus concludes.

MORCAR.

O thou dead fly that spoilest the pot! O grub!
O maggot that dost grow to be a snake!
God spat thee out for being neither hot nor cold,
Thou Mammon's friend, and Lucifer licked thee up.
Woe to thee, Judas! Art thou not accursed?
O shame! O sin! oh havoc to the Church!

The Devil shall hang thee up to dry, thou rag!

For thou art soaked and saturate with sin.

Brother, art thou mad ?

He is no traitor, but a faithful priest.

Why dost thou rail upon him thus !

Cry out and cease not! saith the voice I hear

Search out the sleights of Bel and slay the Dragon; And who saith cease, be dumb!

ODO.

I say it, Brother ;

Yea, I command thee cease.

Our Brother Monn

Is wishful to be heard; speak, Brother Monn.

MONN.

My loving friends and Brethren, we are met
Upon this marriage, not to speak our own,
But to declare God's judgments, never yet
Made manifest by such apparent signs,

Such prodigies and portents. Think, oh, think
Upon the darkness of that marriage day!
Throughout the land a dismal horror spread;
In Essex it rained blood; at Evesham

An image of the Virgin, as ye know,

Was seen to weep, and sweat, and lift its hands,
And roll its eyes; at Selsey and at Wells

The vault of Heaven was filled with falling stars,
And fiery serpents weltered in the skies.
Have we forgotten that these things befell,
Or know we not their import? Then, alas!
Are we more careless of the cause of God
Than Gallio, more blind than Elymas.

But if we bear in mind that such things were,

We must not, dare not, judge what God hath judged.

GODREDUD.

The worthy Abbot, by my faith, my Lords,

Doth excellently well to bid us weigh

These miracles and signs. They signified,

Doubtless, some untoward events, my Lords;
But what those untoward events should be,

Behoves us not too rashly to deliver

;

Divisions in the realm, it may be war,

Implacable revenge, and hatred dire,

And wrath, which wills not that its wounds be healed.

The birthday of a progeny like this

Would doubtless teem with warnings, which to pervert
Or put aside, should work us infinite woe;

But to those premonitions, further signs
Constructive and illustrative succeed,

And now two armies in the South and West
Auspiciously afoot, give countenance

To Edwin's cause as favoured from above,
And warn us, if fair terms of composition

Be offered, not to spurn them.

SIDROC (aside to WULFSTAN).

Now, now, now;

Stand up and speak-produce them.

WULFSTAN.

Here they are,

Most noble Godredud, here are the terms:

'I, Athulf, Earl, intent on sparing life,
But purposing to lodge my force in London
At latest in three days, to all concerned

Send greeting and say thus: All Regulars,
Since Edred's death supplanted, may return,
Save those who did themselves, in Edred's reign,
Supplant in benefices duly holden

The Secular Incumbents; the new Queen
Shall be received, and so soon as the Pope

Shall grant his dispensation, shall be crowned;
Which yielded, no man in his life or goods

Shall answer for the past.'-My Lords and Brethren,
These are the terms I bring you from Earl Athulf,
And I am Wulfstan.

(Acclamations from the Secular party, mingled with shouts of rage and execrations from the other.)

Brethren, hear me speak.

Brethren and friends, I fain would speak to you—

My friends and Brethren, hear

me,

I beseech you.

ODO.

My Sons, this passion and this noise, I hold

Unworthy this assembly. Hear him speak,