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XMAS DOUBLE NU M BER

C O T E R I E

NINA HAMNE T T

W i n t e r , 1 9 2 0 - 2 1os. 6 & 7

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C O T E R I E A QuarterlyA R T , P R O S E , A N D P O E T R YGenera l Ed i to r : Russe l l Green .Am er i can Ed i to r s : Conrad Aiken , Sou th Ya rmo uth , M ass ., U .S .A.

Stanley I . Rypins, Universi ty of Minnesota ,Minneapolis, Minn., U.S.A.Edi to r i a l C o m m i t t e e: T . W. Ea rp .Aldous Huxley .N i n a H a m n e t t .L i t e ra ry and Ar t Con t r ibu t ions fo r pub l i ca t ion in C O T E R I E shouldbe addressed to the Edi tor , 66 C h a r i n g Cross Road , London , W.C.2 ;or in U.S.A. to t h e Amer i can Ed i to r s .Al l o ther communica t ions should be addressed to Hendersons,66 Char ing Cross Road, London, W.C.2.Co ntr ib utor s wh o desire the re t ur n of re jec ted MSS. a re requestedto enc lose a s tamped addressed envelope . .C O T E R I E i s publ i shed Qu ar ter ly , pr ice 2s. 8d., pos t f ree . Year lysubscript ion, 10s. 8d., post free.New York, U.S.A.: Copies m a y be purchased a t Bren tano ' s ,pr ice 75 cents ; or year ly , $3 .P a r i s : Copies m a y be had from W. H. Smi th & Son, Rue de Rivol i .

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C O T E R I E

NI NA HAMNETT

LON DO N : HEN DER SON S SIXTY-SIX CH AR ING CROSS ROAD

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C O T E R I E , W i n t e r , 1 9 2 0 - 2 1 , Nos. 6 and 7X m a s D o u b l e N u m b e r

- C O V E R D E S I G N b y N I N A H A M N E T TI . J o h n B u r l e y :" Cho p and C hange " 6

I I . R o y C a m p b e l l :Canal 23 Th e H ead 23T he Sleepers 24I I I . W i lf r id Rowland Ch i lde :H y m n t o t h e E a r t h 2 6I F . T h o m a s E a r p :Grand Passion 28 Pos t -m or t em 28Cow boy Bacchanale 29

V. Godfrey E l to n :Fa rc ica l Rh ym e 31V I . J o h n G o u l d F l e t c h e r :Th e Star 32 W h o wi l l M ark 33-

V I I . F r a n k H a r r i s :A k b a r : T h e " M i g h t i e s t " 3 4V II I . Russe ll Green :Gull iver 52

IX. G. H . John stone :Naive 58X . P . M. Jones :Th e St ree t A rt i s t 60

X L A n n a G . K e o w n :A bd ul , having cau ght faint echoes of Elfin m usic ,becom es dissatisfied w ith m or tal thin gs 64F r o m m y W i n d o w 65X I I . R a l p h H o l b r oo k K e e n :Bat t le 67

X I I I . H a ro ld M o n r o :Ou t s ide Ed en 68X I V . E v a n M o r g a n :

Y o u t h 7 0

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X V .X V I .

X V I I .X V I I I .X I X .X X .

T h o m a s M o u l t :For you , b r igh t o rangeflowersRegina ld Randerso n :Th e R ink W al t z 74R o n a l d R i e h i n g :Th e H ou se of Blood 77Edge l l R iekword :A Dead Mis t ressD o r o t h y M . R o b e r t sBlea Ta rn 87

73

86

Michael Sadle i r :Urb an Dia logue 88X X I . Pa u l Se lve r (Fou r Trans l a t i ons ) :Otak ar Brez ina : Th us sang the W ate rs 91A nton in So va : Bizarre Dre am 93J . S . M ach ar : Tra c ta te on Pa t r io t i sm 97" 1 8 9 6 " 100 Jo t t in g in la te W inte r 100Eleg y of the A rgo nau ts 101

X X I I . L . A . G . S t r o n g :Im ago 102 The Old Po stm an 102X X I I I . E . I o n S w i n le y :

Th e Li f t ing of the D ark 108X X I V . I ris T r e e :A t a Da nce 110 Th e Chu rch l13X X V . O sc ar W i l d e :T o M . B.- J . 115

X X V I . G . M . B es se m er W r i g h t :Th ree Fables 116Drawings I .I I .I I I .I V .V .V I .

J . RubczakJ . RubczakJ . RubczakNelsonMendjizkyE t h e l b e r t W h i t e

V I I .V I I I .IX .X .X I .

ZavadoKisl ingKisl ingR e n e D u r e yR e n e D u r e yFor Publishers' Lists see pages 121-124.

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E D I T O R I A LI. " Of COTEEIE : No. 5 (Henderson's . 2s. 6d.), we can only say (ad ap tinga wel l-known l ine from a pr ize p o em ), ' I t i s not b et te r ; i t i s much the same. 'T he word 'c ote rie ' signifies ' a set of persons associated by exclusive interests, 'and the ineffectiveness of this quarterly is due to the individualism of i tscontributors, several of whom possess considerable talent and originali ty.This autumn number is superficially marred by certain tedious and sil lyco nt rib ut io ns ; bu t i t is also suffering from a more deep-sea ted ma lady,nam ely, i ts lack of collective significance. Such ephem eral pub licatio ns areof no value unless they express a coherent group-movement , and COTERIE isth e loosely-edited miscellany of a gro up which is united o nly by a n o rang epaper cover decorated with a fake-Beardsley design." Read i ng t he poem s i n COTERIE , one remembers the plague of verse-publication which continues l ike an everlasting Spanish influenza epidemic.Of these verse-writers, not one in a thousand seems to have any consciousnessof the essential soli tude of his craft . Fo r th e min d of th e poe t should be asoli tary region, where he seeks for the quintessence of his human experience,thro ug h a gra du al process of incub ation and fusion of ideas. T he lyricalexpression of those ideas should be spo ntane ous and effortless. An d spon taneity is a rare blossoming which cannot be forced into flower by intellectualand emot ional hot-house cul ture." "Daily Herald," Nov. 24th, 1920 .I I . " I t i s , in any event , bad enoug h to have conscientiously to ' k n i f e 'people, particularly if we know them, and, above all , if we l ike them ; but i tis especially uncomfortable to do i t whilst compulsorily hidden behind a darkcurtain sustained by the hands of an editor."

Editorial Notes, "London Mercury? Nov. 1920.I I I . Of COTERIE , No. 5 : " It is a p ity so muc h pa per should be wastedon so much rubbish." Literary Intelligence, "London Mercury," Nov. 1920 .IV. Of COTERIE , NO. 5 : " T ha t enterpr ising quar ter ly."" Manchester Guardian? Oct. 9th, 1920.V. Of COTERIE , NO. 5 : " A good number of th i s ' i nd ep en de nt ' qua r t er lymagazine." " Times Literary Supplemen t," Oct. 28th, 1920 .

CO T E R I E has now been in ex is tence for over a year anda half. Relying for success rather upon inherent qual i tythan upon a prel iminary campaign of publici ty , i t has gradual lyattained, by the merit of i ts vital and sincere originality, thefavour of all readers whose critical flair is not warped by maliceor rusted with inept i tude. I t has no t needed six thousa nd

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m ercurial circulars to establ ish i ts re pu tat ion ; nor is i t a idedby a t tachment to a weal thy press .I t wil l be observed, however, from th e prefatory do cum entsabove th at , in the prese nt condit ions governing th e produ ctionof English l i terature, an sthet ie quarterly wri t ten by volunteersrather than by pressmen cannot hope, despi te the obvious sinceri ty and accomplishment of i ts expression, to escape theirrelevant invective of crustacean criticasters or the dull maliceof philistine sciolists. Pe rh ap s, therefor e, since C O T E R I E hashithe rto abstained from the contem porary and tradi t ional foibleof prefacing each nu m be r w ith a heavy declara tion of editorialpolicy, i t may be allowed for once to depart from its custom bydisposing, with an efficient brevity, of a few of the criticalinanities with which it has been assailed.First , then, as to the Daily Herald. It may seem needlessto di late on the pueri l i ty of the at tempt to make capital out ofthe tit le of C O T E R I E ; that at tempt is as absurd as i t would be todemand tha t t he Herald should consist of nothing but announcemen t s , t ha t t he Athenum should contain nothing but erudit ion,tha t the Mercury should exhibi t wit and vivaci ty. T he at te m ptis , however, consistent with the falsity of logic which distortsth e w hole cri t ique. Fo r no com m on intel l igence can fail to seethat it is despicably illogical to insist in the second paragraphthat the poet is essentially individual when in the first paragraphthe essential individualism of the poets in C O T E R I E is denouncedas a grave faul t . I t is indeed incredible th at one and the samemind could have wri t ten those two mutual ly repugnant paragraphs unless biassed by the mos t obst inate prejudice or ben ightedby the most impenet rable s tupid i ty .

Were the Herald represen tat ive of labour one m ight wellant icipate with Horror the advent of the Soviet bureaucracy theydesire, wh en creat ive l i terature would be racked upon a pro -crustean formalism and jaundiced with the anmia of a flat andsullen uniformity.

Som ething of the same cul tura l Pruss ianism appears in th ecriticisms of the Mercury. It is a pi ty that these renegades from4

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th e fraternity of le tters should so be tray th e solidarity of cult ure .I t is n ot by perp etua t ing the barrel organs of G eorgian poe trytha t the race of Helicon shall be renewed. N or is Englishl i terature in general l ikely to rebui ld i ts Pa rth en on ou t of theaccum ulated rubble of a sombre academicism. B ut i t is c leartha t the anonymous au thor of the chancrous acr imony whichpasses for criticism in the Mercury's notice of C O T E R I E No. 5has read no further than the table of conte nts. Bou nd by thedubious honour of a part isan to mention the two contributors whohave also appeared in the Mercury, he makes no mention of theadmirab le poem of G era ld G ould , whom he had taken pa ins tom ention in the preceding paragraph as a contrib utor to theVenturer. Nor would the ingenuous reader of the Mercurygath er f rom the ir remarks tha t H . J . Mass ingham, Ed m un dBlunden , Ro bert Nichols , and T. S . El io t a re mutu a l con-tribu tors to both journals . St i l l less, w itho ut an int im ateknow ledge of personali ties in contem porary let ters , could the ydivine the depth of personal animosi ty which underl ies theMercury's apparent ly purely cri t ical resentment .

So m uch for th e rect i tud e and del icacy of contem porarycriticism. A s far as we are aw are C O T E R I E was not iced in theMercury for the first t ime in N ovem ber, 1920, tho ug h C O T E R I Ewas in existence mo re tha n six m onth s before the m ounta inouspartu ri t ion of that journ al was announ ced w ith such elaborateand lavish advert isem ent . W e m ay assume th at the rivalryof C O T E R I E is begin ning to arou se trepida tion as the fact g ainsrecognit ion that C O T E R I E is the only periodical of stand ing incontem porary l i terature which contains noth ing bu t work ofcreat ive imaginat ion.

To those whose criticisms of C O T E R I E have been the criticismsof gent lem en we are very grateful. O thers we wo uld rem ind ofthe urbane canon of Horace'. . . Li cu it s em perq ue licebitSignatum praesen te no ta procudere nummum. '

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J O H N B U R L E Y

" C H O P A N D C H A N G E "Characters

KING HEN RY VII I ANN BOLEYNQUEEN KATH EEINE THE KING'S BARBER

K I N G H E N R Y V I I I . an d Q U E E N K A T H E R I N E are seated at breakfast (barons ofbeefhamsbeer) a Page or two in attendance.

H E N R Y . This is intolerable . W he re is the Card inal, boy ?A m I to be expec ted to s it here a t breakfast with n oth ing to dobu t ta lk to the Q ueen, witho ut th e morning 's news of wh at ishappening in the King dom ?QUEEN. A m I so dull for you, m y liege ?HENRY. W ell , dam n i t , I 've spent the night with you. I fI 'd had any thin g to say to you, or you'd h ad any thin g to say tom e , it would have been said long ago.QUEEN. There was a t ime when you could always f ind something to say to me.HENRY. W ell , well , I suppose the re was. A nd w here isBo leyn? Boleyn 's a mig hty a t t rac t ive you ng wom an, I f ind.U po n m y word, M adam , I th ink I bear with you because y ouhave Boleyn abou t you. W here 's Boleyn ?Enter A N N B O L E Y N , debonnairepats back hair.A N N . I am here , your Majes ty [turning to QUEEN] . Y o u rpardo n, M ada m, th at I am late . I broke the lace of m ycorselet.HENRY. M ad am ! M ad am ! H ave a ca re ; such ma t te r s a reno t me ntion ed in this country . I pray you do no t learn from

her Majesty the license of Spain. [She curtsey s apologetically.]If you were not good to look on you would not be pardoned forsaying such thin gs, tho ug h, for tha t m atte r , if you w ere no tgood-looking it would not matter if you said them.6

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QUEEN. Y ou r Majesty is pleased to be com plime ntary to m ylady-in-wait ing.HENRY. I am . I am very pleased to be com plim enta ry to

iler. U po n m y soul she is a fine wen ch. If I we re no t m arriedto you, M adam and w hen I come to thin k of i t , why shouldI be m arried to you longer tha n I feel inclined ? A m I no tK i n g ?Q U E E N . Surely, m y l iege. A nd am I no t your Quee n ?H E N RY . Ay, there 's the rubbut there is no reason whyyou should co ntinue to be, is there ?Q U E E N . D O you not love me a lit t le even now ? I pray youleave us, Ann, and pages.H E N RY . Nay , don ' t go, Mistress Boleyn.ANN. I am the Queen's servant , your MajestyI obey her.H E N R Y . If you're hers, you're mine the m ore. Stay.Q U E E N . G O , A nn . You should know bet ter , Ha l , than tointerfere in household matters.[Ann goes, HENRY calling after her.QUEEN. Do you not love me st i l l , a l i t t le , Hal ?H E N RY . When you cross me l ike this ? No . M ost of th et ime I suppose I do in a sort of way; but I want a change.QUEEN. T he change you w ant has a nam e, I think. I think

her name i s Ann.H E N RY . Yo u have the right there. I have taken a gre atfancy to that Ann of yours.QUEEN. W el l , Ha l , since you m ust have you r change and ar eth e Kin g, I m ust not be jealous. Com plaisance is a qua l i ty inQueens .H E N RY . M adam , wha t do you imply? Th a t I , K ing o fEn gla nd , should tak e a param our. Y ou r Spanish morals willno t do in Eng lish Co ur ts ! Besides, can you see m e wa nderin gthe corridors at night in a shift ?QUEEN. But , Henry , what d id you imply , then ?H E N RY . W h y , that h'm , wellyou should die and I shouldmake Boleyn Queen.QUEEN . Die ! Bu t I am not i l l !

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QUEEN. A nd he was with m e oncehe said so only to-day ;and he was crazy about meonly quite a short t ime ago i t seems.ANN. It can't have been very serious or he would not be

t ired of you now.QUEEN. Of course i t was serious. Y ou ask Lo rd Som erset .He was a great friend of Henry 's then, and he knewoh, he 'sdead, though !ANN. Yes, and where's his head, I ask you ? Chopped off!QUEEN. W h y , tha t ju st proves how changeable he is. Ibelieve he's very fond of m e still , and j us t has a sort of infatuation for you.ANN. He wants to marry me, anyhow.QUEEN. But he may be fond of me for all that.ANN. H e wo uldn 't wa nt to have you execu ted if he was.QUEEN. Oh, don ' t t a lk about i t ! W on ' t you help me ,A n n ?ANN. H ow can I ? D o you expect m e to scald my faceo r som ethin g to pu t him off? A n d even if I did, his eye'sgot the roving habit now ; he'd find some one else he fancied.QUEEN. B ut , m y dear, doesn 't i t ju st prove th at he 'd t rea tyou in the same way ? His eyes would start roving again in abi t , and then where would you be ?

Enter the COURT BARBER. He bows profoundly.QUEEN. Well , what is i t ?BARBER. I have orders to come to t rim His Majesty 's beard.QUEEN. In the breakfast-room ?BARBER. His Majesty said that I might be required to t rimyour Majesty 's hair at the back.QUEEN. I n ever said any thing abo ut i t . I don't need i t ,thank you.BARBER. His Majesty said something about baring the backof your Majesty 's neck. {The QUEEN and BOLEYN shriek.QUEEN. Th e b ru te !ANN. I won't have him cal led a brute.Q U E E N . Y O U shu t up , A nn . You ' re no t Que en y e t Ipray you, good Barber, say noth ing of al l this again.

[She gives him a gold piece.9

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B A E B E E . I ha v e he a rd no t h i n g , M a d a m . B u t c a n I be o fse rv ice ? I f a ny one know s w h a t is a t t he ba c k o f t h e K i n g ' shead i t should be I .

Q U E E N [wrings her hands]. I don ' t kno w . I don ' t kno w .ANN. H i s M a j e s ty w a n t s t o m a k e m e Q u e e n , b a r b e r , a n df inds Madam in the way.

Q U E E N . A n d t a l k s o f c u t t i n g m y he a d off. H e ' s gon e t osee th e Cardin a l ab ou t i t. I h op e th e Ca rdin a l has a p i t i fu lh e a r t .

B A R B E R . I s h o u l d n o t c o u n t u p o n t h a t , M a d a m , b u t o n t h eC a rd i na l ha v i ng w i t e no ug h t o kn ow t ha t i t w o u l d be a . ve ryunp opu l a r a c t , a nd m i gh t e mb ro i l u s w i t h you r ne ph e w t h eE m pe ro r . H e w i l l r e a li s e t h a t t h i s c ou n t ry ' s i n t e r e s t s a nd y ou r sa r e one i n t h i s ma t t e r .

ANN. A n d w ha t a b ou t m y i n t e r e s t s ? I ha v e r a t he r a f a ncyfo r be i ng Q ue e n .

Q U E E N . A n d m o r e t h a n a f a nc y fo r H e n r y t o o , I h o p e , A n n .I s hou l d ha t e h i m t o ma r ry a ny one w ho d i dn ' t l ove h i m .

B A R B E R . M a d a m , w h a t a b o u t d i v o r c e ?Q U E E N . D i v o r c e ? B u t I h a v e n ' t d o n e a n y t h i n g , a n d H e n r y

ha s n ' t e i t he r ha s he , A nn ?ANN. M a d a m , p r a y d o n ' t i n s u l t m e .Q U E E N . W e l l , t he r e y ou a r e , ba rb e r you c a n ' t ha ve a

d i vo rc e w i t ho u t one o f yo u be i n g na ug h t y , c a n you ?B A R B E R . Y ou 've no i de a ho w e a si ly t ha t s o r t o f t h i ng is

a r ran ged , l ad ies . I th in k yo ur M ajes ty wi l l hav e to seek L a d yA n n ' s a i d t o s e c u re t ha t i t i s d i vo rc e a nd n o t de s t ruc t i on t h a tl e a ds he r t o t he t h rone .

Q U E E N . I don ' t w a n t he r he l p . I ' d r a t he r d i e .B A R B E R . Y o ur M a j e s t y m a y ha ve us e d t h a t e xp re s si on o u t

of fami l i a r i ty wi th th e expres s ion ra the r tha n wi th de a th .E ve n w he n t h e ne c k is ba r e d b y ge n t l e ha nds . . .

[The Q U E E N screams.ANN. I sha l l be very g lad to h e lp .B A R B E R . Y O U mus t f e l l h i s M a j e s t y t ha t you w ou l d he s i t a t e

to m ar ry a B l ue Beard for fea r of yo ur own sa fe ty . H e wi l l10

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threate n to cut your head off if you don't m a n y him. B ut inhis presen t frame of mind if your ladyship could see you rway to tit i l late his fancy, so to speak, while enco uragin g him toremain virtuous in regard to you, I think you could secure much.A N N . A m I supposed to know it 's m e he's after ?

BA RBE R. I thin k it would b e wise to give him t he oppor-tuni ty of indicat ing that himself.Q U E E N . I don't l ike it , you knowI don't , I don't .BA RBE R. Your Majesty meansQ U E EN . Oh , well, I don 't l ike any of it , of course but Imean this divorce business. A nn , go and find W olsey and ge thim away from the Kin g if you can. I wa nt to talk to him.

{Exit A N N .BA RBE R. Y ou r M ajesty m ust realise tha t all this will tur nnot upon some great matter, but upon some tri fle .Q U E E N . W ha t do you mean ?B A R B E R . Your Majesty sees that his Majesty is preparedto em broil E ng lan d in a contine ntal war ju st because he fanciesthe L ad y A nn . Yo ur Majesty m ust think of some triflingm atter to tur n his Majesty 's thou ghts to divorce rather thanexecution.Q U E E N . Can you suggest anything ?BA RBE R. Could his Majesty be reminded that i t would be ashame to cut your beautiful hair ?Q U E E N . H e has no soul for beau ty only a n eye for it .BA RBE R. Miss no opp ortun ity then , M ada m , of pleasinghis eye, and flattering his tas te in all resp ects. H is M ajesty'sfigure leads me to believe that he has tastes if not taste.Q U E EN . B ut it so terrible tha t I have to gain m y life appeal-ing to his stomach.BA RBE R. Ra ther to his palate, M adam. A nd I assure youI who have cut hair and trimmed beards in the loftiest circles for

m any years, th at i t is very, very small mat ter s which alterdestinies.Enter H E N R Y . He goes to a chair and sits down. BA RBE R

encloses him in a wrap and starts trimming his beard.11

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HENRY. W he re the devil is tha t fel low W olsey now ? I 'vebeen looking all over for him.QUEEN. Henry, dear, Ann and I have found a way out .HENRY. Out of what ?QUEEN. Out of having my head cut off.HENRY, My dear, what a way to put i t !QUEEN. W ell , i t 's t rue , isn ' t i t ?HENRY. W ell, well, let us hear it . B ut non e of thosescandalous suggest ions about Ann.QUEEN. D on 't you think tha t m urde r is more wicked thanimmoral i ty ?HENRY. Murder , my dear ! W ho ta lked of murde r ?QUEEN. It would be m urder to have m e executed for

nothing, dear.HENRY. Rubb ish ! A n execution isn 't mu rder, never ; andit wo n't be for not hing . I 've pointed ou t to you th at you 'rebetra ying m e to th e devil, which is certainly high treason .A nd , anyhow, this is a respectable Co urt, and I'l l no t have arepu tat ion forer philanderinggett ing about .QUEEN. W e th ink a divorce would be the best plan.HENRY [starting violently]. Divorce ! [Turning to BA RBE R]Varlet , you've cut my neck.QUEEN. And how do you l ike having your neck cut , Henry ?HENRY. D on 't keep on abo ut tha t , Katherine . Divorce, yousuggested ? I don't like the idea it's not very respectable, tomy mind .QUEEN. D on 't you think you m ight forget your respect-abi l i ty for once, Henry ? For my sake.HENRY. What do you mean ? M e ? Never.QUEEN. W el l, anyho w, if the re spectable people, l ike theClergy and the Universi t ies perhaps, and Cardinal WolseyH E N RY . Wolsey isn ' t respectable, he 's a statesman and

beneath respectability.QUEEN. A nd you're a Kin g, dear, and should be above it .But if they all agreed, don't you think you could save my life ?H E N RY . Divorce takes such a long t ime.

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Q U E E N . N ot in t he case o f k ing s , da r l i ng . I t cou ld be pu tt h r o u g h ve r y q u i c k l y . A n d m y e x e c u t i o n w o u l d b e v e r y u n -p o p u l a r .

H E N R Y . N o t a b i t o f i t . E n g l a n d l ik e s m e . T h e y k n o wI ' m a s p o r t s m a n , a n d t h e y ' d t h i n k m e v e r y s p o r t i n g a n d r a c y t og ive th em a ne w Q ue en w he n I f e l t l i ke i t . A n d if I t o ld t h emt h a t y o u h a d w a n t e d m e t o t a k e a m i s t re s s t h e y ' d w a n t y o u rhead twice ove r .

Q U E E N . A n d t h e r e 's m y n e p h e w , t h e E m p e r o r . H e ' d m a k erow en ou gh , and he i s ve ry power fu l ab ro ad , and mi gh t ge t up al e a g u e a g a i n s t u s .

H E N R Y . I don ' t c a re .Q U E E N . T h e y m i g h t p u t y o u r M a j e s t y t o a g r e a t d e a l o f

e x p e n s e .H E N R Y . T h e d e v i l ! s o t h e y m i g h t . A n d f u n d s a r e n o n etoo p l en t i fu l j u s t now . W e l l , I wi l l l e t you kn ow in ha l f an hou r .G o a w a y a n d s e n d L a d y A n n t o m e . [Exit Q U E E N . ] W h a t d oy o u t h i n k a b o u t t h i s b u s i n e s s , v a r l e t ?

B A R B E R . A roya l execu t ion would be a f i ne s igh t fo r t hep e o p l e , y o u r M a j e s t y .

H E N R Y . Y e s , s o i t w o u l d .B A R B E R . A n d I s u p p o s e t h e r e w o u l d b e m a n y w o u l d c o m e .H E N R Y . Of course .B A R B E R . E v e n of t h o s e w h o w o u l d b e s o r r y t h a t t h e Q u e e n

s h o u l d d i e .H E N R Y . D o y o u t h i n k s o ?B A R B E R . A l l wo uld b e so r ry th a t she shou ld d i e , fo r s he i s a

b e a u t i f u l a n d g o o d Q u e e n . B u t m a n y w o u l d c o m e , f or a l l t h a t .H E N R Y . H o w ' s t h a t ?B A R B E R . S o m e p e o p l e l ik e t o h e a r a l l a b o u t u n p l e a s a n t

t h i n g s , S i r e . S o m e e v e n l ik e t o b e m a d e u n h a p p y , a n d t h e r ea re t hos e wh o neve r mi ss a cha nce o fsav ing y ou r M a jes ty ' sp r e s e n c e h a v i n g t h e i r s t o m a c h w e l l t u r n e d .

H E N R Y . You ' re a d i sgus t ing fe l low.B A R B E R . P a r d o n , S i r e . I h a d n o t t h o u g h t o n e s o p o w e r f u l

would re t a in a power to f ee l d i sgus t ed .1 3

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H E N R Y . W h y o n e a r t h n o t ?B A R B E R . T he e xe rc i s e of pow e r ge ne ra l l y ha s d i s gu s t i ng

re s u l t s f or s o me on e bu t pe rha ps t he y a r e no t s ee n by t hepow e r fu l .H E N R Y . Y o u ' r e t a l k i ng rubb i s h . P o w e r i s a s p l e nd i d t h i nga nd mos t e n j oya b l e .

B A R B E R . Y o ur M ajes ty i s r igh t , bu t th e exerc i se of i t i sperhaps l es s so than the p leasure of having i t and re f ra in ing f rome xe rc i s i ng i t

H E N R Y . W h a t d o y o u k n o w a b o u t i t ?B A R B E R . Y ou r M a j e s t y doe s no t , pe rha ps , r e a li s e t h a t w i t h

a couple of sn ips w i th m y sc is sors I could m ak e yo ur M ajes tylook r id icu lous with o ne sl ip of m y razor I could l e t in a no the rK ing . B u t I re f ra in .

H E N R Y . I t would cos t you your l i fe !B A R B E R . T h a t i s pe r hap s w hy I re f ra in , yo ur M ajes ty .H E N R Y . I shou ld th in k so !B A R B E R . B u t i t p leases me t o feel m y po we r and ye t no t

use i t . U sed , th e po we r i s go ne .H E N R Y . Y ours w ou l d be , I c a n p romi s e you .B A R B E R . T h e pow er to do aga in is so m uc h l es s th an th e

pow e r t o do .H E N R Y . T he re ' s s om e t h i ng i n t ha t .B A R B E R . I f you e xe c u t e t he Q ue e n , S i re , t he r e w i l l be no

p l e a s u re i n yo u r pow e r t o e xe c u t e a ny one i n t he k i ng do m , \ fo ryo u w i l l ha v e e xe c u t e d t he h i gh e s t !

H E N R Y . H u h ! y o u ' r e o n h e r s id e, a r e y o u ? D a m n i t !eve ry one ' s on her s ide , I th in k . G e t o u t ! M y bea rd wi l l dow e l l e n ou gh I s ha n ' t k i s s a ny one t o -da y , I 'm a fr a id . T heQ ue e n doe s n ' t a t t r a c t me , a nd I m us t n ' t k i s s A n n w h i l eK a t h e r i n e i s Q u e e n .

[Exit B A R B E R H E N R Y rises and surveys his fat presence .Enter ANN.ANN. You sent for me , S i re .

H E N R Y . I a m d i s p l e a s e d w i t h you , L a dy A nn .ANN [caressingly]. Oh, S i re , I could not bear your d i sp leasure .

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HENRY. Well, well, child, perhaps displeasure was too stronga term in the m outh of a King. Bu t you should not havedisobeyed me this morning, and left the room when I badeyou stay.Airs. B ut it is her Majesty whom I was appointed to serve,and I thought I ought to obey her.

H E N RY . You were only appointed to serve her, you wereborn to serve your King.ANN. I rejoice in my birth, Sirebut it was a difficultchoice for one so young and inexperienced to have to makeon a s udd en, and you will forgive m e, Sire, if I say th at , livingas I do in such close proximity to the Queen, it seemed wiser toobey her. H e r M ajesty can m ake it very unplea sant at t imes

for those very close to her.HENRY. Th at 's jus t i t . Th at 's jus t i t . I had had to makea very awkward communication to her, very awkward, and I wasafraid she m ight wa nt to argue abo ut i t . Y our dep arture putm e in to a ver y gr ea t difficulty. I n fact I had to leave her lestshe should pursue the subject, which I desired should be con-sidered settled.A N N . But, your Majesty.H E N RY . Call me " Hen ry ," A nn.ANN. Call you Henry, Sire ? W h a t righ t have I to call youH e n r y ?H E N RY . Well, perhaps it is premature, but it seems so coldth at you should call m e " Sire " and " Y ou r M ajesty." I 'l l tellyou w ha t; call m e " Hen ry the Eighth ," that will be a good com-promise unti l you can cal l me Henry.ANN. I do not understand your meaning, Sire.H E N RY . A h, A nn , my dear, i t is perhaps very improperth at I should speak to you while the Qu een is stil l the Que en.B ut she is shortly to be either executed or divorced I amnot qui te sure which yetand then, my A nn , you and I will bemarried, and you can call me " H en ry " or " H al ," or even" Darl in g " or " Old Pud ge ." M eantime, you can call me He nr ythe Eighth, and look upon me as a suitor for your hand.

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A N N . Oh, S i reI mean , oh , He nry the E igh th ! D o youme an you love me ?H E N R Y . N ot while the Queen is Qu een you know, but i f

she wa sn't I should.A N N . A nd are you going to marry me ?H E N R Y . W h en the Qu een is dead, for I think divorcewould be too slow and doubtful .A N N . Oh, Henry .H E N R Y . N o t H e n ry , L a d y A n n . W e mu s t r e me mb er t h a tI am s ti ll a marr ied m an He nry the Eigh th .A N N . But you don ' t rea l ly mean to have the Queenexecuted ?H E N R Y . Ye s, I think so . I don't see any other way tha t is

certain.A N N . Poor Queen .H E N R Y . It 's no goo d considering people's feelings like th at .W e people in high stat ions have to think of the greatest goodof the g reatest num ber, you know and you and I are two , andthe Qu een is only one.A N N . B ut y ou kno w I can 't help think ing w hat I should feellike in her place.H E N R Y . Yo u shall very soon know , Lady A nn . You wi llvery soon be in her place.A N N (gives a scream). Oh, H en ry the Eig hth , you don ' tme an wha t I m ean I m eant in her posi tion abou t execution.H E N R Y . O h, I see. W ell, of course, th at isn't th e sort ofthing that happens often, you know.A N N . But if i t happens once, i t may happen again, and in afew years you may be wanting to cut my head off.H E N R Y . Oh, noI eryou seeeven now w hen I can ' tlove you because I 'm a married man, I feel as though when onceI could start I should love you for ever.A N N . B ut I 'm so frightened th at you wo uldn 't that you'dge t tired of m e and cu t my head off. I do n't think I dar emarry quite such a masterful man.{She ma kes eyes as she says this.

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J. RUBCZAK

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HENRY [preening himself]. Yes, I am masterful . B ut youm ust marry me, you know. You 'l l l ike being mastered ; wom enalways do.ANN. B ut not to tha t extent , dear. M ay I call you dear ?H E N R Y . I don 't think you ought to, you know . A fter al l ,Katherine isn ' t dead yet .ANN. Oh, Henry the Eighth, you are terrible in your power !N o , I daren 't marry you.H E N RY . E h ! W h a t !ANN. I simply daren't ma rry you . I should feel m y hea dloose on my shoulders every t ime you were crabby at breakfast .HENRY. You've got to marry me.ANN. I daren't .HENRY. You'll have your head cut off if you don't .A NN [screams]. OhHenry, you are terr ib leI'm going tofaint. Ca tch m e ! [She drops into his arms.HENRY. T ut , tu t . This sort of thing wo n't do, you know.You're going to be the bride of a strong man and a King, andyou m ust no t be squeam ish. Besides think if you were seenin m y a rm s like this !ANN. B ut you frighten m e. Oh , you frighten me so ! Ca n-no t you be merciful in your grea t stren gth ?H E N RY . Mercy would be a pleasure to me as a private indi-vidual, but I must think of the interests of the State.ANN. Bu t does it m atter to the S tate wh ether you divorcethe Queen or execute her ?H E N RY . Of course it does. It 's very bad for the Sta teth at 1 should be disturbed in min d and tem per, and I shall beth at un til I 've go t this business over. Besides I am t h eSta te .ANN. Wouldn't you hate it if I were your wife and frightenedof you?H E N RY . I should prefer you to be a li t t le frightened of me,I think . I don't believe in this equa lity betw een spouses.especially when one of them is a king.ANN. Oh , a li t t le frigh tened ! B ut w hat if I were terrified,

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and shivered at a cross look, and fainted at a word . A n d o h !I should be terrified, terrified, all the time.[She clutches him tighter.HENRY. Com e now, th at wil l do, dear. Yo u're ups et t ingm e very mu ch. I t is very disturbing to have you in m y arm slike this. A nd if any one came in we should be m isunderstood.ANN. Ca n't I kiss you ? Ju st once ?HENRY. I don ' t th ink you ought to .ANN. Oh, just once ! [She kisses him, then takes h erself outof his arms and folk on one knee.] Oh, my H enry the E igh th ,gr an t me one boon. I long for your love and to be your Qu een ,bu t I am afraidafraid of you . Show m e th at you can bemerciful. Pro m ise never to exe cute me, and as a pledge divorce

the Queen instead of executing her.HENRY. It takes too long.ANN. It could be hurried.HENRY. W el l , go and tel l her th at i f she can get a divorcefixed up within a week she shall save her head.ANN. And your promise for my head, my love.HENRY. Do n ' t call me "yo ur love " l ike tha t , An n . I tsounds very nice to me, but i t would be thought most improperby any one else who heard you.ANN. But about my head.H E N RY . Oh , you 're safe enough. Now away and tel l theQueen what I sayshe'l l want every minute she can get .

{Exit A N N , and re-enter QUEEN, excited.QUEEN. Are you no longer King ?HENRY. NO longer King ? What does this mean ?QUEEN. The Papal Legate has been here.H E N RY . Well , did he say I was no longer King here, therascal?QUEEN. W h a t he said d id am ount to tha t .HENRY. W h a t did he say? Qu ick.QUEEN. I hard ly like to tell you. Y ou r M ajesty m igh t findoffence in my utterance of the words.H E N RY . Nonsensetell me what he says.

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QUEEN. He says the Pope will not allow you to do a certainth ing .H E N RY . And what won't the Pope al low ? Does he forbid

me to execute you ?QUEEN. H e forbids a less serious thin g tha n th a t : he forbidsyou to divorce me.HENRY. Oh , th a t! I suppose tha t 's his affair.QUEEN. H is affair! H is affair to say wh at th e K ing ofEngland must or must not do ?H E N RY . Well, I suppose it 's a kind of religious matter, isn'ti tdivorce ?QUEEN. W h a t if i t were ? Is a foreigner to say w ha t thelaws of England shall be ? H e wou ldn't if I were King !HENRY. Is it a question of the laws of England, think you ?QUEEN. Of course it is. A re m arriage laws the same inEngland as in France ? or in Spain ? Did you marry me byEngland's laws or Pope's ? Is En glan d par t of the Pope 'skingdom, and is England's King his vassal ?HENRY. Th ere's a lot in w hat you say. I t is som ewh at p re-sumptuous perhaps .QUEEN. Somewhat! Are you not a strong King ? Are youa weakling who will let a foreign potentate increase his rights inyour kingdom ? I think he takes you for one.H E N RY . Takes me for a we akling ! Tak es H en ry for aweak K in g ! I will defy him I'll follow none but th e En glishlaws !QUEEN. That 's my o ld Henry up againthe s t rong man, thefirm ruler.HENRY. I ' l l show him. W he re is tha t L eg ate ? H a s h eg o n e ?QUEEN. D on 't t rouble about him, he 's only a minion. D on 'tsend for him. Send him away to R om e, with a message th atyou are a defender of En glan d's faith, and need no messen gerfrom R om e to say wh at you may or m ay not do !H E N RY . I wil l. H ow should he know wh at Eng land's lawsare and what Henry may or may not do .

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QUEEN. L et us be avenged. L et us mak e the L eg ateco-respondent in the divorce!H E N RY . W h a t !QUEEN. W hy no t ?H E N RY . T he world shall never bel ieve th at you wereimm oral, or, for th at m atte r, tha t you could be unfaithful t ome.

QUEEN. W ell , the laws of En glan d will wa nt some reasonfor a divorce.H E N RY . There 's that marriage of yours to my brother, youknow.QUEEN. That couldn't be a reason.H E N R Y . W e'l l see . Le t ' s ask W olsey . [Stamps for PAGE.]

Pa ge , fetch the C ardinal. A nd we'l l send for the learnedest menin Oxford and Cam bridge, and Parl iam ent shal l m eet m yfaithful Parl iament .QUEEN. Can ' t you ma ke th e laws of England , H enr y ? Idon't want to lose my head on some technical point .H E N RY . Look here, i t must be dinner-t ime, Kate.QUEEN. In five minutes dinner will be served.H E N RY . Dinner 's very late to-day.QUEEN. I t will be ready at the usual hour. Fo r m e, I 'mnot hungryyou 've made me too anxious .H E N RY . A ll this fuss has given m e an app etite. [Shouts.]Page ! [Enter P A G E . ] Fetch me a cup of sack and have somebitter herbs squeezed into it . [Exit P A G E . ] Up on m y soul,K ate, you're causing me a lot of worry a lot of worry. I ho peyou appreciate the extent to which I 'm trying to meet yourwishes.QUEEN. I suppose I ought to be feeling grateful for yourthou gh t for me , H en ry, bu t I can ' t help feeling tha t you arethinking chiefly of yourself.H E N RY . I am nothin g of th e sort. I am think ing chiefly ofA nn . A nd that 's natu ral and proper. She's youn g and innoce nt ,you know, and one must consider her interests.QUEEN. W h a t an unselfish man you are, H enr y.

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Enter A N N .Q U E E N . L ad y A nn , here is his M ajesty thinkin g so much ofyour interests th at he really can not think of mine at al l.H E N R Y . I don't think it quite proper that these things shouldbe said to A nn while the Qu een is st il l the Que en. W e m us tpreserve appearances.Q U E E N . Can y our M ajesty no t get this idea ou t of you rhead ? It is only a passing whim, you know, and will cause youan infinity of trouble, and your kingdom, too.A N N . I 'm m uch obliged to your M ajesty. On ly a passingwhim, am I ? We'l l see about that .H E N R Y . L a d y A n n , L a d y A n n ! I beg you , I beg you !If you talk of being Queen like that while her Majesty stil l

occup ies th a t position you w ill give gre at occasion to gossips !A N N . O h , H e n r y !H E N R Y . H e n r y t h e E i g h t h , p l e a s e ! [Enter P A G E bearingcup. H E N R Y quaffs deeply.] A h , t h a t ' s b e t t e r . W h a t i s f ordinner to-day, Kate ?Q U E E N . Th ere is carp fried in honey and bu tter , a capon,an d a brace of wild duck, a boar's head , and yo ur M ajesty'sfavouri te pudding.H E N R Y [excitedly]. Y o u me a n p l u m duff.Q U E E N . Y e s .H E N R Y . M y dear K a t e . Y o u a r e a n a d mi ra b le w o ma n .[Suddenly] : Is this a bribe ? A r e y o u t r y i n g t o g e t r o u n d me ?Q U E E N . Certainly not , H al . I t is so easy to warm up ; yobalways have it on washing-day.H E N R Y . 1 wish we had a washing -day every day .Q U E E N . I don't .H E N R Y . Yo u are an adm irable wom an, m y love. If I spareyo ur life and divorce you instead, will you stay on as hou sek e e p e r ?Q U E E N . It would create scandal, Sire.A N N . I sho uldn 't l ike it a bit . I cou ldn't give he r o r d e r s ,you know, and I shouldn't be mistress in my own ki tchens.Q U E E N . I should prefer not to tak e the post, H al .

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HENRY. W el l, when are we g oing t o settle this business, eh ?I must get i t settled.QUEEN. H al , whenever you have this favouri te pud ding of

yours you get the nightmare.HENRY. Oh, I don't think i t 's the pudding, dear.QUEEN. Oh , yes, i t is. A nd you k now it is too , only youwon't give up the pu dding. W ell , I know wh at your nightmares w ill be if you have my head cu t off. Yo u will dream ofm e. Y ou will see axe-blades flashing. Y ou will be am ong stthe m , and the y w ill frighten yo u, an d then you will see m e lyin gthe re. Yo u will see my feet, and you r eyes will trave l over m ydress to my shoulders', and then you will startfor, Henry, therewill be no head. A nd yo u will wa ke swe ating and trem bling.H E N RY . Don' t , Kate , don ' t .QUEEN. W ee k after week, perhap s nigh t after night. Fo rLady Ann may not have strength to l imit your consumption ofp lum duff. Y ou will w ake shaking. A nd all because you are n'tKing in your own kingdom.HENRY. B ut I 'm no t qui te sure tha t i t 's al together respectable to defy the Pope.QUEEN. I 'm sure that i t 's not respectable to wake up in bedbeside your Queen trembling at a dream of the Queen you havekilled in order to replace her.H E N RY . There is much in what you say.ANN. I should simply hate it if you woke me up that way.I'm not sure I shan't have nightmares myself if you cut herhead off.QUEEN. A nd al l because the Po pe is to have comm and overyou.

P A G E enters.P A G E . Dinner is served, Sire.H E N RY . Com e on, Kate take m y arm. W e'l l not sayanother word abou t your head. T he p lum duff has saved yo u.You shall be divorced instead.

CURTAIN.22

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R O Y C A M P B E L L

CANALTH E tree s, stuffed full of shado w, held th e foulMist up like rags, and on the savage airShook forth no bat to harp the gale. Th e owlGlared ember-eyed out of their drab despair.And she the night had brought me, in the miredW a y bared her shivering flesh, l ike a w hite flakeCrumbling in that huge nightso cold and t i redI could not kiss her sullen eyes awake.That squal id hour, had we been wise enoughW e should have cast our wasted bodies dow nThe bank, amid the dark corrupted stuff,And taken on i ts darkness l ike a crown:But that, in fear of Night more vast and chill ,W e h uddled from th e water, and were st il l.

T H E H E A DW H E N tigers me et at night and fallTo revels in remote Bengal ,And owls remark with no dismayThe burnt -out c inders of the day:Bedouins, hunched upon the sands,Will scowl and press their mighty handsAcross their eyes, deep pits of sin,To keep the moon from peering in.

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For when the moon goes mad a t n ight ,A darkness comes upon the sight ,And huge ungainly monsters creepOut of the corners of our sleepHippogriff and BasiliskSniff about the trees, and whiskStiff tails, or cough with ghostly dinAround the tents we shiver in,While the moon from shadow spillsHis f iery bro th upon the h i l l s . . .John-the-Bapt i s t of the sk ies!Head, that has no hair nor eyes,That speaks no word, and keeps no trystW it h any fair necrophilist ,But holds inevitable swayUn t i l the crash of Ju dg m ent Day ,And knows how then , to lunar hymnsAscending whitenesses of limbsWill st reak the night , and he wil l roamAcross waste land and rolling foam,Pocked with craters, veiled in mist,By all the dead Salomes kissed.

T H E S L E E P E R S

I H A V E laughed th rough the n igh t o f lu s tA nd wan ton revel. Comes the day,And towsled in their secret hay,The shy nymphs sleep, with white legs thrust24

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W I L F R I D R O W L A N D C H I L D E

H Y M N TO T H E E A R T HO D E A R green ear th , who ar t the only res t,Apart from God, our t ruant spiri ts know,Fold us yet closer to thy perfect breast,And unto us al l thy secret wisdom show:When, weary of seeking Love in the Inane ,W e tu rn our footsteps back from th e cold horns ,W ho se crystals are not reached by jagge d pain,Nor whiteness of vast unconsoling morns,T o the e, to thee alone o ur souls we tu rn ;Before thine al tars let us quiet b u r n . . .He whom we seek is also here amidRivers that steal through tangled grass like hair,Each heavy tree that forms a pyramidOf rocking life lifted in radiant air,Each wise and sullen field, whose swelling curvesHide secret meanings subtle as the grave;Deep voices haunt the fragrant-breathing turves,Winds flood the hollow highlands l ike a cave;The sol i tary upland gauntly stretchedUp amid skies her far-off runes has fetchedFrom sunset 's russet rims that rib the darkW it h slowly dyi ng fires from th e clay,That moistens with dawn's dimness dewy-starkH er t rem bling vei l of glass betwixt the day,Throned in her faery palace wrought with gold,And night soft-fading with his drowsy stars:Green are those hours and slender, rare with cold;At such a t ingl ing t ime i t seems the barsBetwixt the real and the dream grow thin:Almo s t t o ve ry Love we seem to w i n . . .

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I would be glad with swallows as they glideOn plumes that skim and sl ide o 'er summer's grass;They slip like skiffs that dart across the tide,And suddenly twist and tremble and repass,And go up the sharp brightness on curved wings,W it h siekled beau ty carving the calm ai r;Then down again they dip, each faery flingsHer arrowy body swift-urged everywhere,Stabbing the heart with a sudden delight of seeingOn e creature perfectly fulfil i ts being ! . . .Deep in the dim penumbra of tal l t rees,W he n soft gray mists suffuse slow sum me r-days,Almost I would go down upon my kneesAmid the shadowy si lence of those ways;The tranced campanulas in clumps adreamLift the slim turrets of their violet bells:Rippling and rust l ing rol ls the runnel-streamIts silvery threads down dense and hollowed dells;The sky is deeply dappled, as though a fewW ide-scat tered plum es of jays had shed their blue . . .This all thy sombre and cloistral temple is,O Mother Hertha, here thy vei led shrineGuards i ts unspeakable strange mysteries,The tables of most humble bread and wine;The fragrant bedstraw breathes her yellow soulForth on thy glancing winds, most birds are dumb,Soft gentle perfumes o'er brown hayfields roll,Strange fancies round my brooding spirit come,Silence like iron clamps the low mild skies,And nodding mis ts f rom drooping roses r i se . . .

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T H O M A S E A R P

HGRAND PASSIONearthot water laid on.Braincentral heat ing.Sunsetn ightcloser closermouth oh mouth .Magnet ic SouthB radshaw A B Cpaysagewagons-lit .Farther father.On the o ther hand' I kno w a landwhere bloom theorange trees. 'Letters and a lock of hairalways these always theseand the ghostsof A B C's.

POST MORTEMON slab of marble Love lies bleeding.Analysis, with hairy paws,Diagnoses over-feeding,Death from an unnatural cause.

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Thus al l is done, but to remember.Poor bantl ing of unhappy birth,So soon in spring to meet December,L us t un to dust , and mir th to ear th !D id you exp ect? T he child was pam pered,Too burningly the roses glowed.Did you expect? W he n noth ing hampered ,The full clepsydra overflowed.O ur passion jerk ed in syncopationThe heart 's indifferent gramaphone.W e had th e sea, th e sky's carnation,And distant si rens making moan.But now the doctor ends autopsy,And tired, too tired to smile or sigh,Thinks me a bully, you a mopsy,Good-bye at las t! A t last, good-bye !

COWBOY BACCHANALETo Lily Uckermann

NO W at last th e dogies sleep,A nd the cowboys' day is done,O'er the plain the coyotes creepAnd the eagle cl imbs the sun.Now the quirts to li l ies change,Bronchos now to dolphins turn,Cowboys on the ocean range,While the constel lat ions burn.

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Java with its perfumes calls,Cathay lures them with i ts peace,Bombay wi th b lack marble hal l s ;But the cowboys call for Greece.Still the dolphins bear them on,Past the land of hieroglyphs,Past the stones of Babylon,Past the Cretans in their skiffs.Now to Greece at last they come,La nd and join the wait ing danc e,Bacchus beats upon his drum,Dryads stab them with their glance.And the cowboys whirl in joy,Good-bye dogies ! Good-bye to i l !White-breast girl to red-shirt boyStamping on Hellenic soi l .Wine and laughter t i l l the dawn,Cocktai ls from Olympic bars:But the veil of day is drawn,Cowboys vanish with the stars.Back they go to Idaho,For the dawn calls up their force,Dances are but winds tha t b low;Now each cowboy mounts his horse,And the day begins again,Coyotes to their homes take flight,And the sun above the plainShrieks its blasphemies to night.

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G O D F R E Y E L T O N

I . F A R C I C A L R H Y M EA D D R E S S E D T O A G E N T L E M A N W H O O B S ER V ED T H A T"Therepresentative i n d e r a modern par l iame ntary cons t i tu t ion i s i nv ar iablya m a n o f e n t e r p r i s e f a r above the average."

AN D it was ever thus . Th e twelveSat down to sup in Lent .Eleve n stayed. IscariotW e n t forth to represent.I I . W A R GRAVES.

O golden lads, O lovers, here lie weTo keep the world safe for plutocracy.

I I I . A F T E R M A T H .W a r is like hail. I t lays th e flowers flat.Fall hailthere lives no beauty after that.Then sun again, the devastations cease,And slugs and worms creep out, to win the peace.

I V . W A R GRAVES.Tell the professors, you that pass us by,They taught Pol i t ica l Economy,And here, obedient to its laws, we lie.

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J O H N G O U L D F L E T C H E R

T H E S T A RTH E R E was a s tar which watched upon my bi r th ;The great blue peaks were shrouded,The sea was merged in haze, but, far apart,There shone a single star.And i t burned steadi ly,Watching through the n ight in s i lence;It hung above the duskWhence 1 secret ly came forth.The peaks in the morningHad thundered for creat ionThe green sea had risen,And swept clean the strand.Now the wide earth was si lent ,And s i len t the horizon;When, be tween the n in th wave and the land ,I was brou ght forth.There was a star which watched upon my coming,I put forth my hand to seize it;And, ins tant ly the skyBroke, and was r ibbed wi th l ight ;Lightning ran down the peaks and smote the narrow val leys, .Wandering blue flames flickered about the coastline,The mountains danced in scarlet ,The earth roared with deep joy.Th ere is a single sta r t h at bu rns to-nigh t far in the lon elyheavens:The sea is hidden beneath i t ;

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NELSON

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M E N D J I Z K Y

P O R T R A I T D E JEU N E F IL L E

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T he mo untains drew their capes of grey wool closely abou tthei r shoulders ;There is no breath of wind.Only the thought of One comingOver the oceans in silence,Wandering under a darker s tarThan that which saw my birth.

W H O W I L L M A RK

W H O will ma rk the long moon-dial , swinging,Of its shadow on the cloister-lawn ?W h o will hear wh at in the silent dawn -hourShadowy drooping branches speak to it ?

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F R A N K H A R R I S

A K B A R : T H E " M I G H T I E S T "T H E S T O R Y O F T H E S O U L O F A W O R L D C O N Q U E RO RI N the heart of Asia, in the g rea t tem ple of Sam arkand, arethree tombs: one to Timour, the f i rs t of the MughalConquerors who overran Asia; one to Akbar, his descendant ,who as a youth won India and establ ished an empire, and one toAk bar 's master and counsel lor, Abulfazl . Ak bar 's tom b, erectedby himself, is qu ite a sm all and insignificant one, and the re theCo nque ror rests quiet ly en ou gh these three hu ndre d years and

mo re now at the feet of his teacher. Th e simple grandeur ofthe great sarcophagi , the humil i ty of the invincible Emperor,quickened my curiosi ty, f i rst awakened by the name given tohim of " Ak bar," which m eans the " M igh tiest " or " Hig hest ,"and is generally used as an at trib ute of God . W a s h e really agreat man ? W h o gave h im th e as tounding t i tle ? How cameit to st ick to him ? W h y was he the only conqueror in recordedti m e whose emp ire endured for centuries after his dea th ?Sam arka nd, too , interested me. I t is one of the oldest citiesin the world : even the stones of the strong houses are eaten intoby th e centuries and c oloured with th e patin e of tim e, and itschief citizens are tanners now and goldsmiths as they were twothousand years before Christ, when it was called Marcanda.B ut again and again I left the bazaars and dark shopsw ith th eirsi lk praying-rugs tha t take a genera t ion t o weave, and barbaricjewels, sky-blue turquoise large as filberts, carved amethysts asbig as hen s' eggs, and sapphires sold by the ounc e to re tur n t othe Temple .One day, in an Armenian's den in the bazaar, I found a

Crusader 's sword, and a sui t of chain armour that must havebelong ed to one of th e knig hts w ho followed St. Lo uis to th eHo ly Lan d. Th e owner of the shop ta lked the Lev ant ineJargon, which is based on m ode rn Gre ek, and so I could m ak e34

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myself fairly unders tood. In his cautio us wa y, he too k a politeinterest in me, as a customer, and when I explained to him thatI was interested in the cathedral and especially in Akbar and hislife, he told m e he wo uld send a co m patrio t of his to th ecaravansary, a learned Sunni, who would give me all the information on th e subject I could desire.

The next day I found a Sufi waiting for me, who looked thepriest ly part , whatever his pract ice m ay have been. H e was ofmid dle heigh t, ye t impressive by reason of impassivity. T heslow quiet ways of the immemorial East seemed to have mouldedhis gen tle, deferential m anner s. I have never seen so expressivea face th at changed so l i t t le . I t was of the purest Persian t y p e :a narro w oval, th e features a lmo st perfectly regular, tho ug h th enose was slightly long and beaked, th e eyes long, too , and darkbrow n, almost the black-brown of st rong coffee; he m ight havebeen anyw here between thir ty and forty-five. H e introducedhimself as having been sent to m e by the me rchant , and placedhimself at m y disposal. I told him th at w ha t I wa nted to kno wwas the story of Ak bar how he cam e to pow er, wh y he bui l thimself a small tomb at the feet of his Teacher ? Was the reany reason for his humility, any spiritual significance in it ? H a dhe no woman in his life, but only a man-friend ?a host ofquest ions.

Th e Sufi bowed and told m e he wo uld do his best to answerm e : would I care to hear the popular story? I respondedeagerly tha t was jus t wha t I w anted. Th en he was afraid hisknow ledge of G reek mig ht be insufficient: would I m ind if nowand then he availed himself of a dictionary ? A nd he pul led alit t le, shabby, dog-eared book let ou t of his poc ket, which w asissued in Leipzig, and contained w ords in Persian, H ind u, andmodern Greek .I assured him I was chiefly curious about Akbar himself.

D id th e gre at fighter rea lly becom e a sort of religious teache rand put forth a new religion ? H e assured m e he would tell meeverything, as i t had been told to him when a boy. I thank edhimthat was what I desired.35

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Every one knows, he began, that Akbar 's real name wasJe la l -ed-Din M uham mad . H e was born a t Am arko t , in 1542 ,w hen his father was fleeing t o P ersia from D elhi. In 1555,wh en th e boy was thirtee n years of age, his father died. Je lalgave the control of his kingdo n to Bairam K han as rege nt, andoccupied himself w ith gam es and physical exercises. BairamKhan set to w rork to subdue the provinces that had revoltedfrom Jelal 's father. H e carried ou t his wo rk with such relentlesscruel ty tha t his nam e becam e a byw ord from the banks of theGanges to th e C aspian : he bro ugh t peace, i t was said, thepeace of death !

W h e n Jela l was abo ut eighteen, he had his first trial , and itinfluenced t h e who le of his after life. U p to th is tim e he hadgiven himself to sports and poetry and thought l i t t le aboutgovern ing. H e was the m ost enthusiastic polo player of hisday, and one story told abo ut him depicts his stren gth of bo dyand impetuous intensity of character better than pages ofdescription. H e was surprised once by nightfall in th e m iddleof a close gam e ; he resolved to go on until he had gained thevictory. Acc ordingly he had bal ls m ade of palas wood th atbu rns a long tim e, and with th ese fiery balls he continu ed thegam e til l his side had won . I alw ays see A kb ar, in m y m ind ,galloping furiously in the dark after a ball of firethat seems tome symbolic of the intense spirit of the young conqueror.W h e n he was sixteen or seventeen, he began to listen tocrit ic isms of Bairam K han. H e even ma de some pert inentsuggest ions; and the Minister-General , jealous of his power,looked him out a lovely girl and persuaded him to take herto wife. W it h the cun ning of the Ea st , Bairam K han knewthat the best way to lead Princes was with such silken strings.

A year or two later the K ing w as poisoned and cam e neardeath ; only recovered indeed because he took violent emetics onhis own initiative before the D octo r had tim e to com e to hisassistance. W h o were th e culprits ? The King knew intui t ively."T he re must be a consp iracy be tween tw o " he sa id : be tweenth e chief cook w ho alone prepa red his food an d his wife w ho36

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had cajoled him into eating it with out waiting to have it tasted .He had the chief cook before him, and in five minutes wrung thetruth out of him and found that his suspicions were correct.His dismissal of the wretch was equivalent to a sentence ofdeath : the culprit was strangled before he left the ante-chamber.W hi le th at was going on Jel al strove to compose his spiritby wr iting a sonnet, bu t he could har dly please himself evenwith the first verse.

H e could not shirk the question : W ha t was to be done withth e girl ? A t leng th J elal called her before him and asked hersimply why she had conspired with the co ok? W h a t had hedone to make her hate him ?The girl shrugged her shoulders disdainfully and kept silent." Do you love cooks bet ter than kings ? " asked the monarchat last; and the girl burst forth :" W e women love those who love us and care for us. W h e ndid you ever care for any one but yourself ? You think more ofwinning a chaugan gam e than of winning love. A wom anto you is a plaything : how can you expect love when you nevergive it ?"Th e K ing was shaken with surprise and dou bt. After all ,the girl was righ t enough and wh at she said was tru e. H e hadalways t reated her as an instrum ent of pleasure. W h y shouldhe expect gra titud e and affection from her ?W h a t was he to do with her ? . . . this wo m an he h ad lovedand trusted ?H e was ut ter ly at a loss t i l l a thou gh t struck him. In spi teof his diabolic c ruelty or because of it , Bairam K han ha d beensuccessful in life. H e had con quered provinces, and sub due dcities, he should know how to deal with a faithless wo m an. SoBairam Khan was summoned to the Presence and asked by theKin g for his advice. T he old warrior pronoun ced himself

decisively." A gre at ruler should be beloved by his friends," he said,"a n d feared by al l the rest of the world. Th e Em pero r J elalis already beloved by all who know him. H e m ust m ake37

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himself feared so th at whoever in th e future dares to t hin k ofrevolt shou ld have th e cold of dea th in his nostrils. T he girlshould be hu ng u p in p ublic and sliced to dea th w ith a tulw ar.That was the most l ingering and most painful death that could beinflicted on a wo m an. I t m ight be so ma naged ," he conclude d," by beginning with the hands and going on to the feet that theagony would be prolonged for mo re tha n an hour. T he Em pe rorhimself should preside at the ceremony."

The young monarch heard him to the end at tent ively, andt h e n :" W h a t would the pain of the wom an profit m e ?" he askedsharply.Bai ram Khan answered : " Th e punishment of the wrong-doer is the protection of the powerful."Th e you ng Kin g stared at him . " T he powerful don't needpro tection ," he said, and after a pau se ad ded in a loud, sev erevo ice :" Yo u have tau gh t me, Bai ram Khan, tha t what m en sayabou t you and your cruel ty is t rue . H ithe rto I have l ived form y pleasures and left th e care of m y K ingdom to you. No w I'l ltak e the ru le into my own hands and al low you to ma ke the H ol yPilgrimag e." (This was pract ical ly an order to Bairam K hanto mak e that pi lgrimage to M ecca which ensures salvation.) A ndthe you ng King with tha t generosi ty which was always a ma rkedtrait in his character added :

" A sui table jaghir ou t of the pargana s of H ind usta n shal l beassigned for your maintenance and transmit ted to you regularly."Th us dismissed, Bairam Kh an stood stock st i ll for a mom entand the n salaamed till his forehead rested on the floor before h erose and backed out of the hall .Jel al then called the defiant girl before him again. " Yo u cankeep the jewels," he said, " a n d al l the other gifts m y love

bestowed upo n you ." T he girl glanced aside indifferently as ifshe had no t heard. " I cann ot punish whe re I have loved," th eK ing we nt on slowly, " nor give you pain w ho have given m epleasure."38

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The girl looked at him still in suspicion, unconvinced." W h a t are you r gifts to m e ?" she snapped. " I shall b ekilled before I leave the palace."A nd the K ing ans we red: " Yo u shall go in peace st il l keepingthe name and honour of the King's chosen."On hearing this the girl cried aloud: "The King isindeed the K in g ! " and, fall ing on her knees, bowed herselfbefore him.A nd the King co ntin ue d: " On e of these days I shall cometo Agra and there build you a house and you shall l ive in it andspeak to me freely."A nd the wo m an looked long at him as if seeking to divinehis mea ning, and then turn ed and left the Co urt withou t a word

and went to l ive in Ag ra. A nd from her the K ing learned m anythings only known to women . . .W he n the rule was taken away from Bairam K han he rebel led,but was quickly broken in bat t le by the King, and then asquickly forgiven and se nt on his way to Mecca. O n the poin tof em bark ing he was stabbed in the back by on e he had wronged ,and died with all his sins unpa rdon ed. Jel al contin ued thepromised jaghir to his children . . .Ten years later the young King had overrun al l India northof the Deccan and subdued it , spreading his fame the while from

Delhi to the Dardanelles, indeed from end to end of the civilisedworld as th e civilised world then was. M en began to won der a thim , and his con stant successes awed t h e m : some even passedfrom praise to adora tion, calling him " A kb ar " ; bu t he wou ldno t use th e na m e. D id n' t deserve it , he sa id; his victories hadall been easy . . .I t was after he had subdued Kashm ir that the crowning trialof his life took place. T he Kin g of dis tant Kh andesh had sentan embassy to him congratulat ing him on his conquests, andaccording to custom the E m pero r sent him back a firman,than kin g him and saying tha t he would ta ke one of his dau ghter sto wife as pledge of enduring amity.The King replied that he felt himself greatly honoured by the

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proposal, and with th e le tter dispatche d his you nges t da ug hte rwith a great ret inue and m any gifts. She turn ed o ut to be abeautiful girl , as those Northern women sometimes are; but verypr ou d: the Em pe ror being only thirty-two at the t im e fell todesire of her at the first m ee ting . Str an ge to say, she held alooffrom him, would no t go into the Ha ree m even as a queen, andwas not to be won by prayers or promises.

When the King in a moment of pass ion threatened to takehe r by force, she plainly told him he could tak e her body,perhaps, but her spirit and her heart were her own and he wouldnever gain them by violence.The King then tried to win her by gifts and kindness, byrich jewels and gr ea t shows staged in her hon our , shows in

which hu ndre ds of wild beasts foug ht for da ys, such shows ashad nev er been seen before in th e world. T he gir l wasflattered and pleased in spite of herself. One combat in especialinterested her. W h e n she saw a pair of wild stallions fightingwith superb pride and fierceness she cried ou t w ith delightand adm iration. F or th e wild desert horses fough t stan dingup on their hind legs, striking w ith th eir front feet a ndever seeking with open m ou th to seize th e adver sary b yth e crest and hurl him to the earth . Th is conflict pleasedthe girl m uch more than t he deadlier, bloodier stragg lingsof t igers and bulls which th e Em pe ror staged for heramusemen t .B ut when i t cam e to love-mak ing she withdrew into herselfand again and a gain denied th e m onarc h, now passionately,now sullenly.One day th e K ing threate ned to send her back hom e, andshe retorted th at nothin g would please her bet ter, and when hequestioned her further, she confessed boldly tha t one of th eyou ng nobles abo ut her father 's Co urt had at t racte d her. I t

appeared that the courtship had not gone beyond glances: thegirl adm itting ruefully th at her father wou ld never allow herto m arry a m ere subject, as he believed himself to be direc tlydescend ed from G od. Th is new and unex pec ted difficulty40

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enraged the E m pe ro r: he was at a loss, too, i rri tated by hisown indecision and fear of taking a wrong step.Fo rtun ate ly good counsel was at hand. A n A rab nam ed

Mubarak, whose ancestors had set t led in Rajputana, wasrenown ed for wisdom, and as his two sons grew to m anho odthey becam e famous as havin g inherited their father's gen ius.Shaik Faizi, the elder, was kno wn everyw here as "a doctor andpo et ; he had composed m any books and won populari ty byalways at tendin g the poor for nothing. H is younger brotherAbulfazl was an even grea ter m an. W h e n only fifteen yearsold his learning was the wonder of the district, and by twentyhe had begun to teach in the mosques. Th e Persian proverbsays tha t no tree grows very high which comes to ma turi tyqu ick ly; b ut Abulfazl was an exception to this rule. Jelalinduced him to abandon his intention of giving himself upwholly to a life of m edita tion at tw ent y-th ree , and took himinto his ow n suite. Th ou gh eleven years older tha n Abulfazl,the King grew to respect him more and more and their int i macy developed into a m utu al understan ding a nd affection.A t his wits' end to know how to win his prou d wife, Jela lturned to Abulfazl .

" In love and war," he said, " no one should ask for counsel.But in this absurd difficulty I 'd like to know whether anyonecan find a way w here I see no sure ou tlet."After some t im e for th oug ht , A bulfazl told him there weremany ways and they al l reached the goalwith t ime." I 'm faint with desire," cried th e Ki ng , " wild w ithimpatience."" Is she wonderful in bea uty, or in m ind, or in cha racte r?"asked Abulfazl." In a l l ! " exclaimed the K in g; " she 's w ithout a peer in theworld."Abulfazl sm iled : " T he madness of love speaks thro ug hyou. Such desire is m ere ignorance. En joy her once and theglamour wil l be gone."" B u t the joy w ill be mine," cried the King, " a n d the

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me mo ry. T he illusion of love and desire are th e chiefestpleasures in life. Bar e us of them a nd w ha t wou ld life be wo rth ? "" More th an y ou w ould bel ieve now," said Ab ulfaz l ; " bu twhat is her real power over you ?"T he K ing th ou gh t in silence. " H er courage," he replied," an d, to tell you t he tr u th , her disdain of m e and of cou rseher loveliness."" It is a grea t opp ortun ity," said Abulfazl, " to win t h egreat fight with one blow. T he only course wo rthy of m ylord is that he should conquer himself and subdue his passion."" Im possible ," cried the Ki ng, " she is in m y blood, in m ybrain , in m y hea rt. If I do n't win her, 1 shall have lost th eworld,"

" So it seems to you now," rejoined Abu lfazl, smiling, " andwe re you any on e else I wo uld advise you to go into Per sia fa raway from her and there give yourself up to other beauties andlose al l m em ory even of this one wo ma n ; bu t m y lord shouldtak e the high way. If you can conquer such a passion you c ando anyth ing. I t is not the food th at gives the pleasure, bu t theapp etite. R es tra int w ill increase you r desire, and any new girlwill seem wonderful to you."" D o you know w hat you are advising ? " asked the King,turning on him with hard eyes.Abulfazl nodded his head.With one movement Jelal was on his feet ." So be it ," he said, quietly , after a pause. " If you havem ade a m istake, you shall be impa led. If by following yo uradvice I lose m y jo y of life and m y delig ht in living, I sha ll seeyou die with pleasure ; bu t i f you are right and by conqueringmyself I win co nten t, you shall be m aster in m y kingdom and Ishall be second to you."" Yo u would not be m y m aster," repl ied Abulfazl, quiet ly,

" if you could thus punish your best friend."" I am m y ow n best friend," retor ted t h e King , gloomily ;" bu t love is surely a madness, and there m ay be some wisdomin your counsel."42

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For a month the King went in and out and paid no at tent ionto th e girl or to Abulfazl. H e then starte d off sudd enly toAgra and when he returned he sent for Abulfazl again." Y o u were right in one thing," he said, " a n d wrong inan oth er : fasting sharpens appe ti te amazingly, but you w erewr ong wh en you said any dish would give pleasure. I w an tnoth in g bu t th is one w om en : no o ther can tem pt me, and I ammad with longing for her."" I have tho ug ht, too , while m y lord w as absent," saidA bu lfa zl : " i t m ay be tha t the Prineess is indeed the K ing'scom plem ent and m ean t for him. In that case seek her ou t ,ge t to know her soul and body and give her tim e and occasionto know you. A s you are gre ater tha n she is, she will be

draw n to you that 's th e la w ; th e grea ter d raws the less ;..besides, she is already curious abo ut you. She will love you.In this way you m ay b oth win love and m ake love your servant ."Th e King broke in : " Th e wom an a t Ag ra to ld me to h idem y desire and make the girl fear she had lost m e. W om en ,she said, all want what they can't have or what is above them."" A ll me n too," said Abulfazl, m eeting the King's eyes andsmiling as he spoke, for he saw that the master was again atone with him, " the woman's counsel is wise, wiser perhaps thanmine."Je lal then b egan w ha t he always afterwards called his" discipline," com bining t he advice of Abu lfazl and tha t of hisdivorced wife.It was a long struggle and only a few incidents in it were de-cisive. Ea ch day the wom an was told to at tend the Kin g whilehe gave jud gm en ts in the Grea t Ha ll. No w and again in difficultcases he would ask her advice, bu t he seldom took it , and soonthe girl had to admit to herself that the monarch knew lifeand m en be t ter th an she did. Bu t jus t when she was get t ing

impatient under cumulat ive evidence of her inferiori ty, the Kingwith fine wit took care to praise her for some mental qualityor grace of spirit she did not possess, and this appreciation madeher eager for more.43

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In spite of his passion Je lal pr etend ed to tak e only a m ildinterest in her and showed himself always engrossed in affairsof state. Still th e girl wo uld som etimes smile to herself as ifshe saw thro ug h his acting. B u t whe n she let her eyes rest onhis, or encouraged him by sm ile and word and he would tu rnawa y to talk to some M inister, she would grow though tful andthe women of the hareem said her temper was not so even as itused to be.

A s soon as the wom an at A gra learned tha t the Kin g hadaroused the girl's interest and mad e h er dou bt her empire overhim , she a dvised him to sen d for her lover a nd offer to m ar rythe m and the King consented, for t he counsel pleased him. H ehimself had noticed from t ime to t ime an uncertain hum il i tyin th e girl 's man ner and in her eyes a sort of appeal. Oth ersnoticed that she had begun to drape her tall figure after thefashion of the women in the hareem and now swathed herself soclosely th at her shape could be seen thro ugh th e soft stuffs ju stas if she had been coming from the bath.

I t was in this mo od th at the lover of her girlhood appea redto her. H alf unco nsciously she had idealised him and exag gerate dhis charm to herself and now she saw that the attraction he hadhad for her had disappeared, an d to her co nsternation she realisedthat he was much more concerned to win the Emperor 's favourtha n he r lov e; he seemed to her pal try and im m atu re ; yet shecould not bear to adm it her mistake to the great King. W h a twas to be done ? She resolved to carry it through.In ful l court the King came to her, leading the Khandeshnoble : " H er e, lady," he said, " is on e who loves you and yourfather consents to yo ur m arriage ."" Only if Ak ba r wishes i t ," added th e un fortuna te yo uth ,bowing low.As the girl flushed with anger at her suitor's obsequiousness,

the King turned away and short ly afterwards left the Palace.N ext day the girl heard tha t he had gone again to A gra andthe women of the hareem assured her tha t he had gone back tohis first wife, for m en only visited wo m en for one thi ng . I t was44

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noticed th at the girl seldom spoke to her betroth ed, and wh en th eKing returned she prayed him to see her.Schooled by the woman of Agra, the King replied he wouldsurely see her as soon as he had concluded some urgent business,and he ke pt her waiting nearly a week. By this t im e the girlhad grown sick with fear lest she had lost the monarch's love.W h e n she was adm itted to his presence she could only cry :

" My lord, my lord."" W h a t can I do to pleasure you ? " asked the King. " W il lyou be married to your compatriot at once ?"The girl saw that his eyes were laughing and took it that hedespised her." As the King does not wan t me ," she retorted proudly, " I

wish to be sent back to my father."" B u t you said you didn ' t want the Kin g," persisted th emon arch, " and you loved this yo ung ma n. W h y have yo uchanged ?"" I was youn g," she said, gulping down the lum p in herthroa t , " and knew no bet ter."" A nd now ?" asked the King." Th ere is o nly one m an in th e world for m e," she said," and th at is th e K ing," a nd she lifted her eyes to his and gaveherself in the look.Th oug h his heart thri lled with joy, the King kept hisco ntr ol: " G o to the hareem ," he said, " and wa it for m e."And she turned, glowing, and went l ike a child.In the hareem the King found her another w om an ; afterhe had convinced he r of his love she bro ke into praises of hislooks and strength , and when h e said th at there were m anyhandsom er an d stronger m en she w ould n't l isten, bu t coveredhis m ou th with her hand an d declared that there was no onein the world like him and that he was the most splendid manin the Court though he was only a li t t le taller than the average.Because she was ve ry fair, w ith skin like ivory and eyesas blue as sapphires, she praised his black eyes and hair andhis loud, de ep voice an d even the small w art on the left side

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of h is nose ; he was her god , the M ost Hig h " Ak bar ," sheexclaimed, and she would never call him b y any oth er n a m e .But when he told her he would have to earn it first and thusrecalled to his ambitions made ready to leave her, he foundanother woman still ." Yo u shall no t go, " she cried boldly, " the cook's mistressat A gr a calls , you shal l no t go."A nd when he said that he we nt to A gr a for counsel andnot for love, for the woman was cunning and had taughthim much, she wouldn't have i t ." Yo u shall not see her," she pante d, " no t yet, no t ti l l youknow me bet ter, promise, not t i l l I give you leave!"She was so imperious in her pleading that the King promisedand caressed her, and the n she bu rst into tears and said hem ight go if he l ike d; bu t i t would break her hear t and shewas very unha ppy and her tears set off her beau ty bet ter thanher pleading or her pride, and her quick changes of moodcharmed the King, who could not help showing his astonish-m ent. H e had thou gh t her prou d and reserved at first, hesaid, and at th at she burst ou t laughin g, saying love w as amag ician and fashioned a wo m an to her lord's desire.

" B ut yo u did not love m e at first," he sa id; " i t was onlyby feigning indifference and holding off that I won you."A t th at she looked u p at him from th e divan, smiling." I t was the wise Abulfazl , was i t not , who gave Ak bar tha tcounsel ?" A n d she said this thoug h she kne w in her heartthe counsel came from th e wom an at Ag ra, but she would notkeep her memory al ive by making mention of her.The King was astonished by her intui t ion." H ow did you guess," he asked, " th at I we nt to him forcounsel ?"She pouted and said carelessly:"If I had not loved Akbar from the beginning, no holdingoff would have won me."" B ut if you loved me wh y did you plague m e so at firstby pretending coldness and aversion ? "

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" Because I loved," she said. " I saw th at all thin gs cam eto A kb ar too easily and so I held away, thou gh when he tookme in his strong arms and kissed me in spite of my resistanceI almost yielded."" A kb ar blam ed himself afterwards for forcing you," saidthe monarch .Again , unexpectedly , she laughed a loud:" Y ou child," she cried, " you ch ild! y ou would never hav etasted m y l ips had I not let yo u ; the resistance l ike th ecoldness was all feigned. T h e re ! I 've given m y secret away .W e wom en are a l l t ra i tors to ours e lves !"

In wonder the King excla imed:" I bel ieve you kno w m ore abo ut wom en tha n even thewom an I have called ' w is e ' at A gra !"T he smile left her face and a chang e cam e over h e r : " Allwom en know wom en," she said, " bu t she is a vile creaturefit only for the bazaar."" W h y do you say tha t ?" asked the Kin g, and t he girl responded : " If anyone killed my lover I would never forgive him,never. W h en he pu t his han ds on m e I should feel th e bloodstick ing on the m : ha te wou ld be in m y hea rt for h im, and I'dcurse him by day and by night ."" He was only a cook," said Akbar.But the girl wouldn't have i t ." If I had stooped to m y lover, stil l m ore wo uld I have feltbis loss : it is our sacrifices for you that endear you to us! "Suddenly the King turned on her for he was curious :" W h y d id you resolve all at once to yield to me ? "She answered quiet ly:" W he n A kb ar b rou ght th at m an here and offered me tohim before the Co urt, m y hea rt was as wa ter lest I had lost m ylord 's love : I had had enough of the struggle, or "and she took

his head in her hands and kissed his m ou th " I wan ted you "and she sighed in content.This fi rst communion with his love showed the King that theinstinc t of his desire had been ri gh t and th at he had an extr a-

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ordinary mistress ; as changeful as the sky in th e mo nsoon andcharm ing with all the gaiety an d liveliness of girlhood : bu t hewas soon to find that she was more.A lm ost from th e first day she m ade u p to Abulfazl and no tonly won his adm iration and affection, bu t found ou t from himquickly sides of the King's character which she might otherwisehave been years in discovering. F ro m this counsellor shelearned th at th e deepest m otive in the Kin g was his am bit ion,and not ambition merely to conquer, or even to consolidate hisem pire, bu t t o g row spiritually, to become wiser and better tha nany man on earth; her lover was indeed a King of Kings.She even found out from Abulfazl without his knowing itthe t rue explanat ion of the kindness shown to th e w om an at

A g ra ." Th e Kin g do esn't kee p her now for counsel," he said, " bu tto rem ind him of wh at he first learned by forgiving. H e wishesnow th at he had forgiven the cook. I believe," he added, " th atif the cook had lived, the King would long ago have sent him tohis love at Agra."A t tha t th e girl gas ped ; for such ma gnan imity was beyondher. B u t she had learned th e chief lesson, tha t A kb ar, l ike allgrea t and generou s natur es, was to be moved by an appeal tothe highest much more easi ly than by tempting the animal in

him or by urg ing his own self-interest. A nd wi th this key inher hands and her woman's intui t ion that everything is to bedone with a man by praise, she became a real companion to herlord and an inspiring help m ate. She pleaded for the gentle rvirtues, and A kb ar having already b egun to realise tha t a grea tm an should have a good deal of the w om an in him , was read yto listen to whatever was wise in what she said and to profit bythe new insight .A nd here th e Sufi sto pped as if he had com e to the end ofth e story : bu t I was to o in tereste d in Ak ba r to let him off soeasily." Y o u have told m e half the tale," I began, " a n d have toldit fairly well for a learned m an ; bu t you have left th e m ore

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ZAVADO

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i m p o r t a n t p a r t u n e x p l a i n e d . I u n d e r s t a n d n o w w h y < A k b a r 'h o n o u r e d A b u l f a z l a n d w h y m e n h o n o u r e d A k b a r ; b u t I d o n ' ts e e ye t w hy A bu l f a z l w ro t e A kb a r ) ; de e ds a nd w ord s a nds how e d s uc h un fe i gne d a d mi ra t i on o f h i s ma s t e r . "" Je la l was n ot ca l l ed ' A k b ar ' for no th ing , " rep l i ed t he Suf i :" he was th e f ir st Co nq ue ror whose e mp i re surv ive d h im , an d i tsurv ived because i t was bu i l t on sy m pa thy and n ot on suspic ion ,on love and f reedom and not on fea r and ha te . "

" W h a t do you me a n e xa c t l y ? " I a s ke d ." P re vio us c on que rors , " he sa id , " he ld d ow n each prov ince

t h e y s ubd ue d by a s t a nd i n g a rm y . A kb a r no t on l y a l low e de a c h p rov i nc e t o gove rn itself: bu t ga ve t he pe op l e s g r e a t e rf reedom th an th ey had had before , whi le ins is t ing on com ple tere l ig ious to le ra t ion . Pe rso na l am bi t io n even found scope andsecu r i ty un de r h i s ru le . T h a t was wh y h i s em pi re l a s ted t i l l t h ew h i t e t r a d e r s c o n q u e r e d H i n d u s t a n t w o h u n d r e d y e a r s l a t e r . "

A nd a ga i n t he S u f i pa us e d ." Y ou have y e t to t e l l m e , " I p e rs i s t ed , " w he n an d w hy he

to ok th e nam e of ' A k b a r ' : was i t p r ide or? "" T h e bes t Mu ssu lm an s , " s a id th e Suf i , " b la me h im for

t a k i ng t he d i v i ne a t t r i b u t e ' T he H i gh e s t , ' bu t if e ve r a m a nde s e rve d i t, he d i d . H i s m i nd w a s ne ve r a t r e s t . W h e n t he r ew e re n o more foes t o c onqu e r , he i nv i t e d t o h is C o ur t L a m a sf rom Ti be t and P ad res f rom Go a , and was th e f ir st to dec la ret h a t J e s u s w a s n o t o n l y a g r e a t p r o p h e t , a s M u h a m m e d h a ds a i d ; b u t g r e a t e r t h a n M u h a m m e d himself, the grea tes t of a l l .J e s u s a nd M uh a m m e d , he u s e d o f te n t o s a y , w e re l i ke s t a r s i nt h e he a ve n a nd g r e a t e r a nd b r i gh t e r l umi na r i e s w ou l d y e t c ometo th ro w radian ce on th e way s of me n. H e even wen t so fa r , "and th e Suf i wh ispered th e wo rds as i f in dread of som e eaves -d ropp e r , " a s t o a s s e r t t h a t e ve ry m a n mi g h t be M uh a m m e d a ndJ e s us be s i de s be i ng himself, for he too had come f rom God ast h e y h a d c o m e . "

" In te re s t in g , " I s a id , " and so Ak b ar l ived and d ied as ago d, ' ha pp y ever a f t e r .' "

" No , no , " c r i ed th e Suf i, w i th Ea s te rn wisd om ; " happ iness49 D

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is not for wise m en or gr ea t : A kba r was tr ied beyond theordinary. H is tw o favourite sons drank themselves to de ath,and the son who ul t ima tely succeeded him in the Em pir erevolted against him and got his friend Abulfazl murdered.That grief and disappointment changed all l ife for Akbar.W h a t good was vengeance and w hat profi t was there in angerwh en he knew by a sort of inst inct th at wild envy and jea lousyhad induced his son to kill a better man than himself?

" A k b a r saw he mig ht as well forgive his son, for n oth inghe could do would bring Abulfazl back to life, or put light againin those kindly