ACT THREE SCENE
TWO
The same. William
crossing over to Vulpes' house.
William
(singing
to himself)
The singing of the
stars on high,
The truth that's in
a liar's eye,
A ghost's footstep,
the hammer blow
Of sunlight falling
on the snow-
May these, the
sounds of silence, teach
My master how to
give his speech!
May every sense his
mind conceives
Turn nonsense in the
words he weaves;
May every syllable
become
A trick to trip his
troubled tongue-
May shifting meaning
in each word
Make all his
meanings sound absurd!
(William
reaches Vulpes' house. He knocks on the door.)
Hello! Hello! Is
anyone at home?
Vulpes
(within)
Oh, hell's black
horses! He's returned once more!
Marguerite
We must act now,
upon the instant’s chance!
Vulpes
Go open up. I'll be
abed and dead!
(Vulpes lies
stiffly on the bed pretending to be dead)
Marguerite
And I’ll be dumb
from grief’s great reckoning.
William
(with
a short bow as she opens the door)
The Lord be with
you, mistress!
Marguerite
Oh...
and you,
(Marguerite
speaks loudly so Vulpes can hear)
My fine, young
friend. What is it you are wanting?
(Vulpes
gets up, and comes cautiously to the door, behind Marguerite)
William
(pointing
to Vulpes)
I wish to speak to
him, in truth. Good sir,
A fellow came and
said they'd fine me if
I did not come to
court this afternoon.
Would you, good sir,
come and defend me, for
I know but nothing
of such things? Although
My clothes seem
ragged, sir, I've money by.
Vulpes
(coming
out)
Well, money speaks
when poverty is dumb.
For it can ever find
a good defender
Whose gleaming
eloquence is born from gold.
I'm sure we'll
rightly reckon some arrangement.
Now firstly we’ll
discuss in depth of detail
The tricks and turns
within wild circumstance
That caused this
false and sudden accusation
That you are bravely
facing, seeking fairness.
Marguerite
(to
Vulpes)
I’ll leave you to
your facts and figuring,
But mind you use
your mind to work a way
With cleverness to
carry off the day!
Vulpes
(kissing her goodbye as she exits)
Dear wife, I'll try
to keep your counsel well.
(to
William)
Now set before me
your whole, guiltless story.
William
(cautiously)
I've fallen into
trouble with... a man,
You understand. I've
kept his sheep for years.
I took them to fresh
pastures every day
And cared for them
and watched for sudden peril,
In every wind and
weather of the world.
He didn't pay me
well, and so, you see...
Vulpes
Yes, yes.
William
One
day, in spite, I sold a pair.
I told him they had
died of foul disease.
Vulpes
(adopting
an air of court speech)
Provoked, of course,
by petty parsimony-
Harsh poverty of
pay. What happened next?
William
(momentarily
distracted by Vulpes’ display)
What happened next?
Oh, yes, of course.
He said, "Don't
leave their bodies near the rest.
Get rid of them."
Well, that's just what I'd done;
And quite a pleasing
penny they’d provided.
What else? Well,
after that it grew to be
A habit with me,
sir. I'd sell a sheep
And tell my master
truly it had gone,
Neglecting, shall I
say, full-honest reason.
Vulpes
(thoughtfully)
Oh, yes, I see.
William
Well,
finally, in fact,
Unfolding boldness
led to foolish greed
And overcame my
care. Too frequent were
The failures of the
flock to seem chance fate.
My master grew to
doubt my doubtful tales
And in suspicion set
a secret watch,
From time to hidden
time- a guard upon
My guarding rule.
Thus came it so in time
That I, one sorry
time, was seen to sin
And my misdeeds
informed my master's ear.
So overall my
thought is this: if I
Can pave your palm
with coins, I'm sure that we
Could steal the
seeming credit from his case
And leave him with a
poverty of truth,
Too little left to
catch clear, legal judgement.
I know he holds the
right, but I believe
That your quick wits
could twist it from his grasp.
Vulpes
(with
a smile)
I do believe that is
a tested truth-
My wit has won a way
in many trials.
Thus, with a good
assurance, I can say
That I shall find a
path. What will you give
If I turn justice
round and find release?
William
How do a few, gold
pieces sound, good Master?
Vulpes
(eagerly)
In broadest terms,
you know, you bring a brave
And excellent, clear
case indeed! You see
The stronger an
opponent's case appears
To simple sight at
first, the weaker I
Can make it seem,
reflected strangely in
The bright but
bending mirror of my words.
Just let him tell
his tale of woe, I'll find
Reply to make him
pause and others wonder.
William
But how can you be
sure of that, good Master?
Vuples
Come listen near. I
sense you have the sense
To
comprehend. Life’s real occurrence
Is not itself
full-present in retelling
And so can be
discredited to others.
For even evidence
and first report
Can be assigned
another sense of things
As long as you can
forge the key to turn
Plain meaning to
another meaning’s purpose.
So often times a
clever stratagem,
Cool, crafty manner
in the representing,
Quite overwhelms a
fair and free but feeble
Expression of the
truth. But what's your name?
William
The shepherd,
William, sir...or William Shepherd.
Vulpes
Well, William
Shepherd, I would guess
That you have
harvested, as you explained,
Some many sheep from
your mean master's flock?
William
About, say, thirteen
in three years or so.
Vulpes
(thoughtfully)
You felt they were a
bonus on poor wages,
Necessities you
garnered for survival.
Yes, yes, it's
flowing finely; smoothly shaping.
And by the way, good
William, do you think
That he can pull
from his back pocket some
Well-trusted
witnesses to testify?
This is a pertinent
and telling point.
William
To testify. Oh, I
should say he will-
He'll have a dozen
witnesses at least.
Vulpes
Yes, yes, I see:
that paints a darker picture.
But let us not let
dread discouragement
Undo our daring and
our clear resolve.
For all in all, when
all is rightly weighed,
All that it means is
this: we find the key
That opens his
locked case and spills the contents
With such untidiness
that all seems error,
A mess of false and
random allegations,
Before he gets a
chance to call upon
His plausible and
many-voiced support.
William
But how can you do
that? For I am sure
He'll wish to use
all witness for his cause.
Vulpes
Oh, well, if that’s
the way the breeze is blowing,
It does, perhaps,
call for a change in tack.
So William Shepherd,
we shall weave a plot,
Original enough to
serve our course.
Let’s see- there
must be something-let me think!
(thinking
aloud)
A simple shepherd,
that old judge, an angry
Accuser- yes, there
must be something… something…
There must be
something now… a simple shepherd…
Yes, yes! Good
Mercury has keened my mind
With wild
quicksilver lightning's power! Listen-
Hear this, my plan.
Now firstly I'll pretend
I've not met you
before; in fact, that I'm
Quite unacquainted
with your person’s form.
William
Good Lord, good
master, is that wise?
Vulpes
Don't
fret!
It's part of my
bold-arching plan. Now next,
If you but utter any
words at all,
He'll find a fault,
a contradiction there.
Indeed, all
statements are the very devil,
Especially when one
is, now how to put it,
As far removed from
likely innocence
As is a goat among
ripe cabbages,
A hungry fox
inspecting well-fed hens.
And this, I fear, is
more than ever so
When seeking
certain, firm defence against
A charge of
strongly-witnessed felony.
William
But how shall
silence help my case, good Master?
Shall I not be more
swiftly found in guilt?
Vulpes
It’s not in
silence we shall seek salvation;
Although it does
remain the case one fights
In peril if, quite
inadvertently,
One ever offers
factual response.
No, you must never
speak a purposed word-
A single syllable
whose sense could slip
Past your unguarded
lips to highlight sin.
Thus when you there
are called upon to speak
Before the court,
you must reply, straight-faced,
With simple sheepish
bleating... like your beasts.
William
With simple sheepish
bleating like my beasts?
Vulpes
Yes,
yes. Whatever's said you answer: "Baa!"
I'll say, with all
of seeming innocence,
"I do not know
this simple fellow, but
It shines quite
clearly, like discerning day,
He’s just a
homespun idiot who thinks
He is conversing
with his animals,
Communing with those
citizens of nature."
And even if they
reel with anger, still
Say nothing but:
"Baa, baaa!" You comprehend?
William
I grasp your great
idea. I shall do so:
For every answer
nothing but a "baa."
Yes, as a simple
fool I can’t be felt
Responsible for
reckless deeds.
Vulpes
That’s
right.
Look sharp. Be
watchful, still- and steady-minded.
Keep cool and level
in your heart’s own feeling.
Remember that no
matter what they state
You shall but answer
with a plain-put "baaa!"
William
Oh yes, oh yes, good
Master. I can see
With clear, sure
mind what I shall do. No bold
And earnest
question, chiding name or insult,
No driven words, no
shout, no push, no probing,
No speech of any
other sort at all,
From you or any
other will get more.
Vulpes
We've chanced, I
think, upon a pretty trick.
We'll snatch you
from the jaws of justice yet.
Another matter, by
brief way, be sure
My money's ready for
me when it's due.
William
Of course, good
Master. By all we take as true,
I'll have your
payment ready, never fear.
Vulpes
We move as one on
every twist and turn!
Yes, like two halves
of one strong mouth, we'll snap
And gobble up the
gall of troubling fact!
The breeze be in our
heels. We’ve deeds to do
And little time to
take. So see your dress
Is
simple, suitable to seem a fool,
And be a trifle
late. Our precious plan
Requires that I’m
first, you follow later;
We must not seem, in
any way, together.
William
I’ll race off like
a storm’s wild wind and find
Some ragged clothes
to clothe my simple mind.
(William exits
hurriedly)
Vulpes
And I must polish my
appearing too
And woo respect with
touch of richer rag.
I wonder if that
cloak we started cutting
Could measure up in
time? I’ll check that chance
With Marguerite,
whose skill is strong in this;
For it may be that
there may be a way.
(Marguerite
enters)
Marguerite
How did it flow? Has your wit spun a cloak
To keep him from
cruel winds of accusation?
Vulpes
Indeed it has, dear
wife. Indeed it has.
But now, to call on
cloaks, I wonder if
We could form one to
please the legal eye?
Marguerite
The time is short but if we work with will
I’m sure we can
bring something to completion.
Vulpes
(rubbing
his hands)
I’ll fetch the
cloth for our creation’s prize.
It may not rain with
golden coins today-
But if all’s well,
we’ll get a pair as pay.
(Vulpes exits
into his house)
Marguerite
(alone)
Well,
now the furtive fox is in full flight
And
finds its prey back in abundance now.
It seems this day
that that rare visitor,
Sweet opportunity,
has come to call
Not once but twice,
and so, to greet him well,
I’ll cloak my dear
in newly gained respect-
For something newly
pleasing to sight’s pleasure
Can magnify a man to
higher measure.
(Marguerite
exits, thoughtfully)
