SCENE II

 

 

The palace in Bassora.
Alzayni, Murad, Almuene, Ajebe.

ALZAYNI

I like your nephew well and will advance him.
For what's twixt you and Murad, let it sleep.
You are both my trusty counsellors.

ALMUENE

A nothing,
I grieve I pressed; forget it, noble Murad.

MURAD

That's as you please.

ALMUENE

Come, you're my nephew too.

VOICE OUTSIDE

Ho, Mahomed Alzayni, Sultan, Ho!

ALZAYNI

Who is that Arab?

ALMUENE (at the window)

God! 'tis Nureddene.
Impossible!

ALZAYNI

Or he is courage-mad.

ALMUENE

'Tis he.

MURAD

The devil and his unholy joy!

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ALZAYNI

Drag him to me! No, bring him quietly,
Ajebe.

Exit Ajebe.
I wonder in what strength he comes.

ALMUENE

The strength of madness.

MURAD

Or of Heaven, whose wrath
Sometimes chastises us with our desires.

Enter Ajebe with Nureddene.

NUREDDENE

Greeting, Alzayni, King in Bassora.

Greeting, sweet uncle. Has your nose got straight ?

Ajebe and Murad, greeting. Here am I!

ALZAYNI

How dar'st thou come and with such rude demeanour ?
Know'st thou thy sentence ?

NUREDDENE

Why, I bring a sentence too,
A fishy writing. Here it is. Be careful of it;

It is my die on which I throw for death
Or more than life.

ALZAYNI

A letter, and to me ?

NUREDDENE

Great King, 'tis from thy friend the fisherman,
He with the dirty gaberdine who lives
In great Bagdad on stolen fish.

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ALZAYNI

Thinkst thou
That thou canst play thus rudely with the lion?

NUREDDENE

If I could see the mane, I'ld clutch at it.
A lashing tail is not enough. The tiger
Has that too, and many trifling animals.
But read the letter.

ALZAYNI

Read it, Almuene.

ALMUENE

'Tis from the Caliph, it appears. Thus runs
The alleged epistle: "Haroun al Rasheed,
Commander of the Faithful, known by name
To Orient waters and the Atlantic seas,
Whom three wide continents obey, to Mahomed
The Abbasside, the son of Suleyman,
Men call Alzayni, by our gracious will
Allowed our subject king in Bassora,
Greeting and peace. As soon as thou hast read
Our letter, put from thee thy kingly robe,
Thy jewelled turban and thy sceptred pomp
And clothe with them the bearer Nureddene,
Son of thy Vizier, monarch in thy stead
In Bassora, then come to us in Bagdad
To answer for thy many and great offences.
This as thou hop'st to live."

NUREDDENE

It was the Caliph.

ALZAYNI

My mighty cousin's will must be obeyed.
Why turnst thou to the light ?

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ALMUENE

To scan it better.
King, 'tis a forgery! Where is the seal,
Where the imperial scripture ? Is it thus
On a torn paper mighty Caliphs write ?
Now on my life ,the fellow here has chanced
Upon some playful scribbling of the Caliph's,
Put in his name and thine and, brazen-faced,
Come here to bluster.

AJEBE

It was quite whole, I saw it.

ALMUENE

Boy, silence!

AJEBE

No, I will not. Thou hast torn it.

ALMUENE

Where are the pieces then ? Search, if thou wilt.

ALZAYNI

Ho, there.

Enter Guards.

Take Ajebe to the prison hence.
He shall have judgment afterwards.

Exit Ajebe, guarded.

Thou, fellow,

Com'st thou with brazen face and blustering tongue
And forgeries in thy pocket? Hale him hence.
After fierce tortures let him be impaled.

MURAD

Hear me, O King.

ALZAYNI

Thou art his sister's husband.

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MURAD

Yet for thy own sake hear me. Hast thou thought,
If this be true, what fate will stride upon thee
When Haroun learns thy deed ? whom doubt not. King,
Thy many enemies will soon acquaint.

ALZAYNI

Send couriers; find this out.

ALMUENE

Till when I'll keep
My nephew safe under my private eye.

MURAD

Thou art his enemy.

ALMUENE

And thou his friend.
He will escape from thee once more.

ALZAYNI

Vizier,

Thou keep him, use him well.

ALMUENE

Ho! take him, guards.

Enter guards.

NUREDDENE

I lose the toss; 'tis tails.  

Exit guarded.

ALZAYNI

All leave me. Vizier,

Remain.

Exit Murad.

Now, Almuene?  

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ALMUENE

Kill him and be at rest.

ALZAYNI

If 'twere indeed the Caliph's very hand ?
Vizier, I dare not, suddenly.

ALMUENE

Dare not!
Nay, then, put off thy crown at Haroun's bidding,
Who'll make thee his doorkeeper in Bagdad.
The Caliph ? How long will this drunken freak
Have lodging in his lordly mind ? Or fear'st thou
The half-veiled threat of thy own trusty Turk,
Sultan Alzayni ?

ALZAYNI

Him I'll silence. Keep
The boy ten days; then, if all's well, behead him.

Exit.

ALMUENE

You boggle, boggle; that is not the way

To keep a crown. Have him and hold's the Vizier,

Catch him and cut's the General. Loose your grip ?

Let the hand shake ? So monarchs are unkinged.

Ten days are mine at least. I have ten days

To torture him, though Caliphs turn his friend.

Will God befriend him next ? My enemies

He gives into my potent hand. Murad is gone,

And I hold Doonya in my grip, Ameena too

Who, I have news, lives secret with her niece.

But where's the girl ? God keeps her for me, I doubt not,

A last sweet morsel. It will please Fareed.

But there's Haroun! Why should he live at all,

When there are swords and poisons ?

Exit.

Page – 715