Brian Friel Plays 2 (37 page)

O’Donnell
The aul wizard. I never said a word.

Lombard
It’s Spain, Hugh. After all these years. God be praised a thousand times. It is indeed Spain.

O’Donnell
Can you believe it?

Lombard
Years of begging, cajoling, arguing – years of hoping – years of despairing.

O’Donnell
Years of praying, Peter.

Lombard
Years of praying indeed. But he has kept his promises, Hugh. Don Francisco Gómez de Sandoval y Rojas, fifth Marquis of Denia, Duke of Lerma, my friend, Ireland’s friend, he has kept his promise.

O’Donnell
Lerma determines their foreign policy.

O
’
Neill
moves
away
and
stands
alone
downstage.

Harry
This isn’t the first time Lerma has made promises.

Lombard
Passed by the Council of State last Thursday week. Signed by King Philip himself the following morning. This isn’t a promise. This is guaranteed. And solid. And substantial.

O’Donnell
Yipeeeeee!

Lombard
At this moment they are mustering an army and assembling a fleet.

O’Donnell
Do you see those wee Spanish soldiers in the field, Harry? Bloody ferrets! Jesus, they’d go down a rabbit hole to get you!

Harry
How solid? How substantial?

Lombard
At least thirty-five ships – galleons, men-of-war and some hundred-ton vessels.

Harry
Where are they going to land?

Lombard
I don’t know. That’s a military matter.

Harry
But it’s crucial. It has got to be somewhere along the north coast.

Lombard
I think I heard some mention of Kinsale.

O’Donnell
Wherever that is. Never heard of it.

Harry
Kinsale’s out of the question. We’d have to march an army through the full length of the country to join forces with them, (
to
O’Neill
)
It can’t be Kinsale, Hugh.

Lombard
Then tell them it can’t be Kinsale.

Harry
Who’s the commander-in-chief?

Lombard
Don Juan del Aguila.

O’Donnell
Whoever he is. Don Hugho del Ballyshannon’s for more wine, boys!

Harry
Tell me about Aguila.

Lombard
He’s from the Barraco in the province of Avila. Not brilliant but very competent, very experienced.

Harry
How many men?

Lombard
At least six thousand.

Harry
Not enough.

Lombard
They’ll be fully trained and equipped; and it’s up to us to match that number, (
to
O’Neill
)
You and Hugh here have got to tour the whole country and whip every Gaelic chieftain into shape.

Harry
Where are they mustering their men?

Lombard
Most of them are Spanish but they hope to levy a few companies of Italians.

O’Donnell
Do you see those Italians? Bloody savages! The only time they ever smile is when they’re sinking a sword in you! Jesus, Hugh, we’ll go through the English quicker than a physic!

Mabel
enters
.
O’Donnell
embraces
her
warmly
.

We’re up, Mabel darling! We’re up and the Spanish are beside us!

She
looks
at
O’Neill
.

Lombard
Forgive us, Mabel. We’re a bit elated.

Mabel
The Spanish are coming?

O’Donnell
Lift up your heart, Dark Rosie!

Lombard
The Spanish are coming. At long last. And there’s more, Hugh (
O’Neill
)
.
There’s still more.

O’Donnell
Belt it out, Archbishop Lombard.

Lombard
A Bull of Indulgence from His Holiness Pope Clement VIII.

O’Donnell
Quiet! Quiet! Let the dog see the rabbit!

Lombard
(
reading
)
‘To the archbishops, bishops, prelates, chiefs, earls, barons and people of Ireland. Encouraged by the exhortations of our predecessors and ourself you have long struggled to recover and preserve your liberty and to throw off the yoke of slavery imposed on you by the English, deserters from the Holy Roman Church. Now, to all of you who follow and assist our beloved son, Hugh O’Neill, and the Catholic army, if you truly repent and confess and if possible receive the Holy Communion, we
grant plenary pardon and remission of all sins, as usually granted to those setting out to the war against the Turks for the recovery of the Holy Land. Rome. The Ninth Year of Our Pontificate.’

O’Donnell
Jesus, great word that – ‘pontificate’.

Lombard
Which means, Hugh, that now you aren’t fighting a mere war – you are fighting a holy crusade.

O’Donnell
Goddamn bloody right, Peter!

Lombard
Which means, too, that we are no longer a casual grouping of tribes but a nation state united under the Papal colours.

O’Donnell
Is that big enough news for you, man – eh?

Everybody
looks
at
O’Neill
.
Silence
.
He
walks
slowly
across
the
room
.

Hi! Hugh!

Silence
.

(
to
others
)
What’s wrong with the bugger? (
to
O’Neill
) O’Neill! Sir Hugh! Tyrone! Did you hear what the man’s just said?

O’Neill
Yes; yes, I heard.

O’Donnell
‘Yes, I heard’! What the hell’s wrong with the bugger?

Silence
.
Then
when
O’Neill
finally
speaks
,
he
speaks
very
softly
,
almost
as
if
he
were
talking
to
himself
.

O’Neill
I’m remembering Sir Henry Sidney and Lady Mary, may they rest in peace. We spent the winters in the great castle at Ludlow in Shropshire. I’ve few memories of the winters. It’s the summers I remember and the autumns, in Kent, in the family seat at Penshurst. And the
orchards; and the deerpark; and those enormous fields of wheat and barley. A golden and beneficent land. Days without blemish. Every young man’s memories. And every evening after dinner Sir Henry would propose a topic for discussion: Travel – Seditions and Troubles – Gardens – Friendship and Loyalty – Good Manners – The Planting of Foreign Countries. And everyone round the table had to contribute – the family, guests, even myself, even his son Philip who was younger than I. And Sir Henry would tease out the ideas and guide the conversation almost imperceptibly but very skilfully so that by the time we rose from the table he had moulded the discourse into a well-rounded and formal essay on whatever the theme was. I was only a raw boy at the time but I was conscious not only that new ideas and concepts were being explored and fashioned but that I was being explored and fashioned at the same time. And that knowledge wasn’t unflattering. Drake was there once, I remember. And Frobisher and his officers on the eve of their first South American voyage. Gross men; vain men. But Sir Henry’s grace and tact seemed to transform all that naked brutality and imperial greed into boyish excitement and manly adventure. He was the only father I ever knew. I was closer to him and to Lady Mary than I was to O’Hagan who fostered me. I loved them both very much.

Anyhow, time came to come home. I was almost seventeen then. And the night before I left Lady Mary had an enormous farewell dinner for me – there must have been a hundred guests. And at the end of the meal Sir Henry got to his feet – 1 knew he was slightly drunk, maybe he was more drunk than I knew – and he said: ‘Our disquisition tonight will explore a matter of some interest to England and of particular interest to Master O’Neill who goes home tomorrow to become a leader of his people. And the matter is this, and I quote from a letter I have just received from my friend, Andrew
Trollope. “Those Irishmen who live like subjects play but as the fox which when you have him on a chain will seem tame; but if he ever gets loose, he will be wild again.” So. Speak to that, Fox O’Neill.’

And then he laughed. And everybody joined in. And then a hundred people were laughing at me …

I left the next morning before the household was awake. And ever since – up until this minute – ever since, that trivial little hurt, that single failure in years of courtesy has pulsed relentlessly in a corner of my heart. Until now. And now for no reason that pulse is quiet and all my affection for Sir Henry returns without qualification. (
Pause
.)
But all that is of no interest to anybody but myself.

O’Donnell
Damned right it isn’t. Bloody pulse? – what’s he blathering about?

O
’
Neill
claps
his
hands
,
dismissing the entire episode
.
He
is
now
suddenly
very
brisk
and
very
efficient.

O’Neill
The present. (
to
Lombard
)
You’re right. Hugh and I will tour the country to gather support. We’ll set out next Monday. (
to
O
’
Donnell
)
No cap-in-hand. We go with authority and assurance.

O’Donnell
Damned right we do!

O’Neill
(
to
Harry
)
Get a letter off to Lerma today. Kinsale is out of the question. If they insist on landing in the south – anywhere in the south – tell them to cancel the expedition. (
to
Lombard
)
What equipment are they bringing?

Lombard
Six battery pieces and six hundred hundredweight of powder.

O’Neill
(
to
Harry
)
We’ll need at least five hundred small guns. Tell Lerma we’re expert in guerrilla warfare but inexperienced in open battle.

Lombard
And see that Archbishop Oviedo gets a copy – he’s very influential.

Harry
Right.

Lombard
(
to
O’Neill
)
The Pope has ordered him to sail in the
San
Andrea
– that’s the flagship.

O’Donnell
Flagship!
(
He
salutes
.) Jesus, that word flagship’s like music to me!

O’Neill
They’re bringing their own saddles?

Lombard
Yes; but they expect you to supply the horses.

O’Neill
(
to
Harry
)
A levy of five horses on every family. And oatmeal. And butter, (
to
Lombard
)
A Bull of Indulgence isn’t enough. Everybody who opposes us must be publicly identified. I need a Bull of
Excommunication
.

Lombard
You won’t get that, Hugh.

O’Neill
We got one before.

Lombard
Twenty years ago.

O’Neill
I want a Bull of Excommunication, Peter.

Lombard
I’ve tried. I’ll try again. Oviedo’s our only hope.

O’Neill
(
to
Harry
)
Messages to all the Ulster leaders: a meeting here the day after tomorrow – at noon.

Harry
Noon.

O’Neill
Send Brian O’Hagan across to the Earl of Argyle for mercenaries.

Harry
How many?

O’Neill
As many as he can get. And pay in advance.

Harry
How much money will he need?

O’Neill
Whatever Argyle asks, (
to
O’Donnell
)
You’re the expert on horses.

O’Donnell
Bloody right.

O’Neill
(
to
Harry
)
Take him up to the upper meadows and show him the new stock. (
to
O’Donnell
)
Pick only the horses that are strong enough for a long campaign.

O’Donnell
How many are up there?

O’Neill
Something over three thousand.

O’Donnell
I’ll have a look.

Harry
and
O’Donnell
go
to
the
door.
O’Donnell
stops
there.