Collected Plays

The House of Brut

Fragment of a Play

Dramatis Personae

BRUTUS - Prince of Britain.

CORINEUS, ASSARAC - his brothers.

DEVON - son of Corineus.

Sons of Brutus
CAMBRE - Prince of Cambria.
ALBANACT - Prince of Albany.
LOCRINE - Prince of Leogrys.
HUMBER - King of Norway.

OFFA, SIGFRID - Norwegian leaders.

GUENDOLEN - daughter of Corineus.

ESTRILD - A Pictish princess, concubine of Humber.

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Act Two

Scene I

The camp of Humber.
Humber, Offa, Norwegians.

HUMBER
Drinkhael, dragons and storm-winds of the sea!
(Drinks)
Spare not to drain this sweetened juice of earth,
You Vikings! How it bubbles to the lips
Vigorous as newspilt blood. Drink deep, and shout
"Glory to Thor and Humber!" With the sun
Upon the force of Albanact we march.
Shout, Norsemen! Let the heavens hear your menace.
Drinkhael!
(Drinks)

ALL
Washael! Glory to ancient Thor
And Humber.

HUMBER
I am the hammer old of Thor
When he would crush the nations. He is merry
With wine and smites the world with me.
(Drinks)
Or wherefore
Should I derive my glory? Have I not
Rushed through the angry waters when the whale
Was stunned between two waves and slain my foe
Betwixt the thunders? Have not the burning hamlets
Of Gaul lighted me homeward for a league?
Erin has felt me, Norsemen.

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ALL
Glory to Humber.

HUMBER
Have I not slain the Alban hosts and bound
The necks of princes? Yea, their glorious star
And wonder for whom three kingdoms strove, Estrild,
Led to my ships? The queens of the Orcades
Are slaves and concubines to private Norsemen.

ALL
Glory to Humber, Thor's hammer! Humber! Humber!

HUMBER
Have I not harried Ireland, Denmark, Orkney?
Shattered the Pictish wheels, broken their scythes,
Unpeopled living tracts? Why then prefer you
Thor's self to me? Has he filled up your ships
With gold and wines of France, rich rings and jewels,
Metals untold and beautiful sharp steel?
Who has enriched and aggrandised you all
Till you are gods, to each hand a country's wealth,
To each sword a century's glory? Who has given
The commonest men beauty divine to sleep with,
Made queens your slaves and kings your thralls, you Norsemen?

ALL
Humber, Humber! Not Thor, but mightier Humber.

HUMBER
Drink, Norsemen. Ye shall all be kings. Scotia
And Albany and Ireland shall be mine.
I'll have as many kingdoms as the year
Has moons. Do you doubt me, Vikings? Do you mutter?
But you shall see my glory. Call Estrild,
You thralls of Humber.

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ALL
Glory to great Humber!
Humber shall now be Thor. He shall new-make
The bones of Heimir in his hands. Cry "Humber!"

HUMBER
This river we ascend, shall now no more
Bear its old name but mine; and all this region
Be Albany no more but Humberland:
The world's name changed shall be my monument.

Enter thralls with Estrild.

ESTRILD
Gods, if you be, protect me!

ALL
Glory to Humber.

HUMBER
Lo she whose mystic¹ eyes enthral the nations,
Comes to do reverence to Humber, glad
To be his glory's meanest satellite.
Kneel down, daughter of princes, favoured more
Than Freya or Gudrun; for these were wives
Of gods or demigods, but thou the slave
Of Humber. Lo whose pleasure kingdoms strove
To do, is made my footstool. I have slain
Nations to win her and have ravished her
Before her father's eyes, not yet made blood
And faces of a hundred warlike lovers.
Yet all these could not help her cries.

ALL
Humber!

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OFFA
The strong, the noble Humber!

HUMBER
Girl, arise
And serve me. Thou shalt do it royally.
This is thy father's skull

(Incomplete)

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