FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   >>  
ent._] SCENE II TIME: _1492_. PLACE: _Spain. Court of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella_. * * * * * KING FERDINAND. QUEEN ISABELLA. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. CAPTAIN RIVERRA. WISE MEN. COURTIERS AND LADIES. A MONK, FATHER-CONFESSOR TO THE QUEEN. MESSENGER. * * * * * [_Many_ COURTIERS _and_ LADIES _are seen in audience-room of palace; a throne is in the background. Enter the_ FIRST COURTIER.] FIRST COURTIER. The King and Queen! [_Enter_ KING FERDINAND _and_ QUEEN ISABELLA, _followed by_ COURTIERS, LADIES _and the_ WISE MEN. _All bow as the King and Queen cross to throne and sit. Enter the_ MONK; _he advances to throne and bows._] KING. Speak, good Father. MONK. I pray your Majesties to see one Christopher Columbus. KING (_inquiringly_). Columbus? MONK. The Italian who thinks he can find a short route to the Indies, sire. KING (_nodding_). Ah, I remember. You brought his plans to us some time ago, good Father. QUEEN (_nodding_). Let us see him to-day, sire. KING (_to First Courtier_). Admit this Christopher Columbus. (_Courtier admits_ COLUMBUS. _He kneels before the King._) Rise, Columbus, and tell us what you seek. COLUMBUS (_rising_). Ships, sire, to prove the plans which I did send your Majesties; plans for sailing in the unknown seas. QUEEN. They seemed to me most wise and sensible. COLUMBUS (_with joy_). Ah, your Majesty believes with me? KING (_hastily_). I'd have our Wise Men speak. Unfold your maps before them, sir. [_Columbus crosses to Wise Men and unfolds a map before them. They look at it, shake their heads and laugh._] COLUMBUS (_with dignity_). I propose to sail by this route to find that eastern land. FIRST WISE MAN. Ha, ha! I never heard anything so absurd! He'd sail west to find the east! Ha, ha! SECOND WISE MAN (_pointing to map_). The edge of the world is out there in those strange waters! And you are willing to fall off with your ships into space, sir? COLUMBUS. I'm sure the water continues-- THIRD WISE MAN (_interrupting_). How could there be land beyond? 'T would be under us, and the trees would have to grow their roots in the air. [_Wise Men nod wisely._] SECOND WISE MAN. And the rain must needs fall upward there! ALL WISE MEN (_nodding wisely_). Aye! Aye! QUEEN. I've heard you did lay your plans before King John of Portugal? COLUMBUS. I did, your Majesty. KI
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   >>  



Top keywords:

COLUMBUS

 

Columbus

 

throne

 
nodding
 
COURTIERS
 

LADIES

 
Father
 

Christopher

 

SECOND

 

Majesty


Courtier
 

Majesties

 

COURTIER

 

wisely

 

FERDINAND

 
ISABELLA
 

propose

 

dignity

 

unfolds

 
upward

Unfold

 
eastern
 

crosses

 

Portugal

 

pointing

 

continues

 

strange

 
interrupting
 

absurd

 

waters


background

 

palace

 

audience

 

inquiringly

 

advances

 

MESSENGER

 

Ferdinand

 

Isabella

 

FATHER

 

CONFESSOR


CHRISTOPHER

 

CAPTAIN

 

RIVERRA

 

Italian

 

rising

 

sailing

 
unknown
 

believes

 

hastily

 

brought