THE SCORPION
given, and a kiss stolen at night, I want none of your dusty
conclaves.
I had as lief be a scholar.
SIR JAMES. If the world were like thee, Christendom would
perish in a year and a day.
Thy good knights comrades
would row the Turkish galleys, and a few prize fools—such
as thou—make sport for their Emirs or guard their women.
JOCELYN. And a good thing.
I am weary of crusading.
The sacred Sepulchre is empty—praise God, Who performed
a miracle to make it so l—and we must perforce come and fill
thousands more with good Christian flesh and blood, that
was alive and jolly.
Let us be off, though!
The Preceptor
sheds dullness as the sun sheds light, alike on the evil and
on the good.
One, two, three—I’ll race you all to Sidi Khaled.
[They go of R. toward their horses,
JOCELYN Singing as
he goes.
What is the worth
Of a hound or a hawk?
A monkey for mirth!
A parrot for talk!
Rosamond’s skin
Is whiter than milk,
Seductive as sin
And softer than silk.
Would I were back
From crusade for an hour,
My limbs lying slack
In Rosamond’s bower!
[From thefiolrm C. comes forward LAYLAH, veiled, with
a pitcher.
She attaches z'! to the cordofthe lever and
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