Act IV
A FARMER.Who will be tried to-day?
A SECOND.I do not know.Here is John Gloyd. Ask him; he knows.
FARMER.John Gloyd,Whose turn is it to-day?
GLOYD.It's Goodwife Corey's.
FARMER.Giles Corey's wife?
GLOYD.The same. She is not mine.It will go hard with her with all her praying.The hypocrite! She's always on her knees;But she prays to the Devil when she prays.Let us go in.
FARMER.Here come the Magistrates.
Who's the tall man in front?
GLOYD.Oh, that is Hathorne,A Justice of the Court, and a Quarter-masterIn the Three County Troop. He'll sift the matter.That's Corwin with him; and the man in blackIs Cotton Mather, Minister of Boston.
The Meeting-house is full. I never sawSo great a crowd before.
GLOYD.No matter. Come.We shall find room enough by elbowingOur way among them. Put your shoulder to it.
FARMER.There were not half so many at the trialOf Goodwife Bishop.
GLOYD.Keep close after me.I'll find a place for you. They'll want me there.I am a friend of Corey's, as you know,And he can't do without me just at present.
HATHORNE.Call Martha Corey.
MARTHA.I am here.
HATHORNE.Come forward.
The Jurors of our Sovereign Lord and LadyThe King and Queen, here present, do accuse youOf having on the tenth of June last past,And divers other times before and after,Wickedly used and practised certain artsCalled Witchcrafts, Sorceries, and Incantations,Against one Mary Walcot, single woman,Of Salem Village; by which wicked artsThe aforesaid Mary Walcot was tormented,Tortured, afflicted, pined, consumed, and wasted,Against the peace of our Sovereign Lord and LadyThe King and Queen, as well as of the StatuteMade and provided in that case. What say you?
MARTHA.Before I answer, give me leave to pray.
HATHORNE.We have not sent for you, nor are we here,To hear you pray, but to examine youIn whatsoever is alleged against you.Why do you hurt this person?
MARTHA.I do not.I am not guilty of the charge against me.
MARY.Avoid, she-devil! You may torment me now!Avoid, avoid, Witch!
MARTHA.I am innocent.I never had to do with any WitchcraftSince I was born. I am a gospel woman.
MARY.You are a gospel Witch!
MARTHA (clasping her hands).Ah me! ah me!Oh, give me leave to pray!
MARY (stretching out her hands).She hurts me now.See, she has pinched my hands!
HATHORNE.Who made these marksUpon her hands?
MARTHA.I do not know. I standApart from her. I did not touch her hands.
HATHORNE.Who hurt her then?
MARTHA.I know not.
HATHORNE.Do you thinkShe is bewitched?
MARTHA.Indeed I do not think so.I am no Witch, and have no faith in Witches.
HATHORNE.Then answer me: When certain persons cameTo see you yesterday, how did you knowBeforehand why they came?
MARTHA.I had had speech;The children said I hurt them, and I thoughtThese people came to question me about it.
HATHORNE.How did you know the children had been toldTo note the clothes you wore?
MARTHA.My husband told meWhat others said about it.
HATHORNE.Goodman Corey,Say, did you tell her?
COREY.I must speak the truth;I did not tell her. It was some one else.
HATHORNE.Did you not say your husband told you so?How dare you tell a lie in this assembly?Who told you of the clothes? Confess the truth.
MARY.Ah, she is biting me! Avoid, avoid!
HATHORNE.You said your husband told you.
MARTHA.Yes, he told meThe children said I troubled them.
HATHORNE.Then tell me,Why do you trouble them?
MARTHA.I have denied it.
MARY.She threatened me; stabbed at me with her spindle;And, when my brother thrust her with his sword,He tore her gown, and cut a piece away.Here are they both, the spindle and the cloth.
HATHORNE.And there are persons here who know the truthOf what has now been said. What answer make you?
MARTHA.I make no answer. Give me leave to pray.
HATHORNE.Whom would you pray to?
MARTHA.To my God and Father.
HATHORNE.Who is your God and Father?
MARTHA.The Almighty!
HATHORNE.Doth he you pray to say that he is God?It is the Prince of Darkness, and not God.
MARY.There is a dark shape whispering in her ear.
HATHORNE.What does it say to you?
MARTHA.I see no shape.
HATHORNE.Did you not hear it whisper?
MARTHA.I heard nothing.
MARY.What torture! Ah, what agony I suffer!
HATHORNE.You see this woman cannot stand before you.If you would look for mercy, you must lookIn God's way, by confession of your guilt.Why does your spectre haunt and hurt this person?
MARTHA.I do not know. He who appeared of oldIn Samuel's shape, a saint and glorified,May come in whatsoever shape he chooses.I cannot help it. I am sick at heart!
COREY.O Martha, Martha! let me hold your hand.
HATHORNE.No; stand aside, old man.
MARY (starting up).Look there! Look there!I see a little bird, a yellow birdPerched on her finger; and it pecks at me.Ah, it will tear mine eyes out!
MARTHA.I see nothing.
HATHORNE.'T is the Familiar Spirit that attends her.
MARY.Now it has flown away. It sits up thereUpon the rafters. It is gone; is vanished.
MARTHA.Giles, wipe these tears of anger from mine eyes.Wipe the sweat from my forehead. I am faint.
MARY.Oh, she is crushing me with all her weight!
HATHORNE.Did you not carry once the Devil's BookTo this young woman?
MARTHA.Never.
HATHORNE.Have you signed it,Or touched it?
MARTHA.No; I never saw it.
HATHORNE.Did you not scourge her with an iron rod?
MARTHA.No, I did not. If any Evil SpiritHas taken my shape to do these evil deeds,I cannot help it. I am innocent.
HATHORNE.Did you not say the Magistrates were blind?That you would open their eyes?
MARTHA (with a scornful laugh).Yes, I said that;If you call me a sorceress, you are blind!If you accuse the innocent, you are blind!Can the innocent be guilty?
HATHORNE.Did you notOn one occasion hide your husband's saddleTo hinder him from coming to the sessions?
MARTHA.I thought it was a folly in a farmerTo waste his time pursuing such illusions.
HATHORNE.What was the bird that this young woman sawJust now upon your hand?
MARTHA.I know no bird.
HATHORNE.Have you not dealt with a Familiar Spirit?
MARTHA.No, never, never!
HATHORNE.What then was the BookYou showed to this young woman, and besought herTo write in it?
MARTHA.Where should I have a book?I showed her none, nor have none.
MARY.The next SabbathIs the Communion Day, but Martha CoreyWill not be there!
MARTHA.Ah, you are all against me.What can I do or say?
HATHORNE.You can confess.
MARTHA.No, I cannot, for I am innocent.
HATHORNE.We have the proof of many witnessesThat you are guilty.
MARTHA.Give me leave to speak.Will you condemn me on such evidence,--You who have known me for so many years?Will you condemn me in this house of God,Where I so long have worshipped with you all?Where I have eaten the bread and drunk the wineSo many times at our Lord's Table with you?Bear witness, you that hear me; you all knowThat I have led a blameless life among you,That never any whisper of suspicionWas breathed against me till this accusation.And shall this count for nothing? Will you takeMy life away from me, because this girl,Who is distraught, and not in her right mind,Accuses me of things I blush to name?
HATHORNE.What! is it not enough? Would you hear more?Giles Corey!
COREY.I am here.
HATHORNE.Come forward, then.
Is it not true, that on a certain nightYou were impeded strangely in your prayers?That something hindered you? and that you leftThis woman here, your wife, kneeling aloneUpon the hearth?
COREY.Yes; I cannot deny it.
HATHORNE.Did you not say the Devil hindered you?
COREY.I think I said some words to that effect.
HATHORNE.Is it not true, that fourteen head of cattle,To you belonging, broke from their enclosureAnd leaped into the river, and were drowned?
COREY.It is most true.
HATHORNE.And did you not then sayThat they were overlooked?
COREY.So much I said.I see; they're drawing round me closer, closer,A net I cannot break, cannot escape from! (Aside).
HATHORNE.Who did these things?
COREY.I do not know who did them.
HATHORNE.Then I will tell you. It is some one near you;You see her now; this woman, your own wife.
COREY.I call the heavens to witness, it is false!She never harmed me, never hindered meIn anything but what I should not do.And I bear witness in the sight of heaven,And in God's house here, that I never knew herAs otherwise than patient, brave, and true,Faithful, forgiving, full of charity,A virtuous and industrious and good wife!
HATHORNE.Tut, tut, man; do not rant so in your speech;You are a witness, not an advocate!Here, Sheriff, take this woman back to prison.
MARTHA.O Giles, this day you've sworn away my life!
MARY.Go, go and join the Witches at the door.Do you not hear the drum? Do you not see them?Go quick. They're waiting for you. You are late.
COREY.The dream! the dream! the dream!
HATHORNE.What does he say?Giles Corey, go not hence. You are yourselfAccused of Witchcraft and of SorceryBy many witnesses. Say, are you guilty?
COREY.I know my death is foreordained by you,Mine and my wife's. Therefore I will not answer.
HATHORNE.Do you refuse to plead?--'T were better for youTo make confession, or to plead Not Guilty.--Do you not hear me?--Answer, are you guilty?Do you not know a heavier doom awaits you,If you refuse to plead, than if found guilty?Where is John Gloyd?
GLOYD (coming forward).Here am I.
HATHORNE.Tell the CourtHave you not seen the supernatural powerOf this old man? Have you not seen him doStrange feats of strength?
GLOYD.I've seen him lead the field,On a hot day, in mowing, and againstUs younger men; and I have wrestled with him.He threw me like a feather. I have seen himLift up a barrel with his single hands,Which two strong men could hardly lift together,And, holding it above his head, drink from it.
HATHORNE.That is enough; we need not question further.What answer do you make to this, Giles Corey?
MARY.See there! See there!
HATHORNE.What is it? I see nothing.
MARY.Look! Look! It is the ghost of Robert Goodell,Whom fifteen years ago this man did murderBy stamping on his body! In his shroudHe comes here to bear witness to the crime!
HATHORNE.Ghosts of the dead and voices of the livingBear witness to your guilt, and you must die!It might have been an easier death. Your doomWill be on your own head, and not on ours.Twice more will you be questioned of these things;Twice more have room to plead or to confess.If you are contumacious to the Court,And if, when questioned, you refuse to answer,Then by the Statute you will be condemnedTo the peine forte et dure! To have your bodyPressed by great weights until you shall be dead!And may the Lord have mercy on your soul!
SCENE I. -- COREy's farm as in Act II., Scene I. Enter RICHARDGARDNER, looking round him.
GARDNER.Here stands the house as I remember it.The four tall poplar-trees before the door;The house, the barn, the orchard, and the well,With its moss-covered bucket and its trough;The garden, with its hedge of currant-bushes;The woods, the harvest-fields; and, far beyond,The pleasant landscape stretching to the sea.But everything is silent and deserted!No bleat of flocks, no bellowing of herds,No sound of flails, that should be beating now;Nor man nor beast astir. What can this mean?
What ho! Giles Corey! Hillo-ho! Giles Corey!--No answer but the echo from the barn,And the ill-omened cawing of the crow,That yonder wings his flight across the fields,As if he scented carrion in the air.
What woman's this, that, like an apparition,Haunts this deserted homestead in broad day?Woman, who are you?
TITUBA.I'm Tituba.I am John Indian's wife. I am a Witch.
GARDNER.What are you doing here?
TITUBA.I am gathering herbs,--Cinquefoil, and saxifrage, and pennyroyal.
GARDNER (looking at the herbs).This is not cinquefoil, it is deadly nightshade!This is not saxifrage, but hellebore!This is not pennyroyal, it is henbane!Do you come here to poison these good people?
TITUBA.I get these for the Doctor in the Village.Beware of Tituba. I pinch the children;Make little poppets and stick pins in them,And then the children cry out they are pricked.The Black Dog came to me and said, "Serve me!"I was afraid. He made me hurt the children.
GARDNER.Poor soul! She's crazed, with all these Devil's doings.
TITUBA.Will you, sir, sign the book?
GARDNER.No, I'll not sign it.Where is Giles Corey? Do you know Giles Corey!
TITUBA.He's safe enough. He's down there in the prison.
GARDNER.Corey in prison? What is he accused of?
TITURA.Giles Corey and Martha Corey are in prisonDown there in Salem Village. Both are witches.She came to me and whispered, "Kill the children!"Both signed the Book!
Begone, you imp of darkness!You Devil's dam!
TITUBA.Beware of Tituba!
GARDNER.How often out at sea on stormy nights,When the waves thundered round me, and the windBellowed, and beat the canvas, and my shipClove through the solid darkness, like a wedge,I've thought of him upon his pleasant farm,Living in quiet with his thrifty housewife,And envied him, and wished his fate were mine!And now I find him shipwrecked utterly,Drifting upon this sea of sorceries,And lost, perhaps, beyond all aid of man!
COREY.Now I have done with earth and all its cares;I give my worldly goods to my dear children;My body I bequeath to my tormentors,And my immortal soul to Him who made it.O God! who in thy wisdom dost afflict meWith an affliction greater than most menHave ever yet endured or shall endure,Suffer me not in this last bitter hourFor any pains of death to fall from Thee!
MARTHA is heard singing.Arise, O righteous Lord!And disappoint my foes;They are but thine avenging sword,Whose wounds are swift to close.
COREY.Hark, hark! it is her voice! She is not dead!She lives! I am not utterly forsaken!
MARTHA, singing.By thine abounding grace,And mercies multiplied,I shall awake, and see thy face;I shall be satisfied.
COREY hides his face in his hands. Enter the JAILER, followed by
JAILER.Here's a seafaring man, one Richard Gardner,A friend of yours, who asks to speak with you.
COREY.I'm glad to see you, ay, right glad to see you.
GARDNER.And I am most sorely grieved to see you thus.
COREY.Of all the friends I had in happier days,You are the first, ay, and the only one,That comes to seek me out in my disgrace!And you but come in time to say farewell,They've dug my grave already in the field.I thank you. There is something in your presence,I know not what it is, that gives me strength.Perhaps it is the bearing of a manFamiliar with all dangers of the deep,Familiar with the cries of drowning men,With fire, and wreck, and foundering ships at sea!
GARDNER.Ah, I have never known a wreck like yours!Would I could save you!
COREY.Do not speak of that.It is too late. I am resolved to die.
GARDNER.Why would you die who have so much to live for?--Your daughters, and--
COREY.You cannot say the word.My daughters have gone from me. They are married;They have their homes, their thoughts, apart from me;I will not say their hearts,--that were too cruel.What would you have me do?
GARDNER.Confess and live.COREY.That's what they said who came here yesterdayTo lay a heavy weight upon my conscienceBy telling me that I was driven forthAs an unworthy member of their church.
GARDNER.It is an awful death.
COREY.'T is but to drown,And have the weight of all the seas upon you.
GARDNER.Say something; say enough to fend off deathTill this tornado of fanaticismBlows itself out. Let me come in between youAnd your severer self, with my plain sense;Do not be obstinate.
COREY.I will not plead.If I deny, I am condemned already,In courts where ghosts appear as witnesses,And swear men's lives away. If I confess,Then I confess a lie, to buy a lifeWhich is not life, but only death in life.I will not bear false witness against any,Not even against myself, whom I count least.
GARDNER (aside).Ah, what a noble character is this!
COREY.I pray you, do not urge me to do thatYou would not do yourself. I have alreadyThe bitter taste of death upon my lips;I feel the pressure of the heavy weightThat will crush out my life within this hour;But if a word could save me, and that wordWere not the Truth; nay, if it did but swerveA hair's-breadth from the Truth, I would not say it!
GARDNER (aside).How mean I seem beside a man like this!
COREY.As for my wife, my Martha and my Martyr,--Whose virtues, like the stars, unseen by day,Though numberless, do but await the darkTo manifest themselves unto all eyes,--She who first won me from my evil ways,And taught me how to live by her example,By her example teaches me to die,And leads me onward to the better life!
SHERIFF (without).Giles Corey! Come! The hour has struck!
COREY.I come!Here is my body; ye may torture it,But the immortal soul ye cannot crush!
GLOYD.Quick, or we shall be late!
A MAN.That's not the way.Come here; come up this lane.
GLOYD.I wonder nowIf the old man will die, and will not speak?He's obstinate enough and tough enoughFor anything on earth.
A MAN.The passing bell. He's dead!
GLOYD.We are too late.
SCENE IV. -- A field near the graveyard, GILES COREY lying dead,with a great stone on his breast. The Sheriff at his head,RICHARD GARDNER at his feet. A crowd behind. The bell tolling.Enter HATHORNE and MATHER.
HATHORNE.This is the Potter's Field. Behold the fateOf those who deal in Witchcrafts, and, when questioned,Refuse to plead their guilt or innocence,And stubbornly drag death upon themselves.
MATHER.O sight most horrible! In a land like this,Spangled with Churches Evangelical,Inwrapped in our salvations, must we seekIn mouldering statute-books of English CourtsSome old forgotten Law, to do such deeds?Those who lie buried in the Potter's FieldWill rise again, as surely as ourselvesThat sleep in honored graves with epitaphs;And this poor man, whom we have made a victim,Hereafter will be counted as a martyr!
Words in this poem 43
- goodwife n.
- The mistress of a house. Robynson (More's Utopia).
- county n.
- An earldom; the domain of a count or earl. [F. comt, fr. LL. comitatus. See Count.]
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- divers a.
- Different in kind or species; diverse. [F. divers, L. diversus turned in different directions, different, p. p. of divertere. See Divert, and cf. Diverse.]
- avoid v. t.
- To empty. Wyclif. [OF. esvuidier, es (L. ex) + vuidier, voidier, to empty. See Void, a.]
- goodman n.
- A familiar appellation of civility, equivalent to [Good + man]
- tore n.
- The dead grass that remains on mowing land in winter and spring. Mortimer. [Probably from the root of tear; cf. W. tór a break, cut, tóri to break, cut.]
- spectre n.
- Something preternaturally visible; an apparition; a ghost; a phantom. [F. spectre, fr. L. spectrum an appearance, image, specter, fr. specere to look. See Spy, and cf. Spectrum.]
- flown a.
- Flushed, inflated.
- scourge n.
- A lash; a strap or cord; especially, a lash used to inflict pain or punishment; an instrument of punishment or discipline; a whip. [F. escourgée, fr. L. excoriata (sc. scutica) a stripped off (lash or whip), fr. excoriate to strip, to skin. See Excoriate.]
- distraught p. p.
- Torn asunder; separated. [OE. distract, distrauht. See Distract, a.]
- strangely adv.
- As something foreign, or not one's own; in a manner adapted to something foreign and strange.
- broke v. i.
- To transact business for another. Brome. [See Broker, and cf. Brook.]
- enclosure n.
- Inclosure. See Inclosure.
- closer n.
- One who, or that which, closes; specifically, a boot closer. See under Boot.
- forgiving a.
- Disposed to forgive; inclined to overlook offenses; mild; merciful; compassionate; placable; as, a forgiving temper.
- virtuous a.
- Possessing or exhibiting virtue. Specifically: -- (a) Exhibiting manly courage and strength; valorous; valiant; brave. [OE. vertuous, OF. vertuos, vertuous, F. vertueux, fr. L. Virtuous. See Virtue, and cf. Virtuoso.]
- industrious a.
- Given to industry; characterized by diligence; constantly, regularly, or habitually occupied; busy; assiduous; not slothful or idle; -- commonly implying devotion to lawful and useful labor. [L. industrius, industriosus: cf. F. industrieux. See Industry.]
- ghost n.
- The spirit; the soul of man. [OE. gast, gost, soul, spirit, AS. gast breath, spirit, soul; akin to OS. g spirit, soul, D. geest, G. geist, and prob. to E. gaze, ghastly.]
- contumacious a.
- Exhibiting contumacy; contemning authority; obstinate; perverse; stubborn; disobedient. [L. contumax, -acis. See Contumacy.]
- forte n.
- The strong point; that in which one excels. fort"a The construction of a fable seems by no means the forte of our modern poetical writers. Jeffrey. [IT. forte: cf. F. fort. See Fort.]
- dure v. i.
- To last; to continue; to endure. Sir W. Raleigh. [F. durer, L. durare to harden, be hardened, to endure, last, fr. durus hard. See Dure, a.]
- bleat v. i.
- To make the noise of, or one like that of, a sheep; to cry like a sheep or calf. [OE. bleten, AS. bl; akin to D. blaten, bleeten, OHG. blazan, plazan; prob. of imitative origin.]
- astir adv.
- Stirring; in a state of activity or motion; out of bed. [Pref. a- + stir.]
- yonder adv.
- At a distance, but within view. [OE. yonder, ýonder; cf. OD. ginder, Goth. jaindr there. Yond, adv.]
- cinquefoil n.
- The name of several different species of the genus Potentilla; -- also called five-finger, because of the resemblance of its leaves to the fingers of the hand. [Cinque five + foil, F. feuille leaf. See Foil.]
- pennyroyal n.
- An aromatic herb (Mentha Pulegium) of Europe; also, a North American plant (Hedeoma pulegioides) resembling it in flavor. Bastard pennyroyal (Bot.) See Blue curls, under Blue. [A corruption of OE. puliall royal. OE. puliall is ultimately derived fr. L. puleium, or pulegium regium (so called as being good against fleas), fr. pulex a fle]
- henbane n.
- A plant of the genus Hyoscyamus (H. niger). All parts of the plant are poisonous, and the leaves are used for the same purposes as belladonna. It is poisonous to domestic fowls; whence the name. [Hen + bane.]
- beware v. t.
- To avoid; to take care of; to have a care for.
- bequeath v. t.
- To give or leave by will; to give by testament; -- said especially of personal property. [OE. biquethen, AS. becwe to say, affirm, bequeath; pref. be- + cwe to say, speak. See Quoth.]
- afflict v. t.
- To strike or cast down; to overthrow. [L. afflictus, p. p. of affigere to cast down, deject; ad + fligere to strike: cf. OF. aflit, afflict, p. p. Cf. Flagellate.]
- jailer n.
- The keeper of a jail or prison. [OE. jailer, gailer, OF. geolier, F. geôlier. See Jail.]
- seafaring a.
- Following the business of a mariner; as, a seafaring man.
- sorely adv.
- In a sore manner; grievously; painfully; as, to be sorely afflicted.
- thank n.
- A expression of gratitude; an acknowledgment expressive of a sense of favor or kindness received; obligation, claim, or desert, or gratitude; -- now generally used in the plural. [AS. Þanc, Þonc, thanks, favor, thought; akin to OS. thank favor, pleasure, thanks, D. & G. dank thanks, Icel. Þ\'94kk, Dan. tak, Sw. tack, Goth. Þagks thanks; -]
- conscience n.
- Knowledge of one's own thoughts or actions; consciousness. [F. conscience, fr. L. conscientia, fr. consciens, p.pr. of conscire to know, to be conscious; con- + scire to know. See Science.]
- fend v. t.
- To keep off; to prevent from entering or hitting; to ward off; to shut out; -- often with off; as, to fend off blows. [Abbrev. fr. defend.]
- fanaticism n.
- Excessive enthusiasm, unreasoning zeal, or wild and extravagant notions, on any subject, especially religion; religious frenzy. [Cf. Fanatism.]
- unseen a.
- Not seen or discovered.
- numberless a.
- Innumerable; countless.
- await v. t.
- To watch for; to look out for. [OF. awaitier, agaitier; (L. ad) + waitier, gaitier to watch, F. guetter. See Wait.]
- graveyard n.
- A yard or inclosure for the interment of the dead; a cemetery.
- hereafter adv.
- In time to come; in some future time or state. [AS. hræfter.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Act IV is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Complete Poetical Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Project Gutenberg ebook #1365; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Act IV, in Christus: A Mystery (1872), Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/longfellow-christus/act-iv.html.
Form and metre
Act IV is 612 lines in 169 stanzas.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm. The first 120 of 169 stanzas.
- 6 -A---A gloyd · mineA · praying · knees · prays · inA
- 17 AB--C--C--A-B ladyA · youB · past · after · artsC · incantations · woman · artsC · tormented · wasted · ladyA · statute · youB
- 19 --AA- hathorne · here · youA · youA · person
- 25 A-A handsA · now · handsA
- 28 AA hathorneA · thenA
- 32 -A-A hathorne · cameA · know · cameA
- 51 -AA hathorne · godA · godA
- 61 AA hathorneA · manA
- 70 -AA hathorne · itA · itA
- 75 --AA- laugh · that · blindA · blindA · guilty
- 89 ------AB-BA----- martha · speak · evidence · years · god · all · wineA · youB · know · youB · suspicionA · accusation · take · girl · mind · name
- 92 AA hathorneA · thenA
- 104 ---A--A-- corey · false · me · doA · heaven · her · trueA · charity · wife
- 111 -ABBAB- hathorne · youA · guiltyB · guiltyB · youA · guiltyB · gloyd
- 114 ---AA--- gloyd · field · against · himA · himA · hands · together · it
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| A FARMER. | 3 | ·/˘ |
| Who will be tried to-day? | 6 | ······ |
| A SECOND. | 3 | ·/˘ |
| I do not know. | 4 | ···· |
| Here is John Gloyd. Ask him; he knows. | 8 | ········ |
| FARMER. | 2 | /˘ |
| John Gloyd, | 2 | ·· |
| Whose turn is it to-day? | 6 | ······ |
| GLOYD. | 1 | · |
| It's Goodwife Corey's. | 5 | ·/˘/˘ |
| FARMER. | 2 | /˘ |
| Giles Corey's wife? | 4 | ·/˘· |
| GLOYD. | 1 | · |
| The same. She is not mine. | 6 | ······ |
| It will go hard with her with all her praying. | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| The hypocrite! She's always on her knees; | 10 | ·/˘··/···· |
| But she prays to the Devil when she prays. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Let us go in. | 4 | ···· |
| FARMER. | 2 | /˘ |
| Here come the Magistrates. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Who's the tall man in front? | 6 | ······ |
| GLOYD. | 1 | · |
| Oh, that is Hathorne, | 5 | ···/˘ |
| A Justice of the Court, and a Quarter-master | 12 | ·/˘·····/˘/˘ |
| In the Three County Troop. He'll sift the matter. | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| That's Corwin with him; and the man in black | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Is Cotton Mather, Minister of Boston. | 11 | ·/˘/˘/˘˘·/˘ |
| The Meeting-house is full. I never saw | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| So great a crowd before. | 6 | ······ |
| GLOYD. | 1 | · |
| No matter. Come. | 4 | ·/˘· |
| We shall find room enough by elbowing | 10 | ····˘/·/·˘ |
| Our way among them. Put your shoulder to it. | 11 | /······/˘·· |
| FARMER. | 2 | /˘ |
| There were not half so many at the trial | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| Of Goodwife Bishop. | 5 | ·/˘/˘ |
| GLOYD. | 1 | · |
| Keep close after me. | 5 | ····· |
| I'll find a place for you. They'll want me there. | 10 | ·········· |
| I am a friend of Corey's, as you know, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| And he can't do without me just at present. | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| Call Martha Corey. | 5 | ·/˘/˘ |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| I am here. | 3 | ··· |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| Come forward. | 3 | ·/˘ |
| The Jurors of our Sovereign Lord and Lady | 11 | ·/˘·//˘··/˘ |
| The King and Queen, here present, do accuse you | 11 | ·····/˘·˘/· |
| Of having on the tenth of June last past, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| And divers other times before and after, | 10 | ·//˘······ |
| Wickedly used and practised certain arts | 10 | /˘˘····/˘· |
| Called Witchcrafts, Sorceries, and Incantations, | 11 | ·/·/˘˘·˘//˘ |
| Against one Mary Walcot, single woman, | 11 | ···/˘/˘/˘/˘ |
| Of Salem Village; by which wicked arts | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| The aforesaid Mary Walcot was tormented, | 12 | ·˘/·/˘/˘·/·˘ |
| Tortured, afflicted, pined, consumed, and wasted, | 11 | /˘˘/˘·˘/·/˘ |
| Against the peace of our Sovereign Lord and Lady | 12 | ·····//˘··/˘ |
| The King and Queen, as well as of the Statute | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| Made and provided in that case. What say you? | 11 | ··˘/˘······ |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| Before I answer, give me leave to pray. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| We have not sent for you, nor are we here, | 10 | ·········· |
| To hear you pray, but to examine you | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| In whatsoever is alleged against you. | 11 | ··˘/˘·˘/··· |
| Why do you hurt this person? | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| I do not. | 3 | ··· |
| I am not guilty of the charge against me. | 11 | ···/˘······ |
| MARY. | 2 | /˘ |
| Avoid, she-devil! You may torment me now! | 10 | ˘/·/··˘/·· |
| Avoid, avoid, Witch! | 5 | ˘/˘/· |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| I am innocent. | 5 | ··/˘˘ |
| I never had to do with any Witchcraft | 10 | ·/····/˘/· |
| Since I was born. I am a gospel woman. | 11 | ·······/˘/˘ |
| MARY. | 2 | /˘ |
| You are a gospel Witch! | 6 | ···/˘· |
| MARTHA (clasping her hands). | 6 | /˘/˘·· |
| Ah me! ah me! | 4 | ···· |
| Oh, give me leave to pray! | 6 | ······ |
| MARY (stretching out her hands). | 7 | /˘/˘··· |
| She hurts me now. | 4 | ···· |
| See, she has pinched my hands! | 6 | ······ |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| Who made these marks | 4 | ···· |
| Upon her hands? | 4 | ···· |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| I do not know. I stand | 6 | ······ |
| Apart from her. I did not touch her hands. | 10 | ˘/········ |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| Who hurt her then? | 4 | ···· |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| I know not. | 3 | ··· |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| Do you think | 3 | ··· |
| She is bewitched? | 4 | ··˘/ |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| Indeed I do not think so. | 7 | ˘/····· |
| I am no Witch, and have no faith in Witches. | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| Then answer me: When certain persons came | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘· |
| To see you yesterday, how did you know | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Beforehand why they came? | 6 | ˘/···· |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| I had had speech; | 4 | ···· |
| The children said I hurt them, and I thought | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| These people came to question me about it. | 11 | ·/˘··/˘···· |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| How did you know the children had been told | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| To note the clothes you wore? | 6 | ······ |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| My husband told me | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| What others said about it. | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| Goodman Corey, | 4 | /˘/˘ |
| Say, did you tell her? | 5 | ····· |
| COREY. | 2 | /˘ |
| I must speak the truth; | 5 | ····· |
| I did not tell her. It was some one else. | 10 | ·········· |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| Did you not say your husband told you so? | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| How dare you tell a lie in this assembly? | 11 | ········˘/˘ |
| Who told you of the clothes? Confess the truth. | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| MARY. | 2 | /˘ |
| Ah, she is biting me! Avoid, avoid! | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘/ |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| You said your husband told you. | 7 | ···/˘·· |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| Yes, he told me | 4 | ···· |
| The children said I troubled them. | 9 | ·/˘··/˘˘· |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| Then tell me, | 3 | ··· |
| Why do you trouble them? | 6 | ···/˘· |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| I have denied it. | 5 | ··˘/· |
| MARY. | 2 | /˘ |
| She threatened me; stabbed at me with her spindle; | 11 | ·/˘······/˘ |
| And, when my brother thrust her with his sword, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| He tore her gown, and cut a piece away. | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Here are they both, the spindle and the cloth. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| And there are persons here who know the truth | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Of what has now been said. What answer make you? | 11 | ·······/˘·· |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| I make no answer. Give me leave to pray. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| Whom would you pray to? | 5 | ····· |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| To my God and Father. | 6 | ····/˘ |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| Who is your God and Father? | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| The Almighty! | 4 | ·˘/˘ |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| Doth he you pray to say that he is God? | 10 | ·········· |
| It is the Prince of Darkness, and not God. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| MARY. | 2 | /˘ |
| There is a dark shape whispering in her ear. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| What does it say to you? | 6 | ······ |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| I see no shape. | 4 | ···· |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| Did you not hear it whisper? | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| I heard nothing. | 4 | ··/˘ |
| MARY. | 2 | /˘ |
| What torture! Ah, what agony I suffer! | 11 | ·/˘··/˘˘·/˘ |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| You see this woman cannot stand before you. | 11 | ···/˘/˘···· |
| If you would look for mercy, you must look | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| In God's way, by confession of your guilt. | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| Why does your spectre haunt and hurt this person? | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| I do not know. He who appeared of old | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| In Samuel's shape, a saint and glorified, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| May come in whatsoever shape he chooses. | 11 | ····˘/˘··/˘ |
| I cannot help it. I am sick at heart! | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| COREY. | 2 | /˘ |
| O Martha, Martha! let me hold your hand. | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| No; stand aside, old man. | 6 | ··˘/·· |
| MARY (starting up). | 5 | /˘/˘· |
| Look there! Look there! | 4 | ···· |
| I see a little bird, a yellow bird | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Perched on her finger; and it pecks at me. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Ah, it will tear mine eyes out! | 7 | ······· |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| I see nothing. | 4 | ··/˘ |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| 'T is the Familiar Spirit that attends her. | 11 | ···˘/˘/·˘/· |
| MARY. | 2 | /˘ |
| Now it has flown away. It sits up there | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| Upon the rafters. It is gone; is vanished. | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| Giles, wipe these tears of anger from mine eyes. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Wipe the sweat from my forehead. I am faint. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| MARY. | 2 | /˘ |
| Oh, she is crushing me with all her weight! | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| Did you not carry once the Devil's Book | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| To this young woman? | 5 | ···/˘ |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| Never. | 2 | /˘ |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| Have you signed it, | 4 | ···· |
| Or touched it? | 3 | ··· |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| No; I never saw it. | 6 | ··/˘·· |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| Did you not scourge her with an iron rod? | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| No, I did not. If any Evil Spirit | 11 | ·····/˘/˘/˘ |
| Has taken my shape to do these evil deeds, | 10 | ·/˘·····/· |
| I cannot help it. I am innocent. | 10 | ·/˘····/˘˘ |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| Did you not say the Magistrates were blind? | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| That you would open their eyes? | 7 | ···/˘·· |
| MARTHA (with a scornful laugh). | 7 | /˘··/˘· |
| Yes, I said that; | 4 | ···· |
| If you call me a sorceress, you are blind! | 11 | ·····/˘˘··· |
| If you accuse the innocent, you are blind! | 10 | ··˘/·/˘··· |
| Can the innocent be guilty? | 8 | ··/˘˘·/˘ |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| Did you not | 3 | ··· |
| On one occasion hide your husband's saddle | 11 | ··˘/˘··/˘/˘ |
| To hinder him from coming to the sessions? | 11 | ·/˘··/˘··/˘ |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| I thought it was a folly in a farmer | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| To waste his time pursuing such illusions. | 11 | ····˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| What was the bird that this young woman saw | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Just now upon your hand? | 6 | ······ |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| I know no bird. | 4 | ···· |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| Have you not dealt with a Familiar Spirit? | 11 | ······˘/˘/˘ |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| No, never, never! | 5 | ·/˘/˘ |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| What then was the Book | 5 | ····· |
| You showed to this young woman, and besought her | 11 | ·····/˘·˘/· |
| To write in it? | 4 | ···· |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| Where should I have a book? | 6 | ······ |
| I showed her none, nor have none. | 7 | ······· |
| MARY. | 2 | /˘ |
| The next Sabbath | 4 | ··/˘ |
| Is the Communion Day, but Martha Corey | 11 | ··˘/˘··/˘/˘ |
| Will not be there! | 4 | ···· |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| Ah, you are all against me. | 7 | ······· |
| What can I do or say? | 6 | ······ |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| You can confess. | 4 | ··˘/ |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| No, I cannot, for I am innocent. | 10 | ··˘/···/˘˘ |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| We have the proof of many witnesses | 10 | ·····/˘/˘˘ |
| That you are guilty. | 5 | ···/˘ |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| Give me leave to speak. | 5 | ····· |
| Will you condemn me on such evidence,-- | 10 | ··˘/···/˘˘ |
| You who have known me for so many years? | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Will you condemn me in this house of God, | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Where I so long have worshipped with you all? | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Where I have eaten the bread and drunk the wine | 11 | ···/˘······ |
| So many times at our Lord's Table with you? | 10 | ·/··/·/˘·· |
| Bear witness, you that hear me; you all know | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| That I have led a blameless life among you, | 11 | ·····/˘···· |
| That never any whisper of suspicion | 11 | ·/˘/˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| Was breathed against me till this accusation. | 11 | ········˘/˘ |
| And shall this count for nothing? Will you take | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| My life away from me, because this girl, | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Who is distraught, and not in her right mind, | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Accuses me of things I blush to name? | 10 | ˘/˘······· |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| What! is it not enough? Would you hear more? | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| Giles Corey! | 3 | ·/˘ |
| COREY. | 2 | /˘ |
| I am here. | 3 | ··· |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| Come forward, then. | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Is it not true, that on a certain night | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| You were impeded strangely in your prayers? | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘··· |
| That something hindered you? and that you left | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| This woman here, your wife, kneeling alone | 10 | ·/˘···/˘˘/ |
| Upon the hearth? | 4 | ···· |
| COREY. | 2 | /˘ |
| Yes; I cannot deny it. | 7 | ··˘/˘/· |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| Did you not say the Devil hindered you? | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| COREY. | 2 | /˘ |
| I think I said some words to that effect. | 10 | ········˘/ |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| Is it not true, that fourteen head of cattle, | 11 | ·····//··/˘ |
| To you belonging, broke from their enclosure | 11 | ··˘/˘···˘/˘ |
| And leaped into the river, and were drowned? | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| COREY. | 2 | /˘ |
| It is most true. | 4 | ···· |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| And did you not then say | 6 | ······ |
| That they were overlooked? | 6 | ···/˘· |
| COREY. | 2 | /˘ |
| So much I said. | 4 | ···· |
| I see; they're drawing round me closer, closer, | 11 | ···/˘··/˘/˘ |
| A net I cannot break, cannot escape from! (Aside). | 13 | ···˘/·/˘˘/·˘/ |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| Who did these things? | 4 | ···· |
| COREY. | 2 | /˘ |
| I do not know who did them. | 7 | ······· |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| Then I will tell you. It is some one near you; | 11 | ··········· |
| You see her now; this woman, your own wife. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| COREY. | 2 | /˘ |
| I call the heavens to witness, it is false! | 11 | ···/˘·/˘··· |
| She never harmed me, never hindered me | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘· |
| In anything but what I should not do. | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| And I bear witness in the sight of heaven, | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| And in God's house here, that I never knew her | 10 | ·······/·· |
| As otherwise than patient, brave, and true, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| Faithful, forgiving, full of charity, | 10 | /˘˘/˘··/˘˘ |
| A virtuous and industrious and good wife! | 10 | ·/˘·˘/˘··· |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| Tut, tut, man; do not rant so in your speech; | 10 | ·········· |
| You are a witness, not an advocate! | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Here, Sheriff, take this woman back to prison. | 11 | ·/˘··/˘··/˘ |
| MARTHA. | 2 | /˘ |
| O Giles, this day you've sworn away my life! | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| MARY. | 2 | /˘ |
| Go, go and join the Witches at the door. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Do you not hear the drum? Do you not see them? | 11 | ··········· |
| Go quick. They're waiting for you. You are late. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| COREY. | 2 | /˘ |
| The dream! the dream! the dream! | 6 | ······ |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| What does he say? | 4 | ···· |
| Giles Corey, go not hence. You are yourself | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| Accused of Witchcraft and of Sorcery | 10 | ˘/·/···/˘˘ |
| By many witnesses. Say, are you guilty? | 11 | ·/˘/˘˘···/˘ |
| COREY. | 2 | /˘ |
| I know my death is foreordained by you, | 10 | ·········· |
| Mine and my wife's. Therefore I will not answer. | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| Do you refuse to plead?--'T were better for you | 12 | ··/·····/˘·· |
| To make confession, or to plead Not Guilty.-- | 11 | ··˘/˘····/˘ |
| Do you not hear me?--Answer, are you guilty? | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| Do you not know a heavier doom awaits you, | 11 | ·····/˘·˘/· |
| If you refuse to plead, than if found guilty? | 11 | ··˘/·····/˘ |
| Where is John Gloyd? | 4 | ···· |
| GLOYD (coming forward). | 5 | ·/˘/˘ |
| Here am I. | 3 | ··· |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| Tell the Court | 3 | ··· |
| Have you not seen the supernatural power | 10 | ······˘/˘/ |
| Of this old man? Have you not seen him do | 10 | ·········· |
| Strange feats of strength? | 4 | ···· |
| GLOYD. | 1 | · |
| I've seen him lead the field, | 6 | ······ |
| On a hot day, in mowing, and against | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Us younger men; and I have wrestled with him. | 11 | ·/˘····/˘·· |
| He threw me like a feather. I have seen him | 11 | ·····/˘···· |
| Lift up a barrel with his single hands, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Which two strong men could hardly lift together, | 11 | ·····/˘·˘/˘ |
| And, holding it above his head, drink from it. | 11 | ·/˘········ |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| That is enough; we need not question further. | 11 | ··˘/···/˘/˘ |
| What answer do you make to this, Giles Corey? | 11 | ·/˘······/˘ |
| MARY. | 2 | /˘ |
| See there! See there! | 4 | ···· |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| What is it? I see nothing. | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| MARY. | 2 | /˘ |
| Look! Look! It is the ghost of Robert Goodell, | 11 | ·······/˘/˘ |
| Whom fifteen years ago this man did murder | 11 | ·//·˘/···/˘ |
| By stamping on his body! In his shroud | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| He comes here to bear witness to the crime! | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| HATHORNE. | 2 | /˘ |
| Ghosts of the dead and voices of the living | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| Bear witness to your guilt, and you must die! | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| It might have been an easier death. Your doom | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Will be on your own head, and not on ours. | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| Twice more will you be questioned of these things; | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Twice more have room to plead or to confess. | 10 | ········˘/ |
| If you are contumacious to the Court, | 10 | ·········· |
| And if, when questioned, you refuse to answer, | 11 | ···/˘·˘/·/˘ |
| Then by the Statute you will be condemned | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| To the peine forte et dure! To have your body | 13 | ···/˘·/˘···/˘ |
| Pressed by great weights until you shall be dead! | 10 | ·········· |
| And may the Lord have mercy on your soul! | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| SCENE I. -- COREy's farm as in Act II., Scene I. Enter RICHARD | 15 | ··/˘·······/˘/˘ |
| GARDNER, looking round him. | 6 | /˘/˘·· |
| GARDNER. | 2 | /˘ |
| Here stands the house as I remember it. | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| The four tall poplar-trees before the door; | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| The house, the barn, the orchard, and the well, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| With its moss-covered bucket and its trough; | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| The garden, with its hedge of currant-bushes; | 11 | ·/˘····/˘/˘ |
The first 400 of 612 lines; the reader marks them all.
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.