THE KING'S THRESHOLD
87
chamberlain. Pick up your litter! Take your noise away!
Make haste, and get the clapper from the bell!
brian [putting last of food into basket]. What do the great and powerful care for rights
That have no armies!
[chamberlain begins shoving them out with his staff.
mayor. My lord, I am not to blame.
I’m the King’s man, and they attacked me for it.
brian. We have our prayers, our curses and our prayers,
And we can give a great name or a bad one.
[mayor is shoving brian out before him with one hand. He keeps his face to chamberlain, and keeps bowing. The chamberlain shoves him with his staff.
mayor. We could not make the poet eat, my lord.
[
chamberlain shoves him with his staff.
Much honoured [is shoved again]——honoured to speak with you, my lord;
But I'll go find the girl that he’s to marry.
She’s coming, but I’ll hurry her, my lord.
Between ourselves, my lord [is shoved again], she is a great coaxer.
