I am as glad of thy coming as any Christian man may be,
Thomas Russell,
Josiah Cutting,
John Fletcher,
Fletcher?
Thou art Fletcher of Moseley's company, yes?
The very same,
Well met, sir,
Sudbury is fortunate indeed to have an estimable soldier
such as yourself come to her defense,
Prithee, good morrow to you, both, let's go within,
'Tis been weather most foul of late,
I cannot imagine it was an easy ride from Boston,
Ah, it is no matter,
Dist thou receive my letter
to Magistrate Bradstreet?
Aye, we did,
Nary a word it were false,
Mr, Cutting, Mr, Fletcher, this is Isaac Goodenow,
Oh, God give you good morrow, sirs,
Welcome to me home, welcome,
This is your man from the letter?
I know not where to begin,
I have much to tell you, magistrates,
None of it good,
- Shall we pray? - Aye,
Aye, We shall, Um, Mr, Cutting,
you are learned and wise,
It would do me a great honor
to hear you read a brief devotional at me table,
Lord, may I feel
that I am a stranger and a pilgrim on earth,
declaring plainly that I seek a country,
me title to it becoming daily more clear,
me meetness for it more perfect,
me foretastes of it more abundant,
and whatsoever I do may be done in the Savior's name,
- Amen, - Amen,
Amen,
Oh, forgive me sirs,
I have of late suffered a weakness of faith,
I believe, I believe that
that is why the Deceiver chose me,
Chose thee?
For what purpose?
I know not,
Tell the magistrates what thou hast seen, Isaac,
Well,
'Twas three weeks past,
I was caught in the woods at nightfall,
Sudbury town is small, unlike Boston,
with its tavern rakes about all hours,
street lamps on e'ery corner, moonlight on the arbor, no,
Night falls hard here, sirs,
And with it comes the most dreadful dark,
and a most heavy silence,
It was in that darkness and that silence
that I saw it,
Saw what?
A spirit,
It came in the form of light, purer than fire,
Whiter,
It moved with such grace,
such smoothness,
It blinded me, I stood there rooted to the spot,
'Twas there and then,
'twas gone,
This spirit, hath it appeared to thee since?
No sir,
Nor any other queer thing?
No,
The font of corruption eludes us yet, sirs,
Mr, Fletcher and meself will discover it,
I promise thee that,
For thy part, Reverend Russell,
implore thy congregation to double their prayers,
The war against the Devil is waged within men's hearts,
Aye, The folk of Sudbury town would profit
to remember it,
I would fain hear another prayer,
Lord, watch over thy servant Isaac Goodenow,
Let not the Devil sink his claws into him,
Let thy grace come down upon him,
and give him courage and strength, O Lord,
for the journey that lies afore him,
Journey?
How camst thou by this wound?
Damned heathens during the war,
Ah! Where?
Here, in the Sudbury Fight,
Savages beset the town,
The militia was naught to be found all morning,
We was forced to take up arms for the defense,
Bloody Brook, athwart the Nipmuc,
A savage took me eye, but I took his life,
Well, King Philip and his confederates are in hell,
I thank God every day for that,
Fletcher!
This is the place,
Where did the spirit appear?
It was there,
Good morrow, Mr, Goodenow,
Good morrow,
Good morrow, Mr, Fletcher,
A quiet night, praise the Lord,
Praise the Lord,
What is the matter, John?
Nothing, All is well,
No fairies or spirits seen in the night,
Whose country was this ere the war?
The Nipmuc, sir, A fearsome lot of heathens they were,
and bore me no love as one of Mosley's company,
I tell thee at the very first salvo of Turner's Falls,
I saw fifty of the savages turn round,
False, It belonged not to the Indians,
They dwelt here only by the grace
of he who is their landlord and their father,
The savages are gone, The Devil remains,
Thin, foul, black, black, black, black!
Goodenow!
Peace, man!
- Black! - Peace man, peace,
Wake up man, wake up,
Black!
Devilry?
I am certain of it,
Take Goodenow back to Sudbury Town,
I will remain here, to wait and watch,
No, we must not separate,
We only have enough food to last another day,
We shall brave this wilderness for forty if we must,
Goodenow! Come out of the rain,
Oh, Mr, Fletcher,
- I can explain, - Then explain,
The spirit I'the stone hath come upon me,
It hath come upon me in me dreams, it come upon me,
It bad me know it, sir,
- By Jesu, I am damned already, - Josiah!
Bewitched by the fairies of this wood,
Josiah!
Aye, aye, Shackle me, shackle me, I am bewitched!
- The Deceiver, he, he,,, - We are not alone,
He hath reached into me soul,
The author if these misfortunes is near at hand,
- Misdoubt me, sirs, - Shackle me, shackle me!
Name thyself, Negro-woman,
No more lob-lob,
Speak sense,
No more lob-lob, no,
She is mad,
Goodenow, is this pagan known to thee?
That is no pagan, but a baptized Christian,
That is Flora, bonds woman to the Widow Gavett,
A Christian once perchance, no longer,
Flora, yet how changed,
She was a buoyant girl when I saw her last,
Loyal, industrious, happy in her work,
How now, Flora?
No more lob-lob, No, no!
By the rood, she's a wild beast,
So it is with those of the African race,
Prodigious of body, slow of mind,
They must have intelligence after a fashion,
They possess a brutish cunning, of a sort,
Enough to concert a pact with the Devil?
Certainly,
I once knew a Negro-man from Virginia,
who played on a theorbo,
and I hath heard tell of Portuguese Negroes
who play at rapier and dagger very skillfully,
I do not believe it,
There is a mark set upon that people,
No rule is so general, but hath its exception,
We hath both known clever Indians,
True, They are clever in their falseness,
in their mischief,
Heathens of any shade are incapable of creation,
They carve faces from wood,
whilst we straddle the oceans,
spreading the knowledge of Christ,
pursuing the devil to his hold fast at the end of the world,
O master, fortify his seed,
Get thee behind me, whore,
Sir, I too must ease meself,
Sir, dost thou hear me?
Soil thy skirts, Negro-woman,
No more lob-lob,
Of this especial evil, I hath seen enough,
We have a witch in our power,
and incontrovertible evidence that Mr, Goodenow
is aggrieved by her magic,
We shall give testimony of it in open court,
As shall Goodenow, if his mind be sound,
And what of me part in this?
Thou wilt be charged with the crime of fornication,
I will not speak against thee unduly,
but neither will I lie,
Thou art like to lose thy station as a magistrate,
Perchance the gaols hath some work for thee,
Get thee behind me Satan,
Thou art an offense unto me,
Devilry! Devilry! Devilry!
I am the Widow Gavett, Patience is me Christian name,
and amongst us friends, 'twill serve for salutation,
Me husband owned this land ere the brave fool fell
against the Indians in the Sudbury Fight,
Now, all that was once his, is mine,
I hath given me name, 'Tis unmannerly not to give me thine,
That be Mr, Josiah Cutting, mistress,
and that be Mr, John Fletcher,
Magistrates, both, come from Boston,
Is that so?
What shall we do with them, Flora?
Let us kill this one, Patience,
He is cruel, horrible, and like all the so-called
learned white men, he is an idiot,
But do not harm the one called Fletcher,
I love him,
I truly love him,
and I will make him me husband,
Thy heart is tender, Flora,
I wish for thee, all the happiness in the world,
Yet I fear there are larger forces at work in this wood,
The bones, Aye, the bones shall decide,
The bones! The bones! 'Tis time to throw the bones!
'Tis time to throw the bones, the bones!
What doth the spirits say?
What?
O, master!
- What? - Wonderful tidings,
O, most wonderful, 'Tis time! The Day-Star cometh!
And he hath chosen us to aid his passage into this world!
Truly?
Truly,
♪ Behold how pleasant 'tis! How good ♪
♪ But O, how rare, and hard to find ♪
♪ Brethren, of the same house and blood ♪
♪ become of the same way and mind ♪
♪ Like Samson's honey, strong and sweet ♪
♪ 'Tis thus to see men's hearts and hands ♪
♪ As Jonathan's and David's meet ♪
♪ Twisting together in love's bands ♪
♪ Come come my royal ramping boys let's never be cast down ♪
♪ We'll never mind the female toys ♪
♪ But loyal be to the crown ♪
♪ We'll never break our hearts with care ♪
- ♪ Or be cast down with fear ♪ - Goodenow,
♪ Our bellies then let us prepare ♪
♪ To drink some Christmas beer ♪
Goodenow!
Happy Christmas, To both of you,
Prithee, fetch us our clothes,
'Tis within my power,
But what will you give me in exchange?
Me gratitude,
Tut, tut! 'Twill not do!
Bring me a stick of stubble,
a quart of rage, and twelve summer nights,
soaked in moonshine,
And then I might consider it,
Thou art bewitched, and mad besides,
No, sir, no!
I am free! Free! Free! Free!
Goodenow!
Aye, mistress?
Bring him to us, The one called Fletcher,
So please you, good lady,
To your feet, sir,
Mr, Cutting, In his mercy,
me master hath seen fit to spare thy life,
Thou art a player in the entertainment to come,
Mr, Cutting?
Mr, Cutting, I address thee presently,
Plow deep in me, great Lord,
heavenly husbandman, that me being may be a tilled field,
Art thou praying?
He is praying,
Your beauty, golden like summer harvest,
your fruitfulness as autumn plenty,
- I have no master but you, - Peace,
No law but thy will,
- no delight but yourself, - Prithee,
- No wealth but that you give, - Peace,
I am nothing but that you make me,
I have nothing but that
- I receive from you, - Peace,
I can be nothing but that
- grace adorns, - Peace, peace now,
Quarry me deep, Lord, and then fill me to overflowing,
Be silent! Be silent!
Thou Pratt-swive! Thou molly! Thou milk-pigeon!
Thy God is not here! He never was! Now be silent!
Art thou bewitched, or simply a fool, Fletcher?
What hast happened to thee, that thou shouldst continue
to consort with that whore?
Thou art unmanned,
Weak and womanly,
What has happened to thee? Answer, I charge thee!
Useless, Mark me, Fletcher,
When I return to Sudbury town,
I will be bearing those witches' heads in a sack,
You intend to 'scape the wood?
Ah, by Jesu, he speaks! Aye, villain,
Look thee now, Thy cutlass is unguarded,
I have some strength left in me yet,
I will take it up and run her through,
Go do it then,
I shan't bear twins, shall I, Patience?
On the island, when a woman bore twins,
'twas a sign of adultery, and she would hang herself
rather than be slain by her own husband,
There is nothing to fear, is there, Fletcher?
No, no,
Thou shalt deliver a beautiful, healthful babe,
Will she not, Fletcher?
Aye, she will,
Aye, mistress, I'm trying, mistress!
'Tis not right, 'Tis not right!
He is with us, he is with us,
Flora?
Flora!
Something, some savage bloody name,
he danced a jig for a cask of it!
Surely you jest,
Patience, be thy ears plugged with bayonets?
I asked for ale, woman, not cider!
She cannot follow a simple command,
Should've married a squaw eh, Tom?
Like a damned Canadian, Savage women work like men,
Get thee to Salem or to Charlestown,
and purchase for thyself a sturdy Negro-woman,
Hardier than Indians by far, and longer lived,
Is that so?
Aye,
Dost thou remember thy prayers, Fletcher?
Oh, mother! Mother!
Oh, oh mother,
Mother,
Mistress? Have I displeased thee?
Unfold thyself,
Now!
Now, the mistress says!
Thy breeches, too, E'ery stitch,
What wilt thou do with him?
Set him free,
Do not harm him,
He is me friend,
Is he? This man who plotted to arrest thee for fornication,
to make an outlaw of thee, he is thy friend?
I beg thee,
Oh God's blood, Fletcher, thou good Christian Englishmen,
I see thy dreams, soldier,
I see their little red faces,
All New England may raise a cup for thee,
but thy conscience knows better,
Moseley's company,
A band of heroes indeed! How dare thee ask for clemency,
for thyself or for him? How dare thee?
Dost thou take me for a fool, Widow Gavett?
I know me sins well,
I was damned long ere I came into this wood,
Pathetic,
By me troth, the Christian God was the worst calamity that
e'er befell this country,
Fear not, good people,
I shall make thee another,
Goodenow, I must ask something of thee,
Anything, mistress,
Take thy own life,
March,
March, damn thee, If thou art a soldier, march,
Aye, Josiah, I remember me prayers,
And where have they gotten me?
Bloody Sudbury, and this damned wood,
It is you, You brought thyself to this end, Not me,
O, God forgive me,
Forgive me,
Mr, Fletcher?
Mr, Fletcher, be calm, man, be calm,
'Tis I, Reverend Russell of Sudbury Town,
God's blood man, art thou unwell?
- And where is Mr, - Cutting? And Mr, Goodenow?
Tell me truly, sir,
Does the Devil walk in these woods?
I knew it,
When thou didst not return, I feared the worst,
and I resolved to come into these woods to rescue thee,
I would've come alone, but this good man volunteered
to come with me, This is Mr, Gavett,
All these lands afore us belong to him,
Mr, Fletcher, be not afeard,
Thou art safe now,
Mr, Gavett?
Is Patience Gavett thy wife?
Aye, she was, But she is dead,
Two years dead, God save her,
No, no, she is in this wood,
I hath seen her,
I spake with her,
When was this?
Just days ago,
Good lord,
She called herself the Widow Gavett,
Said she, her husband died in the war,
Dost thou remember, Tom?
Dost thou remember the day the Indians fell upon Sudbury?
Aye, I remember,
When the alarum was sounded,
I brought Patience and our servant, Flora,
to the garrison house and sallied forth to face
the Indians in the field,
When I returned, the house was burnt,
and the women gone,
What occurred there, and what become of Patience I know not,
but me first notion was that they made her a captive,
dost thou remember?
I remember,
For months, I held to hope,
None saw her die, Her body, ne'er recovered,
Is't possible, Tom?
Is't possible me Patience yet here, on this earth?
Would it 'twere so,
I fear 'tis not Patience that Mr, Fletcher hath seen,
'tis sorcery, A demon, walking in the guise of a human,
Mr, Fletcher, Me wife, describe her,
Comely, Youthful,
Dark as a Spaniard,
With a deep scar, here, on her face,
O God!
What hath the barbarous savages done to her?
Mr, Cutting and Goodenow, did they see her too?
Aye, sir, aye, In a clearing, deep I'the wood,
Then we must go, We must go to this clearing,
and find them all,
Aye, and so we shall,
But first, we must return to Sudbury town,
Mr, Fletcher is clearly suffering from a distemper,
There is no time! There is no time, reverend,
Mr, Fletcher, prithee,
Lead us there,
Be warned, sirs, Be warned,
If we go,,, if we go into the wood,
we shall ne'er return,
We shall ne'er return,
Take faith, sir,
I am resolved to die, for the Lord our God leadeth us
in the paths of righteousness, as it says in the psalm,
How can we possibly fail, with such a powerful ally
marching by our side?
Aye, 'tis so,
Come what may, be there devils dancing or dead a-walking,
the Lord shall preserve us always,
Come, Fletcher, Take faith,
Take faith!
How camst thou by this wound?
Damned heathens during the war,
Ah!
Where?
Gavett!
O lover of thy people, thou hast placed me whole being
in the command of Jesu, me redeemer, commander, and friend,
Well well, Mr, Fletcher,
I presume this to be thy clearing,
Where didst thou last see Patience?
Mr, Gavett, We must return to Sudbury town at once,
In fact, I insist upon it,
Gentlemen?
Mr, Gavett, wilt thou say grace?
Oh, certainly, I would be honored,
Bless, O Father, your gifts to our service
and us to your use, In Christ's name, amen,
Amen,
Your gifts to our use and us to your service,
Thou hast jumbled the grace,
Have I? O, begging thy pardon, reverend,
'Tis no matter,
Our march was long, and I am sick at heart,
As I said, 'tis no matter,
Strongwater?
♪ The bowl that is so foul within ♪
♪ Doth show man's life is stained with sin ♪
♪ A purging fire, it doth require ♪
♪ Think of this when you smoke tobacco ♪
So, gentlemen, let us tell war stories,
Reverend Russell, didst thou know that Mr, Fletcher here
served in Moseley's company, in the war?
Aye,
A band of corsairs and privateers who left their ships
to fight in the colony's defense,
And a great injury they did make upon the Indian enemy,
too! Is that not so, Mr, Fletcher?
'Tis not so, We were dock rats,
and cut purses,
dragged from the sick-soaked floors of
Boston harbor public houses,
and pressed into service,
under a mad rogue for whom murder was a pleasure,
O, this cannot be!
I hath heard thou didst great service in the war,
Most of me service was done in Praying Indian towns,
Assailing those that Moseley suspected
of giving succor to the enemy,
O, this is Quaker talk,
And what of the great battles? Bloody Brook?
Turner's Falls? The fight I'the snow,
athwart the Narragansett?
'Twas no fight,
It was a massacre,
I set one longhouse afire that had at least,
four families within it,
There were gaps in the wall,
just large enough for a small child to wriggle out,
And we shot them,
We shot them as they ran away,
We shot them through the body,
and we took care ne'er to spoil the head,
For there are Canadians who will pay three English pounds
for an Indian head,
and children's heads are lighter,
What vim, what martial valor!
Base slander, of a most unmannerly kind,
'Tis the Indian savages that commit such barbarous acts,
not Englishmen, Not good Christian soldiers,
- Tell me then, Russell, - What dost thou know,
of good Christian soldiery?
Aye, Russell, Tell us,
I would have fain joined the militia meself,
but it pleased God that I should remain in Sudbury,
ministering to me congregation,
Give thee both good night,
Get thee to bed, reverend,
'Til tomorrow,
What art thou?
A fairy?
A goblin damned?
O, Fletcher, I am offended,
Dost thou not know me?
Patience,
Aye, Welcome home, Fletcher,
What of thy husband?
O, he is long dead,
And I would happily sup on the cock of the savage
that struck the blow,
All is not lost, Fletcher, I would attempt the ritual again,
Without Flora,,,
We need her not,
Faith, I am persuaded that she harmed our purpose
more than aided in it, The cause of our failure is evident
to me now, So evident! Why did I not think of it?
'Tis not love that will bring the Day-Star into the world,
'Tis hate, Vengeance, For all the Nazarene's preening,
violence is his most elemental creed,
Did not his own father put him to death most cruelly? Aye!
And to go to combat with him,
we must needs be twice as cruel,
What didst thou do with Cuttin', woman?
Josiah,
Do not pity him, He deserves worse,
No one deserves this,
Ah, Sentimentality! The last bastion of a weakling,
He took some of me, I took some of him,
'Twas an equitable exchange,
Meet me in the clearing, in half an hour,
Ah, Good morrow, Mr Gavett,
I must beg thy indulgence,
I seem to have drunk one too many draughts last night,
Here's a cure for all thy troubles,
Kill me,
♪ Tobacco is an Indian weed ♪
♪ Grows green at morn, cut down at eve ♪
♪ It shows our decay ♪
♪ We are but clay ♪
♪ Think of this when you smoke tobacco ♪
Ah, Strange weather we be having,
Here we are,
Come now, Fletcher,
Come now,
Fletcher?
O, Fletcher,
I am coming for thee,
Witch!
Unfold thyself!
O master, fortify his seed,
Hail, Satan!
Do me this kindness, child,
All thy long life, make the folk of Sudbury suffer,
Make their crops wither, Disembowel their livestock,
Set the thatch of their roofs afire,
Tap thy long fingers on the windows
of small children in the night,
Slay the wicked in the midst of their wickedness,
so their souls fly straight to the master,
Torment the people of New England,
now, and to the end of time,
Be the devil,
that we so richly deserve,