Death in the Courtyard – a Tale from the Peasant’s Revolt of 1381
A full-length play
By Merriell Moyer
ACT ONE
Death in the Courtyard Part One
Halesowen, England. A large crowd of peasants, those who work the fields for the local abbey, have gathered in the courtyard of their lord’s manse. They are all impoverished and starving. Many are sick and dying from malnutrition. Most of their crops go to filling the bellies of the local monks and their taxes are so severe they have little money to buy food.
Among the crowd, ALISON Miller is tending to her twin sons, George and Edward. She strokes their hair tenderly, attempting to make them comfortable. Both boys are skinny and weak and neither of them appears capable of walking on his own.
The door on the terrace overlooking the courtyard opens as ABBOT JOHN Corbet and BISHOP William HAMTON enter. Both men are dressed in elaborate habits marking their wealth and rank.
BISHOP HAMTON
You were right. Your villagers seem to be in no shape to cause trouble. I’m glad you opened your home to me.
ABBOT JOHN
My pleasure, Excellency. The situation in the East sounds dire, indeed. (Sarcastically) May God provide safety to those in power who felt the need to stay behind and at least attempt to maintain order.
BISHOP HAMTON
We must certainly pray for God’s intervention on their behalf.
ABBOT JOHN
Hopefully our prayers will not fall upon deaf ears.
BISHOP HAMTON
Careful, John. You tread treacherously close to heresy with such words.
ABBOT JOHN
Sorry, Excellency. I meant no offense.
BISHOP HAMTON
Then choose your words more carefully.
ABBOT JOHN
Yes, Excellency.
(Both men pause a moment and stare down upon the throng of starving people. The peasants continue to moan and plead for help. ALISON looks up and sees the two men on the terrace.)
ALISON
(Weeping) Holy Fathers, please help me! My sons are dying. Please give us some food. You must have food in your manse. Any scraps will do. Help us, please.
DYING PEASANT ONE
Help us!
DYING PEASANT TWO
Save us. Oh, God save us.
(The two men ignore the cries of the poor and continue their conversation.)
ABBOT JOHN
What I was trying to say, Excellency, is that maybe we should take it upon ourselves to ensure our safety from these – (pauses, searching for the proper word) peasants.
BISHOP HAMTON
I’m listening.
ABBOT JOHN
If we don’t want a repeat of what occurred in Kent and Essex we must take precautions now. You said several of our brothers in Christ were murdered by rabble just like this. In Canterbury, no less. We will shut ourselves up within the walls of my manse and trust GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS and his men to enforce our will upon the people.
BISHOP HAMTON
Are you suggesting that we turn our backs on these poor, starving creatures? That is not a Christ-like attitude.
ABBOT JOHN
The rebels hit Essex awfully hard, did they not, Excellency?
BISHOP HAMTON
Why, yes. They did, indeed.
ABBOT JOHN
Some of the priests in your cathedral there were killed?
BISHOP HAMTON
Quit beating around the bush, John. Make your point.
ABBOT JOHN
You weren’t there were you?
BISHOP HAMTON
You know damn well where I was.
ABBOT JOHN
Ah, yes. You were on your way here to see if you could help the poor brothers of Halesowen during this time of crisis.
BISHOP HAMTON
Essex was lost to the rebels. The rebellion started there. It was a hopeless situation for the ruling class.
ABBOT JOHN
The Bishop of Norwich didn’t leave.
BISHOP HAMTON
Damn you, John.
ABBOT JOHN
Funny how you seem to have escaped unscathed while most of your staff was murdered by men who were trying to get their hands on you.
BISHOP HAMTON
You’ve made your point. God would not want to lose His most faithful servants, would He?
ABBOT JOHN
No, I would assume not. Shall I have my guards disperse these beggars, Excellency?
BISHOP HAMTON
Yes, yes. Send them on their way. Leave them to the fate God has dictated. After all, a bit of fasting is good for the soul.
(They turn to exit through the terrace door.)
ALISON
(screaming mournfully) No!
(The scream causes the clergymen to pause and turn back to the courtyard. ALISON cradles her sons in her arms. Both boys are lying still, no longer burdened by the suffering of this world.)
ALISON
(Weeping) They are dead. Dear God, my sons are dead. Oh, why didn’t you help them? Why did they have to die?
ABBOT JOHN
Because, dear woman, the Lord has seen fit to punish the wicked. You have brought this famine upon yourselves. Now, get out of my courtyard!
ALISON
Abbot, please, at least perform last rites on my boys. Bless my sons so they can go to Heaven.
ABBOT JOHN
The wicked are not admitted through Heaven’s gates. Pray for them yourself, and should you live through this, maybe God will find you worthy enough to listen to.
(BISHOP HAMTON exits through the terrace door.)
ABBOT JOHN
I will not say this again. Leave the courtyard now and take your dead with you. You will not find sanctuary within my home nor at the abbey.
(ABBOT JOHN exits through the terrace door. ALISON and the peasants continue to moan and weep in the courtyard. GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS enters through the terrace door. He is wearing chain-mail armor and he is wielding a crossbow.)
GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS
You heard the abbot. You are not welcome here. If you do not leave now, my men and I will rain arrows down upon you. If you leave you at least have a small chance at survival, if you stay, death is certain.
(Exit ALISON and the peasants crawling and hobbling off stage while GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS watches from the terrace. A couple of peasants help ALISON carry the bodies of her children out of the courtyard.)
The Trained Band
An English military encampment near the village of Halesowen in the summer of 1381. The encampment belongs to an English Trained Band, a mix of peasant archers and pike men. They are a ragged looking, war-worn group of men. One lone knight, SIR Walter BRUDLY, sits with two of his men by the campfire. ROBERT Miller, a peasant archer, sits to his left, OSBERT Smith, a pike man, sits to his right.
ROBERT
‘S’blood, it’s agony being so close to home but not yet there.
OSBERT
You got that right, ROBERT. Halesowen is less than a day away now. So close I can smell it.
SIR BRUDLY
Oh, you’d rather be back in France, then?
ROBERT
Bite your tongue, sir. I’ve had quite enough of the French, I think.
OSBERT
You’ve had enough of the French? You weren’t the one trying to hold the line against a mass of armored footmen while some archers stood back and fired arrows from a safe distance. You didn’t have to smell the bloody buggers up close and personal.
ROBERT
Frenchmen are stinky, are they OSBERT?
OSBERT
I was almost tempted to let ’em kill me so I wouldn’t have to suffer their terrible stench. ‘Course, you wouldn’t know what that’s like, would you ROBERT? Me and SIR BRUDLY kept the bastards far enough away from your stinky arse.
ROBERT
Easy, man, easy. You don’t smell too good, yourself. Too much time spent rubbing elbows with Frenchies, I’d say.
SIR BRUDLY
Alright, you two. Enough talking about the damned French. We’re almost home and all you two want to talk about is the war we’ve left behind.
ROBERT
Trust me, sir, I’ve had enough of war. If I didn’t jest on it I might go mad. I swear I will never take up bow and arrow to bloody another man ever again.
SIR BRUDLY
Amen, to that, ROBERT. Amen to that.
ROBERT
I mean it. That is no idle oath. There were times I felt more beast than man, lost in the struggle to keep myself alive. I gave no thought of the men I was killing, no thought at all.
OSBERT
It was like that for all of us, ROBERT.
ROBERT
Yes, but after a battle me and the other archers had to go collect arrows from the battlefield, you know, since we never had enough of them. That’s when I got to see who it was I was killing. Men, just like me, with families just like my own.
SIR BRUDLY
They were the enemy. If we wouldn’t have killed them they would have killed us.
OSBERT
He’s right, ROBERT.
ROBERT
I remember one day, I was roaming about after a particularly bloody fight and I saw an arrow sticking out of someone wearing simple leather armor. I walked over and looked down and I saw that he wasn’t dead yet. He just stared at me. He couldn’t speak, he couldn’t move. He just stared. (Beginning to weep) He was just a boy.
SIR BRUDLY
Some knight’s squire, I’d venture.
OSBERT
He was French, ROBERT. Our enemy.
ROBERT
He was not my enemy. None of them were my enemy. They are the king’s enemies. And he was just a little boy, damn it. And I killed him. For the king.
SIR BRUDLY
Come now, there’s no way to know whose arrow it was that killed him.
ROBERT
It doesn’t matter. The point is, it easily could have been my arrow. (He shakes his head as if he could shed the memory through the physical act) I’m done. I’m going home and I will never go to war again.
(The men sit silently for a moment, lost in their own thoughts, remembering the horrors of war. SIR BRUDLY is the first to break the silence.)
SIR BRUDLY
Home does feel agonizingly close. I can’t wait to return to my manor. I hardly had my title for a week before I was shipped off to fight for the king. My land is probably overrun and wild again.
OSBERT
My shop is surely just the way I left it. Phillip, my apprentice, was almost as good a smith as me before I left, so there would be no loss of business.
ROBERT
Not to mention you have the only blacksmith shop in the village.
OSBERT
(Ignoring the jibe) And my wife was always good at taking care of the business if I wasn’t around.
SIR BRUDLY
You are lucky, OSBERT. I only wish I would be returning home to the arms of a lady.
OSBERT
Who said anything about a lady. BEATRICE tis no lady. She’d probably give you a swift kick in the codpiece for thinking that, let alone saying it aloud.
SIR BRUDLY
A feisty one, eh?
OSBERT
Aye, you could say that. There was this one time, many years ago, not long after we were married, that she caught me flirting with a wench at the Black Rooster. She ripped into me like she was some kind of wild beast. I still have scars. I haven’t so much as looked at another woman since then.
ROBERT
You’ve never looked at another woman since? Really?
OSBERT
Well… not anywhere where she could see me.
(The men share a laugh at OSBERT’s joke.)
SIR BRUDLY
How about you, ROBERT? Do you think anything has changed at home since you’ve been gone?
ROBERT
I’m sure ALISON, my wife, has done her best to keep up tending the fields but it would have been difficult for her alone.
OSBERT
Couldn’t she hire one of the village wage-workers to tend the land until you come home?
ROBERT
No. We don’t exactly have the coin to do that. And my boys would still be too young to be much help.
SIR BRUDLY
I’d nearly forgotten you have young ones to return to.
OSBERT
Two of ’em, right?
ROBERT
Yup. George and Edward. The last time I saw them they were barely able to walk. They’re probably strapping young lads now. They’d be four years old.
OSBERT
Twins, eh. That’s prosperous.
ROBERT
Aye. And sweet ALISON, their mother. My lovely wife. Thoughts of them got me through many a rough time. Without them in my heart and mind, I don’t think I could have survived.
(The men go silent again, each lost in his own thoughts. Once again, Sir BRUDLY breaks the silence.)
SIR BRUDLY
Well, you get to go home to them tomorrow, right? I’m jealous. Not only do I not have a wife of my own to go home to, I still have several days of travel before I even get home.
OSBERT
That’s right, ROBERT. You’ll even get to your home sooner than me, since I have to travel to the middle of the bloody village to get to my place.
ROBERT
I wish I could be there now. I’m tired of traveling; I just want to be home. Give the boys each a hug, kiss ALISON full on the lips and then have supper together. I’ll wake in the morning and tend the fields for the abbot. Oh, it’ll be nice to have good farming soil under my fingernails again.
OSBERT
I’m no farmer, but I think you’re going about it the wrong way if you’re digging at the ground with your fingers, ROBERT.
(All three men laugh at the joke.)
SIR BRUDLY
On that note, I’ll excuse myself from your good company. Since I have a much longer journey ahead of me, I need to get some sleep. I wish you both well on the ‘morrow.
(SIR BRUDLY exits.)
OSBERT
He’s a good egg for being gentry, aint he?
ROBERT
You’re one to talk. You own your own shop and home and even a few acres of land.
OSBERT
Yeah, yeah, but he’s landed gentry.
ROBERT
And he used to be just like me. I know. He was able to rent out his land to other peasants and make himself wealthy enough to earn his knighthood.
OSBERT
That’s what I’m saying. I’m a simple merchant. He’s titled, he owns a manor. People like that usually think they’re better than the rest of us. He’s not like that, though.
ROBERT
I agree that you’re simple and that he’s different. Now, enough talk. I’m tired and I want this night to pass quickly.
(ROBERT lies down and covers himself with a ragged blanket, using his equipment roll as a pillow. OSBERT does the same.)
OSBERT
Right. Go to sleep you damned, plucky peasant.
Homecoming
Inside ROBERT’s home. His house is little more than a shack but efforts have been made to make its Spartan interior a home. ALISON lies all wrapped up within a pile of ragged blankets on the floor.
(Enter ROBERT, bursting in through the only door.)
ROBERT
ALISON! George! Edward! I’m home. Daddy has come home from the war. Hello.
(ALISON stirs among the pile of blankets, drawing ROBERT’s attention. He runs to her side and kneels down beside her.)
ROBERT
ALISON. Why are you still sleeping? Where are George and Edward? Sweetie, what’s going on?
(ROBERT reaches down to brush a strand of hair off of ALISON’s forehead.)
ROBERT
‘S’blood and bones, you’re burning up. ALISON. (Shouting) ALISON! What’s going on? Please talk to me.
(He eases her back down on the blankets and gets some water from a nearby basin to give her to drink. ALISON sips at the water and slowly comes out of her delirium. ROBERT continues to kneel over her.)
ALISON
ROBERT? Is it really you? Have you really come home?
ROBERT
Yes, sweetie. It’s really me.
ALISON
You’ve been gone so long, ROBERT.
ROBERT
I know. But I’m home now. I’ve come home to you and the boys.
ALISON
The boys.
(ALISON begins to sob uncontrollably.)
ROBERT
ALISON, what’s the matter? Why are you crying? Where are the boys?
(Through her tears she manages to sob only three coherent words.)
ALISON
Gone. Gone. Gone.
ROBERT
What do you mean gone? Where have they gone? Calm down, woman. Tell me about George and Edward.
(She stares into ROBERT’s eyes and her sobs slow down, she gains some control over herself.)
ROBERT
The boys, sweetie? What’s happened to the boys?
ALISON
They died.
ROBERT
Died.
(ROBERT drops to the floor from his kneeling position. He puts his hands to his face and begins rocking back and forth as he sobs.)
ROBERT
No. No. No. That can’t be. That can’t be!
(ALISON begins to slip back into her delirium.)
ALISON
They were in my arms, then they were gone. They left me lying there in the courtyard.
ROBERT
In the courtyard? They died in the abbot’s courtyard? (Shaking her) ALISON? ALISON! What happened? You must tell me what happened, for Christ’s sake.
ALISON
SIMON has been taking care of me. He prayed over them. They will go to Heaven now.
(ALISON succumbs to unconsciousness. Robin gently tucks her in among the blankets as he sobs. He kisses her on the forehead before sitting down beside her and holding her hand as she sleeps.)
Simon
(A loud knocking comes from the door to ROBERT’s home. ROBERT is still sitting beside the sleeping ALISON, holding her hand and stroking her hair.)
SIMON
Hello. Hello. ALISON, it’s Father SIMON. I’ve brought you some soup. I have some medicine, too, though not much. It’s dreadfully hard to come by, even for me.
(He continues to knock at the door.)
SIMON
ALISON, if you are not responding to me then I must fear the worst, my dear. Please forgive me but I am coming in without your permission.
(The door opens and SIMON, the local parish priest and physician, enters through it. He sees ROBERT sitting next to ALISON and quickly sets the soup and medicine down on the table before going to their side.)
SIMON
ROBERT? Is that you? I had no idea you were home. I’ve come to tend to ALISON. She is quite ill, I’m afraid. I’m so sorry to have burst in, but when she didn’t answer I was afraid what may have happened.
(ROBERT looks at him, not fully comprehending.)
SIMON
She’s deathly ill. The famine, you know. The abbot has been taking most of the food that the farmers have managed to harvest for his fat monks. The villagers don’t get to keep much. Surely not enough to survive on. I’ve been tending to as many of them as I can but I’m only one man. ROBERT. Come on, man, snap out of it. You are of no use to her acting this way. Help me please, and we can ease her pain, at the very least.
(ROBERT snaps out of his reverie, seeming to see SIMON for the first time.)
ROBERT
Sorry, SIMON. This has been too much for me to take.
(ROBERT begins to weep. SIMON approaches and puts his arm over ROBERT’s shoulders.)
SIMON
She was awake when you got home? She told you about the children?
(ROBERT nods his head weakly, too overcome by emotion to speak.)
SIMON
When did you get home?
ROBERT
I don’t know. Yesterday, I think. I remember the setting of the sun.
SIMON
You’ve been sitting with her for that long? Have you eaten anything? (ROBERT shakes his head) Here, have some soup. I’ll feed ALISON. Eat, man, eat. You need to keep your strength up.
ROBERT
SIMON.
SIMON
Yes, ROBERT.
ROBERT
Thank you.
(SIMON smiles and nods his head as he pours the soup into some bowls for ROBERT and ALISON.)
ROBERT
Why is she sick, SIMON?
SIMON
She has a fever. She wasn’t eating much before the boys died, most of the food was going to them. Since they’ve gone she has just given up. She hasn’t eaten anything in days. Her strength is greatly diminished and that made it easy for the fever to take hold.
ROBERT
Will she recover? Tell me true, SIMON.
SIMON
She’s only just picked up the fever. Shortly after the boys passed on, it came upon her. Quite like how it came upon them, I’m afraid.
ROBERT
So I only missed seeing them all alive by a few days.
SIMON
ROBERT, please don’t fall into despair. That’s not going to help ALISON. Or you, for that matter.
ROBERT
She mentioned something about the boys dying in a courtyard. Did she mean the Abbot’s courtyard? What was she talking about? Do you know?
SIMON
She took your sons to the abbot’s manse. My supply of medicine is dwindling fast and theriac is very expensive. It’s the best medicine against a fever. I tried getting some from ABBOT JOHN, but he refused me. I told ALISON about this when I was tending to the boys. She said the abbot would have no choice but to help them if she went directly to him for aid. ALISON spoke to the other villagers who were either sick or had sick kin and asked them to come with her. She came back carrying the bodies of your sons.
ROBERT
The abbot turned them away?
SIMON
She said he and another man, a bishop, stood on a terrace and demanded that they leave or be killed by the abbot’s personal guards. He called them all sinners, deserving of God’s wrath, or some such nonsense. Your boys died there in the courtyard, along with a few others, and she only asked that last rites be performed. ABBOT JOHN had his guards force them all to leave.
ROBERT
How could a man of God, a good Christian like the abbot, do such a thing.
SIMON
The abbot is anything but a good Christian. He is the worst kind of Catholic. His only concern is his material wealth and the power it grants him. The abbot and his kind are nothing but merchants pretending to be men of God. They sell their relics and favors in return for redemption. They are deceivers and they’re leading their congregation away from Christ.
ROBERT
(Shocked) I’m not the most devout Christian in the land, not at all, but that sounds like heresy to me.
SIMON
The heresy is in the lies that these Catholics sell to the poor, the sick, and the innocent. They disgust me, ROBERT. Christ teaches that the poor should be treated with respect and mercy, that all men are equal after being washed in His blood no matter how much material wealth they have.
ROBERT
I’m sure there isn’t a lord in England who wants to hear that he is the equal of a peasant.
SIMON
Oh, you have that right. But there are some among the peasantry who have gotten the point of Christ’s teachings and they have decided to take matters into their own hands.
ROBERT
What do you mean?
SIMON
Back east, the peasants of Essex and Kent have rebelled against their lords. They grew weary of living on the brink of starvation and death. They have formed an army that is destroying anyone who stands in their way.
ROBERT
They’ve started a war against the king?
SIMON
Yes. A man by the name of Wat Tyler is leading them to the gates of London. That is where they will meet with the king to give him their demands.
ROBERT
You approve, I see.
SIMON
The time has come for kings and bishops and lords to be brought down to our level. They think they have a divine right to their wealth and power. Well, they do not. This war will make them see that they are no different than the common man.
ROBERT
I’m afraid I don’t like the idea of fighting against my fellow Englishmen.
SIMON
This war is needed. Our countrymen will benefit from this fight. You have no need to fear.
ROBERT
Oh, I know all about fear. The kind of fear that grips your guts and turns your legs to water. That fear had me when a group of French knights rode their horses straight into our ranks. They cut us down like grass before the scythe. That is fear, SIMON. I wanted to turn and run, but I didn’t. I stayed right there, sending arrow after arrow into them at short range. By the time my quiver was empty, our pike men had gotten things under control. I was sure I was going to die that day. Don’t tell me about fear. You know nothing of war.
SIMON
ROBERT, that is horrible. I’m sorry. My emotions get away with me sometimes. I beg your forgiveness. I did not mean to trivialize what you’ve been through.
ROBERT
Don’t apologize. I understand. I don’t like what the abbot has done, but I cannot bear the thought of more war. Taking the life of another man, no matter how justified, is nothing I can take lightly. These rebels will have to do without me.
(ALISON moans in her delirium. ROBERT prepares to leave.)
SIMON
What are you doing?
ROBERT
I’m going to talk to him myself.
SIMON
The abbot? He’ll just chase you off like he did ALISON and the rest. He did the same to me. The abbot will not listen to reason.
ROBERT
I can’t let ALISON suffer like this. I must do something. I will convince him to help us. OSBERT and SIR BRUDLY taught me how to read a little and they taught me how to debate. I’ll make him understand, then he will have to help us.
SIMON
None of that will matter to him. He won’t help you, ROBERT. I doubt he’ll even speak to you. His guards are under orders to turn everyone away.
ROBERT
We’ll see.
(ROBERT turns to ALISON who is now awake enough for SIMON to feed her.)
ROBERT
I’ll get ABBOT JOHN to help us, ALISON. I promise.
(ROBERT puts his coat on and exits through the door. SIMON watches him leave.)
ALISON
Don’t let him do it, SIMON. Please. He’ll get himself killed.
SIMON
I think he has faced worse than either the abbot or his guards. I’m sure they’ll do as they did to me. They’ll make him turn around and go home. Nothing more. Now, I’ve come to tend to you and that is something I’m sure ROBERT would want.
ALISON
I’ll be fine. Or not. You know I’ll likely be dead in a few days anyway. Besides, you don’t know ROBERT. He won’t back down. He is stubborn that way.
SIMON
Don’t talk that way, dear girl. You must hope and pray for your recovery.
ALISON
I thought prayer was reserved for priests.
SIMON
Ah, there are different interpretations of that. I for one, think that anyone, ordained or not, can talk to God.
ALISON
I’m tired. Go get my husband, please. Don’t let him do anything foolish. I will rest until you return.
SIMON
You are as stubborn as he, I think. Fine, I will see if I can talk some sense into him.
(SIMON gently tucks ALISON into her blankets then grabs his coat and exits through the door.)
The Walk
(ROBERT is walking through the village when SIMON catches up to him.)
SIMON
(Out of breath) My God, ROBERT. You travel fast. You didn’t leave that long before me. Were you running?
ROBERT
(Still walking) No.
SIMON
(Still huffing and puffing) You’ve got to turn around now, ROBERT.
ROBERT
Shouldn’t you be taking care of the villagers instead of chasing me?
SIMON
ALISON begged me to come and try to talk some sense into you, man.
ROBERT
(Stopping and facing SIMON) What makes her, or you, think that I am acting without sense?
SIMON
Look around. Do you see anyone tending their fields? Anyone, besides us, walking the paths? This village is falling apart. Every able-bodied person is so busy trying to care for their kin that nothing is getting done. People are starving to death, ROBERT.
ROBERT
What the hell does tending fields have to do with me seeing the abbot.
SIMON
He certainly isn’t forcing anyone to come out and work the fields is he? Don’t you think if everyone just threw down their plows and stopped working for no reason that he and his guards would be out here to see why? The abbot is all about profits, ROBERT, and there are no profits if the fields aren’t producing.
(ROBERT stares at SIMON, not understanding.)
SIMON
You still don’t get it. He has given up. ABBOT JOHN has given up. At the very least until this famine has run its course. Then he will come out and try to pick up the pieces. For now, he is content to lock himself inside his manse, behind his tapestry-covered windows, and keep his exposure to the world at a bare minimum.
ROBERT
Do you realize what you’re telling me? You’re telling me to be like him. You’re telling me to give up just because he’s not likely to help me. I must at least try.
SIMON
I understand, ROBERT. I do. But this is a fool’s errand. In the state you’re in right now you could end up with one of his guard’s crossbow bolts in your chest.
ROBERT
I don’t care. My boys are gone. George and Edward both taken from me. And from the way you talk, ALISON doesn’t stand a chance to survive. Why should I care if I get killed? At least I can say I tried to do something.
SIMON
It seems that you’ve given up too, I see.
ROBERT
Are you mad?
SIMON
It’s easy to sacrifice yourself when you have nothing to lose.
ROBERT
Why must the educated speak in riddles?
SIMON
There is no riddle. You’ve given up hope just as much as the abbot has. As much as I have. You’re sure your wife will die from this fever. I never said that. People have recovered, ROBERT. You think she’s going to die so you want to die too. You’ve given up.
ROBERT
I’m tired of talk. Leave me alone, SIMON.
(ROBERT exits the stage. SIMON watches him leave, shakes his head in frustration, then exits in the same direction.)
Confrontation
(ROBERT and SIMON are standing outside the gate to the courtyard of ABBOT JOHN’s manse.)
SIMON
ABBOT JOHN has turned countless people away, including me. Many of the village leaders have tried to appeal to his sense of compassion to get aid for the village. He turns everyone away. Everyone. Why can’t you get that through your head?
ROBERT
(Shouting) Christ’s blood and bones, all I want to do is talk to the man. Beg for some food and medicine to take back to the village. Nothing more.
(GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS enters through a door and approaches the gate. He is armed with his crossbow and carries a sword at this hip.)
GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS
What’s going on out here?
SIMON
Nothing. We were just passing –
ROBERT
I want to speak to the abbot.
GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS
ABBOT JOHN isn’t seeing anyone at this time.
SIMON
You see, ROBERT? He isn’t seeing anyone. We’ll be moving along –
ROBERT
I don’t need to come in. I just want speak to him. He could come to the gate, or even stand over by the door. I don’t care; I just need to talk to him.
GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS
He is not hearing any –
ROBERT
(Angry) He must hear from me! People are starving. His people are starving. He is our lord, he must do something.
(ABBOT JOHN enters from the terrace door.)
ABBOT JOHN
NICHOLAS! What is all this shouting about?
GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS
One of your peasants is out here with the parish priest.
ABBOT JOHN
SIMON? Haven’t I told you to stay away from my manse? I will not be giving any handouts. My supplies are for me, my guests, and my staff.
ROBERT
He wasn’t the one who wanted to see you, father. My wife is starving to death and –
ABBOT JOHN
Everyone is starving. You farmers seem to be incapable of harvesting a good crop this season. The monks in the abbey are having a hard time of it, too.
SIMON
You say the monks are having a hard time of it? Are you daft? They sit in the lap of luxury compared to these people. Your fat monks are suffering not at all.
ABBOT JOHN
NICHOLAS. The next time Father SIMON spews his venomous accusations, put a crossbow bolt in him.
GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS
Yes, my lord. Gladly.
(SIMON sputters indignantly but does not speak. He is fuming with anger.)
ROBERT
My lord, I apologize for Father SIMON. He tried to warn me away, but I couldn’t sit by and watch my wife die. (He chokes back his emotions) My sons have already passed on because of this famine. I had to do something. I thought I could appeal to your Christian mercies.
ABBOT JOHN
Who are you? If you are so concerned why haven’t you come forward before now?
ROBERT
I am ROBERT Miller, my lord. I’ve just come home from war in France. Things weren’t this bad before I left.
GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS
You fought against the French? (Incredulous) You?
ABBOT JOHN
Quiet, NICHOLAS. Yes, I remember now. SIR BRUDLY stopped by to tell me that you and the ‘smith had returned.
GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS
I can’t believe you went to war. You don’t look hard enough.
ABBOT JOHN
Not another word, NICHOLAS! Stand your guard and shut your mouth.
(GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS stands at silent attention but is obviously not happy about it.)
ABBOT JOHN
Well, I am terribly sorry your homecoming has been less than a warm welcome, but you must understand that I have more to worry about than one peasant’s wife. Work at the abbey must go on and my monks need sustenance, even if it is sub-par. I cannot spare any of my stock of food or other supplies for you or any other villager.
ROBERT
Why are the lives of your monks worth more than the lives of my family? Why can’t they sacrifice a little so all of us can have something to eat?
ABBOT JOHN
Because, unlike the farms, the monks are making money right now. They’re services are in high demand. If they don’t eat, they can’t work.
SIMON
Is that all you care about, JOHN? Who is making you money?
(GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS begins to point his crossbow at SIMON, but ROBERT quickly stands between them to block the shot.)
ROBERT
No. Please don’t shoot.
ABBOT JOHN
Then get away from my manse. I’ve spoken with you and I’ve given that damned parish priest more attention than he deserves.
GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS
You heard the abbot, get moving. Go back to the village and tend your fields. Maybe you’ll scrape up enough food to save your wife.
ROBERT
Jesus Christ! You go too far, captain.
ABBOT JOHN
How dare you take God’s name in vain.
SIMON
As if the name of God means anything to the likes of you.
GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS
(Pointing his crossbow at SIMON) Now you’ve crossed the line, priest.
SIMON
Shoot me, you coward. You’ll ensure your place in hell.
(A crossbow bolt is shot into the ground near SIMON’s feet.)
ROBERT
Stop this. Stop it now. Just give us a chance to leave. Please.
(SIMON allows ROBERT to usher him away from the gate but he continues to glare up at ABBOT JOHN where he stands on the terrace. SIMON and ROBERT exit.)
ABBOT JOHN
NICHOLAS.
GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS
Yes, my lord?
ABBOT JOHN
If either of them return, don’t ask questions, just shoot them.
GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS
Yes, my lord.
(ABBOT JOHN exits through the terrace door. GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS exits through the door.)
ACT TWO
The Bad Seeds
In the abbot’s office. The room is nicely, somewhat lavishly, decorated. Expensive looking tapestries are hung over all the windows. Both men are drinking wine from jeweled goblets.
(ABBOT JOHN and BISHOP HAMTON sit together.)
BISHOP HAMTON
What was all that about?
ABBOT JOHN
Another peasant pleading for aid and that damn parish priest, again.
BISHOP HAMTON
SIMON? I thought he was the village physician.
ABBOT JOHN
He’s that, too. From Oxford.
BISHOP HAMTON
Well, that explains it. That school has a tendency to produce radicals.
ABBOT JOHN
Yes. And he’s spreading his subversive message throughout Halesowen.
BISHOP HAMTON
This is how it happened back east, you know. That damned preacher, John Ball, started stirring up the commoners until men like Tyler and Straw stepped up to lead the revolt.
BISHOP HAMTON
What do you plan to do about these peasants when this is all over? They won’t forget this mistreatment.
ABBOT JOHN
Replace them, of course.
BISHOP HAMTON
You make that sound effortless.
ABBOT JOHN
Trust me, it is anything but effortless. There are plenty of peasants we can rent the land to. Before the land stopped producing, I was approached by some very poor souls who were practically begging to come work for me.
BISHOP HAMTON
That’s how it was after the pestilence, the first time, anyway. It was quite easy to replace the unskilled laborers.
ABBOT JOHN
I vaguely remember when the pestilence first came to England. I was just a boy then.
BISHOP HAMTON
I was in my twenties. Death was everywhere. My family and I went to our estate in the country to escape.
ABBOT JOHN
Running away, even then, your Excellency?
BISHOP HAMTON
(Ignoring the jibe) So many of the farmers and workers died. Too many to properly bury. They started digging mass graves and just dumping bodies into them and covering them over as best as they could. But, for as many of them died, there always seemed to be more that were eager to take their place tending the fields or working in the mills.
ABBOT JOHN
What is your point, Excellency?
BISHOP HAMTON
(Irritated) It is not so easy to replace them now, JOHN. That is why the peasants were able to earn exorbitant wages until the nobles convinced Parliament to enact the wage laws. Quite a few commoners made enough money to become gentry before their wages got capped.
ABBOT JOHN
There are still plenty of peasants around. With due respect, Excellency, don’t be ridiculous. They breed like rabbits.
BISHOP HAMTON
(Waves off the last comment) You’ll see, JOHN. When your fields grow wild and your harvest rots, you’ll see. (Changing the subject) Did I overhear correctly? Some of your peasants just returned from war in France?
ABBOT JOHN
Two of them. ROBERT Miller and OSBERT Smith. Miller proved to be a marvelous shot with his longbow. Smith’s a drunkard who learned how to handle an infantry spear.
BISHOP HAMTON
I’m surprised. Do you know so much about all your peasants?
ABBOT JOHN
Not at all, Excellency. SIR BRUDLY recruited them. He’s a member of the gentry who lives nearby. He stopped by to let me know that they were back. He’s required to do that, you know? Let the lord of the estate know when their peasants have returned from war. BRUDLY gave me their names and refreshed my memory. Miller’s a farmer, never was one to give me any trouble, but Smith, I recall, has a temper. He’s the village blacksmith, so I do remember him. The town watch has had to call on my guards to help them with Smith on more than one occasion. He likes to drink and start fights. The villagers think highly of him, though.
BISHOP HAMTON
That says much about your peasants, JOHN. The fact they elevate the status of a drunken brute.
ABBOT JOHN
He is also a skilled craftsman and one of the village leaders. I would expect him to be trouble. It’s Miller that baffles me. Most of these peasant farmers work their land and stay too busy to worry about much else, which is as it should be. I would not expect him to voice an opinion. I would not expect him to even have an opinion.
BISHOP HAMTON
The war must have given him a chip on his shoulder. (Eagerly) Are you going to do anything about it?
ABBOT JOHN
SIMON has something to do with that chip, I’d say. And if I don’t want a revolt here, then I’ll have to do something about it. If SIMON’s words are swaying a man like Miller then it is possible he could get the whole village up in arms against me.
BISHOP HAMTON
Absolutely. The poor are monstrous when angered. Oh you wouldn’t believe the atrocities I witnessed before I came here. These peasants. Refusing to work unless rents are reduced and other such nonsense. What’s the world coming to when workers rebel against their betters.
ABBOT JOHN
Indeed, Excellency. Indeed.
BISHOP HAMTON
You seem distracted, John. You’ve devised a plan to take care of your bad seed?
ABBOT JOHN
I think so. Yes.
Evicted!
(ROBERT and ALISON are in their ramshackle home. ALISON is still lying amidst her blankets while ROBERT sits on a stool and reads from a battered book.)
ALISON
ROBERT.
(ROBERT closes his book and moves quickly to her side.)
ROBERT
Sweetie, you’re awake. What do you need? How are you feeling? Do you need me to get SIMON?
ALISON
No, no. I’m very hungry, though. Is there any of SIMON’s soup left?
ROBERT
(He pours some warm soup into a bowl and hands it to her) Here. Do you need some help?
ALISON
(She takes the bowl from him) No. I think I can manage.
(ROBERT gently places his hand up to ALISON’s forehead.)
ROBERT
You still feel warm, but you’re not burning up like you were before.
(ALISON sips soup from the bowl. This simple act is obviously an effort for her and she tires quickly.)
ROBERT
Here, let me help you.
(ROBERT cradles her in his arms and holds the bowl up for her to sip from. There is a knocking at the door.)
ROBERT
That must be SIMON. He said he’d be back to check on you after he made his rounds through the village. (Calling toward the door) Come in, SIMON.
(GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS and two guards enter through the door. They are armed and armored.)
ROBERT
What are you doing here?
GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS
The abbot has sent me to inform you that you and your family, such as it is, have been evicted.
ROBERT
(Angry) What?
GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS
You haven’t paid the rent on your land in quite some time. Your fields haven’t been tended and are grown over. If you can’t care for your land, you must make way for those who can.
ROBERT
I just returned from France. My wife is ill and my boys are dead because the abbot would not help us.
GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS
ABBOT JOHN said you might balk. He told me to take whatever action I needed to make you leave. Frankly, I would love nothing more than to beat some respect into your thick skull.
(ROBERT balls his fists but stands his ground.)
ROBERT
I don’t want to fight you, but I will not let you take my home. My wife is ill, moving her now could mean her death.
GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS
(Stepping forward into the room) I could care less about your wife. I have my orders. Leave now or I will beat you so severely that you’ll wish for your own death.
ROBERT
(Reaching for his dagger) Damn you, NICHOLAS, get out of my home. I swore I would shed no more blood in the name of king or country, but I will to protect home and family.
ALISON
ROBERT, don’t.
(ROBERT holds his sheathed dagger in hand, poised to free the blade should the guards attack. GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS draws his sword.)
GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS
If you don’t vacate the abbot’s property now, I will be forced to kill you.
(SIMON enters through the door, pushing past GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS and his men.)
SIMON
You can’t force this woman to move now. She’ll surely die. Her fever is too severe to for her to be moved.
GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS
I don’t care if the woman dies.
(With NICHOLAS’ attention diverted, ROBERT grabs his longbow from where it was leaning nearby and swiftly slashes at GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS’ face, sending him staggering back toward the door into his men. ROBERT charges forward, pulling his dagger from its sheath and slashes at NICHOLAS’ face only to have NICHOLAS deflect it with his sword. The guard’s swords are too long to be effective in the close confines of the small room so ROBERT’s furious dagger thrusts drive GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS and the other guards to exit through the door. ROBERT slams the door shut behind them.)
SIMON
While I applaud you for standing up to them, I’m afraid you’ve put us in a bad situation, ROBERT.
GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS
(From outside, speaking to his men) Light the torches. Don’t bother waiting for the priest to leave. Torch the shack.
(Flames and smoke begin to fill the shack. The sound of horses riding away can be heard as the guards leave. ROBERT and SIMON exit carrying ALISON between them. The only possessions they are able to take with them are a few blankets for ALISON and ROBERT’s longbow and dagger.)
Refuge
(OSBERT’s home in the center of the village. The interior is decorated with nice, but worn, carpets and tapestries. There is some furniture, a long wooden table with chairs and a long, cushioned bench. OSBERT sits at the table drinking beer from a mug while his wife, BEATRICE, scurries about cleaning the house.)
BEATRICE
You know OSBERT, you could give me a hand. I’m the only one to clean the house since Mary ran off with Phillip.
OSBERT
Ah, yes. Mary. I do miss her. Damn that Phillip. I should have never made him my apprentice. Mary was a nice girl. Kept a nice house, she did.
(BEATRICE puts her hands on her hips and glares at OSBERT.)
BEATRICE
What about me, dear.
OSBERT
What about you, dear.
BEATRICE
OSBERT Smith, you are an ass.
(Despite their bickering, they both laugh at the insult.)
OSBERT
I don’t know what I’d do without you, you old bat.
BEATRICE
Probably the same as you do now. Nothing.
OSBERT
Nothing! Only a few days ago I marched back from France.
BEATRICE
How’d that go? Marching across the Channel and all. Did you get wet?
OSBERT
(Ignoring the jibe) You can’t expect me to just pick up where I left off. It’s not like I went for a walk down the street, you know. I’ve just come back from a war.
BEATRICE
I know dear. But if I didn’t nag at you, you’d think I didn’t love you.
OSBERT
I know that. I just wish you’d not love me so much.
(There is a loud, urgent knocking at the door. OSBERT gets up and goes to the door. When he opens the door, ROBERT and SIMON stagger in with ALISON between them.)
OSBERT
Good God, ROBERT. What are you doing here? What the hell is going on?
ROBERT
ALISON is ill. The bloody abbot evicted us. I didn’t know where else to go.
SIMON
I told you that both of you could stay with me.
(As they speak they are getting ALISON comfortable on the cushioned bench. BEATRICE helps them.)
BEATRICE
I’ll get some more blankets and some water. (As she leaves she mutters) Poor girl.
(She exits, rushing for the needed items.)
ROBERT
Your home is the first place NICHOLAS and his men will look. He won’t soon forget that I struck him and I’m sure he knows we didn’t die in that fire.
OSBERT
Fire? There was a fire? And, did you say you struck the abbot’s guard captain? Have you lost your mind, boy?
SIMON
They came to evict him and ALISON. She shouldn’t have been moved. She has a severe fever.
ROBERT
They came into my home and ordered us to leave. NICHOLAS threatened us so I attacked him. His sword was not much help to him in our tiny house and I was able to push them out.
OSBERT
You had to go back on your oath.
SIMON
Oath?
ROBERT
I swore that I would never take up my weapons to harm another man again. The war was a blood bath. I had to do things I am not proud of.
OSBERT
NICHOLAS threatened you and ALISON. You couldn’t just stand there and let him have his way. This was self-defense.
SIMON
You did the right thing, ROBERT.
OSBERT
But what was that you said before about a fire?
ROBERT
Since he couldn’t force us out, he had his men set fire to our house.
OSBERT
Bastards. Why would they do such a thing to you? What incited the abbot’s guards to attack you? All the times they were called to drag me from some drunken fight, they never bothered to do more than rough me up a little.
ROBERT
I went to the manse and asked for help.
OSBERT
That’s an odd response to a request.
SIMON
I was there. The abbot and I got into a bit of a shouting match. ROBERT joined in to protect me. I think ABBOT JOHN took things a bit personally.
OSBERT
Aye. Sounds like it, to me.
(ROBERT touches his hand to ALISON’s forehead. His expression is grim.)
ROBERT
Her fever is getting worse, SIMON. She seemed to be coming out of it before. She’s burning up now.
SIMON
I don’t have any more theriac. I used the last of it during my rounds in the village. There’s another herbal medicine I can make to help with the fever if I had all the ingredients.
(BEATRICE enters carrying blankets and a pitcher of water.)
BEATRICE
I have lots of herbs. Come see. You’re welcome to use whatever you need.
SIMON
Thank you, dear lady.
BEATRICE
You’re welcome. And don’t call me lady. I’ve got no noble blood in me.
SIMON
Yes ma’am.
BEATRICE
That’s better.
(OSBERT shakes his head in disbelief at the exchange between BEATRICE and SIMON. BEATRICE and SIMON exit.)
OSBERT
(While patting ROBERT gently on the back) If your wife’s like mine, ROBERT, the reaper’ll leave her be so he doesn’t have to deal with her until he doesn’t have a choice.
(ROBERT looks at his friend, nods glumly.)
OSBERT
Buck up, boy. You’re with your old captain now. I kept the Frenchies off your butt, after all, didn’t I?
ROBERT
Yeah.
OSBERT
And I’ll keep the abbot’s men off your arse, too.
ROBERT
You’re a good friend, but I don’t want to take advantage of your friendship. This is my fight. I started it and I must end it.
OSBERT
That’s rubbish and you know it. That bloody abbot and his men started it. He’s been raping this village for years now so I’d say it’s Halesowen’s fight, not just yours. I said I’d help you and by god, I mean it. If you can’t stand the idea of accepting my charity, then tell me you’ll be my new apprentice. My old one ran off with our house servant.
ROBERT
You’d take me on as your apprentice? I don’t know what to say. Thank you does not seem to be enough.
OSBERT
No problem, lad. But, enough talk. Get over there and see to your wife.
(ROBERT sits next to ALISON and takes her hand. She is coherent enough now to drink some water so he holds up a cup for her to drink from. BEATRICE enters carrying blankets and walks over to ALISON. She covers her with the blankets and pats ROBERT on the back as she passes by.)
Equality
OSBERT’s home. ALISON is sitting up on the bench. ROBERT sits next to her, smiling, one arm wrapped around her. He’s holding a mug of beer in his other hand. BEATRICE and OSBERT sit at the table.
BEATRICE
I can’t believe how much you’ve recovered in only a few days, ALISON. You certainly married one hardy woman, ROBERT Miller.
ROBERT
She is amazing.
ALISON
I think, my husband, we owe a great deal to SIMON. He’s taken very good care of us. Just as you two have.
OSBERT
It’s the least I could do.
BEATRICE
That’s what you’re good at, OSBERT.
OSBERT
What’s that, dear?
BEATRICE
Always doing the least you can do.
(OSBERT sputters on his beer as everyone laughs.)
(A knock comes at the door. OSBERT goes to the door and opens it. SIMON enters.)
SIMON
Wonderful to see you awake and sitting up ALISON.
(ALISON smiles warmly as ROBERT nods his head in affirmation.)
ALISON
How fares the rest of the village?
SIMON
Not so well as you, my dear. There are many starving and ill. I’ve been helping as many as I can. There are too many for me to care for by myself. I’m the only doctor outside of the abbey.
ROBERT
And we know none of those monks are coming out to help.
OSBERT
Something needs to be done about that damned abbot.
ALISON
What? He’s the lord of the land. He can do whatever he likes.
SIMON
No. That is incorrect.
OSBERT
He holds no sway over me.
BEATRICE
Your taxes are paid to him, dear. Remember. That cathedral near the town square is his, after all.
SIMON
He has no right to do whatever he wills to those who live on his property or to those who work for him. We learned at Oxford that God created all men equal. Christ shed his blood so that all could be saved. Not just the wealthy. Just because he owns the land and has a title does not mean he is any better than we are.
ROBERT
I like the sound of that.
OSBERT
Me too. That bloody rich abbot is taxing me right back into the fields. I could stand a little equality, if you know what I mean.
BEATRICE
Declaring ourselves equal does not make it so. The abbot wouldn’t stand for that. No nobleman would.
ROBERT
I’ve been thinking about what you said to me, SIMON, that day when we walked to the manse.
SIMON
I hope you are not referring to the talk of giving up.
ROBERT
Not at all. You said that I wouldn’t be able to get his attention. That he wasn’t seeing anyone and he wouldn’t come out to see me.
SIMON
(Understanding) But we did get his attention. He came out to see what all the noise was about when we started arguing with NICHOLAS.
ROBERT
Exactly.
SIMON
We need to go back and get his attention again, is that it? Tell him everything we need to take care of the people in the village?
ROBERT
Something like that, yes. Only instead of going there and risk ourselves against the guards arrows and swords, I think we should make a list of demands. Things we need to help the villagers.
OSBERT
Add ‘reduce taxes’ to that list for me, please.
SIMON
We’ll need the support of the villagers.
ROBERT
And we’ll also need to do something to make sure he knows we mean business.
SIMON
Like what?
ROBERT
Leave that to me.
ALISON
ROBERT, what are you thinking?
ROBERT
Don’t worry. This won’t put me in harm’s way.
ALISON
You promise ROBERT Miller. I lost my boys. I don’t want to lose you, too.
ROBERT
I promise.
(ALISON stares hard at him.)
ROBERT
Really, I promise.
BEATRICE
He won’t budge.
ROBERT
What do you mean?
BEATRICE
You can write as many demands as you want, but the abbot will not give in. A man like him only understands money and power. We have neither.
ROBERT
I have my ideas about that, too.
OSBERT
I think we’re thinking along the same lines.
SIMON
You’ve both heard about the rebellion in Essex?
OSBERT
Aye. And I think we should start our own.
ALISON
How is starting a rebellion going to keep you out of harm’s way?
ROBERT
We can’t just hide out here for the rest of our lives, ALISON. The abbot’s guards will find us eventually. We have to do something now, before that happens.
BEATRICE
I’m afraid he’s right, ALISON.
(ALISON is angry but she knows she has no hope of changing their minds so she sits in silence.)
ROBERT
We need to muster the villagers who are willing and capable of helping us.
SIMON
I can take care of that. I’ll gather up as many of the village leaders I can and have them meet here, if that’s agreeable to OSBERT and BEATRICE.
OSBERT
That’ll do. Most of them know me, so if any of them give you a hard time, just drop my name and that should be enough to get them here.
SIMON
Alright.
OSBERT
I’ll talk to some friends of mine among the other merchants, too, and see if they’d be willing to join us. We’ll meet back here by sundown.
(ROBERT kisses ALISON on the cheek before exiting through the door with OSBERT and SIMON. ALISON gives him an angry look that quickly turns to one of worry as he exits.)
Forming the Rebellion
A motley group of peasant farmers and merchants have assembled inside OSBERT’s home. The dozen or so people stand in small groups around OSBERT’s dining hall waiting for ROBERT, SIMON, and OSBERT to speak their minds.
SIMON
Thank you all for coming this evening. I think all of you have a good idea why we called this meeting tonight but we would like to fill in the details and make sure that everyone is in agreement that what we plan is the proper course of action.
OSBERT
What he’s trying to say is that we’re sure you’re all here because you’re all angry at how the abbot’s treating you and you’ve all heard about the rebellion back east.
SIMON
Exactly.
(The assembled group all begin to nod their heads and mutter in agreement.)
SIMON
We’ve all seen our share of mistreatment at the hands of ABBOT JOHN. Outrageous rent and high taxes have been the norm under him. His refusal to give food or medical aid during this recent crisis is the final straw. Most of us here have recently appealed to the abbot for help for our sick and starving and have been not only refused, but threatened even for daring to approach his manse. What gives him the right to treat his fellow man this way?
DISSENTING PEASANT
He’s our lord.
ROBERT
That doesn’t give him the right to subject us to poverty.
DISSENTING PEASANT
Sure it does. He has divine right. He’s both a lord and a member of the clergy. ABBOT JOHN can do whatever he wants to us.
SIMON
Is it not true that Christ died for the sins of every man?
DISSENTING PEASANT
Of course.
SIMON
And doesn’t the Bible tell us that all men are equal in God’s eyes?
DISSENTING PEASANT
I don’t know. I guess.
SIMON
Then how can the abbot have divine right to treat his equals worse than he would treat the beasts of the field.
DISSENTING MERCHANT
What I want to know is how is this list of demands you propose going to change things?
SIMON
The demands will be written out, itemized in a clear and logical manner. In this way, we will better communicate our problems and how he can help us overcome them.
DISSENTING MERCHANT
Don’t you think we’ve already tried communicating that way with him, SIMON? The guilds have already tried this and it failed. All we’re going to gain from this is more misery at the hands of the abbot.
(The assembly mutters in dejected agreement.)
OSBERT
Come on, you lot. There’s more to it than that.
ROBERT
I can’t believe what I’m hearing here. Yes, we have all tried to talk to him at one time or another, but we’ve never approached him together before. We’ve never gone to him as one unified whole. He’s dealt with peasants. He’s dealt with merchants and guilds. But he’s never dealt with the village of Halesowen. Now is the time. He’s frightened. He’s heard about Essex and London, and he is scared. If he refuses our demands then we can take action. We can declare ourselves freemen and march on his manse as an army.
DISSENTING MERCHANT
Yeah. An army of peasants and merchants.
OSBERT
What is that supposed to mean?
ROBERT
Peasants and merchants are what made up the army that marched against the French.
DISSENTING MERCHANT
What are you talking about, Miller?
ROBERT
Me and OSBERT served in a trained band together against the French. We only had one noble, SIR BRUDLY, in our battalion. Everyone else was either a peasant, merchant, or tradesman.
DISSENTING PEASANT
I’m not sure about this. You’re talking about openly defying the abbot. I don’t think I can do that.
DISSENTING MERCHANT
I’m not convinced. OSBERT, you and your friend there were trained for battle. We are not. And the way you all are talking, this is more likely to turn into a battle than an open discussion with the abbot. Count me out.
DISSENTING PEASANT
Aye, me too.
(The dissenters exit through the door, taking almost half of the assembly along with them.)
ROBERT
If you’re still here, I guess you’re with us.
ACT THREE
Saying Goodbye to the Boys
Halesowen’s graveyard at night. ROBERT, with bow in hand and quiver of arrows on his back, approaches two small gravestones, one engraved with the name Edward, the other George. He kneels down on the ground between them.
ROBERT
Hello boys. I’m sorry I haven’t come to see you sooner. Daddy only just got home less than a week ago. Mommy needed some help right away, so I wasn’t able to visit you as soon as I would have liked.
(ROBERT puts down his bow and wipes away some tears.)
ROBERT
Honestly, it was hard for me to come here. God, I love you both so much. I wish I could’ve told you how much you mean to me, before … this. Me and your mother did our best to show you how much we love you. I just hope that stuck with you more than the fact I wasn’t here when you needed me most. I was off fighting in a war for a king who doesn’t care a lick for his people against another king who is no better. I should’ve been home with you and your mother. Protecting my family, keeping them fed. Not fighting against other men like me, whose only difference from me is the language they speak.
(The tears begin to fall in earnest now. ROBERT lets the tears fall, he finally releases the grief he’s felt since he returned home to find his family all but gone.)
ROBERT
SIMON tells how God shed His blood for everyone, rich or poor, noble or peasant. He says the lords are wrong for claiming they are sovereign by divine right. The kings say that God has granted them power over all, that they are better than the rest of us. And the Church agrees with them. Boys, I tell you true, and I could be burned alive for saying this, but I don’t think God has anything to do with it, either way. I think he made us and then walked away and hasn’t looked back since. The rich bought their power and claimed it was because God made them better than the rest of us. And we fell for it. We work and we die for their benefit, and for what? What has it done for us? I’m done listening to nobles. Whether I live or die, starting right now, I’m a free man. And I will fight for that freedom, boys. I swore I would never again take a man’s life in the name of a king, but by Christ’s blood I will take a man’s life to protect my family. And avenge my sons.
I love you Edward. I love you George. I am going to go stir up the hornets now. With luck, I’ll be back to visit you when this is all over. If not, well, I guess that will mean I’ll get to be with you in death.
Getting Their Attention
Outside the abbot’s manse, ROBERT waits in the shadows directly across from the courtyard, bow in hand. An arrow is nocked and ready. Several other arrows jut from the quiver slung over his shoulders. Each arrow has a sheet of paper rolled up and fastened to its shaft.
(GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS and several of his men walk out through the manse’s main door. ROBERT lets his arrow fly. It arcs high through the air before coming down in front of GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS, imbedding itself in the ground. The guards run for cover.)
GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS
What the hell!
(More arrows follow the first. All of them landing dangerously close to the scrambling guards, but no arrow actually strikes any of them. One final arrow is fired directly into the terrace door that leads into ABBOT JOHN’s chambers.)
(With his message delivered, ROBERT fades into the falling darkness and exits back towards town.)
(ABBOT JOHN enters through the terrace door and sees the arrow there. GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS pulls an arrow out of the ground. Both men unroll the attached papers and read the list of demands written, and repeated, on each sheet.)
ABBOT JOHN
This is treason! The peasants are rebelling against me. Don’t just stand there, NICHOLAS. Double the guard.
GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS
Yes, father. (shouting) Guards, fall in.
(A large contingent of guards come out of the manse’s main door and from points off stage.)
GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS
We’ve been attacked. I want two men at each post. Patrolling guards will walk the perimeter in pairs. Do not hesitate to attack anyone who approaches from outside the gates. Now, move out.
(The guards spread out, some heading to points around the interior of the courtyard, others exiting off stage.)
ABBOT JOHN
There is more of a message here than what is written on this parchment. They want us to know they can touch us whenever they please. Nicholas, come up to my chambers immediately. I have some other things for you to do.
(ABBOT JOHN exits back through the terrace door.)
GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS
Goddam peasants. This is going to be a bloody long night.
(GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS exits through the manse’s main door.)
Petitioning the Gentry
Inside SIR BRUDLY’s private chamber. The room is richly decorated. SIR BRUDLY is sitting at a desk, reading. There is a knocking at the door.
SIR BRUDLY
Come in.
(A servant ushers SIMON into the room.)
SIR BRUDLY
I’m told you’ve come on behalf of OSBERT Smith and ROBERT Miller.
SIMON
Yes, my lord. They asked me to come and request your aid in a matter of great import.
SIR BRUDLY
First of all, may I ask who you are and how you know ROBERT and OSBERT?
SIMON
Oh, of course. How rude of me. I’m SIMON, the parish priest of Halesowen. I’m also the village physician.
SIR BRUDLY
I would wager you’re pretty overwhelmed with work right now what with the famine. Why would you want to leave your flock behind to come the whole way out here to see me?
SIMON
There have been some problems with the lord of Halesowen, ABBOT JOHN.
SIR BRUDLY
What sort of problems? Don’t be shy, SIMON. Just tell me straight out.
SIMON
Yes mi’lord. You see, ABBOT JOHN and BISHOP HAMTON have sealed themselves inside the abbey manse and will not admit any visitors. They’ve gone so far as to refuse to aid the people of the village and the nearby town.
SIR BRUDLY
Clergy that won’t help the sick and needy? Disgraceful, but not unheard of.
SIMON
Well, sir, their refusal to help during this time of crisis further exasperated an already tense situation. The abbot has been quite harsh with his people, levying heavy taxes and rents against them. He’s recently evicted ROBERT and his wife from their home.
SIR BRUDLY
He evicted ROBERT.
SIMON
Forcibly, sir. He had his guards burn the place down. I was there attempting to help his wife while she was ill. I saw first-hand.
SIR BRUDLY
ROBERT’s a good man. There could be no good reason for such an act of cruelty.
SIMON
No sir. ROBERT only tried to get food and medicine for his wife and the other sick villagers.
SIR BRUDLY
And that was the abbot’s response? That’s unpardonable. So what of me? Why are they requesting my help? I have no medicines here. And my own food supply is limited right now. While I was in France, many of my workers left for greener pastures. I suppose I could rent some of my land to ROBERT and his wife. Or they could just work directly for me since I could use some more hands around here.
SIMON
I’m sure ROBERT will be happy to hear that offer, sir, but I’m afraid that is not why I’m here. ROBERT and OSBERT request your military aid.
SIR BRUDLY
Military?
SIMON
Yes. They have, with my help, drafted a list of demands that they have given to the abbot. If he refuses to meet those demands, they plan to march on his manse.
SIR BRUDLY
What? March, like an army?
SIMON
Yes, like an army.
SIR BRUDLY
How many men do they have?
SIMON
There are others who have joined us, but it is a dreadful few. That is why I am here. To request your military expertise and what men you can spare to help us.
SIR BRUDLY
You want me to go to war with the abbot of Halesowen? I can’t do that. I can’t do it.
SIMON
I’m sorry, sir, but why not?
SIR BRUDLY
I can’t just rise up against another English lord, let alone an abbot. That’s worse than declaring war on a noble, it’s practically heresy.
SIMON
I see. So we can’t count on you for aid of any kind?
SIR BRUDLY
Do you understand what you are asking me to do? For that matter, do you understand what you are attempting. It’s treason.
SIMON
Call it what you will, sir, we are simply fighting for our livelihood. And for our freedom. I will tell ROBERT and OSBERT that you will not be joining us.
SIR BRUDLY
What made them think I would aid them in such madness?
SIMON
They seemed to believe that you stood for more than the typical gentry.
SIR BRUDLY
I’m sorry, but they had me figured wrong. What will they do now. Please tell me they will stand down without my help.
SIMON
They will be disappointed but they will carry on. You have no idea what they came home to, SIR BRUDLY. Something has to be done, whether we have your help or not. Good day, sir.
(SIMON exits through the door. SIR BRUDLY rubs his temples with his fingertips and then shakes his head in frustration.)
SIR BRUDLY
What am I to do? Follow my sense of duty and faith to God and Church and do nothing? Or shall I risk sacrificing everything I’ve accomplished to help those I call my friends? Father in heaven, give me good council on this decision I must make.
Goodbye My Wife
Inside OSBERT’s house. ALISON and ROBERT are sitting together at the table. They are sitting close enough together that she can rest her head on his arm while they talk.
ALISON
I don’t want you to do this, ROBERT.
ROBERT
Do what?
ALISON
You can be so thick sometimes, ROBERT Miller.
ROBERT
I don’t want to do it.
ALISON
You don’t? But you’re preparing to lead these men to the manse this morning. You’ve been a major part of this from the beginning.
ROBERT
I know. Look, when I got home and found you sick and dying… When I found out the boys were dead, I didn’t want to go on living. I could have cared less if the abbot’s guards cut me down. But now, now you’ve been returned to me, healthy and whole. Now I have a reason to fight. If we remain complacent, it will only be a matter of time before the abbot sends NICHOLAS and his men to arrest us, or worse.
ALISON
It’s not too late, ROBERT. You don’t have to go.
ROBERT
Oh, it’s far too late to turn back now, sweetie. I was the one who stirred up the hornet’s nest. I have to see it through. Besides, there are people out there who need this to happen. Men who weren’t so lucky as I.
ALISON
(Beginning to cry) Call it off, please. Call it off.
ROBERT
I can’t. ALISON, I just returned from the horrors of war. I didn’t come home only to have to experience that here. But this must be done. It’s important, ALISON.
ALISON
Why is it that men always find great important things to go off and die for.
ROBERT
I’m not dead yet, now am I?
ALISON
No, but you’re putting yourself at great risk. And what if you fail? What if the abbot’s guards capture you?
ROBERT
Prison, maybe. Or the executioner.
ALISON
Damn you, ROBERT.
ROBERT
I’m sorry. I am. If we are to have any chance of success I must meet up with OSBERT and the rest of our men. Hopefully SIMON was able to get SIR BRUDLY to join us. Then the odds will be a little more in our favor.
(ROBERT bends down and gives ALISON a passionate kiss. He wipes her tears away. She tries to smile, but it isn’t very sincere.)
ROBERT
Goodbye my wife.
(ROBERT exits through the door.)
Preparing for War
Village square. OSBERT and ROBERT stand in the center of the square by a small stockpile of axes, pikes, and maces. Peasants and townsmen are filing in from offstage to stand around their leaders. Some of them are already carrying weapons similar to what is in the stockpile, most are not. A few carry longbows and quivers. OSBERT has his pike and a sword and is wearing his armor. ROBERT has his archer’s kit on and is carrying his bow and a quiver full of arrows.
OSBERT
Step up here, if you don’t have a weapon. I’ve made quite a few to further our cause.
ROBERT
If you’ve never fought before, don’t worry. If you’re familiar with chopping wood, grab an axe, it isn’t much different chopping men. With the mace, you just smash at ’em until you break enough of their bones that they can’t move anymore.
(As the villagers gather up their weapons, ROBERT and OSBERT step back to have a word alone.)
OSBERT
I swear this group is smaller than what we were promised.
ROBERT
It is. They’re scared OSBERT. How often does anyone stand up to a lord and get away with it.
OSBERT
You’re not filling me full of confidence, lad.
ROBERT
If SIR BRUDLY comes, the day will surely belong to us.
OSBERT
And if not?
ROBERT
Well, then, we will at least have made a point.
OSBERT
I’d rather not die to make a point.
ROBERT
C’mon, let’s get this ragged group organized.
(They go back to the small mob that is gathered in the middle of the street.)
OSBERT
Right, then. Axes, maces, swordsmen, come stand by me. Archers, stand over by ROBERT.
(The group splits up as ordered.)
OSBERT
Now here’s the plan. We are marching on ABBOT JOHN’s manse. When we get there, if we are not met by his guards in the fields, we will batter down his gates with a ram that has been stowed in the forest near the manse. ROBERT and his archers will provide covering fire for us until we break through. Once we make it inside, we kill or capture anyone who stands in our way, including ABBOT JOHN and his guest.
ROBERT
We want to capture the abbot and the bishop alive to see if we can work out an agreement on our demands. If nothing else they will be held as ransom in case the crown doesn’t take kindly to us taking matters into our own hands.
OSBERT
The abbot always tends to come out through the terrace doors on the second floor. We figure his chambers must be there. The hope is that we will catch him there, either fleeing from that spot or hiding in it.
ROBERT
Does everyone understand.
(A series of hesitant, unsure nods can be seen from heads scattered about through the crowd.)
OSBERT
Good enough. Let’s march.
(The mob falls-in in a ragged, disorganized line behind OSBERT. ROBERT leads his few archers in at the back of the line. They all exit off stage in the same direction.)
Death in the Courtyard Part Two
The manse’s gates are open, obviously damaged from the large battering ram lying on the ground nearby. Arrows litter the ground, some are poking out from the bodies of guards. The bodies of peasants are lying about as well, some with crossbow bolts in their chests, some slashed open by long swords. Peasants and guards are still fighting in the courtyard. OSBERT is in the center of the chaotic fray, as ROBERT and his archers enter, picking up arrows as they go to fill their empty quivers.
(Some crossbow wielding guards enter through the terrace door and take aim at OSBERT’s group in the center of the courtyard. ROBERT looses two arrows in rapid succession, taking out both guards. )
(A large group of guards erupt from the manse’s main door, forcing OSBERT and ROBERT and their few remaining men into a corner. ROBERT is using his bow to slash at the heads of his attackers while OSBERT and two remaining peasants push back against the guards. Eventually the guards fall, but so do the peasants. Only OSBERT and ROBERT are left standing. Both are bloody and battered.)
ROBERT
Where’s NICHOLAS. I didn’t see him at all during the fight.
OSBERT
He must be inside, protecting the abbot and the bishop.
(The terrace door swings open and GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS, crossbow in hand, enters through it. The main door opens and several more guards enter through it. They point their crossbows at OSBERT and ROBERT. ROBERT is pointing a nocked arrow at them. OSBERT has his pike at the ready.)
GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS
Ready to give up yet? Your peasant army is gone. Either dead or run off back to their homes. You two don’t have a chance.
(The sound of horses can be heard outside the battered gates. SIR BRUDLY, armed and armored for war, and SIMON enter through the gates along with several armored men-at-arms, each wearing the coat of arms of SIR BRUDLY and armed with long swords. They easily cut down the surprised guards.)
(ROBERT, taking advantage of the surprise, takes aim at GUARD CAPTAIN NICHOLAS and lets his arrow fly directly into his chest. Nicholas falls back through the terrace door, dead. ABBOT JOHN and BISHOP HAMTON enter onto the terrace.)
SIR BRUDLY
ABBOT JOHN and BISHOP HAMTON come down to the courtyard please.
ABBOT JOHN
I will not come down. You will all lose your heads for this treachery. I’ve sent a messenger to the king. Richard will not tolerate a violent act against the lords of his kingdom.
BISHOP HAMTON
You are all mad. I’m a bishop. I’m nobility. This is the same as revolting against the crown itself.
SIMON
We will deal with those consequences when they arise. For now, you are both prisoners of the villagers of Halesowen.
(SIR BRUDLY nods towards his men and they exit through the manse’s main door. OSBERT hurries to join them. ABBOT JOHN and BISHOP HAMTON exit through the terrace door. They can be seen struggling against OSBERT and the men-at-arms. Soon they all exit from the terrace.)
(ROBERT joins SIMON and SIR BRUDLY by the manse door as ABBOT JOHN and BISHOP HAMTON enter at sword point at the hands of OSBERT and SIR BRUDLY’s men. OSBERT and the men-at-arms exit with ABBOT JOHN and BISHOP HAMTON.)
(ROBERT turns to SIR BRUDLY and SIMON.)
ROBERT
SIR BRUDLY thank you for coming to help us. SIMON, as usual, it’s good to see you. Thank God you both arrived when you did.
SIR BRUDLY
If only we would have arrived sooner. Maybe we could have saved more of your men. What the hell were you thinking ROBERT?
ROBERT
Justice needed to be served, sir. The abbot has been taking advantage of us for far too long.
SIR BRUDLY
You know they are right? King Richard will not take this kindly. If the abbot did send a messenger to the king, we will all be facing charges for treason.
ROBERT
That’s why the abbot and the bishop are still alive. We will use them to bargain with.
SIR BRUDLY
And once you’ve come to an agreement you’ll turn them over and King Richard will execute us all.
SIMON
I think the king will be sympathetic to the suffering of the village. He will understand why we had to do this.
SIR BRUDLY
ROBERT, do you remember how the king allowed his forces to treat the French peasants that lived on English controlled territory?
ROBERT
I hadn’t thought of that.
SIMON
Hold on. What do you mean?
ROBERT
The king allowed his men to roam the country side attacking anyone they pleased, peasant farmer or noble knight. They focused much of their anger on the peasant farmers, killing the men, raping the women, and burning down their villages.
SIR BRUDLY
That sound familiar, SIMON.
ROBERT
Aye. It does to me.
SIMON
I thought Richard was different. I thought he would rise above his father’s cruelty.
SIR BRUDLY
Since I’ll be up for treason anyway, I’ll just come straight out with it. KING RICHARD is a thug. He levies incredibly high taxes on his people just so he can continue to fight his wars. He treats all of England in the same manner the abbot treats Halesowen. He is his father’s son. Edward was a warrior and his son has inherited his ways. He expects his people to be compliant with whatever he demands. He is not long suffering of those who disobey him.
SIMON
We’ve been terribly naive.
SIR BRUDLY
The uprising in the east is over now. The peasants have been pacified, their leaders executed. King Richard and the BISHOP OF NORWICH, Henry le Despenser, were instrumental in crushing the rebellion.
ROBERT
It’s too late to fret over it now. We’ve done what we set out to do. The king listens to us or he doesn’t. No matter what, we showed them that their mansions are not safe, that we can hurt them if they push us too far. Sometime, years from now, someone will remember what we’ve done. They’ll build on what we started.
SIR BRUDLY
Is that really worth losing your life for, ROBERT? You’ll likely never see your wife again, even if they don’t kill us outright.
ROBERT
Nothing is worth more to me than my love for my wife, but sometimes a person must make a sacrifice for the sake of a greater ideal.
SIMON
That is what the Bible tells us, yes.
ROBERT
If there was nothing worth risking, it wouldn’t be a sacrifice would it?
SIR BRUDLY
You are a damned fool, ROBERT. You are honorable and more noble than anyone who is so titled by birthright, but you are still a damned fool. Come. We should catch up with OSBERT and my men. Make sure they don’t do any harm to our guests.
(They exit in the same direction as OSBERT and the rest.)
Caught
ROBERT, SIR BRUDLY, and SIMON catch up with OSBERT and SIR BRUDLY’s men-at-arms. They are speaking with the BISHOP OF NORWICH and a group of knights who have relieved them of their weapons and forced them to line up in single file.
BISHOP OF NORWICH
Ho, there! Come here, you three.
SIR BRUDLY
(To ROBERT) That is the BISHOP OF NORWICH, ROBERT. They call him the Fighting Bishop for a reason. This is not good. Not good at all.
ROBERT
(To SIR BRUDLY) We faced better men in France. (To the BISHOP OF NORWICH) No, sir. I think we’re fine right where we are.
BISHOP OF NORWICH
You defy me, you defy a direct order of His Majesty, King Richard?
ROBERT
Honestly, sir, I’ve stormed the manse of an ecclesiastical lord and kidnapped him. Defying the king is the least of my worries. After all, you can’t behead a man twice, now can you?
BISHOP OF NORWICH
I don’t think your friends here like your attitude.
OSBERT
We were well aware of the price, good sir.
BISHOP OF NORWICH
You have assaulted your betters. By attacking your lord and his men you have declared your treason against England. Throw down your arms and come to me willingly and the king may have mercy on you.
SIMON
Mercy? You speak of mercy? The people of Halesowen have received no mercy. They die of disease and starvation and while their lord, an abbot of the Catholic Church no less, lives in excess. Speak not of mercy.
BISHOP OF NORWICH
Bestill your tongue, priest, lest I cut it out and feed it to my dogs. Likely, you are the one who poisoned the minds of these people. Heretic! You will burn, by god.
SIMON
God doesn’t care whether you’re rich or poor. He only cares that you accept Him. Burn me at the stake, it will only destroy my physical body.
BISHOP OF NORWICH
You think yourselves brave now but that bravery will flee when you face the executioner.
ROBERT
I don’t intend to wait for the executioner.
(ROBERT pulls his bow, nocks an arrow, and lets fly at ABBOT JOHN. The arrow strikes him in the chest. He staggers back, clutching at the arrow, before falling to the ground.)
SIR BRUDLY
ROBERT. What have you done?
OSBERT
Don’t stop, ROBERT. Cut them all down.
(Before he can nock another arrow, the BISHOP OF NORWICH and his knights surround ROBERT, SIMON, and the rest and take their weapons from them. They are bound at their wrists and forced to get in line with OSBERT and SIR BRUDLY’s men-at-arms.)
BISHOP OF NORWICH
(Speaking to ROBERT) Now you’ve sealed your fate. I should kill you right now, but I think a trial is in order, first. Now move, you lot.
OSBERT
Bugger off! I’m not moving. You can –
(The BISHOP OF NORWICH cuts him off with a right cross to the jaw. OSBERT is helpless to respond as the bishop gives him a severe beating.)
ACT FOUR
Trial?
ROBERT, OSBERT, SIMON, SIR BRUDLY, and the rest are marched back into the courtyard of ABBOT JOHN’s manse. OSBERT is battered and has obviously been beaten. The BISHOP OF NORWICH and BISHOP HAMTON walk to the front of the line of prisoners.
ROBERT
Why did we come back here? You are going to try us here?
BISHOP OF NORWICH
King Richard has left the trial to my discretion. I’ve stamped out the rebellion in Essex, I think I’m quite capable of doing the same here.
BISHOP HAMTON
You will suffer for what you’ve done. I warned John not to underestimate your penchant for violence. Unwashed heathens. Now you’ll see what you get for rebelling against your betters.
BISHOP OF NORWICH
That’s enough, HAMTON.
BISHOP HAMTON
Enough? They killed ABBOT JOHN.
BISHOP OF NORWICH
In Essex, the rebels killed the Archbishop of Canterbury. Beheaded him. I’d say your abbot got off easy.
ROBERT
You didn’t answer my question. Why are we here? Who will oversee our trial? Why can’t we bear witness in front of the king?
BISHOP OF NORWICH
The king doesn’t need to hear from the likes of you. He’s heard it all from the Eastern rebels. He does not agree with you. You will not change his mind.
ROBERT
So the king will not hear our reasons for rebellion? He will not hear how we begged for help while the abbot and his guest hid in their manse?
BISHOP HAMTON
Weren’t you listening? The king does not care about you or your problems. He has more important things to worry about than you.
BISHOP OF NORWICH
Aye. Like defeating the French.
ROBERT
The king is concerned over holding French soil while his own people suffer and die at home? That does not make sense. A king should be concerned for his people.
SIMON
Doesn’t God the Father care about the well-being of his flock?
BISHOP HAMTON
You are a peasant. What do you know of kings and war and diplomacy? And what right do you have, heretic, to speak of God the almighty?
SIMON
Christ died for every man, woman, and child. He didn’t die to save only the rich. His blood was shed so that all men could live.
ROBERT
Wealth and power should not allow kings and lords to act however they want to act. They should act for the benefit of the people.
BISHOP OF NORWICH
Still your tongues. I’m tired of listening to dissidents and heretics. The king has granted me the right to judge you and I have done so.
ROBERT
Where is the justice in this?
SIMON
There is no justice in this land. Only the will of the rich.
BISHOP OF NORWICH
You have testified on your own behalf and have been unable to convince us of your innocence.
OSBERT
You refuse to be swayed. You want us dead.
(The BISHOP OF NORWICH steps over to OSBERT and strikes him in the stomach with the butt of his sword, causing him to double over.)
BISHOP OF NORWICH
Quiet yourself and hear your judgment. As I was saying, you have proven incapable of proving your innocence and are convicted of treason and heresy. The punishment for such behavior is death. You will serve as an example to your peers of what will befall them should they attempt to follow in your footsteps.
BISHOP HAMTON
What of SIR BRUDLY, Excellency? He has been favored by King Richard. I don’t believe the king would allow you to judge in his case.
BISHOP OF NORWICH
He assisted in a rebellion against the king. Any favor shown him is forgotten. He will die with the rest.
BISHOP HAMTON
As you wish, Excellency.
BISHOP OF NORWICH
Frankly, HAMTON, I cannot figure out what you are doing here, in the first place. You picked an awfully convenient time to check on your holdings in the country.
BISHOP HAMTON
Well, I – What’s that noise?
(A mob of peasants, led by ALISON and BEATRICE, arrive in the courtyard. Some of them are brandishing swords, others are carrying tools converted into weapons. They are a haggard and motley group and obviously no match for the BISHOP OF NORWICH and his men.)
BEATRICE
What in god’s name is going on here. What have you done to my OSBERT.
BISHOP HARMON
You dare take the lord’s name in vain, vile woman.
BEATRICE
Vile woman? I’ll have you know –
ALISON
BEATRICE! They have our men.
BEATRICE
I don’t think it matters what we say at this point, ALISON.
BISHOP OF NORWICH
If you’d like to see them before they are executed then you should show some respect.
ALISON
Before they are executed? You are going to kill them?
BISHOP OF NORWICH
By order of the king. Surely you didn’t think their little insurrection would go unpunished?
BISHOP HAMTON
Did you actually believe these men would accomplish what they set out to do? The devil has surely worked his wiles on all of you. You have been deceived. These rebels are in league with the devil, working their foul deceptions to force you into rising against the men God placed in charge of you.
BISHOP OF NORWICH
And now you all will bear witness to how King and Church deal with traitors and heretics. Tomorrow, after the sun rises, you will return here and see these villains meet their fate. Now, go back to your homes. Put down your arms or my men and I will cut you down where you stand. Anyone wandering about after dark will be killed on sight.
(The crowd exits, including a weeping ALISON and grim-faced BEATRICE.)
Consequences
ROBERT, SIMON, OSBERT, and SIR BRUDLY, with their hands tied behind their backs, are marched up the steps to the executioner’s stage. SIMON has a gag in his mouth to keep him from uttering any heresy to the crowd. Halesowen’s peasants are assembled to watch the spectacle. Two large, armored men force each man, in turn, to his knees. The BISHOP OF NORWICH reads the verdict to the mass of peasants.
BISHOP OF NORWICH
OSBERT Smith, ROBERT Miller, Father SIMON, and SIR BRUDLY you have been convicted of treason against the King of England. In payment for your crimes, you have been sentenced to death by beheading.
(The men-at-arms force OSBERT’s neck down onto a chopping block.)
ROBERT
Goodbye, my friend. Maybe we’ll meet again in Purgatory.
OSBERT
In Hell ‘s more like –
BISHOP OF NORWICH
– Silence! (to the Executioner) Get on with it.
ROBERT
(Aside) God bless you OSBERT. Always trying to get a laugh, even to the very end.
(The executioner swings his axe and severs OSBERT’s neck in one strike. BEATRICE wails in mourning and must be restrained by a weeping ALISON.)
(Next, SIMON is forced down. The executioner and men-at-arms are much rougher on the heretic, getting some extra blows in on him. Finally, the executioner brings his axe down, severing the priest’s head from his shoulders. They approach SIR BRUDLY next.)
SIR BRUDLY
I am no traitor. I proudly served king and country with these men by my side. I go to my death with no regrets.
(The guards handle him roughly, shoving his face down into the floor of the stage as they stretch his neck across the chopping block. The executioner takes another victim before moving on to ROBERT.)
ROBERT
(Shouting) ALISON. I love you. Do not weep for me for I die a free man!
(As the guards stand clear, the executioner swings his axe and severs ROBERT’s head from his shoulders in one clean motion. ALISON, weeping, falls to her knees. She and BEATRICE embrace in mourning.)
BISHOP OF NORWICH
God has meted out His justice against the wicked. You all have seen what becomes of those who rebel against God’s chosen leaders. Keep this in mind should you ever again entertain thoughts of rebellion. Return to your fields and your shops. Know your place as servants on God’s earth.
(The crowd slowly exits. BEATRICE and ALISON are the only ones who remain behind.)
BISHOP OF NORWICH
Have you both been struck deaf? You need to go back to work. Forget the nonsense your husbands brought upon Halesowen and go back to tending your homes. I’m sure your children need you.
ALISON
My children need me? You say my children need me?
BEATRICE
ALISON, I think we should leave.
ALISON
I have no children. My boys are dead. They are dead because you refused to help us.
BISHOP HAMTON
God saw fit to punish the guilty –
ALISON
My children were not guilty.
BISHOP HAMTON
My dear, all are guilty in the eyes of God. We are all born into sin.
ALISON
Then why, for Christ’s sake, are you here before me while my children are in the grave?
BISHOP OF NORWICH
I see your priest’s heresy reached your ears after all.
BISHOP HAMTON
It seems we’ve dismissed the executioner too soon.
ALISON
I don’t care. Execute me. I have nothing left anyway. You’ve taken my boys and my husband. ROBERT was right. SIMON too. You are cowards who hide behind money and the rights that affords.
(The BISHOP OF NORWICH slaps her. She staggers back, holding her hands up to her face.)
BISHOP OF NORWICH
Insolent bitch! Leave now or you will die by my own hand.
BEATRICE
ALISON. Come now. This will not bring our husbands back to us. We must be strong and do what our mothers did during the pestilence. We must carry on without our men, run our households, our businesses without them. It’s what they would want.
(ALISON and BEATRICE exit.)
BISHOP HAMTON
I’m afraid they will not easily forget this day.
BISHOP OF NORWICH
We will be well served if they do not forget.
BISHOP HAMTON
I believe you mistake my meaning, Excellency.
BISHOP OF NORWICH
The peasants and their benefactors are suitably chastened. Their leaders are dead. There will be no further attempts at insurrection. Trust me, HAMTON. They will return to their work and if they have any memory of this little episode it will result in fear. Fear of the retribution we meted out here, today. Peasants are easily pacified, like dogs. Show them a firm hand, discipline them often, and they will be obedient. This is how we keep order.
The End
The Pop Culture Scribe 