The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Jewel Merchants, by James Branch Cabell
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: The Jewel Merchants
A Comedy in One Act
Author: James Branch Cabell
Posting Date: October 29, 2011 [EBook #9829]
Release Date: February, 2006
First Posted: October 22, 2003
Language: English
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE JEWEL MERCHANTS ***
Produced by Suzanne Shell, Clare Boothby and PG Distributed Proofreaders
_The Jewel Merchants_
_A Comedy in One Act_
By
James Branch Cabell
_"Io non posso ritrar di tutti appieno:
pero chi si mi caccia il lungo tema,
che molte volte al fatto il dir vieti meno."_
NEW YORK
1921
TO
LOUISE BURLEIGH
_This latest avatar of so many notions
which were originally hers._
THE AUTHOR'S PROLOGUE
Prudence urges me here to forestall detection, by conceding that this
brief play has no pretension to "literary" quality. It is a piece in
its inception designed for, and in its making swayed by, the requirements
of the little theatre stage. The one virtue which anybody anywhere could
claim for _The Jewel Merchants_ is the fact that it "acts" easily and
rather effectively.
And candor compels the admission forthwith that the presence of this
anchoritic merit in the wilderness is hardly due to me. When circumstances
and the Little Theatre League of Richmond combined to bully me into
contriving the dramatization of a short story called _Balthazar's
Daughter_, I docilely converted this tale into a one-act play of which
you will find hereinafter no sentence. The comedy I wrote is now at one
with the lost dramaturgy of Pollio and of Posidippus, and is even less
likely ever to be resurrected for mortal auditors.
It read, I still think, well enough: I am certain that, when we came to
rehearse, the thing did not "act" at all, and that its dialogue, whatever
its other graces, had the defect of being unspeakable. So at each
rehearsal we--by which inclusive pronoun I would embrace the actors and
the producing staff at large, and with especial (metaphorical) ardor Miss
Louise Burleigh, who directed all--changed here a little, and there a
little more; and shifted this bit, and deleted the other, and "tried out"
everybody's suggestions generally, until we got at least the relief of
witnessing at each rehearsal a different play. And steadily my manuscript
was enriched with interlineations, to and beyond the verge of legibility,
as steadily I substituted, for the speeches I had rewritten yesterday,
the speeches which the actor (having perfectly in mind the gist but not
the phrasing of what was meant) delivered naturally.
This process made, at all events, for what we in particular wanted,
which was a play that the League could stage for half an evening's
entertainment; but it left existent not a shred of the rhetorical
fripperies which I had in the beginning concocted, and it made of the
actual first public performance a collaboration with almost as many
contributing authors as though the production had been a musical comedy.
And if only fate had gifted me with an exigent conscience and a turn for
oratory, I would, I like to think, have publicly confessed, at that first
public performance, to all those tributary clarifying rills to the play's
progress: but, as it was, vainglory combined with an aversion to
"speech-making" to compel a taciturn if smirking acceptance of the
curtain-call with which an indulgent audience flustered the nominal author
of _The Jewel Merchants_.... Now, in any case, it is due my collaborators
to tell you that _The Jewel Merchants_ has amply fulfilled the purpose
of its makers by being enacted to considerable applause,--and is a
pleasure to add that this _succès d'estime_ was very little chargeable to
anything which I contributed to the play.
For another matter, I would here confess that _The Jewel Merchants_,
in addition to its "literary" deficiencies, lacks moral fervor. It will,
I trust, corrupt no reader irretrievably, to untraversable leagues beyond
the last hope of redemption: but, even so, it is a frankly unethical
performance. You must accept this resuscitated trio, if at all, very much
as they actually went about Tuscany, in long ago discarded young flesh,
when the one trait everywhere common to their milieu was the absence of
any moral excitement over such-and-such an action's being or not being
"wicked." This phenomenon of Renaissance life, as lived in Italy in
particular, has elsewhere been discussed time and again, and I lack here
the space, and the desire, either to explain or to apologize for the era's
delinquencies. I would merely indicate that this point of conduct is the
fulcrum of _The Jewel Merchants_.
The play presents three persons, to any one of whom the committing of
murder or theft or adultery or any other suchlike interdicted feat, is
just the risking of the penalty provided against the breaking of that
especial law if you have the vile luck to be caught at it: and this to
them is all that "wickedness" can mean. We nowadays are encouraged to
think differently: but such dear privileges do not entitle us to ignore
the truth that had any of these three advanced a dissenting code of
conduct, it would, in the time and locality, have been in radical
irreverence of the best-thought-of tenets. There was no generally
recognized criminality in crime, but only a perceptible risk. So must
this trio thriftily adhere to the accepted customs of their era, and
regard an infraction of the Decalogue (for an instance) very much as we
today look on a violation of our prohibition enactments.
In fact, we have accorded to the Eighteenth Amendment almost exactly the
status then reserved for Omnipotence. You found yourself confronted by
occasionally enforced if obviously unreasonable supernal statutory
decrees, which every one broke now and then as a matter of convenience:
and every now and then, also, somebody was caught and punished, either in
this world or in the next, without his ill-fortune's involving any
disgrace or particular reprehension. As has been finely said,
righteousness and sinfulness were for the while "in strange and dreadful
peace with each other. The wicked man did not dislike virtue, nor the good
man vice: the villain could admire a saint, and the saint could excuse a
villain, in things which we often shrink from repeating, and sometimes
recoil from believing."
Such was the sixteenth-century Tuscan view of "wickedness." I have
endeavored to reproduce it without comment.
So much of ink and paper and typography may be needed, I fear, to remind
you, in a more exhortatory civilization, that Graciosa is really, by all
the standards of her day, a well reared girl. To the prostitution of her
body, whether with or without the assistance of an ecclesiastically
acquired husband, she looks forward as unconcernedly as you must by
ordinary glance out of your front window, to face a vista so familiar
that the discovery of any change therein would be troubling. Meanwhile
she wishes this sorrow-bringing Eglamore assassinated, as the obvious,
the most convenient, and indeed the only way of getting rid of him: and
toward the end of the play, alike for her and Guido, the presence of a
corpse in her garden is merely an inconvenience without any touch of the
gruesome. Precautions have, of course, to be taken to meet the emergency
which has arisen: but in the dead body of a man _per se_, the lovers can
detect nothing more appalling, or more to be shrunk from, than would be
apparent if the lifeless object in the walkway were a dead flower. The
thing ought to be removed, if only in the interest of tidiness, but there
is no call to make a pother over it.
As for our Guido, he is best kept conformable to modern tastes, I suspect,
by nobody's prying too closely into the earlier relations between the
Duke and his handsome minion. The insistently curious may resort to
history to learn at what price the favors of Duke Alessandro were secured
and retained: it is no part of the play.
Above all, though, I must remind you that the Duke is unspurred by
malevolence. A twinge of jealousy there may be, just at first, to find his
pampered Eglamore so far advanced in the good graces of this pretty girl,
but that is hardly important. Thereafter the Duke is breaking no law,
for the large reason that his preference in any matter is the only law
thus far divulged to him. As concerns the man and the girl he discovers on
this hill-top, they, in common with all else in Tuscany, are possessions
of Duke Alessandro's. They can raise no question as to how he "ought" to
deal with them, for to your chattels, whether they be your finger rings or
your subjects or your pomatum pots or the fair quires whereon you indite
your verses, you cannot rationally he said to "owe" anything.... No, the
Duke is but a spirited lad in quest of amusement: and Guido and Graciosa
are the playthings with which, on this fine sunlit morning, he attempts to
divert himself.
This much being granted--and confessed,--we let the play begin.
_Dumbarton Grange,_
_June, 1921_
* * * * *
["Alessandro de Medici is generally styled by the Italian authors the
first duke of Florence; but in this they are not strictly accurate. His
title of duke was derived from Città, or Cività di Penna, and had been
assumed by him several years before he obtained the direction of the
Florentine state. It must also be observed, that, after the evasion of
Eglamore, Duke Alessandro did not, as Robertson observes, 'enjoy the
same absolute dominion as his family have retained to the present times,'
(Hist. Charles V. book v.) he being only declared chief or prince of the
republic, and his authority being in some measure counteracted or
restrained by two councils chosen from the citizens, for life, one of
which consisted of forty-eight, and the other of two hundred members.
(Varchi, Storia Fior. p. 497: Nerli, Com. lib. xi. pp. 257, 264.)"]
* * * * *
THE JEWEL MERCHANTS
_"Diamente nè smeraldo nè zaffino."_
Originally produced by the Little Theatre League of Richmond, Virginia,
at the Binford High School Auditorium, 22 February, 1921.
_Original Cast_
GRACIOSA...........................Elinor Fry
Daughter of Balthazar Valori
GUIDO........................Roderick Maybee
A jewel merchant
ALESSANDRO DE MEDICI.........Francis F. Bierne
Duke of Florence
Produced under the direction of Louise Burleigh.
* * * * *
_THE JEWEL MERCHANTS_
_The play begins with the sound of a woman's voice singing a song
(adapted from Rossetti's version) which is delivered to the accompaniment
of a lute._
SONG:
Let me have dames and damsels richly clad
To feed and tend my mirth,
Singing by day and night to make me glad.
Let me have fruitful gardens of great girth
Filled with the strife of birds,
With water-springs and beasts that house i' the earth.
Let me seem Solomon for lore of words,
Samson for strength, for beauty Absalom.
Knights as my serfs be given;
And as I will, let music go and come,
Till, when I will, I will to enter Heaven.
_As the singing ends, the curtain rises upon a corner of Balthazar
Valori's garden near the northern border of Tuscany. The garden is walled.
There is a shrine in the wall: the tortured figure upon the crucifix is
conspicuous. To the right stands a rather high-backed stone bench: by
mounting from the seat to the top of the bench it is possible to scale
the wall. To the left a crimson pennant on a pole shows against the sky.
The period is 1533, and a few miles southward the Florentines, after three
years of formally recognizing Jesus Christ as the sole lord and king of
Florence, have lately altered matters as profoundly as was possible by
electing Alessandro de Medici to be their Duke._
_GRACIOSA is seated upon the bench, with a lute. The girl is, to our
modern taste, very quaintly dressed in gold-colored satin, with a short
tight bodice, cut square and low at the neck, and with long full skirts.
When she stands erect, her preposterous "flowing" sleeves, lined with
sky blue, reach to the ground. Her blonde hair, of which she has a great
deal, is braided, in the intricate early sixteenth fashion, under a
jeweled cap and a veil the exact color of this hair._
_There is a call. Smiling, GRACIOSA answers this call by striking her
lute. She pats straight her hair and gown, and puts aside the instrument.
GUIDO appears at the top of the wall. All you can see of the handsome
young fellow, in this posture, is that he wears a green skull-cap and a
dark blue smock, the slashed sleeves of which are lined with green._
GUIDO
Ah, madonna....
GRACIOSA
Welcome, Ser Guido. Your journey has been brief.
GUIDO
It has not seemed brief to me.
GRACIOSA
Why, it was only three days ago you told me it would be a fortnight
before you came this way again.
GUIDO
Yes, but I did not then know that each day spent apart from you, Madonna
Graciosa, would be a century in passing.
GRACIOSA
Dear me, but your search must have been desperate!
GUIDO
(_Who speaks, as almost always hereinafter, with sober enjoyment of the
fact that he is stating the exact truth unintelligibly._) Yes, my search
is desperate.
GRACIOSA
Did you find gems worthy of your search?
GUIDO
Very certainly, since at my journey's end I find Madonna Graciosa, the
chief jewel of Tuscany.
GRACIOSA
Such compliments, Guido, make your speech less like a merchant's than a
courtier's.
GUIDO
Ah, well, to balance that, you will presently find courtiers in Florence
who will barter for you like merchants. May I descend?
GRACIOSA
Yes, if you have something of interest to show me.
GUIDO
Am I to be welcomed merely for the sake of my gems? You were more
gracious, you were more beautifully like your lovely name, on the
fortunate day that I first encountered you ... only six weeks ago, and
only yonder, where the path crosses the highway. But now that I esteem
myself your friend, you greet me like a stranger. You do not even invite
me into your garden. I much prefer the manner in which you told me the
way to the inn when I was an unknown passer-by. And yet your pennant
promised greeting.
GRACIOSA
(_With the smile of an exceptionally candid angel._) Ah, Guido, I flew
it the very minute the boy from the inn brought me your message!
GUIDO
Now, there is the greeting I had hoped for! But how do you escape your
father's watch so easily?
GRACIOSA
My father has no need to watch me in this lonely hill castle. Ever since
I can remember I have wandered at will in the forest. My father knows that
to me every path is as familiar as one of the corridors in his house; and
in no one of them did I ever meet anybody except charcoal-burners, and
sometimes a nun from the convent, and--oh, yes!--you. But descend, friend
Guido.
_Thus encouraged, GUIDO descends from the top of the wall to the top of
the bench, and thence, via its seat, to the ground. You are thereby
enabled to discover that his nether portions are clad in dark blue tights
and soft leather shoes with pointed turned-up toes. It is also noticeable
that he carries a jewel pack of purple, which, when opened, reveals an
orange lining._
GUIDO
(_With as much irony as the pleasure he takes in being again with this
dear child permits._) That "Oh, yes, you!" is a very fitting reward for
my devotion. For I find that nowadays I travel about the kingdom buying
jewels less for my patrons at court than for the pleasure of having your
eyes appraise them, and smile at me.
GRACIOSA
(_With the condescension of a great lady._) Guido, you have in point of
fact been very kind to me, and very amusing, too, in my loneliness on
the top of this hill. (_Drawing back the sleeve from her left arm, she
reveals the trinket there._) See, here is the turquoise bracelet I had
from you the second time you passed. I wear it always--secretly.
GUIDO
That is wise, for the turquoise is a talisman. They say that the woman
who wears a turquoise is thereby assured of marrying the person whom she
prefers.
GRACIOSA
I do not know about that, nor do I expect to have much choice as to what
rich nobleman marries me, but I know that I love this bracelet--
GUIDO
In fact, they are handsome stones.
GRACIOSA
Because it reminds me constantly of the hours which I have spent here
with my lute--
GUIDO
Oh, with your lute!
GRACIOSA
And with your pack of lovely jewels--
GUIDO
Yes, to be sure! with my jewels.
GRACIOSA
And with you.
GUIDO
There is again my gracious lady. Now, in reward for that, you shall
feast your eyes.
GRACIOSA
(_All eagerness._) And what have you to-day?
_GUIDO opens his pack. She bends above it with hands outstretched._
GUIDO
(_Taking out a necklace._) For one thing, pearls, black pearls, set with
a clasp of emeralds. See! They will become you.
GRACIOSA
(_Taking them, pressing them to her cheek._) How cool! But I--poor child
of a poor noble--I cannot afford such.
GUIDO
Oh, I did not mean to offer them to you to-day. No, this string is
intended for the Duke's favorite, Count Eglamore.
GRACIOSA
(_Stiffening._) Count Eglamore! These are for him?
GUIDO
For Count Eglamore.
GRACIOSA
Has the upstart such taste?
GUIDO
If it be taste to appreciate pearls, then the Duke's chief officer has
excellent taste. He seeks them far and wide. He will be very generous in
paying for this string.
_GRACIOSA drops the pearls, in which she no longer delights. She returns
to the bench, and sits down and speaks with a sort of disappointment._
GRACIOSA
I am sorry to learn that this Eglamore is among your patrons.
GUIDO
(_Still half engrossed by the contents of his pack. The man loves jewels
equally for their value and their beauty._) Oh, the nobles complain of
him, but we merchants have no quarrel with Eglamore. He buys too lavishly.
GRACIOSA
Do you think only of buying and selling, Guido?
GUIDO
It is a pursuit not limited to us who frankly live by sale and purchase.
Count Eglamore, for example, knows that men may be bought as readily as
merchandise. It is one reason why he is so hated--by the unbought.
GRACIOSA
(_Irritated by the title._) Count Eglamore, indeed! I ask in my prayers
every night that some honest gentleman may contrive to cut the throat of
this abominable creature.
GUIDO
(_His hand going to his throat._) You pray too much, madonna. Even very
pious people ought to be reasonable.
GRACIOSA
(_Rising from the bench._) Have I not reason to hate the man who killed
my kinsman?
GUIDO
(_Rising from his gems._) The Marquis of Cibo conspired, or so the court
judged--
GRACIOSA
I know nothing of the judgment. But it was this Eglamore who discovered
the plot, if there indeed was any plot, and who sent my cousin Cibo to
a death--(_pointing to the shrine_)--oh, to a death as horrible as that.
So I hate him.
GUIDO
Yet you have never even seen him, I believe?
GRACIOSA
And it would be better for him never to see me or any of my kin. My
father, my uncles and my cousins have all sworn to kill him--
GUIDO
So I have gathered. They remain among the unbought.
GRACIOSA
(_Returning, sits upon the bench, and speaks regretfully._) But they
have never any luck. Cousin Pietro contrived to have a beam dropped on
Eglamore's head, and it missed him by not half a foot--
GUIDO
Ah, yes, I remember.
GRACIOSA
And Cousin Georgio stabbed him in the back one night, but the coward had
on chain-armor under his finery--
GUIDO
I remember that also.
GRACIOSA
And Uncle Lorenzo poisoned his soup, but a pet dog got at it first. That
was very unfortunate.
GUIDO
Yes, the dog seemed to think so, I remember.
GRACIOSA
However, perseverance is always rewarded. So I still hope that one or
another of my kinsmen will contrive to kill this Eglamore before I go to
court.
GUIDO
(_Sits at her feet._) Has my Lord Balthazar yet set a day for that
presentation?
GRACIOSA
Not yet.
GUIDO
I wish to have this Eglamore's accounts all settled by that date.
GRACIOSA
But in three months, Guido, I shall be sixteen. My sisters went to court
when they were sixteen.
GUIDO
In fact, a noble who is not rich cannot afford to continue supporting a
daughter who is salable in marriage.
GRACIOSA
No, of course not. (_She speaks in the most matter-of-fact tone possible.
Then, more impulsively, the girl slips down from the bench, and sits by
him on the around._) Do you think I shall make as good a match as my
sisters, Guido? Do you think some great rich nobleman will marry me very
soon? And shall I like the court! What shall I see there?
GUIDO
Marvels. I think--yes, I am afraid that you will like them.
GRACIOSA
And Duke Alessandro--shall I like him?
GUIDO
Few courtiers have expressed dislike of him in my presence.
GRACIOSA
Do you like him? Does he too buy lavishly?
GUIDO
Eh, madonna! some day, when you have seen his jewels--
GRACIOSA
Oh! I shall see them when I go to court?
GUIDO
Yes, he will show them to you, I think, without fail, for the Duke loves
beauty in all its forms. So he will take pleasure in confronting the
brightness of your eyes with the brightness of the four kinds of sapphires,
of the twelve kinds of rubies, and of many extraordinary pearls--
GRACIOSA
(_With eyes shining, and lips parted._) Oh!
GUIDO
And you will see his famous emerald necklace, and all his diamonds, and
his huge turquoises, which will make you ashamed of your poor talisman--
GRACIOSA
He will show all these jewels to me!
GUIDO
(_Looking at her, and still smiling thoughtfully._) He will show you the
very finest of his gems, assuredly. And then, worse still, he will be
making verses in your honor.
GRACIOSA
It would be droll to have a great duke making songs about me!
GUIDO
It is a preposterous feature of Duke Alessandro's character that he is
always making songs about some beautiful thing or another.
GRACIOSA
Such strange songs, Guido! I was singing over one of them just before
you came,--
Let me have dames and damsels richly clad
To feed and tend my mirth,
Singing by day and night to make me glad--
But I could not quite understand it. Are his songs thought good?
GUIDO
The songs of a reigning duke are always good.
GRACIOSA
And is he as handsome as people report?
GUIDO
Tastes differ, of course--
GRACIOSA
And is he--?
GUIDO
I have a portrait of the Duke. It does not, I think, unduly flatter him.
Will you look at it?
GRACIOSA
Yes, yes!
GUIDO
(_Drawing out a miniature on a chain._) Here is the likeness.
GRACIOSA
But how should you--?
GUIDO
(_Seeing her surprise._) Oh, it was a gift to me from his highness for a
special service I did him, and as such must be treasured.
GRACIOSA
Perhaps, then, I shall see yon at court, Messer Guido, who are the friend
of princes?
GUIDO
If you do, I ask only that in noisy Florence you remember this quiet
garden.
GRACIOSA
(_Looks at him silently, then glances at the portrait. She speaks with
evident disappointment._) Is this the Duke?
GUIDO
You may see his arms on it, and on the back his inscription.
GRACIOSA
Yes, but--(_looking at the portrait again_)--but ... he is ... so ...
GUIDO
You are astonished at his highness' coloring? That he inherits from his
mother. She was, you know, a blackamoor.
GRACIOSA
And my sisters wrote me he was like a god!
GUIDO
Such observations are court etiquette.
GRACIOSA
(_With an outburst of disgust._) Take it back! Though how can you bear to
look at it, far less to have it touching you! And only yesterday I was
angry because I had not seen the Duke riding past!
GUIDO
Seen him! here! riding past!
GRACIOSA
Old Ursula told me that the Duke had gone by with twenty men, riding down
toward the convent at the border. And I flung my sewing-bag straight at
her head because she had not called me.
GUIDO
That was idle gossip, I fancy. The Duke rarely rides abroad without
my--(_he stops_)--without my lavish patron Eglamore, the friend of all
honest merchants.
GRACIOSA
But that abominable Eglamore may have been with him. I heard nothing to
the contrary.
GUIDO
True, madonna, true. I had forgotten you did not see them.
GRACIOSA
No. What is he like, this Eglamore? Is he as appalling to look at as the
Duke?
GUIDO
Madonna! but wise persons do not apply such adjectives to dukes. And wise
persons do not criticize Count Eglamore's appearance, either, now that
Eglamore is indispensable to the all-powerful Duke of Florence.
GRACIOSA
Indispensable?
GUIDO
It is thanks to the Eglamore whom you hate that the Duke has ample leisure
to indulge in recreations which are reputed to be--curious.
GRACIOSA
I do not understand you, Guido.
GUIDO
That is perhaps quite as well. (_Attempting to explain as much as is
decently expressible._) To be brief, madonna, business annoys the Duke.
GRACIOSA
Why?
GUIDO
It interferes with the pursuit of all the beautiful things he asks for
in that song.
GRACIOSA
But how does that make Eglamore indispensable?
GUIDO
Eglamore is an industrious person who affixes seals, and signs treaties,
and musters armies, and collects revenues, upon the whole, quite as
efficiently as Alessandro would be capable of doing these things.
GRACIOSA
So Duke Alessandro merely makes verses?
GUIDO
And otherwise amuses himself as his inclinations prompt, while Eglamore
rules Tuscany--and the Tuscans are none the worse off on account of it.
(_He rises, and his hand goes to the dagger at his belt._) But is not
that a horseman?
GRACIOSA
(_She too has risen, and is now standing on the bench, looking over the
wall._) A solitary rider, far down by the convent, so far away that he
seems hardly larger than a scarlet dragon-fly.
GUIDO
I confess I wish to run no risk of being found here, by your respected
father or by your ingenious cousins and uncles.
GRACIOSA
(_She turns, but remains standing upon the bench._) I think your Duke is
much more dangerous looking than any of them. Heigho! I can quite foresee
that I shall never fall in love with this Duke.
GUIDO
A prince has means to overcome all obstacles.
GRACIOSA
No. It is unbefitting and a little cowardly for Duke Alessandro to shirk
the duties of his station for verse-making and eternal pleasure-seeking.
Now if I were Duke--
GUIDO
What would you do?
GRACIOSA
(_Posturing a little as she stands upon the bench._) If I were duke?
Oh ... I would grant my father a pension ... and I would have Eglamore
hanged ... and I would purchase a new gown of silvery green--
GUIDO
In which you would be very ravishingly beautiful.
_His tone has become rather ardent, and he is now standing nearer to her
than the size of the garden necessitates. So GRACIOSA demurely steps
down from the bench, and sits at the far end._
GRACIOSA
And that is all I can think of. What would you do if you were duke,
Messer Guido?
GUIDO
(_Who is now sitting beside her at closer quarters than the length of the
bench quite strictly demands._) I? What would I do if I were a great lord
instead of a tradesman! (_Softly._) I think you know the answer, madonna.
GRACIOSA
Oh, you would make me your duchess, of course. That is quite understood.
But I was speaking seriously, Guido.
GUIDO
And is it not a serious matter that a pedler of crystals should have dared
to love a nobleman's daughter?
GRACIOSA
(_Delighted._) This is the first I have heard of it.
GUIDO
But you are perfectly right. It is not a serious matter. That I worship
you is an affair which does not seriously concern any person save me in
any way whatsoever. Yet I think that knowledge of the fact would put your
father to the trouble of sharpening his dagger.
GRACIOSA
Ye-es. But not even Father would deny that you were showing excellent
taste.
GUIDO
Indeed, I am not certain that I do worship you; for in order to adore
whole-heartedly the idolater must believe his idol to be perfect.
(_Taking her hand._) Now your nails are of an ugly shape, like that of
little fans. Your nose is nothing to boast of. And your mouth is too
large. I do not admire these faults, for faults they are undoubtedly--
GRACIOSA
Do they make me very ugly? I know that I have not a really good mouth,
Guido, but do you think it is positively repulsive?
GUIDO
No.... Then, too, I know that you are vain and self-seeking, and look
forward contentedly to the time when your father will transfer his
ownership of your physical attractions to that nobleman who offers the
highest price for them.
GRACIOSA
But we daughters of the poor Valori are compelled to marry--suitably. We
have only the choice between that and the convent yonder.
GUIDO
That is true, and nobody disputes it. Still, you participate in a
monstrous bargain, and I would prefer to have you exhibit distaste for it.
_Bending forward, GUIDO draws from his jewel pack the string of pearls,
and this he moodily contemplates, in order to evince his complete
disinterestedness. The pose has its effect. GRACIOSA looks at him for a
moment, rises, draws a deep breath, and speaks with a sort of humility._
GRACIOSA
And to what end, Guido? What good would weeping do?
GUIDO
(_Smiling whimsically._) I am afraid that men do not always love
according to the strict laws of logic. (_He drops the pearls, and,
rising, follows her._) I desire your happiness above all things, yet to
see you so abysmally untroubled by anything which troubles me is--another
matter.
GRACIOSA
But I am not untroubled, Guido.
GUIDO
No?
GRACIOSA
No. (_Rather tremulously._) Sometimes I sit here dreading my life at
court. I want never to leave my father's bleak house. I fear that I may
not like the man who offers the highest price for me. And it seems as
if the court were a horrible painted animal, dressed in bright silks, and
shining with jewels, and waiting to devour me.
_Beyond the wall appears a hat of scarlet satin with a divided brim,
which, rising, is revealed to surmount the head of an extraordinarily
swarthy person, to whose dark skin much powder has only loaned the hue of
death: his cheeks, however, are vividly carmined. This is all that the
audience can now see of the young DUKE of FLORENCE, whose proximity the
two in the garden are just now too much engrossed to notice._
_The DUKE looks from one to the other. His eyes narrow, his teeth are
displayed in a wide grin; he now understands the situation. He lowers his
head as GRACIOSA moves._
GRACIOSA
No, I am not untroubled. For I cannot fathom you, and that troubles me. I
am very fond of you--and yet I do not trust you.
GUIDO
You know that I love you.
GRACIOSA
You tell me so. It pleases me to have you say it--
GUIDO
Madonna is candid this morning.
GRACIOSA
Yes, I am candid. It does please me. And I know that for the sake of
seeing me you endanger your life, for if my father heard of our meetings
here he would have you killed.
GUIDO
Would I incur such risks without caring?
GRACIOSA
No,--and yet, somehow, I do not believe it is altogether for me that you
care.
_The DUKE laughs. GUIDO starts, half drawing his dagger. GRACIOSA turns
with an instinctive gesture of seeking protection. The DUKE'S head and
shoulders appear above the wall._
THE DUKE
And you will find, my friend, that the most charming women have just these
awkward intuitions.
_The DUKE ascends the wall, while the two stand motionless and silent.
When he is on top of the wall, GUIDO, who now remembers that omnipotence
perches there, makes haste to serve it, and obsequiously assists the DUKE
to descend. The DUKE then comes well forward, in smiling meditation, and
hands first his gloves, then his scarlet cloak (which you now perceive to
be lined with ermine and sable in four stripes) to GUIDO, who takes them
as a servant would attend his master._
_The removal of this cloak reveals the DUKE to be clad in a scarlet satin
doublet, which has a high military collar and sleeves puffed with black.
His tights also are of scarlet, and he wears shining soft black
riding-boots. Jewels glisten at his neck. About his middle, too, there is
a metallic gleaming, for he is equipped with a noticeably long sword and
a dagger. Such is the personage who now addresses himself more explicitly
to GRACIOSA._
THE DUKE
(_Sitting upon the bench, very much at his ease while the others stand
uncomfortably before him._) Yes, madonna, I suspect that Eglamore here
cares greatly for the fact that you are Balthazar Valori's daughter, and
cousin to the late Marquis of Cibo.
GRACIOSA
(_Just in bewilderment._) Eglamore!
THE DUKE
For Cibo left many kinsmen. These still resent the circumstance that
the matching of his wits against Eglamore's wits earned for Cibo an
unpleasantly public death-bed. So they pursue their feud against Eglamore
with vexatious industry. And Eglamore goes about in hourly apprehension
of another falling beam, another knife-thrust in the back, or another
plate of poison.
GRACIOSA
(_She comprehends now._) Eglamore!
THE DUKE
(_Who is pleased alike by Eglamore's neat plan and by his own cleverness
in unriddling it._) But if rich Eglamore should make a stolen match with
you, your father--good thrifty man!--could be appeased without much
trouble. Your cousins, those very angry but penniless Valori, would not
stay over-obdurate to a kinsman who had at his disposal so many pensions
and public offices. Honor would permit a truce with their new cousin
Eglamore, a truce very profitable to everybody.
GRACIOSA
He said they must be bought somehow!
THE DUKE
Yes, Eglamore could bind them all to his interest within ten days. All
could be bought at a stroke by marrying you. And Eglamore would be rid
of the necessity of sleeping in chain-armor. Have I not unraveled the
scheme correctly, Eglamore?
GUIDO
(_Smiling and deferential._) Your highness was never lacking in
penetration.
_GRACIOSA, at this, turns puzzled from one man to the other._
GRACIOSA
Are you--?
THE DUKE
I am Alessandro de Medici, madonna.
GRACIOSA
The Duke!
THE DUKE
A sadly neglected prince, who wondered over the frequent absences of his
chief counselor, and secretly set spies upon him. Eglamore here will
attest as much--(_As GRACIOSA draws away from GUIDO_)--or if you cannot
believe Eglamore any longer in anything, I shall have other witnesses
within the half-hour. Yes, my twenty cut-throats are fetching back for me
a brace of nuns from the convent yonder. I can imagine that, just now, my
cut-throats will be in your opinion more trustworthy witnesses than is
poor Eglamore. And my stout knaves will presently assure you that I am
the Duke.
GUIDO
(_Suavely._) It happens that not a moment ago we were admiring your
highness' portrait.
GRACIOSA
And so you are Count Eglamore. That is very strange. So it was the hand
of Eglamore (_rubbing her hands as if to clean them_) that I touched just
now. I thought it was the hand of my friend Guido. But I forget. There is
no Guido. You are Eglamore. It is strange you should have been capable of
so much wickedness, for to me you seem only a smirking and harmless
lackey.
_The DUKE is watching as if at a play. He is aesthetically pleased by the
girl's anguish. GUIDO winces. As GRACIOSA begins again to speak, they turn
facing her, so that to the audience the faces of both men are invisible._
GRACIOSA
And it was you who detected--so you said--the Marquis of Cibo's
conspiracy. Tebaldeo was my cousin, Count Eglamore. I loved him. We were
reared together. We used to play here in this garden. I remember how
Tebaldeo once fetched me a wren's nest from that maple yonder. I stood
just here. I was weeping, because I was afraid he would fall. If he had
fallen, if he had been killed then, it would have been the luckier for
him. They say that he conspired. I do not know. I only know that by your
orders, Count Eglamore, my playmate Tebaldeo was fastened to a cross, like
that (_pointing to the shrine_). I know that his arms and legs were each
broken in two places with an iron bar. I know that this cross was then set
upon a pivot, so that it turned slowly. I know that my dear Tebaldeo died
very slowly in the sunlit marketplace, while the cross turned, and turned,
and turned. I know this was a public holiday; the shopkeepers took holiday
to watch him die, the boy who fetched me a wren's nest from yonder maple.
And I know that you are Eglamore, who ordered these things done.
GUIDO
I gave orders for the Marquis of Cibo's execution, as was the duty of my
office. I did not devise the manner of his punishment. The punishment for
Cibo's crime was long ago fixed by our laws. All who attack the Duke's
person must die thus.
GRACIOSA
(_Waves his excuses aside._) And then you plan this masquerade. You plan
to make me care for you so greatly that even when I know you to be Count
Eglamore I must still care for you. You plan to marry me, so as to placate
Tebaldeo's kinsmen, so as to leave them--in your huckster's phrase--no
longer unbought. It was a fine bold stroke of policy, I know, to use me
as a stepping-stone to safety. But was it fair to me?
GUIDO
Graciosa ... you shame me--
GRACIOSA
Look you, Count Eglamore, I was only a child, playing here, alone, and
not unhappy. Oh, was it fair, was it worth while to match your skill
against my ignorance?
THE DUKE
Fie, Donna Graciosa, you must not be too harsh with Eglamore--
GRACIOSA
Think how unhappy I would be if even now I loved you, and how I would
loathe myself!
THE DUKE
It is his nature to scheme, and he weaves his plots as inevitably as the
spider does her web--
GRACIOSA
But I am getting angry over nothing. Nothing has happened except that
I have dreamed--of a Guido. And there is no Guido. There is only an
Eglamore, a lackey in attendance upon his master.
THE DUKE
Believe me, it is wiser to forget this clever lackey--as I do--except when
there is need of his services. I think that you have no more need to
consider him--
_He takes the girl's hand. GRACIOSA now looks at him as though seeing him
for the first time. She is vaguely frightened by this predatory beast, but
in the main her emotion is as yet bewilderment._
THE DUKE
For you are very beautiful, Graciosa. You are as slim as a lily, and
more white. Your eyes are two purple mirrors in each of which I see a
tiny image of Duke Alessandro. (_GUIDO takes a step forward, and the DUKE
now addresses him affably._) Those nuns they are fetching me are big
high-colored wenches with cheeks like apples. It is not desirable that
women should be so large. Such women do not inspire a poet. Women should
be little creatures that fear you. They should have thin plaintive voices,
and in shrinking from you should be as slight to the touch as a cobweb.
It is not possible to draw inspiration from a woman's beauty unless you
comprehend how easy it would be to murder her.
GUIDO
(_Softly, without expression._) God, God!
_The DUKE looks with delight at GRACIOSA, who stands bewildered and
childlike._
THE DUKE
You fear me, do you not, Graciosa? Your hand is soft and cold as the skin
of a viper. When I touch it you shudder. I am very tired of women who
love me, of women who are infatuated by my beauty. You, I can see, are not
infatuated. To you my touch will always be a martyrdom, you will always
loathe me. And therefore I shall not weary of you for a long while,
because the misery and the helplessness of my lovely victim will incite
me to make very lovely verses.
_He draws her to the bench, sitting beside her._
THE DUKE
Yes, Graciosa, you will inspire me. Your father shall have all the wealth
and state that even his greedy imaginings can devise, so long as you can
contrive to loathe me. We will find you a suitable husband--say, in
Eglamore here. You shall have flattery and titles, gold and fine glass,
soft stuffs and superb palaces and many lovely jewels--
_The DUKE glances down at the pedler's pack._
THE DUKE
But Eglamore also has been wooing you with jewels. You must see mine,
dear Graciosa.
GRACIOSA
(_Without expression._) Count Eglamore said that I must.
THE DUKE
(_Raises the necklace, and lets it drop contemptuously._) Oh, not such
trumpery as this. I have in Florence gems which have not their fellows
anywhere, gems which have not even a name, and the value of which is
incalculable. I have jewels engendered by the thunder, jewels taken from
the heart of the Arabian deer. I have jewels cut from the brain of a toad,
and from the eyes of serpents. I have jewels which are authentically known
to have fallen from the moon. Well, we will select the rarest, and have a
pair of slippers encrusted with them, and in these slippers you shall
dance for me, in a room that I know of--
GUIDO
(_Without moving._) Highness--!
THE DUKE
It will all be very amusing, for I think that she is now quite innocent,
as pure as the high angels. Yes, it will be diverting to make her as I am.
It will be an atrocious action that will inspire me to write lovelier
verses than even I have ever written.
GUIDO
She is a child--
THE DUKE
Yes, yes, a frightened child who cannot speak, who stays as still as a
lark that has been taken in a snare. Why, neither of her sisters can
compare with this, and, besides, the elder one had a quite ugly mole upon
her thigh--But that old rogue Balthazar Valori has a real jewel to offer,
this time. Well, I will buy it.
GUIDO
Highness, I love this child--
THE DUKE
Ah, then you cannot ever be her husband. You would have suited otherwise.
But we will find some other person of discretion--
_For a moment the two men regard each other in silence. The DUKE becomes
aware that he is being opposed. His brows contract a little, but he rises
from the bench rather as if in meditation than in anger. Then GUIDO drops
the cloak and gloves he has been holding until this. His lackeyship is
over._
GUIDO
No!
THE DUKE
My friend, some long-faced people say you made a beast of me--
GUIDO
No, I will not have it.
THE DUKE
So do you beware lest the beast turn and rend you.
GUIDO
I have never been too nice to profit by your vices. I have taken my
thrifty toll of abomination. I have stood by contentedly, not urging you
on, yet never trying to stay you as you waded deeper and ever deeper into
the filth of your debaucheries, because meanwhile you left me so much
power.
THE DUKE
Would you reshape your handiwork more piously? Come, come, man, be content
with it as I am. And be content with the kingdom I leave you to play with.
GUIDO
It was not altogether I who made of you a brainsick beast. But what you
are is in part my handiwork. Nevertheless, you shall not harm this child.
THE DUKE
"Shall not" is a delightfully quaint expression. I only regret that you
are not likely ever to use it to me again.
GUIDO
I know this means my ruin.
THE DUKE
Indeed, I must venture to remind you, Count Eglamore, that I am still a
ruling prince--
GUIDO
That is nothing to me.
THE DUKE
And that, where you are master of very admirable sentiments, I happen to
be master of all Tuscany.
GUIDO
At court you are the master. At your court in Florence I have seen many
mothers raise the veil from their daughters' faces because you were
passing. But here upon this hill-top I can see only the woman I love and
the man who has insulted her.
THE DUKE
So all the world is changed, and Pandarus is transformed into Hector!
Your words are very sonorous words, dear Eglamore, but by what deeds
do you propose to back them?
GUIDO
By killing you, your highness.
THE DUKE
But in what manner? By stifling me with virtuous rhetoric? Hah, it is
rather awkward for you--is it not--that our sumptuary laws forbid you
merchants to carry swords?
GUIDO
(_Draws his dagger._) I think this knife will serve me, highness, to make
earth a cleaner place.
THE DUKE
(_Drawing his long sword._) It would save trouble now to split you like a
chicken for roasting.... (_He shrugs, and sheathes his sword. He unbuckles
his sword-belt, and lays it aside._) No, no, this farce ascends in
interest. So let us play it fairly to the end. I risk nothing, since from
this moment you are useless to me, my rebellious lackey--
GUIDO
You risk your life, for very certainly I mean to kill you.
THE DUKE
Two go to every bargain, my friend. Now, if I kill you, it is always
diverting to kill; and if by any chance you should kill me, I shall at
least be rid of the intolerable knowledge that to-morrow will be just like
to-day.
_He draws his dagger. The two men engage warily but with determination,
the DUKE presently advancing. GUIDO steps backward, and in the act trips
over the pedler's pack, and falls prostrate. His dagger flies from his
hand. GRACIOSA, with a little cry, has covered her face. Nobody strikes
an attitude, because nobody is conscious of any need to be heroic, but
there is a perceptible silence, which is broken by the DUKE'S quiet
voice._
THE DUKE
Well! am I to be kept waiting forever? You were quicker in obeying my
caprices yesterday. Get up, you muddy lout, and let us kill each other
with some pretension of adroitness.
GUIDO
(_Rising, with a sob._) Ah!
_He catches up the fallen dagger, and attacks the DUKE, this time with
utter disregard of the rules of fence and his own safety. GUIDO drives the
DUKE back. GUIDO is careless of defence, and desirous only to kill. The
DUKE is wounded, and falls with a cry at the foot of the shrine. GUIDO
utters a sort of strangled growl. He raises his dagger, intending to hack
at and mutilate his antagonist, who is now unconscious. As GUIDO stoops,
GRACIOSA, from behind him, catches his arm._
GRACIOSA
He gave you your life.
_GUIDO turns. He drops the weapon. He speaks with great gentleness, almost
with weariness._
GUIDO
Madonna, the Duke is not yet dead. That wound is nothing serious.
GRACIOSA
He spared your life.
GUIDO
It is impossible to let him live.
GRACIOSA
But I think he only voiced a caprice--
GUIDO
I think so, too, but I know that all this madman's whims are ruthless.
GRACIOSA
But you have power--
GUIDO
Power! I, who have attacked the Duke's person! I, who have done what your
dead cousin merely planned to do!
GRACIOSA
Guido--!
GUIDO
Living, this brain-sick beast will make of you his plaything--and, a
little later, his broken, soiled and cast-by plaything. It is therefore
necessary that I kill Duke Alessandro.
_GRACIOSA moves away from him, and GUIDO rises._
GRACIOSA
And afterward--and afterward you must die just as Tebaldeo died!
GUIDO
That is the law, madonna. But what he said is true. I am useless to him,
a rebellious lackey to be punished. Whether I have his life or no, I am a
lost man.
GRACIOSA
A moment since you were Count Eglamore, whom all our nobles feared--
GUIDO
Now there is not a beggar in the kingdom who would change lots with me.
But at least I shall first kill this kingdom's lord.
_He picks up his dagger._
GRACIOSA
You are a friendless and hunted man, in peril of a dreadful death. But
even so, you are not penniless. These jewels here are of great value--
_GUIDO laughs, and hangs the pearls about her neck._
GUIDO
Do you keep them, then.
GRACIOSA
There is a world outside this kingdom. You have only to make your way
through the forest to be out of Tuscany.
GUIDO
(_Coolly reflective._) Perhaps I might escape, going north to Bologna, and
then to Venice, which is at war with the Duke--
GRACIOSA
I can tell you the path to Bologna.
GUIDO
But first the Duke must die, because his death saves you.
GRACIOSA
No, Guido! I would have Eglamore go hence with hands as clean as possible.
GUIDO
Not even Eglamore would leave you at the mercy of this poet.
GRACIOSA
How does that matter! It is no secret that my father intends to market me
as best suits his interests. And the great Duke of Florence, no less,
would have been my purchaser! You heard him, "I will buy this jewel," he
said. He would have paid thrice what any of my sisters' purchasers have
paid. You know very well that my father would have been delighted.
GUIDO
(_Since the truth of what she has just said is known to him by more
startling proofs than she dreams of, he speaks rather bitterly, as he
sheathes the dagger._) And I must need upset the bargain between these
jewel merchants!
GRACIOSA
(_Lightly._) "No, I will not have it!" Count Eglamore must cry. (_Her
hand upon his arm._) My dear unthrifty pedler! it cost you a great deal to
speak those words.
GUIDO
I had no choice. I love you. (_A pause. As GRACIOSA does not speak, GUIDO
continues, very quiet at first._) It is a theme on which I shall not
embroider. So long as I thought to use you as an instrument I could woo
fluently enough. Today I saw that you were frightened and helpless--oh,
quite helpless. And something in me changed. I knew for the first time
that I loved you. And I knew I was not clean as you are clean. I knew
that I had more in common with this beast here than I had with you.
GRACIOSA
(_Who with feminine practicality, while the man talks, has reached her
decision._) We daughters of the Valori are so much merchandise.... Heigho,
since I cannot help it, since bought and sold I must be, one day or
another, at least I will go at a noble price. Yet I do not think I am
quite worth the wealth and power which you have given up because of me. So
it will be necessary to make up the difference, dear, by loving you very
much.
_GUIDO takes her hands, only half-believing that he understands her
meaning. He puts an arm about her shoulder, holding her at a distance, the
better to see her face._
GUIDO
You, who had only scorn to give me when I was a kingdom's master! Would
you go with me now that I am homeless and friendless?
GRACIOSA
(_Archly._) But to me you do not seem quite friendless.
GUIDO
Graciosa--!
GRACIOSA
And I doubt if you could ever find your way through the forest alone.
(_But as she stands there with one hand raised to each of his shoulders
her vindication is self-revealed, and she indicates her bracelet rather
indignantly._) Besides, what else is a poor maid to do, when she is
burdened with a talisman that compels her to marry the man whom she--so
very much--prefers?
GUIDO
(_Drawing her to him._) Ah, you shall not regret that foolish preference.
GRACIOSA
But come! There is a path--(_They are gathering up the pack and its
contents, as GUIDO pauses by the DUKE._) Is he--?
GUIDO
He will not enter Hell to-day. (_The DUKE stirs._) Already he revives, you
see. So let us begone before his attendants come.
_GUIDO lifts her to the top of the wall. He lifts up the pack._
GRACIOSA
My lute!
GUIDO
(_Giving it to her._) So we may pass for minstrels on the road to Venice.
GRACIOSA
Yes, singing the Duke's songs to pay our way. (_GUIDO climbs over the
wall, and stands on the far side, examining the landscape beneath._)
Horsemen!
GUIDO
The Duke's attendants fetching him new women--two more of those numerous
damsels that his song demands. They will revive this ruinous songmaker to
rule over Tuscany more foolishly than Eglamore governed when Eglamore was
a great lord. (_He speaks pensively, still looking down._) It is a very
rich and lovely country, this kingdom which a half-hour since lay in the
hollow of my hand. Now I am empty-handed.
GRACIOSA
(_With mocking reproach._) Empty-handed!
_She extends to him both her hands. GUIDO takes them, and laughs joyously,
saying,_ "Come!" _as he lifts her down._
_There is a moment's silence, then is heard the song and lute-playing with
which the play began, growing ever more distant:..._
"Knights as my serfs be given;
And as I will, let music go and come."
_... The DUKE moves. The DUKE half raises himself at the foot of the
crucifix._
THE DUKE
Eglamore! I am hurt. Help me, Eglamore!
(THE CURTAIN FALLS)
End of Project Gutenberg's The Jewel Merchants, by James Branch Cabell
*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE JEWEL MERCHANTS ***
***** This file should be named 9829-8.txt or 9829-8.zip *****
This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
https://www.gutenberg.org/9/8/2/9829/
Produced by Suzanne Shell, Clare Boothby and PG Distributed Proofreaders
Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
will be renamed.
Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules,
set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project
Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you
do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is
subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
redistribution.
*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
https://gutenberg.org/license).
Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic works
1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be
used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
works. See paragraph 1.E below.
1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the
collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an
individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in
a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check
the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning
the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
States.
1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
copied or distributed:
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
1.E.9.
1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked
to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
Gutenberg-tm License.
1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or
distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
that
- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is
owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments
must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License. You must require such a user to return or
destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
Project Gutenberg-tm works.
- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
of receipt of the work.
- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the
Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
1.F.
1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
your equipment.
1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGE.
1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with
the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy
is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
opportunities to fix the problem.
1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any
provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists
because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
people in all walks of life.
Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org.
Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
Foundation
The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
https://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at
809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
[email protected]. Email contact links and up to date contact
information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
page at https://pglaf.org
For additional contact information:
Dr. Gregory B. Newby
Chief Executive and Director
[email protected]
Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation
Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
status with the IRS.
The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To
SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
particular state visit https://pglaf.org
While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
approach us with offers to donate.
International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
ways including including checks, online payments and credit card
donations. To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate
Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
works.
Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily
keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
https://www.gutenberg.org
This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
