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No. 14 - Finale Act I
| Chorus: | Slave! Knave! Do you dare to brave Our power thus, and not to cower? If stiff at our words you sniff, Fool! You'll soon be stark and cool! Stark and cool! |
| Marie: | Pray, say all you saw today! Why die merely to defy? Do you give an answer true Or your fate I shall deplore. |
| Chorus: | Pray, say all you saw today! Why die merely to defy? Do you give an answer true Or your fate we shall deplore. |
| Alexis: | No, though I may grieve you so, Yet let not my faith forget! How now could I break my vow? Shoot, brute! but I will be mute. |
| Chorus: | Slave! Knave! Do you dare to brave Our power thus, and not to cower? If stiff at our words you sniff, Fool! fool! You'll soon be stark and cool. |
| General: | So you defy me then, And is that all? Then, Captain, tell your men To load with ball! |
| Laski: | Attention, shoulder arms By your right, quick march. Left wheel! Halt! |
| General: | He shall have a trial most impartial, Bring me a drum! I'll sit as a court martial. Here, Bran; you prosecute; who will defend? |
| Laski: | Your Excellency, I'm the prisoner's friend. |
| General: | Who are you, sir? And what and why and whence? |
| Alexis: | Well I prefer Reserving my defence. |
| Soldiers: | He answers not! He must be shot! |
| General: | Silence in Court. Preserve a proper fitness; The case is short, I'll call the only witness. |
| Soldier: | I heard that man declare To other people there With laughter long and loud and loose That he would cook the Royal goose! |
| Soldiers: | That's very hot! He must be shot! |
| Laski: | You really can't accept Such ribaldry inept; A Royal goose to raid and roast Is misdemeanour. At the most. |
| General: | Silence! Accused, I now will speak your sentence. Since you've refused Confession or repentance; In such a case all mercy would be folly, So halt — right face — Prepare to fire a volley! |
| Marie: | Though I don't know the name Of the man you defame, I can tell very well he is splendid! |
| Girls: | Oh, splendid! |
| Marie: | And I'm sure he has not Yet deserved to be shot, So in short, let the court be suspended! Anyone who tells of crimes Is a mere romancer; The man I've talked with two whole times Is the man for whom I'll answer. |
| General: | What can I do? |
| Soldiers: | We'll tell you what, he must be shot! |
| Laski: | Be quiet, you! |
| Soldiers: | He's in the plot, he must be shot! |
| Marie: | That is not true. |
| Alexis: | What will you do? |
| Marie: | That is not true. |
| Principals: | When any man is criminal If we but knew the facts, There's some excuse for him in all His most illegal acts. Perhaps by mere frivolity His murders are explained; Remember that the quality Of mercy is not strained. |
| Chorus: | Ah, no! ah, no! the quality Of mercy is not... |
| Principals: | The most atrocious homicide Has his own points of view; And if we saw things from his side We might have murdered too! Let not our modern polity By stern revenge be stained, And let us show the quality Of mercy is not strained. |
| All: | Ah, no! ah, no! The quality of mercy... |
| Marie: | The quality of mercy is not strained. |
| Duke: | What's up? What's on? It's time that we were gone! Who's that? Why here? Do kindly make it clear! |
| General: | That is the man... |
| Soldiers: | Yes, that's the man. |
| General: | Who knows something... |
| Soldiers: | Yes, ev'rything... |
| General: | About the plan, the horrid plan, |
| Soldiers: | The wicked plan, |
| General: | The awful plan to kill the King! To kill the King! |
| Soldiers: | He kill'd the King! He kill'd the King! |
| Marie: | The King's not dead, |
| Girls: | The King's not dead! |
| Alexis: | He's lost instead, |
| Girls: | He's lost instead! |
| Duchess: | Well anyhow you must allow, |
| Duke: | I'm, I'm, I'm the Regent now. |
| Chorus: | He'll have to be the King, He'll have to be the King, He'll have to be the King, Hail to our royal head. |
| Duke: | Well, I hesitate to shoot, |
| Chorus: | Ah! you hesitate to shoot, |
| Duke: | If the King has not been murder'd I should fel an awful brute! So if the King comes back, he lives, And if the King does not — Of course, he must be shot. |
| Chorus: | Of course he must be shot. |
| Duke: | Keep him captive in the palace Till we fathom all his plot. |
| Chorus: | When they do he will be shot! Shot! Shot! When they do he will be shot! When they do he will be shot! |
| General: | Form round the Regent Shielding him from malice, And mind you bring him safely To the Royal Palace. And when he's well upon the way, Likewise his wife and daughter, A corporal and guard will bring The prisoner by water. |
| Ensemble: | Hail to Cadonia's Regent we sing, Through the felonious theft of the King, Quite worthy of a reign free from rebuke If he's our sovereign long live the Duke. Long live the Duke, the Duke, Long live the Duke. |
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Page modified 14 October 2016