(Enter two citizens richly clad, Illanaun and Oorander)
ILLANAUN Therefore we will send galleons to Ardaspes.
OORANDER Right to Ardaspes through the silver gates.
(Agmar transfers the thick handle of his long staff to his left armpit, he droops on to it and it supports his weight, he is upright no longer. His right arm hangs limp and useless. He hobbles up to the citizens imploring alms.)
ILLANAUN I am sorry. I cannot help you. There have been too many beggars here, and we must decline alms for the good of the town.
AGMAR (sitting down and weeping) I have come from far. (Illanaun presently returns and gives Agmar a coin. Exit Illanaun. Agmar, erect again, walks back to the others.)
AGMAR We shall need fine raiment, let the thief start at once. Let it rather be green raiment.
BEGGAR I will go and fetch the thief. (Exit)
ULF We will dress ourselves as lords and impose upon the city.
OOGNO Yes, yes; we will say we are ambassadors from a far land.
ULF And there will be good eating.
SLAG (in an undertone to Ulf) But you do not know my Master. Now that you have suggested that we shall go as lords, he will make a better suggestion. He will suggest that we should go as kings.
ULF (incredulous) Beggars as kings!
SLAG Ay. You do not know my Master.
ULF (to Agmar) What do you bid us do?
AGMAR You shall first come by the fine raiment in the manner I have mentioned.
ULF And what then, Master?
AGMAR Why then we shall go as gods.
BEGGARS As gods?
AGMAR As gods. Know you the land through which I have lately come in my wanderings? Marma, where the gods are carved from green stone in the mountains. They sit all seven of them against the hills. They sit there motionless and travellers worship them.
ULF Yes, yes, we know those gods. They are much reverenced here; but they are drowsy and send us nothing beautiful.
AGMAR They are of green jade. They sit cross-legged with their right elbows resting on their left hands, the right forefinger pointing upwards. We will come into the city disguised, from the direction of Marma, and will claim to be these gods. We must be seven as they are. And when we sit, we must sit cross-legged as they do, with the right hand uplifted.
ULF This is a bad city in which to fall into the hands of oppressors, for the judges lack amiability here as the merchants lack benevolence ever since the gods forgot them.
AGMAR In our ancient calling a man may sit at one street corner for fifty years doing the one thing, and yet a day may come when it is well for him to rise up and to do another thing, while the timorous man starves.
ULF Also it were well not to anger the gods.
AGMAR Is not all life a beggary to the gods? Do they not see all men always begging of them and asking alms with incense, and bells, and subtle devices?
OOGNO Yes, all men indeed are beggars before the gods.
AGMAR Does not the mighty Soldan often sit by the agate altar in his royal temple as we sit at a street corner or by a palace gate?
ULF It is even so.
AGMAR Then will the gods be glad when we follow the holy calling with new devices and with subtlety, as they are glad when the priests sing a new song.
ULF Yet I have a fear.
AGMAR (to Slag) Go you into the city before us, and let there be a prophecy there which saith that the gods who are carven from green rock in the mountain shall one day arise in Marma and come here in the guise of men.
SLAG Yes, Master. Shall I make the prophecy myself? Or shall it be found in some old document?
AGMAR Let someone have seen it once in some rare document. Let it be spoken of in the market-place.
SLAG It shall be spoken of, Master. (Slag lingers. Enter thief and Thahn)
OOGNO This is our thief.
AGMAR (encouragingly) Ah, he is a quick thief.
THIEF I could only procure you three green raiments, Master. The city is not now well supplied with them; moreover it is a very suspicious city, and without shame for the baseness of its suspicions.
SLAG (to a beggar) This is not thieving.
THIEF I could do no more, Master. I have not practised thieving all my life.
AGMAR You have got something: it may serve our purpose. How long have you been thieving?
THIEF I stole first when I was ten.
SLAG When he was ten!
AGMAR We must tear them up and divide them amongst the seven. (to Thahn) Bring me another beggar.
SLAG When my Master was ten he had already had to slip by night out of two cities.
OOGNO (admiringly) Out of two cities!
SLAG (nodding his head) In his native city they do not now know what became of the golden cup that stood in the Lunar Temple.
AGMAR Yes, into seven pieces.
ULF We will each wear a piece of it over our rags.
OOGNO Yes, yes, we shall look fine.
AGMAR That is not the way that we shall disguise ourselves.
OOGNO Not cover our rags?
AGMAR No, no. The first who looked closely would say 'These are only beggars. They have disguised themselves.'
ULF What shall we do?
AGMAR Each of the seven shall wear a piece of the green raiment underneath his rags. And peradventure here and there a little shall show through; and men shall say 'These seven have disguised themselves as beggars. But we know not what they be.'
SLAG Hear my wise Master.
OOGNO (in admiration) He is a beggar.
ULF He is an old beggar.
ACT II
SCENE: The Metropolitan Hall of the city of Kongros. Citizens, etc. Enter the seven beggars with green silk under their rags.
OORANDER Who are you and whence come you?
AGMAR Who may say what we are or whence we come?
OORANDER What are these beggars and why do they come here?
AGMAR Who said to you that we were beggars?
OORANDER Why do these men come here?
AGMAR Who said to you that we were men?
ILLANAUN Now, by the moon!
AGMAR My sister.
ILLANAUN What?
AGMAR My little sister.
SLAG Our little sister the Moon. She comes to us at evenings away in the mountain of Marma. She trips over the mountains when she is young: when she is young and slender she comes and dances before us: and when she is old and unshapely she hobbles away from the hills.
AGMAR Yet she is young again and forever nimble with youth: yet she comes dancing back. The years are not able to curb her nor to bring grey hairs to her brethren.
OORANDER This is not wonted.
ILLANAUN It is not in accordance with custom.
AKMOS Prophecy hath not thought it.
SLAG She comes to us new and nimble remembering olden loves.
OORANDER It were well that prophets should come and speak to us.
ILLANAUN This hath not been in the past. Let prophets come; let prophets speak to us of future things. (The beggars seat themselves upon the floor in the attitude of the seven gods of Marma.)
CITIZEN I heard men speak to-day in the market-place. They speak of a prophecy read somewhere of old. It says the seven gods shall come from Marma in the guise of men.
ILLANAUN Is this a true prophecy?
OORANDER It is all the prophecy we have. Man without prophecy is like a sailor going by night over uncharted seas. He knows not where are the rocks nor where the havens. To the man on watch all things ahead are black and the stars guide him not, for he knows not what they are.
ILLANAUN Should we not investigate this prophecy?
OORANDER Let us accept it. It is as the small uncertain light of a lantern, carried it may be by a drunkard but along the shore of some haven. Let us be guided.
AKMOS It may be that they are but benevolent gods.
AGMAR There is no benevolence greater than our benevolence.
ILLANAUN Then we need do little: they portend no danger to us.
AGMAR There is no anger greater than our anger.
OORANDER Let us make sacrifice to them, if they be gods.
AKMOS We humbly worship you, if ye be gods.
ILLANAUN (kneeling too) You are mightier than all men and hold high rank among other gods and are lords of this our city, and have the thunder as your plaything and the whirlwind and the eclipse and all the destinies of human tribes, if ye be gods.