Another God by Henry Wizgier

This Play is the copyright of the Author and must NOT be Performed without the Author's PRIOR consent

Scene 1

The main room of a Celtic noble family home. The door is stage right,
stage left leads to all other rooms. There is a table upstage left
with a jug on it. Two chairs are placed downstage left at angles
partly facing the audience and partly facing a third chair at
downstage right. A feadan (any wooden wind instrument will do) is
lying on the floor next to the chair at downstage right.

MORRIGAN is sweeping the floor.

GWENETH enters stage right, she is reading a small piece of parchment.

GWENETH Morrigan! I've just received a note from some messenger
saying, the Roman lady is on her way!

MORRIGAN What Roman lady?

GWENETH You know, the one who's coming to hear Mabina play the
fistula.

MORRIGAN But, she's not due till tomorrow.

GWENETH I know, but she seems to have changed her plans! What can we
offer her to eat and drink?

MORRIGAN Not a lot.

GWENETH What do you mean? We're not out of food surely?

MORRIGAN No. But these bad harvests are having a terrible effect on my
larder. However, I've got a nice pot of tripe ...

GWENETH We can't offer her tripe. You must have something that's fit
to offer a Roman.

MORRIGAN Well ... the master told me not to offer the good food and
wine to guests ...

GWENETH Well I'm telling you to get the good food and wine out, for
her. But if anyone else comes, offer them mead and ... (disdainfully) ...
your tripe.

MORRIGAN Yes Gweneth.

GWENETH Let me see what we've got out there.

MORRIGAN exits left, followed by GWENETH.

Following a short pause there is a knock on the door. A few moments
later there is another, louder knock. GWENETH re-enters the room.

GWENETH I thought I heard a knock.

There is a third, louder knocking on the door.

GWENETH Ah! (Towards stage left) Morrigan! Answer the door please?

MORRIGAN re-enters, ambles across and exits stage right.
She re-enters, followed by BRYGID, who looks over the room with
curiosity.

MORRIGAN The Roman lady is here, Gweneth.

BRYGID Good day to you. My name is Brygid, I have come to hear your
daughter play the fistula. I'm afraid I could not come tomorrow as
originally planned. Did you receive my message?

GWENETH Yes I did. Thank you.

BRYGID Normally I would listen to musicians in my home in Verulamium.
But as I was visiting this area, I thought I would kill two birds with
one stone, as they say.

GWENETH I still do not understand how you heard about our daughter's
playing ability?

BRYGID Ah - the music world is a very small one. News of a fine young
talent reaches me quickly.

GWENETH I see. You speak our language very well!

BRYGID Yes. I am actually a Celt, from the Germanic provinces. Your
language is very similar to ours.

GWENETH You're not a Roman then?

BRYGID I was educated in Rome and married a Roman. I am a Roman
citizen. My husband was posted here, and we’ve been living in
Britannia for over five years now.

GWENETH It is so good of you to come out all this way to hear my
daughter play. We are indeed honoured.

MORRIGAN exits stage left.

BRYGID (Looking around) You have a magnificent home. And very spacious
too. It is larger than other Celtic houses I have been in.

GWENETH That is because we are, fairly high nobility, of course. And
if I may be a little immodest, fairly ... well off.

BRYGID Yes I can see that. Er, where is your daughter?

GWENETH She's out somewhere, with friends. I'll get the maid to fetch
her(Looks around, then calls out) Morrigan! (Back to BRYGID) My
husband and I would love to see our daughter play at one of the great
Roman festivals in Verulamium.

BRYGID Ah, she has to be very good. We have extremely high standards.
The forthcoming festival to the god Jupiter will take place before the
Roman Governor himself, as well as Roman dignitaries from all over
Britannia. They say, there may even be some important guests from
Rome.

GWENETH Where is that maid? (Calls out) Morrigan! (To BRYGID) She’s
cooking.

BRYGID It smells very nice. What is it?

GWENETH You wouldn’t believe it but she’s cooking ox‘s stomach,
it‘s called tripe. We don’t usually eat offals, but these bad
harvests mean we’ve had to tighten our belts a little. And as
she’s been going on about how delicious her tripe recipe is, we
thought we’d try some.

BRYGID Oh, where I come from offals are very popular, though not
tripe. The Germanic Celts eat intestines. And of course kidneys and
liver are delicacies in Rome, served with the most delicious sauces

GWENETH Indeed, I've heard. (Calls out again) Morrigan!

MORRIGAN enters.

MORRIGAN Yes?

GWENETH What on earth are you doing out there? I’ve had to call you
three times?

MORRIGAN You know what I’m doing, I'm preparing the food ...

BRYGID Your cooking smells delicious. I believe you have a special
recipe for your offals.

MORRIGAN Indeed, madam. My offals are the talk of the tribe. Heart,
liver, kidneys and of course my speciality, the stomach. They say if
it were possible to cook a soul, I could produce a meal fit for the
gods.

BRYGID But surely animals don't have souls.

MORRIGAN Neither do some Celts anymore.

GWENETH If that's a dig at Caproc and I, Morrigan?

MORRIGAN Our Celtic people in general Gweneth …

GWENETH Madam!

MORRIGAN (Bowing) Madam.

GWENETH (To BRYGID) She still cannot get used to living under Roman
rule, and the fact that more and more of us are accepting their
customs.

MORRIGAN Not just customs Gweneth - er Madam. But religion, too!

GWENETH I keep telling you, Roman gods are the same as our Celtic
gods, they just have different names, that's all. Apollo the god of
music, is the same as our Maponus. Mars the god of war, is really
Belatucadnos. Mercury is the god of prosperity the same as Rosmerta.
And so on …

MORRIGAN That's what the Romans tell us, and you believe them.

GWENETH That's enough! Madam Brygid has come here to hear Mabina play
the fistula. Now please go and find her.

MORRIGAN exits stage right mumbling to herself.

GWENETH She gets worse with age. Unlike Roman wine, please let me
offer you a goblet of wine? The best of course.

BRYGID No thank you, I'll have one after I've heard Mabina play. I
like to keep a clear head when I'm listening to music. (Pause) Please,
show me how your maid is cooking these offals, while we are waiting?

They exit stage left.

Enter CAPROC stage right, taking off his cloak.

CAPROC(In Latin) Salve!

CAPROC stops and holds his cloak out to be collected by someone.

CAPROC Maid! (Pause) Where is everybody? The master’s back from
Verulamium!

When there is no response CAPROC goes over to the small table, throws
his cloak down next to it, picks up the jug and looks into it.

CAPROC Where’s the wine gone? What’s she done with the wine?

CAPROC puts down the jug and goes to exit left, as MABINA enters from
stage right, followed by MORRIGAN. He stops.

MORRIGAN (To MABINA) You should learn to play the clarsach. Now that,
is real Celtic music. It's a gift from the gods, is the clarsach.

MABINA I do play the clarsach Morrigan! You must have heard me.

CAPROC Salve!

MORRIGAN (Seeing CAPROC). Oh! And greetings to you, oh Master. In our
Celtic language.

CAPROC You should learn Latin sometime. It's the language of culture,
you ignorant woman. I can't find any vinum. That's wine, in our Celtic
language.

MORRIGAN That much Latin I do know. I was told to hide it.

CAPROC Hide it? By whom?

MORRIGAN By you!

CAPROC By me?

MORRIGAN Yes.

Enter GWENETH and BRYGID.

GWENETH Ah, there you are Mabina! Madam Brygid the Roman lady is here
to hear you play.

BRYGID Good day Mabina.

MABINA Good day.

GWENETH Good day Madam, Mabina!

MABINA (Bowing her head) Good day - Madam!

CAPROC Salve!

GWENETH Oh, this is my husband, Caproc.

CAPROC (Bowing) Caprogenus!

BRYGID (In Latin) Salve! Credo te filiam sollertissimam habere.

CAPROC Er - pardon?

BRYGID I said, I believe you have a very talented daughter.

CAPROC Ah, yes of course. (Sticks his finger in his ear). My hearing
isn’t what it used to be (clears his throat).

BRYGID (To MABINA) Your mother tells me you play more than one
instrument Mabina?

MABINA Yes, I play the feadan, fistula and tympanum. (Looking at
MORRIGAN) And the clarsach. And, I’m learning the utricles.

BRYGID That is very impressive. Have you played very much in public?

MABINA Yes, at Celtic festivals, where I have played the feadan and
(Looks at MORRIGAN) clarsach. (Back to BRYGID) But I would very much
like to play at one of the great religious festivals in Verulamium.
Especially, the feast to Jupiter.

BRYGID Ah, so do many others. That’s why I’m here, to see if you
are good enough. Please, play something for me?

GWENETH Yes, let's all sit down. (Points to a chair downstage left )
Madam!

BRYGID sits on a chair downstage left, GWENETH sits nex to her. MABINA
sits on the chair downstage right opposite them, and picks up her
feadan. CAPROC stands behind Gweneth, MORRIGAN stands next the table
upstage.

MABINA is about to play the feadan, but BRYGID interrupts her.

BRYGID That's not a fistula!

MABINA No, it's a feadan. It's a Celtic instrument.

BRYGID I know that. Don't you have a fistula?

MABINA Yes, but I've lent it to a friend.

BRYGID I came to hear you play the fistula!

MABINA I can go and get it. She doesn't live very far away.

GWENETH I'm sorry about that Madam. But ... children ... you know?

BRYGID That's quite all right. I did arrive a bit sooner than I
intended.

MABINA exits stage right.

CAPROC (To MORRIGAN) Maid! (In Latin) Vinum obsecro!

MORRIGAN I don't think we have that one.

CAPROC What are you talking about?

MORRIGAN I don't think we have an obsecro wine.

CAPROC moves to centre and makes a show of his Latin.

CAPROC "Vinum obsecro!" means, could we have some wine, in Latin.
It's not the name of a wine.

MORRIGAN Well why don’t you say so - in our language?

CAPROC I’d have thought you’d have learnt some simple Latin phrases by now …

GWENETH stands.

GWENETH Madam Brygid doesn't drink wine whilst she is listening to
music Caproc. I think it would be most impolite if we were to
do so. (To MORRIGAN) Morrigan, do we have anything without
alcohol we can offer Madam Brygid?

MORRIGAN I have some freshly pressed apple juice.

GWENETH Yes, that would be excellent.

MORRIGAN nods her head and exits left.

BRYGID (To CAPROC) You are obviously trying to learn Latin?

CAPROC Ita vero! Er ... discere linguam ... er ...

GWENETH My husband hasn't been learning Latin very long. That is why he goes to Verulamium. Caproc, recite that Latin poetry you'velearned for madam Brygid? The one you recited to me.

CAPROC coughs nervously, composes himself and thinks hard trying to
remember something.

CAPROC Er ... um... unam tesseram balnea ... ingrediendi obsecro ... er ...

GWENETH What does it mean dear?

CAPROC It’s a quote from Virgil …

BRYGID No, it means, could I have one token for the bathhouse
please?

CAPROC Oh dear, so it is. I got it mixed up with a line from Aeneid.
That’s by Virgil, isn't it?

BRYGID It certainly is. (Making a show of it) Arma virumque cano. Troi
qui primus aboris. Italiam fato profugus. Lavinia que venit litora.
(To CAPROC) That, is Virgil. It's beautiful.

There follows an embarrassing silence.

BRYGID (Pointing to stage right) What is going out there? They seem
to be building a huge fire. It looks like they’re preparing for a
feast of some sort.

GWENETH It's for the festival of Beltane, in honour of our Celtic
Fire God.

BRYGID In Verulamium and Londinium where I lived before, most Celts
worship Roman Gods now. It’s only out in these villages that Celtic
religion is still practiced, is it not?

GWENETH And only those that still have Druids.

CAPROC We only worship Roman gods of course. Apollo, Jupiter, Mars...

BRYGID Yes, your maid has already told me. But I believe these
Druids used to be very powerful once?

GWENETH Until they were persecuted by the Romans, because they
encouraged Celts to resist them. They say that in some parts of the
country the Roman authorities simply arrest Druids. And, they say,
even execute them.

CAPROC We have a Druid in this village, but he enjoys a good
relationship with the Roman administrators in Verulamium. That’s why they leave
him alone.

MORRIGAN enters carrying a tray with three goblets of apple juice. She
hands one each to CAPROC, BRYGID and GWENETH, then retires to her
position by the table. GWENETH raises her cup.

GWENETH (In Celtic) Iechyd Da! (Pronounced 'yekeed-da') Madam.

CAPROC and BRYGID also raise their goblets.

BRYGID Iechyd da!

They all take a sip.

CAPROC Incidentally, there's a Celtic preacher in Verulamium, who's
lived in Rome. I’ve just been listening to him, he says yhey’re worshipping a new God out in Rome.

GWENETH What another one? What’s his name?

CAPROC Sibius

BRYGID Sibius? I’ve not heard of that God. What’s he God of,
this Sibius?

CAPROC No no, that’s not the God’s name. That’s what the
preacher calls himself. He says he grew up around here, before
he joined the Roman army. Speaks perfect Latin of course.

GWENETH Well, what’s this new God’s name then?

CAPROC Just God!

GWENETH That’s it? Doesn’t he have a proper name?

CAPROC No. Just God!

GWENETH What’s he God of then?

CAPROC He's supposed to be God of everything!

GWENETH Everything?

CAPROC Yes everything. A sort of, all in one God.

MORRIGAN How much is he going to want for a sacrifice then? An all
in one God, will probably want a whole flock of sheep, or a
herd of cattle.

CAPROC No no, apparantely, this one doesn’t ask for any sacrifices
at all.

GWENETH No sacrifices? What then?

[End of Extract]