THE
GONDOLIERS
W. S.GILBERT
THE GONDOLIERS
Uniform edition. With Special Decorated Cover,
and 8 full-page Colour- Plates by W. RUSSELL
FLINT. Price 3.?. d. net each.
THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE
PATIENCE
IOLANTHK
PRINCESS IDA
THE MIKADO
RUDDIGORE
THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD
THE GONDOLIERS
"LIST AND LEARN, YE DAINTY ROSES"
(p. 169)
THE GEORGE E. LASK COLLECTION
THE GONDOLIERS
OR
THE KING OF BARATARIA
BY
W. S. GILBERT
WITH COLOURED ILLUSTRATIONS BY
W. RUSSELL FLINT
LONDON
G. BELL AND SONS, LTD.
1912
CHISW1CK PRESS : CHARLES WHITTINGHAM AND CO,
TOOKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE, LONDON.
LIST OF COLOUR PLATES
TO FACE
PAGE
" LlST AND LEARN, YE DAINTY ROSES "
Frontispiece
11 I'VE AT LENGTH ACHIEVED A CAPTURE! " . I?4
" FROM THE SUNNY SPANISH SHORE" . . .178
" YOU MUST MAKE SOME ALLOWANCE " . .184
END OF ACT I GIRLS WAVE FAREWELL TO MEN 198
THE DANCE is INTERRUPTED .... 206
" WHEN YOU HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO WEAR
BUT CLOTH OF GOLD AND SATINS RARE " . . 2IO
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THE GONDOLIERS
OR
THE KING OF BARATARIA
ACT I
SCENE. THE PIAZZETTA, VENICE. The Ducal Palace on the right
FIAMETTA, GIULIA, ViTTORiA, and other Contadine discovered
each tying a bouquet of roses.
CHORUS OF CONTADINE
List and learn, ye dainty roses,
Roses white and roses red,
Why we bind you into posies
Ere your morning bloom has fled.
By a law of maiden's making,
Accents of a heart that 's aching,
Even though that heart be breaking,
Should by maiden be unsaid ;
Though they love with love exceeding,
They must seem to be unheeding
Go ye then and do their pleading,
Roses white and roses red !
Fiametta. Two there are for whom, in duty,
Every maid in Venice sighs
Two so peerless in their beauty
That they shame the summer skies.
We have hearts for them, in plenty,
We, alas, are four-and-twenty !
They have hearts, but all too few,
They, alas, are only two!
ii 169 z
170 THE GONDOLIERS
CHORUS
Now ye know, ye dainty roses,
Why we bind you into posies
Ere your morning bloom has fled,
Roses white and roses red !
During this chorus ANTONIO, FRANCESCO, GIORGIO, and other
Gondoliers have entered unobserved by the Girls at first two,
then two 'more, then four, then half-a-dozen, then the remainder
of the Chorus.
RECIT.
Franc. Good morrow, pretty maids ; for whom prepare ye
These floral tributes extraordinary?
Fia. For Marco and Giuseppe Palmieri,
The pink and flower of all the Gondolieri.
Giu. They're coming here, as we have heard but lately,
To choose two brides from us who sit sedately.
Ant. Do all you maidens love them?
All. Passionately !
Ant. These gondoliers are to be envied greatly!
Gior. But what of us, who one and all adore you?
Have pity on our passion, I implore you!
Fia. These gentlemen must make their choice before you ;
Vit. In the meantime we tacitly ignore you.
Giu. When they have chosen two that leaves you plenty
Two dozen we, and ye are four-and-twenty.
Fia. & Vit. Till then, enjoy your dolce far niente.
Ant. With pleasure, nobody contradicente\
SONG ANTONIO and CHORUS
For the merriest fellows are we, tra la,
That ply on the emerald sea, tra la ;
With loving and laughing,
And quipping and quaffing,
We're happy as happy can be, tra la
As happy as happy can be!
THE GONDOLIERS 171
With sorrow we've nothing to do, tra la,
And care is a thing to pooh-pooh, tra la;
And Jealousy yellow,
Unfortunate fellow,
We drown in the shimmering blue, tra la,
We drown in the shimmering blue!
Fia. [Looking off. ] See, see, at last they come to make their choice
Let us acclaim them with united voice.
[MARCO and GIUSEPPE appear in gondola at back.
All the Girls. Hail, gallant gondolieri, ben' venuti!
Accept our love, our homage, and our duty.
[MARCO and GIUSEPPE jump ashore the girls salute them.
DUET GIUSEPPE and MARCO, with CHORUS OF GIRLS
Giu. 6 Mar. Buon' giorno, signorine !
Girls. Gondolieri carissimi!
Siamo contadine!
Giu. & Mar. [Sowing'.] Servitori umilissimi!
Per chi questi fieri
Questi fieri bellissimi?
Girls. Per voi, bei' signori
O eccellentissimi !
\The girls present their bouquets to GIUSEPPE and MARCO,
who are overwhelmed with them, and carry them with
difficulty.
Giu. & Mar. \Their arms full of flowers. \ Ociel!
Girls. Buon' giorno, cavalieri!
Giu. & Mar. \Deprecatingly. ] Siamo gondolieri.
[to FIA. & VIT.] Signorina, io t'amo!
Girls. \Deprecatingly '.] Contadine siamo.
Giu. & Mar. Signorine!
Girls. \Deprecatingly. ~\ Contadine!
[ Curtseying to Giu. and M AR. ] Cavalieri !
Giu. & Mar. \Deprecatingly '.] Gondolieri!
Poveri gondolieri!
CHORUS
Buon' giorno, signorine, etc.
i 7 2 THE GONDOLIERS
DUET MARCO and GIUSEPPE
We're called gondolieri,
But that 's a vagary,
It's quite honorary
The trade that we ply.
For gallantry noted
Since we were short-coated
To ladies devoted,
My brother and I.
When morning is breaking,
Our couches forsaking,
To greet their awaking
With carols we come.
At summer day's nooning,
When weary lagooning,
Our mandolins tuning,
We lazily thrum.
When vespers are ringing,
To hope ever clinging,
With songs of our singing
A vigil we keep.
When daylight is fading,
Enwrapt in night's shading,
With soft serenading
We lull them to sleep.
We're called gondolieri, etc.
RECIT MARCO and GIUSEPPE
And now to choose our brides!
As all are young and fair,
And amiable besides,
We really do not care
A preference to declare.
THE GONDOLIERS
173
A bias to disclose
Would be indelicate
And therefore we propose
To let impartial Fate
Select for us a mate !
All. Viva!
A bias to disclose
Would be indelicate
But how do they propose
To let impartial Fate
Select for them a mate?
Mar. These handkerchiefs upon our eyes be good enough to bind,
Giu. And take good care that both of us are absolutely blind ;
Both. Then turn us round and we, with all convenient despatch,
Will undertake to marry any two of you we catch!
All. Viva!
They undertake to marry any two of us they catch !
[The girls prepare to bind their eyes as directed.
Tessa. [To MARCO.]
Mar.
Vit. [To GIUSEPPE.]
Giu.
Are you peeping?
Can you see me?
Dark I'm keeping,
Dark and dreamy!
[MARCO slyly lifts bandage.
If you're blinded
Truly say so.
All right-minded
Players play so ! [Slyly lifts bandage.
Fia. [Detecting MARCO.] Conduct shady!
They are cheating!
Surely they de-
Serve a beating!
Vit. {Detecting GIUSEPPE.] This too much is;
Maidens mocking
Conduct such is
[Replaces bandage.
Truly shocking! [Replaces bandage.
174 THE GONDOLIERS
All. You can spy, sir!
Shut your eye, sir!
You may use it by-and-bye, sir!
You can see, sir!
Don't tell me, sir!
That will do now let it be, sir!
All the Girls. My papa he keeps three horses,
Black, and white, and dapple gray, sir;
Turn three times, then take your courses,
Catch whichever girl you may, sir!
[GIUSEPPE and MARCO turn round, as directed, and try to
catch the girls. Business of blind-man 1 s buff. Eventu-
ally MARCO catches GIANETTA, and GIUSEPPE catches
TESSA. The two girls try to escape, but in vain. The
two men pass their hands over the girls' faces to discover
their identity.
Giu. I've at length achieved a capture!
[Guessing.} ThisisTessa! [Removes bandage.] Rapture, rapture!
Mar. [Guessing.] Gianetta fate has granted! [Removes bandage.
Just the very girl I wanted!
Giu. [Politely to MAR.] If you'd rather change
Tessa. My goodness!
This indeed is simple rudeness.
Mar. [Politely to Giu.] I've no preference whatever
GUI. Listen to him! Well, I never!
[Each man kisses each girl.
Gia. Thank you, gallant gondolieri:
In a set and formal measure
It is scarcely necessary
To express our pride and pleasure.
Each of us to prove a treasure,
Conjugal and monetary,
Gladly will devote our leisure,
Gay and gallant gondolieri.
La, la, la, la, la! etc.
"I'VE AT LENGTH ACHIEVED A CAPTURE!"
(p. 174)
THE GONDOLIERS 175
Tessa. Gay and gallant gondolieri,
Take us both and hold us tightly,
You have luck extraordinary ;
We might both have been unsightly!
If we judge your conduct rightly,
'Twas a choice involuntary;
Still we thank you most politely,
Gay and gallant gondolieri!
La, la, la, la, la! etc.
All the Girls. To these gallant gondolieri,
In a set and formal measure,
It is scarcely necessary
To express their pride and pleasure.
Each of us to prove a treasure,
Conjugal and monetary,
Gladly will devote her leisure
To the other gondolieri\
La, la, la, la, la! etc.
All. Fate in this has put his finger
Let us bow to Fate's decree,
Then no longer let us linger,
To the altar hurry we!
[They all dance off two and two GIANETTA with MARCO,
TESSA with GIUSEPPE.
flourish. A gondola arrives at the Piazzetta steps, from which
enter the DUKE OF PLAZA-TORO, the DUCHESS, their daughter
CASILDA, and their attendant Luiz, who carries a drum. All
are dressed in pompous, but old and faded, clothes.
ENTREE
Duke. From the sunny Spanish shore,
His Grace of Plaza-Tor'
Duck. And His Grace's Duchess true
Cas. And His Grace's daughter, too
Luiz. And His Grace's private drum
To Venetia's shores have come :
i 7 6 THE GONDOLIERS
All And if ever, ever, ever
They get back to Spain,
They will never, never, never
Cross the sea again
Duke. Neither that Grandee from the Spanish shore,
The noble Duke of Plaza-Tor'
Duck. Nor his Grace's Duchess, staunch and true
Cas. You may add, his Grace's daughter, too
Luiz. And his Grace's own particular drum
To Venetia's shores any more will come.
All. And if ever, ever, ever
They get back to Spain,
They will never, never, never
Cross the sea again!
Duke. At last we have arrived at our destination. This is the
Ducal Palace, and it is here that the Grand Inquisitor resides.
As a Castilian hidalgo of ninety-five quarterings, I regret that
I am unable to pay my state visit on a horse. As a Castilian
hidalgo of that description, I should have preferred to ride
through the streets of Venice; but owing, I presume, to an
unusually wet season, the streets are in such a condition that
equestrian exercise is impracticable. No matter. Where is
our suite?
Luiz. [Coming forward.} Your Grace, I am here.
Duch. Why do you not do yourself the honour to kneel when you
address his Grace?
Duke. My love, it is so small a matter! [To Luiz.] Still, you may
as well do it. [Luiz kneels.
Cas. The young man seems to entertain but an imperfect appre-
ciation of the respect due from a menial to a Castilian hidalgo.
Duke. My child, you are hard upon our suite.
Cas. Papa, I've no patience with the presumption of persons in
his plebeian position. If he does not appreciate that position,
let him be whipped until he does.
Duke. Let us hope the omission was not intended as a slight. I
should be much hurt if I thought it was. So would he. [To
Luiz.] Where are the halberdiers who were to have had the
THE GONDOLIERS 177
honour of meeting us here, that our visit to the Grand In-
quisitor might be made in becoming state?
Luiz. Your Grace, the halberdiers are mercenary people who
stipulated for a trifle on account.
Duke. How tiresome ! Well, let us hope the Grand Inquisitor is
a blind gentleman. And the band who were to have had the
honour of escorting us ? I see no band !
Luiz. Your Grace, the band are sordid persons who required to be
paid in advance.
Duch. That's so like a band!
Duke. [Annoyed.] Insuperable difficulties meet me at every turn!
Duck. But surely they know his Grace?
Luiz. Exactly they know his Grace.
Duke. Well, let us hope that the Grand Inquisitor is a deaf gentle-
man. A cornet-a-piston would be something. Youdonothappen
to possess the accomplishment of tootling like a cornet-a-piston?
Luiz. Alas no, your Grace! But I can imitate a farmyard.
Duke. [Doubtfully.] I don't see how that would help us. I don't
see how we could bring it in.
Cas. It would not help us in the least. We are not a parcel of
graziers come to market, dolt!
Duke. My love, our suite's feelings! [To Luiz.] Be so good as to
ring the bell and inform the Grand Inquisitor that his Grace
the Duke of Plaza-Toro, Count Matadoro, Baron Picadoro
Duch. And suite
Duke. Have arrived at Venice, and seek
Cas. Desire
Duch. Demand!
Duke. And demand an audience.
Luiz. Your Grace has but to command. [Rising.
Duke. [Much moved.] I felt sure of it I felt sure of it! [Exit Luiz
into Ducal Palace.] And now, my love [Aside to DUCHESS.]
Shall we tell her? I think so [Aloud to CASILDA.] And now,
my love, prepare for a magnificent surprise. It is my agreeable
duty to reveal to you a secret which should make you the
happiest young lady in Venice!
Cas. A secret?
Duch. A secret which, for State reasons, it has been necessary to
preserve for twenty years.
II A A
178 THE GONDOLIERS
Duke. When you were a prattling babe of six months old you
were married by proxy to no less a personage than the infant
son and heir of His Majesty the immeasurably wealthy King
of Barataria !
Cas. Married to the infant son of the King of Barataria? It was a
most unpardonable liberty!
Duke. Consider his extreme youth and forgive him. Shortly after
the ceremony that misguided monarch abandoned the creed of
his forefathers, and became a Wesleyan Methodist of the most
bigoted and persecuting type. The Grand Inquisitor, determined
that the innovation should not be perpetuated in Barataria,
caused your smiling and unconscious husband to be stolen and
conveyed to Venice. A fortnight since the Methodist Monarch
and all his Wesleyan Court were killed in an insurrection, and
we are here to ascertain the whereabouts of your husband, and
to hail you, our daughter, as Her Majesty, the reigning Queen
of Barataria ! {Kneels.
Duck. Your Majesty! [Kneels.
Duke. It is at such moments as these that one feels how necessary
it is to travel with a full band.
Cas. I, the Queen of Barataria! But I've nothing to wear! We
are practically penniless!
Duke. That point has not escaped me. Although I am unhappily
in straitened circumstances at present, my social influence is
something enormous; and a Company, to be called the Duke
of Plaza-Toro, Limited, is in course of formation to work me.
An influential directorate has been secured, and I shall myself
join the Board after allotment.
Cas. Am I to understand that the Queen of Barataria may be called
upon at any time to witness her honoured sire in process of
liquidation?
Ditch. The speculation is not exempt from that drawback. If your
father should stop, it will, of course, be necessary to wind him up.
Cas. But it's so undignified it's so degrading! A Grandee of Spain
turned into a public company ! Such a thing was never heard of!
Duke. My child, the Duke of Plaza-Toro does not follow fashions
he leads them. He always leads everybody. When he was
in the army he led his regiment. He occasionally led them
into action. He invariably led them out of it.
"FROM THE SUNNY SPANISH SHORE
(P. i75)
THE GONDOLIERS 179
SONG DUKE OF PLAZA-TORO
In enterprise of martial kind,
When there was any fighting,
He led his regiment from behind
He found it less exciting.
But when away his regiment ran,
His place was at the fore, O
That celebrated,
Cultivated,
Underrated
Nobleman,
The Duke of Plaza-Toro !
All. In the first and foremost flight, ha, ha!
You always found that knight, ha, ha!
That celebrated,
Cultivated,
Underrated
Nobleman,
The Duke of Plaza-Toro!
When, to evade Destruction's hand,
To hide they all proceeded,
No soldier in that gallant band
Hid half as well as he did.
He lay concealed throughout the war,
And so preserved his gore, O !
That unaffected,
Undetected,
Well-connected
Warrior,
The Duke of Plaza-Toro !
All. In every doughty deed, ha, ha!
He always took the lead, ha, ha!
That unaffected,
Undetected,
Well-connected
Warrior,
The Duke of Plaza-Toro !
i8o THE GONDOLIERS
When told that they would all be shot
Unless they left the service,
That hero hesitated not,
So marvellous his nerve is.
He sent his resignation in,
The first of all his corps, O!
That very knowing,
Over-flowing,
Easy-going
Paladin,
The Duke of Plaza-Toro!
All. To men of grosser clay, ha, ha!
He always showed the way, ha, ha!
That very knowing,
Over-flowing,
Easy-going
Paladin,
The Duke of Plaza-Toro!
[Exeunt DUKE and DUCHESS into Grand Ducal Palace.
As soon as they have disappeared, Luiz and CASILDA
rush to each other's arms.
RECIT. and DUETTINO CASILDA and Luiz
O rapture, when alone together
Two loving hearts and those that bear them
May join in temporary tether,
Though Fate apart should rudely tear them,
Necessity, Invention's mother,
Compelled \ i to a course of feigning
But, left alone with one another,
u u i 1 atone for (*\ disdaining!
\Thou shaltj (thy/
Casilda. Ah, well beloved,
Mine angry frown
Is but a gown
That serves to dress
My gentleness!
THE GONDOLIERS 181
Luiz. Ah, well beloved,
Thy cold disdain,
It gives no pain
'Tis mercy, played
In masquerade!
Both. Ah, well beloved!
Cas. O Luiz, Luiz what have you said! What have I done!
What have I allowed you to do!
Luiz. Nothing, I trust, that you will ever have reason to repent.
[ Offering to embrace her.
Cas. [Withdrawing from him.] Nay, Luiz, it may not be. I have
embraced you for the last time.
Luiz. [Amazed.] Casilda!
Cas. I have just learnt, to my surprise and indignation, that I was
wed in babyhood to the infant son of the King of Barataria!
Luiz. The son of the King of Barataria? The child who was stolen
in infancy by the Inquisition?
Cas. The same. But, of course, you know his story.
Luiz. Know his story? Why I have often told you that my mother
was the nurse to whose charge he was entrusted !
Cas. True. I had forgotten. Well, he has been discovered, and
my father has brought me here to claim his hand.
Luiz. But you will not recognize this marriage? It took place
when you were too young to understand its import.
Cas. Nay, Luiz, respect my principles and cease to torture me with
vain entreaties. Henceforth my life is another's.
Luiz. But stay the present and the future they are another's;
but the past that at least is ours, and none can take it from
us. As we may revel in naught else, let us revel in that!
Cas. I don't think I grasp your meaning.
Luiz. Yet it is logical enough. You say you cease to love me?
Cas. [Demurely.] I say I may not love you.
Luiz. But you do not say you did not love me?
Cas. I loved you with a frenzy that words are powerless to express
and that but ten brief minutes since !
Luiz. Exactly. My own that is, until ten minutes since, my own
my lately loved, my recently adored tell me that until, say a
quarter of an hour ago, I was all in all to thee! [Embracing her.
182 THE GONDOLIERS
Cas. I see your idea. It 's ingenious, but don't do that.
[Releasing herself.
Litiz. There can be no harm in revelling in the past.
Cas. None whatever, but an embrace cannot be taken to act
retrospectively.
Luiz. Perhaps not!
Cas. We may recollect an embrace I recollect many but we
must not repeat them.
Luiz. Then let us recollect a few!
[A moment's pause, as they recollect, then both heave a
deep sigh.
Luiz. Ah, Casilda, you were to me as the sun is to the earth!
Cas. A quarter of an hour ago?
Luiz. About that.
Cas. And to think that, but for this miserable discovery, you
would have been my own for life!
Luiz. Through life to death a quarter of an hour ago !
Cas. How greedily my thirsty ears would have drunk the golden
melody of those sweet words a quarter well it 's now about
twenty minutes since. [Looking at her watch.
Luiz. About that. In such a matter one cannot be too precise.
Cas. Then, henceforth, our love is but a memory !
Luiz. It must be so, Casilda!
Cas. Luiz, it must be so !
DUET
Luiz. There was a time
A time for ever gone ah, woe is me!
It was no crime
To love but thee alone ah, woe is me!
One heart, one life, one soul,
One aim, one goal
Each in the other's thrall,
Each all in all, ah, woe is me!
Ensemble. Oh, bury, bury let the grave close o'er
The days that were that never will be more!
Oh, bury, bury love that all condemn,
And let the whirlwind mourn its requiem!
THE GONDOLIERS 183
Cas. Dead as the last year's leaves
As gathered flowers ah, woe is me!
Dead as the garnered sheaves,
That love of ours ah, woe is me!
Born but to fade and die
When hope was high,
Dead and as far away
As yesterday! ah, woe is me!
Ensemble. Oh, bury, bury let the grave close o'er, etc.
Re-enter from the Ducal Palace the DUKE and DUCHESS, followed
by DON ALHAMBRA BOLERO, the Grand Inquisitor
Duke. My child, allow me to present to you His Distinction Don
Alhambra Bolero, the Grand Inquisitor of Spain. It was His
Distinction who so thoughtfully abstracted your infant husband
and brought him to Venice.
Don Al. So this is the little lady who is so unexpectedly called
upon to assume the functions of Royalty! And a very nice
little lady, too!
Duke. Jimp, isn't she?
Don AL Distinctly jimp. Allow me. {Proceeds to inspect her she
turns away scornfully.} Naughty temper!
Duke. You must make some allowance. Her Majesty's head is a
little turned by her access of dignity.
Don Al. I could have wished that Her Majesty's access of dignity
had turned it in this direction. [Aside.] Prettily put!
Duch. Unfortunately, if I am not mistaken, there appears to be
some little doubt as to His Majesty's whereabouts.
Cas . A doubt as to his whereabouts? Then I may yet be saved !
Don Al. A doubt? Oh dear no no doubt at all! He is here, in
Venice, plying the modest but picturesque calling of a gon-
dolier. I can give you his address I see him every day! In
the entire annals of our history there is absolutely no circum-
stance so entirely free from all manner of doubt of any kind
whatever! Listen, and I'll tell you all about it.
184 THE GONDOLIERS
SONG GRAND INQUISITOR
I stole the Prince, and I brought him here,
And left him, gaily prattling
With a highly respectable gondolier,
Who promised the Royal babe to rear,
And teach him the trade of a timoneer
With his own beloved bratling.
Both of the babes were strong and stout,
And, considering all things, clever.
Of that there is no manner of doubt
No probable, possible shadow of doubt
No possible doubt whatever.
Time sped, and when at the end of a year
I sought that infant cherished,
That highly respectable gondolier
Was lying a corpse on his humble bier
I dropped a Grand Inquisitor's tear
That gondolier had perished.
A taste for drink, combined with gout,
Had doubled him up for ever.
Of that there is no manner of doubt
No probable, possible shadow of doubt
No possible doubt whatever.
But owing, I'm much disposed to fear,
To his terrible taste for tippling,
That highly respectable gondolier
Could never declare with a mind sincere
Which of the two was his offspring dear,
And which the Royal stripling!
Which was which he could never make out
Despite his best endeavour.
Of that there is no manner of doubt
No probable, possible shadow of doubt
No possible doubt whatever.
"YOU MUST MAKE SOME ALLOWANCE
(P. 183)
THE GONDOLIERS 185
The children followed his old career
(This statement can't be parried)
Of a highly respectable gondolier:
Well, one of the two (who will soon be here)
But which of the two is not quite clear
Is the Royal Prince you married !
Search in and out and round about
And you'll discover never
A tale so free from every doubt
All probable, possible shadow of doubt
All possible doubt whatever!
Cas. Then do you mean to say that I am married to one of two
gondoliers, but it is impossible to say which?
Don A I. Without any doubt of any kind whatever. But be re-
assured: the nurse to whom your husband was entrusted is
the mother of the musical young man who is such a past-
master of that delicately modulated instrument [indicating the
drum]. She can, no doubt, establish the King's identity beyond
all question.
Luiz. Heavens, how did he know that?
Don Al. My young friend, a Grand Inquisitor is always up to
date. [To CAS.] His mother is at present the wife of a highly
respectable and old-established brigand, who carries on an
extensive practice in the mountains around Cordova. Accom-
panied by two of my emissaries, he will set off at once for his
mother's address. She will return with them, and if she finds
any difficulty in making up her mind, the persuasive influence
of the torture chamber will jog her memory.
RECITATIVE
Cas. But, bless my heart, consider my position!
I am the wife of one, that 's very clear;
But who can tell, except by intuition,
Which is the Prince, and which the Gondolier?
Don Al. Submit to Fate without unseemly wrangle:
Such complications frequently occur
Life is one closely complicated tangle:
Death is the only true unraveller!
II BB
186 THE GONDOLIERS
QUINTETTE CASILDA, DUCHESS, Luiz, DUKE, INQUISITOR
Try we life-long, we can never
Straighten out life's tangled skein,
Why should we, in vain endeavour,
Guess and guess and guess again?
Life 's a pudding full of plums,
Care 's a canker that benumbs.
Wherefore waste our elocution
On impossible solution?
Life's a pleasant institution,
Let us take it as it comes !
Set aside the dull enigma,
We shall guess it all too soon ;
Failure brings no kind of stigma
Dance we to another tune !
String the lyre and fill the cup,
Lest on sorrow we should sup.
Hop and skip to Fancy's fiddle,
Hands across and down the middle
Life 's perhaps the only riddle
That we shrink from giving up!
[Exeunt all except GRAND INQUISITOR into Ducal Palace.
Enter Gondoliers and Contadine, followed by MARCO, GIANETTA,
GIUSEPPE, and TESSA
CHORUS
Bridegroom and bride!
Knot that 's insoluble,
Voices all voluble
Hail it with pride.
Bridegroom and bride !
Hail it with merriment;
It's an experiment
Frequently tried.
THE GONDOLIERS 187
Bridegroom and bride!
Bridegrooms all joyfully,
Brides, rather coyfully,
Stand at their side.
Bridegroom and bride!
We in sincerity
Wish you prosperity,
Bridegroom and bride!
SONG
Tessa. When a merry maiden marries,
Sorrow goes and pleasure tarries ;
Every sound becomes a song,
All is right and nothing's wrong!
From to-day and ever after
Let our tears be tears of laughter.
Every sigh that finds a vent
Be a sigh of sweet content!
When you marry merry maiden,
Then the air with love is laden ;
Every flower is a rose,
Every goose becomes a swan,
Every kind of trouble goes
Where the last year's snows have gone!
Sunlight takes the place of shade
When you marry merry maid !
When a merry maiden marries
Sorrow goes and pleasure tarries ;
Every sound becomes a song
All is right, and nothing 's wrong.
Gnawing Care and aching Sorrow,
Get ye gone until to-morrow ;
Jealousies in grim array,
Ye are things of yesterday!
When you marry merry maiden,
Then the air with joy is laden ;
1 88 THE GONDOLIERS
All the corners of the earth
Ring with music sweetly played,
Worry is melodious mirth,
Grief is joy in masquerade ;
Sullen night is laughing day
All the year is merry May!
At the end of the song, DON ALHAMBRA enters at back. The Gon-
doliers and Contadine shrink from him, and gradually go off,
much alarmed.
Giii. And now our lives are going to begin in real earnest! What 's
a bachelor? A mere nothing he 's a chrysalis. He can't be
said to live he exists.
Mar. What a delightful institution marriage is! Why have we
wasted all this time? Why didn't we marry ten years ago?
Tess. Because you couldn't find anybody nice enough.
Gia. Because you were waiting for tts.
Mar. I suppose that was the reason. We were waiting for you
without knowing it. [DON ALHAMBRA comes forward.] Hallo!
Giu. If this gentleman is an undertaker, it is a bad omen.
Don Al. Good morning. Festivities of some sort going on?
Giu. [Aside.] He is an undertaker! [Aloud.] No a little un-
important family gathering. Nothing in your line.
Don Al. Somebody's birthday, I suppose?
Giu. Yes, mine!
Tess. And mine!
Gia. And mine!
Mar. And mine!
Don Al. Curious coincidence! And how old may you be?
Tess. It 's a rude question but about ten minutes.
Don Al. Surely you are jesting?
Tess. In other words, we were married about ten minutes since.
Don Al. Married! You don't mean to say you are married?
Mar. Oh yes, we are married.
Don Al. What, both of you?
Gia. All four of us.
Don Al. [Aside.] Bless my heart, how extremely awkward!
Gia. You don't mind, I suppose?
THE GONDOLIERS 189
Tess. You were not thinking of either of us for yourself, I presume?
Oh, Giuseppe, look at him he was! He's heartbroken!
Don AL No, no I wasn't! I wasn't! [Aside.] What will the Duke
say?
Giu. Now, my man [Slapping him on the back\, we don't want
anything in your line to-day, and if your curiosity's satis-
fied
Don AL You mustn't call me your man. It's a liberty. I don't
think you know who I am.
Giu. Not we, indeed! We are jolly gondoliers, the sons of Baptisto
Palmieri, who led the last revolution. Republicans, heart and
soul, we hold all men to be equal. As we abhor oppression,
we abhor kings: as we detest vain-glory, we detest rank: as
we despise effeminacy, we despise wealth. We are Venetian
gondoliers your equals in everything except our calling, and
in that at once your masters and your servants.
Don AL Bless my heart, how unfortunate! One of you may be
Baptisto's son, for anything I know to the contrary; but the
other is no less a personage than the only son of the late King
of Barataria.
All. What!
Don AL And I trust I trust it was that one who slapped me on
the shoulder and called me his man !
Giu. One of us a king! ^
Mar. Not brothers ! IT*
Tess. The King of Barataria! j T g ether '
Gia. Well, who'd have thought it!;
Mar. But which is it?
Don AL What does it matter? As you are both Republicans, and
hold kings in abhorrence, of course you'll abdicate at once.
[ Going.
Tess. and Gia. Oh, don't do that! [MARCO and GIUSEPPE stop him.
Giu. Well, as to that, of course there are kings and kings. When
I say that I detest kings, I mean I detest bad kings.
Don AL I see. It's a delicate distinction.
Giu. Quite so. Now I can conceive a kind of king an ideal king
the creature of my fancy, you know who would be absolutely
unobjectionable. A king, for instance, who would abolish taxes
and make everything cheap, except gondolas
igo THE GONDOLIERS
Mar. And give a great many free entertainments to the gondo-
liers
Giu. And let off fireworks on the Grand Canal, and engage all the
gondolas for the occasion
Mar. And scramble money on the Rialto among the gondo-
liers.
Giu. Such a king would be a blessing to his people, and if I were
a king, that is the sort of king I would be.
Don Al. Come, I'm glad to find your objections are not insuper-
able.
Mar. and Giu. Oh, they're not insuperable.
Tess. and Gia. No, they're not insuperable.
Giu. Besides, we are open to conviction. Our views may have
been hastily formed on insufficient grounds. They may be
crude, ill-digested, erroneous. I've a very poor opinion of the
politician who is not open to conviction.
Tess. [to GIA.] Oh, he's a fine fellow!
Gia. Yes, that's the sort of politician for my money!
Don Al. Then we'll consider it settled. Now, as the country is in
a state of insurrection, it is absolutely necessary that you
should assume the reins of Government at once ; and, until it
is ascertained which of you is to be king, I have arranged
that you will reign jointly, so that no question can arise here-
after as to the validity of any of your acts.
Mar. As one individual?
Don Al. As one individual.
Giu. [Linking himself with MARCO.] Like this?
Don Al. Something like that.
Mar. And we may take our friends with us, and give them places
about the Court?
Don Al. Undoubtedly.
Mar. I'm convinced!
Giu. So am I !
Tess. Then the sooner we're off the better.
Gia. We'll just run home and pack up a few things [Going.
Don Al. Stop, stop that won't do at all we can't have any ladies.
[Aside.} What will Her Majesty say!
All. What!
Don Al. Not at present. Afterwards, perhaps. We'll see.
THE GONDOLIERS 191
Giu. Why, you don't mean to say you are going to separate us
from our wives!
Don Al. [Aside.] This is very awkward! [Aloud.] Only for a time
a few months. After all, what is a few months?
Tess. But we've only been married half an hour! [Weeps.
SONG
Gianetta. Kind sir, you cannot have the heart
Our lives to part
From those to whom an hour ago
We were united!
Before our flowing hopes you stem,
Ah, look at them,
And pause before you deal this blow,
All uninvited!
You men can never understand
That heart and hand
Cannot be separated when
We go a-yearning;
You see, you've only women's eyes
To idolize,
And only women's hearts, poor men,
To set you burning!
Ah me, you men will never understand
That woman's heart is one with woman's hand!
Some kind of charm you seem to find
In womankind
Some source of unexplained delight
(Unless you're jesting),
But what attracts you, I confess,
I cannot guess,
To me a woman's face is quite
^_ Uninteresting!
If from my sister I were torn,
It could be borne
192 THE GONDOLIERS
I should, no doubt, be horrified,
But I could bear it;
But Marco 's quite another thing
He is my King,
He has my heart and none beside
Shall ever share it!
Ah me, you men will never understand
That woman's heart is one with woman's hand!
FINALE
RECIT. GRAND INQUISITOR
Do not give way to this uncalled-for grief,
Your separation will be very brief.
To ascertain which is the King
And which the other,
To Barataria's Court I'll bring
His foster-mother;
Her former nurseling to declare
She'll be delighted.
That settled, let each happy pair
Be reunited.
Mar., Giu. \ Viva! His argument is strong!
Tess., Gia. j Viva! We'll not be parted long!
Viva! It will be settled soon!
Viva! Then comes our honeymoon!
[Exit DON ALHAMBRA.
QUARTETTE TESSA, GIANETTA, MARCO, and GIUSEPPE.
Gia. Then one of us will be a Queen,
And sit on a golden throne,
With a crown instead
Of a hat on her head,
And diamonds all her own!
With a beautiful robe of gold and green,
I've always understood;
I wonder whether
She'd wear a feather?
I rather think she should!
THE GONDOLIERS 193
AIL Oh, 'tis a glorious thing, I ween,
To be a regular Royal Queen!
No half-and-half affair, I mean,
But a right-down regular Royal Queen.
Mar. She'll drive about in a carriage and pair,
With the King on her left-hand side,
And a milkwhite horse,
As a matter of course,
Whenever she wants to ride !
With beautiful silver shoes to wear
Upon her dainty feet;
With endless stocks
Of beautiful frocks
And as much as she wants to eat!
All. Oh, 'tis a glorious thing, I ween, etc.
Tess. Whenever she condescends to walk,
Be sure she'll shine at that,
With her haughty stare,
And her nose in the air,
Like a well-born aristocrat!
At elegant high society talk
She'll bear away the bell,
With her "Howdedo?"
And her " How are you?"
And her " Hope I see you well! "
All. Oh, 'tis a glorious thing, I ween, etc.
Giu. And noble lords will scrape and bow,
And double them into two,
And open their eyes
In blank surprise
At whatever she likes to do.
And everybody will roundly vow
She 's fair as flowers in May,
And say, " How clever! "
At whatsoever
She condescends to say!
ii cc
194 THE GONDOLIERS
AIL Oh, 'tis a glorious thing, I ween,
To be a regular Royal Queen
No half-and-half affair, I mean,
But a right-down regular Queen !
Enter cJwrus of Gondoliers and Contadine
CHORUS
Now, pray, what is the cause of this remarkable hilarity?
This sudden ebullition of unmitigated jollity?
Has anybody blessed you with a sample of his charity?
Or have you been adopted by a gentleman of quality?
Mar. & Giu. Replying, we sing
As one individual,
As I find I'm a king,
To my kingdom I bid you all.
I'm aware you object
To pavilions and palaces,
But you'll find I respect
Your Republican fallacies.
CHORUS
As they know we object
To pavilions and palaces,
How can they respect
Our Republican fallacies?
Mar. 6 Giu. For every one who feels inclined,
Some post we undertake to find
Congenial with his peace of mind
And all shall equal be.
The Chancellor in his peruke
The Earl, the Marquis, and the Dock,
The Groom, the Butler, and the Cook
They all shall equal be.
THE GONDOLIERS 195
The Aristocrat who banks with Coutts,
The Aristocrat who hunts and shoots,
The Aristocrat who cleans our boots
They all shall equal be !
The Noble Lord who rules the State
The Noble Lord who cleans the plate
The Noble Lord who scrubs the grate
They all shall equal be!
The Lord High Bishop orthodox
The Lord High Coachman on the box
The Lord High Vagabond in the stocks
They all shall equal be!
Sing high, sing low,
Wherever they go,
They all shall equal be!
CHORUS
Sing high, sing low,
Wherever they go,
They all shall equal be!
The Earl, the Marquis, and the Dook,
The Groom, the Butler, and the Cook,
The Aristocrat who banks with Coutts,
The Aristocrat who cleans the boots,
The Noble Lord who rules the State,
The Noble Lord who scrubs the grate,
The Lord High Bishop orthodox,
The Lord High Vagabond in the stocks
Sing high, sing low,
Wherever they go,
They all shall equal be!
Then hail! O King,
Whichever you may be,
To you we sing,
But do not bend the knee.
It may be thou
Likewise it may be thee
So hail! O King,
Whichever you may be!
196 THE GONDOLIERS
MARCO and GIUSEPPE [together]
Then let 's away our island crown awaits me
Conflicting feelings rend my soul apart!
The thought of Royal dignity elates me,
But leaving thee behind me breaks my heart!
[Addressing TESSA and GIANETTA.
TESSA and GIANETTA [together]
Farewell, my love; on board you must be getting;
But while upon the sea you gaily roam,
Remember that a heart for thee is fretting
The tender little heart you've left at home!
Gia. Now, Marco dear,
My wishes hear:
While you're away
It's understood
You will be good,
And not too gay.
To every trace
Of maiden grace
You will be blind,
And will not glance
By any chance
On womankind!
If you are wise,
You'll shut your eyes
Till we arrive,
And not address
A lady less
Than forty-five.
You'll please to frown
On every gown
That you may see ;
And, O my pet,
You won't forget
You've married me!
THE GONDOLIERS 197
O my darling, O my pet,
Whatever else you may forget,
In yonder isle beyond the sea,
O don't forget you've married me!
Tess. You'll lay your head
Upon your bed
At set of sun.
You will not sing
Of anything
To any one.
You'll sit and mope
All day, I hope,
And shed a tear
Upon the life
Your little wife
Is passing here.
And if so be
You think of me,
Please tell the moon !
I'll read it all
In rays that fall
On the lagoon :
You'll be so kind
As tell the wind
How you may be,
And send me words
By little birds
To comfort me!
And, O my darling, O my pet,
Whatever else you may forget,
In yonder isle beyond the sea,
O don't forget you've married me!
CHORUS [during which a " Xebeque" is hauled alongside the quay\
Then away we go to an island fair
That lies in a Southern sea:
We know not where, and we don't much care,
Wherever that isle mav be.
198 THE GONDOLIERS
The Men. One, two, three,
[Ha uling on boat. ] Haul !
One, two, three,
Haul!
One, two, three,
Haul!
With a will!
AIL Then away we go, etc.
SOLO
Mar. Away we go
To a balmy isle,
Where the roses blow
All the winter while.
All. Then pull, yeo ho! and again yeo ho! [Hoisting sail.
And again yeo ho! with a will!
When the breezes are a-blowing,
Then our ship will be a-going,
When they don't we shall all stand still!
And away we go to the island fair,
That lies in a southern sea,
_, \ know not where, and^ , idon't much care
They J UheyJ
Wherever that isle may be!
[The men embarkonthe "Xebeque," MARCO and GIUSEPPE
embracing GIANETTA and TESSA. The girls wave
a farewell to the men as the curtain falls.
END OF ACT I
END OF ACT I
GIRLS WAVE FAREWELL TO MEN
(p. 198)
THE GONDOLIERS
199
ACT II
SCENE. Pavilion in the Court of Barataria. MARCO and GIUSEPPE,
magnificently dressed, are seated on two thrones, occupiedin clean-
ing the crown and the sceptre. The gondoliers are discovered
dressed, some as courtiers, officers of rank, etc. , and others as
private soldiers and servants of various degrees. All are enjoy-
ing themselves without reference to social distinctions some
play ing cards, others throwing dice, some reading, others playing
cup and ball, " morra," etc.
CHORUS
Of happiness the very pith
In Barataria you may see:
A monarchy that 's tempered with
Republican Equality.
This form of government we find
The beau ideal of its kind
A despotism strict, combined
With absolute equality !
Mar. <ST Giu. Two kings, of undue pride bereft,
Who act in perfect unity,
Whom you can order right and left
With absolute impunity.
Who put their subjects at their ease
By doing all they can to please!
And thus, to earn their bread-and-cheese,
Seize every opportunity.
Mar. Gentlemen, we are much obliged to you for your expressions
of satisfaction and good-feeling. We are delighted, at any
time, to fall in with sentiments so charmingly expressed.
Giu. At the same time there is just one little grievance that we
should like to ventilate.
All [Angrily.] What!
200 THE GONDOLIERS
Giu. Don't be alarmed it's not serious. It is arranged that, until
it is decided which of us two is the actual King, we are to act
as one person.
Giorgio. Exactly.
Giu. Now, although we act as one person, we are, in point of fact,
two persons.
Annibale. Ah, I don't think we can go into that. It is a legal fiction,
and legal fictions are solemn things. Situated as we are, we
can't recognize two independent responsibilities.
Giu. No; but you can recognize two independent appetites. It's
all very well to say we act as one person, but when you supply
us with only one ration between us, I should describe it as a
legal fiction carried a little too far.
Anni. It's rather a nice point. I don't like to express an opinion
off-hand. Suppose we reserve it for argument before the full
Court?
Mar. Yes, but what are we to do in the meantime?
Anni. I think we may make an interim order for double rations
on their Majesties entering into the usual undertaking to in-
demnify in the event of an adverse decision?
Giorgio. That, I think, will meet the case. But you must work
hard stick to it nothing like work.
Giu. Oh, certainly. We quite understand that a man who holds
the magnificent position of King should do something to justify
it. We are called "Your Majesty," we are allowed to buy our-
selves magnificent clothes, our subjects frequently nod to us
in the streets, the sentries always return our salutes, and we
enjoy the inestimable privilege of heading the subscriptions
to all the principal charities. In return for these advantages
the least we can do is to make ourselves useful about the
Palace.
SONG
Giuseppe. Rising early in the morning,
We proceed to light our fire,
Then our Majesty adorning
In its work-a-day attire,
We embark without delay
On the duties of the day.
THE GONDOLIERS 201
First, we polish off some batches
Of political despatches,
And foreign politicians circumvent;
Then, if business isn't heavy,
We may hold a Royal levee,
Or ratify some Acts of Parliament.
Then we probably review the household troops
With the usual "Shalloo humps! " and "Shalloo hoops! "
Or receive with ceremonial and state
An interesting Eastern potentate.
After that we generally
Go and dress our private valet
(It's a rather nervous duty he 's a touchy little man)
Write some letters literary
For our private secretary
He is shaky in his spelling, so we help him if we can.
Then, in view of cravings inner,
We go down and order dinner;
Then we polish the Regalia and the Coronation Plate
Spend an hour in titivating
All our Gentlemen-in-Waiting;
Or we run on little errands for the Ministers of State.
Oh, philosophers may sing
Of the troubles of a King,
Yet the duties are delightful, and the privileges great;
But the privilege and pleasure
That we treasure beyond measure
Is to run on little errands for the Ministers of State.
After luncheon (making merry
On a bun and glass of sherry),
If we've nothing in particular to do,
We may make a Proclamation,
Or receive a Deputation
Then we possibly create a Peer or two.
Then we help a fellow-creature on his path
With the Garter or the Thistle or the Bath,
Or we dress and toddle off in semi-State
To a festival, a function, or a. fete.
II DD
202 THE GONDOLIERS
Then we go and stand as sentry
At the Palace (private entry),
Marching hither, marching thither, up and down and to and
fro
While the warrior on duty
Goes in search of beer and beauty
(And it generally happens that he hasn't far to go).
He relieves us, if he 's able,
Just in time to lay the table,
Then we dine and serve the coffee, and at half-past twelve or
one,
With a pleasure that's emphatic,
We retire to our attic
With the gratifying feeling that our duty has been done !
Oh, philosophers may sing
Of the troubles of a King,
But of pleasures there are many and of troubles there are none;
And the culminating pleasure
That we treasure beyond measure
Is the gratifying feeling that our duty has been done!
[Exeunt all but MARCO and GIUSEPPE.
Giu. Yet it really is a very pleasant existence. They're all so extra-
ordinarily kind and considerate. You don't find them wanting
to do this, or wanting to do that, or saying "It's my turn
now." No, they let us have all the fun to ourselves, and never
seem to grudge it.
Mar. It makes one feel quite selfish. It almost seems like taking
advantage of their good nature.
Giu. How nice they were about the double rations.
Mar. Most considerate. Ah! there.'s only one thing wanting to
make us thoroughly comfortable the dear little wives we left
behind us three months ago.
Giu. It is dull without female society. We can do without every-
thing else, but we can't do without that.
Mar. And if we have that in perfection, we have everything.
There is only one recipe for perfect happiness.
THE GONDOLIERS 203
SONG
Mar. Take a pair of sparkling eyes,
Hidden, ever and anon,
In a merciful eclipse
Do not heed their mild surprise
Having passed the Rubicon.
Take a pair of rosy lips ;
Take a figure trimly planned
Such as admiration whets
(Be particular in this) ;
Take a tender little hand,
Fringed with dainty fingerettes,
Press it in parenthesis ;
Take all these, you lucky man
Take and keep them, if you can!
Take a pretty little cot
Quite a miniature affair
Hung about with trellised vine,
Furnish it upon the spot
With the treasures rich and rare
I've endeavoured to define.
Live to love and love to live
You will ripen at your ease,
Growing on the sunny side
Fate has nothing more to give.
You're a dainty man to please
If you are not satisfied.
Take my counsel, happy man ;
Act upon it, if you can !
Enter Chorus of Contadine, running in, led by FIAMETTA and
VITTORIA. They are met by all the Ex-Gondoliers, who welcome
them heartily.
CHORUS OF CONTADINE
Here we are, at the risk of our lives,
From ever so far, and we've brought your wives
And to that end we've crossed the main,
And we don't intend to return again!
204 THE GONDOLIERS
Fia. Though obedience is strong,
Curiosity 's stronger
We waited for long,
Till we couldn't wait longer.
Vit. It 's imprudent, we know,
But without your society
Existence was slow,
And we long for variety
All. So here we are, at the risk of our lives,
From ever so far, and we've brought your wives
And to that end we've crossed the main,
And we don't intend to return again!
Enter TESSA and GIANETTA. They rush to the arms of GIUSEPPE
and MARCO
Giu. Tessa ! ^
Tessa. Giuseppe!
>-.- j., , f Embrace.
Gia. Marco!
Mar. Gianetta! J
TESSA and GIANETTA [Alternate lines]
After sailing to this island
Tossing in a manner frightful,
We are all once more on dry land
And we find the change delightful.
As at home we've been remaining
We've not seen you both for ages,
Tell me, are you fond of reigning?
How 's the food, and what 's the wages?
Does your new employment please ye?
How does Royalizing strike you?
Is it difficult or easy?
Do you think your subjects like you?
I am anxious to elicit,
Is it plain and easy steering?
Take it altogether, is it
Better fun than gondoliering?
THE GONDOLIERS 205
CHORUS
We shall all go on requesting,
Till you tell us, never doubt it,
Everything is interesting,
Tell us, tell us all about it!
Is the populace exacting?
Do they keep you at a distance?
All unaided are you acting,
Or do they provide assistance?
When you're busy, have you got to
Get up early in the morning?
If you do what you ought not to,
Do they give the usual warning?
With a horse do they equip you?
Lots of trumpeting and drumming?
Do the Royal tradesmen tip you?
Ain't the livery becoming!
Does your human being inner
Feed on everything that nice is?
Do they give you wine for dinner?
Peaches, sugar-plums, and ices?
CHORUS
We shall all go on requesting
Till you tell us, never doubt it;
Everything is interesting,
Tell us, tell us all about it!
Mar. This is indeed a most delightful surprise!
Tess. Yes, we thought you'd like it. You see, it was like this.
After you left we felt very dull and mopey, and the days
crawled by, and you never wrote ; so at last I said to Gianetta,
"I can't stand this any longer; those two poor Monarchs
haven't got any one to mend their stockings or sew on their
buttons or patch their clothes at least, I hope they haven't
let us all pack up a change and go and see how they're getting
on." And she said "done," and they all said "done"; and
we asked old Giacopo to lend us his boat, and he said " done ";
206 THE GONDOLIERS
and we've crossed the sea, and, thank goodness, thafs done;
and here we are, and and /'ve done!
Gia. And now which of you is King?
Tess. And which of us is Queen?
Giu. That we sha'n't know until Nurse turns up. But never mind
that the question is, how shall we celebrate the commence-
ment of our honeymoon? Gentlemen, will you allow us to offer
you a magnificent banquet?
All. We will!
Giu. Thanks very much ; and what do you say to a dance?
Tess. A banquet and a. dance! Oh, it 's too much happiness!
CHORUS
We will dance a cachucha, fandango, bolero,
Old Xeres we'll drink Manzanilla, Montero;
For wine, when it runs in abundance, enhances
The reckless delight of that wildest of dances!
To the pretty pitter-pitter-patter,
And the clitter-clitter-clitter-clatter
Glitter clitter clatter,
Fitter pitter patter
We will dance a cachucha, fandango, bolero ;
Old Xeres we'll drink Manzanilla, Montero;
For wine, when it runs in abundance, enhances
The reckless delight of that wildest of dances!
CACHUCHA
The dance is interrupted by the unexpected appearance of DON
ALHAMBRA, who looks on -with astonishment. MARCO and
GIUSEPPE appear embarrassed. The others run off.
Don Al. Good evening. Fancy ball?
Giu. No, not exactly. A little friendly dance. That 's all.
Don Al. But I saw a groom dancing, and a footman !
Giu. Yes. That 's the Lord High Footman.
Don Al. And, dear me, a common little drummer boy!
Mar. Oh no! That's the Lord High Drummer Boy.
THE DANCE IS INTERRUPTED
(p. 206)
THE GONDOLIERS 207
Don Al. But surely, surely the servant's-hall is the place for these
gentry?
Giu. Oh dear no! We have appropriated the servant's-hall. It's
the Royal Apartment, and we permit no intruders.
Mar. We really must have some place that we can call our
own.
Don AL [Puzzled.} I'm afraid I'm not quite equal to the intellectual
pressure of the conversation.
Giu. You see, the Monarchy has been re-modelled on Republican
principles. All departments rank equally, and everybody is at
the head of his department.
Don Al. I see.
Mar. I'm afraid you're annoyed.
Don Al. No. I won't say that. It's not quite what I expected.
Giu. I'm awfully sorry.
Mar. So am I.
Giu. By-the-bye, can I offer you anything after your voyage? A
plate of maccaroni and a rusk?
Don Al. [Pre-occupied.] No, no nothing nothing.
Giu. Obliged to be careful?
Don Al. Yes gout. You see, in every Court there are distinctions
that must be observed.
Giu. [Puzzled.} There are, are there?
Don Al. Why, of course. For instance, you wouldn't have a
Lord High Chancellor play leapfrog with his own cook.
Giu. Why not?
Don Al. Because a Lord High Chancellor is a personage of great
dignity, who should never, under any circumstances, place
himself in the position of being told to tuck in his tuppenny,
except by noblemen of his own rank.
Giu. Oh, I take you.
Don Al. For instance, a Lord High Archbishop might tell a Lord
High Chancellor to tuck in his tuppenny, but certainly not a
cook.
Giu. Not even a Lord High Cook?
Don Al. My good friend, that is a rank that is not recognized at
the Lord Chamberlain's office. No, no, it won't do. I'll give
you an instance in which the experiment was tried.
208 THE GONDOLIERS
SONG
Don Al. There lived a King, as I've been told.
In the wonder-working days of old,
When hearts were twice as good as gold,
And twenty times as mellow.
Good-temper triumphed in his face,
And in his heart he found a place
For all the erring human race
And every wretched fellow.
When he had Rhenish wine to drink
It made him very sad to think
That some, at junket or at jink,
Must be content with toddy.
He wished all men as rich as he
(And he was rich as rich could be),
So to the top of every tree
Promoted everybody.
Mar.&Giu. Now, that's the kind of King for me
He wished all men as rich as he,
So to the top of every tree
Promoted everybody!
Don Al. Lord Chancellors were cheap as sprats,
And Bishops in their shovel hats
Were plentiful as tabby cats
In point of fact, too many.
Ambassadors cropped up like hay,
Prime Ministers and such as they
Grew like asparagus in May,
And Dukes were three a penny.
On every side Field Marshals gleamed,
Small beer were Lords Lieutenant deemed,
With Admirals the ocean teemed
All round his wide dominions.
And Party Leaders you might meet
In twos and threes in every street
Maintaining, with no little heat,
Their various opinions.
THE GONDOLIERS 209
Mar.&Giu. Now that 's a sight you couldn't beat
Two Party Leaders in each street
Maintaining, with no little heat,
Their various opinions!
Don. Al. That King, although no one denies
His heart was of abnormal size,
Yet he'd have acted otherwise
If he had been acuter.
The end is easily foretold,
When every blessed thing you hold
Is made of silver, or of gold,
You long for simple pewter.
When you have nothing else to wear
But cloth of gold and satins rare,
For cloth of gold you cease to care
Up goes the price of shoddy.
In short, whoever you may be,
To this conclusion you'll agree,
When everyone is somebodee,
Then no one 's anybody !
Mar.&Giu. Now that's as plain as plain can be,
To this conclusion we agree
When every one is somebodee,
Then no one 's anybody!
TESSA and GIANETTA enter unobserved. The two girls, impelled by
curiosity, remain listening at the back of the stage
Don AL And now I have some important news to communicate.
His Grace the Duke of Plaza-Toro, Her Grace the Duchess,
and their beautiful daughter Casilda I say their beautiful
daughter Casilda have arrived at Barataria, and may be here
at any moment.
Mar. The Duke and Duchess are nothing to us.
Don Al. But the daughter the beautiful daughter! Aha! Oh,
you're a lucky fellow, one of you!
Giu. I think you're a very incomprehensible old gentleman.
II E E
210 THE GONDOLIERS
Don AL Not a bit I'll explain. Many years ago when you
(whichever you are) were a baby, you (whichever you are) were
married to a little girl who has grown up to be the most
beautiful young lady in Spain. That beautiful young lady will
be here to claim you (whichever you are) in half-an-hour, and
I congratulate that one (whichever it is) with all my heart.
Mar. Married when a baby !
Tess. and Gia. [Aside.] Oh!
Giu. But we were married three months ago!
Don Al. One of you only one. The other (whichever it is) is an
unintentional bigamist.
Mar. and Giu. [Bewildered.'] Oh dear me!
Tess. and Gia. {Coming forward, .] Well, upon my word!
Don Al. Eh? Who are these young people?
Tess. Who are we? Why their wives, of course. We've just arrived.
Don Al. Their wives! Oh dear, this is very unfortunate. Oh dear,
this complicates matters! Dear, dear, what will the Duke say?
Gia. And do you mean to say that one of these Monarchs was
already married?
Tess. And that neither of us will be a Queen?
Don Al. That is the idea I intended to convey.
[TESSA and GIANETTA begin to cry.
Giu. [To TESSA.] Tessa, my dear, dear child
Tess. Get away ! perhaps it 's you !
Mar. [To GIA.] My poor, poor little woman!
Gia. Don't! Who knows whose husband you are?
Tess. And pray, why didn't you tell us all about it before they left
Venice?
Don Al. Because if I had, no earthly temptation would have
induced these gentlemen to leave two such extremely fascinat-
ing and utterly irresistible little ladies! [Aside.] Neatly put!
Tess. There 's something in that.
Don Al. I may mention that you will not be kept long in suspense,
as the old lady who nursed the Royal child is at present in the
Torture Chamber, waiting for me to interview her.
Giu. Poor old girl. Hadn't you better go and put her out of her
suspense?
DonAl. Oh no there's no hurry she 'sail right. She has all the il-
lustrated papers. However, I'll go and interrogate her, and, in the
"WHEN YOU HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO WEAR
BUT CLOTH OF GOLD AND SATINS RARE"
(p. 209)
THE GONDOLIERS 211
meantime, may I suggest the absolute propriety of your regard-
ing yourselves as single young ladies. [Exit DON ALHAMBRA.
Tess. Well, here 's a pleasant state of things !
Mar. Delightful. One of us is married to two young ladies, and
nobody knows which ; and the other is married to one young
lady whom nobody can identify!
Gia. And one of us is married to one of you, and the other is
married to nobody.
Tess. But which of you is married to which of us, and what 's to
become of the other? [About to cry.
Giu. It 's quite simple. Two husbands have managed to acquire
three wives. Three wives two husbands. {Reckoning up.]
That 's two-thirds of a husband to each wife.
Tess. O Mount Vesuvius, here we are in arithmetic! My good sir,
one can't marry a vulgar fraction !
Gut. You've no right to call me a vulgar fraction.
Mar. We are getting rather mixed. The situation is entangled.
Let 's try and comb it out.
QUARTETTE MARCO, GIUSEPPE, TESSA, and GIANETTA
In a contemplative fashion,
And a tranquil frame of mind,
Free from every kind of passion,
Some solution let us find.
Let us grasp the situation,
Solve the complicated plot
Quiet, calm deliberation
Disentangles every knot.
Tessa The Others
I, no doubt, Giuseppe wedded In a contemplative fashion,
That 's, of course, of slice of luck. etc.
He is rather dunder-headed,
Still distinctly he 's a duck.
Gianetta
I, a victim too of Cupid, Let us grasp the situation,
Marco married that is clear. etc.
He 's particularly stupid,
Still distinctly he 's a dear.
212 THE GONDOLIERS
Marco The Others
To Gianetta I was mated; In a contemplative fashion,
I can prove it in a trice : etc.
Though her charms are overrated,
Still I own she 's rather nice.
Giuseppe
I to Tessa, willy-nilly, Let us grasp the situation,
All at once a victim fell. etc.
She is what is called a silly,
Still she answers pretty well.
Mar. Now when we were pretty babies
Some one married us, that is clear
Gia. And if I can catch her,
I'll pinch her and scratch her,
And sent her away with a flea in her ear.
Giu. He whom that young lady married
To receive her can't refuse.
Tess. If I overtake her
I'll warrant I'll make her
To shake in her aristocratical shoes!
Gia. [70TESS.] If she married your Giuseppe
You and he will have to part
Tess. [To GIA.] If I have to do it
I'll warrant she'll rue it
I'll teach her to marry the man of my heart!
Tess. [TbGiA.] If she married Messer Marco
You're a spinster, that is plain
Gia. [To TESS.] No matter no matter
If I can get at her
I doubt if her mother will know her again!
All. Quiet, calm deliberation
Disentangles every knot !
[Exeunt, pondering.
THE GONDOLIERS 213
MARCH. Enter procession of Retainers, heralding approach of D
DUCHESS, and CASILDA. All three are now dressed with the
utmost magnificence.
CHORUS
With ducal pomp and ducal pride
(Announce these comers,
O ye kettle-drummers!)
Comes Barataria's high-born bride.
(Ye sounding cymbals clang!)
She comes to claim the Royal hand
(Proclaim their Graces,
O ye double basses!)
Of the King who rules this goodly land.
(Ye brazen brasses bang!)
Duke. This polite attention touches
Heart of Duke and heart of Duchess,
Duch. Who resign their pet
With profound regret.
Duke. She of beauty was a model
When a tiny tiddle-toddle,
Duch. And at twenty-one
She's excelled by none!
All. With ducal pomp and ducal pride, etc.
Duke. [To his attendants. \ Be good enough to inform His Majesty
that His Grace the Duke of Plaza-Toro, Limited, has arrived,
and begs
Cas. Desires
Duch. Demands
Duke. And demands an audience. [Exeunt attendants.} And now,
my child, prepare to receive the husband to whom you were
united under such interesting and romantic circumstances.
Cas. But which is it? There are two of them !
Duke. It is true that at present His Majesty is a double gentle-
man ; but as soon as the circumstances of his marriage are
ascertained, he will, ipso facto, boil down to a single gentle-
2i 4 THE GONDOLIERS
man thus presenting a unique example of an individual who
becomes a single man and a married man by the same opera-
tion.
Ditch. {Severely. ,] I have known instances in which the character-
istics of both conditions existed concurrently in the same in-
dividual.
Duke. Ah, he couldn't have been a Plaza-Toro.
Cas. Well, whatever happens, I shall of course be a dutiful wife,
but I can never love my husband.
Duke. I don't know. It's extraordinary what unprepossessing
people one can love if one gives one's mind to it.
Duch. I loved your father.
Duke. My love that remark is a little hard, I think? Rather cruel,
perhaps? Somewhat uncalled for, I venture to believe?
Duch. It was very difficult, my dear; but I said to myself, "That
man is a Duke, and I will love him." Several of my relations
bet me I couldn't, but I did desperately!
SONG
Duch. On the day when I was wedded
To your admirable sire,
I acknowledge that I dreaded
An explosion of his ire.
I was overcome with panic
For his temper was volcanic,
And I didn't dare revolt,
For I feared a thunderbolt!
I was always very wary,
For his fury was ecstatic
His refined vocabulary
Most unpleasantly emphatic.
To the thunder
Of this Tartar
I knocked under
Like a martyr;
When intently
He was fuming,
I was gently
Unassuming
THE GONDOLIERS 215
When reviling
Me completely,
I was smiling
Very sweetly:
Giving him the very best, and getting back the very worst
That is how I tried to tame your great progenitor at first!
But I found that a reliance
On my threatening appearance,
And a resolute defiance
Of marital interference,
And a gentle intimation
Of my firm determination
To see what I could do
To be wife and husband too,
Was all that was required
For to make his temper supple,
And you couldn't have desired
A more reciprocating couple.
Ever willing
To be wooing,
We were billing
We were cooing;
When I merely
From him parted
We were nearly
B ro ken-hearted
When in sequel
Reunited,
We were equal-
Ly delighted!
So with double-shotted guns and colours nailed unto the mast,
I tamed your insignificant progenitor at last!
Cas. My only hope is that when my husband sees what a shady fam-
ily he has married into he will repudiate the contract altogether.
Duke. Shady? A nobleman shady, who is blazing in the lustre of
unaccustomed pocket-money? A nobleman shady, who can
look back upon ninety-five quarterings? It is not every noble-
216 THE GONDOLIERS
man who is ninety-five quarters in arrear I mean, who can
look back upon ninety-five of them! And this, just as I have
been floated at a premium! Oh fie!
Duch. Your Majesty is surely unaware that directly your Majesty's
father came before the public he was applied for over and over
again.
Duke. My dear, her Majesty's father was in the habit of being
applied for over and over again and very urgently applied
for, too long before he was registered under the Limited
Liability Act.
RECIT. DUKE
To help unhappy commoners, and add to their enjoyment,
Affords a man of noble rank congenial employment;
Of our attempts we offer you examples illustrative:
The work is light, and, I may add, it's most remunerative!
DUET
Duke. Small titles and orders
For Mayors and Recorders
I get and they're highly delighted
Duch. They're highly delighted !
Duke. M.P.'s baronetted,
Sham Colonels gazetted,
And second-rate Alderman knighted
Duch. Yes, Aldermen knighted.
Duke. Foundation-stone laying
I find very paying:
It adds a large sum to my makings
Duch. Large sum to his makings.
Duke. At charity dinners
The best of speech-spinners,
I get ten per cent, on the takings
Duch. One-tenth of the takings.
Duch. I present any lady
Whose conduct is shady
Or smacking of doubtful propriety
Duke. Doubtful propriety.
THE GONDOLIERS 217
Duch. When Virtue would quash her,
I take and whitewash her,
And launch her in first-rate society
Duke. First-rate society !
Duch. I recommend acres
Of clumsy dressmakers
Their fit and their finishing touches
Duke. Their finishing touches.
Duch. A sum in addition
They pay for permission
To say that they make for the Duchess
Duke. They make for the Duchess!
Duke. Those pressing prevailers,
The ready-made tailors,
Quote me as their great double-barrel
Duch. Their great double-barrel.
Duke. I allow them to do so,
Though Robinson Crusoe
Would jib at their wearing apparel!
Duch. Such wearing apparel !
Duke. I sit, by selection,
Upon the direction
Of several Companies bubble
Duch. All Companies bubble!
Duke. As soon as they're floated
I'm freely bank-noted
I'm pretty well paid for my trouble!
Duch. He 's paid for his trouble!
Duch. At middle-class party
I play at ecarte
And I'm by no means a beginner
Duke {Significantly '.] She 's not a beginner.
Duch. To one of my station
The remuneration
Five guineas a-night and my dinner
Duke. And wine with her dinner.
II FF
218 THE GONDOLIERS
Duck. I write letters blatant
On medicines patent
And use any other you mustn't
Duke. Believe me, you mustn't
Ditch. And vow my complexion
Derives its perfection
From somebody's soap which it doesn't
Duke [Significantly.] It certainly doesn't!
Duke. We're ready as witness
To any one's fitness
To fill any place or preferment
Duch. A place or preferment.
We're often in waiting
At junket or feting,
And sometimes attend an interment
Duke. We like an interment.
Both. In short, if you'd kindle
The spark of a swindle,
Lure simpletons into your clutches
Yes, into your clutches.
Or hoodwink a debtor
You cannot do better
Duch. Than trot out a Duke or a Duchess
Duke. A Duke or a Duchess!
Enter MARCO and GIUSEPPE
Duke. Ah! their Majesties. [Bows with great ceremony.
Mar. The Duke of Plaza-Toro, I believe?
Duke. The same. [MARCO and GIUSEPPE offer to shake hands with
him. The DUKE bows ceremoniously. They endeavour to imitate
him.} Allow me to present
Giu. The young lady one of us married?
[MARCO and GIUSEPPE offer to shake hands with her.
CASILDA curtsies formally. They endeavour to imitate
her.
Cas. Gentlemen, I am the most obedient servant of one of you.
[Aside.] Oh Luiz!
Duke. I am now about to address myself to the gentleman whom
THE GONDOLIERS 219
my daughter married, the other may allow his attention to
wander if he likes, for what I am about to say does not concern
him. Sir, you will find in this young lady a combination of
excellences which you would search for in vain in any young
lady who had not the good fortune to be my daughter. There
is some little doubt as to which of you is the gentleman I am
addressing, and which is the gentleman who is allowing his
attention to wander; but when that doubt is solved, I shall
say (still addressing the attentive gentleman), "Take her, and
may she make you happier than her mother has made me."
Duch. Sir!
Duke. If possible. And now there is a little matter to which I
think I am entitled to take exception. I come here in State
with Her Grace the Duchess and Her Majesty, my daughter,
and what do I find? Do I find, for instance, a guard of honour
to receive me? No. The town illuminated? No. Refreshment
provided? No. A Royal salute fired? No. Triumphal arches
erected? No. The bells set ringing? Yes one the Visitors',
and I rang it myself. It is not enough.
Giu. Upon my honour, I'm very sorry; but, you see, I was
brought up in a gondola, and my ideas of politeness are con-
fined to taking off my hat to my passengers when they tip me.
Duch. That 's all very well, but it is not enough.
Giu. I'll take off anything else in reason.
Duke. But a Royal Salute to my daughter it costs so little.
Cas. Papa, I don't want a Salute.
Giu. My dear sir, as soon as we know which of us is entitled to
take that liberty she shall have as many salutes as she likes.
Mar. As for guards of honour and triumphal arches, you don't
know our people they wouldn't stand it.
Giu. They are very off-hand with us very off-hand indeed.
Duke. Oh, but you mustn't allow that you must keep them in
proper discipline, you must impress your Court with your im-
portance. You want deportment carriage manner dignity.
There must be a good deal of this sort of thing [business]
and a little of this sort of thing [business] and possibly just
a soupgon of this sort of thing! [business] and so on. Oh,
it's very useful, and most effective. Just attend to me. You
are a King I am a subject. Very good
22O
THE GONDOLIERS
QUINTETTE DUKE, DUCHESS, CASILDA, MARCO, and GIUSEPPE
Duke.
I am a courtier grave and serious
Who is about to kiss your hand :
Try to combine a pose imperious
With a demeanour nobly bland.
Mar. & Giii. Let us combine a pose imperious
With a demeanour nobly bland.
[MARCO and GIUSEPPE endeavour to carry out his
instructions.
Duke. That 's, if anything, too unbending
Too aggressively stiff and grand ;
[They suddenly modify their attitudes.
Now to the other extreme you're tending
Don't be so deucedly condescending!
Duch. & Cas. Now to the other extreme you're tending
Don't be so dreadfully condescending!
Mar. & Giu.
Duke.
Oh, hard to please some noblemen seem!
At first, if anything, too unbending;
Off we go to the other extreme
Too confoundedly condescending!
Now a gavotte perform sedately
Offer your hand with conscious pride;
Take an attitude not too stately,
Still sufficiently dignified.
Mar. & Giu.
Duke.
[Beating time. ]
Now for an attitude not too stately,
Still sufficiently dignified.
[They endeavour to carry out his instructions.
Oncely, twicely oncely, twicely
Bow impressively ere you glide. [They do so.
Capital both you've caught it nicely!
That is the sort of thing precisely!
ONCELY, TWICELY ONCELY, TWICELY-
BOW IMPRESSIVELY ERE YOU GLIDE"
(p. 220)
Ri/IStU-F- -
THE GONDOLIERS 221
Duch. & Cas. Capital both they've caught it nicely!
That is the sort of thing precisely!
Mar. 6 Giu. Oh, sweet to earn a nobleman's praise!
Capital both we've caught it nicely!
Supposing he 's right in what he says,
This is the sort of thing precisely!
[GAVOTTE. A t the end exeunt DUKE and DUCHESS, leaving
CASILDA with MARCO and GIUSEPPE.
Giu. [To MARCO.] The old birds have gone away and left the
young chickens together. That 's called tact.
Mar. It 's very awkward. We really ought to tell her how we are
situated. It 's not fair to the girl.
Giu. Undoubtedly, but I don't know how to begin. [To CASILDA.]
A Madam
Cas. Gentlemen, I am bound to listen to you; but it is right to
tell you that, not knowing I was married in infancy, I am over
head and ears in love with somebody else.
Giu. Our case exactly! We are over head and ears in love with
somebody else! [Enter TESSA and GIANETTA.] In point of
fact, with our wives !
Cas. Your wives! Then you are married?
Tess. It's not our fault, you know. We knew nothing about it.
We are sisters in misfortune.
Cas. My good girls, I don't blame you. Only before we go any
further we must really arrive at some satisfactory arrangement,
or we shall get hopelessly complicated.
QUINTETTE MARCO, GIUSEPPE, TESSA, GIANETTA, and CASILDA
All. Here is a fix unprecedented!
Here are a King and Queen ill-starred!
Ever since marriage was first invented
Never was known a case so hard !
Mar. & Giu. I may be said to have been bisected,
By a profound catastrophe!
Gia., Tess., Cas. Through a calamity unexpected
I am divisible into three!
222
All.
O moralists all,
How can you call
Marriage a state of unitee,
When excellent husbands are bisected,
And wives divisible into three?
Enter DON ALHAMBRA, followed by DUKE, DUCHESS, and all
the Chorus
FINALE
RECIT. DON ALHAMBRA.
Now let the loyal lieges gather round
The Prince's foster-mother has been found!
She will declare, to silver clarion's sound,
The rightful King let him forthwith be crowned!
Chorus. She will declare, etc.
[DON ALHAMBRA brings forward INEZ, the Prince 's foster-
mother.
Tess. Speak, woman, speak
Duke. We're all attention !
Giu. The news we seek
Cas. This moment mention.
Duch. To us they bring
Don Al. His foster-mother.
Mar. Is he the King?
Giu. Or this my brother?
All. Speak, woman, speak, etc.
RECIT. INEZ.
The Royal Prince was by the King entrusted
To my fond care, ere I grew old and crusted ;
When traitors came to steal his son reputed,
My own small boy I deftly substituted!
The villains fell into the trap completely
I hid the Prince away still sleeping sweetly ;
I called him " son " with pardonable slyness
His name, Luiz! Behold his Royal Highness!
[Sensation. Luiz ascends the throne, crowned and robed
as King.
THE GONDOLIERS 223
Cas. [Rushing to his arms. ,] Luiz!
Luiz. Casilda! \Embrace.}
All. Is this indeed the King,
Oh, wondrous revelation!
Oh, unexpected thing!
Unlooked-for situation! [They kneel.
MARCO, GIANETTA, GIUSEPPE, and TESSA
This statement we receive
With sentiments conflicting;
Our thoughts rejoice and grieve,
Each other contradicting ;
To those whom we adore
We can be reunited
On one point rather sore,
But, on the whole, delighted!
CASILDA, Luiz., DUKE, and DUCHESS
Luiz. When others claimed thy dainty hand,
I waited waited waited waited,
Duke. As prudence (so I understand)
D ictated tated tated tated .
Cas. By virtue of our early vow
Recorded corded corded corded,
Duck. Your pure and patient love is now
Rewarded warded warded warded.
All. Then hail, O King of a Golden Land,
And the high-born bride who claims his hand
The past is dead, and you gain your own,
A royal crown and a golden throne!
MARCO and GIUSEPPE
Once more gondolieri,
Both skilful and wary,
Free from this quandary
Contented are we.
224 THE GONDOLIERS
From Royalty flying,
Our gondolas plying
And merrily crying
Our "preme, " ' ' stall! "
All. So good-bye Cachucha, fandango, bolero
We'll dance a farewell to that measure
Old Xeres, adieu Manzanilla Montero
We leave you with feelings of pleasure!
CURTAIN
CHISWICK PRESS : PRINTED BY CHARLES WHITTINGHAM AND CO.
TOOKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE, LONDON.
