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Robert Browning - The Ring And The Book - Chapter X - The Pope
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What is the last word I must listen to?
Is it “Spare yet a term this barren stock,
“We pray thee dig about and dung and dress
“Till he repent and bring forth fruit even yet?”
Is it “So poor and swift a punishment
“Shall throw him out of life with all that sin?
“Let mercy rather pile up pain on pain
“Till the flesh expiate what the soul pays else?”
Nowise! Remonstrance on all sides begins
Instruct me, there’s a new tribunal now
Higher than God’s,—the educated man’s!
Nice sense of honour in the human breast
Supersedes here the old coarse oracle—
Confirming handsomely a point or so
Wherein the predecessor worked aright
By rule of thumb: as when Christ said,—when, where?
Enough, I find it in a pleading here,—
“All other wrongs done, patiently I take:
“But touch my honour and the case is changed!
“I feel the due resentment,—nemini
“Honorem trado, is my quick retort.”
Right of Him, just as if pronounced to-day!
Still, should the old authority be mute,
Or doubtful, or in speaking clash with new,
The younger takes permission to decide.
At last we have the instinct of the world
Ruling its household without tutelage,
And while the two laws, human and divine,
Have busied finger with this tangled case,
In the brisk junior pushes, cuts the knot,
Pronounces for acquittal. How it trips
Silverly o’er the tongue! “Remit the death!
“Forgive . . . well, in the old way, if thou please,
“Decency and the relics of routine
“Respected,—let the Count go free as air!
“Since he may plead a priest’s immunity,—
“The minor orders help enough for that,
“With Farinacci’s licence,—who decides
“That the mere implication of such man,
“So privileged, in any cause, before
“Whatever court except the Spiritual,
“Straight quashes the procedure,—quash it, then!
“It proves a pretty loophole of escape
“Moreover, that, beside the patent fact
“O’ the law’s allowance, there’s involved the weal
“O’ the Popedom: a son’s privilege at stake,
“Thou wilt pretend the Church’s interest,
“Ignore all finer reasons to forgive!
“But herein lies the proper cogency—
“(Let thy friends teach thee while thou tellest beads)
“That in this case the spirit of culture speaks,
“Civilisation is imperative.
“To her shall we remand all delicate points
“Henceforth, nor take irregular advice
“O’ the sly, as heretofore: she used to hint
“Apologies when law was out of sorts
“Because a saucy tongue was put to rest,
“An eye that roved was cured of arrogance:
“But why be forced to mumble under breath
“What soon shall be acknowledged the plain fact,
“Outspoken, say, in thy successor’s time?
“Methinks we see the golden age return!
“Civilisation and the Emperor
“Succeed thy Christianity and Pope.
“One Emperor then, as one Pope now: meanwhile,
“She anticipates a little to tell thee ‘Take
“‘Count Guido’s life, and sap society,
“‘Whereof the main prop was, is, and shall prove
“‘—Supremacy of husband over wife!’
“Shall the man rule i’ the house, or may his mate
“Because of any plea dispute the same?
“Oh, pleas of all sorts shall abound, be sure,
“If once allowed validity,—for, harsh
“And savage, for, inept and silly-sooth,
“For, this and that, will the ingenious sex
“Demonstrate the best master e’er graced slave:
“And there’s but one short way to end the coil,—
“By giving right and reason steadily
“To the man and master: then the wife submits.
“There it is broadly stated,—nor the time
“Admits we shift—a pillar? nay, a stake
“Out of its place i’ the tenement, one touch
“Whereto may send a shudder through the heap
“And bring it toppling on our heads perchance.
“Moreover, if this breed a qualm in thee,
“Give thine own feelings play for once,—deal death?
“Thou, whose own life winks o’er the socket-edge,
“Would’st thou it went out in such ugly snuff
“As dooming sons to death, though justice bade?
“Why, on a certain feast, Barabbas’ self
“Was set free not to cloud the general cheer.
“Neither shalt thou pollute thy Sabbath close!
“Mercy is safe and graceful. How one hears
“The howl begin, scarce the three little taps
“O’ the silver mallet ended on thy brow,—
“‘His last act was to sacrifice a Count
“‘And thereby screen a scandal of the Church!
“‘Guido condemned, the Canon justified
“‘Of course,—delinquents of his cloth go free!’
“And so the Luthers and the Calvins come,
“So thy hand helps Molinos to the chair
“Whence he may hold forth till doom’s day on just
“These petit-maître priestlings,—in the choir,
“Sanctus et Benedictus, with a brush
“Of soft guitar-strings that obey the thumb,
“Touched by the bedside, for accompaniment!
“Does this give umbrage to a husband? Death
“To the fool, and to the priest impunity!
“But no impunity to any friend
“So simply over-loyal as these four
“Who made religion of their patron’s cause,
“Believed in him and did his bidding straight,
“Asked not one question but laid down the lives
“This Pope took,—all four lives together made
“Just his own length of days,—so, dead they lie,
“As these were times when loyalty’s a drug,
“And zeal in a subordinate too cheap
“And common to be saved when we spend life!
“Come, ’tis too much good breath we waste in words:
“The pardon, Holy Father! Spare grimace,
“Shrugs and reluctance! Are not we the world,
“Bid thee, our Priam, let soft culture plead
“Hecuba-like, ‘non tali’ (Virgil serves)
“‘Auxilio,’ and the rest! Enough, it works!
“The Pope relaxes, and the Prince is loth,
“The father’s bowels yearn, the man’s will bends,
“Reply is apt. Our tears on tremble, hearts
“Big with a benediction, wait the word
“Shall circulate thro’ the city in a trice,
“Set every window flaring, give each man
“O’ the mob his torch to wave for gratitude.
“Pronounce it, for our breath and patience fail!” 

I will, Sirs: for a voice other than yours
Quickens my spirit. “Quis pro Domino?
“Who is upon the Lord’s side?” asked the Count.
I, who write—
                        “On receipt of this command,
“Acquaint Count Guido and his fellows four
“They die to-morrow: could it be to-night,
“The better, but the work to do, takes time.
“Set with all diligence a scaffold up,
“Not in the customary place, by Bridge
“Saint Angelo, where die the common sort;
“But since the man is noble, and his peers
“By predilection haunt the People’s Square,
“There let him be beheaded in the midst,
“And his companions hanged on either side:
“So shall the quality see, fear, and learn.
“All which work takes time: till to-morrow, then,
“Let there be prayer incessant for the five!” 

For the main criminal I have no hope
Except in such a suddenness of fate.
I stood at Naples once, a night so dark
I could have scarce conjectured there was earth
Anywhere, sky or sea or world at all:
But the night’s black was burst through by a blaze—
Thunder struck blow on blow, earth groaned and bore,
Through her whole length of mountain visible:
There lay the city thick and plain with spires,
And, like a ghost disshrouded, white the sea.
So may the truth be flashed out by one blow,
And Guido see, one instant, and be saved.
Else I avert my face, nor follow him
Into that sad obscure sequestered state
Where God unmakes but to remake the soul
He else made first in vain; which must not be.
Enough, for I may die this very night
And how should I dare die, this man let live? 

Carry this forthwith to the Governor!
Source
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