VOICE.

King! thy brother,

If one may dare to speak the truth, was wrong'd,

Wild was he, born SO: but the plots against

him

Had madden'd tamer men.

MORCAR.

Thou art one of those

Who brake into Lord Tostig's treasure-house

And slew two hundred of his following,

And now, when Tostig hath come back with power,

Are frighted back to Tostig.

OLD THANE.

Ugh! Plots and feuds!

This is my ninetieth birthday. Can ye not

Be brethren? Godwin still at feud with Alfgar, And Alfgar hates King Harold. Plots and feuds! This is my ninetieth birthday!

HAROLD.

Old man, Harold

Hates nothing; not his fault, if our two houses

Be less than brothers.

VOICES.

Aldwyth, Harold, Aldwyth!

HAROLD.

Again! Morcar! Edwin! What do they mean?

EDWIN.

So the good king would deign to lend an ear

Not overscornful, we might chance-perchance-
To guess their meaning.

MORCAR.

Thine own meaning, Harold,

To make all England one, to close all feuds,

Mixing our bloods, that thence a king may rise

Harold.

IO

Half-Godwin and half-Alfgar, one to rule

All England beyond question, beyond quarrel.

HAROLD.

Who sow'd this fancy here among the people?

MORCAR.

Who knows what sows itself among the people? A goodly flower at times.

HAROLD.

The Queen of Wales?

Why, Morcar, it is all but duty in her

To hate me; I have heard she hates me.

MORCAR.

No!

For I can swear to that, but cannot swear

That these will follow thee against the Norsemen,

If thou deny them this.

HAROLD.

Morcar and Edwin,

When will ye cease to plot against my house?

EDWIN.

The king can scarcely dream that we,

know

His prowess in the mountains of the West,
Should care to plot against him in the North.

who

MORCAR.

Who dares arraign us, king, of such a plot?

HAROLD.

Ye heard one witness even now.

MORCAR.

The craven!

There is a faction risen again for Tostig,

Since Tostig came with Norway-fright not love.

HAROLD.

Morcar and Edwin, will ye, if I yield,

Follow against the Norseman?

MORCAR.

Surely, surely!

HAROLD.

Morcar and Edwin, will ye upon oath,

Help us against the Norman?

MORCAR.

With good will;

Yea, take the Sacrament upon it, king.

HAROLD.

Where is thy sister?

MORCAR.

Somewhere hard at hand,

Call and she comes.

[One goes out, then enter ALDWYTH.