Brian Friel Plays 2 (33 page)

O’Donnell
How are you, man?

O’Neill
Good to see you, Hugh. You’re welcome.

O’Donnell
Good to see you, too.

They
embrace
with
great
affection.

I haven’t seen you since the horse-swimming at Lough Owel, the day you rode the –! (
He
breaks
off.
)
Jesus, lads, what about that – eh? Is that not a sight for sore eyes!

O’Neill
Do you like it?

O’Donnell
I bet you that’s a London job – eh?

O’Neill
Of course.

O’Donnell
And the smell of perfume off him!

O’Neill
Peter.

Lombard
How are you, Hugh?

O’Neill
Welcome back to Dungannon.

Lombard
Thank you.

O’Donnell
My poor sister’s not seven months dead and I bet you the bugger’s on the prowl again! (
to
Harry
)
Am I right?

Harry
spreads
his
hands.

Lombard
Gifts for you, Hugh. From the Pope.

O’Neill
What’s all this?

Lombard
A silver birdcage and a gold and silver candelabra.

O’Donnell
Look at that for craftsmanship.

O’Neill
Lovely. Indeed. Beautiful.

O’Donnell
He sent me a present, too. Guess what I got – a papal blessing!

Lombard
(
to O’Neill
)
With his warmest good wishes.

O’Neill
I’m not being paid off, am I?

Lombard
He’s solidly behind you in principle.

O’Neill
He always is. But no money?

Lombard
These things take time, Hugh. I’ve a letter from him for you too.

O’Neill
(
aside
to
Harry
)
See about that room now. (
to
Lombard
)
So you’re just back from Rome?

Lombard
Home a week last Sunday. Came via Spain. I’ve a lot to report.

O’Neill
Good. Will you sit here, Peter?

Harry
exits.
O
’Donnell
goes
to
the
sideboard
where
there
are
bottles,
wine
and
glasses.

Lombard
(
sitting
)
Thank you.

O’Donnell
Can we help ourselves, Hugh?

O’Neill
Of course. Sorry. Peter?

Lombard
Not for me, thanks. I have copies here for everybody.

O’Donnell
Do you know that the floor in the hall out there is going to cave in with dry rot?

Lombard
This is all the recent correspondence with Spain – our case to Philip II and his responses, including his last reply which you haven’t seen yet.

O’Donnell
We had dry rot in the house at Ballyshannon and my mother had to tear out every piece of timber in the place.

Lombard
And this is a résumé of my
Commentarius –
a thesis I’m doing on the Irish situation. Briefly my case is this. Because of her mismanagement England has forfeited her right to domination over this country. The Irish chieftains have been forced to take up arms in defence of their religion. And because of your birth, education and personal attributes, you are the natural leader of that revolt. I’ll go into it in detail later on.

O’Donnell
Do you know what my mother did? She got oak off those Armada wrecks lying about the coast and replaced every floor and window in the house. It’s a terrific job. You could gallop a horse across those floors now. You should do the same here, Hugh.

O’Neill
And I hear you’re writing our history, Peter?

Lombard
Ah. Harry has been talking.

O’Neill
Have you begun?

Lombard
No, no; only checking some events and dates.

O’Neill
And when your checking is done?

Lombard
Then I suppose I’ll try to arrange the material into a shape – eventually.

O’Neill
And interpret what you’ve gathered?

Lombard
Not interpret, Hugh. Just describe.

O’Neill
Without comment?

Lombard
I’ll just try to tell the story of what I saw and took part in as accurately as I can.

O’Neill
But you’ll tell the truth?

Lombard
I’m no historian, Hugh. I’m not even sure I know what the historian’s function is – not to talk of his method.

O’Neill
But you’ll tell the truth?

Lombard
If you’re asking me will my story be as accurate as possible – of course it will. But are truth and falsity the proper criteria? I don’t know. Maybe when the time comes my first responsibility will be to tell the best possible narrative. Isn’t that what history is, a kind of story-telling?

O’Neill
Is it?

Lombard
Imposing a pattern on events that were mostly casual and haphazard and shaping them into a narrative that is logical and interesting. Oh, yes, I think so.

O’Neill
And where does the truth come into all this?

Lombard
I’m not sure that ‘truth’ is a primary ingredient – is that a shocking thing to say? Maybe when the time comes, imagination will be as important as information.
But one thing I will promise you: nothing will be put down on paper for years and years. History has to be made – before it’s remade.

Harry
returns.

Harry
That’s being looked after.

O’Neill
Good. Now, let’s make this short and brisk, shall we? What’s on the agenda?

Harry
Hugh has got information that the English are planning new fortifications along the –

O’Donnell
Do you know what the hoors are at? They’re going to build a line of forts right across the country from Dundalk over to Sligo. That’ll cut us off from the south. (
He
illustrates
this
by
tearing
a
sheet
of
paper
in
two.
)
The second stage is to build a huge fort at Derry so that you and I will be cut off from each other. (
He
illustrates
this
by
cutting
the
half-page
into
quarters.
)
Then, when Donegal and Tyrone are isolated, then they plan to move in against each of us.

Harry
And the Archbishop has news about help from Spain.

Lombard
I have letters from both the King and –

O’Donnell
But their first move is to strengthen the forts they already have: Bagenal’s place at Newry; Armagh; and the Blackwater.

Lombard
(
as
he
passes
papers
around
)
I’ve spent a lot of time in Madrid recently, Hugh, and I can tell you that Europe is looking more and more to us as the ideal springboard for the Counter-Reformation.

O’Donnell
And another thing I want to talk about: the shit O’Doherty up in Inishowen. Do you know what the wee get’s at, Hugh? Nipping down as far as Killybegs,
stealing our sheep and shipping them off to France! Running a bloody big export business – with my sheep!

Lombard
The initial shock of the Reformation is over. Catholic Europe is now gathering itself together for a Counter-Reformation. And the feeling is that culturally, geographically and with some military assistance we could be the spearhead of that counter-attack.

O’Donnell
Now I can go in today and snatch the bastard and chop his head off. But if I do that all Inishowen’s up in arms and already I have O’Rourke of West Breffny threatening to quarter me. (
He
now
joins
the
others
at
the
table.
)
Did you hear what we did to O’Rourke last week? Jesus, you’ll love this, Hugh. We got word that he was away down in Clare at a funeral. So we slipped down to Lough Allen and took away every horse and foal he owns! Six hundred prime animals! Jesus, he’s going mad! Because he can’t come after us! Because he has no transport! Good one, Hugh – eh?

Harry
Let’s begin with the Archbishop, shall we?

O’Donnell
You’ll help me against the shit O’Doherty, won’t you? Because if I do nothing, the bugger’ll think he has me bet.

Harry
You sit there, Hugh.

O’Donnell
Damn it, maybe I could poison him! The very job! Send him a peace offering – a cask of Bordeaux Special!

Lombard
Has everybody got a copy?

O’Donnell
Or better still you (
O’Neill
)
send him the Bordeaux. He’d never suspect you. I got a jar of this deadly stuff from Genoa last week – just one drop in your glass and – plunk!

Harry
Go ahead, Peter.

Lombard
Thank you. Three months –

O’Donnell
All the same that jacket takes years off him.

Lombard
If I may, Hugh (
O’Donnell
)
–

O’Donnell
You would never think he was forty-one, would you? Almost forty-two. (
offering
Lombard
the
floor
)
Peter.

Lombard
Three months ago you (
O’Neill
)
wrote again to Philip asking for Spanish arms and money. You have a copy – dated May 14 last.

O’Donnell
I have no copy.

Harry
points
to
a
paper
in
front
of
O’Donnell.

Ah. Sorry.

Lombard
The final sentence reads: ‘With such aid we hope to restore the faith of the Church and to secure you a kingdom.’

O’Donnell
I never agreed with that stuff about offering him a kingdom.

Lombard
I have brought his reply back – the document dated August 3. ‘I have been informed you are defending the Catholic cause against the English. That this is acceptable to God is proved by the signal victories you have gained –’

O’Donnell
Not against the shit O’Doherty.

Lombard
‘I hope you will continue to prosper and you need not doubt but I will render you any assistance you may require.’ Now after all these years I think I have a very good idea how the Spanish court thinks. They have a
natural
sympathy and understanding of us because we share
the one true faith. And they genuinely abhor England’s attempt to impose the new heretical religion on us. But don’t assume that that sympathy is unqualified – because it is not. Their interest in us is practical and political. I have had a series of meetings with the Duke of Lerma –

O’Donnell
Whoever he is.

Lombard
He determines their foreign policy. And every time he says the same thing to me. Spain will help you only if you are useful to us. And when I look at you what do I see? A small island located strategically to the west of our enemy, England. A tiny portion of that island, the area around Dublin, under English rule. A few New English families living in isolation round the country. But by far the greater portion of your island is a Gaelic domain, ruled by Gaelic chieftains. And how do they behave? Constantly at war – occasionally with the English – but always, always among themselves. And how can fragmented and warring tribes be any use to us?

O’Donnell
Constantly at war? Jesus, I haven’t an enemy in the world!

Lombard
But what Lerma is really saying is that if we can forge ourselves into a cohesive unit, then, then we can go back to him and say: we are not fragmented; we are not warring; we are a united people; now help us. Now to return to my
Commentarius –
it’s the document with the blue cover. The full title is
De
Regno
Hiberniae
Sanctorum
Insula
Commentarius
–

O’Donnell
I have no –

Harry
points
to
the
document
in
front
of
him.