HEROD
How! He raises people from the dead?
FIRST NAZARENE
Yea, sire; He raiseth the dead.
HEROD
I do not wish Him to do that. I forbid Him to do that. I suffer no man to raise the dead. This Man must be found and told that I forbid Him to raise the dead. Where is this Man at present?
SECOND NAZARENE
He is in every place, my lord, but it is hard to find Him.
FIRST NAZARENE
It is said that He is now in Samaria.
A JEW
It is easy to see that this is not Messias, if He is in Samaria. It is not to the Samaritans that Messias shall come. The Samaritans are accursed. They bring no offerings to the Temple.
SECOND NAZARENE
He left Samaria a few days since. I think that at the present moment He is in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem.
FIRST NAZARENE
No; He is not there. I have just come from Jerusalem. For two months they have had no tidings of Him.
HEROD
No matter! But let them find Him, and tell Him, thus saith Herod the King, “I will not suffer Thee to raise the dead.” To change water into wine, to heal the lepers and the blind … . He may do these things if He will. I say nothing against these things. In truth I hold it a kindly deed to heal a leper. But no man shall raise the dead … . It would be terrible if the dead came back.
THE VOICE OF IOKANAAN
Ah! The wanton one! The harlot! Ah! the daughter of Babylon with her golden eyes and her gilded eyelids! Thus saith the Lord God, Let there come up against her a multitude of men. Let the people take stones and stone her … .
HERODIAS
Command him to be silent!
THE VOICE OF IOKANAAN
Let the captains of the hosts pierce her with their swords, let them crush her beneath their shields.
HERODIAS
Nay, but it is infamous.
THE VOICE OF IOKANAAN
It is thus that I will wipe out all wickedness from the earth, and that all women shall learn not to imitate her abominations.
HERODIAS
You hear what he says against me? You suffer him to revile her who is your wife!
HEROD
He did not speak your name.
HERODIAS
What does that matter? You know well that it is I whom he seeks to revile. And I am your wife, am I not?
HEROD
Of a truth, dear and noble Herodias, you are my wife, and before that you were the wife of my brother.
HERODIAS
It was thou didst snatch me from his arms.
HEROD
Of a truth I was stronger than he was … . But let us not talk of that matter. I do not desire to talk of it. It is the cause of the terrible words that the prophet has spoken. Peradventure on account of it a misfortune will come. Let us not speak of this matter. Noble Herodias, we are not mindful of our guests. Fill thou my cup, my well-beloved. Ho! fill with wine the great goblets of silver, and the great goblets of glass. I will drink to Cæsar. There are Romans here, we must drink to Cæsar.
ALL
Cæsar! Cæsar!
HEROD
Do you not see your daughter, how pale she is?
HERODIAS
What is it to you if she be pale or not?
HEROD
Never have I seen her so pale.
HERODIAS
You must not look at her.
THE VOICE OF IOKANAAN
In that day the sun shall become black like sackcloth of hair, and the moon shall become like blood, and the stars of the heaven shall fall upon the earth like unripe figs that fall from the fig-tree, and the kings of the earth shall be afraid.
HERODIAS
Ah! ah! I should like to see that day of which he speaks, when the moon shall become like blood, and when the stars shall fall upon the earth like unripe figs. This prophet talks like a drunken man, … but I cannot suffer the sound of his voice. I hate his voice. Command him to be silent.
HEROD
I will not. I cannot understand what it is that he saith, but it may be an omen.
HERODIAS
I do not believe in omens. He speaks like a drunken man.
HEROD
It may be he is drunk with the wine of God.
HERODIAS
What wine is that, the wine of God? From what vineyards is it gathered? In what wine-press may one find it?
HEROD
(From this point he looks all the while at Salomé.)
Tigellinus, when you were at Rome of late, did the Emperor speak with you on the subject of …?
TIGELLINUS
On what subject, my lord?
HEROD
On what subject? Ah! I asked you a question, did I not? I have forgotten what I would have asked you.
HERODIAS
You are looking again at my daughter. You must not look at her. I have already said so.
HEROD
You say nothing else.
HERODIAS
I say it again.
HEROD
And that restoration of the Temple about which they have talked so much, will anything be done? They say that the veil of the Sanctuary has disappeared, do they not?
HERODIAS
It was thyself didst steal it. Thou speakest at random and without wit. I will not stay here. Let us go within.
HEROD
Dance for me, Salomé.
HERODIAS
I will not have her dance.
SALOMÉ
I have no desire to dance, Tetrarch.
HEROD
Salomé, daughter of Herodias, dance for me.
HERODIAS
Peace. Let her alone.
HEROD
I command thee to dance, Salomé.
SALOMÉ
I will not dance, Tetrarch.
HERODIAS
(Laughing.)
You see how she obeys you.
HEROD
What is it to me whether she dance or not?