Act 1
Scene 2
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				(Enter Lilia, Marcis)

Lilia		Oh, Marcis, wherefore dost thou so insist		1
		On clinging to thy melancholy?  Does
		Thee wish to break thy little sister's heart?

Marcis		Thy heart cannot be broken, sister dear,
		Thy heart cannot be taméd, for to thee			5
		Have gone the reason and the bravery
		That out of me was left.  Thou art too strong
		For any living man to supercede,
		To work his will upon. --Ha, see you thus?
		Your skills at this do more than equal mine,		10
		Though as a prodigy I once was hailed,
		And far-off guilders came to me on price
		Of my success in contest. --But of mine
		Own problems, thee have nary use.  For thee,
		Sweet Lilia, in being heir to all			15
		This kingdom has to give, have of thy own
		Aplenty weighty problems. 

Lilia						I do not
		Believe that Armus, that obsequ'ous clown,
		Should, by sole right of marriage, be the seat of	20
		Ascend'ncy in this kingdom. Well would I
		Be quite content to marry, an if I
		Could be the one to choose my life's companion,
		And if -- aye, simply if -- 'twere I could rule!
		By birth am I ordained to be a queen,			25
		And therefore should within me rest the sum
		Of this our country's power.  But because
		I am a woman, it is thought that I
		Have not the reason, not the proper skills
		To take responsibility of any				30
		Such thing as a whole kingdom, and instead
		Should lisp, and flitter, sit and tend my hearth,
		And children, and 'haps pass the time
		With all the goss'py empty-headed wives
		Of nobles with more power, less mind than I!		35
		Oh, though my sex may be my only fault,
		'Tis gross enough to bar me from my birthright.

Marcis		Methinks that you and I were born to sorrow,
		One three years early, on three late, and if
		We had both entered this i'our rightful places,		40
		You elder prince, and I mad sister second,
		All would be well.  You now would be instated
		As king.

Lilia			Say you not so!  'Tis not as bad
		As that.						45

Marcis			My madness may deflect my sense
		Of reason, when the heavens lie in rest,
		But when the spheres do move, as they are now,
		To stand beside their mighty brethren; then,
		And only then, have I some sense in me.			50
		And I know that, though you a woman be,
		You could not be nae better fit to lead.

Lilia		You speak kindly, my brother, but in faith
		Your confidence in me must be ill 'vised
		For no one else will in my cause believe.		55

Marcis		Had I the power to support you, then
		I would, but ah, I am but mad.

				(Enter Helva)

Helva		Oh, but get ye now to bed, Marcis!  It be too late
		for ye to stay thus, quite wakeful, when your health
		shall suffer on't!  Get ye to bed, young man,		60 
		go!  --And ye know better than to keep him from
		his rest, doth ye lady, so please ye, leave us hence!
		Mayhap young Armus can entertain your attention.

Lilia		Armus?

Helva		Aye, he waits for ye down in the hall.  And before 	65
		his attentions ye scorn, young Lilia, be mindful of  
		his status as thy betrothed.  Chafe though ye may, 
		ye must betime accept his dowry-claim.  And leave
		off your foolish prating, and accept him as your 
		king and your master; for if ye continue in this 	70
		manner, he may well cry off the dowry-claim, and 
		then your cousin Garond be king, of this and of his 
		domain, both betime.  But all that bears no matter 
		to ye, for, seeing as Armus be a courteous and a fair 
		man, why do ye not gladly accept the terms of the 	75
		betrothal, and go to him as his wife?

Lilia		Because I am to be the queen, good servant,
		The sole possessor of this kingdom's crown.
		I will not give good Armus what is mine,
		But keep it.  It is mine by right of birth.		80
		It is not his, nor shall it ever be.

Helva		Your queen mother be in the right.  Ye scorn 
		at treasures, balk at fanciful troubles.  Ye are 
		quite naught, child, your self-indulgent haviors 
		serve only to prove it thus.  Now get ye down 		85
		to the hall, and tell ye to Armus ye will 'cept 
		his favors, and all shall be set right again.
		--Now get ye hence, ye maddened child!

				(Helva and Marcis exit)

Lilia		Oh, why was I not born a prince?  An if
		I had, 'twould be no obstacle to my rule.		90
		A prince, in mind most sound, doth have of course
		The right t'assume the heralds of command!
		But I, I be a woman; so am I
		Judged not to be the proper one to sit
		Upon the throne, my birthright taken from me!		95
		--But still, 'fore God, I cannot say I'd leif
		Been born a brother to sweet Marcis; for
		I am myself, and I can be no other.
		No, no; 'tis this, not that that is my wish:
		I wish the law o'th'kingdom were not set		100
		That I, a woman, cannot rule; for I
		Would be as able and as fair to do so
		As any man within a thousand miles.
		'Tis but tradition, mouldy, black with age,
		That bars me from my own and royal right.		105
		--And well would I be glad to let my poor
		Sweet brother Marcis be the king; but oh,
		Alas, alas, poor Marcis cannot do.
		And I know well what Armus thinks of him,
		And what he'd do ere hours two have passed		110
		Since he had been instated as the king.
		Away would Marcis go, and in the prison
		For mad and weakened minds there be imposed,
		And die a shunnéd pauper.  Never, no!
		I never shall allow these things to pass.		115
		My resolution stands to lead alone.
		I'll die ere Armus takes my hand and throne.

				(Exits)