No More Learning

ANGEL.

You should have asked forgiveness long ago.

WISE MAN.

Had I seen your face as I see it now, oh! beautiful angel, I would have
believed, I would have asked forgiveness. Maybe you do not know how
easy it is to doubt. Storm, death, the grass rotting, many sicknesses,
those are the messengers that came to me. Oh! why are you silent? You
carry the pardon of the Most High; give it to me! I would kiss your
hands if I were not afraid--no, no, the hem of your dress!

ANGEL.

You let go undying hands too long ago to take hold of them now.

WISE MAN.

You cannot understand. You live in a country that we can only dream
about. Maybe it is as hard for you to understand why we disbelieve as
it is for us to believe. Oh! what have I said! You know everything!
Give me time to undo what I have done. Give me a year--a month--a day--an
hour! Give me to this hour's end, that I may undo what I have done!

ANGEL.

You cannot undo what you have done. Yet I have this power with my
message. If you can find one that believes before the hour's end, you
shall come to Heaven after the years of Purgatory. For, from one fiery
seed, watched over by those that sent me, the harvest can come again to
heap the golden threshing-floor. But now farewell, for I am weary of
the weight of time.

WISE MAN.

Blessed be the Father, blessed be the Son, blessed be the Spirit,
blessed be the Messenger They have sent!

ANGEL.

[_At the door and pointing at the hour-glass. _]

In a little while the uppermost glass will be empty. [_Goes out. _

WISE MAN.

Everything will be well with me. I will call my pupils; they only say
they doubt. [_Pulls the bell. _] They will be here in a moment. They
want to please me; they pretend that they disbelieve. Belief is too
old to be overcome all in a minute. Besides, I can prove what I once
disproved. [_Another pull at the bell. _] They are coming now. I will go
to my desk. I will speak quietly, as if nothing had happened.

[_He stands at the desk with a fixed look in his eyes.
The voices of THE PUPILS are heard singing these words_:

I was going the road one day--
O the brown and the yellow beer--
And I met with a man that was no right man:
O my dear, O my dear!

_Enter PUPILS and the FOOL. _

FOOL.

Leave me alone. Leave me alone. Who is that pulling at my bag? King's
son, do not pull at my bag.

A YOUNG MAN.

Did your friends the angels give you that bag? Why don't they fill your
bag for you?

FOOL.

Give me pennies! Give me some pennies!

A YOUNG MAN.

What do you want pennies for? that great bag at your waist is heavy.

FOOL.

I want to buy bacon in the shops, and nuts in the market, and strong
drink for the time when the sun is weak, and snares to catch rabbits
and the squirrels that steal the nuts, and hares, and a great pot to
cook them in.

A YOUNG MAN.

Why don't your friends tell you where buried treasures are? Why don't
they make you dream about treasures? If one dreams three times there is
always treasure.

FOOL [_holding out his hat_].

Give me pennies! Give me pennies!

[_They throw pennies into his hat. He is standing close
to the door, that he may hold out his hat to each
newcomer. _

A YOUNG MAN.

Master, will you have Teig the Fool for a scholar?

ANOTHER YOUNG MAN.

Teig, will you give us your pennies if we teach you lessons? No, he
goes to school for nothing on the mountains. Tell us what you learn on
the mountains, Teig?

WISE MAN.

Be silent all! [_He has been standing silent, looking away. _] Stand
still in your places, for there is something I would have you tell me.

[_A moment's pause. They all stand round in their
places. TEIG still stands at the door. _

WISE MAN.

Is there any one amongst you who believes in God? In Heaven? Or in
Purgatory? Or in Hell?

ALL THE YOUNG MEN.

No one, Master! No one!

WISE MAN.

I knew you would all say that; but do not be afraid. I will not be
angry. Tell me the truth. Do you not believe?

A YOUNG MAN.

We once did, but you have taught us to know better.

WISE MAN.

Oh! teaching, teaching does not go very deep! The heart remains
unchanged under it all. You have the faith that you always had, and you
are afraid to tell me.

A YOUNG MAN.

No, no, Master!

WISE MAN.

If you tell me that you have not changed I shall be glad and not angry.

A YOUNG MAN [_to his _Neighbour_].

He wants somebody to dispute with.

HIS NEIGHBOUR.

I knew that from the beginning.

A YOUNG MAN.

That is not the subject for to-day; you were going to talk about the
words the beggar wrote upon the walls of Babylon.

WISE MAN.

If there is one amongst you that believes, he will be my best friend.
Surely there is one amongst you. [_They are all silent. _] Surely what
you learned at your mother's knees has not been so soon forgotten.

A YOUNG MAN.

Master, till you came, no teacher in this land was able to get rid of
foolishness and ignorance. But every one has listened to you, every one
has learned the truth. You have had your last disputation.

ANOTHER.

What a fool you made of that monk in the market-place! He had not a
word to say.

WISE MAN.

[_Comes from his desk and stands among them in the
middle of the room. _]

Pupils, dear friends, I have deceived you all this time. It was I
myself who was ignorant. There is a God. There is a Heaven. There is
fire that passes, and there is fire that lasts for ever.

[_TEIG, through all this, is sitting on a stool by the
door, reckoning on his fingers what he will buy with
his money. _

A YOUNG MAN [_to _Another_].

He will not be satisfied till we dispute with him. [_To the WISE MAN. _]
Prove it, Master. Have you seen them?

WISE MAN [_in a low, solemn voice_].

Just now, before you came in, someone came to the door, and when I
looked up I saw an angel standing there.

A YOUNG MAN.

You were in a dream. Anybody can see an angel in his dreams.

WISE MAN.

Oh, my God! It was not a dream! I was awake, waking as I am now. I tell
you I was awake as I am now.

A YOUNG MAN.

Some dream when they are awake, but they are the crazy, and who would
believe what they say? Forgive me, Master, but that is what you taught
me to say. That is what you said to the monk when he spoke of the
visions of the saints and the martyrs.

ANOTHER YOUNG MAN.

You see how well we remember your teaching.

WISE MAN.

Out, out from my sight! I want someone with belief. I must find that
grain the Angel spoke of before I die. I tell you I must find it, and
you answer me with arguments. Out with you, out of my sight!

[_The _Young Men_ laugh. _

A YOUNG MAN.

How well he plays at faith! He is like the monk when he had nothing
more to say.

WISE MAN.

Out, out! This is no time for laughter! Out with you, though you are a
king's son!

[_They begin to hurry out. _

A YOUNG MAN.

Come, come; he wants us to find someone who will dispute with him.
[_All go out. _

WISE MAN.

[_Alone; he goes to the door at the side. _]

I will call my wife. She will believe; women always believe. [_He opens
the door and calls. _] Bridget! Bridget! [_BRIDGET comes in wearing her
apron, her sleeves turned up from her floury arms. _] Bridget, tell me
the truth; do not say what you think will please me. Do you sometimes
say your prayers?

BRIDGET.

Prayers! No, you taught me to leave them off long ago. At first I was
sorry, but I am glad now for I am sleepy in the evenings.

WISE MAN.

But do you not believe in God?

BRIDGET.

Oh, a good wife only believes what her husband tells her!

WISE MAN.

But sometimes when you are alone, when I am in the school and the
children asleep, do you not think about the saints, about the things
you used to believe in? What do you think of when you are alone?

BRIDGET [_considering_].

I think about nothing.
Sometimes I wonder if the linen is bleaching
white, or I go out to see if the crows are picking up the chickens'
food.

WISE MAN.

Oh, what can I do! Is there nobody who believes he can never die? I
must go and find somebody! [_He goes towards the door, but stops with
his eyes fixed on the hour-glass. _] I cannot go out; I cannot leave
that. Go, and call my pupils again. I will make them understand. I will
say to them that only amid spiritual terror, or only when all that
laid hold on life is shaken can we see truth. There is something in
Plato, but--no, do not call them. They would answer as I have bid.

BRIDGET.

You want somebody to get up an argument with.

WISE MAN.

Oh, look out of the door and tell me if there is anybody there in the
street. I cannot leave this glass; somebody might shake it! Then the
sand would fall more quickly.

BRIDGET.

I don't understand what you are saying. [_Looks out. _] There is a great
crowd of people talking to your pupils.

WISE MAN.

Oh, run out, Bridget, and see if they have found somebody that all the
time I was teaching understood nothing or did not listen!

BRIDGET.

[_Wiping her arms in her apron and pulling down her
sleeves. _]

It's a hard thing to be married to a man of learning that must be
always having arguments. [_Goes out and shouts through the kitchen
door. _] Don't be meddling with the bread, children, while I'm out.

WISE MAN [_kneels down_].

'_Confiteor Deo Omnipotenti beatae Mariae . . . _' I have forgotten it all.
It is thirty years since I have said a prayer. I must pray in the
common tongue, like a clown begging in the market, like Teig the Fool!
[_He prays. _] Help me, Father, Son, and Spirit!

[_BRIDGET enters, followed by the FOOL, who is holding
out his hat to her. _

FOOL.

Give me something; give me a penny to buy bacon in the shops, and nuts
in the market, and strong drink for the time when the sun grows weak.

BRIDGET.

I have no pennies. [_To the WISE MAN. _] Your pupils cannot find anybody
to argue with you. There is nobody in the whole country who has enough
belief to fill a pipe with since you put down the monk. Can't you be
quiet now and not always wanting to have arguments? It must be terrible
to have a mind like that.

WISE MAN.

I am lost! I am lost!

BRIDGET.

Leave me alone now; I have to make the bread for you and the children.

WISE MAN.

Out of this, woman, out of this, I say! [_BRIDGET goes through the
kitchen door. _] Will nobody find a way to help me! But she spoke of my
children. I had forgotten them. They will believe. It is only those who
have reason that doubt; the young are full of faith. Bridget, Bridget,
send my children to me.

BRIDGET [_inside_].

Your father wants you; run to him now.

[_The two CHILDREN come in. They stand together a
little way from the threshold of the kitchen door,
looking timidly at their father. _

WISE MAN.

Children, what do you believe? Is there a Heaven? Is there a Hell? Is
there a Purgatory?

FIRST CHILD.

We haven't forgotten, father.

THE OTHER CHILD.

O no, father. [_They both speak together as if in school. _] There is
nothing we cannot see; there is nothing we cannot touch.

FIRST CHILD.

Foolish people used to think that there was, but you are very learned
and you have taught us better.

WISE MAN.

You are just as bad as the others, just as bad as the others! Do not
run away, come back to me! [_The CHILDREN begin to cry and run away. _]
Why are you afraid? I will teach you better--no, I will never teach you
again. Go to your mother! no, she will not be able to teach them. . . .
Help them, O God! . . . The grains are going very quickly. There is very
little sand in the uppermost glass. Somebody will come for me in a
moment; perhaps he is at the door now! All creatures that have reason
doubt. O that the grass and the plants could speak! Somebody has said
that they would wither if they doubted. O speak to me, O grass blades!
O fingers of God's certainty, speak to me! You are millions and you
will not speak. I dare not know the moment the messenger will come for
me. I will cover the glass. [_He covers it and brings it to the desk.
Sees the FOOL, who is sitting by the door playing with some flowers
which he has stuck in his hat. He has begun to blow a dandelion-head. _]
What are you doing?

FOOL.

Wait a moment. [_He blows. _] Four, five, six.

WISE MAN.

What are you doing that for?

FOOL.

I am blowing at the dandelion to find out what time it is.

WISE MAN.

You have heard everything! That is why you want to find out what hour
it is! You are waiting to see them coming through the door to carry me
away. [_FOOL goes on blowing. _] Out through the door with you! I will
have no one here when they come. [_He seizes the FOOL by the shoulders,
and begins to force him out through the door, then suddenly changes his
mind. _] No, I have something to ask you. [_He drags him back into the
room. _] Is there a Heaven? Is there a Hell? Is there a Purgatory?

FOOL.

So you ask me now. When you were asking your pupils, I said to myself,
if he would ask Teig the Fool, Teig could tell him all about it, for
Teig has learned all about it when he has been cutting the nets.

WISE MAN.

Tell me; tell me!

FOOL.

I said, Teig knows everything. Not even the cats or the hares that milk
the cows have Teig's wisdom. But Teig will not speak; he says nothing.

WISE MAN.

Tell me, tell me! For under the cover the grains are falling, and when
they are all fallen I shall die; and my soul will be lost if I have not
found somebody that believes! Speak, speak!

FOOL [_looking wise_].

No, no, I won't tell you what is in my mind, and I won't tell you what
is in my bag. You might steal away my thoughts. I met a bodach on the
road yesterday, and he said, 'Teig, tell me how many pennies are in
your bag; I will wager three pennies that there are not twenty pennies
in your bag; let me put in my hand and count them. ' But I pulled the
strings tighter, like this; and when I go to sleep every night I hide
the bag where no one knows.

WISE MAN.

[_Goes towards the hour-glass as if to uncover it. _]

No, no, I have not the courage. [_He kneels. _] Have pity upon me, Fool,
and tell me!

FOOL.

Ah! Now, that is different. I am not afraid of you now. But I must come
nearer to you; somebody in there might hear what the Angel said.

WISE MAN.

Oh, what did the Angel tell you?

FOOL.

Once I was alone on the hills, and an angel came by and he said, 'Teig
the Fool, do not forget the Three Fires; the Fire that punishes, the
Fire that purifies, and the Fire wherein the soul rejoices for ever! '

WISE MAN.

He believes! I am saved! The sand has run out. . . . [_FOOL helps him to
his chair. _] I am going from the country of the seven wandering stars,
and I am going to the country of the fixed stars! I understand it all
now. One sinks in on God; we do not see the truth; God sees the truth
in us. Ring the bell. They are coming. Tell them, Fool, that when the
life and the mind are broken the truth comes through them like peas
through a broken peascod. Pray, Fool, that they may be given a sign and
carry their souls alive out of the dying world. Your prayers are better
than mine.

[_FOOL bows his head. WISE MAN'S head sinks on his arm
on the books. PUPILS are heard singing as before, but
now they come right on to the stage before they cease
their song. _

A YOUNG MAN.

Look at the Fool turned bell-ringer!

ANOTHER.

What have you called us in for, Teig? What are you going to tell us?

ANOTHER.

No wonder he has had dreams! See, he is fast asleep now. [_Goes over
and touches him. _] Oh, he is dead!

FOOL.

Do not stir! He asked for a sign that you might be saved. [_All are
silent for a moment. _] . . . Look what has come from his mouth . . .