Judith, a play in three acts

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Judith, a play in three acts

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Title: Judith
Author: Arnold Bennett
Release Date: July 1, 2004 [EBook #12794]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR
NOVELS

A MAN FROM THE NORTH ANNA OF THE FIVE TOWNS
LEONORA A GREAT MAN SACRED AND PROFANE LOVE
WHOM GOD HATH JOINED BURIED ALIVE THE OLD WIVES'
TALE THE GLIMPSE THE ROLL CALL HELEN WITH THE HIGH
HAND CLAYHANGER HILDA LESSWAYS THE CARD THE
REGENT THE PRICE OF LOVE THESE TWAIN THE LION'S
SHARE THE PRETTY LADY
FANTASIES
THE GRAND BABYLON HOTEL THE GATES OF WRATH
THERESA OF WATLING STREET THE LOOT OF CITIES HUGO
THE GHOST THE CITY OF PLEASURE
SHORT STORIES
TALES OF THE FIVE TOWNS THE GRIM SMILE OF THE FIVE
TOWNS THE MATADOR OF THE FIVE TOWNS
_BELLES-LETTRES_
JOURNALISM FOR WOMEN FAME AND FICTION HOW TO
BECOME AN AUTHOR THE TRUTH ABOUT AN AUTHOR
MENTAL EFFICIENCY HOW TO LIVE ON TWENTY-FOUR
HOURS A DAY THE HUMAN MACHINE LITERARY TASTE
FRIENDSHIP AND HAPPINESS THOSE UNITED STATES PARIS
NIGHTS MARRIED LIFE LIBERTY OVER THERE: WAR SCENES
THE AUTHORS CRAFT BOOKS AND PERSONS SELF AND
SELF-MANAGEMENT
DRAMA
POLITE FARCES CUPID AND COMMONSENSE WHAT THE
PUBLIC WANTS THE HONEYMOON THE TITLE THE GREAT
ADVENTURE MILESTONES (In Collaboration with Edward
Knoblock)
In Collaboration with Eden Phillpotts THE SINEWS OF WAR: A

ROMANCE THE STATUE: A ROMANCE

*JUDITH*
A PLAY IN THREE ACTS
_Founded on the apocryphal book of "Judith"_
BY
ARNOLD BENNETT

LONDON
1919
_First published April 30, 1919_

NOTE
This play was presented for the first time at the Devonshire Park
Theatre, Eastbourne, on Monday, April 7th, 1919, with the following
cast:
Judith LILLAH MCCARTHY Haggith ESMÉ HUBBARD Rahel
MADGE MURRAY Ozias CAMPBELL GULLAN Holofernes
CLAUDE KING Bagoas ERNEST THESIGER Achior GEOFFREY
DOUGLAS Chabris E.H. PATERSON Charmis FEWLASS
LLEWELLYN Ingur FREDERICK VOLPE Messenger FELIX
AYLMER Soldier CLIFFORD MOLLISON Attendant EDWIN
OXLEE
The play was produced by WILFRED EATON

CHARACTERS
Hebrews JUDITH HAGGITH, her waiting-woman RAHEL OZIAS,
Governor of Bethulia CHABRIS, an elder CHARMIS, an elder A
SOLDIER A MESSENGER
Assyrians HOLOFERNES, General of the Assyrian armies BAGOAS,
his chief eunuch ACHIOR, a captain INGUR, a soldier AN
ATTENDANT ON BAGOAS

ACT I
A street in the city of Bethulia.
ACT II
SCENE I. _The valley near the Assyrian camp. Time, morning; two
days later_.
SCENE II. _The tent of Holofernes. Time, later, the same morning_.
SCENE III. _The same. Time, the same night_.
ACT III
SCENE I. _Same as Act I. Time, later, the same night._
SCENE II. _The same. Time, the next day_.

ACT I
_A street in the city of Bethulia in Judea. Bethulia is in the hill country,
overlooking the great plain of Jezreel to the south-west. Back, the gates
of the city, hiding the view of the plain. Right, Judith's house, with a
tent on the roof. Left, houses. The street turns abruptly, back left, along
the wall of the city. Left centre, a built-up vantage-point, from which

the plain can be seen over the gates_.
TIME: _Fifth century B.C.
Towards evening_.
Ozias _is standing alone in the street, drinking from a leathern bottle.
Enter_ Chabris, back left.
OZIAS _(quickly, but with perfect calmness, hiding the bottle in his
garments_). Old man! It is years since I saw you. How came you past
the guard, old man?
CHABRIS. Old? Old? I am not yet a hundred. Who are you?
OZIAS. Ozias.
CHABRIS. Ah! So this is Ozias, the son of Ezbon. Before your father
could walk I have nursed him on my knee; and he was filled like the
full moon--with naughtiness.
OZIAS. What has brought you at last out of your house? Are you come
to prophesy once more?
CHABRIS. I have given up prophesying.
OZIAS. A profession full of risks.
CHABRIS. I pass my endless days in meditation and solitude.
OZIAS. That sounds much safer. How comely is the wisdom of old
men!
CHABRIS. And what do you do, sprig?
OZIAS. Has none told you?
CHABRIS. I see nobody but my daughter's granddaughter, and her I
forbid to speak to me, because being a woman she has the tongue of a

woman, and a woman's tongue is unfavourable to meditation. How
should I be told?
OZIAS. I am the governor of this great city of