A King's Daughter: A Tragedy in Verse
he and his dreams. 
PROPHET. (Crying aloud.) O King, a vision is vouchsafed to me! I see! I see! Hearken to what I see. I see a red bull trampling down God’s foes; He neezes fire and all his fell is fire; His shoulder is a mountain rough with forest; His eye the wrath of God; he stamps the cities. Go up against the Syrians, like this bull. 
JORAM. There is the voice of God. 
JEHU. Ay, truly, Prince. 
AHAB. Since God declares that we should make this war, Which we, as men, have shrunk from hitherto, Although provoked by countless insolence, Now hearken to the utterance of the crown. (Enter JEZEBEL.) 
JEZEBEL. Ay, hearken to the utterance of the crown. You are all come to hear a war declared. Now I, the crown, declare it unto you. I declare war upon our enemies. They are all present, standing in this place, Waiting the execution of our sword. (To PROPHET.) This man, the madman from the desert, first, Who rages like a desert-storm, that kills With sand, burning hot sand, pitiless sand. 
(To JORAM.) This next, the hater of his house, our son, Who, for a wound that pains him would be glad That thousand others should be sick with wounds. 
(To JEHU.) Then, next, this other man, not mad not sick, Not even suspected; honoured, trusted, loved. 
This man, the rider to the inn at Springs, For secret evil. Hark! This man, King Ahab, Murdered our son and plots to murder you. Seize him, King Ahab, ere it be too late. 
AHAB. Murdered our son? But this is childishness. 
JEZEBEL. No, I bring proof; the rod, the rod he holds, Was found at Springs, to prove that he was there. 
JEHU. This rod, good Madam? 
JEZEBEL. Even that very rod. 
AHAB. Who found it at the Springs? Who brought it here? 
JEZEBEL. A rider, lord, who gave it to Micaiah. 
JORAM. What rider? 
AHAB. Yes, what rider, can you tell? 
JEZEBEL. One who would not be known, Micaiah said. 
AHAB. Micaiah! He? 
JORAM. The man imprisoned here. 
JEHU. My lord, I grieve less at this ill suspicion Than at the sad disaster which has caused it. 
JEZEBEL. You killed my son most foully at the inn; You were seen riding thither before noon, And left your rod there while you did the deed, Upon these flowers which my son had gathered; These desert flowers. 
JEHU. My Lord and King, I can most clearly prove That I was at my quarters all the morning. This rod I missed this morning from my quarters And found it here on entering but now. Prince Joram saw me find it as I entered. 
JORAM. That is most true; I did. Mother, you should not be here; come away. 
JEZEBEL. My lord, my King, my husband, 
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