Dido’s Lament OR The Willing Librettist A Novel by Peter Stickland 7 7books Dido’s Lament or The Willing Librettist COPYRIGHT © 2009 PETER STICKLAND The author has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the author of this work. This edition published November 2009 by 77 Books. Previously this tale was published as Dido’s Lament First edition; December 2007 by Grey Suit Editions. Second edition; September 2008 by 77 Books. 7 7books www.77books.co.uk This work is sold subject to the condition that it shall not by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. ISBN 978-0-9560121-2-8 A catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library. The drawing on the front cover is by Louise Blair. It was inspired by a drawing of Dido and Aeneas by Guido Reni, circa 1620. The cover design and print production by Dennis Mariner For Ron and Mary Stickland I would like to express my grateful appreciation to Clare Carolan. Her remarkable professionalism, as editor, was essential to the completion of this new edition. Her enthusiastic contribution added insight and delight to the final exacting tasks. My sincere thanks is also due to Joy Flanagan, who read endless versions of the first edition and engaged in every aspect of its development, to Andrea Parry, for her continual support, to Janey Sharratt, for sharing her thoughts and to Dennis Mariner, for his generous work on the physical production. I am indebted to George Lawson for dancing to Henry Purcell, to George Gajek for playing the fool, to Guillermo Rozenthuler for his inspiring musicality and the Song and Voice Group for singing. 4 CONTENTS THE PROLOGUE 9 PART ONE THERE AND BACK (ADAGIO) 15 1 A dream and a promise 17 2 To sigh for you, for you to weep 21 3 When her languishing eyes said love 25 4 Fish dinners and fine wines 29 5 Paradise lost 33 6 Welcome, welcome, welcome 37 7 Musical drama 41 8 Let rhyme take the place of reason 45 9 With cow parsley for company 49 10 A tryst with a lover 53 11 A ban on tragedy 57 12 The art of love 61 13 Words to charm the raging sea 65 14 No way to treat a heart 69 15 Summoned off to howl 73 16 Remember me, remember me 77 17 A Trojan knife in her lap 81 18 Throwing riches to the wind 85 PART TWO A SPIRAL DANCE (ANDANTE) 89 19 The news from London town 91 20 Lovers Walk and Paradise Row 95 21 Chaste modesty doesn’t stand a chance 99 22 Musical keys 103 5 23 Banish sorrow, banish care 107 24 My heart, whenever you appear 111 25 Fear no danger to ensue 115 26 When monarchs unite, how happy their state 119 27 If grief has any pow’r to kill 123 28 Dido and Aeneas 127 29 The task of a knight-errant 131 30 The Sicilian usurper 135 31 Shake the clouds from her brow 139 32 Wayward sisters 143 33 A country wife 147 34 Scorn not the dance 151 35 The man’s a saint 155 36 The sound of angels 159 37 The last indulgence fate can give 163 38 When I am laid in earth 167 39 A letter and a tale of wickedness 171 40 Great minds against themselves 175 41 To beg your forgiveness 179 42 The Queen of the Underworld 183 43 From Aurora’s spicy bed 187 44 So, at fate’s call 191 45 Phoebus and Venus 195 46 See the spring in all her glory 199 47 Love - a species of warfare 203 48 To lose your heart is our regret 207 49 You cupids come 211 50 A potion to fire the breast 215 51 So fair the game, so rich the sport 219 52 Jove’s commands shall be obeyed 223 53 Pursue thy conquest love 227 6 PART THREE OUT FROM BELOW (ALLEGRO) 231 54 Stage sets and scenery 233 55 The Lambeth boat boys 237 56 The Irish wolfhound 241 57 The most beautiful Persephone 245 58 Vulnerability was all I had 249 59 With their spirits enlivened 253 60 Composing the echo 257 61 A magical vigil of light 261 62 The final hours 265 63 The performance begins 269 64 The performance ends 273 65 The heavenly couple 277 66 For better or for worse 281 67 With love there is only giving 285 68 Farewell 289 APPENDICES Maps of Restoration London 296 References 312 Bibliography 314 7 PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS Nahum Tate Writer and librettist Henry Purcell Composer Eliza Ashton Nahum’s mistress Josias Priest Choreographer; Head of School Cecelia Priest Wife of Josais; also Head of School Frances Pieters Young lady attending school Anna Pieters Young lady attending school Amy Pieters The mother of the young ladies Ellen Fairweather Nahum’s housekeeper Harry Fairweather Ellen’s son Horace Heveningham Nahum’s friend Mary Heveningham Horace’s wife Thomas Boteler (Button) Nahum’s friend Thomas Flatman Nahum’s friend The Duchess de Mazarin The King’s consort and stylist John Blow Master of the King’s music Thomas Killigrew Director of the Theatre Royal Belinda Perryman Mary’s friend Faithful Tate Nahum’s brother Caroline Flatman’s wife Elizabeth Caroline’s Aunt 8 PROLOGUE “Friendship’s the privilege of private men, for wretchéd greatness knows no blessing so substantial.” Nahum Tate “A city of refuge and the mansion house of liberty.” Nahum Tate walked the streets with John Milton’s words ringing in his head. London was a revelation to Nahum; it appeared in all respects to have the love of heaven directed at it. Nahum had grown up in Dublin, a turbulent place where trust was not a thing to count on, but why one person should be set against another he could never fathom. In London there were too many differences for conflicts to cause lasting division and if the sociability was rough-hewn there was a good deal of humour beneath its surface. Nahum’s house, just west of St. Clements Church, was on the north side of The Strand, a street that was often so crowded it was impossible for a carriage to pass along it. He took in the noisy mayhem from his bedroom window and imagined it as a play he was viewing from a theatre box. For Nahum, the great cacophony that greeted him each morning promised only excitement. Londoners had a reputation for humour, they were renowned for their considerable ingenuity and they had a passion for discourse. Music, architecture, literature and science all flourished here and 9 for a poet, like Nahum Tate, there was no finer place to write and nurture his ambition. He had dreams of becoming Poet Laureate and though he clearly understood that the accolade was probably beyond his grasp, the very thought of it drove him along and encouraged his eagerness to work. At twenty seven, the name Nahum Tate was already beginning to be associated with some modest literary acclaim, although the achievement of this had not been easy, for much of his time and energy was devoted to journalism. He had no private income to rely on. When Nahum was not writing translations, pastorals, paraphrases and prologues he was writing for magazines and journals on subjects as wide spread as morality, religion, science and history. He accepted in good grace that he had to direct his love of poetry to rest while he earned a living, but he did not anticipate the other changes he would have to make to gain public recognition. It was John Dryden who instructed him in this. “You must be in the theatre if your desire is to meet people and gain attention,” he had told him and Nahum, willing as ever to learn, followed his advice. During the ensuing years Nahum dedicated himself to writing plays and it was his first attempt, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s King Lear, that gained him notoriety. Initially he was nervous about tackling the great bard; he had never doubted that in King Lear Shakespeare wrote the most wonderful collection of jewels imaginable, but he suspected that he had left many of these jewels unstrung and even a little under-polished. His big gesture was to reward Cordelia for the love she bestowed upon her father by having Edgar marry her. The crowds loved it and his success was assured. Unfortunately, as Cordelia’s presence in the play increased, so the Fool’s presence diminished and in the end he lost the Fool altogether. It was a heavy price to pay, but it did not sit so heavily upon him as the nagging impression that the play was found lacking where poetic excellence was concerned. 10 Borrowing from historic sources was fashionable in the theatre, but playwrights had to choose their subject carefully. If they ignored the tastes of their audience, the most fickle of God’s creatures, they did so at their peril. London’s theatre goers had a passion for stories about love and they wanted their tales told with glamorous costumes and spectacular stage effects. Other than that they adored satire and on this subject Nahum suspected that he might become unstuck; humour in every part of his life he had, but when it came to writing comic lines, he simply couldn’t do it.