# Scene 7

*A chamber in the castle whose exterior was shown in the preceding scene. Decorated throughout with symbols of a Mystic Brotherhood. (For costumes, see note on page 145.) Columns, arches, and vaulted roof with the mystic symbols shown in the Author's ‘Occult Symbols.’ First the Knights assemble; then the Monk and one of the Knights later appears the spirit of Benedictus who has passed away about fifty years earlier. Then Lucifer and Ahriman. The Grand Master seated at a long table with four of the Brethren, indicated in the course of the scene.*

*Grand Master:*  
Ye who are joined with me in comradeship  
To seek the goal appointed unto man,  
And bring that knowledge from the spirit-realm  
Into the scope of earth's activities,  
As is appointed to our brotherhood,  
Must also truly help me in this hour  
When heavy trials impend. Then, know ye all  
That since our venerated master fell,  
A victim by the Powers of Darkness claimed,  
Who draw their strength from Evil, helping on  
The plan of Wisdom by their natural means,  
That is by means of Opposition's strength,  
Since Wisdom turneth Evil into Good.  
Since that sad loss we strive on earth in vain,  
For many a castle of our brotherhood  
Hath by our enemies been overwhelmed,  
And many Brethren dear to us have fallen  
In fight, and followed our great Master home  
Into the realm of everlasting light.  
For us too doth the hour approach apace  
When these stout walls that shelter us shall fall.  
Our foes already spy the country round  
To find a pretext under which they may  
Rob us of our possessions, ne'er acquired  
For our own use, but as a means to draw  
Around us individuals, in whose souls  
We could implant the germs of things to come.  
These germs shall ripen when those men themselves  
Find their way back from out the spirit-land  
To live anew in future days on earth.

*First Master of Ceremonies:*  
That this our brotherhood should be o'erthrown  
By some obscure design of destiny,  
Is something nowise inconceivable.  
But that the fall of our community  
Should doom so many brothers' single lives,  
Would seem to contravene the cosmic law.  
I do not wish my words to make complaint,  
Since willingly our brothers suffer death.  
But still my soul desires to comprehend  
The sacrifice demanded from these men  
Who have allied themselves unto a whole,  
Because the powers of destiny decree  
The overthrow and ruin of that whole.

*Grand Master:*  
The separate life of individual men  
Is linked most wisely to the world's design.  
Amongst our brothers there will surely be  
Some who have given proof of competence  
To serve our brotherhood with their soul's power  
And yet whose nature still shows many a stain.  
The errors and misdeeds of such a heart  
Must find their expiation in the pain  
Suffered by it in service for the whole.  
And he who, blameless both in act and deed,  
Must none the less walk in the thorny way  
Traced by the Karma of the brotherhood,  
Will find his pain requited by the power  
To mount aloft unto the higher life.

*First Master of Ceremonies:*  
So then the brotherhood may tolerate  
Within its ranks souls not yet purified  
Who vow themselves to its exalted aims?

*Grand Master:*  
He who to lofty works is dedicate  
Doth mark alone the goodness in men's souls;  
He lets the evil work its ransom out  
As cosmic justice in its course decides.  
My brothers, I have bid you meet me here  
In order to remind you with grave words  
That we have duties in our days of grief.  
We must be ready to lay down our lives  
For those high purposes to which we swore  
Lifelong allegiance, Truly ye are  
My brothers, if undauntedly your souls  
Repeat the motto of our brotherhood:  
‘Separate existence must be sacrificed  
By those who would set eyes on spirit goals,  
Piercing the outer veil of world of sense,  
And dare to let the spirit's will pour down  
And flood their individual purposes.’

*First Preceptor:*  
Exalted Master, shouldst thou design to test  
The heart of each man in our brotherhood,  
It would repeat that motto loud and clear!—  
Yet do we beg thee to explain to us  
Why, not content with robbing us of life  
And our possessions, now our enemies  
Would rob us also of those humble souls  
Whom we have tended with unselfish love.  
For every day affords new evidence  
That not alone compulsion makes our folk  
Submit themselves unto our conquerors;  
But that indeed they too have learned to hate  
The spirit-path which we had shown to them.

*Grand Master:*  
That which we have implanted in men's souls  
May die indeed to-day; but these same men,  
Who once have breathed our spirit-radiance,  
Will come again to earth, and then bestow  
Upon the world the fruitage of our work.  
Thus speaks unto my spirit oftentimes  
Our mighty leader from the realm of death,  
When in my quiet hours, I do sink down  
Into my soul's deep places, and arouse  
Strength to abide awhile in spirit-lands.  
Then may I feel the master's presence near  
And hear his words, as in the life of sense  
I often heard them. Never doth he speak  
About our work as drawing to a close;  
But only of fulfilment of our aims  
In later days that are to come on earth.

*(Exeunt the Grand Master and two of the Brotherhood.)*

*First Preceptor:*  
He speaks of spirit-worlds in just such words  
As men may speak of villages or towns.  
The way in which our loftiest brothers speak  
Of other states of life oppresseth me.  
And yet I am devoted fervently  
Unto the progress of our earthly aims.

*Second Master of Ceremonies:*  
I place reliance in our master's words.  
The man who cannot hear with perfect faith  
The tale of spirit and of spirit-worlds,  
Is nowise lacking in capacity  
To grasp a revelation of this kind.  
The things he lacks are of a different mould.  
Though he admit it not, he well may feel  
That he is conscious of unworthiness  
To be a member of the higher worlds.  
A soul must be defiled by secret stains  
And eager to deny that they are there,  
That will not bow before the spirit-lore.

*(Exeunt.)  
  
(Enter the Monk; the Second Preceptor enters and steps up to him)*

*Second Preceptor:*  
What errand bringeth thee to this our house  
Which is for thee the home of enemies?

*Monk:*  
I must include amongst my friends all those  
Who bear the form of men this is our rule.  
But hostile thou mayst well esteem the claim  
Which I, by duty bound, must here present.  
Those who are over me have sent me here,  
And their desire is that the property  
Belonging to the Church, as by old deeds  
Is well attested, should be given back  
To them without dispute. You tract of ground  
Upon which ye have sunk your mine, belongs  
In law and equity unto the Church.  
The manner in which ye possessed yourselves  
Of this estate confers no legal rights.

*Second Preceptor:*  
Whether in law we have a right to call  
It ours or no, would constitute a case  
For legal disputation long drawn out.  
But certain 'tis that it belongs to us  
If we refer it to a higher law.  
You tract of ground was lying lost and waste  
When it was purchased by our brotherhood  
Not e'en an inkling had ye of the fact  
That far below rich treasure lay concealed.  
This have we won for human industry:  
Its treasures travel far and wide to-day  
To distant lands, to further human weal,  
And many honest souls are now at work  
In shaft and tunnel underneath the ground  
Which in your hands lay waste and desolate.

*Monk:*  
Then it doth not seem fair and right to thee  
To urge upon thy brotherhood the need  
Of peaceably accepting our demand  
That so we may regain our property?

*Second Preceptor:*  
Since we are not aware of any guilt,  
But are convinced our cause is wholly just,  
We can but wait in quiet confidence  
To see if ye are really bent. on strife,  
When as before, yourselves are in the wrong.

*Monk:*  
Then will ye have to thank your headstrong will  
If we are driven to a sterner course.

*Second Preceptor:*  
The honour of our brotherhood demands  
That only when defeated, sword in hand,  
Do we allow ourselves to be despoiled.

*Monk:*  
So be it! Now my mission is fulfilled,  
Between us there is no more need of words.  
Will it be possible for me to have  
An audience with thy lord, who here commands?

*Second Preceptor:*  
The Master doubtless will concede thee this;  
Yet wait, I pray thee, for a little while.  
He cannot at this moment come to thee.

*(Exit.)*

*Monk:*  
O, that mine office forceth me to tread  
The halls of this detested brotherhood!  
Turn where they may, my eyes must contemplate  
Sinful devices and satanic spells.—  
Almost a horror seizeth hold on me;—  
A crackling and a rumbling fill the air;—  
I feel the powers of ill are gathered round.

*(Noises heard.)*

But as my conscience is entirely clear  
I will defy the enemy.

*(Noises heard.)*

Oh, this  
Is terrible.

*(The spirit of Benedictus appears.)*

Defend me, Saints of Heaven!

*Benedictus:*  
Collect thyself, my son. I often came  
To meet thee, when the fervour of thy prayers  
Transported thee unto the spirit-world.  
Take therefore courage in this present hour  
And learn a truth which thou must realize  
If spirit clearness is to hold its sway  
And drive away the darkness from thy soul.

*Monk:*  
When in my trials I prayed to Heaven for light,  
And when my supplication winged its way  
To realms celestial, and won repose,  
Thou, venerated master, didst appear.  
Thou, who wast aye our Order's ornament,  
The while thou wert amongst us here on earth,  
And out of higher realms didst speak to me,  
Enlightening my mind and strengthening me.  
My soul beheld thee with its inner eye,  
My spirit ear was open to thy words.  
In this hour also then, will I receive  
The revelation with humility  
Which thou shalt cause to flow into my soul.

*Benedictus:*  
Thou art within that brotherhood's abode  
Whom thou dost charge with wicked heresies.  
They seem to hate what we are taught to love  
And hold in honour what we count as sin.  
Our brethren feel themselves in duty bound  
To haste the spirit-brethren's overthrow,  
And think their action sanctioned by the words  
I spake myself whilst I was still on earth.  
Yet do they not imagine that these words  
Can only hold the living truth so long  
As they are livingly evolved by those  
Who have been my successors in my work.—  
So let those thoughts which I once held on earth  
Rise up afresh and live within thy soul  
In harmony with needs of newer times;  
And thus behold this Order, which doth seek  
Its goal in mystic realms, as I should judge  
And look on it, if it had been my lot  
To dwell on earth and work with thee to-day.  
This brotherhood is vowed to lofty aims;  
Those human beings who have joined its ranks  
Have premonitions of the days to come  
Their leaders see with a prophetic eye  
The fruits that shall grow ripe in future times.  
Science and daily life shall undergo  
A change of form and seek ideals new;  
And what this brotherhood doth now achieve,  
Whom thou hast lent a hand to persecute,  
Are deeds which serve to bring this change about.  
Alone by peaceful union of the aims  
Sought by our brethren and these heretics  
Can good be made to blossom on this earth.

*Monk:*  
This warning, of which I am worthy found,  
How can I act upon it? It departs  
Amazingly from all that I have held,  
Up to this moment, to be right and good.

*(Ahriman and, Lucifer appear.)*

But other beings now are drawing nigh!  
Why do they come and stand beside thee now?

*Ahriman:*  
This further message comes from other realms.  
It cannot seem an easy thing for thee  
Thy predecessor's bidding to obey,  
Reflect—he dwells in everlasting bliss.  
And actions by decree and duty there  
Desirable, may well upon the earth  
Lead to confusion at the present time.  
Lift up thine eyes to where he dwells on high  
If thou wouldst seek for comfort from the bliss  
Which, when the latter days of earth draw near,  
By cosmic spirits is to be bestowed.  
But if at present thou wouldst act aright,  
Be guided only, in the choice of paths,  
By that which reason and the senses teach.  
Thou hast been able clearly to discern  
The sinful ways of yonder brotherhood  
Which they would fain keep secret from the world;  
Thus hast thou learned that laws for future life  
Can well be framed by souls now steeped in sin!  
How canst thou wish, now that thou knowest these things,  
To live in friendship with the brotherhood?  
For error is a poor and sterile soil  
Where good fruit cannot come to ripening.

*Lucifer:*  
Thy pious mind hath shown the road to thee.  
It is most true that times and objects change;  
But none the less 'tis not for heretics  
To trace the paths on which mankind must tread.  
The error of this spirit-brotherhood  
Is dangerous, because it speaks the truth,  
And yet expresses it in such a way  
As makes the truth more deadly than a lie.  
A man who openly avowed he lied  
Would have to be bereft of common sense  
'Ere he could bring himself to such belief  
That men would gladly follow where he led.  
The spirit-knights indeed are shrewd of mind;  
They do not fail to speak about the Christ  
Because this name can open every door  
That gives admission to the souls of men.  
But ever can men easiest be led  
Into the service of the Antichrist  
When in the name of Christ he is proclaimed.

*Monk:*  
Conflicting voices from the world of souls  
Assail mine ears, as often heretofore,  
And always with an aim to counteract  
The pious promptings of a mind devout.  
How shall I find the paths that lead to good  
If by the Powers of Evil they be praised?  
Almost it seems to me as if indeed—  
But no, such words shall not be thought by me—,  
The wisdom of my master shall reveal  
The meaning of his words, so dark to me.

*Benedictus:*  
I can direct thee to the proper path,  
If thou wilt let the words which once I spake  
On earth possess thee in thine inmost soul.  
And if thou art resolved to find the life  
That lives within those words upon those planes  
On which thou now canst see me face to face,  
The proper path shall be made plain to thee.

*Curtain, while the Monk, the Spirit of Benedictus,  
Lucifer, and Ahriman are still on the stage*