Maid of Salem

---

(BELL TOLLING)

Hear ye! Hear ye! Hear ye!

Contracts approved

at town meeting this day.

""It is agreed

with Miles Corbin

""to be herder of cows

for Salem Village

""in place of Thomas Bilge,

whose habitual inebriation

""renders it needful to

divest him of office.

""The said Miles Corbin

shall drive

""the milk cattle to

the common pasture,

""and bring his charges

home before sundown.

""ln consideration whereof,

the farmers of Salem

Village have this day

""agreed to pay

the said Corbin

40 a year.""

MARSHAL:
Thomas Bilge.

Thomas Bilge,

the town fathers

have this day

removed you

from office

for habitual

drunkenness.

And have given

your charge and staff

to Miles Corbin.

Praise be.

Tomorrow,

l"ll just sit

on the fence

the livelong day

and spit at bumblebees.

Aye, that"s all

you"re good for, Bilge,

just spitting

at bumblebees.

(CLEARlNG THROAT)

(HOLLERlNG)

(CATTLE BELLOWlNG)

He"s welcome to them.

Those daft beasties

are bewitched.

They"ve worn me out

with their hollering

and bellowing and

running into the forest,

Iike things possessed.

And of what use

are they to men?

They give naught but milk.

To the stocks with ye.

And there

ye shall sit

and meditate

on your sins

till sundown,

Thomas Bilge.

Methinks

l"ll just sleep.

Six for Doctor John

and Martha,

six for Elder Goode,

six for the meeting house,

three for Jeremiah Adams.

Three? Oh, no.

No, Jeremiah spoke

for six this week.

Six candles for

a few lobsters?

Besides, how can

an old lobster-man

living alone

with never a gossip

in to see him,

burn so many candles

in a week?

Who knows?

A bright window may

bring him a gossip.

Oh, six for Jeremiah.

And a piece of cake.

Cake, indeed.

Let him bake his own.

Now, Aunt Ellen,

he hasn"t your

gift with the oven.

ELLEN:
Did you wipe

your shoes, Timothy?

Yes, Mother.

Oh, cake for me?

Not till supper.

But l"m so hungry,

l"m weak.

Truly?

From your great

application to learning?

What did you learn

at school today?

Manners.

Speak not, sing not,

hum not, wiggle not,

spit only in a corner.

And very good

learning, too.

Now, wash your hands

and finish the candles.

But I dipped candles

last week.

And will again

this week.

Make haste while

the tallow is warm.

(GROANS)

Oh, dear, are you ill?

Shall I take you

to Doctor John"s

for some ipecac?

I"ll be home

by sundown.

There, the leech

has drawn the blood.

By moonrise

the swelling will be gone.

That didn"t hurt

very much now, did it?

No. I fear not

but ipecac.

Good day, John.

Barbara.

Good day, Barbara.

Oh, Jasper,

fighting again?

No, ma"am.

I fell from a tree,

an apple tree.

Next time, lad,

pick a tree your own size.

Now, be off with you.

You"d best keep

your good eye

open for the Elders.

You have a new

doctor"s book.

Mm-hmm.

But that"s not all

I brought from Boston.

(GASPS)

John, you brought it.

It will cost your aunt

but six shillings.

Oh.

It"s beautiful.

BARBARA:
John, do you think

I should wear the bow

under the chin

or at the side?

JOHN:
Well, the shopkeeper

said at the side.

BARBARA:
The side.

Oh, Martha,

isn"t it lovely and gay?

Yes, very gay,

Barbara.

Too gay, you think?

Nonsense.

There"s enough wearing

of somber clothing here.

But if Elder Goode

sees it before

the Sabbath meeting,

he may forbid

the wearing.

Oh.

And l"m just on my way

to his house.

Why not leave it here?

May l?

Yes, of course.

Thank you.

I can see their faces

when I walk down

the aisle next Sabbath.

Thank you again, John.

(DOOR CLOSES)

Tituba, Abigail.

TlTUBA:
And every month

in the dark of the moon,

the drums would beat,

and there"d be a rustle

like a great wind

and we"d hear them

screaming and laughing,

and we knew

they were all meeting

in the jungle.

Who, Tituba? Who?

TlTUBA:
The spirits

of the bad ones.

And there"d be drinking

and feasting and dancing,

and suddenly a great

fire would shoot up,

and Obano himself

would appear.

Obano?

You calls him Satan.

Did you see him?

TlTUBA:
Oh, no, missy.

Only a few ever seen him.

He come in fire and go

in a whirling of wings

like bats. Up, up.

And when morning come,

the trees in that jungle

would be dead

and the river would

be as red as blood.

Tituba. You tell

the most outlandish stories.

You never saw such things.

I"d see more than that

if I drank

the stuff she brews.

ABlGAlL:
Quiet, Goody.

(GRUNTS)

You should have been

here sooner, Barbara.

Tituba told our fortunes.

I"m going to travel

and meet strange men.

MARY:
And l"m going to

marry a man from Boston.

I"m to be a person

of importance.

I shall be

above everyone else

and everyone

shall listen to me.

See what she

tells you, Barbara.

ANN:
Yes, tell Barbara"s

fortune, Tituba.

Will you?

Give me your hand, child.

I see a man, tall,

well-favored, dark hair.

Go on, Tituba. Go on.

I see no more.

Oh, please.

Tituba!

GOODE:
Abigail, Tituba!

It"s Father.

Quickly! Quickly!

Idleness and gossip!

Abigail,

to your spinning wheel.

Tituba,

prepare the supper!

Howdy do, Elder.

Howdy do.

These are not

the same weight

as the others.

Nor are they

so strong of bayberry.

Your aunt had best

be more careful

if she expects a full measure

of my flax in return.

Yes, sir.

Tituba, you did go to

those feasts in the jungle,

didn"t you?

No, no, mistress! No!

But you did,

or you couldn"t know

so much about them.

Tell me more.

Not here. In my cabin,

where the master won"t know.

Jeremiah!

Barbara! I"d forgotten

you"d be here today!

Did you have

any luck?

None, child.

My traps are

as empty of lobsters

as the Elders" meetings

are of humor.

I"ll not be needing

any candles this week,

so you"d best run

along home, child.

So, you don"t

want candles

because you haven"t lobsters

enough to pay for them.

Nonsense! Come along.

Oh, but my cabin

is in disorder.

I"ve had no time

to clean.

Then l"ll do it

for you.

Barbara!

Barbara,

don"t go in!

That chair,

it was rocking.

The wind, perhaps.

Now, child, it"s late.

Your aunt will be worried.

What is it?

Am I not welcome today?

Always welcome.

Well, then,

fetch some water

while I get the broom.

Oh, but...

(SHRlEKS)

Glory be.

I heard your voice,

but I thought you mortal.

My nephew,

Roger Coverman,

from Virginia.

Mistress Barbara Clarke.

Glory be.

Good day to you, sir.

And to you, mistress.

My aunt will be worried.

Barbara, wait.

I must ask you,

not a word

about my visitor.

Nay, I cannot

tell you why.

Faith, but she must know.

These tatters,

this blood, this bandage.

But let me give you

the worst of it first.

I"m a fugitive, l"m a rebel,

l"m a traitor to the Crown.

Oh.

How interesting.

Ah, but wait!

You must let me

give you the best of it.

You see, "twas

a little matter of taxes,

and being a Virginian

and a patriot,

I resented it,

as did others.

The governor resented

our objections and

we replied with swords.

I warrant it was

a gallant fight.

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