The Crucible Page #2

Lord's name.

That's a notorious sign

of witchcraft afoot, Rebecca.

Mama. Mama.

What have you done?

Goody Nurse, will you go to our Ruth...

and see if you can wake her?

I think she'll wake when she tires

of it.

I am 26 times a grandma.

They can run you bowlegged in

their silly seasons.

So you've sent for Reverend Hale

of Beverly, Mr. Parris?

Only to satisfy all that the devil's

not among us.

- Mr. Proctor.

- Ah, John, come help us.

We are all at sea.

Why did you not call for a meeting

before you decided to look for devils?

Man cannot pick his teeth without

some sort of meeting in this society.

I'm sick of meetings.

Society will not be a bag to swing

around your head, Mr. Putnam.

Peace! Peace!

Dear friends... Mr. Parris,

I think you'd best send...

Reverend Hale back as soon as he come.

This will set us all to arguing again

in the society.

Let us rather blame ourselves

than the devil.

Blame ourselves?

How can we blame ourselves?

I'm one of nine sons.

The Putnam seed have

peopled this province.

And we have but one child left

of eight.

Goody Ann, we can only go to God

for the cause of that.

God? You think it be God's work...

that you have never lost a child or

grandchild either and I bury all but one?

And who will give us leave to decide what

is God's work, Goody Putnam, and what is not?

God never spoke in my ear. I can't think

of anyone else He done the favor.

Your pardon, Rebecca.

Aye.

Is this your mischief, huh?

I hear the child goes flying through

the air.

Oh, she never flew.

We were dancing in the woods.

My uncle leaped in on us.

She took fright is all.

You'll be clapped in the stocks

before you are 20.

Oh, John.

Give me a soft word.

No, Abby.

That's done with.

- I am waiting for you every night.

- You cannot.

I never gave you hope to wait for me.

I have something better than hope,

I think.

Child...

How do you call me child?

Wipe it out of mind... you must.

I'll not be coming for you more.

You're surely sporting with me.

You know me better.

I know how you sweated like a

stallion whenever I'd come near you.

I saw your face when she put me out.

You loved me then, and you do now.

Abby, I may think of you softly

from time to time...

but I will cut off my hand before

I reach for you again.

We never touched.

Aye...

but we did.

Oh, I marvel how a strong man

may let such a sickly wife...

Speak not.

You'll speak nothing of Elizabeth.

She is blackening my name in the

village, telling lies about me.

She's a cold, sniveling woman,

and you bend to her.

You look for whipping.

I look for John Proctor,

who put knowledge in my heart.

I never knew

what pretense Salem was...

with its Christian women and their

covenanted men...

and all of their boiling and lust.

And now you bid me go dead to all

you taught me?

I know you, John Proctor.

You love me.

Whatever sin it is, you love me yet.

- Give the man some peace.

- That's Mr. Hale, John.

I know who it is.

- Can I help you?

- Why, thank you.

Heavy books.

Well, they must be.

They're weighted with authority.

I'm John Proctor, Mr. Hale.

You have afflicted children?

My children

are as healthy as bull calves, sir...

like all the other children in this

village.

Where is my wood?

My contract provides I be

supplied with all of my firewood.

There are wheels within wheels here,

Mr. Hale.

I hope you'll not forget that.

That 6 is part of my salary,

Mr. Corey.

Salary is 60 plus 6 for...

I am not some preaching farmer

with a book under his arm.

I am a graduate of Harvard College.

I am well instructed in arithmetic!

I cannot fathom you people!

I can never offer one proposition...

but I face a howling riot of argument!

I've often wondered if

the devil be in it somewhere.

Welcome to Salem.

Mr. Hale! Oh.

Oh, good to see you!

Oh, well,

I see you've come well prepared.

This is Thomas Putnam.

How do you do, sir?

Allow me, sir.

This is my wife, Goody Ann.

Will you come to our Ruth? Her soul

seems flown away. Will you come to her?

Aye. I'll come directly.

And you must be Rebecca Nurse...

- and Mr. Nurse.

- You know me?

No, but you look as such a good

soul should.

All of us in Beverly

have heard of your great charities.

There is prodigious danger in seeking

loose spirits.

I fear it.

- Francis.

- Mr. Hale.

I go to God for you, sir.

I hope you do not mean that we go

to Satan here.

I wish I knew.

I hear you be

a sensible man, Mr. Hale.

Hope you'll leave some of it in Salem.

Our child cannot wake, sir.

She lies as though dead.

And this

one cannot bear the Lord's name.

- Aye.

- That's a sure sign of witchcraft afloat.

No, no, Mr. Putnam.

We must not look to superstition in this.

The marks of

the devil are as definite as stone.

What book is that?

What's there, sir?

Here is all the invisible world.

In these books, the devil stands

stripped of all his brute disguises.

Here are all your familiar spirits...

your incubi and succubi.

Your witches that go by land,

by air, and by sea.

Have no fear now.

We shall find him out if he has

come among us.

I mean to crush him utterly if he

has shown his face.

Here is my niece, Abigail.

I'd like to examine your Ruth

before I say more.

Mr. Hale!

I've always

wanted to ask a learned man.

What signifies the reading of

strange books?

Many a night,

I've waked and found her in a corner...

reading of a book,

and not the Bible either.

- Who's that?

- Martha, my wife.

I'm not saying the devil's touched her,

but mark this...

Last night I tried and tried,

could not say my prayers.

Then, she close her book

and walked out of the house...

and suddenly,

mark this, I could pray again.

The stoppage of prayer.

- We'll discuss that.

- Mr. Hale.

Was there no warning of this affliction?

Do you recall any disturbance

before it struck?

Any unusual behavior?

Mr. Hale.

Mr. Parris.

I did discover my niece...

with a number of her friends...

dancing in the forest.

You permit dancing?

No. No.

'Twas secret.

Mr. Parris's slave

has knowledge of conjuring, sir.

Now, that may not be true.

Abigail, you must tell me about this

dancing.

Common dancing is all it is, sir.

Tell me, child, when you

are dancing, is there a fire?

Why...

There was a fire.

They were boiling something.

- Lentils and beans.

- Was anything moving in the pot?

That jumped in.

We never put that in.

What jumped in?

I must see these other girls.

Who are they?

I want their names.

Someone called the devil in that forest.

Who was it led you to dance around

the fire?

You can save yourselves if you tell

me who it was.

Was there one among you who drank

from the kettle?

Was there perhaps a casting of spells?

Was there?

Not I!

It wasn't me!

I swear it!

These two children may be dying!

Who?

Tituba.

I knew it!

- Tituba!

- Come out here! Now!

She made me do it!

- She made Betty do it!

- Tituba no do bad thing!

- She made me drink blood!

- You drank blood?

Rate this script:4.7 / 3 votes