The Libertine Page #2

- Credit.

l only use coin vulgarised with the monarch's

head for transactions with servants.

l am ever your humble servant.

No, Mr Ratcliffe,

you are the very prince of drapery.

The prince is always happy

to see the King's head.

But not to carry i around in his pocket

Credit then .

Billy.

Join us.

Johnny.

This is Billy Downs

Billy this is the Earl of Rochester

How old are you , Mr Downs?

1 8, my lord.

Young man , you will die of this company.

Do not laugh. l'm serious.

Mr Ratcliffe, this hangs very well.

My lord, l saw you

just now with the gent's servant.

Did you think l dispensed wisely in the matter?

lf the fool run off with the gold,

then you prove a point, but at your loss.

lf he return in your livery, then you've gained

a servant who is a known cheat.

So you prove a different point,

but again at your own expense.

You summarise well, Mr Downs.

And in such a manner,

l deduce you were trained

at one of the ''count the angels on a pinhead''

Cambridge colleges.

King's, was it not?

lt was, my lord.

King's, yes.

And yet you do not draw

the moral of the incident.

Which is?

That any experiment of interest in life will be

carried out at your own expense. Mark it well.

My lord!

My Lord Rochester.

You've come back.

ln your livery, my lord.

Then you are turned honest.

l cannot support that.

l regret the deed's honesty.

My lord.

But l considered that if l performed it

and fell into your service,

l would have more...enjoyment of life.

You see, this fellow has the hang of the reign .

l like this fellow exceedingly.

What is your name?

Alcock.

Like master, like servant.

Well, Alcock,

you shall drink and shag

more than any serving man in the kingdom.

Go at once and spend the rest of the money

on a whore, a large, greasy one.

Then when you are done, return here to me.

Now begone.

Rochester!

Disgrace!

Rochester!

Rochester! Missed you Lord Rochester!

He is risen !

My lord!

My lord!

Impertinent bastard!

Johnny!

My Lord Rochester!

Rochester, you are a c*nt, sir!

I smell a rotten odour

l'll suck it for you Johnny

if you promise not to marry me!

Johnny said ''c*nt'' to the King!

l'm going to brazen my arse at them.

They've all seen it.

Well, they can bloody well put up with it again .

Johnny said ''c*nt'' to the King!

Johnny said ''c*nt'' to the King.

Johnny said ''c*nt'' to the King!

My lord.

Dear Jane.

Give you your first London spurt of the summer.

- l brought the wife with me.

- Bit of a waste.

Shooting good jism up the lawful.

Ladies and gallants all,

the King!

Oh, freeze my piss,

if the royal finger ain 't beckoning me.

How exciting.

Did you miss me?

l missed the money.

Good.

Don 't like a whore with sentiment.

l could have ignored your poem, Johnny,

but l made a fuss about it for a reason .

l won 't hide anything from you .

The country's on the brink.

People are still reeling from the fire, the plague.

The Catholics are plotting

the Dutch are a bunch of bastards

and the French are ten times worse

and there's no money

l can only get funds by crawling to Parliament

or plotting against them.

And l don 't want to lock antlers with them

head on in the way my father did.

''Head on ?'' That's quite good.

When you first came to court Johnny

you were a boy of 18

A certain flippancy a whiff of impertinence

This was acceptable

But we're ten years down the road

and the view is different

The tone has to change.

l have to look responsible, sober.

l want you with me.

That's why l brought you back.

l want you to take on a new role.

Here? ln the playhouse?

No, the House of Lords.

Your father spirited me out of England

when my life was at stake,

so l looked after him and after you .

- You put me in the Tower.

- And l let you out

The time has come for you to pay your dues.

People listen to you , Johnny.

lf you took your seat in the Lords,

you could make great speeches

that would influence events.

Anyone can oppose.

lt's fun to be against things.

But there comes a time when you have

to start being for things as well.

Your Majesty.

Mr Etherege.

Take a nibble?

l've had my dinner, thank you, madam.

George!

ls this thy plighted faith?

ls this thy truth?

Oh too unkind!

False and unconstant youth!

- Madam, believe not but my brother's just.

ROCHESTER:
Who's she?

She's Lizzie Barry.

And she just won 't do.

You wrong his honour by this mean distrust.

Well...

That does alleviate my griefs and give

my wearied soul a soft and kind reprieve.

Which ever to forget would be

as hard and as impossible as to reward.

Serving you my happiness secures.

Since equally with yours my hopes are crossed.

Of all but sorry and sad despair.

Lizzie. Lizzie!

On stage.

You must take your bow for the public.

Why do you persist in doing

the opposite of what you are told?

lf girls like you do not do what they are told,

then it is all up with our sex on the stage.

You cannot ignore the advice

of them that know!

Now, acknowledge your audience.

They can kiss my arse.

She's a good f***, but she costs.

She gives a nice gobble,

but she won 't do the full wibbly-wobbly.

- She does it with me.

- She does not!

Mary, if I may say so...

..a statuesque performance.

Bursting with Grecian promise.

Mrs Barry, the work we did beforehand,

did it mean nothing to you?

That is correct, Mr Harris.

Molly, l cannot teach those

who will not be disposed to learn .

- Mr Etherege, how do you do, sir?

- Well, Mr Harris.

- Was not my Lord Rochester in wih you?

- Darted off

Did you care for the play?

The play was well enough.

Most of the acting, too.

Mrs Barry.

She has been dismissed.

l bring word from Mr Betterton .

- l've had such already.

- This is quite another.

You have obtained a reprieve for me.

Yes, madam, but there is a price.

This is your first season on the London stage.

lt is, my lord.

Mrs Barry,

you must acquire the trick

of ignoring those who do not like you .

ln my experience, those who do not like you fall

into two categories, the stupid and the envious.

The stupid will like you in five years' time,

the envious never.

Wih my training you will become the best

the most fascinating actress

on the London stage

l shall come to the theatre tomorrow.

What are you up to, Johnny? She can 't act.

She has neither the cadence of the heroic

nor the posture.

l will wager you 20 guineas she will become

the finest actress on our stage.

This is the prick talking, not the head.

Knob her and have done.

ls it a wager?

My dear friend, you do not have 20 guineas.

ls it a wager?

We've missed the f***. Can we get a drink?

There's a new toping house hard by

called Deaf Marion 's.

The Cambridge boy knows his books by heart.

Lead on , King's.

Alcock.

My lord.

Something rotten has got into my guts.

l trust it's not me, my lord.

No, Alcock, it is not. Not yet.

We should mark the front lawn at Adderbury

for pall-mall.

l had always thought it a foolish game.

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