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Monologues for men
(free for students & auditions)
from "Boston's Brothers
in Liberty"
By G. L. Horton
copyright © 2004
Geralyn Horton
THE REVEREND DILLON, a Congregational minister
who preaches Rebellion:
Beware lest you be cast out, friend. This is a time of winnowing.
This day, I am sure. There were some nights when I woke up sweating,
afeard that I'm leading my flock iagainst the Word. "Resist
not evil", our Lord said. And much else that Parson Robie
can quote me. He's a learned man, more than I, I do confess
it. But the pilgrim path is hard and thorny. It's my belief
that we must throw off the crown. Our countrymen blame their
deeds on the constraint of the King, and say their lawlessness
is because they have no representatives in London to speak their
clear will. Aye! Tis their excuse. But some day they will appear
before the Throne, to answer for their deeds on earth. Here
for once the common man has a chance to speak and do as he thinks
best, to set up over him the upright, and not say, "I obeyed,
as I thought was my duty." Woe to them that obey Parson
Robie! For all his learning, is an idle son of the English gentry.
He has no more idea of righteousness than a heathen! God never
called him to his service: he was preferred to it, like the
customs-man and the king's agents.
Scripture is as sounding brass in such a mouth. But the Almighty
touches the lips of them that seek for justice! Listen, friend,
and look. The men who will make the laws for us once we are
sovereign?
They speak and write with the tongues of prophets! Trust me.
I have prayed and searched my conscience on this matter, and
the light has been given to me. The patriots I speak of are
prepared. They will come together and talk, while men like Matt
and his mutton headed sons begin the fighting. Out of this will
come a new way of living on this earth, a new bond of brotherhood,
based on a covenant between men, like unto the one God made
between himself and the Israelites. But we will not know what
we fight for until we've fought for it. It will grow from our
blood, shed for freedom. We will hammer out principles. We will
bring this land to greatness. Carving it from the flesh of our
fathers in England, and paying for in the blood of our own children,
it must be a work worthy of the cost.
NARRATOR -- any age, either sex:
Have you heard the story of one Theophilus Lille? A very inoffensive
man except for his offense of Importation. He protested that
he ought to be at liberty to buy goods from Britain to sell
in his North End shop. He wrote a witty note to the BOSTON NEWSLETTER:
(quoting in the voice of LILLIE) "It always seemed strange
to me that people who contend so much for Civil and Religious
Liberty should be so ready to Deprive others: should make Laws
to which I am sure I never gave my consent. I own I had rather
be a slave under one master, for I know who he is and I may
perhaps be able to please him, than a slave to a hundred or
more who I don't know where to find, nor what they will expect
of me." (back to NARRATOR's own voice) The whole Street
filled with angry people. They planted a sign in front of Lillie's
shop branding him a traitor, and would suffer no person to enter.
The ensuing brawl ended with two rioters shot and wounded, an
eleven year old schoolboy killed, and Lille's defender hung.
LUKE, a young teen eager for a fight:
I hate it when they look at me and Pa as if we're not good
enough. I'd like to be right in the middle of a troop of soldiers,
all marching together. Not at the front or the back, but right
in the middle with maybe a hundred men in front and two hundred
in back, waving and marching, where everybody else has to get
out the way. The lobersterbacks are all in red. You can see
em coming a mile off.
Maybe we could be in white, or in solid gold! Shining like
God's angels! But I like it too when we're dressed all dark
with our faces black, like Indians. Or like black men, invisible.
Part of the night.
You can't tell where the night stops and we begin. You can't
tell if maybe there isn't a whole army of us out here together.
But maybe best of all would be to be a pirate.
I'm a better Patriot than you! Where were you last night when
we ran the tithe men through the streets, and set up a great
roaring bonfire!
Oh, they were quaking in their boots, the king's thieves, and
Billy be Damned to them!
(sings)
O, Billy broke locks, and Billy broke bolts,
And Billy broke all that he came nigh!
Aye, 'twas all of us against those two. Scoff if you like.
But behind those two is the force of the British army! They'll
make us slaves if we don't show them that this is our land.
Our law's not the king's writ, but what we agree to!
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