Produced by Brian Foley, Jennifer Linklater and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries) _BY THE SAME AUTHOR._ THE SECRET ROSE. THE CELTIC TWILIGHT. POEMS. THE WIND AMONG THE REEDS. THE SHADOWY WATERS. IDEAS OF GOOD AND EVIL. PLAYS FOR AN IRISH THEATRE VOLUME III. THE KING’S THRESHOLD: AND ON BAILE’S STRAND: BEING VOLUME THREE OF PLAYS FOR AN IRISH THEATRE: BY W. B. YEATS LONDON: A. H. BULLEN, 47, GREAT RUSSELL STREET, W.C. 1904 CHISWICK PRESS: CHARLES WHITTINGHAM AND CO. TOOKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE, LONDON. NOTE Both these plays have been written for Mr. Fay’s “Irish National Theatre.” “The King’s Threshold” was played in October, 1903, and “On Baile’s Strand” will be played in February or March, 1904. Both are founded on Old Irish Prose Romances, but I have borrowed some ideas for the arrangement of my subject in “The King’s Threshold” from “Sancan the Bard,” a play published by Mr. Edwin Ellis some ten years ago. W. B. Y. CONTENTS PAGE THE KING’S THRESHOLD 1 ON BAILE’S STRAND 67 THE KING’S THRESHOLD LIST OF CHARACTERS KING GUAIRE. THE CHAMBERLAIN OF KING GUAIRE. A Soldier. A Monk. THE MAYOR OF KINVARA. A Cripple. Another Cripple. AILEEN, } Ladies of the Court. ESSA, } PRINCESS BUAN. PRINCESS FINNHUA, her Sister. FEDELM, Seanchan’s Sweetheart. CIAN, } Servants of Seanchan. BRIAN, } SENIAS, } Pupils of Seanchan. ARIAS, } SEANCHAN (pronounced Shanahan), Chief Poet of Ireland. Pupils, Courtiers. A PROLOGUE.[1] Footnote 1: Written for the first production of “The King’s Threshold” in Dublin, but not used, as, owing to the smallness of the company, nobody could be spared to speak it. _An OLD MAN with a red dressing-gown, red slippers and red nightcap, holding a brass candlestick with a guttering candle in it, comes on from side of stage and goes in front of the dull green curtain._ _Old Man._ I’ve got to speak the prologue. [_He shuffles on a few steps._] My nephew, who is one of the play actors, came to me, and I in my bed, and my prayers said, and the candle put out, and he told me there were so many characters in this new play, that all the company were in it, whether they had been long or short at the business, and that there wasn’t one left to speak the prologue. Wait a bit, there’s a draught here. [_He pulls the curtain closer together._] That’s better. And that’s why I’m here, and maybe I’m a fool for my pains.