Parts of Call Far at the world's end strange fascinating lands beckon us Did us rebel in their exotic splendor come with us as we head for ports of call? Separated from the continent of Europe by 27 miles of wind-tossed water and from America by 3,000 miles of blue sea The tiny island of England lies like a green carpet under the soft English sky Sailing up the English Channel past the rocky point known as Lambs End the busy harbor of Plymouth We anchor at the great docks of Southampton at the junction of two wide rivers Four hours by fast express and we arrived in London the greatest city in the world It was near London on a sultry June day and 1213 But England's greatness was forever guaranteed On a broad meadow in Surrey the feudal barons of England are gathered outside the silken pavilion of their hated King John Distant thunder booms and thudding measures Lightning licks about the clouds sharp edges the air is charged with tension as the barons draw closer Speak in low tones. Thank you. The king will sign Oxford. I have heard it said He means to press for still more time to consider. He must be deaf and blind There are not more than half a dozen barons still loyal to him and even their knights are opposed to John It's true But if you think to impress us with this silken pavilion and trappings of state He's not even a man much less a king Mark his insolence as he seats himself Well my lords your king will hear what you have to say in defense of this charter Which you propose we shall sign if your majesty pleases Baron Robert Fitzwater has been chosen to represent the barons in this discussion Let him present himself. There is little to discuss your majesty You have been sent a copy of the charter It represents our demands. There are certain clauses to which we object We are willing that certain clauses be subject to discussion But certain others we will demand what I will read the most important No free man shall be imprisoned or exiled without judgment of his peers All persons shall be free to come and go in times of peace except outlaws and prisoners No justice constable sheriff or bailiff is to be appointed but such as knows the law and is willing to observe it Justice is to be done in cases of wrongful dispossession And all illegal fines are to be remitted Are these your demands if your majesty wishes to keep his throne He would be wise to sign the chart, but those are the very clauses. I will not sign that your majesty want war Lord's is beginning to rain. Let us postpone It is raining and I have not had time your majesty had best sign Your majesty I Very well, give me the pen And so was signed the magna carta foundation of English law Over the tiny turbulent kingdom years came and went The house of Plantagenet was succeeded by the house of York then Lancaster and finally Tudor whose impatient scion Henry VIII defied the Church of Rome Bitterness and strife followed his death, but Elizabeth gained the throne where for 45 years She played Catholic against Protestant an enemy against enemy to the glory of England 1599 in Elizabeth's magnificent court her favorite for five years has been young Robert Devereaux Earl of Essex And she was the first to be crowned by the Church of Rome in 1599 In Elizabeth's magnificent court her favorite for five years has been young Robert Devereaux Earl of Essex Just after Easter she receives him in her private apartments Well Essex is there some urgent matter of life and death that causes you to ride here in the rain this morning It's always death to me when I'm away from you. I kiss your majesty's lovely hand What a flatterer you are Essex Madam I Oh, you know, I'm not displeased Never was there a man like you Even Walter Raleigh Even Walter Raleigh You are jealous of him I am jealous of every man on whom your majesty's eyes fall for so much as a moment If I could have my heart's desire it would be that I might take you in my arms Draw the curtains between us and the world forever Alas that I am a queen I know But yours is a glorious reign You have made England mistress of the sea There are some who say Sir Francis Drake accomplished that Sir Francis was but the instrument of Spanish destruction in your majesty's hand And without your favour there could have been no ships bringing the treasure from the West Indies to England Again you are thinking of Sir Walter Raleigh What is it that I may do to prove how high I hold you in esteem Esteem is a cold word your majesty Affection then? It is still but lukewarm I'm not afraid to speak boldly And though you may rebuke me I adore you Essex, what do you want of me? Let me sit here at your feet I...I beg you to send me to Ireland To put down Tyrone's rebellions You Essex Your surprise itself speaks ill of me You think I'm but a dancing fool fit for nothing but to dress myself in velvet and brocade To idle my time away at the gaming tables and kiss ladies' hands in ballrooms Essex, you forget yourself My sword is but a shining ornament Oh your majesty You refuse to permit me to go to Spain with Sir Francis Drake Let me serve you now in this I would put down the rebel Tyrone in one swift stroke And add glory and even greater acclaim to your majesty's magnificent reign So you see me as a timid woman holding you back from your man's life Timid? Elizabeth timid? No And if your...your feeling for me leads you to fear for my safety I am a thousand times blessed But your majesty knows that people are ill pleased that the Irish rebels have not been put down And if I should send you the people's idol they would... If I am the people's idol It is only because they know my heart, my soul, my life are your majesty's And will be while I have breath to speak your name and power to lift my sword I cannot resist your eloquence I will instruct Cecil to have your appointment drawn Your majesty I am your slave God keep you safely I will give you a token to wear It shall be worn next my heart, I swear it Take this ring And Essex, if ever I should misjudge you remember this You have only to send me this ring and it will always bring forgiveness Your majesty My love Yes, Martin Sir Francis Bacon, your majesty Let him come in Your majesty Come in, Bacon I sent for you because you are a friend of Essex There is little I would not do for Essex And nothing I would not do for your majesty Well spoken I am told that London is filled with gossip, Bacon Gossip that Essex has lost half his men Dead from disease, frittered away and unimportant skirmishes That he has made no real attempt to crush Tyrone Tell me, what is your opinion of the state of affairs in Ireland? And of the manner in which Essex is proceeding? I am greatly honoured that your majesty should consider my advice worthy of her attention What is your advice? Essex and I have been the closest friends since boyhood As your majesty knows, Essex has greatly favoured me My present position at court is due to his influence in my behalf I know his nature as well as my own And forgive me, your majesty I have heard the present gossip that is being repeated in the court as well as in the streets You may speak freely Your majesty If you were to continue him here at court as an ornament to yourself and to society He would be in his right element He is beloved by the people and well liked by foreign ambassadors I have your majesty's permission to continue? Yes, yes, Bacon To put arms and power into his hands may be a temptation for him to prove unruly Therefore, if you would send for him and satisfy him with honours here near you If your majesty's affairs would permit it, I think it would be the best plan Arms, power, temptation Your frankness is very welcome, sir Francis You will speak of this to no one Certainly not, your majesty You have our permission to retire Your majesty Perhaps I shall send for you again, Bacon I am at your majesty's service Good night Good night Martin Yes, your majesty I am going to my chamber Send my women to me there Yes, your majesty Oh, I am weary Your majesty Why, Lucy You here already? I thought your majesty might retire earlier tonight Oh, you thought I seemed tired, ill Oh no, your majesty never seems weary or ill But since you had decided not to attend to Anthony's ball There, there, it's all right You're a sweet child, Lucy Take off my wig, rub my head Talk to me, child Has your majesty heard of Will Shakespeare's new play at the Globe Theatre In praise of my lord Essex? What's this? Oh yes, your majesty It is called Henry V, but everyone knows it's my lord Essex who is meant by Will Shakespeare's words What words? I know them well Where now the general of our gracious empress As in good time he may from Ireland coming Bring rebellion broken on his sword How many would the peaceful city quit to welcome him? It would seem Will Shakespeare also wishes my lord Essex well But who does not? Except Sir Walter Rand Enough of this for tonight Call the others to prepare my bed Your majesty In the morning will be time enough to consider what must be done Is my wig ready, Lucy? Yes, your majesty, it is here Hand me my mirror before you put it on My hair is grey Oh, your majesty Don't try to take the mirror How ugly I am My face unpainted, my hair hanging in wisps about it I beg your majesty to let me dress your hair What's that? My lord Essex Your majesty, I have only this moment arrived from Ireland I know my clothes are dirty and disordered from the long journey, my boots covered with mud But I could not forbear one moment to see you Lucy, go! At once! Yes, your lord Now, Essex, tell me what there is to be said about your conduct in Ireland They say Elizabeth and Essex have quarreled Is it true he burst into her chamber and found her in a dressing gown unpainted and without eve on her wig? I have heard it said And now Essex is a prisoner at York House But, Essex, is it a height of injustice that you should be kept prisoner? Oh, what does it matter, Nellick? One day I am in the Queen's paper and the next I am cast out of the court in disgrace There is this to consider James of Scotland would like to rule England also Nellick, you're not suggesting Why not? It would not be the first time in this country a sovereign is being deposed If you would throw your great popularity into the scale for James, much might be accomplished I ask to depose Elizabeth Why should you be loyal to her? After all you've done for England, she's ordered you into custody without compunction Let me take a letter to James assuring him of your devotion Oh, very well. Elizabeth is determined to destroy me. England holds nothing else for me now Months go by Francis Bacon warns Elizabeth the people will rise in anger if Essex is severely punished At last he is set free But only a few weeks later Essex, the Queen has been told of your activities on behalf of James What? I heard it from one of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting She is not yet convinced, but you are in danger Leave London at once, go to Wales There you can raise the standard of revolt Men will flock to join you Why should I run away? If the Queen wants my life, who is there? The Lord Keifer, the Earl of Worcester, and William Nolice and the Lord Chief Justice You are under arrest in the Queen's name, Lord Essex Take him to the tower Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, you have been found guilty of high treason against the person and the crown of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth You are sentenced to be hanged, drawn, and quartered on Ludgate Hill on the morning of February 25th And may God have mercy on your soul Has Your Majesty had me brought here from the tower to gloat over me? No, to tell you of the change in your sentence Your Majesty? Yes, you are not to be hanged on Ludgate Hill But like other important prisoners of state, you will be beheaded in the courtyard of the tower Well, have you nothing to say to me? What is left to say? Why did you not send me the ring I gave you? I told you it would always bring forgiveness I was brought to trial that justice might be done Not to beg forgiveness like a lover whining at his mistress's feet Oh, you try my patience, but that I can understand It is not too late Give me the ring, admit you wronged me No, if I call for mercy now, if I beg forgiveness and it is granted It will only mean that in a week, a month, or a year, this miserable past will be played out again In the end I shall die, so let it be soon Oh, why must it be thus? Our love was destined to bring us nothing but misery and suffering When I am gone, it will be over Essex, give me the ring No! This is the last time I shall ask Do you still wear it next to your heart? Yes Then give it to me, say you were wrong I have not much time to prepare my soul for death I beg your majesty will send me back to the tower Go then, I shall never see your face again So closes one of the most colourful chapters in the story of England A few days later, still grieving over the death of Essex, Elizabeth died With her died the Tudor dynasty And the light-hearted stewards diced and drank and fitted away England's wealth on the painted duties of the court Rebellion swept the land, Wim Cromwell ruled for nine brief years With the death of the frivolous Charles II, the Stuart line ended From Hanover in Germany were summoned to England's throne George I, George II and George III Who lost the American colonies in 1776 In 1805, the gallant Lord Nelson pits England's navy against the combined navies of France and Spain at the Battle of Trafalgar And Lord Nelson dies to win it Napoleon scourges Europe for 20 years In 1814, Lord Wellington defeats him at Waterloo Peace brings a new renaissance to England's life A new generation of poets is born Shelley, Keats and the tragic Lord Byron June 20th, 1837 It is five o'clock in the morning In her bedroom in a quiet London house, a young girl is asleep Who's there? The Archbishop, my child, and the Lord Chamberlain Please open the door But gentlemen, I'm not dressed I can't see anyone now We have most important news for you Please permit us to come in Can't it wait till I have vision and dressed? No, child Oh, very well Just a moment My dressing gown Here it is I must put on my stockings and slippers Oh, my hair's so untidy Are you really ready to let us in, Victoria? Just a moment, gentlemen There Now you may come in Uncle Leopold and my governess will be very angry with me for receiving you in my dressing gown at this hour What news can you have that is of such great importance? The news that your uncle, William IV, died at three o'clock this morning You are Queen of England, Your Majesty Queen of England? I? You have long known you would one day rule Oh, yes, I was told I would be Queen But that's quite different from having the Lord Chamberlain of England kneeling at my feet What will my governess say? You no longer have a governess, Your Majesty From this moment you will command not only your own actions but your loyal subjects, both in England and beyond the seas God grant, I may rule my people wisely Two years later, a German prince, Albert of Saxcoburg-Gotha arrives in England determined to win the hand of the lovely young Queen Victoria On a beautiful English autumn day, Victoria and Albert are strolling in the palace garden Your Majesty is very thoughtful today I'm thinking of something I said to Lord Melbourne, the Prime Minister, before you came to England Something about me? Yes, Albert To judge from your melancholy face, it must have been something most unpleasant It was, and now I regret it Then if you regret it, do I hope you have changed your mind? Oh, I didn't mean to say, that is, I... Yes, I will say it, I have changed my mind I like you very much indeed Victoria... I like you so much in fact, that I have decided to... to mar... To marry me? Perhaps if you had made the proposal to me instead of the Prime Minister and my Uncle Leopold I might have consented before It was only because I fear to displease you by declaring my affection dare I hope you may learn to love me My governess always told me it was not seemingly for a young girl to talk of love that I'm sure that it is not wrong for me to tell you that you may hope Victoria... With Victoria's marriage to Albert began the prosperous years of her reign by four years the longest in English history Brilliant successes came to her armies and on the sea her navy became supreme The 19th century sees England's colonies expand beyond her wildest dreams Victoria becomes Empress of India But Albert's death has changed her into a bitter, grieving woman living in her memories in the golden past Her life spins out 50, 60, 70 years Late one June day in the year 1894 she sees her mother's death Late one June day in the year 1894 she stands in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Edward, Albert, Christian, George, Andrew, Patrick, David I baptize thee in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Amen My first great-grandson, the future King of England, little David The longest of England's royal lives came to a close in 1901 Edward VII, already middle-aged, ruled only nine years George V ascends the throne amid the first mutterings of the storm that four years later sweeps all the nations of the earth into red disaster 1914, England's first hundred thousand pull out their lives on Belgian soil But amid the agony of no man's land, the sons of England lift their voices in exultant defiance of death There is but one task for all, for each one life to give Who stands if freedom falls? Who dies if England lives? 1915, Ypres, Liège, Amontiere I have a rendezvous with death at midnight in some flaming town when spring trips north again this year and I, to my pledged word, am true I shall not fail that rendezvous 1916, the Somme, they're done If I should die, think only this of me that there's some corner of a foreign field that is forever Indian 1917, Imme Ridge, Paschenau Take up our quarrel with the foe, to you from falling hands we throw the torch Be yours to hold it high, if ye break faith with us who died We shall not sleep, though poppies grow in Flanders fields 1918, Arra, Messines Ridge, Amiens Peace Home to England from France, from Mesopotamia, from Turkey go the soldiers and sailors of England, a handful of the gallant men who held their lives so cheap at England's knee Back from France goes Edward, Prince of Wales who take up the task of preparing himself to rule In January 1936, the summons come George V is buried at Windsor Three months later, Edward VIII sits before a radio microphone in St. James's Palace whose courtyard once echoed to the dancing hoofs of the horses of medieval kings It now falls upon me to succeed my father and to carry on his work I'm better known to most of you as the Prince of Wales as a man who during the war and since has had the opportunity of getting to know the people of nearly every country of the world under all conditions and circumstances and although I now speak to you as the King I am still that same man who had that experience and whose constant effort it will be to continue to promote the well-being of his fellow men May the future bring peace and understanding throughout the world prosperity and happiness to business people and may we be worthy of the heritage which is ours And now our steamer awaits us in the bustling harbour of Liverpool where high over St. George's Hall shines a bronze replica of one of the extinct birds known as livers that gave the city its name This modern industrial city with its great schools of medicine, engineering and law contrasts strangely with the green fields and thatched cottages of the countryside to which we have just come But the city is still a place of pride and the city is still a place of pride But the soft wind blows from the hedges and mingles with the salt of the sea to say that all this is the gallant heart of England We're homeward bound once more from another journey to ports of call May the future bring peace and understanding throughout the world prosperity and happiness to business people We invite you to join us again next week in this time as we journey to another of the world's fascinating ports of call.
