1st Prince:  You must listen!

Guardian:  Must!  What is that language!  That is a word was never said to me since I was made the Queen’s Chamberlain.  Here!  Put a gag upon their mouths! (Soldiers do so, tying a handkerchief on mouth of each.) Tie their hands behind them with ropes. (This is done.) Rapscallions!  Do they think to terrify and command me!  I that am not only Governor of the Island but am Supreme Judge whenever I come into this Court.

Ogre:  That is very good and very right!  Keep the gag in their mouth!  You wouldn’t like to be listening to the things they were saying a while ago!  They were giving out great impudence and very disrespectful talk!

Guardian:  Give me here my Judge’s wig and my gown! (Puts them on.) Where now are the young Princes?

Servant:  They are coming now.

Guardian:  It will be a great help in their education seeing justice done by me, as straight as was ever done by Aristides.  Give me here that book of punishments and rewards.  I’ll see what is bad enough for these lads! (He consults book.)

Servant:  Here now are the Princes.

(Wrenboys come in wearing Princes’ clothes)

1st Wrenboy:  (To another) Do you see who it is that is in it?

2nd Wrenboy:  It is the young Princes in our clothes!

3rd Wrenboy:  What in the world wide brought them here?  Believe me it was through some villainy of the Grugach.

4th Wrenboy:  What at all has happened?

5th Wrenboy:  Go ask them what it was brought them, or what they came doing.

1st Wrenboy:  (To Princes) What is it brought you here so soon?

(Princes shake their heads)

2nd Wrenboy:  (Coming back) There is a gag on their mouths!

3rd Wrenboy:  (Going and looking) Their hands are tied with a rope.

4th Wrenboy:  They had not the wit to stand against the Grugach; it is not long till they were brought to trouble.

5th Wrenboy:  It was seventeen times worse for them to be under him than for ourselves that was used to him, and to his cruelty and his ways.

1st Wrenboy:  It was bad enough for ourselves.  We were not built for roguery.

(The Dowager Messengers rushing in.)

Dowager Messengers:  (Together.) What is going on?  What has happened?

Guardian:  What you see before you has happened.  Those young thieves came to try and to rob the house.  They were found by myself in the very act of bringing away my golden-handled sword!  They were stopped by this honest man. (Points to Ogre.)

1st Dowager Messenger:  There would seem to be a great deal of wickedness around this place!

Guardian:  I’ll put a stop to it!  I’ll use my rights as Judge!  To have that sort of villainy running through the Island, it would come through walls of glass or of marble, and lead away the best.