Wheat from Chaff

BORAMMATHEUS: Dreaded liege, thou Lord of Hosts and Kings. I
Seek from you this day your approval. Though
Once I did grace your enemies presence
I do now renounce before the world, that
I, the son of Borammatheus, prince
In title only, lord only to men
Who wear their hearts on their sleeves, kindly men,
Men that have lived long by your code in lands
Held by your enemies, have waited for
Your armies to relieve them; liege of men
That would have me lead them against those same
Foes that did take me in but a year hence;
The foes as did take the life of your friend,
That goodly Saint, who upon my life was
Dearer to me than any helper in
That accursed camp of fiends and vipers,
That monument whom you did uphold, a
Man for all men to imitate in kind;
As men do imitate your own person.
My lord so changed is my heart from disease
As did plague me when last we met that I
Firmly renounce them, I give them over
As chaff for the fire, to be burned in
Everlasting torment and misery.
And though it pains you to kill one men, for
You are a merciful king that would so
Rid the world of vice and sin that all men
Could return to you without punishment,
You know that unless they return with such
Repentance in their hearts that you cannot,
Will not, force them to come hither out of
Shame alone; lest they should not atone, but
Grow devious with mercy undeserved.
Yet know my dreaded king, you who are robed
In Glory and have the wind itself as
Your ally, the mighty seas to purge the
World as is necessary, you who make the
Ground shake and the earth quake in the wake
Of your announcement, that I, but a man
Among men, am thine! For I was lost and you
Found me in the wild of the land, was
Blind, but you taught me to hear and to see,
Was so caught up in the vastness of mine
Enemies that had befriended me, that
You revealed to me the depth of their
Hate and so I am free! Free to serve thee!
Now my lord! I pray call to yourself all
Who may hear the sound of the wind, the sea,
The ground, and the depths of space itself! For
I know your power the tempest from the
Blast of your horn which calls to you all those
That will listen to what they have heard, that
Summons the weak and the strong together
Into one place where they may befriend you
In each other, can so unite the land
That they may overcome the shackles of
Our enemies! Do as you have promised,
For I am your servant to command.


KING:                                           No.
I shall not as you suggest, for I am
Old, and, though it remains to be seen,
Wise enough to recognize another
Higher than me still. As for your request,
I shall pardon you of all your crimes, but
The last that you have just committed. For
It is not mine to forgive, its offense
Strong enough to deliver you into
The hands of those you would give your now
Enemies. For you have deified me,
Given me credit which is God's alone.
I am but flesh and blood, no savior
That might overcome the forces of night,
Those who are accursed to mine own sight.
And so I warn you, that you have but one
Chance to make right with He whom I do speak
Of. Lest you be taken in with the chaff,
As a goat that does proclaim mighty works
In the name of He who is higher than
I, I who am but a king of men, just
As you are but a lord of men. This then
Is my pronouncement. Let it be so known
That You, Boremmethous, are given leave
To reenter the kingdom you did once
Serve, on the condition that you do find,
Whether by the time of day or by night,
To come before the one you took me for
And beg pardon and peace in His name. So
Shall my wrath be appeased, and his also.
Now, as it is said, let it be done, and
May this mercy deliver from the hand
Of evil, mine and God's enemy, both
Our souls. Yes...we shall all die. Yes we shall...