HN WILSON, a good old minister.
BELLINGHAM, Governor of the Colony.
BUTTS, a sea captain.
SATAN, an hallucination of Dimsdell's.
BRONSON, }
WARD, }
LANGDON, } Members of the Governor's Council.
ARNOLD, }
DIGGORY, a servant to Governor Bellingham.

HESTER PRYNNE, wife of Roger Prynne.
MARTHA WILSON, daughter of Rev. John Wilson.
URSULA, a nurse.
BETSEY, a milkmaid.
MOTHER CAREY, keeper of a sailor's inn.

_A Clerk, a Crier, a Jailer, Councilors, Citizens, Soldiers,
Sailors, Indians, Servants._

SCENE--_Boston_. TIME--_June, 1668_.

THE SCARLET STIGMA.

ACT I.

SCENE I.--_A tavern and a street in front of it. Settles on porch.
SAILORS smoking and drinking. Enter CAPTAIN BUTTS, singing._

_Butts._ _The Margery D. was a trim little ship,
The men they could man, and the skipper could skip;
She sailed from her haven one fine summer day,
And she foundered at sea in the following way,--
To-wit:_

_All._ _A-rinkety, clinkety, clink, clank, clank,
The liquor they bathed in, the spirits they drank;
A sailor at sea with three sheets in the wind
Can hardly be called, sirs, quite sober._

_Enter MOTHER CAREY, from Tavern._

_Carey._ Cap'n! Cap'n Butts! Gen'le gen'lemen! would ye rune a pore
widdy woman by a singing of sech filthy tunes? And me up for my
license again nex' Tuesday!

_Butts._ Peace! Peace, Mother Carey, hear your chickens screech!
Come, boys! [_Singing._

_The captain was thirsty, and so was each man,
They ladled the grog out by cup and by can,
The night it was stormy, they knew not the place,
And they sang as they sank the following grace,--
To-wit:_

_All._ _A-sinkety, sinkety, sink, sank, sunk,
Our captain is tipsy, our mate is quite drunk,
Our widows we leave to the world's tender care,
And we don't give a damn for the Devil!_

Ha! Ha! Ha!

_Carey._ O, Lord! O, Lord! If the magistrates should hear that song,
they'd close my place!

_Butts._ There, there now. [_Chucks her under the chin._] The
magistrates are not as quick to hear a sailor sing as thou a