Sir Walter Scott
Ivanhoe
A Romance
Introduction
Now fitted the halter now traversed the cart
And often took leave but seemd loath to depart1
Prior
The Author of the Waverley Novels had hitherto proceeded in an unabated course
of popularity and might in his peculiar district of literature have been
termed LEnfant Gâté of success It was plain however that frequent
publication must finally wear out the public favour unless some mode could be
devised to give an appearance of novelty to subsequent productions Scottish
manners Scottish dialect and Scottish characters of note being those with
which the author was most intimately and familiarly acquainted were the
groundwork upon which he had hitherto relied for giving effect to his narrative
It was however obvious that this kind of interest must in the end occasion a
degree of sameness and repetition if exclusively resorted to and that the
reader was likely at length to adopt the language of Edwin in Parnells Tale
»Reverse the spell« he cries
»And let it fairly now suffice
The gambol has been shown«
Nothing can be more dangerous for the fame of a professor of the fine arts than
to permit if he can possibly prevent it the character of a mannerist to be
attached to him or that he should be supposed capable of success only in a
particular and limited style The public are in general very ready to adopt
the opinion that he who has pleased them in one peculiar mode of composition
is by means of that very talent rendered incapable of venturing upon other
subjects The effect of this disinclination on the part of the public towards
the artificers of their pleasures when they attempt to enlarge their means of
amusing may be seen in the censures usually passed by vulgar criticism upon
actors or artists who venture to change the character of their efforts that in
so doing they may enlarge the scale of their art
There is some justice in this opinion as there always is in such as attain
general currency It may often happen on the stage that an actor by possessing
in a preeminent degree the external qualities necessary to give effect to
comedy may be deprived of the right to aspire to tragic excellence and in
painting or literary composition an artist or poet may be master exclusively of
modes of thought and powers of expression which confine him to a single course
of subjects But much more frequently the same capacity which carries a man to
popularity in one department will obtain for him success in another and that
must be more particularly the case in literary composition than either in
acting or painting because the adventurer in that department is not impeded in
his exertions by any peculiarity of features or conformation of person proper
for particular parts or by any peculiar mechanical habits of using the pencil
limited to a particular class of subjects
Whether this reasoning be correct or otherwise the present author felt
that in confining himself to subjects purely Scottish he was not only likely
to weary out the indulgence of his readers but also greatly to limit his own
power of affording them pleasure In a highly polished country where so much
genius is monthly employed in catering for public amusement a fresh topic such
as he had himself had the happiness to light upon is the untasted spring of the
desert
Men bless their stars and call it luxury
But when men and horses cattle camels and dromedaries have poached the
spring into mud it becomes loathsome to those who at first drank of it with
rapture and he who had the merit of discovering it if he would preserve his
reputation with the tribe must display his talents by a fresh discovery of
untasted fountains
If the author who finds himself limited to a particular class of subjects
endeavours to sustain his reputation by striving to add a novelty of attraction
to themes of the same character which have been formerly successful under his
management there are manifest reasons why after a certain point he is likely
to fail If the mine be not wrought out the strength and capacity of the miner
become necessarily exhausted If he closely imitates the narratives which he has
before rendered successful he is doomed to »wonder that they please no more«
If he struggles to take a different view of the same class of subjects he
speedily discovers that what is obvious graceful and natural has been
exhausted and in order to obtain the indispensable charm of novelty he is
forced upon caricature and to avoid being trite must become extravagant
It is not perhaps necessary to enumerate so many reasons why the author of
the Scotch Novels as they were then exclusively termed should be desirous to
make an experiment on a subject purely English It was his purpose at the same
time to have rendered the experiment as complete as possible by bringing the
intended work before the public as the effort of a new candidate for their
favour in order that no degree of prejudice whether favourable or the reverse
might attach to it as a new production of the Author of Waverley but this
intention was afterwards departed from for reasons to be hereafter mentioned
The period of the narrative adopted was the reign of Richard I not only as
abounding with characters whose very names were sure to attract general
attention but as affording a striking contrast betwixt the Saxons by whom the
soil was cultivated and the Normans who still reigned in it as conquerors
reluctant to mix with the vanquished or acknowledge themselves of the same
stock The idea of this contrast was taken from the ingenious and unfortunate
Logans tragedy of Runnamede in which about the same period of history the
author had seen the Saxon and Norman barons opposed to each other on different
sides of the stage He does not recollect that there was any attempt to contrast
the two races in their habits and sentiments and indeed it was obvious that
history was violated by introducing the Saxons still existing as a highminded
and martial race of nobles
They did however survive as a people and some of the ancient Saxon
families possessed wealth and power although they were exceptions to the humble
condition of the race in general It seemed to the author that the existence of
the two races in the same country the vanquished distinguished by their plain
homely blunt manners and the free spirit infused by their ancient institutions
and laws the victors by the high spirit of military fame personal adventure
and whatever could distinguish them as the Flower of Chivalry might intermixed
with other characters belonging to the same time and country interest the
reader by the contrast if the author should not fail on his part
Scotland however had been of late used so exclusively as the scene of what
is called Historical Romance that the preliminary letter of Mr Laurence
Templeton became in some measure necessary To this as to an Introduction the
reader is referred as expressing the authors purpose and opinions in
undertaking this species of composition under the necessary reservation that
he is far from thinking he has attained the point at which he aimed
It is scarcely necessary to add that there was no idea or wish to pass off
the supposed Mr Templeton as a real person But a kind of continuation of the
Tales of my Landlord had been recently attempted by a stranger and it was
supposed this Dedicatory Epistle might pass for some imitation of the same kind
and thus putting inquirers upon a false scent induce them to believe they had
before them the work of some new candidate for their favour
After a considerable part of the work had been finished and printed the
Publishers who pretended to discern in it a germ of popularity remonstrated
strenuously against its appearing as an absolutely anonymous production and
contended that it should have the advantage of being announced as by the Author
of Waverley The author did not make any obstinate opposition for he began to
be of opinion with Dr Wheeler in Miss Edgeworths excellent tale of
»Manoeuvring« that »Trick upon Trick« might be too much for the patience of an
indulgent public and might be reasonably considered as trifling with their
favour
The book therefore appeared as an avowed continuation of the Waverley
Novels and it would be ungrateful not to acknowledge that it met with the same
favourable reception as its predecessors
Such annotations as may be useful to assist the reader in comprehending the
characters of the Jew the Templar the Captain of the mercenaries or Free
Companions as they were called and others proper to the period are added but
with a sparing hand since sufficient information on these subjects is to be
found in general history
An incident in the tale which had the good fortune to find favour in the
eyes of many readers is more directly borrowed from the stores of old romance
I mean the meeting of the King with Friar Tuck at the cell of that buxom hermit
The general tone of the story belongs to all ranks and all countries which
emulate each other in describing the rambles of a disguised sovereign who
going in search of information or amusement into the lower ranks of life meets
with adventures diverting to the reader or hearer from the contrast betwixt the
monarchs outward appearance and his real character The Eastern taleteller has
for his theme the disguised expeditions of Haroun Alraschid with his faithful
attendants Mesrour and Giafar through the midnight streets of Bagdad and
Scottish tradition dwells upon the similar exploits of James V distinguished
during such excursions by the travelling name of the Goodman of Ballengeigh as
the Commander of the Faithful when he desired to be incognito was known by
that of Il Bondocani The French minstrels are not silent on so popular a theme
There must have been a Norman original of the Scottish metrical romance of Rauf
Colziar in which Charlemagne is introduced as the unknown guest of a
charcoalman2 It seems to have been the original of other poems of the kind
In merry England there is no end of popular ballads on this theme The poem
of John the Reeve or Steward mentioned by Bishop Percy in the Reliques of
English Poetry3 is said to have turned on such an incident and we have
besides the King and the Tanner of Tamworth the King and the Miller of
Mansfield and others on the same topic But the peculiar tale of this nature to
which the author of Ivanhoe has to acknowledge an obligation is more ancient by
two centuries than any of these last mentioned
It was first communicated to the public in that curious record of ancient
literature which has been accumulated by the combined exertions of Sir Egerton
Brydges and Mr Hazlewood in the periodical work entitled the British
Bibliographer From thence it has been transferred by the Reverend Charles Henry
Hartshorne M A editor of a very curious volume entitled »Ancient Metrical
Tales printed chiefly from original sources 1829« Mr Hartshorne gives no
other authority for the present fragment except the article in the
Bibliographer where it is entitled the Kyng and the Hermyt A short abstract of
its contents will show its similarity to the meeting of King Richard and Friar
Tuck
King Edward we are not told which among the monarchs of that name but
from his temper and habits we may suppose Edward IV sets forth with his court
to a gallant huntingmatch in Sherwood Forest in which as is not unusual for
princes in romance he falls in with a deer of extraordinary size and swiftness
and pursues it closely till he has outstripped his whole retinue tired out
hounds and horse and finds himself alone under the gloom of an extensive
forest upon which night is descending Under the apprehensions natural to a
situation so uncomfortable the king recollects that he has heard how poor men
when apprehensive of a bad nights lodging pray to Saint Julian who in the
Romish calendar stands QuarterMasterGeneral to all forlorn travellers that
render him due homage Edward puts up his orisons accordingly and by the
guidance doubtless of the good Saint reaches a small path conducting him to a
chapel in the forest having a hermits cell in its close vicinity The King
hears the reverend man with a companion of his solitude telling his beads
within and meekly requests of him quarters for the night »I have no
accommodation for such a lord as ye be« said the Hermit »I live here in the
wilderness upon roots and rinds and may not receive into my dwelling even the
poorest wretch that lives unless it were to save his life« The King inquires
the way to the next town and understanding it is by a road which he cannot find
without difficulty even if he had daylight to befriend him he declared that
with or without the Hermits consent he was determined to be his guest that
night He is admitted accordingly not without a hint from the Recluse that
were he himself out of his priestly weeds he would care little for his threats
of using violence and that he gives way to him not out of intimidation but
simply to avoid scandal
The King is admitted into the cell two bundles of straw are shaken down
for his accommodation and he comforts himself that he is now under shelter and
that
A night will soon be gone
Other wants however arise The guest becomes clamorous for supper observing
»For certainly as I you say
I ne had never so sorry a day
That I ne had a merry night«
But this indication of his taste for good cheer joined to the annunciation of
his being a follower of the Court who had lost himself at the great
huntingmatch cannot induce the niggard Hermit to produce better fare than
bread and cheese for which his guest showed little appetite and »thin drink«
which was even less acceptable At length the King presses his host on a point
to which he had more than once alluded without obtaining a satisfactory reply
Then said the King »By Godys grace
Thou wert in a merry place
To shoot should thou lere
When the foresters go to rest
Sometyme thou might have of the best
All of the wild deer
I wold hold it for no scathe
Though thou hadst bow and arrows baith
Althoff thou best a Frere«
The Hermit in return expresses his apprehension that his guest means to drag
him into some confession of offence against the forest laws, which, being
betrayed to the King might cost him his life Edward answers by fresh
assurances of secrecy and again urges on him the necessity of procuring some
venison The Hermit replies by once more insisting on the duties incumbent upon
him as a churchman and continues to affirm himself free from all such breaches
of order
»Many day I have here been
And flesh meat I eat never
But milk of the kye
Warm thee well and go to sleep
And I will lap thee with my cope
Softly to lye«
It would seem that the manuscript is here imperfect for we do not find the
reasons which finally induce the curtal Friar to amend the Kings cheer But
acknowledging his guest to be such a »good fellow« as has seldom graced his
board the holy man at length produces the best his cell affords Two candles
are placed on a table white bread and baked pasties are displayed by the light
besides choice of venison both salt and fresh from which they select collops
»I might have eaten my bread dry« said the King »had I not pressed thee on the
score of archery but now have I dined like a prince if we had but drink
enow«
This too is afforded by the hospitable anchorite who despatches an
assistant to fetch a pot of four gallons from a secret corner near his bed and
the whole three set in to serious drinking This amusement is superintended by
the Friar according to the recurrence of certain fustian words to be repeated
by every compotator in turn before he drank a species of High Jinks4 as it
were by which they regulated their potations as toasts were given in latter
times The one toper says fusty bandias to which the other is obliged to reply
strike pantnere and the Friar passes many jests on the Kings want of memory
who sometimes forgets the words of action The night is spent in this jolly
pastime Before his departure in the morning the King invites his reverend host
to Court promises at least to requite his hospitality and expresses himself
much pleased with his entertainment The jolly Hermit at length agrees to
venture thither and to inquire for Jack Fletcher which is the name assumed by
the King After the Hermit had shown Edward some feats of archery the joyous
pair separate The King rides home and rejoins his retinue As the romance is
imperfect we are not acquainted how the discovery takes place; but it is
probably much in the same manner as in other narratives turning on the same
subject where the host apprehensive of death for having trespassed on the
respect due to his sovereign while incognito is agreeably surprised by
receiving honours and reward
In Mr Hartshornes collection there is a romance on the same foundation
called King Edward and the Shepherd5 which considered as illustrating manners
is still more curious than the King and the Hermit but it is foreign to the
present purpose The reader has here the original legend from which the incident
in the romance is derived and the identifying the irregular Eremite with the
Friar Tuck of Robin Hoods story was an obvious expedient
The name of Ivanhoe was suggested by an old rhyme All novelists have had
occasion at some time or other to wish with Falstaff that they knew where a
commodity of good names was to be had On such an occasion the author chanced to
call to memory a rhyme recording three names of the manors forfeited by the
ancestor of the celebrated Hampden for striking the Black Prince a blow with
his racket when they quarrelled at tennis
Tring Wing and Ivanhoe
For striking of a blow
Hampden did forego
And glad he could escape so
The word suited the authors purpose in two material respects for first it
had an ancient English sound and secondly it conveyed no indication whatever
of the nature of the story He presumes to hold this last quality to be of no
small importance What is called a taking title serves the direct interest of
the bookseller or publisher who by this means sometimes sells an edition while
it is yet passing the press But if the author permits an over degree of
attention to be drawn to his work ere it has appeared he places himself in the
embarrassing condition of having excited a degree of expectation which if he
proves unable to satisfy is an error fatal to his literary reputation Besides
when we meet such a title as the Gunpowder Plot or any other connected with
general history each reader before he has seen the book has formed to himself
some particular idea of the sort of manner in which the story is to be
conducted and the nature of the amusement which he is to derive from it In
this he is probably disappointed and in that case may be naturally disposed to
visit upon the author or the work the unpleasant feelings thus excited In such
a case the literary adventurer is censured not for having missed the mark at
which he himself aimed but for not having shot off his shaft in a direction he
never thought of
On the footing of unreserved communication which the author has established
with the reader he may here add the trifling circumstance that a roll of
Norman warriors occurring in the Auchinleck Manuscript gave him the formidable
name of FrontdeBoeuf
Ivanhoe was highly successful upon its appearance and may be said to have
procured for its author the freedom of the Rules since he has ever since been
permitted to exercise his powers of fictitious composition in England as well as
Scotland
The character of the fair Jewess found so much favour in the eyes of some
fair readers that the writer was censured because when arranging the fates of
the characters of the drama he had not assigned the hand of Wilfred to Rebecca
rather than the less interesting Rowena But not to mention that the prejudices
of the age rendered such a union almost impossible the author may in passing
observe that he thinks a character of a highly virtuous and lofty stamp is
degraded rather than exalted by an attempt to reward virtue with temporal
prosperity Such is not the recompense which Providence has deemed worthy of
suffering merit and it is a dangerous and fatal doctrine to teach young
persons the most common readers of romance that rectitude of conduct and of
principle are either naturally allied with or adequately rewarded by the
gratification of our passions or attainment of our wishes In a word if a
virtuous and selfdenied character is dismissed with temporal wealth greatness
rank or the indulgence of such a rashlyformed or illassorted passion as that
of Rebecca for Ivanhoe the reader will be apt to say verily virtue has had its
reward But a glance on the great picture of life will show that the duties of
self-denial and the sacrifice of passion to principle are seldom thus
remunerated and that the internal consciousness of their highminded discharge
of duty produces on their own reflections a more adequate recompense in the
form of that peace which the world cannot give or take away
ABBOTSFORD 1st September 1830
Dedicatory Epistle to the
Rev Doctor Dryasdust F A S
Residing at the Castle Gate York
Much esteemed and dear sir It is scarcely necessary to mention the various and
concurring reasons which induce me to place your name at the head of the
following work Yet the chief of these reasons may perhaps be refuted by the
imperfections of the performance Could I have hoped to render it worthy of your
patronage the public would at once have seen the propriety of inscribing a work
designed to illustrate the domestic antiquities of England and particularly of
our Saxon forefathers to the learned author of the Essays upon the Horn of King
Ulphus and on the Lands bestowed by him upon the patrimony of St Peter I am
conscious however that the slight unsatisfactory and trivial manner in
which the result of my antiquarian researches has been recorded in the following
pages takes the work from under that class which bears the proud motto Detur
digniori On the contrary I fear I shall incur the censure of presumption in
placing the venerable name of Dr Jonas Dryasdust at the head of a publication
which the more grave antiquary will perhaps class with the idle novels and
romances of the day I am anxious to vindicate myself from such a charge for
although I might trust to your friendship for an apology in your eyes yet I
would not willingly stand convicted in those of the public of so grave a crime
as my fears lead me to anticipate my being charged with
I must therefore remind you that when we first talked over together that
class of productions in one of which the private and family affairs of your
learned northern friend Mr Oldbuck of Monkbarns were so unjustifiably exposed
to the public some discussion occurred between us concerning the cause of the
popularity these works have attained in this idle age which whatever other
merit they possess must be admitted to be hastily written and in violation of
every rule assigned to the epopeia It seemed then to be your opinion that the
charm lay entirely in the art with which the unknown author had availed himself
like a second MPherson of the antiquarian stores which lay scattered around
him supplying his own indolence or poverty of invention by the incidents which
had actually taken place in his country at no distant period by introducing
real characters and scarcely suppressing real names It was not above sixty or
seventy years you observed since the whole north of Scotland was under a state
of government nearly as simple and as patriarchal as those of our good allies
the Mohawks and Iroquois Admitting that the author cannot himself be supposed
to have witnessed those times he must have lived you observed among persons
who had acted and suffered in them and even within these thirty years such an
infinite change has taken place in the manners of Scotland that men look back
upon the habits of society proper to their immediate ancestors as we do on
those of the reign of Queen Anne or even the period of the Revolution Having
thus materials of every kind lying strewed around him there was little you
observed to embarrass the author but the difficulty of choice It was no
wonder therefore that having begun to work a mine so plentiful he should have
derived from his works fully more credit and profit than the facility of his
labours merited
Admitting as I could not deny the general truth of these conclusions I
cannot but think it strange that no attempt has been made to excite an interest
for the traditions and manners of Old England similar to that which has been
obtained in behalf of those of our poorer and less celebrated neighbours The
Kendal green though its date is more ancient ought surely to be as dear to our
feelings as the variegated tartans of the north The name of Robin Hood if
duly conjured with should raise a spirit as soon as that of Rob Roy and the
patriots of England deserve no less their renown in our modern circles than the
Bruces and Wallaces of Caledonia If the scenery of the south be less romantic
and sublime than that of the northern mountains it must be allowed to possess
in the same proportion superior softness and beauty and upon the whole we feel
ourselves entitled to exclaim with the patriotic Syrian »Are not Pharpar and
Abana rivers of Damascus better than all the rivers of Israel«
Your objections to such an attempt my dear Doctor were you may remember
twofold You insisted upon the advantages which the Scotsman possessed from the
very recent existence of that state of society in which his scene was to be
laid Many now alive you remarked well remembered persons who had not only
seen the celebrated Roy MGregor but had feasted and even fought with him All
those minute circumstances belonging to private life and domestic character all
that gives verisimilitude to a narrative and individuality to the persons
introduced is still known and remembered in Scotland whereas in England
civilisation has been so long complete that our ideas of our ancestors are only
to be gleaned from musty records and chronicles the authors of which seem
perversely to have conspired to suppress in their narratives all interesting
details in order to find room for flowers of monkish eloquence or trite
reflections upon morals To match an English and a Scottish author in the rival
task of embodying and reviving the traditions of their respective countries
would be you alleged in the highest degree unequal and unjust The Scottish
magician you said was like Lucans witch at liberty to walk over the recent
field of battle and to select for the subject of resuscitation by his
sorceries a body whose limbs had recently quivered with existence, and whose
throat had but just uttered the last note of agony Such a subject even the
powerful Erichtho was compelled to select as alone capable of being reanimated
even by her potent magic
gelidas leto scrutata medullas
Pulmonis rigidi stantes sine vulnere fibras
Invenit et vocem defuncto in corpore quoerit
The English author on the other hand without supposing him less of a conjuror
than the Northern Warlock can you observed only have the liberty of selecting
his subject amidst the dust of antiquity where nothing was to be found but dry
sapless mouldering and disjointed bones such as those which filled the valley
of Jehoshaphat You expressed besides your apprehension that the unpatriotic
prejudices of my countrymen would not allow fair play to such a work as that of
which I endeavoured to demonstrate the probable success And this you said was
not entirely owing to the more general prejudice in favour of that which is
foreign but that it rested partly upon improbabilities arising out of the
circumstances in which the English reader is placed If you describe to him a
set of wild manners and a state of primitive society existing in the Highlands
of Scotland he is much disposed to acquiesce in the truth of what is asserted
And reason good If he be of the ordinary class of readers he has either never
seen those remote districts at all or he has wandered through those desolate
regions in the course of a summer tour eating bad dinners sleeping on truckle
beds stalking from desolation to desolation and fully prepared to believe the
strangest things that could be told him of a people wild and extravagant enough
to be attached to scenery so extraordinary But the same worthy person when
placed in his own snug parlour and surrounded by all the comforts of an
Englishmans fireside is not half so much disposed to believe that his own
ancestors led a very different life from himself that the shattered tower which
now forms a vista from his window once held a baron who would have hung him up
at his own door without any form of trial that the hinds by whom his little
petfarm is managed a few centuries ago would have been his slaves and that
the complete influence of feudal tyranny once extended over the neighbouring
village where the attorney is now a man of more importance than the lord of the
manor
While I own the force of these objections I must confess at the same time
that they do not appear to me to be altogether insurmountable The scantiness of
materials is indeed a formidable difficulty but no one knows better than Dr
Dryasdust that to those deeply read in antiquity hints concerning the private
life of our ancestors lie scattered through the pages of our various historians
bearing indeed a slender proportion to the other matters of which they treat
but still when collected together sufficient to throw considerable light upon
the vie privée of our forefathers indeed I am convinced that however I myself
may fail in the ensuing attempt yet with more labour in collecting or more
skill in using the materials within his reach illustrated as they have been by
the labours of Dr Henry of the late Mr Strutt and above all of Mr Sharon
Turner an abler hand would have been successful and therefore I protest
beforehand against any argument which may be founded on the failure of the
present experiment
On the other hand I have already said that if anything like a true picture
of old English manners could be drawn I would trust to the good nature and good
sense of my countrymen for insuring its favourable reception
Having thus replied to the best of my power to the first class of your
objections or at least having shown my resolution to overleap the barriers
which your prudence has raised I will be brief in noticing that which is more
peculiar to myself It seemed to be your opinion that the very office of an
antiquary employed in grave and as the vulgar will sometimes allege in
toilsome and minute research must be considered as incapacitating him from
successfully compounding a tale of this sort But permit me to say my dear
Doctor that this objection is rather formal than substantial It is true that
such slighter compositions might not suit the severer genius of our friend Mr
Oldbuck Yet Horace Walpole wrote a goblin tale which has thrilled through many
a bosom and George Ellis could transfer all the playful fascination of a
humour as delightful as it was uncommon into his Abridgment of the Ancient
Metrical Romances So that however I may have occasion to rue my present
audacity I have at least the most respectable precedents in my favour
Still the severer antiquary may think that by thus intermingling fiction
with truth I am polluting the well of history with modern inventions and
impressing upon the rising generation false ideas of the age which I describe I
cannot but in some sense admit the force of this reasoning which I yet hope to
traverse by the following considerations
It is true that I neither can nor do pretend to the observation of complete
accuracy even in matters of outward costume much less in the more important
points of language and manners But the same motive which prevents my writing
the dialogue of the piece in AngloSaxon or in NormanFrench and which
prohibits my sending forth to the public this essay printed with the types of
Caxton or Wynken de Worde prevents my attempting to confine myself within the
limits of the period in which my story is laid It is necessary for exciting
interest of any kind that the subject assumed should be as it were translated
into the manners as well as the language of the age we live in No fascination
has ever been attached to Oriental literature equal to that produced by Mr
Gallands first translation of the Arabian Tales in which retaining on the one
hand the splendour of Eastern costume and on the other the wildness of Eastern
fiction he mixed these with just so much ordinary feeling and expression as
rendered them interesting and intelligible while he abridged the longwinded
narratives curtailed the monotonous reflections and rejected the endless
repetitions of the Arabian original The tales therefore though less purely
Oriental than in their first concoction were eminently better fitted for the
European market and obtained an unrivalled degree of public favour which they
certainly would never have gained had not the manners and style been in some
degree familiarised to the feelings and habits of the Western reader
In point of justice therefore to the multitudes who will I trust devour
this book with avidity I have so far explained our ancient manners in modern
language and so far detailed the characters and sentiments of my persons that
the modern reader will not find himself I should hope much trammelled by the
repulsive dryness of mere antiquity In this I respectfully contend I have in
no respect exceeded the fair license due to the author of a fictitious
composition The late ingenious Mr Strutt in his romance of QeenHooHall6
acted upon another principle and in distinguishing between what was ancient and
modern forgot as it appears to me that extensive neutral ground the large
proportion that is of manners and sentiments which are common to us and to our
ancestors having been handed down unaltered from them to us or which arising
out of the principles of our common nature must have existed alike in either
state of society In this manner a man of talent and of great antiquarian
erudition limited the popularity of his work by excluding from it every thing
which was not sufficiently obsolete to be altogether forgotten and
unintelligible
The license which I would here vindicate is so necessary to the execution
of my plan that I will crave your patience while I illustrate my argument a
little farther
He who first opens Chaucer or any other ancient poet is so much struck
with the obsolete spelling multiplied consonants and antiquated appearance of
the language that he is apt to lay the work down in despair as encrusted too
deep with the rust of antiquity to permit his judging of its merits or tasting
its beauties But if some intelligent and accomplished friend points out to him
that the difficulties by which he is startled are more in appearance than
reality if by reading aloud to him or by reducing the ordinary words to the
modern orthography he satisfies his proselyte that only about onetenth part of
the words employed are in fact obsolete the novice may be easily persuaded to
approach the »well of English undefiled« with the certainty that a slender
degree of patience will enable him to enjoy both the humour and the pathos with
which old Geoffrey delighted the age of Cressy and of Poictiers
To pursue this a little farther If our neophyte strong in the newborn
love of antiquity were to undertake to imitate what he had learnt to admire it
must be allowed he would act very injudiciously if he were to select from the
Glossary the obsolete words which it contains and employ those exclusive of all
phrases and vocables retained in modern days This was the error of the
unfortunate Chatterton In order to give his language the appearance of
antiquity he rejected every word that was modern and produced a dialect
entirely different from any that had ever been spoken in Great Britain He who
would imitate an ancient language with success must attend rather to its
grammatical character turn of expression and mode of arrangement than labour
to collect extraordinary and antiquated terms which as I have already averred
do not in ancient authors approach the number of words still in use though
perhaps somewhat altered in sense and spelling in the proportion of one to ten
What I have applied to language is still more justly applicable to
sentiments and manners The passions the sources from which these must spring
in all their modifications are generally the same in all ranks and conditions
all countries and ages and it follows, as a matter of course that the
opinions habits of thinking and actions however influenced by the peculiar
state of society must still upon the whole bear a strong resemblance to each
other Our ancestors were not more distinct from us surely than Jews are from
Christians they had »eyes hands organs dimensions senses affections
passions« were »fed with the same food hurt with the same weapons subject to
the same diseases warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer« as
ourselves The tenor therefore of their affections and feelings must have
borne the same general proportion to our own
It follows, therefore that of the materials which an author has to use in
a romance or fictitious composition such as I have ventured to attempt he
will find that a great proportion both of language and manners is as proper to
the present time as to those in which he has laid his time of action The
freedom of choice which this allows him is therefore much greater and the
difficulty of his task much more diminished than at first appears To take an
illustration from a sister art the antiquarian details may be said to represent
the peculiar features of a landscape under delineation of the pencil His feudal
tower must arise in due majesty the figures which he introduces must have the
costume and character of their age the piece must represent the peculiar
features of the scene which he has chosen for his subject with all its
appropriate elevation of rock or precipitate descent of cataract His general
colouring too must be copied from nature The sky must be clouded or serene
according to the climate and the general tints must be those which prevail in a
natural landscape So far the painter is bound down by the rules of his art to
a precise imitation of the features of nature; but it is not required that he
should descend to copy all her more minute features or represent with absolute
exactness the very herbs flowers and trees with which the spot is decorated
These as well as all the more minute points of light and shadow are attributes
proper to scenery in general natural to each situation and subject to the
artists disposal as his taste or pleasure may dictate
It is true that this license is confined in either case within legitimate
bounds The painter must introduce no ornament inconsistent with the climate or
country of his landscape he must not plant cypress trees upon InchMerrin or
Scotch firs among the ruins of Persepolis and the author lies under a
corresponding restraint However far he may venture in a more full detail of
passions and feelings than is to be found in the ancient compositions which he
imitates he must introduce nothing inconsistent with the manners of the age
his knights squires grooms and yeomen may be more fully drawn than in the
hard dry delineations of an ancient illuminated manuscript but the character
and costume of the age must remain inviolate they must be the same figures
drawn by a better pencil or to speak more modestly executed in an age when the
principles of art were better understood His language must not be exclusively
obsolete and unintelligible but he should admit if possible no word or turn
of phraseology betraying an origin directly modern It is one thing to make use
of the language and sentiments which are common to ourselves and our
forefathers and it is another to invest them with the sentiments and dialect
exclusively proper to their descendants
This my dear friend I have found the most difficult part of my task and
to speak frankly I hardly expect to satisfy your less partial judgment and
more extensive knowledge of such subjects since I have hardly been able to
please my own
I am conscious that I shall be found still more faulty in the tone of
keeping and costume by those who may be disposed rigidly to examine my Tale
with reference to the manners of the exact period in which my actors flourished
It may be that I have introduced little which can positively be termed modern
but on the other hand it is extremely probable that I may have confused the
manners of two or three centuries and introduced during the reign of Richard
the First circumstances appropriated to a period either considerably earlier
or a good deal later than that era It is my comfort that errors of this kind
will escape the general class of readers and that I may share in the
illdeserved applause of those architects who in their modern Gothic do not
hesitate to introduce without rule or method ornaments proper to different
styles and to different periods of the art Those whose extensive researches
have given them the means of judging my backslidings with more severity will
probably be lenient in proportion to their knowledge of the difficulty of my
task My honest and neglected friend Ingulphus has furnished me with many a
valuable hint but the light afforded by the Monk of Croyland and Geoffrey de
Vinsauff is dimmed by such a conglomeration of uninteresting and unintelligible
matter that we gladly fly for relief to the delightful pages of the gallant
Froissart although he flourished at a period so much more remote from the date
of my history If therefore my dear friend you have generosity enough to
pardon the presumptuous attempt to frame for myself a minstrel coronet partly
out of the pearls of pure antiquity and partly from the Bristol stones and
paste with which I have endeavoured to imitate them I am convinced your
opinion of the difficulty of the task will reconcile you to the imperfect manner
of its execution
Of my materials I have but little to say They may be chiefly found in the
singular AngloNorman MS which Sir Arthur Wardour preserves with such jealous
care in the third drawer of his oaken cabinet scarcely allowing any one to
touch it and being himself not able to read one syllable of its contents I
should never have got his consent on my visit to Scotland to read in those
precious pages for so many hours had I not promised to designate it by some
emphatic mode of printing as The Wardour Manuscript giving it thereby an
individuality as important as the Bannatyne MS the Auchinleck MS and any
other monument of the patience of a Gothic scrivener I have sent for your
private consideration a list of the contents of this curious piece which I
shall perhaps subjoin with your approbation to the third volume of my Tale in
case the printers devil should continue impatient for copy when the whole of
my narrative has been imposed
Adieu my dear friend I have said enough to explain if not to vindicate
the attempt which I have made and which in spite of your doubts and my own
incapacity I am still willing to believe has not been altogether made in vain
I hope you are now well recovered from your spring fit of the gout and
shall be happy if the advice of your learned physician should recommend a tour
to these parts Several curiosities have been lately dug up near the wall as
well as at the ancient station of Habitancum Talking of the latter I suppose
you have long since heard the news that a sulky churlish boor has destroyed the
ancient statue or rather basrelief popularly called Robin of Redesdale It
seems Robins fame attracted more visitants than was consistent with the growth
of the heather upon a moor worth a shilling an acre Reverend as you write
yourself be revengeful for once and pray with me that he may be visited with
such a fit of the stone as if he had all the fragments of poor Robin in that
region of his viscera where the disease holds its seat Tell this not in Gath
lest the Scots rejoice that they have at length found a parallel instance among
their neighbours to that barbarous deed which demolished Arthurs Oven But
there is no end to lamentation when we betake ourselves to such subjects My
respectful compliments attend Miss Dryasdust I endeavoured to match the
spectacles agreeable to her commission during my late journey to London and
hope she has received them safe and found them satisfactory I send this by the
blind carrier so that probably it may be some time upon its journey7 The last
news which I hear from Edinburgh is that the gentleman who fills the situation
of Secretary to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland8 is the best amateur
draftsman in that kingdom and that much is expected from his skill and zeal in
delineating those specimens of national antiquity which are either mouldering
under the slow touch of time or swept away by modern taste with the same besom
of destruction which John Knox used at the Reformation Once more adieu vale
tandem non immemor mei Believe me to be
Reverend and very dear Sir
Your most faithful humble Servant
LAURENCE TEMPLETON
TOPPINGWOLD NEAR EGREMONT CUMBERLAND Nov 17 1817
Chapter First
Thus communed these while to their lowly dome
The fullfed swine returnd with evening home
Compelld reluctant to the several sties
With din obstreperous and ungrateful cries
Popes Odyssey
In that pleasant district of merry England which is watered by the river Don
there extended in ancient times a large forest covering the greater part of the
beautiful hills and valleys which lie between Sheffield and the pleasant town of
Doncaster The remains of this extensive wood are still to be seen at the noble
seats of Wentworth of Wharncliffe Park and around Rotherham Here haunted of
yore the fabulous Dragon of Wantley here were fought many of the most desperate
battles during the Civil Wars of the Roses and here also flourished in ancient
times those bands of gallant outlaws whose deeds have been rendered so popular
in English song
Such being our chief scene the date of our story refers to a period towards
the end of the reign of Richard I when his return from his long captivity had
become an event rather wished than hoped for by his despairing subjects who
were in the meantime subjected to every species of subordinate oppression The
nobles whose power had become exorbitant during the reign of Stephen and whom
the prudence of Henry the Second had scarce reduced into some degree of
subjection to the Crown had now resumed their ancient license in its utmost
extent despising the feeble interference of the English Council of State
fortifying their castles increasing the number of their dependants reducing
all around them to a state of vassalage and striving by every means in their
power to place themselves each at the head of such forces as might enable him to
make a figure in the national convulsions which appeared to be impending
The situation of the inferior gentry or Franklins as they were called
who by the law and spirit of the English constitution were entitled to hold
themselves independent of feudal tyranny became now unusually precarious If
as was most generally the case they placed themselves under the protection of
any of the petty kings in their vicinity accepted of feudal offices in his
household or bound themselves by mutual treaties of alliance and protection
to support him in his enterprises they might indeed purchase temporary repose
but it must be with the sacrifice of that independence which was so dear to
every English bosom and at the certain hazard of being involved as a party in
whatever rash expedition the ambition of their protector might lead him to
undertake On the other hand such and so multiplied were the means of vexation
and oppression possessed by the great Barons that they never wanted the
pretext and seldom the will to harass and pursue even to the very edge of
destruction any of their less powerful neighbours who attempted to separate
themselves from their authority and to trust for their protection during the
dangers of the times to their own inoffensive conduct and to the laws of the
land
A circumstance which greatly tended to enhance the tyranny of the nobility
and the sufferings of the inferior classes arose from the consequences of the
Conquest by Duke William of Normandy Four generations had not sufficed to blend
the hostile blood of the Normans and AngloSaxons or to unite by common
language and mutual interests two hostile races one of which still felt the
elation of triumph while the other groaned under all the consequences of
defeat The power had been completely placed in the hands of the Norman
nobility by the event of the battle of Hastings and it had been used as our
histories assure us with no moderate hand The whole race of Saxon princes and
nobles had been extirpated or disinherited with few or no exceptions nor were
the numbers great who possessed land in the country of their fathers even as
proprietors of the second or of yet inferior classes The royal policy had long
been to weaken by every means legal or illegal the strength of a part of the
population which was justly considered as nourishing the most inveterate
antipathy to their victor All the monarchs of the Norman race had shown the
most marked predilection for their Norman subjects the laws of the chase and
many others equally unknown to the milder and more free spirit of the Saxon
constitution had been fixed upon the necks of the subjugated inhabitants to
add weight as it were to the feudal chains with which they were loaded At
court and in the castles of the great nobles where the pomp and state of a
court was emulated NormanFrench was the only language employed in courts of
law the pleadings and judgments were delivered in the same tongue In short
French was the language of honour of chivalry and even of justice while the
far more manly and expressive AngloSaxon was abandoned to the use of rustics
and hinds who knew no other Still however the necessary intercourse between
the lords of the soil and those oppressed inferior beings by whom that soil was
cultivated occasioned the gradual formation of a dialect compounded betwixt
the French and the AngloSaxon in which they could render themselves mutually
intelligible to each other and from this necessity arose by degrees the
structure of our present English language in which the speech of the victors
and the vanquished have been so happily blended together and which has since
been so richly improved by importations from the classical languages and from
those spoken by the southern nations of Europe
This state of things I have thought it necessary to premise for the
information of the general reader who might be apt to forget that although no
great historical events such as war or insurrection mark the existence of the
AngloSaxons as a separate people subsequent to the reign of William the Second
yet the great national distinctions betwixt them and their conquerors the
recollection of what they had formerly been and to what they were now reduced
continued down to the reign of Edward the Third to keep open the wounds which
the Conquest had inflicted and to maintain a line of separation betwixt the
descendants of the victor Normans and the vanquished Saxons
The sun was setting upon one of the rich grassy glades of that forest which
we have mentioned in the beginning of the chapter Hundreds of broadheaded
shortstemmed widebranched oaks which had witnessed perhaps the stately march
of the Roman soldiery flung their gnarled arms over a thick carpet of the most
delicious greensward in some places they were intermingled with beeches
hollies and copsewood of various descriptions so closely as totally to
intercept the level beams of the sinking sun in others they receded from each
other forming those long sweeping vistas in the intricacy of which the eye
delights to lose itself while imagination considers them as the paths to yet
wilder scenes of silvan solitude Here the red rays of the sun shot a broken and
discoloured light that partially hung upon the shattered boughs and mossy
trunks of the trees and there they illuminated in brilliant patches the
portions of turf to which they made their way A considerable open space in the
midst of this glade seemed formerly to have been dedicated to the rights of
Druidical superstition for on the summit of a hillock so regular as to seem
artificial there still remained part of a circle of rough unhewn stones of
large dimensions Seven stood upright the rest had been dislodged from their
places probably by the zeal of some convert to Christianity and lay some
prostrate near their former site and others on the side of the hill One large
stone only had found its way to the bottom and in stopping the course of a
small brook which glided smoothly round the foot of the eminence gave by its
opposition a feeble voice of murmur to the placid and elsewhere silent
streamlet
The human figures which completed this landscape were in number two
partaking in their dress and appearance of that wild and rustic character
which belonged to the woodlands of the West Riding of Yorkshire at that early
period The eldest of these men had a stern savage and wild aspect His
garment was of the simplest form imaginable being a close jacket with sleeves
composed of the tanned skin of some animal on which the hair had been
originally left but which had been worn off in so many places that it would
have been difficult to distinguish from the patches that remained to what
creature the fur had belonged This primeval vestment reached from the throat to
the knees and served at once all the usual purposes of bodyclothing there was
no wider opening at the collar than was necessary to admit the passage of the
head from which it may be inferred that it was put on by slipping it over the
head and shoulders in the manner of a modern shirt or ancient hauberk
Sandals bound with thongs made of boars hide protected the feet and a roll
of thin leather was twined artificially around the legs and ascending above the
calf left the knees bare like those of a Scottish Highlander To make the
jacket sit yet more close to the body it was gathered at the middle by a broad
leathern belt secured by a brass buckle to one side of which was attached a
sort of scrip and to the other a rams horn accoutred with a mouthpiece for
the purpose of blowing In the same belt was stuck one of those long broad
sharppointed and twoedged knives with a buckshorn handle which were
fabricated in the neighbourhood and bore even at this early period the name of
a Sheffield whittle The man had no covering upon his head which was only
defended by his own thick hair matted and twisted together and scorched by the
influence of the sun into a rusty darkred colour forming a contrast with the
overgrown beard upon his cheeks which was rather of a yellow or amber hue One
part of his dress only remains but it is too remarkable to be suppressed it
was a brass ring resembling a dogs collar but without any opening and
soldered fast round his neck so loose as to form no impediment to his
breathing yet so tight as to be incapable of being removed excepting by the
use of the file On this singular gorget was engraved in Saxon characters an
inscription of the following purport »Gurth the son of Beowulph is the born
thrall of Cedric of Rotherwood«
Beside the swineherd for such was Gurths occupation was seated upon one
of the fallen Druidical monuments a person about ten years younger in
appearance and whose dress though resembling his companions in form was of
better materials and of a more fantastic appearance His jacket had been
stained of a bright purple hue upon which there had been some attempt to paint
grotesque ornaments in different colours To the jacket he added a short cloak
which scarcely reached half way down his thigh it was of crimson cloth though
a good deal soiled lined with bright yellow and as he could transfer it from
one shoulder to the other or at his pleasure draw it all around him its width
contrasted with its want of longitude formed a fantastic piece of drapery He
had thin silver bracelets upon his arms and on his neck a collar of the same
metal bearing the inscription »Wamba the son of Witless is the thrall of
Cedric of Rotherwood« This personage had the same sort of sandals with his
companion but instead of the roll of leather thong his legs were cased in a
sort of gaiters of which one was red and the other yellow He was provided also
with a cap having around it more than one bell about the size of those
attached to hawks which jingled as he turned his head to one side or other and
as he seldom remained a minute in the same posture the sound might be
considered as incessant Around the edge of this cap was a stiff bandeau of
leather cut at the top into open work resembling a coronet while a prolonged
bag arose from within it and fell down on one shoulder like an oldfashioned
nightcap or a jellybag or the headgear of a modern hussar It was to this
part of the cap that the bells were attached which circumstance as well as the
shape of his headdress and his own halfcrazed halfcunning expression of
countenance sufficiently pointed him out as belonging to the race of domestic
clowns or jesters maintained in the houses of the wealthy to help away the
tedium of those lingering hours which they were obliged to spend within doors
He bore like his companion a scrip attached to his belt but had neither horn
nor knife being probably considered as belonging to a class whom it is esteemed
dangerous to intrust with edgetools In place of these he was equipped with a
sort of sword of lath resembling that with which Harlequin operates his wonders
upon the modern stage
The outward appearance of these two men formed scarce a stronger contrast
than their look and demeanour That of the serf or bondsman was sad and
sullen his aspect was bent on the ground with an appearance of deep dejection
which might be almost construed into apathy had not the fire which occasionally
sparkled in his red eye manifested that there slumbered under the appearance of
sullen despondency a sense of oppression and a disposition to resistance The
looks of Wamba on the other hand indicated as usual with his class a sort of
vacant curiosity and fidgetty impatience of any posture of repose together
with the utmost selfsatisfaction respecting his own situation and the
appearance which he made The dialogue which they maintained between them was
carried on in AngloSaxon which as we said before was universally spoken by
the inferior classes excepting the Norman soldiers and the immediate personal
dependants of the great feudal nobles But to give their conversation in the
original would convey but little information to the modern reader for whose
benefit we beg to offer the following translation
»The curse of St Withold upon these infernal porkers« said the swineherd
after blowing his horn obstreperously to collect together the scattered herd of
swine which answering his call with notes equally melodious made however no
haste to remove themselves from the luxurious banquet of beechmast and acorns
on which they had fattened or to forsake the marshy banks of the rivulet where
several of them half plunged in mud lay stretched at their ease altogether
regardless of the voice of their keeper »The curse of St Withold upon them and
upon me« said Gurth »if the twolegged wolf snap not up some of them ere
nightfall I am no true man Here Fangs Fangs« he ejaculated at the top of
his voice to a ragged wolfishlooking dog a sort of lurcher half mastiff half
greyhound which ran limping about as if with the purpose of seconding his
master in collecting the refractory grunters but which in fact from
misapprehension of the swineherds signals ignorance of his own duty or malice
prepense only drove them hither and thither and increased the evil which he
seemed to design to remedy »A devil draw the teeth of him« said Gurth »and
the mother of mischief confound the Ranger of the forest that cuts the
foreclaws off our dogs and makes them unfit for their trade9 Wamba up and
help me an thou beest a man take a turn round the back o the hill to gain the
wind on them and when thoust got the weathergage thou mayst drive them
before thee as gently as so many innocent lambs«
»Truly« said Wamba without stirring from the spot »I have consulted my
legs upon this matter and they are altogether of opinion that to carry my gay
garments through these sloughs would be an act of unfriendship to my sovereign
person and royal wardrobe wherefore Gurth I advise thee to call off Fangs
and leave the herd to their destiny which whether they meet with bands of
travelling soldiers or of outlaws or of wandering pilgrims can be little else
than to be converted into Normans before morning to thy no small ease and
comfort«
»The swine turned Normans to my comfort« quoth Gurth »expound that to me
Wamba for my brain is too dull and my mind too vexed to read riddles«
»Why how call you those grunting brutes running about on their four legs«
demanded Wamba
»Swine fool swine« said the herd »every fool knows that«
»And swine is good Saxon« said the Jester »but how call you the sow when
she is flayed and drawn and quartered and hung up by the heels like a
traitor«
»Pork« answered the swineherd
»I am very glad every fool knows that too« said Wamba »and pork I think
is good NormanFrench and so when the brute lives and is in the charge of a
Saxon slave she goes by her Saxon name but becomes a Norman and is called
pork when she is carried to the castlehall to feast among the nobles what
dost thou think of this friend Gurth ha«
»It is but too true doctrine friend Wamba however it got into thy fools
pate«
»Nay I can tell you more« said Wamba in the same tone »there is old
Alderman Ox continues to hold his Saxon epithet while he is under the charge of
serfs and bondsmen such as thou but becomes Beef a fiery French gallant when
he arrives before the worshipful jaws that are destined to consume him Mynheer
Calf too becomes Monsieur de Veau in the like manner he is Saxon when he
requires tendance and takes a Norman name when he becomes matter of enjoyment«
»By St Dunstan« answered Gurth »thou speakest but sad truths little is
left to us but the air we breathe and that appears to have been reserved with
much hesitation solely for the purpose of enabling us to endure the tasks they
lay upon our shoulders The finest and the fattest is for their board the
loveliest is for their couch the best and bravest supply their foreign masters
with soldiers and whiten distant lands with their bones leaving few here who
have either will or the power to protect the unfortunate Saxon Gods blessing
on our master Cedric he hath done the work of a man in standing in the gap but
Reginald FrontdeBoeuf is coming down to this country in person and we shall
soon see how little Cedrics trouble will avail him Here here« he exclaimed
again raising his voice »So ho so ho well done Fangs thou hast them all
before thee now and bringst them on bravely lad«
»Gurth« said the Jester »I know thou thinkest me a fool or thou wouldst
not be so rash in putting thy head into my mouth One word to Reginald
FrontdeBoeuf or Philip de Malvoisin that thou hast spoken treason against the
Norman and thou art but a castaway swineherd thou wouldst waver on one of
these trees as a terror to all evil speakers against dignities«
»Dog thou wouldst not betray me« said Gurth »after having led me on to
speak so much at disadvantage«
»Betray thee« answered the Jester »no that were the trick of a wise man
a fool cannot half so well help himself but soft whom have we here« he said
listening to the trampling of several horses which became then audible
»Never mind whom« answered Gurth who had now got his herd before him and
with the aid of Fangs was driving them down one of the long dim vistas which we
have endeavoured to describe
»Nay but I must see the riders« answered Wamba »per haps they are come
from Fairyland with a message from King Oberon«
»A murrain take thee« rejoined the swineherd »wilt thou talk of such
things while a terrible storm of thunder and lightning is raging within a few
miles of us Hark how the thunder rumbles and for summer rain I never saw
such broad downright flat drops fall out of the clouds the oaks too
notwithstanding the calm weather sob and creak with their great boughs as if
announcing a tempest Thou canst play the rational if thou wilt credit me for
once and let us home ere the storm begins to rage for the night will be
fearful«
Wamba seemed to feel the force of this appeal and accompanied his
companion who began his journey after catching up a long quarterstaff which
lay upon the grass beside him This second Eumæus strode hastily down the forest
glade driving before him with the assistance of Fangs the whole herd of his
inharmonious charge
Chapter Second
A Monk there was a fayre for the maistrie
An outrider that loved venerie
A manly man to be an Abbot able
Full many a daintie horse had he in stable
And when he rode men might his bridle hear
Gingeling in a whistling wind as clear
And eke as loud as doth the chapell bell
There as this Lord was keeper of the cell
Chaucer
Notwithstanding the occasional exhortation and chiding of his companion the
noise of the horsemens feet continuing to approach Wamba could not be
prevented from lingering occasionally on the road upon every pretence which
occurred now catching from the hazel a cluster of halfripe nuts and now
turning his head to leer after a cottage maiden who crossed their path The
horsemen therefore soon overtook them on the road
Their numbers amounted to ten men of whom the two who rode foremost seemed
to be persons of considerable importance and the others their attendants It
was not difficult to ascertain the condition and character of one of these
personages He was obviously an ecclesiastic of high rank his dress was that of
a Cistercian monk but composed of materials much finer than those which the
rule of that order admitted His mantle and hood were of the best Flanders
cloth and fell in ample and not ungraceful folds around a handsome though
somewhat corpulent person His countenance bore as little the marks of
self-denial as his habit indicated contempt of worldly splendour His features
might have been called good had there not lurked under the penthouse of his
eye that sly epicurean twinkle which indicates the cautious voluptuary In
other respects his profession and situation had taught him a ready command over
his countenance which he could contract at pleasure into solemnity although
its natural expression was that of goodhumoured social indulgence In defiance
of conventual rules and the edicts of popes and councils the sleeves of this
dignitary were lined and turned up with rich furs his mantle secured at the
throat with a golden clasp and the whole dress proper to his order as much
refined upon and ornamented as that of a Quaker beauty of the present day who
while she retains the garb and costume of her sect continues to give to its
simplicity by the choice of materials and the mode of disposing them a certain
air of coquettish attraction savouring but too much of the vanities of the
world
This worthy churchman rode upon a wellfed ambling mule whose furniture was
highly decorated and whose bridle according to the fashion of the day was
ornamented with silver bells In his seat he had nothing of the awkwardness of
the convent but displayed the easy and habitual grace of a welltrained
horseman Indeed it seemed that so humble a conveyance as a mule in however
good case and however well broken to a pleasant and accommodating amble was
only used by the gallant monk for travelling on the road A lay brother one of
those who followed in the train had for his use on other occasions one of the
most handsome Spanish jennets ever bred in Andalusia which merchants used at
that time to import with great trouble and risk for the use of persons of
wealth and distinction The saddle and housings of this superb palfrey were
covered by a long footcloth which reached nearly to the ground and on which
were richly embroidered mitres crosses and other ecclesiastical emblems
Another lay brother led a sumpter mule loaded probably with his superiors
baggage and two monks of his own order of inferior station rode together in
the rear laughing and conversing with each other without taking much notice of
the other members of the cavalcade
The companion of the church dignitary was a man past forty thin strong
tall and muscular an athletic figure which long fatigue and constant exercise
seemed to have left none of the softer part of the human form having reduced
the whole to brawn bones and sinews which had sustained a thousand toils and
were ready to dare a thousand more His head was covered with a scarlet cap
faced with fur of that kind which the French call mortier from its
resemblance to the shape of an inverted mortar His countenance was therefore
fully displayed and its expression was calculated to impress a degree of awe
if not of fear upon strangers High features naturally strong and powerfully
expressive had been burnt almost into Negro blackness by constant exposure to
the tropical sun and might in their ordinary state be said to slumber after
the storm of passion had passed away but the projection of the veins of the
forehead the readiness with which the upper lip and its thick black moustaches
quivered upon the slightest emotion plainly intimated that the tempest might be
again and easily awakened His keen piercing dark eyes told in every glance a
history of difficulties subdued and dangers dared and seemed to challenge
opposition to his wishes for the pleasure of sweeping it from his road by a
determined exertion of courage and of will a deep scar on his brow gave
additional sternness to his countenance and a sinister expression to one of his
eyes which had been slightly injured on the same occasion and of which the
vision though perfect was in a slight and partial degree distorted
The upper dress of this personage resembled that of his companion in shape
being a long monastic mantle but the colour being scarlet showed that he did
not belong to any of the four regular orders of monks On the right shoulder of
the mantle there was cut in white cloth a cross of a peculiar form This upper
robe concealed what at first view seemed rather inconsistent with its form a
shirt namely of linked mail with sleeves and gloves of the same curiously
plaited and interwoven as flexible to the body as those which are now wrought
in the stockingloom out of less obdurate materials The forepart of his
thighs where the folds of his mantle permitted them to be seen were also
covered with linked mail the knees and feet were defended by splints or thin
plates of steel ingeniously jointed upon each other and mailhose reaching
from the ankle to the knee effectually protected the legs and completed the
riders defensive armour In his girdle he wore a long and doubleedged dagger
which was the only offensive weapon about his person
He rode not a mule like his companion but a strong hackney for the road
to save his gallant warhorse which a squire led behind fully accoutred for
battle with a chamfron or plaited headpiece upon his head having a short
spike projecting from the front On one side of the saddle hung a short
battleaxe richly inlaid with Damascene carving on the other the riders
plumed headpiece and hood of mail with a long twohanded sword used by the
chivalry of the period A second squire held aloft his masters lance from the
extremity of which fluttered a small banderole or streamer bearing a cross of
the same form with that embroidered upon his cloak He also carried his small
triangular shield broad enough at the top to protect the breast and from
thence diminishing to a point It was covered with a scarlet cloth which
prevented the device from being seen
These two squires were followed by two attendants whose dark visages white
turbans and the Oriental form of their garments showed them to be natives of
some distant Eastern country10 The whole appearance of this warrior and his
retinue was wild and outlandish the dress of his squires was gorgeous and his
Eastern attendants wore silver collars round their throats and bracelets of the
same metal upon their swarthy legs and arms of which the latter were naked from
the elbow and the former from midleg to ankle Silk and embroidery
distinguished their dresses and marked the wealth and importance of their
master forming at the same time a striking contrast with the martial
simplicity of his own attire They were armed with crooked sabres having the
hilt and baldric inlaid with gold and matched with Turkish daggers of yet more
costly workmanship Each of them bore at his saddlebow a bundle of darts or
javelins about four feet in length having sharp steel heads a weapon much in
use among the Saracens and of which the memory is yet preserved in the martial
exercise called El Jerrid still practised in the Eastern countries
The steeds of these attendants were in appearance as foreign as their
riders They were of Saracen origin and consequently of Arabian descent and
their fine slender limbs small fetlocks thin manes and easy springy motion
formed a marked contrast with the largejointed heavy horses of which the race
was cultivated in Flanders and in Normandy for mounting the menatarms of the
period in all the panoply of plate and mail and which placed by the side of
those Eastern coursers might have passed for a personification of substance and
of shadow
The singular appearance of this cavalcade not only attracted the curiosity
of Wamba but excited even that of his less volatile companion The monk he
instantly knew to be the prior of Jorvaulx Abbey well known for many miles
around as a lover of the chase of the banquet and if fame did him not wrong
of other worldly pleasures still more inconsistent with his monastic vows
Yet so loose were the ideas of the times respecting the conduct of the
clergy whether secular or regular that the Prior Aymer maintained a fair
character in the neighbourhood of his abbey His free and jovial temper and the
readiness with which he granted absolution from all ordinary delinquencies
rendered him a favourite among the nobility and principal gentry to several of
whom he was allied by birth being of a distinguished Norman family The ladies
in particular were not disposed to scan too nicely the morals of a man who was
a professed admirer of their sex and who possessed many means of dispelling the
ennui which was too apt to intrude upon the halls and bowers of an ancient
feudal castle The Prior mingled in the sports of the field with more than due
eagerness and was allowed to possess the best trained hawks and the fleetest
greyhounds in the North Riding circumstances which strongly recommended him
to the youthful gentry With the old he had another part to play which when
needful he could sustain with great decorum His knowledge of books however
superficial was sufficient to impress upon their ignorance respect for his
supposed learning and the gravity of his deportment and language with the high
tone which he exerted in setting forth the authority of the church and of the
priesthood impressed them no less with an opinion of his sanctity Even the
common people the severest critics of the conduct of their betters had
commiseration with the follies of Prior Aymer He was generous and charity as
it is well known covereth a multitude of sins in another sense than that in
which it is said to do so in Scripture The revenues of the monastery of which
a large part was at his disposal while they gave him the means of supplying his
own very considerable expenses afforded also those largesses which he bestowed
among the peasantry and with which he frequently relieved the distresses of the
oppressed If Prior Aymer rode hard in the chase or remained long at the
banquet if Prior Aymer was seen at the early peep of dawn to enter the
postern of the abbey as he glided home from some rendezvous which had occupied
the hours of darkness men only shrugged up their shoulders and reconciled
themselves to his irregularities by recollecting that the same were practised by
many of his brethren who had no redeeming qualities whatsoever to atone for
them Prior Aymer therefore and his character were well known to our Saxon
serfs who made their rude obeisance and received his »benedicite mez filz«
in return
But the singular appearance of his companion and his attendants arrested
their attention and excited their wonder and they could scarcely attend to the
Prior of Jorvaulx question when he demanded if they knew of any place of
harbourage in the vicinity so much were they surprised at the half monastic
half military appearance of the swarthy stranger and at the uncouth dress and
arms of his Eastern attendants It is probable too that the language in which
the benediction was conferred and the information asked sounded ungracious
though not probably unintelligible in the ears of the Saxon peasants
»I asked you my children« said the Prior raising his voice and using the
lingua Franca or mixed language in which the Norman and Saxon races conversed
with each other »if there be in this neighbourhood any good man who for the
love of God and devotion to Mother Church will give two of her humblest
servants with their train a nights hospitality and refreshment«
This he spoke with a tone of conscious importance which formed a strong
contrast to the modest terms which he thought it proper to employ
»Two of the humblest servants of Mother Church« repeated Wamba to himself
but fool as he was taking care not to make his observation audible »I
should like to see her senechals her chief butlers and her other principal
domestics«
After this internal commentary on the Priors speech he raised his eyes
and replied to the question which had been put
»If the reverend fathers« he said »loved good cheer and soft lodging few
miles of riding would carry them to the Priory of Brinxworth where their
quality could not but secure them the most honourable reception or if they
preferred spending a penitential evening they might turn down yonder wild
glade which would bring them to the hermitage of Copmanhurst where a pious
anchoret would make them sharers for the night of the shelter of his roof and
the benefit of his prayers«
The Prior shook his head at both proposals
»Mine honest friend« said he »if the jangling of thy bells had not dizzied
thine understanding thou mightest have known Clericus clericum non decimat
that is to say we churchmen do not exhaust each others hospitality but rather
require that of the laity giving them thus an opportunity to serve God in
honouring and relieving his appointed servants«
»It is true« replied Wamba »that I being but an ass am nevertheless
honoured to bear the bells as well as your reverences mule notwithstanding I
did conceive that the charity of Mother Church and her servants might be said
with other charity to begin at home«
»A truce to thine insolence fellow« said the armed rider breaking in on
his prattle with a high and stern voice »and tell us if thou canst the road
to How called you your Franklin Prior Aymer«
»Cedric« answered the Prior »Cedric the Saxon Tell me good fellow are
we near his dwelling and can you show us the road«
»The road will be uneasy to find« answered Gurth who broke silence for the
first time »and the family of Cedric retire early to rest«
»Tush tell not me fellow« said the military rider »tis easy for them to
arise and supply the wants of travellers such as we are who will not stoop to
beg the hospitality which we have a right to command«
»I know not« said Gurth sullenly »if I should show the way to my masters
house to those who demand as a right the shelter which most are fain to ask as
a favour«
»Do you dispute with me slave« said the soldier and setting spurs to his
horse he caused him make a demivolte across the path raising at the same time
the riding rod which he held in his hand with a purpose of chastising what he
considered as the insolence of the peasant
Gurth darted at him a savage and revengeful scowl and with a fierce yet
hesitating motion laid his hand on the haft of his knife but the interference
of Prior Aymer who pushed his mule betwixt his companion and the swineherd
prevented the meditated violence
»Nay by St Mary brother Brian you must not think you are now in
Palestine predominating over heathen Turks and infidel Saracens we islanders
love not blows save those of holy Church who chasteneth whom she loveth
Tell me good fellow« said he to Wamba and seconded his speech by a small
piece of silver coin »the way to Cedric the Saxons you cannot be ignorant of
it and it is your duty to direct the wanderer even when his character is less
sanctified than ours«
»In truth venerable father« answered the Jester »the Saracen head of your
right reverend companion has frightened out of mine the way home I am not sure
I shall get there tonight myself«
»Tush« said the Abbot »thou canst tell us if thou wilt This reverend
brother has been all his life engaged in fighting among the Saracens for the
recovery of the Holy Sepulchre he is of the order of Knights Templars whom you
may have heard of he is half a monk half a soldier«
»If he is but half a monk« said the Jester »he should not be wholly
unreasonable with those whom he meets upon the road even if they should be in
no hurry to answer questions that no way concern them«
»I forgive thy wit« replied the Abbot »on condition thou wilt show me the
way to Cedrics mansion«
»Well then« answered Wamba »your reverences must hold on this path till
you come to a sunken cross of which scarce a cubits length remains above
ground then take the path to the left for there are four which meet at Sunken
Cross and I trust your reverences will obtain shelter before the storm comes
on«
The Abbot thanked his sage adviser and the cavalcade setting spurs to
their horses rode on as men do who wish to reach their inn before the bursting
of a night storm As their horses hoofs died away Gurth said to his companion
»If they follow thy wise direction the reverend fathers will hardly reach
Rotherwood this night«
»No« said the Jester grinning »but they may reach Sheffield if they have
good luck and that is as fit a place for them I am not so bad a woodsman as to
show the dog where the deer lies if I have no mind he should chase him«
»Thou art right« said Gurth »it were ill that Aymer saw the Lady Rowena
and it were worse it may be for Cedric to quarrel as is most likely he would
with this military monk But like good servants let us hear and see and say
nothing«
We return to the riders who had soon left the bondsmen far behind them and
who maintained the following conversation in the NormanFrench language usually
employed by the superior classes with the exception of the few who were still
inclined to boast their Saxon descent
»What mean these fellows by their capricious insolence« said the Templar to
the Benedictine »and why did you prevent me from chastising it«
»Marry brother Brian« replied the Prior »touching the one of them it
were hard for me to render a reason for a fool speaking according to his folly
and the other churl is of that savage fierce intractable race some of whom
as I have often told you are still to be found among the descendants of the
conquered Saxons and whose supreme pleasure it is to testify by all means in
their power their aversion to their conquerors«
»I would soon have beat him into courtesy« observed Brian »I am accustomed
to deal with such spirits Our Turkish captives are as fierce and intractable as
Odin himself could have been yet two months in my household under the
management of my master of the slaves has made them humble submissive
serviceable and observant of your will Marry sir you must beware of the
poison and the dagger for they use either with free will when you give them the
slightest opportunity«
»Ay but« answered Prior Aymer »every land has its own manners and
fashions and besides that beating this fellow could procure us no information
respecting the road to Cedrics house it would have been sure to have
established a quarrel betwixt you and him had we found our way thither Remember
what I told you this wealthy Franklin is proud fierce jealous and irritable
a withstander of the nobility and even of his neighbours Reginald
FrontdeBoeuf and Philip Malvoisin who are no babes to strive with He stands
up so sternly for the privileges of his race and is so proud of his
uninterrupted descent from Hereward a renowned champion of the Heptarchy that
he is universally called Cedric the Saxon and makes a boast of his belonging to
a people from whom many others endeavour to hide their descent lest they should
encounter a share of the vae victis or severities imposed upon the vanquished«
»Prior Aymer« said the Templar »you are a man of gallantry learned in the
study of beauty and as expert as a troubadour in all matters concerning the
arrets of love but I shall expect much beauty in this celebrated Rowena to
counterbalance the self-denial and forbearance which I must exert if I am to
court the favour of such a seditious churl as you have described her father
Cedric«
»Cedric is not her father« replied the Prior »and is but of remote
relation she is descended from higher blood than even he pretends to and is
but distantly connected with him by birth Her guardian however he is
selfconstituted as I believe but his ward is as dear to him as if she were his
own child Of her beauty you shall soon be judge and if the purity of her
complexion and the majestic yet soft expression of a mild blue eye do not
chase from your memory the blackdressed girls of Palestine ay or the houris
of old Mahounds paradise I am an infidel and no true son of the church«
»Should your boasted beauty« said the Templar »be weighed in the balance
and found wanting you know our wager«
»My gold collar« answered the Prior »against ten butts of Chian wine
they are mine as securely as if they were already in the convent vaults under
the key of old Dennis the cellarer«
»And I am myself to be the judge« said the Templar »and am only to be
convicted on my own admission that I have seen no maiden so beautiful since
Pentecost was a twelvemonth Ran it not so Prior your collar is in danger I
will wear it over my gorget in the lists of AshbydelaZouche«
»Win it fairly« said the Prior »and wear it as ye will I will trust your
giving true response on your word as a knight and as a churchman Yet brother
take my advice and file your tongue to a little more courtesy than your habits
of predominating over infidel captives and Eastern bondsmen have accustomed you
Cedric the Saxon if offended and he is no way slack in taking offence is
a man who without respect to your knighthood my high office or the sanctity
of either would clear his house of us and send us to lodge with the larks
though the hour were midnight And be careful how you look on Rowena whom he
cherishes with the most jealous care an he take the least alarm in that
quarter we are but lost men It is said he banished his only son from his
family for lifting his eyes in the way of affection towards this beauty who may
be worshipped it seems at a distance but is not to be approached with other
thoughts than such as we bring to the shrine of the Blessed Virgin«
»Well you have said enough« answered the Templar »I will for a night put
on the needful restraint and deport me as meekly as a maiden but as for the
fear of his expelling us by violence myself and squires with Hamet and
Abdalla will warrant you against that disgrace Doubt not that we shall be
strong enough to make good our quarters«
»We must not let it come so far« answered the Prior »but here is the
clowns sunken cross and the night is so dark that we can hardly see which of
the roads we are to follow He bid us turn I think to the left«
»To the right« said Brian »to the best of my remembrance«
»To the left certainly the left I remember his pointing with his wooden
sword«
»Ay but he held his sword in his left hand and so pointed across his body
with it« said the Templar
Each maintained his opinion with sufficient obstinacy as is usual in all
such cases the attendants were appealed to but they had not been near enough
to hear Wambas directions At length Brian remarked what had at first escaped
him in the twilight »Here is some one either asleep or lying dead at the foot
of this cross Hugo stir him with the buttend of thy lance«
This was no sooner done than the figure arose exclaiming in good French
»Whosoever thou art it is discourteous in you to disturb my thoughts«
»We did but wish to ask you« said the Prior »the road to Rotherwood the
abode of Cedric the Saxon«
»I myself am bound thither« replied the stranger »and if I had a horse I
would be your guide for the way is somewhat intricate though perfectly well
known to me«
»Thou shalt have both thanks and reward my friend« said the Prior »if
thou wilt bring us to Cedrics in safety«
And he caused one of his attendants to mount his own led horse and give
that upon which he had hitherto ridden to the stranger who was to serve for a
guide
Their conductor pursued an opposite road from that which Wamba had
recommended for the purpose of misleading them The path soon led deeper into
the woodland and crossed more than one brook the approach to which was
rendered perilous by the marshes through which it flowed but the stranger
seemed to know as if by instinct the soundest ground and the safest points of
passage and by dint of caution and attention brought the party safely into a
wilder avenue than any they had yet seen and pointing to a large low irregular
building at the upper extremity he said to the Prior »Yonder is Rotherwood
the dwelling of Cedric the Saxon«
This was a joyful intimation to Aymer whose nerves were none of the
strongest and who had suffered such agitation and alarm in the course of
passing through the dangerous bogs that he had not yet had the curiosity to ask
his guide a single question Finding himself now at his ease and near shelter
his curiosity began to awake and he demanded of the guide who and what he was
»A Palmer just returned from the Holy Land« was the answer
»You had better have tarried there to fight for the recovery of the Holy
Sepulchre« said the Templar
»True Reverend Sir Knight« answered the Palmer to whom the appearance of
the Templar seemed perfectly familiar »but when those who are under oath to
recover the holy city are found travelling at such a distance from the scene of
their duties can you wonder that a peaceful peasant like me should decline the
task which they have abandoned«
The Templar would have made an angry reply but was interrupted by the
Prior who again expressed his astonishment that their guide after such long
absence should be so perfectly acquainted with the passes of the forest
»I was born a native of these parts« answered their guide and as he made
the reply they stood before the mansion of Cedric a low irregular building
containing several courtyards or enclosures extending over a considerable space
of ground and which though its size argued the inhabitant to be a person of
wealth differed entirely from the tall turreted and castellated buildings in
which the Norman nobility resided and which had become the universal style of
architecture throughout England
Rotherwood was not however without defences no habitation in that
disturbed period could have been so without the risk of being plundered and
burnt before the next morning A deep fosse or ditch was drawn round the whole
building and filled with water from a neighbouring stream A double stockade
or palisade composed of pointed beams which the adjacent forest supplied
defended the outer and inner bank of the trench There was an entrance from the
west through the outer stockade which communicated by a drawbridge with a
similar opening in the interior defences Some precautions had been taken to
place these entrances under the protection of projecting angles by which they
might be flanked in case of need by archers or slingers
Before this entrance the Templar wound his horn loudly for the rain which
had long threatened began now to descend with great violence
Chapter Third
Then sad relief from the bleak coast that hears
The German Ocean roar deepblooming strong
And yellowhaird the blueeyed Saxon came
Thomsons Liberty
In a hall the height of which was greatly disproportioned to its extreme length
and width a long oaken table formed of planks roughhewn from the forest and
which had scarcely received any polish stood ready prepared for the evening
meal of Cedric the Saxon The roof composed of beams and rafters had nothing
to divide the apartment from the sky excepting the planking and thatch there
was a huge fireplace at either end of the hall but as the chimneys were
constructed in a very clumsy manner at least as much of the smoke found its way
into the apartment as escaped by the proper vent The constant vapour which this
occasioned had polished the rafters and beams of the lowbrowed hall by
encrusting them with a black varnish of soot On the sides of the apartment hung
implements of war and of the chase and there were at each corner folding doors
which gave access to other parts of the extensive building
The other appointments of the mansion partook of the rude simplicity of the
Saxon period which Cedric piqued himself upon maintaining The floor was
composed of earth mixed with lime trodden into a hard substance such as is
often employed in flooring our modern barns For about one quarter of the length
of the apartment the floor was raised by a step and this space which was
called the dais was occupied only by the principal members of the family and
visitors of distinction For this purpose a table richly covered with scarlet
cloth was placed transversely across the platform from the middle of which ran
the longer and lower board at which the domestics and inferior persons fed
down towards the bottom of the hall The whole resembled the form of the letter
T or some of those ancient dinnertables which arranged on the same
principles may be still seen in the antique colleges of Oxford or Cambridge
Massive chairs and settles of carved oak were placed upon the dais and over
these seats and the more elevated table was fastened a canopy of cloth which
served in some degree to protect the dignitaries who occupied that distinguished
station from the weather and especially from the rain which in some places
found its way through the illconstructed roof
The walls of this upper end of the hall as far as the dais extended were
covered with hangings or curtains and upon the floor there was a carpet both
of which were adorned with some attempts at tapestry or embroidery executed
with brilliant or rather gaudy colouring Over the lower range of table the
roof as we have noticed had no covering the rough plastered walls were left
bare and the rude earthen floor was uncarpeted the board was uncovered by a
cloth and rude massive benches supplied the place of chairs
In the centre of the upper table were placed two chairs more elevated than
the rest for the master and mistress of the family who presided over the scene
of hospitality and from doing so derived their Saxon title of honour which
signifies »the Dividers of Bread«
To each of these chairs was added a footstool curiously carved and inlaid
with ivory which mark of distinction was peculiar to them One of these seats
was at present occupied by Cedric the Saxon who though but in rank a thane
or as the Normans called him a Franklin felt at the delay of his evening
meal an irritable impatience which might have become an alderman whether of
ancient or of modern times
It appeared indeed from the countenance of this proprietor that he was of
a frank but hasty and choleric temper He was not above the middle stature but
broadshouldered longarmed and powerfully made like one accustomed to endure
the fatigue of war or of the chase his face was broad with large blue eyes
open and frank features fine teeth and a wellformed head altogether
expressive of that sort of good humour which often lodges with a sudden and
hasty temper Pride and jealousy there was in his eye for his life had been
spent in asserting rights which were constantly liable to invasion and the
prompt fiery and resolute disposition of the man had been kept constantly
upon the alert by the circumstances of his situation His long yellow hair was
equally divided on the top of his head and upon his brow and combed down on
each side to the length of his shoulders it had but little tendency to grey
although Cedric was approaching to his sixtieth year
His dress was a tunic of forest green furred at the throat and cuffs with
what was called minever a kind of fur inferior in quality to ermine and
formed it is believed of the skin of the grey squirrel This doublet hung
unbuttoned over a close dress of scarlet which sate tight to his body he had
breeches of the same but they did not reach below the lower part of the thigh
leaving the knee exposed His feet had sandals of the same fashion with the
peasants but of finer materials and secured in the front with golden clasps
He had bracelets of gold upon his arms and a broad collar of the same precious
metal around his neck About his waist he wore a richlystudded belt in which
was stuck a short straight twoedged sword with a sharp point so disposed as
to hang almost perpendicularly by his side Behind his seat was hung a scarlet
cloth cloak lined with fur and a cap of the same materials richly embroidered
which completed the dress of the opulent landholder when he chose to go forth A
short boarspear with a broad and bright steel head also reclined against the
back of his chair which served him when he walked abroad for the purposes of
a staff or of a weapon as chance might require
Several domestics whose dress held various proportions betwixt the richness
of their masters and the coarse and simple attire of Gurth the swineherd
watched the looks and waited the commands of the Saxon dignitary Two or three
servants of a superior order stood behind their master upon the dais the rest
occupied the lower part of the hall Other attendants there were of a different
description two or three large and shaggy greyhounds such as were then
employed in hunting the stag and wolf as many slowhounds of a large bony
breed with thick necks large heads and long ears and one or two of the
smaller dogs now called terriers which waited with impatience the arrival of
the supper but with the sagacious knowledge of physiognomy peculiar to their
race forebore to intrude upon the moody silence of their master apprehensive
probably of a small white truncheon which lay by Cedrics trencher for the
purpose of repelling the advances of his fourlegged dependants One grisly old
wolfdog alone with the liberty of an indulged favourite had planted himself
close by the chair of state and occasionally ventured to solicit notice by
putting his large hairy head upon his masters knee or pushing his nose into
his hand Even he was repelled by the stern command »Down Balder down I am
not in the humour for foolery«
In fact Cedric as we have observed was in no very placid state of mind
The Lady Rowena who had been absent to attend an evening mass at a distant
church had but just returned and was changing her garments which had been
wetted by the storm There was as yet no tidings of Gurth and his charge which
should long since have been driven home from the forest and such was the
insecurity of the period as to render it probable that the delay might be
explained by some depredation of the outlaws with whom the adjacent forest
abounded or by the violence of some neighbouring baron whose consciousness of
strength made him equally negligent of the laws of property The matter was of
consequence for great part of the domestic wealth of the Saxon proprietors
consisted in numerous herds of swine especially in forestland where those
animals easily found their food
Besides these subjects of anxiety the Saxon thane was impatient for the
presence of his favourite clown Wamba whose jests such as they were served
for a sort of seasoning to his evening meal and to the deep draughts of ale and
wine with which he was in the habit of accompanying it Add to all this Cedric
had fasted since noon and his usual supper hour was long past a cause of
irritation common to country squires both in ancient and modern times His
displeasure was expressed in broken sentences partly muttered to himself
partly addressed to the domestics who stood around and particularly to his
cupbearer who offered him from time to time as a sedative a silver goblet
filled with wine »Why tarries the Lady Rowena«
»She is but changing her headgear« replied a female attendant with as
much confidence as the favourite ladysmaid usually answers the master of a
modern family »you would not wish her to sit down to the banquet in her hood
and kirtle and no lady within the shire can be quicker in arraying herself than
my mistress«
This undeniable argument produced a sort of acquiescent umph on the part of
the Saxon with the addition »I wish her devotion may choose fair weather for
the next visit to St Johns Kirk but what in the name of ten devils«
continued he turning to the cupbearer and raising his voice as if happy to
have found a channel into which he might divert his indignation without fear or
control »what in the name of ten devils keeps Gurth so long afield I
suppose we shall have an evil account of the herd he was wont to be a faithful
and cautious drudge and I had destined him for something better perchance I
might even have made him one of my warders«11
Oswald the cupbearer modestly suggested »that it was scarce an hour since
the tolling of the curfew« an illchosen apology since it turned upon a topic
so harsh to Saxon ears
»The foul fiend« exclaimed Cedric »take the curfewbell and the
tyrannical bastard by whom it was devised and the heartless slave who names it
with a Saxon tongue to a Saxon ear The curfew« he added pausing »ay the
curfew which compels true men to extinguish their lights that thieves and
robbers may work their deeds in darkness Ay the curfew Reginald
FrontdeBoeuf and Philip de Malvoisin know the use of the curfew as well as
William the Bastard himself or eer a Norman adventurer that fought at
Hastings I shall hear I guess that my property has been swept off to save
from starving the hungry banditti whom they cannot support but by theft and
robbery My faithful slave is murdered and my goods are taken for a prey and
Wamba where is Wamba Said not some one he had gone forth with Gurth«
Oswald replied in the affirmative
»Ay why this is better and better he is carried off too the Saxon fool
to serve the Norman lord Fools are we all indeed that serve them and fitter
subjects for their scorn and laughter than if we were born with but half our
wits But I will be avenged« he added starting from his chair in impatience at
the supposed injury and catching hold of his boarspear »I will go with my
complaint to the great council I have friends I have followers man to man
will I appeal the Norman to the lists let him come in his plate and his mail
and all that can render cowardice bold I have sent such a javelin as this
through a stronger fence than three of their war shields Haply they think me
old but they shall find alone and childless as I am the blood of Hereward is
in the veins of Cedric Ah Wilfred Wilfred« he exclaimed in a lower tone
»couldst thou have ruled thine unreasonable passion thy father had not been
left in his age like the solitary oak that throws out its shattered and
unprotected branches against the full sweep of the tempest« The reflection
seemed to conjure into sadness his irritated feelings Replacing his javelin he
resumed his seat bent his looks downward and appeared to be absorbed in
melancholy reflection
From his musing Cedric was suddenly awakened by the blast of a horn which
was replied to by the clamorous yells and barking of all the dogs in the hall
and some twenty or thirty which were quartered in other parts of the building
It cost some exercise of the white truncheon well seconded by the exertions of
the domestics to silence this canine clamour
»To the gate knaves« said the Saxon hastily as soon as the tumult was so
much appeased that the dependants could hear his voice »See what tidings that
horn tells us of to announce I ween some hership12 and robbery which has
been done upon my lands«
Returning in less than three minutes a warder announced »that the Prior
Aymer of Jorvaulx and the good knight Brian de BoisGuilbert commander of the
valiant and venerable order of Knights Templars with a small retinue requested
hospitality and lodging for the night being on their way to a tournament which
was to be held not far from AshbydelaZouche on the second day from the
present«
»Aymer the Prior Aymer Brian de BoisGuilbert« muttered Cedric
»Normans both but Norman or Saxon the hospitality of Rotherwood must not be
impeached they are welcome since they have chosen to halt more welcome would
they have been to have ridden farther on their way But it were unworthy to
murmur for a nights lodgings and a nights food in the quality of guests at
least even Normans must suppress their insolence Go Hundebert« he added to
a sort of majordomo who stood behind him with a white wand »take six of the
attendants and introduce the strangers to the guests lodging Look after their
horses and mules and see their train lack nothing Let them have change of
vestments if they require it and fire and water to wash and wine and ale and
bid the cooks add what they hastily can to our evening meal and let it be put
on the board when those strangers are ready to share it Say to them Hundebert
that Cedric would himself bid them welcome but he is under a vow never to step
more than three steps from the dais of his own hall to meet any who shares not
the blood of Saxon royalty Begone see them carefully tended let them not say
in their pride the Saxon churl has shown at once his poverty and his avarice«
The majordomo departed with several attendants to execute his masters
commands »The Prior Aymer« repeated Cedric looking to Oswald »the brother
if I mistake not of Giles de Mauleverer now lord of Middleham«
Oswald made a respectful sign of assent »His brother sits in the seat and
usurps the patrimony of a better race the race of Ulfgar of Middleham but
what Norman lord doth not the same This prior is they say a free and jovial
priest who loves the winecup and the buglehorn better than bell and book
Good let him come he shall be welcome How named ye the Templar«
»Brian de BoisGuilbert«
»BoisGuilbert« said Cedric still in the musing halfarguing tone which
the habit of living among dependants had accustomed him to employ and which
resembled a man who talks to himself rather than to those around him
»BoisGuilbert that name has been spread wide both for good and evil They say
he is valiant as the bravest of his order but stained with their usual vices
pride arrogance cruelty and voluptuousness a hardhearted man who knows
neither fear of earth nor awe of heaven So say the few warriors who have
returned from Palestine Well it is but for one night he shall be welcome
too Oswald broach the oldest winecask place the best mead the mightiest
ale the richest moral the most sparkling cider the most odoriferous pigments
upon the board fill the largest horns13 Templars and abbots love good wines
and good measure Elgitha let thy Lady Rowena know we shall not this night
expect her in the hall unless such be her especial pleasure«
»But it will be her especial pleasure« answered Elgitha with great
readiness »for she is ever desirous to hear the latest news from Palestine«
Cedric darted at the forward damsel a glance of hasty resentment but Rowena
and whatever belonged to her were privileged and secure from his anger He only
replied »Silence maiden thy tongue outruns thy discretion Say my message to
thy mistress and let her do her pleasure Here at least the descendant of
Alfred still reigns a princess« Elgitha left the apartment
»Palestine« repeated the Saxon »Palestine how many ears are turned to the
tales which dissolute crusaders or hypocritical pilgrims bring from that fatal
land I too might ask I too might inquire I too might listen with a beating
heart to fables which the wily strollers devise to cheat us into hospitality
but no The son who has disobeyed me is no longer mine nor will I concern
myself more for his fate than for that of the most worthless among the millions
that ever shaped the cross on their shoulder rushed into excess and
bloodguiltiness and called it an accomplishment of the will of God«
He knit his brows and fixed his eyes for an instant on the ground as he
raised them the folding doors at the bottom of the hall were cast wide and
preceded by the major domo with his wand and four domestics bearing blazing
torches the guests of the evening entered the apartment
Chapter Fourth
With sheep and shaggy goats the porkers bled
And the proud steer was on the marble spread
With fire prepared they deal the morsels round
Wine rosy bright the brimming goblets crownd
Disposed apart Ulysses shares the treat
A trivet table and ignobler seat
The Prince assigns
Odyssey Book xxi
The Prior Aymer had taken the opportunity afforded him of changing his riding
robe for one of yet more costly materials over which he wore a cope curiously
embroidered Besides the massive golden signet ring which marked his
ecclesiastical dignity his fingers though contrary to the canon were loaded
with precious gems his sandals were of the finest leather which was imported
from Spain his beard trimmed to as small dimensions as his order would possibly
permit and his shaven crown concealed by a scarlet cap richly embroidered
The appearance of the Knight Templar was also changed and though less
studiously bedecked with ornament his dress was as rich and his appearance far
more commanding than that of his companion He had exchanged his shirt of mail
for an under tunic of dark purple silk garnished with furs over which flowed
his long robe of spotless white in ample folds The eightpointed cross of his
order was cut on the shoulder of his mantle in black velvet The high cap no
longer invested his brows which were only shaded by short and thick curled hair
of a raven blackness corresponding to his unusually swart complexion Nothing
could be more gracefully majestic than his step and manner had they not been
marked by a predominant air of haughtiness easily acquired by the exercise of
unresisted authority
These two dignified persons were followed by their respective attendants
and at a more humble distance by their guide whose figure had nothing more
remarkable than it derived from the usual weeds of a pilgrim A cloak or mantle
of coarse black serge enveloped his whole body It was in shape something like
the cloak of a modern hussar having similar flaps for covering the arms and
was called a Sclaveyn or Sclavonian Coarse sandals bound with thongs on his
bare feet a broad and shadowy hat with cockleshells stitched on its brim and
a long staff shod with iron to the upper end of which was attached a branch of
palm completed the palmers attire He followed modestly the last of the train
which entered the hall and observing that the lower table scarce afforded room
sufficient for the domestics of Cedric and the retinue of his guests he
withdrew to a settle placed beside and almost under one of the large chimneys
and seemed to employ himself in drying his garments until the retreat of some
one should make room at the board or the hospitality of the steward should
supply him with refreshments in the place he had chosen apart
Cedric rose to receive his guests with an air of dignified hospitality and
descending from the dais or elevated part of his hall made three steps towards
them and then awaited their approach
»I grieve« he said »reverend Prior that my vow binds me to advance no
farther upon this floor of my fathers even to receive such guests as you and
this valiant Knight of the Holy Temple But my steward has expounded to you the
cause of my seeming discourtesy Let me also pray that you will excuse my
speaking to you in my native language and that you will reply in the same if
your knowledge of it permits if not I sufficiently understand Norman to follow
your meaning«
»Vows« said the Abbot »must be unloosed worthy Franklin or permit me
rather to say worthy Thane though the title is antiquated Vows are the knots
which tie us to Heaven they are the cords which bind the sacrifice to the
horns of the altar and are therefore as I said before to be unloosened
and discharged unless our Holy Mother Church shall pronounce the contrary And
respecting language I willingly hold communication in that spoken by my
respected grandmother Hilda of Middleham who died in odour of sanctity little
short if we may presume to say so of her glorious namesake the blessed Saint
Hilda of Whitby God be gracious to her soul«
When the prior had ceased what he meant as a conciliatory harangue his
companion said briefly and emphatically »I speak ever French the language of
King Richard and his nobles but I understand English sufficiently to
communicate with the natives of the country«
Cedric darted at the speaker one of those hasty and impatient glances which
comparisons between the two rival nations seldom failed to call forth but
recollecting the duties of hospitality he suppressed farther show of
resentment and motioning with his hand caused his guests to assume two seats
a little lower than his own but placed close beside him and gave a signal that
the evening meal should be placed upon the board
While the attendants hastened to obey Cedrics commands his eye
distinguished Gurth the swineherd who with his companion Wamba had just
entered the hall »Send these loitering knaves up hither« said the Saxon
impatiently And when the culprits came before the dais »How comes it
villains that ye have loitered abroad so late as this Hast thou brought home
thy charge sirrah Gurth or hast thou left them to robbers and marauders«
»The herd is safe so please ye« said Gurth
»But it does not please me thou knave« said Cedric »that I should be made
to suppose otherwise for two hours and sit here devising vengeance against my
neighbours for wrongs they have not done me I tell thee shackles and the
prisonhouse shall punish the next offence of this kind«
Gurth knowing his masters irritable temper attempted no exculpation but
the Jester who could presume upon Cedrics tolerance by virtue of his
privileges as a fool replied for them both »In troth uncle Cedric you are
neither wise nor reasonable tonight«
»How sir« said his master »you shall to the porters lodge and taste of
the discipline there if you give your foolery such license«
»First let your wisdom tell me« said Wamba »is it just and reasonable to
punish one person for the fault of another«
»Certainly not fool« answered Cedric
»Then why should you shackle poor Gurth uncle for the fault of his dog
Fangs for I dare be sworn we lost not a minute by the way when we had got our
herd together which Fangs did not manage until we heard the vesperbell«
»Then hang up Fangs« said Cedric turning hastily towards the swineherd
»if the fault is his and get thee another dog«
»Under favour uncle« said the Jester »that were still somewhat on the
bowhand of fair justice for it was no fault of Fangs that he was lame and
could not gather the herd but the fault of those that struck off two of his
foreclaws an operation for which if the poor fellow had been consulted he
would scarce have given his voice«
»And who dared to lame an animal which belonged to my bondsman« said the
Saxon kindling in wrath
»Marry that did old Hubert« said Wamba »Sir Philip de Malvoisins keeper
of the chase He caught Fangs strolling in the forest and said he chased the
deer contrary to his masters right as warden of the walk«
»The foul fiend take Malvoisin« answered the Saxon »and his keeper both I
will teach them that the wood was disforested in terms of the great Forest
Charter But enough of this Go to knave go to thy place and thou Gurth
get thee another dog and should the keeper dare to touch it I will mar his
archery the curse of a coward on my head if I strike not off the forefinger of
his right hand he shall draw bowstring no more I crave your pardon my
worthy guests I am beset here with neighbours that match your infidels Sir
Knight in Holy Land But your homely fare is before you feed and let welcome
make amends for hard fare«
The feast however which was spread upon the board needed no apologies
from the lord of the mansion Swines flesh dressed in several modes appeared
on the lower part of the board as also that of fowls deer goats and hares
and various kinds of fish together with huge loaves and cakes of bread and
sundry confections made of fruits and honey The smaller sorts of wildfowl of
which there was abundance were not served up in platters but brought in upon
small wooden spits or broaches and offered by the pages and domestics who bore
them to each guest in succession who cut from them such a portion as he
pleased Beside each person of rank was placed a goblet of silver the lower
board was accommodated with large drinking horns
When the repast was about to commence the majordomo or steward suddenly
raising his wand said aloud »Forbear Place for the Lady Rowena« A
sidedoor at the upper end of the hall now opened behind the banquettable and
Rowena followed by four female attendants entered the apartment Cedric
though surprised and perhaps not altogether agreeably so at his ward appearing
in public on this occasion hastened to meet her and to conduct her with
respectful ceremony to the elevated seat at his own right hand appropriated to
the lady of the mansion All stood up to receive her and replying to their
courtesy by a mute gesture of salutation she moved gracefully forward to assume
her place at the board Ere she had time to do so the Templar whispered to the
Prior »I shall wear no collar of gold of yours at the tournament The Chian
wine is your own«
»Said I not so« answered the Prior »but check your raptures the Franklin
observes you«
Unheeding this remonstrance and accustomed only to act upon the immediate
impulse of his own wishes Brian de BoisGuilbert kept his eyes rivetted on the
Saxon beauty more striking perhaps to his imagination because differing widely
from those of the Eastern sultanas
Formed in the best proportions of her sex Rowena was tall in stature yet
not so much so as to attract observation on account of superior height Her
complexion was exquisitely fair but the noble cast of her head and features
prevented the insipidity which sometimes attaches to fair beauties Her clear
blue eye which sate enshrined beneath a graceful eyebrow of brown sufficiently
marked to give expression to the forehead seemed capable to kindle as well as
melt to command as well as to beseech If mildness were the more natural
expression of such a combination of features it was plain that in the present
instance the exercise of habitual superiority and the reception of general
homage had given to the Saxon lady a loftier character which mingled with and
qualified that bestowed by nature Her profuse hair of a colour betwixt brown
and flaxen was arranged in a fanciful and graceful manner in numerous ringlets
to form which art had probably aided nature These locks were braided with gems
and being worn at full length intimated the noble and freeborn condition of
the maiden A golden chain to which was attached a small reliquary of the same
metal hung round her neck She wore bracelets on her arms which were bare Her
dress was an undergown and kirtle of pale seagreen silk over which hung a
long loose robe which reached to the ground having very wide sleeves which
came down however very little below the elbow This robe was crimson and
manufactured out of the very finest wool A veil of silk interwoven with gold
was attached to the upper part of it which could be at the wearers pleasure
either drawn over the face and bosom after the Spanish fashion or disposed as a
sort of drapery round the shoulders
When Rowena perceived the Knight Templars eyes bent on her with an ardour
that compared with the dark caverns under which they moved gave them the
effect of lighted charcoal she drew with dignity the veil around her face as
an intimation that the determined freedom of his glance was disagreeable Cedric
saw the motion and its cause »Sir Templar« said he »the cheeks of our Saxon
maidens have seen too little of the sun to enable them to bear the fixed glance
of a crusader«
»If I have offended« replied Sir Brian »I crave your pardon that is I
crave the Lady Rowenas pardon for my humility will carry me no lower«
»The Lady Rowena« said the Prior »has punished us all in chastising the
boldness of my friend Let me hope she will be less cruel to the splendid train
which are to meet at the tournament«
»Our going thither« said Cedric »is uncertain I love not these vanities
which were unknown to my fathers when England was free«
»Let us hope nevertheless« said the Prior »our company may determine you
to travel thitherward when the roads are so unsafe the escort of Sir Brian de
BoisGuilbert is not to be despised«
»Sir Prior« answered the Saxon »wheresoever I have travelled in this land
I have hitherto found myself with the assistance of my good sword and faithful
followers in no respect needful of other aid At present if we need journey to
AshbydelaZouche we do so with my noble neighbour and countryman Athelstane
of Coningsburgh and with such a train as would set outlaws and feudal enemies
at defiance I drink to you Sir Prior in this cup of wine which I trust
your taste will approve and I thank you for your courtesy Should you be so
rigid in adhering to monastic rule« he added »as to prefer your acid
preparation of milk I hope you will not strain courtesy to do me reason«
»Nay« said the Priest laughing »it is only in our abbey that we confine
ourselves to the lac dulce or the lac acidum either Conversing with the world
we use the worlds fashions and therefore I answer your pledge in this honest
wine and leave the weaker liquor to my lay brother«
»And I« said the Templar filling his goblet »drink wassail to the fair
Rowena for since her namesake introduced the word into England has never been
one more worthy of such a tribute By my faith I could pardon the unhappy
Vortigern had he half the cause that we now witness for making shipwreck of
his honour and his kingdom«
»I will spare your courtesy Sir Knight« said Rowena with dignity and
without unveiling herself »or rather I will tax it so far as to require of you
the latest news from Palestine a theme more agreeable to our English ears than
the compliments which your French breeding teaches«
»I have little of importance to say lady« answered Sir Brian de
BoisGuilbert »excepting the confirmed tidings of a truce with Saladin«
He was interrupted by Wamba who had taken his appropriated seat upon a
chair the back of which was decorated with two asss ears and which was placed
about two steps behind that of his master who from time to time supplied him
with victuals from his own trencher a favour however which the Jester shared
with the favourite dogs of whom as we have already noticed there were several
in attendance Here sat Wamba with a small table before him his heels tucked
up against the bar of the chair his cheeks sucked up so as to make his jaws
resemble a pair of nutcrackers and his eyes halfshut yet watching with
alertness every opportunity to exercise his licensed foolery
»These truces with the infidels« he exclaimed without caring how suddenly
he interrupted the stately Templar »make an old man of me«
»Go to knave how so« said Cedric his features prepared to receive
favourably the expected jest
»Because« answered Wamba »I remember three of them in my day each of
which was to endure for the course of fifty years so that by computation I
must be at least a hundred and fifty years old«
»I will warrant you against dying of old age however« said the Templar
who now recognised his friend of the forest »I will assure you from all deaths
but a violent one if you give such directions to wayfarers as you did this
night to the Prior and me«
»How sirrah« said Cedric »misdirect travellers We must have you whipt
you are at least as much rogue as fool«
»I pray thee uncle« answered the Jester »let my folly for once protect
my roguery I did but make a mistake between my right hand and my left and he
might have pardoned a greater who took a fool for his counsellor and guide«
Conversation was here interrupted by the entrance of the porters page who
announced that there was a stranger at the gate imploring admittance and
hospitality
»Admit him« said Cedric »be he who or what he may a night like that
which roars without compels even wild animals to herd with tame and to seek
the protection of man their mortal foe rather than perish by the elements Let
his wants be ministered to with all care look to it Oswald«
And the steward left the banqueting hall to see the commands of his patron
obeyed
Chapter Fifth
»Hath not a Jew eyes Hath not a Jew hands organs dimensions
senses affections passions Fed with the same food hurt with the
same weapons subject to the same diseases healed by the same
means warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as a
Christian is«
Merchant of Venice
Oswald returning whispered into the ear of his master »It is a Jew who calls
himself Isaac of York is it fit I should marshal him into the hall«
»Let Gurth do thine office Oswald« said Wamba with his usual effrontery
»the swineherd will be a fit usher to the Jew«
»Saint Mary« said the Abbot crossing himself »an unbelieving Jew and
admitted into this presence«
»A dog Jew« echoed the Templar »to approach a defender of the Holy
Sepulchre«
»By my faith« said Wamba »it would seem the Templars love the Jews
inheritance better than they do their company«
»Peace my worthy guests« said Cedric »my hospitality must not be sounded
by your dislikes If Heaven bore with the whole nation of stiffnecked
unbelievers for more years than a layman can number we may endure the presence
of one Jew for a few hours But I constrain no man to converse or to feed with
him Let him have a board and a morsel apart unless« he said smiling »these
turband strangers will admit his society«
»Sir Franklin« answered the Templar »my Saracen slaves are true Moslems
and scorn as much as any Christian to hold intercourse with a Jew«
»Now in faith« said Wamba »I cannot see that the worshippers of Mahound
and Termagaunt have so greatly the advantage over the people once chosen of
Heaven«
»He shall sit with thee Wamba« said Cedric »the fool and the knave will
be well met«
»The fool« answered Wamba raising the relics of a gammon of bacon »will
take care to erect a bulwark against the knave«
»Hush« said Cedric »for here he comes«
Introduced with little ceremony and advancing with fear and hesitation and
many a bow of deep humility a tall thin old man who however had lost by the
habit of stooping much of his actual height approached the lower end of the
board His features keen and regular with an aquiline nose and piercing black
eyes his high and wrinkled forehead and long grey hair and beard would have
been considered as handsome had they not been the marks of a physiognomy
peculiar to a race which during those dark ages was alike detested by the
credulous and prejudiced vulgar and persecuted by the greedy and rapacious
nobility and who perhaps owing to that very hatred and persecution had
adopted a national character in which there was much to say the least mean
and unamiable
The Jews dress which appeared to have suffered considerably from the
storm was a plain russet cloak of many folds covering a dark purple tunic He
had large boots lined with fur and a belt around his waist which sustained a
small knife together with a case for writing materials but no weapon He wore
a high square yellow cap of a peculiar fashion assigned to his nation to
distinguish them from Christians and which he doffed with great humility at the
door of the hall
The reception of this person in the hall of Cedric the Saxon was such as
might have satisfied the most prejudiced enemy of the tribes of Israel Cedric
himself coldly nodded in answer to the Jews repeated salutations and signed to
him to take place at the lower end of the table where however no one offered
to make room for him On the contrary as he passed along the file casting a
timid supplicating glance and turning towards each of those who occupied the
lower end of the board the Saxon domestics squared their shoulders and
continued to devour their supper with great perseverance paying not the least
attention to the wants of the new guest The attendants of the Abbot crossed
themselves with looks of pious horror and the very heathen Saracens as Isaac
drew near them curled up their whiskers with indignation and laid their hands
on their poniards as if ready to rid themselves by the most desperate means
from the apprehended contamination of his nearer approach
Probably the same motives which induced Cedric to open his hall to this son
of a rejected people would have made him insist on his attendants receiving
Isaac with more courtesy But the Abbot had at this moment engaged him in a
most interesting discussion on the breed and character of his favourite hounds
which he would not have interrupted for matters of much greater importance than
that of a Jew going to bed supperless While Isaac thus stood an outcast in the
present society like his people among the nations looking in vain for welcome
or resting place the pilgrim who sat by the chimney took compassion upon him
and resigned his seat saying briefly »Old man my garments are dried my
hunger is appeased thou art both wet and fasting« So saying he gathered
together and brought to a flame the decaying brands which lay scattered on the
ample hearth took from the larger board a mess of pottage and seethed kid
placed it upon the small table at which he had himself supped and without
waiting the Jews thanks went to the other side of the hall whether from
unwillingness to hold more close communication with the object of his
benevolence or from a wish to draw near to the upper end of the table seemed
uncertain
Had there been painters in those days capable to execute such a subject the
Jew as he bent his withered form and expanded his chilled and trembling hands
over the fire would have formed no bad emblematical personification of the
winter season Having dispelled the cold he turned eagerly to the smoking mess
which was placed before him and ate with a haste and an apparent relish that
seemed to betoken long abstinence from food
Meanwhile the Abbot and Cedric continued their discourse upon hunting the
Lady Rowena seemed engaged in conversation with one of her attendant females
and the haughty Templar whose eye wandered from the Jew to the Saxon beauty
revolved in his mind thoughts which appeared deeply to interest him
»I marvel worthy Cedric« said the Abbot as their discourse proceeded
»that great as your predilection is for your own manly language you do not
receive the NormanFrench into your favour so far at least as the mystery of
woodcraft and hunting is concerned Surely no tongue is so rich in the various
phrases which the fieldsports demand or furnishes means to the experienced
woodman so well to express his jovial art«
»Good Father Aymer« said the Saxon »be it known to you I care not for
those oversea refinements without which I can well enough take my pleasure in
the woods I can wind my horn though I call not the blast either a recheate or
a morte I can cheer my dogs on the prey and I can flay and quarter the animal
when it is brought down without using the newfangled jargon of curee arbor
nombles and all the babble of the fabulous Sir Tristrem«14
»The French« said the Templar raising his voice with the presumptuous and
authoritative tone which he used upon all occasions »is not only the natural
language of the chase but that of love and war in which ladies should be won
and enemies defied«
»Pledge me in a cup of wine Sir Templar« said Cedric »and fill another to
the Abbot while I look back some thirty years to tell you another tale As
Cedric the Saxon then was his plain English tale needed no garnish from French
troubadours when it was told in the ear of beauty and the field of
Northallerton upon the day of the Holy Standard could tell whether the Saxon
warcry was not heard as far within the ranks of the Scottish host as the cri de
guerre of the boldest Norman baron To the memory of the brave who fought there
Pledge me my guests« He drank deep and went on with increasing warmth »Ay
that was a day of cleaving of shields when a hundred banners were bent forwards
over the heads of the valiant and blood flowed round like water and death was
held better than flight A Saxon bard had called it a feast of the swords a
gathering of the eagles to the prey the clashing of bills upon shield and
helmet the shouting of battle more joyful than the clamour of a bridal But our
bards are no more« he said »our deeds are lost in those of another race our
language our very name is hastening to decay and none mourns for it save
one solitary old man Cupbearer knave fill the goblets To the strong in
arms Sir Templar be their race or language what it will who now bear them
best in Palestine among the champions of the Cross«
»It becomes not one wearing this badge to answer« said Sir Brian de
BoisGuilbert »yet to whom besides the sworn champions of the Holy Sepulchre
can the palm be assigned among the champions of the Cross«
»To the Knights Hospitallers« said the Abbot »I have a brother of their
order«
»I impeach not their fame« said the Templar »nevertheless«
»I think friend Cedric« said Wamba interfering »that had Richard of the
Lions Heart been wise enough to have taken a fools advice he might have staid
at home with his merry Englishmen and left the recovery of Jerusalem to those
same Knights who had most to do with the loss of it«
»Were there then none in the English army« said the Lady Rowena »whose
names are worthy to be mentioned with the Knights of the Temple and of St
John«
»Forgive me lady« replied De BoisGuilbert »the English monarch did
indeed bring to Palestine a host of gallant warriors second only to those
whose breasts have been the unceasing bulwark of that blessed land«
»Second to NONE« said the Pilgrim who had stood near enough to hear and
had listened to this conversation with marked impatience All turned toward the
spot from whence this unexpected asseveration was heard »I say« repeated the
Pilgrim in a firm and strong voice »that the English chivalry were second to
NONE who ever drew sword in defence of the Holy Land I say besides for I saw
it that King Richard himself and five of his knights held a tournament after
the taking of St Johnde as challengers against all comers I say that on
that day each knight ran three courses and cast to the ground three
antagonists I add that seven of these assailants were Knights of the Temple
and Sir Brian de BoisGuilbert well knows the truth of what I tell you«
It is impossible for language to describe the bitter scowl of rage which
rendered yet darker the swarthy countenance of the Templar In the extremity of
his resentment and confusion his quivering fingers griped towards the handle of
his sword and perhaps only withdrew from the consciousness that no act of
violence could be safely executed in that place and presence Cedric whose
feelings were all of a right onward and simple kind and were seldom occupied by
more than one object at once omitted in the joyous glee with which be heard of
the glory of his countrymen to remark the angry confusion of his guest »I
would give thee this golden bracelet Pilgrim« he said »couldst thou tell me
the names of those knights who upheld so gallantly the renown of merry England«
»That will I do blithely« replied the Pilgrim »and without guerdon my
oath for a time prohibits me from touching gold«
»I will wear the bracelet for you if you will friend Palmer« said Wamba
»The first in honour as in arms in renown as in place« said the Pilgrim
»was the brave Richard King of England«
»I forgive him« said Cedric »I forgive him his descent from the tyrant
Duke William«
»The Earl of Leicester was the second« continued the Pilgrim »Sir Thomas
Multon of Gilsland was the third«
»Of Saxon descent he at least« said Cedric with exultation
»Sir Foulk Doilly the fourth« proceeded the Pilgrim
»Saxon also at least by the mothers side« continued Cedric who listened
with the utmost eagerness and forgot in part at least his hatred to the
Normans in the common triumph of the King of England and his islanders »And
who was the fifth« he demanded
»The fifth was Sir Edwin Turneham«
»Genuine Saxon by the soul of Hengist« shouted Cedric »And the sixth«
he continued with eagerness »how name you the sixth«
»The sixth« said the Palmer after a pause in which he seemed to recollect
himself »was a young knight of lesser renown and lower rank assumed into that
honourable company less to aid their enterprise than to make up their number
his name dwells not in my memory«
»Sir Palmer« said Sir Brian de BoisGuilbert scornfully »this assumed
forgetfulness after so much has been remembered comes too late to serve your
purpose I will myself tell the name of the knight before whose lance fortune
and my horses fault occasioned my falling it was the Knight of Ivanhoe nor
was there one of the six that for his years had more renown in arms Yet
this will I say and loudly that were he in England and durst repeat in this
weeks tournament the challenge of St JohndeAcre I mounted and armed as I
now am would give him every advantage of weapons and abide the result«
»Your challenge would be soon answered« replied the Palmer »were your
antagonist near you As the matter is disturb not the peaceful hall with vaunts
of the issue of a conflict which you well know cannot take place If Ivanhoe
ever returns from Palestine I will be his surety that he meet you«
»A goodly security« said the Knight Templar »and what do you proffer as a
pledge«
»This reliquary« said the Palmer taking a small ivory box from his bosom
and crossing himself »containing a portion of the true cross brought from the
Monastery of Mount Carmel«
The Prior of Jorvaulx crossed himself and repeated a paternoster in which
all devoutly joined excepting the Jew the Mahomedans and the Templar the
latter of whom without vailing his bonnet or testifying any reverence for the
alleged sanctity of the relic took from his neck a gold chain which he flung
on the board saying »Let Prior Aymer hold my pledge and that of this nameless
vagrant in token that when the Knight of Ivanhoe comes within the four seas of
Britain he underlies the challenge of Brian de BoisGuilbert which if he
answer not I will proclaim him as a coward on the walls of every Temple Court
in Europe«
»It will not need« said the Lady Rowena breaking silence »my voice shall
be heard if no other in this hall is raised in behalf of the absent Ivanhoe I
affirm he will meet fairly every honourable challenge Could my weak warrant add
security to the inestimable pledge of this holy pilgrim I would pledge name and
fame that Ivanhoe gives this proud knight the meeting he desires«
A crowd of conflicting emotions seemed to have occupied Cedric and kept him
silent during this discussion Gratified pride resentment embarrassment
chased each other over his broad and open brow like the shadow of clouds
drifting over a harvestfield while his attendants on whom the name of the
sixth knight seemed to produce an effect almost electrical hung in suspense
upon their masters looks But when Rowena spoke the sound of her voice seemed
to startle him from his silence
»Lady« said Cedric »this beseems not were further pledge necessary I
myself offended and justly offended as I am would yet gage my honour for the
honour of Ivanhoe But the wager of battle is complete even according to the
fantastic fashions of Norman chivalry Is it not Father Aymer«
»It is« replied the Prior »and the blessed relic and rich chain will I
bestow safely in the treasury of our convent until the decision of this warlike
challenge«
Having thus spoken he crossed himself again and again and after many
genuflections and muttered prayers he delivered the reliquary to Brother
Ambrose his attendant monk while he himself swept up with less ceremony but
perhaps with no less internal satisfaction the golden chain and bestowed it in
a pouch lined with perfumed leather which opened under his arm »And now Sir
Cedric« he said »my ears are chiming vespers with the strength of your good
wine permit us another pledge to the welfare of the Lady Rowena and indulge
us with liberty to pass to our repose«
»By the rood of Bromholme« said the Saxon »you do but small credit to your
fame Sir Prior Report speaks you a bonny monk that would hear the matin chime
ere he quitted his bowl and old as I am I feared to have shame in
encountering you But by my faith a Saxon boy of twelve in my time would not
so soon have relinquished his goblet«
The Prior had his own reasons however for persevering in the course of
temperance which he had adopted He was not only a professional peacemaker but
from practice a hater of all feuds and brawls It was not altogether from a love
to his neighbour or to himself or from a mixture of both On the present
occasion he had an instinctive apprehension of the fiery temper of the Saxon
and saw the danger that the reckless and presumptuous spirit of which his
companion had already given so many proofs might at length produce some
disagreeable explosion He therefore gently insinuated the incapacity of the
native of any other country to engage in the genial conflict of the bowl with
the hardy and strongheaded Saxons something he mentioned but slightly about
his own holy character and ended by pressing his proposal to depart to repose
The gracecup was accordingly served round and the guests after making
deep obeisance to their landlord and to the Lady Rowena arose and mingled in
the hall while the heads of the family by separate doors retired with their
attendants
»Unbelieving dog« said the Templar to Isaac the Jew as he passed him in
the throng »dost thou bend thy course to the tournament«
»I do so propose« replied Isaac bowing in all humility »if it please your
reverend valour«
»Ay« said the Knight »to gnaw the bowels of our nobles with usury and to
gull women and boys with gauds and toys I warrant thee store of shekels in thy
Jewish scrip«
»Not a shekel not a silver penny not a halfling so help me the God of
Abraham« said the Jew clasping his hands »I go but to seek the assistance of
some brethren of my tribe to aid me to pay the fine which the Exchequer of the
Jews15 have imposed upon me Father Jacob be my speed I am an impoverished
wretch the very gaberdine I wear is borrowed from Reuben of Tadcaster«
The Templar smiled sourly as he replied »Beshrew thee for a falsehearted
liar« and passing onward as if disdaining farther conference he communed with
his Moslem slaves in a language unknown to the bystanders The poor Israelite
seemed so staggered by the address of the military monk that the Templar had
passed on to the extremity of the hall ere he raised his head from the humble
posture which he had assumed so far as to be sensible of his departure And
when he did look around it was with the astonished air of one at whose feet a
thunderbolt has just burst and who hears still the astounding report ringing in
his ears
The Templar and Prior were shortly after marshalled to their sleeping
apartments by the steward and the cupbearer each attended by two torchbearers
and two servants carrying refreshments while servants of inferior condition
indicated to their retinue and to the other guests their respective places of
repose
Chapter Sixth
To buy his favour I extend this friendship
If he will take it so if not adieu
And for my love I pray you wrong me not
Merchant of Venice
As the Palmer lighted by a domestic with a torch passed through the intricate
combination of apartments of this largeand irregular mansion the cupbearer
coming behind him whispered in his ear that if he had no objection to a cup of
good mead in his apartment there were many domestics in that family who would
gladly hear the news he had brought from the Holy Land and particularly that
which concerned the Knight of Ivanhoe Wamba presently appeared to urge the same
request observing that a cup after midnight was worth three after curfew
Without disputing a maxim urged by such grave authority the Palmer thanked them
for their courtesy but observed that he had included in his religious vow an
obligation never to speak in the kitchen on matters which were prohibited in the
hall »That vow« said Wamba to the cupbearer »would scarce suit a
servingman«
The cupbearer shrugged up his shoulders in displeasure »I thought to have
lodged him in the solere chamber« said he »but since he is so unsocial to
Christians een let him take the next stall to Isaac the Jews Anwold« said
he to the torchbearer »carry the Pilgrim to the southern cell I give you
goodnight« he added »Sir Palmer with small thanks for short courtesy«
»Goodnight and Our Ladys benison« said the Palmer with composure and
his guide moved forward
In a small antechamber into which several doors opened and which was
lighted by a small iron lamp they met a second interruption from the
waitingmaid of Rowena who saying in a tone of authority that her mistress
desired to speak with the Palmer took the torch from the hand of Anwold and
bidding him await her return made a sign to the Palmer to follow Apparently he
did not think it proper to decline this invitation as he had done the former;
for though his gesture indicated some surprise at the summons he obeyed it
without answer or remonstrance
A short passage and an ascent of seven steps each of which was composed of
a solid beam of oak led him to the apartment of the Lady Rowena the rude
magnificence of which corresponded to the respect which was paid to her by the
lord of the mansion The walls were covered with embroidered hangings on which
differentcoloured silks interwoven with gold and silver threads had been
employed with all the art of which the age was capable to represent the sports
of hunting and hawking The bed was adorned with the same rich tapestry and
surrounded with curtains dyed with purple The seats had also their stained
coverings and one which was higher than the rest was accommodated with a
footstool of ivory curiously carved
No fewer than four silver candelabras holding great waxen torches served
to illuminate this apartment Yet let not modern beauty envy the magnificence of
a Saxon princess The walls of the apartment were so ill finished and so full
of crevices that the rich hangings shook to the night blast and in despite of
a sort of screen intended to protect them from the wind the flame of the
torches streamed sideways into the air like the unfurled pennon of a chieftain
Magnificence there was with some rude attempt at taste but of comfort there
was little and being unknown it was unmissed
The Lady Rowena with three of her attendants standing at her back and
arranging her hair ere she lay down to rest was seated in the sort of throne
already mentioned and looked as if born to exact general homage The Pilgrim
acknowledged her claim to it by a low genuflection
»Rise Palmer« said she graciously »The defender of the absent has a right
to favourable reception from all who value truth and honour manhood« She then
said to her train »Retire excepting only Elgitha I would speak with this holy
Pilgrim«
The maidens without leaving the apartment retired to its farthest
extremity and sat down on a small bench against the wall where they remained
mute as statues though at such a distance that their whispers could not have
interrupted the conversation of their mistress
»Pilgrim« said the lady after a moments pause during which she seemed
uncertain how to address him »you this night mentioned a name I mean« she
said with a degree of effort »the name of Ivanhoe in the halls where by
nature and kindred it should have sounded most acceptably and yet such is the
perverse course of fate that of many whose hearts must have throbbed at the
sound I only dare ask you where and in what condition you left him of whom
you spoke We heard that having remained in Palestine on account of his
impaired health after the departure of the English army he had experienced the
persecution of the French faction to whom the Templars are known to be
attached«
»I know little of the Knight of Ivanhoe« answered the Palmer with a
troubled voice »I would I knew him better since you lady are interested in
his fate He hath I believe surmounted the persecution of his enemies in
Palestine and is on the eve of returning to England where you lady must know
better than I what is his chance of happiness«
The Lady Rowena sighed deeply and asked more particularly when the Knight
of Ivanhoe might be expected in his native country and whether he would not be
exposed to great dangers by the road On the first point the Palmer professed
ignorance on the second he said that the voyage might be safely made by the
way of Venice and Genoa and from thence through France to England »Ivanhoe«
he said »was so well acquainted with the language and manners of the French
that there was no fear of his incurring any hazard during that part of his
travels«
»Would to God« said the Lady Rowena »he were here safely arrived and able
to bear arms in the approaching tourney in which the chivalry of this land are
expected to display their address and valour Should Athelstane of Coningsburgh
obtain the prize Ivanhoe is like to hear evil tidings when he reaches England
How looked he stranger when you last saw him Had disease laid her hand
heavy upon his strength and comeliness«
»He was darker« said the Palmer »and thinner than when he came from
Cyprus in the train of CoeurdeLion and care seemed to sit heavy on his brow
but I approached not his presence because he is unknown to me«
»He will« said the lady »I fear find little in his native land to clear
those clouds from his countenance Thanks good Pilgrim for your information
concerning the companion of my childhood Maidens« she said »draw near
offer the sleeping cup to this holy man whom I will no longer detain from
repose«
One of the maidens presented a silver cup containing a rich mixture of wine
and spice which Rowena barely put to her lips It was then offered to the
Palmer who after a low obeisance tasted a few drops
»Accept this alms friend« continued the lady offering a piece of gold
»in acknowledgment of thy painful travail and of the shrines thou hast
visited«
The Palmer received the boon with another low reverence and followed Edwina
out of the apartment
In the anteroom he found his attendant Anwold who taking the torch from
the hand of the waitingmaid conducted him with more haste than ceremony to an
exterior and ignoble part of the building where a number of small apartments
or rather cells served for sleeping places to the lower order of domestics and
to strangers of mean degree
»In which of these sleeps the Jew« said the Pilgrim
»The unbelieving dog« answered Anwold »kennels in the cell next your
holiness St Dunstan how it must be scraped and cleansed ere it be again fit
for a Christian«
»And where sleeps Gurth the swineherd« said the stranger
»Gurth« replied the bondsman »sleeps in the cell on your right as the Jew
on that to your left you serve to keep the child of circumcision separate from
the abomination of his tribe You might have occupied a more honourable place
had you accepted of Oswalds invitation«
»It is as well as it is« said the Palmer »the company even of a Jew can
hardly spread contamination through an oaken partition«
So saying he entered the cabin allotted to him and taking the torch from
the domestics hand thanked him and wished him goodnight Having shut the
door of his cell he placed the torch in a candlestick made of wood and looked
around his sleeping apartment the furniture of which was of the most simple
kind It consisted of a rude wooden stool and still ruder hutch or bedframe
stuffed with clean straw and accommodated with two or three sheepskins by way
of bedclothes
The Palmer having extinguished his torch threw himself without taking off
any part of his clothes on this rude couch and slept or at least retained his
recumbent posture till the earliest sunbeams found their way through the little
grated window which served at once to admit both air and light to his
uncomfortable cell He then started up and after repeating his matins and
adjusting his dress he left it and entered that of Isaac the Jew lifting the
latch as gently as he could
The inmate was lying in troubled slumber upon a couch similar to that on
which the Palmer himself had passed the night Such parts of his dress as the
Jew had laid aside on the preceding evening were disposed carefully around his
person as if to prevent the hazard of their being carried off during his
slumbers There was a trouble on his brow amounting almost to agony His hands
and arms moved convulsively as if struggling with the nightmare and besides
several ejaculations in Hebrew the following were distinctly heard in the
NormanEnglish or mixed language of the country »For the sake of the God of
Abraham spare an unhappy old man I am poor I am penniless should your irons
wrench my limbs asunder I could not gratify you«
The Palmer awaited not the end of the Jews vision but stirred him with his
pilgrims staff The touch probably associated as is usual with some of the
apprehensions excited by his dream for the old man started up his grey hair
standing almost erect upon his head and huddling some part of his garments
about him while he held the detached pieces with the tenacious grasp of a
falcon he fixed upon the Palmer his keen black eyes expressive of wild
surprise and of bodily apprehension
»Fear nothing from me Isaac« said the Palmer »I come as your friend«
»The God of Israel requite you« said the Jew greatly relieved »I dreamed
But Father Abraham be praised it was but a dream« Then collecting himself
he added in his usual tone »And what may it be your pleasure to want at so
early an hour with the poor Jew«
»It is to tell you« said the Palmer »that if you leave not this mansion
instantly and travel not with some haste your journey may prove a dangerous
one«
»Holy father« said the Jew »whom could it interest to endanger so poor a
wretch as I am«
»The purpose you can best guess« said the Pilgrim »but rely on this that
when the Templar crossed the hall yesternight he spoke to his Mussulman slaves
in the Saracen language which I well understand and charged them this morning
to watch the journey of the Jew to seize upon him when at a convenient distance
from the mansion and to conduct him to the castle of Philip de Malvoisin or to
that of Reginald FrontdeBoeuf«
It is impossible to describe the extremity of terror which seized upon the
Jew at this information and seemed at once to overpower his whole faculties
His arms fell down to his sides and his head drooped on his breast his knees
bent under his weight every nerve and muscle of his frame seemed to collapse
and lose its energy and he sunk at the foot of the Palmer not in the fashion
of one who intentionally stoops kneels or prostrates himself to excite
compassion but like a man borne down on all sides by the pressure of some
invisible force which crushes him to the earth without the power of resistance
»Holy God of Abraham« was his first exclamation folding and elevating his
wrinkled hands but without raising his grey head from the pavement »O holy
Moses O blessed Aaron the dream is not dreamed for nought and the vision
cometh not in vain I feel their irons already tear my sinews I feel the rack
pass over my body like the saws and harrows and axes of iron over the men of
Rabbah and of the cities of the children of Ammon«
»Stand up Isaac and hearken to me« said the Palmer who viewed the
extremity of his distress with a compassion in which contempt was largely
mingled »you have cause for your terror considering how your brethren have
been used in order to extort from them their hoards both by princes and
nobles but stand up I say and I will point out to you the means of escape
Leave this mansion instantly while its inmates sleep sound after the last
nights revel I will guide you by the secret paths of the forest known as well
to me as to any forester that ranges it and I will not leave you till you are
under safe conduct of some chief or baron going to the tournament whose
goodwill you have probably the means of securing«
As the ears of Isaac received the hopes of escape which this speech
intimated he began gradually and inch by inch as it were to raise himself up
from the ground until he fairly rested upon his knees throwing back his long
grey hair and beard and fixing his keen black eyes upon the Palmers face with
a look expressive at once of hope and fear not unmingled with suspicion But
when he heard the concluding part of the sentence his original terror appeared
to revive in full force and he dropped once more on his face exclaiming »I
possess the means of securing goodwill alas there is but one road to the
favour of a Christian and how can the poor Jew find it whom extortions have
already reduced to the misery of Lazarus« Then as if suspicion had overpowered
his other feelings he suddenly exclaimed »For the love of God young man
betray me not for the sake of the Great Father who made us all Jew as well as
Gentile Israelite and Ishmaelite do me no treason I have not means to secure
the goodwill of a Christian beggar were he rating it at a single penny« As he
spoke these last words he raised himself and grasped the Palmers mantle with
a look of the most earnest entreaty The Pilgrim extricated himself as if there
were contamination in the touch
»Wert thou loaded with all the wealth of thy tribe« he said »what interest
have I to injure thee In this dress I am vowed to poverty nor do I change it
for aught save a horse and a coat of mail Yet think not that I care for thy
company or propose myself advantage by it remain here if thou wilt Cedric
the Saxon may protect thee«
»Alas« said the Jew »he will not let me travel in his train Saxon or
Norman will be equally ashamed of the poor Israelite and to travel by myself
through the domains of Philip de Malvoisin and Reginald FrontdeBoeuf Good
youth I will go with you Let us haste let us gird up our loins let us
flee Here is thy staff why wilt thou tarry«
»I tarry not« said the Pilgrim giving way to the urgency of his companion
»but I must secure the means of leaving this place follow me«
He led the way to the adjoining cell which as the reader is apprised was
occupied by Gurth the swineherd »Arise Gurth« said the Pilgrim »arise
quickly Undo the postern gate and let out the Jew and me«
Gurth whose occupation though now held so mean gave him as much
consequence in Saxon England as that of Eumæus in Ithaca was offended at the
familiar and commanding tone assumed by the Palmer »The Jew leaving
Rotherwood« said he raising himself on his elbow and looking superciliously
at him without quitting his pallet »and travelling in company with the Palmer
to boot«
»I should as soon have dreamt« said Wamba who entered the apartment at the
instant »of his stealing away with a gammon of bacon«
»Nevertheless« said Gurth again laying down his head on the wooden log
which served him for a pillow »both Jew and Gentile must be content to abide
the opening of the great gate we suffer no visitors to depart by stealth at
these unseasonable hours«
»Nevertheless« said the Pilgrim in a commanding tone »you will not I
think refuse me that favour«
So saying he stooped over the bed of the recumbent swineherd and whispered
something in his ear in Saxon Gurth started up as if electrified The Pilgrim
raising his finger in an attitude as if to express caution added »Gurth
beware thou art wont to be prudent I say undo the postern thou shalt know
more anon«
With hasty alacrity Gurth obeyed him while Wamba and the Jew followed both
wondering at the sudden change in the swineherds demeanour
»My mule my mule« said the Jew as soon as they stood without the postern
»Fetch him his mule« said the Pilgrim »and hearest thou let me have
another that I may bear him company till he is beyond these parts I will
return it safely to some of Cedrics train at Ashby And do thou« he whispered
the rest in Gurths ear
»Willingly most willingly shall it be done« said Gurth and instantly
departed to execute the commission
»I wish I knew« said Wamba when his comrades back was turned »what you
Palmers learn in the Holy Land«
»To say our orisons fool« answered the Pilgrim »to repent our sins and
to mortify ourselves with fasting vigils and long prayers«
»Something more potent than that« answered the Jester »for when would
repentance or prayer make Gurth do a courtesy or fasting or vigil persuade him
to lend you a mule I trow you might as well have told his favourite black
boar of thy vigils and penance and wouldst have gotten as civil an answer«
»Go to« said the Pilgrim »thou art but a Saxon fool«
»Thou sayest well« said the Jester »had I been born a Norman as I think
thou art I would have had luck on my side and been next door to a wise man«
At this moment Gurth appeared on the opposite side of the moat with the
mules The travellers crossed the ditch upon a drawbridge of only two planks
breadth the narrowness of which was matched with the straitness of the postern
and with a little wicket in the exterior palisade which gave access to the
forest No sooner had they reached the mules than the Jew with hasty and
trembling hands secured behind the saddle a small bag of blue buckram which he
took from under his cloak containing as he muttered »a change of raiment
only a change of raiment« Then getting upon the animal with more alacrity and
haste than could have been anticipated from his years he lost no time in so
disposing of the skirts of his gaberdine as to conceal completely from
observation the burden which he had thus deposited en croupe
The Pilgrim mounted with more deliberation reaching as he departed his
hand to Gurth who kissed it with the utmost possible veneration The swineherd
stood gazing after the travellers until they were lost under the boughs of the
forest path when he was disturbed from his reverie by the voice of Wamba
»Knowest thou« said the Jester »my good friend Gurth that thou art
strangely courteous and most unwontedly pious on this summer morning I would I
were a black Prior or a barefoot Palmer to avail myself of thy unwonted zeal
and courtesy certes I would make more out of it than a kiss of the hand«
»Thou art no fool thus far Wamba« answered Gurth »though thou arguest
from appearances and the wisest of us can do no more But it is time to look
after my charge«
So saying he turned back to the mansion attended by the Jester
Meanwhile the travellers continued to press on their journey with a despatch
which argued the extremity of the Jews fears since persons at his age are
seldom fond of rapid motion The Palmer to whom every path and outlet in the
wood appeared to be familiar led the way through the most devious paths and
more than once excited anew the suspicion of the Israelite that he intended to
betray him into some ambuscade of his enemies
His doubts might have been indeed pardoned for except perhaps the flying
fish there was no race existing on the earth in the air or the waters who
were the object of such an unintermitting general and relentless persecution
as the Jews of this period Upon the slightest and most unreasonable pretences
as well as upon accusations the most absurd and groundless their persons and
property were exposed to every turn of popular fury for Norman Saxon Dane
and Briton however adverse these races were to each other contended which
should look with greatest detestation upon a people whom it was accounted a
point of religion to hate to revile to despise to plunder and to persecute
The kings of the Norman race and the independent nobles who followed their
example in all acts of tyranny maintained against this devoted people a
persecution of a more regular calculated and selfinterested kind It is a
wellknown story of King John that he confined a wealthy Jew in one of the
royal castles and daily caused one of his teeth to be torn out until when the
jaw of the unhappy Israelite was half disfurnished he consented to pay a large
sum which it was the tyrants object to extort from him The little ready money
which was in the country was chiefly in possession of this persecuted people
and the nobility hesitated not to follow the example of their sovereign in
wringing it from them by every species of oppression and even personal torture
Yet the passive courage inspired by the love of gain induced the Jews to dare
the various evils to which they were subjected in consideration of the immense
profits which they were enabled to realise in a country naturally so wealthy as
England In spite of every kind of discouragement and even of the special court
of taxations already mentioned called the Jews Exchequer erected for the very
purpose of despoiling and distressing them the Jews increased multiplied and
accumulated huge sums which they transferred from one hand to another by means
of bills of exchange an invention for which commerce is said to be indebted to
them and which enabled them to transfer their wealth from land to land that
when threatened with oppression in one country their treasure might be secured
in another
The obstinacy and avarice of the Jews being thus in a measure placed in
opposition to the fanaticism and tyranny of those under whom they lived seemed
to increase in proportion to the persecution with which they were visited and
the immense wealth they usually acquired in commerce while it frequently placed
them in danger was at other times used to extend their influence and to secure
to them a certain degree of protection On these terms they lived and their
character influenced accordingly was watchful suspicious and timid yet
obstinate uncomplying and skilful in evading the dangers to which they were
exposed
When the travellers had pushed on at a rapid rate through many devious
paths the Palmer at length broke silence
»That large decayed oak« he said »marks the boundaries over which
FrontdeBoeuf claims authority we are long since far from those of Malvoisin
There is now no fear of pursuit«
»May the wheels of their chariots be taken off« said the Jew »like those
of the host of Pharaoh that they may drive heavily But leave me not good
Pilgrim Think but of that fierce and savage Templar with his Saracen slaves
they will regard neither territory nor manor nor lordship«
»Our road« said the Palmer »should here separate for it beseems not men
of my character and thine to travel together longer than needs must be Besides
what succour couldst thou have from me a peaceful Pilgrim against two armed
heathens«
»O good youth« answered the Jew »thou canst defend me and I know thou
wouldst Poor as I am I will requite it not with money for money so help me
my Father Abraham I have none but«
»Money and recompense« said the Palmer interrupting him »I have already
said I require not of thee Guide thee I can and it may be even in some sort
defend thee since to protect a Jew against a Saracen can scarce be accounted
unworthy of a Christian Therefore Jew I will see thee safe under some fitting
escort We are now not far from the town of Sheffield where thou mayest easily
find many of thy tribe with whom to take refuge«
»The blessing of Jacob be upon thee good youth« said the Jew »in
Sheffield I can harbour with my kinsman Zareth and find some means of
travelling forth with safety«
»Be it so« said the Palmer »at Sheffield then we part and halfanhours
riding will bring us in sight of that town«
The halfhour was spent in perfect silence on both parts the Pilgrim
perhaps disdaining to address the Jew except in case of absolute necessity and
the Jew not presuming to force a conversation with a person whose journey to the
Holy Sepulchre gave a sort of sanctity to his character They paused on the top
of a gently rising bank and the Pilgrim pointing to the town of Sheffield
which lay beneath them repeated the words »Here then we part«
»Not till you have had the poor Jews thanks« said Isaac »for I presume
not to ask you to go with me to my kinsman Zareths who might aid me with some
means of repaying your good offices«
»I have already said« answered the Pilgrim »that I desire no recompense
If among the huge list of thy debtors thou wilt for my sake spare the gyves
and the dungeon to some unhappy Christian who stands in thy danger I shall hold
this mornings service to thee well bestowed«
»Stay stay« said the Jew laying hold of his garment »something would I
do more than this something for thyself God knows the Jew is poor yes
Isaac is the beggar of his tribe but forgive me should I guess what thou most
lackest at this moment«
»If thou wert to guess truly« said the Palmer »it is what thou canst not
supply wert thou as wealthy as thou sayest thou art poor«
»As I say« echoed the Jew »O believe it I say but the truth I am a
plundered indebted distressed man Hard hands have wrung from me my goods my
money my ships and all that I possessed Yet I can tell thee what thou
lackest and it may be supply it too Thy wish even now is for a horse and
armour«
The Palmer started and turned suddenly towards the Jew »What fiend
prompted that guess« said he hastily
»No matter« said the Jew smiling »so that it be a true one and as I
can guess thy want so I can supply it«
»But consider« said the Palmer »my character my dress my vow«
»I know you Christians« replied the Jew »and that the noblest of you will
take the staff and sandal in superstitious penance and walk afoot to visit the
graves of dead men«
»Blaspheme not Jew« said the Pilgrim sternly
»Forgive me« said the Jew »I spoke rashly But there dropped words from
you last night and this morning that like sparks from flint showed the metal
within and in the bosom of that Palmers gown is hidden a knights chain and
spurs of gold They glanced as you stooped over my bed in the morning«
»The Pilgrim could not forbear smiling Were thy garments searched by as
curious an eye Isaac« said he »what discoveries might not be made«
»No more of that« said the Jew changing colour and drawing forth his
writing materials in haste as if to stop the conversation he began to write
upon a piece of paper which he supported on the top of his yellow cap without
dismounting from his mule When he had finished he delivered the scroll which
was in the Hebrew character to the Pilgrim saying »In the town of Leicester
all men know the rich Jew Kirjath Jairam of Lombardy give him this scroll he
hath on sale six Milan harnesses the worst would suit a crowned head ten
goodly steeds the worst might mount a king were he to do battle for his
throne Of these he will give thee thy choice with everything else that can
furnish thee forth for the tournament when it is over thou wilt return them
safely unless thou shouldst have wherewith to pay their value to the owner«
»But Isaac« said the Pilgrim smiling »dost thou know that in these
sports the arms and steed of the knight who is unhorsed are forfeit to his
victor Now I may be unfortunate and so lose what I cannot replace or repay«
The Jew looked somewhat astounded at this possibility but collecting his
courage he replied hastily »No no no It is impossible I will not think
so The blessing of Our Father will be upon thee Thy lance will be powerful as
the rod of Moses«
So saying he was turning his mules head away when the Palmer in his
turn took hold of his gaberdine »Nay but Isaac thou knowest not all the
risk The steed may be slain the armour injured for I will spare neither
horse nor man Besides those of thy tribe give nothing for nothing something
there must be paid for their use«
The Jew twisted himself in the saddle like a man in a fit of the colic but
his better feelings predominated over those which were most familiar to him »I
care not« he said »I care not let me go If there is damage it will cost
you nothing if there is usage money Kirjath Jairam will forgive it for the
sake of his kinsman Isaac Faretheewell Yet hark thee good youth« said
he turning about »thrust thyself not too forward into this vain hurlyburly
I speak not for endangering the steed and coat of armour but for the sake of
thine own life and limbs«
»Gramercy for thy caution« said the Palmer again smiling »I will use thy
courtesy frankly and it will go hard with me but I will requite it«
They parted and took different roads for the town of Sheffield
Chapter Seventh
Knights with a long retinue of their squires
In gaudy liveries march and quaint attires
One laced the helm another held the lance
A third the shining buckler did advance
The courser pawd the ground with restless feet
And snorting foamd and champd the golden bit
The smiths and armourers on palfreys ride
Files in their hands and hammers at their side
And nails for loosend spears and thongs for shields provide
The yeomen guard the streets in seemly bands
And clowns come crowding on with cudgels in their hands
Palamon and Arcite
The condition of the English nation was at this time sufficiently miserable
King Richard was absent a prisoner and in the power of the perfidious and cruel
Duke of Austria Even the very place of his captivity was uncertain and his
fate but very imperfectly known to the generality of his subjects who were in
the meantime a prey to every species of subaltern oppression
Prince John in league with Philip of France CoeurdeLions mortal enemy
was using every species of influence with the Duke of Austria to prolong the
captivity of his brother Richard to whom he stood indebted for so many favours
In the meantime he was strengthening his own faction in the kingdom of which
he proposed to dispute the succession, in case of the Kings death with the
legitimate heir Arthur Duke of Brittany son of Geoffrey Plantagenet the elder
brother of John This usurpation it is well known he afterwards effected His
own character being light profligate and perfidious John easily attached to
his person and faction not only all who had reason to dread the resentment of
Richard for criminal proceedings during his absence but also the numerous
class of »lawless resolutes« whom the crusades had turned back on their
country accomplished in the vices of the East impoverished in substance, and
hardened in character and who placed their hopes of harvest in civil commotion
To these causes of public distress and apprehension must be added the
multitude of outlaws who driven to despair by the oppression of the feudal
nobility and the severe exercise of the forest laws banded together in large
gangs and keeping possession of the forests and the wastes set at defiance
the justice and magistracy of the country The nobles themselves each fortified
within his own castle and playing the petty sovereign over his own dominions
were the leaders of bands scarce less lawless and oppressive than those of the
avowed depredators To maintain these retainers and to support the extravagance
and magnificence which their pride induced them to affect the nobility borrowed
sums of money from the Jews at the most usurious interest which gnawed into
their estates like consuming cankers scarce to be cured unless when
circumstances gave them an opportunity of getting free by exercising upon their
creditors some act of unprincipled violence
Under the various burdens imposed by this unhappy state of affairs the
people of England suffered deeply for the present and had yet more dreadful
cause to fear for the future To augment their misery a contagious disorder of
a dangerous nature spread through the land and rendered more virulent by the
uncleanness the indifferent food and the wretched lodging of the lower
classes swept off many whose fate the survivors were tempted to envy as
exempting them from the evils which were to come
Yet amid these accumulated distresses the poor as well as the rich the
vulgar as well as the noble in the event of a tournament which was the grand
spectacle of that age felt as much interested as the halfstarved citizen of
Madrid who has not a real left to buy provisions for his family feels in the
issue of a bullfight Neither duty nor infirmity could keep youth or age from
such exhibitions The Passage of Arms as it was called which was to take place
at Ashby in the county of Leicester as champions of the first renown were to
take the field in the presence of Prince John himself who was expected to grace
the lists had attracted universal attention and an immense confluence of
persons of all ranks hastened upon the appointed morning to the place of combat
The scene was singularly romantic On the verge of a wood which approached
to within a mile of the town of Ashby was an extensive meadow of the finest
and most beautiful green turf surrounded on one side by the forest and fringed
on the other by straggling oaktrees some of which had grown to an immense
size The ground as if fashioned on purpose for the martial display which was
intended sloped gradually down on all sides to a level bottom which was
enclosed for the lists with strong palisades forming a space of a quarter of a
mile in length and about half as broad The form of the enclosure was an oblong
square save that the corners were considerably rounded off in order to afford
more convenience to the spectators The openings for the entry of the combatants
were at the northern and southern extremities of the lists accessible by strong
wooden gates each wide enough to admit two horsemen riding abreast At each of
these portals were stationed two heralds attended by six trumpets as many
pursuivants and a strong body of menatarms for maintaining order and
ascertaining the quality of the knights who proposed to engage in this martial
game
On a platform beyond the southern entrance formed by a natural elevation of
the ground were pitched five magnificent pavilions adorned with pennons of
russet and black the chosen colours of the five knights challengers The cords
of the tents were of the same colour Before each pavilion was suspended the
shield of the knight by whom it was occupied and beside it stood his squire
quaintly disguised as a salvage or silvan man or in some other fantastic dress
according to the taste of his master and the character he was pleased to assume
during the game16 The central pavilion as the place of honour had been
assigned to Brian de BoisGuilbert whose renown in all games of chivalry no
less than his connection with the knights who had undertaken this Passage of
Arms had occasioned him to be eagerly received into the company of the
challengers and even adopted as their chief and leader though he had so
recently joined them On one side of his tent were pitched those of Reginald
FrontdeBoeuf and Philip de Malvoisin and on the other was the pavilion of
Hugh de Grantmesnil a noble baron in the vicinity whose ancestor had been Lord
High Steward of England in the time of the Conqueror and his son William Rufus
Ralph de Vipont a knight of St John of Jerusalem who had some ancient
possessions at a place called Heather near AshbydelaZouche occupied the
fifth pavilion From the entrance into the lists a gentle sloping passage ten
yards in breadth led up to the platform on which the tents were pitched It was
strongly secured by a palisade on each side as was the esplanade in front of
the pavilions and the whole was guarded by menatarms
The northern access to the lists terminated in a similar entrance of thirty
feet in breadth at the extremity of which was a large enclosed space for such
knights as might be disposed to enter the list with the challengers behind
which were placed tents containing refreshments of every kind for their
accommodation with armourers farriers and other attendants in readiness to
give their services wherever they might be necessary
The exterior of the lists was in part occupied by temporary galleries
spread with tapestry and carpets and accommodated with cushions for the
convenience of those ladies and nobles who were expected to attend the
tournament A narrow space betwixt these galleries and the lists gave
accommodation for yeomanry and spectators of a better degree than the mere
vulgar and might be compared to the pit of a theatre The promiscuous multitude
arranged themselves upon large banks of turf prepared for the purpose which
aided by the natural elevation of the ground enabled them to overlook the
galleries and obtain a fair view into the lists Besides the accommodation
which these stations afforded many hundreds had perched themselves on the
branches of the trees which surrounded the meadow and even the steeple of a
country church at some distance was crowded with spectators
It only remains to notice respecting the general arrangement that one
gallery in the very centre of the eastern side of the lists and consequently
exactly opposite to the spot where the shock of the combat was to take place
was raised higher than the others more richly decorated and graced by a sort
of throne and canopy on which the royal arms were emblazoned Squires pages
and yeomen in rich liveries waited around this place of honour which was
designed for Prince John and his attendants Opposite to this royal gallery was
another elevated to the same height on the western side of the lists and more
gaily if less sumptuously decorated than that destined for the Prince himself
A train of pages and of young maidens the most beautiful who could be selected
gaily dressed in fancy habits of green and pink surrounded a throne decorated
in the same colours Among pennons and flags bearing wounded hearts burning
hearts bleeding hearts bows and quivers and all the commonplace emblems of
the triumphs of Cupid a blazoned inscription informed the spectators that this
seat of honour was designed for La Royne de la Beaulté et des Amours But who
was to represent the Queen of Beauty and of Love on the present occasion no one
was prepared to guess
Meanwhile spectators of every description thronged forward to occupy their
respective stations and not without many quarrels concerning those which they
were entitled to hold Some of these were settled by the menatarms with brief
ceremony the shafts of their battleaxes and pummels of their swords being
readily employed as arguments to convince the more refractory Others which
involved the rival claims of more elevated persons were determined by the
heralds or by the two marshals of the field William de Wyvil and Stephen de
Martival who armed at all points rode up and down the lists to enforce and
preserve good order among the spectators
Gradually the galleries became filled with knights and nobles in their
robes of peace whose long and richtinted mantles were contrasted with the
gayer and more splendid habits of the ladies who in a greater proportion than
even the men themselves thronged to witness a sport which one would have
thought too bloody and dangerous to afford their sex much pleasure The lower
and interior space was soon filled by substantial yeomen and burghers and such
of the lesser gentry as from modesty poverty or dubious title durst not
assume any higher place It was of course amongst these that the most frequent
disputes for precedence occurred
»Dog of an unbeliever« said an old man whose threadbare tunic bore witness
to his poverty as his sword and dagger and golden chain intimated his
pretensions to rank »whelp of a shewolf darest thou press upon a Christian
and a Norman gentleman of the blood of Montdidier«
This rough expostulation was addressed to no other than our acquaintance
Isaac who richly and even magnificently dressed in a gaberdine ornamented
with lace and lined with fur was endeavouring to make place in the foremost row
beneath the gallery for his daughter the beautiful Rebecca who had joined him
at Ashby and who was now hanging on her fathers arm not a little terrified by
the popular displeasure which seemed generally excited by her fathers
presumption But Isaac though we have seen him sufficiently timid on other
occasions knew well that at present he had nothing to fear It was not in
places of general resort or where their equals were assembled that any
avaricious or malevolent noble durst offer him injury At such meetings the Jews
were under the protection of the general law and if that proved a weak
assurance it usually happened that there were among the persons assembled some
barons who for their own interested motives were ready to act as their
protectors On the present occasion Isaac felt more than usually confident
being aware that Prince John was even then in the very act of negotiating a
large loan from the Jews of York to be secured upon certain jewels and lands
Isaacs own share in this transaction was considerable and he well knew that
the Princes eager desire to bring it to a conclusion would ensure him his
protection in the dilemma in which he stood
Emboldened by these considerations the Jew pursued his point and jostled
the Norman Christian without respect either to his descent quality or
religion The complaints of the old man however excited the indignation of the
bystanders One of these a stout wellset yeoman arrayed in Lincoln green
having twelve arrows stuck in his belt with a baldric and badge of silver and
a bow of six feet length in his hand turned short round and while his
countenance which his constant exposure to weather had rendered brown as a
hazelnut grew darker with anger he advised the Jew to remember that all the
wealth he had acquired by sucking the blood of his miserable victims had but
swelled him like a bloated spider which might be overlooked while he kept in a
corner but would be crushed if it ventured into the light This intimation
delivered in NormanEnglish with a firm voice and a stern aspect made the Jew
shrink back and he would have probably withdrawn himself altogether from a
vicinity so dangerous had not the attention of every one been called to the
sudden entrance of Prince John who at that moment entered the lists attended
by a numerous and gay train consisting partly of laymen partly of churchmen
as light in their dress and as gay in their demeanour as their companions
Among the latter was the Prior of Jorvaulx in the most gallant trim which a
dignitary of the church could venture to exhibit Fur and gold were not spared
in his garments and the points of his boots outheroding the preposterous
fashion of the time turned up so very far as to be attached not to his knees
merely but to his very girdle and effectually prevented him from putting his
foot into the stirrup This however was a slight inconvenience to the gallant
Abbot who perhaps even rejoicing in the opportunity to display his
accomplished horsemanship before so many spectators especially of the fair sex
dispensed with these supports to a timid rider The rest of Prince Johns
retinue consisted of the favourite leaders of his mercenary troops some
marauding barons and profligate attendants upon the court with several Knights
Templars and Knights of St John
It may be here remarked that the knights of these two orders were accounted
hostile to King Richard having adopted the side of Philip of France in the long
train of disputes which took place in Palestine betwixt that Monarch and the
lionhearted King of England It was the wellknown consequence of this discord
that Richards repeated victories had been rendered fruitless his romantic
attempts to besiege Jerusalem disappointed and the fruit of all the glory which
he had acquired had dwindled into an uncertain truce with the Sultan Saladin
With the same policy which had dictated the conduct of their brethren in the
Holy Land the Templars and Hospitallers in England and Normandy attached
themselves to the faction of Prince John having little reason to desire the
return of Richard to England or the succession of Arthur his legitimate heir
For the opposite reason Prince John hated and contemned the few Saxon families
of consequence which subsisted in England and omitted no opportunity of
mortifying and affronting them being conscious that his person and pretensions
were disliked by them as well as by the greater part of the English commons
who feared farther innovation upon their rights and liberties from a sovereign
of Johns licentious and tyrannical disposition
Attended by this gallant equipage himself well mounted and splendidly
dressed in crimson and in gold bearing upon his hand a falcon and having his
head covered by a rich fur bonnet adorned with a circle of precious stones
from which his long curled hair escaped and overspread his shoulders Prince
John upon a grey and highmettled palfrey caracoled within the lists at the
head of his jovial party laughing loud with his train and eyeing with all the
boldness of royal criticism the beauties who adorned the lofty galleries
Those who remarked in the physiognomy of the Prince a dissolute audacity
mingled with extreme haughtiness and indifference to the feelings of others
could not yet deny to his countenance that sort of comeliness which belongs to
an open set of features well formed by nature modelled by art to the usual
rules of courtesy yet so far frank and honest that they seemed as if they
disclaimed to conceal the natural workings of the soul Such an expression is
often mistaken for manly frankness when in truth it arises from the reckless
indifference of a libertine disposition conscious of superiority of birth of
wealth or of some other adventitious advantage totally unconnected with
personal merit To those who did not think so deeply and they were the greater
number by a hundred to one the splendour of Prince Johns rheno ie fur
tippet the richness of his cloak lined with the most costly sables his
maroquin boots and golden spurs together with the grace with which he managed
his palfrey were sufficient to merit clamorous applause
In his joyous caracole round the lists the attention of the Prince was
called by the commotion not yet subsided which had attended the ambitious
movement of Isaac towards the higher places of the assembly The quick eye of
Prince John instantly recognised the Jew but was much more agreeably attracted
by the beautiful daughter of Zion who terrified by the tumult clung close to
the arm of her aged father
The figure of Rebecca might indeed have compared with the proudest beauties
of England even though it had been judged by as shrewd a connoisseur as Prince
John Her form was exquisitely symmetrical and was shown to advantage by a sort
of Eastern dress which she wore according to the fashion of the females of her
nation Her turban of yellow silk suited well with the darkness of her
complexion The brilliancy of her eyes the superb arch of her eyebrows her
wellformed aquiline nose her teeth as white as pearl and the profusion of her
sable tresses which each arranged in its own little spiral of twisted curls
fell down upon as much of a lovely neck and bosom as a simarre of the richest
Persian silk exhibiting flowers in their natural colours embossed upon a purple
ground permitted to be visible all these constituted a combination of
loveliness which yielded not to the most beautiful of the maidens who
surrounded her It is true that of the golden and pearlstudded clasps which
closed her vest from the throat to the waist the three uppermost were left
unfastened on account of the heat which something enlarged the prospect to
which we allude A diamond necklace with pendants of inestimable value were by
this means also made more conspicuous The feather of an ostrich fastened in
her turban by an agriffe set with brilliants was another distinction of the
beautiful Jewess scoffed and sneered at by the proud dames who sat above her
but secretly envied by those who affected to deride them
»By the bald scalp of Abraham« said Prince John »yonder Jewess must be the
very model of that perfection whose charms drove frantic the wisest king that
ever lived What sayest thou Prior Aymer By the Temple of that wise king
which our wiser brother Richard proved unable to recover she is the very bride
of the Canticles«
»The Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley« answered the Prior in a
sort of snuffling tone »but your Grace must remember she is still but a
Jewess«
»Ay« added Prince John without heeding him »and there is my Mammon of
unrighteousness too the Marquis of Marks the Baron of Byzants contesting for
place with penniless dogs whose threadbare cloaks have not a single cross in
their pouches to keep the devil from dancing there By the body of St Mark my
prince of supplies with his lovely Jewess shall have a place in the gallery
What is she Isaac Thy wife or thy daughter that Eastern houri that thou
lockest under thy arm as thou wouldst thy treasurecasket«
»My daughter Rebecca so please your Grace« answered Isaac with a low
congee nothing embarrassed by the Princes salutation in which however there
was at least as much mockery as courtesy
»The wiser man thou« said John with a peal of laughter in which his gay
followers obsequiously joined »But daughter or wife she should be preferred
according to her beauty and thy merits Who sits above there« he continued
bending his eye on the gallery »Saxon churls lolling at their lazy length
out upon them let them sit close and make room for my prince of usurers and
his lovely daughter Ill make the hinds know they must share the high places of
the synagogue with those whom the synagogue properly belongs to«
Those who occupied the gallery to whom this injurious and unpolite speech
was addressed were the family of Cedric the Saxon with that of his ally and
kinsman Athelstane of Coningsburgh a personage who on account of his descent
from the last Saxon monarchs of England was held in the highest respect by all
the Saxon natives of the north of England But with the blood of this ancient
royal race many of their infirmities had descended to Athelstane He was comely
in countenance bulky and strong in person and in the flower of his age yet
inanimate in expression dulleyed heavybrowed inactive and sluggish in all
his motions and so slow in resolution that the soubriquet of one of his
ancestors was conferred upon him and he was very generally called Athelstane
the Unready His friends and he had many who as well as Cedric were
passionately attached to him contended that this sluggish temper arose not from
want of courage but from mere want of decision others alleged that his
hereditary vice of drunkenness had obscured his faculties never of a very acute
order and that the passive courage and meek goodnature which remained behind
were merely the dregs of a character that might have been deserving of praise
but of which all the valuable parts had flown off in the progress of a long
course of brutal debauchery
It was to this person such as we have described him that the Prince
addressed his imperious command to make place for Isaac and Rebecca Athelstane
utterly confounded at an order which the manners and feelings of the times
rendered so injuriously insulting unwilling to obey yet undetermined how to
resist opposed only the vis inertiæ to the will of John and without stirring
or making any motion whatever of obedience opened his large grey eyes and
stared at the Prince with an astonishment which had in it something extremely
ludicrous But the impatient John regarded it in no such light
»The Saxon porker« he said »is either asleep or minds me not Prick him
with your lance De Bracy« speaking to a knight who rode near him the leader
of a band of Free Companions or Condottieri that is of mercenaries belonging
to no particular nation but attached for the time to any prince by whom they
are paid There was a murmur even among the attendants of Prince John but De
Bracy whose profession freed him from all scruples extended his long lance
over the space which separated the gallery from the lists and would have
executed the commands of the Prince before Athelstane the Unready had recovered
presence of mind sufficient even to draw back his person from the weapon had
not Cedric as prompt as his companion was tardy unsheathed with the speed of
lightning the short sword which he wore and at a single blow severed the point
of the lance from the handle The blood rushed into the countenance of Prince
John He swore one of his deepest oaths and was about to utter some threat
corresponding in violence when he was diverted from his purpose partly by his
own attendants who gathered around him conjuring him to be patient partly by a
general exclamation of the crowd uttered in loud applause of the spirited
conduct of Cedric The Prince rolled his eyes in indignation as if to collect
some safe and easy victim and chancing to encounter the firm glance of the same
archer whom we have already noticed and who seemed to persist in his gesture of
applause in spite of the frowning aspect which the Prince bent upon him he
demanded his reason for clamouring thus
»I always add my hollo« said the yeoman »when I see a good shot or a
gallant blow«
»Sayest thou« answered the Prince »then thou canst hit the white thyself
Ill warrant«
»A woodsmans mark and at woodsmans distance I can hit« answered the
yeoman
»And Wat Tyrrels mark at a hundred yards« said a voice from behind but by
whom uttered could not be discerned
This allusion to the fate of William Rufus his relative at once incensed
and alarmed Prince John He satisfied himself however with commanding the
menatarms who surrounded the lists to keep an eye on the braggart pointing
to the yeoman
»By St Grizzel« he added »we will try his own skill who is so ready to
give his voice to the feats of others«
»I shall not fly the trial« said the yeoman with the composure which
marked his whole deportment
»Meanwhile stand up ye Saxon churls« said the fiery Prince »for by the
light of Heaven since I have said it the Jew shall have his seat amongst ye«
»By no means an it please your Grace it is not fit for such as we to sit
with the rulers of the land« said the Jew whose ambition for precedence
though it had led him to dispute place with the extenuated and impoverished
descendant of the line of Montdidier by no means stimulated him to an intrusion
upon the privileges of the wealthy Saxons
»Up infidel dog when I command you« said Prince John »or I will have thy
swarthy hide stripped off and tanned for horsefurniture«
Thus urged the Jew began to ascend the steep and narrow steps which led to
the gallery
»Let me see« said the Prince »who dare stop him« fixing his eye on
Cedric whose attitude intimated his intention to hurl the Jew down headlong
The catastrophe was prevented by the clown Wamba who springing betwixt his
master and Isaac and exclaiming in answer to the Princes defiance »Marry
that will I« opposed to the beard of the Jew a shield of brawn which he
plucked from beneath his cloak and with which doubtless he had furnished
himself lest the tournament should have proved longer than his appetite could
endure abstinence Finding the abomination of his tribe opposed to his very
nose while the Jester at the same time flourished his wooden sword above his
head the Jew recoiled missed his footing and rolled down the steps an
excellent jest to the spectators who set up a loud laughter in which Prince
John and his attendants heartily joined
»Deal me the prize cousin Prince« said Wamba »I have vanquished my foe in
fair fight with sword and shield« he added brandishing the brawn in one hand
and the wooden sword in the other
»Who and what art thou noble champion« said Prince John still laughing
»A fool by right of descent« answered the Jester »I am Wamba the son of
Witless who was the son of Weatherbrain who was the son of an alderman«
»Make room for the Jew in front of the lower ring« said Prince John not
unwilling perhaps to seize an apology to desist from his original purpose »to
place the vanquished beside the victor were false heraldry«
»Knave upon fool were worse« answered the Jester »and Jew upon bacon worst
of all«
»Gramercy good fellow« cried Prince John »thou pleasest me Here Isaac
lend me a handful of byzants«
As the Jew stunned by the request afraid to refuse and unwilling to
comply fumbled in the furred bag which hung by his girdle and was perhaps
endeavouring to ascertain how few coins might pass for a handful the Prince
stooped from his jennet and settled Isaacs doubts by snatching the pouch itself
from his side and flinging to Wamba a couple of the gold pieces which it
contained he pursued his career round the lists leaving the Jew to the
derision of those around him and himself receiving as much applause from the
spectators as if he had done some honest and honourable action
Chapter Eighth
At this the challenger with fierce defy
His trumpet sounds the challenged makes reply
With clangour rings the field resounds the vaulted sky
Their visors closed their lances in the rest
Or at the helmet pointed or the crest
They vanish from the barrier speed the race
And spurring see decrease the middle space
Palamon and Arcite
In the midst of Prince Johns cavalcade he suddenly stopped and appealing to
the Prior of Jorvaulx declared the principal business of the day had been
forgotten
»By my halidom« said he »we have forgotten Sir Prior to name the fair
Sovereign of Love and of Beauty by whose white hand the palm is to be
distributed For my part I am liberal in my ideas, and I care not if I give my
vote for the blackeyed Rebecca«
»Holy Virgin« answered the Prior turning up his eyes in horror »a Jewess
We should deserve to be stoned out of the lists and I am not yet old enough
to be a martyr Besides I swear by my patron saint that she is far inferior to
the lovely Saxon Rowena«
»Saxon or Jew« answered the Prince »Saxon or Jew dog or hog what matters
it I say name Rebecca were it only to mortify the Saxon churls«
A murmur arose even among his own immediate attendants
»This passes a jest my lord« said De Bracy »no knight here will lay lance
in rest if such an insult is attempted«
»It is the mere wantonness of insult« said one of the oldest and most
important of Prince Johns followers Waldemar Fitzurse »and if your Grace
attempts it cannot but prove ruinous to your projects«
»I entertained you sir« said John reining up his palfrey haughtily »for
my follower but not for my counsellor«
»Those who follow your Grace in the paths which you tread« said Waldemar
but speaking in a low voice »acquire the right of counsellors for your
interest and safety are not more deeply engaged than their own«
From the tone in which this was spoken John saw the necessity of
acquiescence »I did but jest« he said »and you turn upon me like so many
adders Name whom you will in the fiends name and please yourselves«
»Nay nay« said De Bracy »let the fair sovereigns throne remain
unoccupied until the conqueror shall be named and then let him choose the lady
by whom it shall be filled It will add another grace to his triumph and teach
fair ladies to prize the love of valiant knights who can exalt them to such
distinction«
»If Brian de BoisGuilbert gain the prize« said the Prior »I will gage my
rosary that I name the Sovereign of Love and Beauty«
»BoisGuilbert« answered De Bracy »is a good lance but there are others
around these lists Sir Prior who will not fear to encounter him«
»Silence sirs« said Waldemar »and let the Prince assume his seat The
knights and spectators are alike impatient the time advances and highly fit it
is that the sports should commence«
Prince John though not yet a monarch had in Waldemar Fitzurse all the
inconveniences of a favourite minister who in serving his sovereign must
always do so in his own way The Prince acquiesced however although his
disposition was precisely of that kind which is apt to be obstinate upon
trifles and assuming his throne and being surrounded by his followers gave
signal to the heralds to proclaim the laws of the tournament which were briefly
as follows
First the five challengers were to undertake all comers
Secondly any knight proposing to combat might if he pleased select a
special antagonist from among the challengers by touching his shield If he did
so with the reverse of his lance the trial of skill was made with what were
called the arms of courtesy that is with lances at whose extremity a piece of
round flat board was fixed so that no danger was encountered save from the
shock of the horses and riders But if the shield was touched with the sharp end
of the lance the combat was understood to be at outrance that is the knights
were to fight with sharp weapons as in actual battle
Thirdly when the knights present had accomplished their vow by each of
them breaking five lances the Prince was to declare the victor in the first
days tourney who should receive as prize a warhorse of exquisite beauty and
matchless strength and in addition to this reward of valour it was now
declared he should have the peculiar honour of naming the Queen of Love and
Beauty by whom the prize should be given on the ensuing day
Fourthly it was announced that on the second day there should be a
general tournament in which all the knights present who were desirous to win
praise might take part and being divided into two bands of equal numbers
might fight it out manfully until the signal was given by Prince John to cease
the combat The elected Queen of Love and Beauty was then to crown the knight
whom the Prince should adjudge to have borne himself best in this second day
with a coronet composed of thin gold plate cut into the shape of a laurel
crown On this second day the knightly games ceased But on that which was to
follow feats of archery of bullbaiting and other popular amusements were to
be practised for the more immediate amusement of the populace In this manner
did Prince John endeavour to lay the foundation of a popularity which he was
perpetually throwing down by some inconsiderate act of wanton aggression upon
the feelings and prejudices of the people
The lists now presented a most splendid spectacle The sloping galleries
were crowded with all that was noble great wealthy and beautiful in the
northern and midland parts of England and the contrast of the various dresses
of these dignified spectators rendered the view as gay as it was rich while
the interior and lower space filled with the substantial burgesses and yeomen
of merry England formed in their more plain attire a dark fringe or border
around this circle of brilliant embroidery relieving and at the same time
setting off its splendour
The heralds finished their proclamation with their usual cry of »Largesse
largesse gallant knights« and gold and silver pieces were showered on them
from the galleries it being a high point of chivalry to exhibit liberality
towards those whom the age accounted at once the secretaries and the historians
of honour The bounty of the spectators was acknowledged by the customary shouts
of »Love of Ladies Death of Champions Honour to the Generous Glory to the
Brave« To which the more humble spectators added their acclamations and a
numerous band of trumpeters the flourish of their martial instruments When
these sounds had ceased the heralds withdrew from the lists in gay and
glittering procession and none remained within them save the marshals of the
field who armed capapie sat on horseback motionless as statues at the
opposite ends of the lists Meantime the enclosed space at the northern
extremity of the lists large as it was was now completely crowded with knights
desirous to prove their skill against the challengers and when viewed from the
galleries presented the appearance of a sea of waving plumage intermixed with
glistening helmets and tall lances to the extremities of which were in many
cases attached small pennons of about a spans breadth which fluttering in
the air as the breeze caught them joined with the restless motion of the
feathers to add liveliness to the scene
At length the barriers were opened and five knights chosen by lot
advanced slowly into the area a single champion riding in front and the other
four following in pairs All were splendidly armed and my Saxon authority in
the Wardour Manuscript records at great length their devices their colours
and the embroidery of their horse trappings It is unnecessary to be particular
on these subjects To borrow lines from a contemporary poet who has written but
too little
The knights are dust
And their good swords are rust
Their souls are with the saints we trust17
Their escutcheons have long mouldered from the walls of their castles Their
castles themselves are but green mounds and shattered ruins the place that
once knew them knows them no more nay many a race since theirs has died out
and been forgotten in the very land which they occupied with all the authority
of feudal proprietors and feudal lords What then would it avail the reader to
know their names or the evanescent symbols of their martial rank
Now however no whit anticipating the oblivion which awaited their names
and feats the champions advanced through the lists restraining their fiery
steeds and compelling them to move slowly while at the same time they
exhibited their paces together with the grace and dexterity of the riders As
the procession entered the lists the sound of a wild Barbaric music was heard
from behind the tents of the challengers where the performers were concealed
It was of Eastern origin having been brought from the Holy Land and the
mixture of the cymbals and bells seemed to bid welcome at once and defiance to
the knights as they advanced With the eyes of an immense concourse of
spectators fixed upon them the five knights advanced up the platform upon which
the tents of the challengers stood and there separating themselves each
touched slightly and with the reverse of his lance the shield of the
antagonist to whom he wished to oppose himself The lower orders of spectators
in general nay many of the higher class and it is even said several of the
ladies were rather disappointed at the champions choosing the arms of courtesy
For the same sort of persons who in the present day applaud most highly the
deepest tragedies were then interested in a tournament exactly in proportion to
the danger incurred by the champions engaged
Having intimated their more pacific purpose the champions retreated to the
extremity of the lists where they remained drawn up in a line while the
challengers sallying each from his pavilion mounted their horses and headed
by Brian de BoisGuilbert descended from the platform and opposed themselves
individually to the knights who had touched their respective shields
At the flourish of clarions and trumpets they started out against each
other at full gallop and such was the superior dexterity or good fortune of the
challengers that those opposed to BoisGuilbert Malvoisin and FrontdeBoeuf
rolled on the ground The antagonist of Grantmesnil instead of bearing his
lancepoint fair against the crest or the shield of his enemy swerved so much
from the direct line as to break the weapon athwart the person of his opponent
a circumstance which was accounted more disgraceful than that of being actually
unhorsed because the latter might happen from accident whereas the former
evinced awkwardness and want of management of the weapon and of the horse The
fifth knight alone maintained the honour of his party and parted fairly with
the Knight of St John both splintering their lances without advantage on
either side
The shouts of the multitude together with the acclamations of the heralds
and the clangour of the trumpets announced the triumph of the victors and the
defeat of the vanquished The former retreated to their pavilions and the
latter gathering themselves up as they could withdrew from the lists in
disgrace and dejection to agree with their victors concerning the redemption of
their arms and their horses which according to the laws of the tournament
they had forfeited The fifth of their number alone tarried in the lists long
enough to be greeted by the applauses of the spectators amongst whom he
retreated to the aggravation doubtless of his companions mortification
A second and a third party of knights took the field and although they had
various success yet upon the whole the advantage decidedly remained with the
challengers not one of whom lost his seat or swerved from his charge
misfortunes which befell one or two of their antagonists in each encounter The
spirits therefore of those opposed to them seemed to be considerably damped
by their continued success Three knights only appeared on the fourth entry
who avoiding the shields of BoisGuilbert and FrontdeBoeuf contented
themselves with touching those of the three other knights who had not
altogether manifested the same strength and dexterity This politic selection
did not alter the fortune of the field the challengers were still successful
one of their antagonists was overthrown and both the others failed in the
attaint18 that is in striking the helmet and shield of their antagonist firmly
and strongly with the lance held in a direct line so that the weapon might
break unless the champion was overthrown
After this fourth encounter there was a considerable pause nor did it
appear that any one was very desirous of renewing the contest The spectators
murmured among themselves for among the challengers Malvoisin and
FrontdeBoeuf were unpopular from their characters and the others except
Grantmesnil were disliked as strangers and foreigners But none shared the
general feeling of dissatisfaction so keenly as Cedric the Saxon who saw in
each advantage gained by the Norman challengers a repeated triumph over the
honour of England His own education had taught him no skill in the games of
chivalry although with the arms of his Saxon ancestors he had manifested
himself on many occasions a brave and determined soldier He looked anxiously
to Athelstane who had learned the accomplishments of the age as if desiring
that he should make some personal effort to recover the victory which was
passing into the hands of the Templar and his associates But though both stout
of heart and strong of person Athelstane had a disposition too inert and
unambitious to make the exertions which Cedric seemed to expect from him
»The day is against England my lord« said Cedric in a marked tone »are
you not tempted to take the lance«
»I shalt tilt tomorrow« answered Athelstane »in the mêlée it is not
worth while for me to arm myself today«
Two things displeased Cedric in this speech It contained the Norman word
mêlée to express the general conflict and it evinced some indifference to the
honour of the country but it was spoken by Athelstane whom he held in such
profound respect that he would not trust himself to canvass his motives or his
foibles Moreover he had no time to make any remark for Wamba thrust in his
word observing »It was better though scarce easier to be the best man among
a hundred than the best man of two«
Athelstane took the observation as a serious compliment but Cedric who
better understood the Jesters meaning darted at him a severe and menacing
look and lucky it was for Wamba perhaps that the time and place prevented his
receiving notwithstanding his place and service more sensible marks of his
masters resentment
The pause in the tournament was still uninterrupted excepting by the voices
of the heralds exclaiming »Love of ladies splintering of lances stand forth
gallant knights fair eyes look upon your deeds«
The music also of the challengers breathed from time to time wild bursts
expressive of triumph or defiance while the clowns grudged a holiday which
seemed to pass away in inactivity and old knights and nobles lamented in
whispers the decay of martial spirit spoke of the triumphs of their younger
days but agreed that the land did not now supply dames of such transcendent
beauty as had animated the jousts of former times Prince John began to talk to
his attendants about making ready the banquet and the necessity of adjudging
the prize to Brian de BoisGuilbert who had with a single spear overthrown
two knights and foiled a third
At length as the Saracenic music of the challengers concluded one of those
long and high flourishes with which they had broken the silence of the lists it
was answered by a solitary trumpet which breathed a note of defiance from the
northern extremity All eyes were turned to see the new champion which these
sounds announced and no sooner were the barriers opened than he paced into the
lists As far as could be judged of a man sheathed in armour the new adventurer
did not greatly exceed the middle size and seemed to be rather slender than
strongly made His suit of armour was formed of steel richly inlaid with gold
and the device on his shield was a young oaktree pulled up by the roots with
the Spanish word Desdichado signifying Disinherited He was mounted on a
gallant black horse and as he passed through the lists he gracefully saluted
the Prince and the ladies by lowering his lance The dexterity with which he
managed his steed and something of youthful grace which he displayed in his
manner won him the favour of the multitude which some of the lower classes
expressed by calling out »Touch Ralph de Viponts shield touch the
Hospitallers shield he has the least sure seat he is your cheapest bargain«
The champion moving onward amid these wellmeant hints ascended the
platform by the sloping alley which led to it from the lists and to the
astonishment of all present riding straight up to the central pavilion struck
with the sharp end of his spear the shield of Brian de BoisGuilbert until it
rung again All stood astonished at his presumption but none more than the
redoubted Knight whom he had thus defied to mortal combat and who little
expecting so rude a challenge was standing carelessly at the door of the
pavilion
»Have you confessed yourself brother« said the Templar »and have you
heard mass this morning that you peril your life so frankly«
»I am fitter to meet death than thou art« answered the Disinherited Knight
for by this name the stranger had recorded himself in the books of the tourney
»Then take your place in the lists« said BoisGuilbert »and look your last
upon the sun for this night thou shalt sleep in paradise«
»Gramercy for thy courtesy« replied the Disinherited Knight »and to
requite it I advise thee to take a fresh horse and a new lance for by my
honour you will need both«
Having expressed himself thus confidently he reined his horse backward down
the slope which he had ascended and compelled him in the same manner to move
backward through the lists till he reached the northern extremity where he
remained stationary in expectation of his antagonist This feat of horsemanship
again attracted the applause of the multitude
However incensed at his adversary for the precautions which he recommended
Brian de BoisGuilbert did not neglect his advice for his honour was too nearly
concerned to permit his neglecting any means which might ensure victory over
his presumptuous opponent He changed his horse for a proved and fresh one of
great strength and spirit He chose a new and a tough spear lest the wood of
the former might have been strained in the previous encounters he had sustained
Lastly he laid aside his shield which had received some little damage and
received another from his squires His first had only borne the general device
of his rider representing two knights riding upon one horse an emblem
expressive of the original humility and poverty of the Templars qualities which
they had since exchanged for the arrogance and wealth that finally occasioned
their suppression BoisGuilberts new shield bore a raven in full flight
holding in its claws a skull and bearing the motto Gare le Corbeau
When the two champions stood opposed to each other at the two extremities of
the lists the public expectation was strained to the highest pitch Few augured
the possibility that the encounter could terminate well for the Disinherited
Knight yet his courage and gallantry secured the general good wishes of the
spectators
The trumpets had no sooner given the signal than the champions vanished
from their posts with the speed of lightning and closed in the centre of the
lists with the shock of a thunderbolt The lances burst into shivers up to the
very grasp and it seemed at the moment that both knights had fallen for the
shock had made each horse recoil backwards upon its haunches The address of the
riders recovered their steeds by use of the bridle and spur and having glared
on each other for an instant with eyes which seemed to flash fire through the
bars of their visors each made a demivolte and retiring to the extremity of
the lists received a fresh lance from the attendants
A loud shout from the spectators waving of scarfs and handkerchiefs and
general acclamations attested the interest taken by the spectators in this
encounter the most equal as well as the best performed which had graced the
day But no sooner had the knights resumed their station than the clamour of
applause was hushed into a silence so deep and so dead that it seemed the
multitude were afraid even to breathe
A few minutes pause having been allowed that the combatants and their
horses might recover breath Prince John with his truncheon signed to the
trumpets to sound the onset The champions a second time sprung from their
stations and closed in the centre of the lists with the same speed the same
dexterity the same violence but not the same equal fortune as before
In this second encounter the Templar aimed at the centre of his
antagonists shield and struck it so fair and forcibly that his spear went to
shivers and the Disinherited Knight reeled in his saddle On the other hand
that champion had in the beginning of his career directed the point of his
lance towards BoisGuilberts shield but changing his aim almost in the moment
of encounter he addressed it to the helmet a mark more difficult to hit but
which if attained rendered the shock more irresistible Fair and true he hit
the Norman on the visor where his lances point kept hold of the bars Yet
even at this disadvantage the Templar sustained his high reputation and had
not the girths of his saddle burst he might not have been unhorsed As it
chanced however saddle horse and man rolled on the ground under a cloud of
dust
To extricate himself from the stirrups and fallen steed was to the Templar
scarce the work of a moment and stung with madness both at his disgrace and
at the acclamations with which it was hailed by the spectators he drew his
sword and waved it in defiance of his conqueror The Disinherited Knight sprung
from his steed and also unsheathed his sword The marshals of the field
however spurred their horses between them and reminded them that the laws of
the tournament did not on the present occasion permit this species of
encounter
»We shall meet again I trust« said the Templar casting a resentful glance
at his antagonist »and where there are none to separate us«
»If we do not« said the Disinherited Knight »the fault shall not be mine
On foot or horseback with spear with axe or with sword I am alike ready to
encounter thee«
More and angrier words would have been exchanged but the marshals crossing
their lances betwixt them compelled them to separate The Disinherited Knight
returned to his first station and BoisGuilbert to his tent where he remained
for the rest of the day in an agony of despair
Without alighting from his horse the conqueror called for a bowl of wine
and opening the beaver or lower part of his helmet announced that he quaffed
it »To all true English hearts and to the confusion of foreign tyrants« He
then commanded his trumpet to sound a defiance to the challengers and desired a
herald to announce to them that he should make no election but was willing to
encounter them in the order in which they pleased to advance against him
The gigantic FrontdeBoeuf armed in sable armour was the first who took
the field He bore on a white shield a black bulls head half defaced by the
numerous encounters which he had undergone and bearing the arrogant motto
Cave adsum Over this champion the Disinherited Knight obtained a slight but
decisive advantage Both Knights broke their lances fairly but FrontdeBoeuf
who lost a stirrup in the encounter was adjudged to have the disadvantage
In the strangers third encounter with Sir Philip Malvoisin he was equally
successful striking that baron so forcibly on the casque that the laces of the
helmet broke and Malvoisin only saved from falling by being unhelmeted was
declared vanquished like his companions
In his fourth combat with De Grantmesnil the Disinherited Knight showed as
much courtesy as he had hitherto evinced courage and dexterity De Grantmesnils
horse which was young and violent reared and plunged in the course of the
career so as to disturb the riders aim and the stranger declining to take the
advantage which this accident afforded him raised his lance and passing his
antagonist without touching him wheeled his horse and rode back again to his
own end of the lists offering his antagonist by a herald the chance of a
second encounter This De Grantmesnil declined avowing himself vanquished as
much by the courtesy as by the address of his opponent
Ralph de Vipont summed up the list of the strangers triumphs being hurled
to the ground with such force that the blood gushed from his nose and his
mouth and he was borne senseless from the lists
The acclamations of thousands applauded the unanimous award of the Prince
and marshals announcing that days honours to the Disinherited Knight
Chapter Ninth
In the midst was seen
A lady of a more majestic mien
By stature and by beauty markd their sovereign Queen
And as in beauty she surpassd the choir
So nobler than the rest was her attire
A crown of ruddy gold enclosed her brow
Plain without pomp and rich without a show
A branch of Agnus Castus in her hand
She bore aloft her symbol of command
The Flower and the Leaf
William de Wyvil and Stephen de Martival the marshals of the field were the
first to offer their congratulations to the victor praying him at the same
time to suffer his helmet to be unlaced or at least that he would raise his
visor ere they conducted him to receive the prize of the days tourney from the
hands of Prince John The Disinherited Knight with all knightly courtesy
declined their request alleging that he could not at this time suffer his face
to be seen for reasons which he had assigned to the heralds when he entered the
lists The marshals were perfectly satisfied by this reply for amidst the
frequent and capricious vows by which knights were accustomed to bind themselves
in the days of chivalry there were none more common than those by which they
engaged to remain incognito for a certain space, or until some particular
adventure was achieved The marshals therefore pressed no farther into the
mystery of the Disinherited Knight but announcing to Prince John the
conquerors desire to remain unknown they requested permission to bring him
before his Grace in order that he might receive the reward of his valour
Johns curiosity was excited by the mystery observed by the stranger and
being already displeased with the issue of the tournament in which the
challengers whom he favoured had been successively defeated by one knight he
answered haughtily to the marshals »By the light of Our Ladys brow this same
knight hath been disinherited as well of his courtesy as of his lands since he
desires to appear before us without uncovering his face Wot ye my lords« he
said turning round to his train »who this gallant can be that bears himself
thus proudly«
»I cannot guess« answered De Bracy »nor did I think there had been within
the four seas that girth Britain a champion that could bear down these five
knights in one days jousting By my faith I shall never forget the force with
which he shocked De Vipont The poor Hospitaller was hurled from his saddle like
a stone from a sling«
»Boast not of that« said a Knight of St John who was present »your
Temple champion had no better luck I saw your brave lance BoisGuilbert roll
thrice over grasping his hands full of sand at every turn«
De Bracy being attached to the Templars would have replied but was
prevented by Prince John »Silence sirs« he said »what unprofitable debate
have we here«
»The victor« said De Wyvil »still waits the pleasure of your highness«
»It is our pleasure« answered John »that he do so wait until we learn
whether there is not some one who can at least guess at his name and quality
Should he remain there till nightfall he has had work enough to keep him warm«
»Your Grace« said Waldemar Fitzurse »will do less than due honour to the
victor if you compel him to wait till we tell your Highness that which we
cannot know at least I can form no guess unless he be one of the good lances
who accompanied King Richard to Palestine and who are now straggling homeward
from the Holy Land«
»It may be the Earl of Salisbury« said De Bracy »he is about the same
pitch«
»Sir Thomas de Multon the Knight of Gilsland rather« said Fitzurse
»Salisbury is bigger in the bones« A whisper arose among the train but by whom
first suggested could not be ascertained »It might be the King it might be
Richard CoeurdeLion himself«
»Over gods forbode« said Prince John involuntarily turning at the same
time as pale as death and shrinking as if blighted by a flash of lightning
»Waldemar De Bracy brave knights and gentlemen remember your promises and
stand truly by me«
»Here is no danger impending« said Waldemar Fitzurse »are you so little
acquainted with the gigantic limbs of your fathers son as to think they can be
held within the circumference of yonder suit of armour De Wyvil and Martival
you will best serve the Prince by bringing forward the victor to the throne and
ending an error that has conjured all the blood from his cheeks Look at him
more closely« he continued »your highness will see that he wants three inches
of King Richards height and twice as much of his shoulderbreadth The very
horse he backs could not have carried the ponderous weight of King Richard
through a single course«
While he was yet speaking the marshals brought forward the Disinherited
Knight to the foot of a wooden flight of steps which formed the ascent from the
lists to Prince Johns throne Still discomposed with the idea that his brother
so much injured and to whom he was so much indebted had suddenly arrived in
his native kingdom even the distinctions pointed out by Fitzurse did not
altogether remove the Princes apprehensions and while with a short and
embarrassed eulogy upon his valour he caused to be delivered to him the
warhorse assigned as the prize he trembled lest from the barred visor of the
mailed form before him an answer might be returned in the deep and awful
accents of Richard the Lionhearted
But the Disinherited Knight spoke not a word in reply to the compliment of
the Prince which he only acknowledged with a profound obeisance
The horse was led into the lists by two grooms richly dressed the animal
itself being fully accoutred with the richest warfurniture which however
scarcely added to the value of the noble creature in the eyes of those who were
judges Laying one hand upon the pommel of the saddle the Disinherited Knight
vaulted at once upon the back of the steed without making use of the stirrup
and brandishing aloft his lance rode twice around the lists exhibiting the
points and paces of the horse with the skill of a perfect horseman
The appearance of vanity which might otherwise have been attributed to this
display was removed by the propriety shown in exhibiting to the best advantage
the princely reward with which he had been just honoured and the Knight was
again greeted by the acclamations of all present
In the meanwhile the bustling Prior of Jorvaulx had reminded Prince John
in a whisper that the victor must now display his good judgment instead of his
valour by selecting from among the beauties who graced the galleries a lady
who should fill the throne of the Queen of Beauty and of Love and deliver the
prize of the tourney upon the ensuing day The Prince accordingly made a sign
with his truncheon as the Knight passed him in his second career around the
lists The Knight turned towards the throne and sinking his lance until the
point was within a foot of the ground remained motionless as if expecting
Johns commands while all admired the sudden dexterity with which he instantly
reduced his fiery steed from a state of violent emotion and high excitation to
the stillness of an equestrian statue
»Sir Disinherited Knight« said Prince John »since that is the only title
by which we can address you it is now your duty as well as privilege to name
the fair lady who as Queen of Honour and of Love is to preside over next
days festival If as a stranger in our land you should require the aid of
other judgment to guide your own we can only say that Alicia the daughter of
our gallant knight Waldemar Fitzurse has at our court been long held the first
in beauty as in place Nevertheless it is your undoubted prerogative to confer
on whom you please this crown by the delivery of which to the lady of your
choice the election of tomorrows Queen will be formal and complete Raise
your lance«
The Knight obeyed and Prince John placed upon its point a coronet of green
satin having around its edge a circlet of gold the upper edge of which was
relieved by arrowpoints and hearts placed interchangeably like the strawberry
leaves and balls upon a ducal crown
In the broad hint which he dropped respecting the daughter of Waldemar
Fitzurse John had more than one motive each the offspring of a mind which was
a strange mixture of carelessness and presumption with low artifice and cunning
He wished to banish from the minds of the chivalry around him his own indecent
and unacceptable jest respecting the Jewess Rebecca he was desirous of
conciliating Alicias father Waldemar of whom he stood in awe and who had more
than once shown himself dissatisfied during the course of the days proceedings
He had also a wish to establish himself in the good graces of the lady for John
was at least as licentious in his pleasures as profligate in his ambition But
besides all these reasons he was desirous to raise up against the Disinherited
Knight towards whom he already entertained a strong dislike a powerful enemy
in the person of Waldemar Fitzurse who was likely he thought highly to resent
the injury done to his daughter in case as was not unlikely the victor should
make another choice
And so indeed it proved For the Disinherited Knight passed the gallery
close to that of the Prince in which the Lady Alicia was seated in the full
pride of triumphant beauty and pacing forwards as slowly as he had hitherto
rode swiftly around the lists he seemed to exercise his right of examining the
numerous fair faces which adorned that splendid circle
It was worth while to see the different conduct of the beauties who
underwent this examination during the time it was proceeding Some blushed
some assumed an air of pride and dignity some looked straight forward and
essayed to seem utterly unconscious of what was going on some drew back in
alarm which was perhaps affected some endeavoured to forbear smiling and
there were two or three who laughed outright There were also some who dropped
their veils over their charms but as the Wardour Manuscript says these were
fair ones of ten years standing it may be supposed that having had their full
share of such vanities they were willing to withdraw their claim in order to
give a fair chance to the rising beauties of the age
At length the champion paused beneath the balcony in which the Lady Rowena
was placed and the expectation of the spectators was excited to the utmost
It must be owned that if an interest displayed in his success could have
bribed the Disinherited Knight the part of the lists before which he paused had
merited his predilection Cedric the Saxon overjoyed at the discomfiture of the
Templar and still more so at the miscarriage of his two malevolent neighbours
FrontdeBoeuf and Malvoisin had with his body half stretched over the
balcony accompanied the victor in each course not with his eyes only but with
his whole heart and soul The Lady Rowena had watched the progress of the day
with equal attention though without openly betraying the same intense interest
Even the unmoved Athelstane had shown symptoms of shaking off his apathy when
calling for a huge goblet of muscadine he quaffed it to the health of the
Disinherited Knight
Another group stationed under the gallery occupied by the Saxons had shown
no less interest in the fate of the day
»Father Abraham« said Isaac of York when the first course was run betwixt
the Templar and the Disinherited Knight »how fiercely that Gentile rides Ah
the good horse that was brought all the long way from Barbary he takes no more
care of him than if he were a wild asss colt and the noble armour that was
worth so many zecchins to Joseph Pareira the armourer of Milan besides seventy
in the hundred of profits he cares for it as little as if he had found it in
the highways«
»If he risks his own person and limbs father« said Rebecca »in doing such
a dreadful battle he can scarce be expected to spare his horse and armour«
»Child« replied Isaac somewhat heated »thou knowest not what thou
speakest His neck and limbs are his own but his horse and armour belong to
Holy Jacob what was I about to say Nevertheless it is a good youth See
Rebecca see he is again about to go up to battle against the Philistine
Pray child pray for the safety of the good youth and of the speedy horse
and the rich armour God of my fathers« he again exclaimed »he hath
conquered and the uncircumcised Philistine hath fallen before his lance even
as Og the King of Bashan and Sihon King of the Amorites fell before the
sword of our fathers Surely he shall take their gold and their silver and
their warhorses and their armour of brass and of steel for a prey and for a
spoil«
The same anxiety did the worthy Jew display during every course that was
run seldom failing to hazard a hasty calculation concerning the value of the
horse and armour which was forfeited to the champion upon each new success
There had been therefore no small interest taken in the success of the
Disinherited Knight by those who occupied the part of the lists before which he
now paused
Whether from indecision or some other motive of hesitation the champion of
the day remained stationary for more than a minute while the eyes of the silent
audience were rivetted upon his motions and then gradually and gracefully
sinking the point of his lance he deposited the coronet which it supported at
the feet of the fair Rowena The trumpets instantly sounded while the heralds
proclaimed the Lady Rowena the Queen of Beauty and of Love for the ensuing day
menacing with suitable penalties those who should be disobedient to her
authority They then repeated their cry of »Largesse« to which Cedric in the
height of his joy replied by an ample donative and to which Athelstane though
less promptly added one equally large
There was some murmuring among the damsels of Norman descent who were as
much unused to see the preference given to a Saxon beauty as the Norman nobles
were to sustain defeat in the games of chivalry which they themselves had
introduced But these sounds of disaffection were drowned by the popular shout
of »Long live the Lady Rowena the chosen and lawful Queen of Love and of
Beauty« To which many in the lower area added »Long live the Saxon Princess
long live the race of the immortal Alfred«
However unacceptable these sounds might be to Prince John and to those
around him he saw himself nevertheless obliged to confirm the nomination of the
victor and accordingly calling to horse he left his throne and mounting his
jennet accompanied by his train he again entered the lists The Prince paused
a moment beneath the gallery of the Lady Alicia to whom he paid his
compliments observing at the same time to those around him »By my halidome
sirs if the Knights feats in arms have shown that he hath limbs and sinews
his choice hath no less proved that his eyes are none of the clearest«
It was on this occasion as during his whole life Johns misfortune not
perfectly to understand the characters of those whom he wished to conciliate
Waldemar Fitzurse was rather offended than pleased at the Prince stating thus
broadly an opinion that his daughter had been slighted
»I know no right of chivalry« he said »more precious or inalienable than
that of each free knight to choose his ladylove by his own judgment My
daughter courts distinction from no one and in her own character and in her
own sphere will never fail to receive the full proportion of that which is her
due«
Prince John replied not but spurring his horse as if to give vent to his
vexation he made the animal bound forward to the gallery where Rowena was
seated with the crown still at her feet
»Assume« he said »fair lady the mark of your sovereignty to which none
bows homage more sincerely than ourself John of Anjoù and if it please you
today with your noble sire and friends to grace our banquet in the Castle of
Ashby we shall learn to know the empress to whose service we devote tomorrow«
Rowena remained silent and Cedric answered for her in his native Saxon
»The Lady Rowena« he said »possesses not the language in which to reply to
your courtesy or to sustain her part in your festival I also and the noble
Athelstane of Coningsburgh speak only the language and practise only the
manners of our fathers We therefore decline with thanks your Highnesss
courteous invitation to the banquet Tomorrow the Lady Rowena will take upon
her the state to which she has been called by the free election of the victor
Knight confirmed by the acclamations of the people«
So saying he lifted the coronet and placed it upon Rowenas head in token
of her acceptance of the temporary authority assigned to her
»What says he« said Prince John affecting not to understand the Saxon
language in which however he was well skilled The purport of Cedrics speech
was repeated to him in French »It is well« he said »tomorrow we will ourself
conduct this mute sovereign to her seat of dignity You at least Sir
Knight« he added turning to the victor who had remained near the gallery
»will this day share our banquet«
The Knight speaking for the first time in a low and hurried voice excused
himself by pleading fatigue and the necessity of preparing for tomorrows
encounter
»It is well« said Prince John haughtily »although unused to such
refusals we will endeavour to digest our banquet as we may though ungraced by
the most successful in arms and his elected Queen of Beauty«
So saying he prepared to leave the lists with his glittering train and his
turning his steed for that purpose was the signal for the breaking up and
dispersion of the spectators
Yet with the vindictive memory proper to offended pride especially when
combined with conscious want of desert John had hardly proceeded three paces
ere again turning around he fixed an eye of stern resentment upon the yeoman
who had displeased him in the early part of the day and issued his commands to
the menatarms who stood near »On your life suffer not that fellow to
escape«
The yeoman stood the angry glance of the Prince with the same unvaried
steadiness which had marked his former deportment saying with a smile »I have
no intention to leave Ashby until the day after tomorrow I must see how
Staffordshire and Leicestershire can draw their bows the forests of Needwood
and Charnwood must rear good archers«
»I« said Prince John to his attendants but not in direct reply »I will
see how he can draw his own and woe betide him unless his skill should prove
some apology for his insolence«
»It is full time« said De Bracy »that the outrecuidance19 of these
peasants should be restrained by some striking example«
Waldemar Fitzurse who probably thought his patron was not taking the
readiest road to popularity shrugged up his shoulders and was silent Prince
John resumed his retreat from the lists and the dispersion of the multitude
became general
In various routes according to the different quarters from which they came
and in groups of various numbers the spectators were seen retiring over the
plain By far the most numerous part streamed towards the town of Ashby where
many of the distinguished persons were lodged in the castle and where others
found accommodation in the town itself Among these were most of the knights who
had already appeared in the tournament or who proposed to fight there the
ensuing day and who as they rode slowly along talking over the events of the
day were greeted with loud shouts by the populace The same acclamations were
bestowed upon Prince John although he was indebted for them rather to the
splendour of his appearance and train than to the popularity of his character
A more sincere and more general, as well as a bettermerited acclamation
attended the victor of the day until anxious to withdraw himself from popular
notice he accepted the accommodation of one of those pavilions pitched at the
extremities of the lists the use of which was courteously tendered him by the
marshals of the field On his retiring to his tent many who had lingered in the
lists to look upon and form conjectures concerning him also dispersed
The signs and sounds of a tumultuous concourse of men lately crowded
together in one place and agitated by the same passing events were now
exchanged for the distant hum of voices of different groups retreating in all
directions and these speedily died away in silence No other sounds were heard
save the voices of the menials who stripped the galleries of their cushions and
tapestry in order to put them in safety for the night and wrangled among
themselves for the halfused bottles of wine and relics of the refreshment which
had been served round to the spectators
Beyond the precincts of the lists more than one forge was erected and these
now began to glimmer through the twilight announcing the toil of the armourers
which was to continue through the whole night in order to repair or alter the
suits of armour to be used again on the morrow
A strong guard of menatarms renewed at intervals from two hours to two
hours surrounded the lists and kept watch during the night
Chapter Tenth
Thus like the sad presaging raven that tolls
The sick mans passport in her hollow beak
And in the shadow of the silent night
Doth shake contagion from her sable wings
Vexd and tormented runs poor Barabbas
With fatal curses towards these Christians
Jew of Malta
The Disinherited Knight had no sooner reached his pavilion than squires and
pages in abundance tendered their services to disarm him to bring fresh attire
and to offer him the refreshment of the bath Their zeal on this occasion was
perhaps sharpened by curiosity since every one desired to know who the knight
was that had gained so many laurels yet had refused even at the command of
Prince John to lift his visor or to name his name But their officious
inquisitiveness was not gratified The Disinherited Knight refused all other
assistance save that of his own squire or rather yeoman a clownishlooking
man who wrapt in a cloak of darkcoloured felt and having his head and face
halfburied in a Norman bonnet made of black fur seemed to affect the incognito
as much as his master All others being excluded from the tent this attendant
relieved his master from the more burdensome parts of his armour and placed
food and wine before him which the exertions of the day rendered very
acceptable
The Knight had scarcely finished a hasty meal ere his menial announced to
him that five men each bearing a barbed steed desired to speak with him The
Disinherited Knight had exchanged his armour for the long robe usually worn by
those of his condition which being furnished with a hood concealed the
features when such was the pleasure of the wearer almost as completely as the
visor of the helmet itself; but the twilight which was now fast darkening
would of itself have rendered a disguise unnecessary unless to persons to whom
the face of an individual chanced to be particularly well known
The Disinherited Knight therefore stept boldly forth to the front of his
tent and found in attendance the squires of the challengers whom he easily
knew by their russet and black dresses each of whom led his masters charger
loaded with the armour in which he had that day fought
»According to the laws of chivalry« said the foremost of these men »I
Baldwin de Oyley squire to the redoubted Knight Brian de BoisGuilbert make
offer to you styling yourself for the present the Disinherited Knight of the
horse and armour used by the said Brian de BoisGuilbert in this days Passage
of Arms leaving it with your nobleness to retain or to ransom the same
according to your pleasure for such is the law of arms«
The other squires repeated nearly the same formula and then stood to await
the decision of the Disinherited Knight
»To you four sirs« replied the Knight addressing those who had last
spoken »and to your honourable and valiant masters I have one common reply
Commend me to the noble knights your masters and say I should do ill to
deprive them of steeds and arms which can never be used by braver cavaliers I
would I could here end my message to these gallant knights but being as I term
myself in truth and earnest the Disinherited I must be thus far bound to your
masters that they will of their courtesy be pleased to ransom their steeds
and armour since that which I wear I can hardly term mine own«
»We stand commissioned each of us« answered the squire of Reginald
FrontdeBoeuf »to offer a hundred zecchins in ransom of these horses and suits
of armour«
»It is sufficient« said the Disinherited Knight »Half the sum my present
necessities compel me to accept of the remaining half distribute one moiety
among yourselves sir squires and divide the other half betwixt the heralds and
the pursuivants and minstrels and attendants«
The squires with cap in hand and low reverences expressed their deep
sense of a courtesy and generosity not often practised at least upon a scale so
extensive The Disinherited Knight then addressed his discourse to Baldwin the
squire of Brian de BoisGuilbert »From your master« said he »I will accept
neither arms nor ransom Say to him in my name that our strife is not ended
no not till we have fought as well with swords as with lances as well on foot
as on horseback To this mortal quarrel he has himself defied me and I shall
not forget the challenge Meantime let him be assured that I hold him not as
one of his companions with whom I can with pleasure exchange courtesies but
rather as one with whom I stand upon terms of mortal defiance«
»My master« answered Baldwin »knows how to requite scorn with scorn and
blows with blows as well as courtesy with courtesy Since you disdain to accept
from him any share of the ransom at which you have rated the arms of the other
knights I must leave his armour and his horse here being well assured that he
will never deign to mount the one or wear the other«
»You have spoken well good squire« said the Disinherited Knight »well and
boldly as it beseemeth him to speak who answers for an absent master Leave
not however the horse and armour here Restore them to thy master or if he
scorns to accept them retain them good friend for thine own use So far as
they are mine I bestow them upon you freely«
Baldwin made a deep obeisance and retired with his companions and the
Disinherited Knight entered the pavilion
»Thus far Gurth« said he addressing his attendant »the reputation of
English chivalry hath not suffered in my hands«
»And I« said Gurth »for a Saxon swineherd have not ill played the
personage of a Norman squireatarms«
»Yea but« answered the Disinherited Knight »thou hast ever kept me in
anxiety lest thy clownish bearing should discover thee«
»Tush« said Gurth »I fear discovery from none saving my playfellow Wamba
the Jester of whom I could never discover whether he were most knave or fool
Yet I could scarce choose but laugh when my old master passed so near to me
dreaming all the while that Gurth was keeping his porkers many a mile off in
the thickets and swamps of Rotherwood If I am discovered«
»Enough« said the Disinherited Knight »thou knowest my promise«
»Nay for that matter« said Gurth »I will never fail my friend for fear of
my skincutting I have a tough hide that will bear knife or scourge as well as
any boars hide in my herd«
»Trust me I will requite the risk you run for my love Gurth« said the
Knight »Meanwhile I pray you to accept these ten pieces of gold«
»I am richer« said Gurth putting them into his pouch »than ever was
swineherd or bondsman«
»Take this bag of gold to Ashby« continued his master »and find out Isaac
the Jew of York and let him pay himself for the horse and arms with which his
credit supplied me«
»Nay by St Dunstan« replied Gurth »that I will not do«
»How knave« replied his master »wilt thou not obey my commands«
»So they be honest reasonable and Christian commands« replied Gurth »but
this is none of these To suffer the Jew to pay himself would be dishonest for
it would be cheating my master and unreasonable for it were the part of a
fool and unchristian since it would be plundering a believer to enrich an
infidel«
»See him contented however thou stubborn varlet« said the Disinherited
Knight
»I will do so« said Gurth taking the bag under his cloak and leaving the
apartment »and it will go hard« he muttered »but I content him with onehalf
of his own asking« So saying he departed and left the Disinherited Knight to
his own perplexed ruminations which upon more accounts than it is now possible
to communicate to the reader were of a nature peculiarly agitating and painful
We must now change the scene to the village of Ashby or rather to a country
house in its vicinity belonging to a wealthy Israelite with whom Isaac his
daughter and retinue had taken up their quarters the Jews it is well known
being as liberal in exercising the duties of hospitality and charity among their
own people as they were alleged to be reluctant and churlish in extending them
to those whom they termed Gentiles and whose treatment of them certainly
merited little hospitality at their hand
In an apartment small indeed but richly furnished with decorations of an
Oriental taste Rebecca was seated on a heap of embroidered cushions which
piled along a low platform that surrounded the chamber served like the estrada
of the Spaniards instead of chairs and stools She was watching the motions of
her father with a look of anxious and filial affection while he paced the
apartment with a dejected mien and disordered step sometimes clasping his hands
together sometimes casting his eyes to the roof of the apartment as one who
laboured under great mental tribulation »O Jacob« he exclaimed »O all ye
twelve Holy Fathers of our tribe what a losing venture is this for one who hath
duly kept every jot and tittle of the law of Moses Fifty zecchins wrenched
from me at one clutch and by the talons of a tyrant«
»But father« said Rebecca »you seemed to give the gold to Prince John
willingly«
»Willingly the blotch of Egypt upon him Willingly saidst thou Ay as
willingly as when in the Gulf of Lyons I flung over my merchandise to lighten
the ship while she laboured in the tempest robed the seething billows in my
choice silks perfumed their briny foam with myrrh and aloes enriched their
caverns with gold and silver work And was not that an hour of unutterable
misery though my own hands made the sacrifice«
»But it was a sacrifice which Heaven exacted to save our lives« answered
Rebecca »and the God of our fathers has since blessed your store and your
gettings«
»Ay« answered Isaac »but if the tyrant lays hold on them as he did today
and compels me to smile while he is robbing me O daughter disinherited and
wandering as we are the worst evil which befalls our race is that when we are
wronged and plundered all the world laughs around and we are compelled to
suppress our sense of injury and to smile tamely when we would revenge
bravely«
»Think not thus of it my father« said Rebecca »we also have advantages
These Gentiles cruel and oppressive as they are are in some sort dependent on
the dispersed children of Zion whom they despise and persecute Without the aid
of our wealth they could neither furnish forth their hosts in war nor their
triumphs in peace and the gold which we lend them returns with increase to our
coffers We are like the herb which flourisheth most when it is most trampled
on Even this days pageant had not proceeded without the consent of the
despised Jew who furnished the means«
»Daughter« said Isaac »thou hast harped upon another string of sorrow The
goodly steed and the rich armour equal to the full profit of my adventure with
our Kirjath Jairam of Leicester there is a dead loss too ay a loss which
swallows up the gains of a week ay of the space between two Sabbaths and yet
it may end better than I now think for tis a good youth«
»Assuredly« said Rebecca »you shall not repent you of requiting the good
deed received of the stranger knight«
»I trust so daughter« said Isaac »and I trust too in the rebuilding of
Zion but as well do I hope with my own bodily eyes to see the walls and
battlements of the new Temple as to see a Christian yea the very best of
Christians repay a debt to a Jew unless under the awe of the judge and
jailor«
So saying he resumed his discontented walk through the apartment and
Rebecca perceiving that her attempts at consolation only served to awaken new
subjects of complaint wisely desisted from her unavailing efforts a
prudential line of conduct and we recommend to all who set up for comforters
and advisers to follow it in the like circumstances
The evening was now becoming dark when a Jewish servant entered the
apartment and placed upon the table two silver lamps fed with perfumed oil
the richest wines and the most delicate refreshments were at the same time
displayed by another Israelitish domestic on a small ebony table inlaid with
silver for in the interior of their houses the Jews refused themselves no
expensive indulgences At the same time the servant informed Isaac that a
Nazarene so they termed Christians while conversing among themselves desired
to speak with him He that would live by traffic must hold himself at the
disposal of every one claiming business with him Isaac at once replaced on the
table the untasted glass of Greek wine which he had just raised to his lips and
saying hastily to his daughter »Rebecca veil thyself« commanded the stranger
to be admitted
Just as Rebecca had dropped over her fine features a screen of silver gauze
which reached to her feet the door opened and Gurth entered wrapt in the
ample folds of his Norman mantle His appearance was rather suspicious than
prepossessing especially as instead of doffing his bonnet he pulled it still
deeper over his rugged brow
»Art thou Isaac the Jew of York« said Gurth in Saxon
»I am« replied Isaac in the same language for his traffic had rendered
every tongue spoken in Britain familiar to him »and who art thou«
»That is not to the purpose« answered Gurth
»As much as my name is to thee« replied Isaac »for without knowing thine
how can I hold intercourse with thee«
»Easily« answered Gurth »I being to pay money must know that I deliver it
to the right person thou who art to receive it wilt not I think care very
greatly by whose hands it is delivered«
»O« said the Jew »you are come to pay moneys Holy Father Abraham that
altereth our relation to each other And from whom dost thou bring it«
»From the Disinherited Knight« said Gurth »victor in this days
tournament It is the price of the armour supplied to him by Kirjath Jairam of
Leicester on thy recommendation The steed is restored to thy stable I desire
to know the amount of the sum which I am to pay for the armour«
»I said he was a good youth« exclaimed Isaac with joyful exultation »A cup
of wine will do thee no harm« he added filling and handing to the swineherd a
richer draught than Gurth had ever before tasted »And how much money«
continued Isaac »hast thou brought with thee«
»Holy Virgin« said Gurth setting down the cup »what nectar these
unbelieving dogs drink while true Christians are fain to quaff ale as muddy and
thick as the draff we give to hogs What money have I brought with me«
continued the Saxon when he had finished this uncivil ejaculation »even but a
small sum something in hand the whilst What Isaac thou must bear a
conscience though it be a Jewish one«
»Nay but« said Isaac »thy master has won goodly steeds and rich armours
with the strength of his lance and of his right hand but tis a good youth
the Jew will take these in present payment and render him back the surplus«
»My master has disposed of them already« said Gurth
»Ah that was wrong« said the Jew »that was the part of a fool No
Christians here could buy so many horses and armour no Jew except myself would
give him half the values But thou hast a hundred zecchins with thee in that
bag« said Isaac prying under Gurths cloak »it is a heavy one«
»I have heads for crossbow bolts in it« said Gurth readily
»Well then« said Isaac panting and hesitating between habitual love of
gain and a newborn desire to be liberal in the present instance »if I should
say that I would take eighty zecchins for the good steed and rich armour which
leaves me not a guilders profit have you money to pay me«
»Barely« said Gurth though the sum demanded was more reasonable than he
expected »and it will leave my master nigh penniless Nevertheless if such be
your least offer I must be content«
»Fill thyself another goblet of wine« said the Jew »Ah eighty zecchins is
too little It leaveth no profit for the usages of the money and besides the
good horse may have suffered wrong in this days encounter O it was a hard and
dangerous meeting man and steed rushing on each other like wild bulls of
Bashan The horse cannot but have had wrong«
»And I say« replied Gurth »he is sound wind and limb and you may see him
now in your stable And I say over and above that seventy zecchins is enough
for the armour and I hope a Christians word is as good as a Jews If you will
not take seventy I will carry this bag« and he shook it till the contents
jingled »back to my master«
»Nay nay« said Isaac »lay down the talents the shekels the eighty
zecchins and thou shalt see I will consider thee liberally«
Gurth at length complied and telling out eighty zecchins upon the table
the Jew delivered out to him an acquittance for the horse and suit of armour
The Jews hand trembled for joy as he wrapped up the first seventy pieces of
gold The last ten he told over with much deliberation pausing and saying
something as he took each piece from the table and dropt it into his purse It
seemed as if his avarice were struggling with his better nature and compelling
him to pouch zecchin after zecchin while his generosity urged him to restore
some part at least to his benefactor or as a donation to his agent His whole
speech ran nearly thus
»Seventyone seventytwo thy master is a good youth seventythree an
excellent youth seventyfour that piece hath been clipt within the ring
seventyfive and that looketh light of weight seventysix when thy master
wants money let him come to Isaac of York seventyseven that is with
reasonable security« Here he made a considerable pause and Gurth had good hope
that the last three pieces might escape the fate of their comrades but the
enumeration proceeded »Seventyeight thou art a good fellow seventynine
and deservest something for thyself«
Here the Jew paused again and looked at the last zecchin intending
doubtless to bestow it upon Gurth He weighed it upon the tip of his finger
and made it ring by dropping it upon the table Had it rung too flat or had it
felt a hairs breadth too light generosity had carried the day but unhappily
for Gurth the chime was full and true the zecchin plump newly coined and a
grain above weight Isaac could not find in his heart to part with it so dropt
it into his purse as if in absence of mind with the words »Eighty completes
the tale and I trust thy master will reward thee handsomely Surely« he
added looking earnestly at the bag »thou hast more coins in that pouch«
Gurth grinned which was his nearest approach to a laugh as he replied
»About the same quantity which thou hast just told over so carefully« He then
folded the acquittance and put it under his cap adding »Peril of thy beard
Jew see that this be full and ample« He filled himself unbidden a third
goblet of wine and left the apartment without ceremony
»Rebecca« said the Jew »that Ishmaelite hath gone somewhat beyond me
Nevertheless his master is a good youth ay and I am well pleased that he hath
gained shekels of gold and shekels of silver even by the speed of his horse and
by the strength of his lance which like that of Goliath the Philistine might
vie with a weavers beam«
As he turned to receive Rebeccas answer he observed that during his
chaffering with Gurth she had left the apartment unperceived
In the meanwhile Gurth had descended the stair and having reached the dark
antechamber or hall was puzzling about to discover the entrance when a figure
in white shown by a small silver lamp which she held in her hand beckoned him
into a side apartment Gurth had some reluctance to obey the summons Rough and
impetuous as a wild boar where only earthly force was to be apprehended he had
all the characteristic terrors of a Saxon respecting fawns forestfiends white
women and the whole of the superstitions which his ancestors had brought with
them from the wilds of Germany He remembered moreover that he was in the
house of a Jew a people who besides the other unamiable qualities which
popular report ascribed to them were supposed to be profound necromancers and
cabalists Nevertheless after a moments pause he obeyed the beckoning summons
of the apparition and followed her into the apartment which she indicated
where he found to his joyful surprise that his fair guide was the beautiful
Jewess whom he had seen at the tournament and a short time in her fathers
apartment
She asked him the particulars of his transaction with Isaac which he
detailed accurately
»My father did but jest with thee good fellow« said Rebecca »he owes thy
master deeper kindness than these arms and steeds could pay were their value
tenfold What sum didst thou pay my father even now«
»Eighty zecchins« said Gurth surprised at the question
»In this purse« said Rebecca »thou wilt find a hundred Restore to thy
master that which is his due and enrich thyself with the remainder Haste
begone stay not to render thanks and beware how you pass through this crowded
town where thou mayst easily lose both thy burden and thy life Reuben« she
added clapping her hands together »light forth this stranger and fail not to
draw lock and bar behind him«
Reuben a darkbrowd and blackbearded Israelite obeyed her summons with
a torch in his hand undid the outward door of the house and conducted Gurth
across a paved court let him out through a wicket in the entrancegate which
he closed behind him with such bolts and chains as would well have become that
of a prison
»By St Dunstan« said Gurth as he stumbled up the dark avenue »this is no
Jewess but an angel from heaven Ten zecchins from my brave young master
twenty from this pearl of Zion Oh happy day Such another Gurth will
redeem thy bondage and make thee a brother as free of thy guild as the best
And then do I lay down my swineherds horn and staff and take the freemans
sword and buckler and follow my young master to the death without hiding
either my face or my name«
Chapter Eleventh
1st Outlaw Stand sir and throw us that you have about you
If not well make you sit and rifle you
Speed Sir we are undone these are the villains
That all the travellers do fear so much
Val My friends
1st Out Thats not so sir we are your enemies
2d Out Peace well hear him
3d Out Ay by my beard will we
For hes a proper man
Two Gentlemen of Verona
The nocturnal adventures of Gurth were not yet concluded indeed he himself
became partly of that mind when after passing one or two straggling houses
which stood in the outskirts of the village he found himself in a deep lane
running between two banks overgrown with hazel and holly while here and there a
dwarf oak flung its arms altogether across the path The lane was moreover much
rutted and broken up by the carriages which had recently transported articles of
various kinds to the tournament and it was dark for the banks and bushes
intercepted the light of the harvest moon
From the village were heard the distant sounds of revelry mixed
occasionally with loud laughter sometimes broken by screams and sometimes by
wild strains of distant music All these sounds intimating the disorderly state
of the town crowded with military nobles and their dissolute attendants gave
Gurth some uneasiness »The Jewess was right« he said to himself »By heaven
and St Dunstan I would I were safe at my journeys end with all this treasure
Here are such numbers I will not say of arrant thieves but of errant knights
and errant squires errant monks and errant minstrels errant jugglers and
errant jesters that a man with a single merk would be in danger much more a
poor swineherd with a whole bagful of zecchins Would I were out of the shade of
these infernal bushes that I might at least see any of St Nicholass clerks
before they spring on my shoulders«
Gurth accordingly hastened his pace in order to gain the open common to
which the lane led but was not so fortunate as to accomplish his object Just
as he had attained the upper end of the lane where the underwood was thickest
four men sprung upon him even as his fears anticipated two from each side of
the road and seized him so fast that resistance if at first practicable
would have been now too late »Surrender your charge« said one of them »we
are the deliverers of the commonwealth who ease every man of his burden«
»You should not ease me of mine so lightly« muttered Gurth whose surly
honesty could not be tamed even by the pressure of immediate violence »had I
it but in my power to give three strokes in its defence«
»We shall see that presently« said the robber and speaking to his
companions he added »bring along the knave I see he would have his head
broken as well as his purse cut and so be let blood in two veins at once«
Gurth was hurried along agreeably to this mandate and having been dragged
somewhat roughly over the bank on the lefthand side of the lane found himself
in a straggling thicket which lay betwixt it and the open common He was
compelled to follow his rough conductors into the very depth of this cover
where they stopped unexpectedly in an irregular open space free in a great
measure from trees and on which therefore the beams of the moon fell without
much interruption from boughs and leaves Here his captors were joined by two
other persons apparently belonging to the gang They had short swords by their
sides and quarterstaves in their hands and Gurth could now observe that all
six wore visors which rendered their occupation a matter of no question even
had their former proceedings left it in doubt
»What money hast thou churl« said one of the thieves
»Thirty zecchins of my own property« answered Gurth doggedly
»A forfeit a forfeit« shouted the robbers »a Saxon hath thirty zecchins
and returns sober from a village An undeniable and unredeemable forfeit of all
he hath about him«
»I hoarded it to purchase my freedom« said Gurth
»Thou art an ass« replied one of the thieves »three quarts of double ale
had rendered thee as free as thy master ay and freer too if he be a Saxon
like thyself«
»A sad truth« replied Gurth »but if these same thirty zecchins will buy my
freedom from you unloose my hands and I will pay them to you«
»Hold« said one who seemed to exercise some authority over the others
»this bag which thou bearest as I can feel through thy cloak contains more
coin than thou hast told us of«
»It is the good knight my masters« answered Gurth »of which assuredly I
would not have spoken a word had you been satisfied with working your will upon
mine own property«
»Thou art an honest fellow« replied the robber »I warrant thee and we
worship not St Nicholas so devoutly but what thy thirty zecchins may yet
escape if thou deal uprightly with us Meantime render up thy trust for the
time« So saying he took from Gurths breast the large leathern pouch in which
the purse given him by Rebecca was enclosed as well as the rest of the
zecchins and then continued his interrogation »Who is thy master«
»The Disinherited Knight« said Gurth
»Whose good lance« replied the robber »won the prize in todays tourney
What is his name and lineage«
»It is his pleasure« answered Gurth »that they be concealed and from me
assuredly you will learn nought of them«
»What is thine own name and lineage«
»To tell that« said Gurth »might reveal my masters«
»Thou art a saucy groom« said the robber »but of that anon How comes thy
master by this gold is it of his inheritance or by what means hath it accrued
to him«
»By his good lance« answered Gurth »These bags contain the ransom of
four good horses and four good suits of armour«
»How much is there« demanded the robber
»Two hundred zecchins«
»Only two hundred zecchins« said the bandit »your master hath dealt
liberally by the vanquished and put them to a cheap ransom Name those who paid
the gold«
Gurth did so
»The armour and horse of the Templar Brian de BoisGuilbert at what ransom
were they held Thou seest thou canst not deceive me«
»My master« replied Gurth »will take nought from the Templar save his
lifes blood They are on terms of mortal defiance and cannot hold courteous
intercourse together«
»Indeed« repeated the robber and paused after he had said the word »And
what wert thou now doing at Ashby with such a charge in thy custody«
»I went thither to render to Isaac the Jew of York« replied Gurth »the
price of a suit of armour with which he fitted my master for this tournament«
»And how much didst thou pay to Isaac Methinks to judge by weight there
is still two hundred zecchins in that pouch«
»I paid to Isaac« said the Saxon »eighty zecchins and he restored me a
hundred in lieu thereof«
»How what« exclaimed all the robbers at once »darest thou trifle with us
that thou tellest such improbable lies«
»What I tell you« said Gurth »is as true as the moon is in heaven You
will find the just sum in a silken purse within the leathern pouch and separate
from the rest of the gold«
»Bethink thee man« said the Captain »thou speakest of a Jew of an
Israelite as unapt to restore gold as the dry sand of his deserts to return
the cup of water which the pilgrim spills upon them«
»There is no more mercy in them« said another of the banditti »than in an
unbribed sheriffs officer«
»It is however as I say« said Gurth
»Strike a light instantly« said the Captain »I will examine this said
purse and if it be as this fellow says the Jews bounty is little less
miraculous than the stream which relieved his fathers in the wilderness«
A light was procured accordingly and the robber proceeded to examine the
purse The others crowded around him and even two who had hold of Gurth relaxed
their grasp while they stretched their necks to see the issue of the search
Availing himself of their negligence by a sudden exertion of strength and
activity Gurth shook himself free of their hold and might have escaped could
he have resolved to leave his masters property behind him But such was no part
of his intention He wrenched a quarterstaff from one of the fellows struck
down the Captain who was altogether unaware of his purpose and had wellnigh
repossessed himself of the pouch and treasure The thieves however were too
nimble for him and again secured both the bag and the trusty Gurth
»Knave« said the Captain getting up »thou hast broken my head and with
other men of our sort thou wouldst fare the worse for thy insolence But thou
shalt know thy fate instantly First let us speak of thy master the knights
matters must go before the squires according to the due order of chivalry
Stand thou fast in the meantime if thou stir again thou shalt have that will
make thee quiet for thy life Comrades« he then said addressing his gang
»this purse is embroidered with Hebrew characters and I well believe the
yeomans tale is true The errant knight his master must needs pass us
tollfree He is too like ourselves for us to make booty of him since dogs
should not worry dogs where wolves and foxes are to be found in abundance«
»Like us« answered one of the gang »I should like to hear how that is made
good«
»Why thou fool« answered the Captain »is he not poor and disinherited as
we are Doth he not win his substance at the swords point as we do Hath he
not beaten FrontdeBoeuf and Malvoisin even as we would beat them if we could
Is he not the enemy to life and death of Brian de BoisGuilbert whom we have so
much reason to fear And were all this otherwise wouldst thou have us show a
worse conscience than an unbeliever a Hebrew Jew«
»Nay that were a shame« muttered the other fellow »and yet when I served
in the band of stout old Gandelyn we had no such scruples of conscience And
this insolent peasant he too I warrant me is to be dismissed scatheless«
»Not if thou canst scathe him« replied the Captain »Here fellow«
continued he addressing Gurth »canst thou use the staff that thou starts to it
so readily«
»I think« said Gurth »thou shouldst be best able to reply to that
question«
»Nay by my troth thou gavest me a round knock« replied the Captain »do
as much for this fellow and thou shalt pass scotfree and if thou dost not
why by my faith as thou art such a sturdy knave I think I must pay thy ransom
myself Take thy staff Miller« he added »and keep thy head and do you
others let the fellow go and give him a staff there is light enough to lay on
load by«
The two champions being alike armed with quarterstaves stepped forward
into the centre of the open space in order to have the full benefit of the
moonlight the thieves in the meantime laughing and crying to their comrade
»Miller beware thy tolldish« The Miller on the other hand holding his
quarterstaff by the middle and making it flourish round his head after the
fashion which the French call faire le moulinet exclaimed boastfully »Come on
churl an thou darest thou shalt feel the strength of a millers thumb«
»If thou best a miller« answered Gurth undauntedly making his weapon
play around his head with equal dexterity »thou art doubly a thief and I as a
true man bid thee defiance«
So saying the two champions closed together and for a few minutes they
displayed great equality in strength courage and skill intercepting and
returning the blows of their adversary with the most rapid dexterity while
from the continued clatter of their weapons a person at a distance might have
supposed that there were at least six persons engaged on each side Less
obstinate and even less dangerous combats have been described in good heroic
verse but that of Gurth and the Miller must remain unsung for want of a sacred
poet to do justice to its eventful progress Yet though quarterstaff play be
out of date what we can in prose we will do for these bold champions
Long they fought equally until the Miller began to lose temper at finding
himself so stoutly opposed and at hearing the laughter of his companions who
as usual in such cases enjoyed his vexation This was not a state of mind
favourable to the noble game of quarterstaff in which as in ordinary
cudgelplaying the utmost coolness is requisite and it gave Gurth whose
temper was steady though surly the opportunity of acquiring a decided
advantage in availing himself of which he displayed great mastery
The Miller pressed furiously forward dealing blows with either end of his
weapon alternately and striving to come to halfstaff distance while Gurth
defended himself against the attack keeping his hands about a yard asunder and
covering himself by shifting his weapon with great celerity so as to protect
his head and body Thus did he maintain the defensive making his eye foot and
hand keep true time until observing his antagonist to lose wind he darted the
staff at his face with his left hand and as the Miller endeavoured to parry the
thrust he slid his right hand down to his left and with the full swing of the
weapon struck his opponent on the left side of the head who instantly measured
his length upon the greensward
»Well and yeomanly done« shouted the robbers »fair play and Old England
for ever The Saxon hath saved both his purse and his hide and the Miller has
met his match«
»Thou mayst go thy ways my friend« said the Captain addressing Gurth in
special confirmation of the general voice »and I will cause two of my comrades
to guide thee by the best way to thy masters pavilion and to guard thee from
nightwalkers that might have less tender consciences than ours for there is
many one of them upon the amble in such a night as this Take heed however« he
added sternly »remember thou hast refused to tell thy name ask not after
ours nor endeavour to discover who or what we are for if thou makest such an
attempt thou wilt come by worse fortune than has yet befallen thee«
Gurth thanked the Captain for his courtesy and promised to attend to his
recommendation Two of the outlaws taking up their quarterstaves and desiring
Gurth to follow close in the rear walked roundly forward along a bypath which
traversed the thicket and the broken ground adjacent to it On the very verge of
the thicket two men spoke to his conductors and receiving an answer in a
whisper withdrew into the wood and suffered them to pass unmolested This
circumstance induced Gurth to believe both that the gang was strong in numbers
and that they kept regular guards around their place of rendezvous
When they arrived on the open heath where Gurth might have had some trouble
in finding his road the thieves guided him straight forward to the top of a
little eminence whence he could see spread beneath him in the moonlight the
palisades of the lists the glimmering pavilions pitched at either end with the
pennons which adorned them fluttering in the moonbeam and from which could be
heard the hum of the song with which the sentinels were beguiling their
nightwatch
Here the thieves stopped
»We go with you no farther« said they »it were not safe that we should do
so Remember the warning you have received keep secret what has this night
befallen you and you will have no room to repent it neglect what is now told
you and the Tower of London shall not protect you against our revenge«
»Good night to you kind sirs« said Gurth »I shall remember your orders
and trust that there is no offence in wishing you a safer and an honester
trade«
Thus they parted the outlaws returning in the direction from whence they
had come and Gurth proceeding to the tent of his master to whom
notwithstanding the injunction he had received he communicated the whole
adventures of the evening
The Disinherited Knight was filled with astonishment no less at the
generosity of Rebecca by which however he resolved he would not profit than
that of the robbers to whose profession such a quality seemed totally foreign
His course of reflections upon these singular circumstances was however
interrupted by the necessity for taking repose which the fatigue of the
preceding day and the propriety of refreshing himself for the morrows
encounter rendered alike indispensable
The knight therefore stretched himself for repose upon a rich couch with
which the tent was provided and the faithful Gurth extending his hardy limbs
upon a bearskin which formed a sort of carpet to the pavilion laid himself
across the opening of the tent so that no one could enter without awakening
him
Chapter Twelfth
The heralds left their pricking up and down
Now ringen trumpets loud and clarion
There is no more to say but east and west
In go the speares sadly in the rest
In goth the sharp spur into the side
There see men who can just and who can ride
There shiver shaftes upon shieldes thick
He feeleth through the heartspone the prick
Up springen speares twenty feet in height
Out go the swordes to the silver bright
The helms they tohewn and toshred
Out burst the blood with stern streames red
Chaucer
Morning arose in unclouded splendour and ere the sun was much above the
horizon the idlest or the most eager of the spectators appeared on the common
moving to the lists as to a general centre in order to secure a favourable
situation for viewing the continuation of the expected games
The marshals and their attendants appeared next on the field together with
the heralds for the purpose of receiving the names of the knights who intended
to joust with the side which each chose to espouse This was a necessary
precaution in order to secure equality betwixt the two bodies who should be
opposed to each other
According to due formality the Disinherited Knight was to be considered as
leader of the one body while Brian de BoisGuilbert who had been rated as
having done secondbest in the preceding day was named first champion of the
other band Those who had concurred in the challenge adhered to his party of
course excepting only Ralph de Vipont whom his fall had rendered unfit so soon
to put on his armour There was no want of distinguished and noble candidates to
fill up the ranks on either side
In fact although the general tournament in which all knights fought at
once was more dangerous than single encounters they were nevertheless more
frequented and practised by the chivalry of the age Many knights who had not
sufficient confidence in their own skill to defy a single adversary of high
reputation were nevertheless desirous of displaying their valour in the
general combat where they might meet others with whom they were more upon an
equality On the present occasion about fifty knights were inscribed as
desirous of combating upon each side when the marshals declared that no more
could be admitted to the disappointment of several who were too late in
preferring their claim to be included
About the hour of ten oclock the whole plain was crowded with horsemen
horsewomen and foot hastening to the tournament and shortly after a grand
flourish of trumpets announced Prince John and his retinue attended by many of
those knights who meant to take share in the game as well as others who had no
such intention
About the same time arrived Cedric the Saxon with the Lady Rowena
unattended however by Athelstane This Saxon lord had arrayed his tall and
strong person in armour in order to take his place among the combatants and
considerably to the surprise of Cedric had chosen to enlist himself on the part
of the Knight Templar The Saxon indeed had remonstrated strongly with his
friend upon the injudicious choice he had made of his party but he had only
received that sort of answer usually given by those who are more obstinate in
following their own course than strong in justifying it
His best if not his only reason for adhering to the party of Brian de
BoisGuilbert Athelstane had the prudence to keep to himself Though his apathy
of disposition prevented his taking any means to recommend himself to the Lady
Rowena he was nevertheless by no means insensible to her charms and
considered his union with her as a matter already fixed beyond doubt by the
assent of Cedric and her other friends It had therefore been with smothered
displeasure that the proud though indolent Lord of Coningsburgh beheld the
victor of the preceding day select Rowena as the object of that honour which it
became his privilege to confer In order to punish him for a preference which
seemed to interfere with his own suit Athelstane confident of his strength
and to whom his flatterers at least ascribed great skill in arms had
determined not only to deprive the Disinherited Knight of his powerful succour
but if an opportunity should occur to make him feel the weight of his
battleaxe
De Bracy and other knights attached to Prince John in obedience to a hint
from him had joined the party of the challengers John being desirous to
secure if possible the victory to that side On the other hand many other
knights both English and Norman natives and strangers took part against the
challengers the more readily that the opposite band was to be led by so
distinguished a champion as the Disinherited Knight had approved himself
As soon as Prince John observed that the destined Queen of the day had
arrived upon the field assuming that air of courtesy which sat well upon him
when he was pleased to exhibit it he rode forward to meet her doffed his
bonnet and alighting from his horse assisted the Lady Rowena from her saddle
while his followers uncovered at the same time and one of the most
distinguished dismounted to hold her palfrey
»It is thus,« said Prince John »that we set the dutiful example of loyalty
to the Queen of Love and Beauty and are ourselves her guide to the throne which
she must this day occupy Ladies« he said »attend your Queen as you wish in
your turn to be distinguished by like honours«
So saying the Prince marshalled Rowena to the seat of honour opposite his
own while the fairest and most distinguished ladies present crowded after her
to obtain places as near as possible to their temporary sovereign
No sooner was Rowena seated than a burst of music halfdrowned by the
shouts of the multitude greeted her new dignity Meantime the sun shone fierce
and bright upon the polished arms of the knights of either side who crowded the
opposite extremities of the lists and held eager conference together concerning
the best mode of arranging their line of battle and supporting the conflict
The heralds then proclaimed silence until the laws of the tourney should be
rehearsed These were calculated in some degree to abate the dangers of the day
a precaution the more necessary as the conflict was to be maintained with sharp
swords and pointed lances
The champions were therefore prohibited to thrust with the sword and were
confined to striking A knight it was announced might use a mace or battleaxe
at pleasure but the dagger was a prohibited weapon A knight unhorsed might
renew the fight on foot with any other on the opposite side in the same
predicament but mounted horsemen were in that case forbidden to assail him
When any knight could force his antagonist to the extremity of the lists so as
to touch the palisade with his person or arms such opponent was obliged to
yield himself vanquished and his armour and horse were placed at the disposal
of the conqueror A knight thus overcome was not permitted to take farther share
in the combat If any combatant was struck down and unable to recover his feet
his squire or page might enter the lists and drag his master out of the press
but in that case the knight was adjudged vanquished and his arms and horse
declared forfeited The combat was to cease as soon as Prince John should throw
down his leading staff or truncheon another precaution usually taken to
prevent the unnecessary effusion of blood by the too long endurance of a sport
so desperate Any knight breaking the rules of the tournament or otherwise
transgressing the rules of honourable chivalry was liable to be stript of his
arms and having his shield reversed to be placed in that posture astride upon
the bars of the palisade and exposed to public derision in punishment of his
unknightly conduct Having announced these precautions the heralds concluded
with an exhortation to each good knight to do his duty and to merit favour from
the Queen of Beauty and of Love
This proclamation having been made the heralds withdrew to their stations
The knights entering at either end of the lists in long procession arranged
themselves in a double file precisely opposite to each other the leader of
each party being in the centre of the foremost rank a post which he did not
occupy until each had carefully arranged the ranks of his party and stationed
every one in his place
It was a goodly and at the same time an anxious sight to behold so many
gallant champions mounted bravely and armed richly stand ready prepared for
an encounter so formidable seated on their warsaddles like so many pillars of
iron and awaiting the signal of encounter with the same ardour as their
generous steeds which by neighing and pawing the ground gave signal of their
impatience
As yet the knights held their long lances upright their bright points
glancing to the sun and the streamers with which they were decorated fluttering
over the plumage of the helmets Thus they remained while the marshals of the
field surveyed their ranks with the utmost exactness lest either party had more
or fewer than the appointed number The tale was found exactly complete The
marshals then withdrew from the lists and William de Wyvil with a voice of
thunder pronounced the signal words Laissez aller The trumpets sounded as
he spoke the spears of the champions were at once lowered and placed in the
rests the spurs were dashed into the flanks of the horses and the two
foremost ranks of either party rushed upon each other in full gallop and met in
the middle of the lists with a shock the sound of which was heard at a miles
distance The rear rank of each party advanced at a slower pace to sustain the
defeated and follow up the success of the victors of their party
The consequences of the encounter were not instantly seen for the dust
raised by the trampling of so many steeds darkened the air and it was a minute
ere the anxious spectators could see the fate of the encounter When the fight
became visible half the knights on each side were dismounted some by the
dexterity of their adversarys lance some by the superior weight and strength
of opponents which had borne down both horse and man some lay stretched on
earth as if never more to rise some had already gained their feet and were
closing hand to hand with those of their antagonists who were in the same
predicament and several on both sides who had received wounds by which they
were disabled were stopping their blood with their scarfs and endeavouring to
extricate themselves from the tumult The mounted knights whose lances had been
almost all broken by the fury of the encounter were now closely engaged with
their swords shouting their warcries and exchanging buffets as if honour and
life depended on the issue of the combat
The tumult was presently increased by the advance of the second rank on
either side which acting as a reserve now rushed on to aid their companions
The followers of Brian de BoisGuilbert shouted »Ha Beauseant Beauseant20
For the Temple For the Temple« The opposite party shouted in answer »
Desdichado Desdichado« which watchword they took from the motto upon their
leaders shield The champions thus encountering each other with the utmost
fury and with alternate success the tide of battle seemed to flow now toward
the southern now toward the northern extremity of the lists as the one or the
other party prevailed Meantime the clang of the blows and the shouts of the
combatants mixed fearfully with the sound of the trumpets and drowned the
groans of those who fell and lay rolling defenceless beneath the feet of the
horses The splendid armour of the combatants was now defaced with dust and
blood and gave way at every stroke of the sword and battleaxe The gay
plumage shorn from the crests drifted upon the breeze like snowflakes All
that was beautiful and graceful in the martial array had disappeared and what
was now visible was only calculated to awake terror or compassion
Yet such is the force of habit that not only the vulgar spectators who are
naturally attracted by sights of horror but even the ladies of distinction who
crowded the galleries saw the conflict with a thrilling interest certainly but
without a wish to withdraw their eyes from a sight so terrible Here and there
indeed a fair cheek might turn pale or a faint scream might be heard as a
lover a brother or a husband was struck from his horse But in general the
ladies around encouraged the combatants not only by clapping their hands and
waving their veils and kerchiefs but even by exclaiming »Brave lance Good
sword« when any successful thrust or blow took place under their observation
Such being the interest taken by the fair sex in this bloody game that of
the men is the more easily understood It showed itself in loud acclamations
upon every change of fortune while all eyes were so rivetted on the lists that
the spectators seemed as if they themselves had dealt and received the blows
which were there so freely bestowed And between every pause was heard the voice
of the heralds exclaiming »Fight on brave knights Man dies but glory lives
Fight on death is better than defeat Fight on brave knights for
bright eyes behold your deeds«
Amid the varied fortunes of the combat the eyes of all endeavoured to
discover the leaders of each band who mingling in the thick of the fight
encouraged their companions both by voice and example Both displayed great
feats of gallantry nor did either BoisGuilbert or the Disinherited Knight find
in the ranks opposed to them a champion who could be termed their unquestioned
match They repeatedly endeavoured to single out each other spurred by mutual
animosity and aware that the fall of either leader might be considered as
decisive of victory Such however was the crowd and confusion that during the
earlier part of the conflict their efforts to meet were unavailing and they
were repeatedly separated by the eagerness of their followers each of whom was
anxious to win honour by measuring his strength against the leader of the
opposite party
But when the field became thin by the numbers on either side who had yielded
themselves vanquished had been compelled to the extremity of the lists or been
otherwise rendered incapable of continuing the strife the Templar and the
Disinherited Knight at length encountered hand to hand with all the fury that
mortal animosity joined to rivalry of honour could inspire Such was the
address of each in parrying and striking that the spectators broke forth into
an unanimous and involuntary shout expressive of their delight and admiration
But at this moment the party of the Disinherited Knight had the worst the
gigantic arm of FrontdeBoeuf on the one flank and the ponderous strength of
Athelstane on the other bearing down and dispersing those immediately exposed
to them Finding themselves freed from their immediate antagonists it seems to
have occurred to both these knights at the same instant that they would render
the most decisive advantage to their party by aiding the Templar in his contest
with his rival Turning their horses therefore at the same moment the Norman
spurred against the Disinherited Knight on the one side and the Saxon on the
other It was utterly impossible that the object of this unequal and unexpected
assault could have sustained it had he not been warned by a general cry from
the spectators who could not but take interest in one exposed to such
disadvantage
»Beware beware Sir Disinherited« was shouted so universally that the
knight became aware of his danger and striking a full blow at the Templar he
reined back his steed in the same moment so as to escape the charge of
Athelstane and FrontdeBoeuf These knights therefore their aim being thus
eluded rushed from opposite sides betwixt the object of their attack and the
Templar almost running their horses against each other ere they could stop
their career Recovering their horses however and wheeling them round the
whole three pursued their united purpose of bearing to the earth the
Disinherited Knight
Nothing could have saved him except the remarkable strength and activity of
the noble horse which he had won on the preceding day
This stood him in the more stead as the horse of BoisGuilbert was wounded
and those of FrontdeBoeuf and Athelstane were both tired with the weight of
their gigantic masters clad in complete armour and with the preceding
exertions of the day The masterly horsemanship of the Disinherited Knight and
the activity of the noble animal which he mounted enabled him for a few minutes
to keep at swords point his three antagonists turning and wheeling with the
agility of a hawk upon the wing keeping his enemies as far separate as he
could and rushing now against the one now against the other dealing sweeping
blows with his sword without waiting to receive those which were aimed at him
in return
But although the lists rang with the applauses of his dexterity it was
evident that he must at last be overpowered and the nobles around Prince John
implored him with one voice to throw down his warder and to save so brave a
knight from the disgrace of being overcome by odds
»Not I by the light of Heaven« answered Prince John »this same springal
who conceals his name and despises our proffered hospitality has already
gained one prize and may now afford to let others have their turn« As he spoke
thus an unexpected incident changed the fortune of the day
There was among the ranks of the Disinherited Knight a champion in black
armour mounted on a black horse large of size tall and to all appearance
powerful and strong like the rider by whom he was mounted This knight who
bore on his shield no device of any kind had hitherto evinced very little
interest in the event of the fight beating off with seeming ease those
combatants who attacked him but neither pursuing his advantages nor himself
assailing any one In short he had hitherto acted the part rather of a
spectator than of a party in the tournament a circumstance which procured him
among the spectators the name of Le Noir Faineant or the Black Sluggard
At once this knight seemed to throw aside his apathy when he discovered the
leader of his party so hard bestead for setting spurs to his horse which was
quite fresh he came to his assistance like a thunderbolt exclaiming in a voice
like a trumpetcall »Desdichado to the rescue« It was high time for while
the Disinherited Knight was pressing upon the Templar FrontdeBoeuf had got
nigh to him with his uplifted sword but ere the blow could descend the Sable
Knight dealt a stroke on the head which glancing from the polished helmet
lighted with violence scarcely abated on the chamfron of the steed and
FrontdeBoeuf rolled on the ground both horse and man equally stunned by the
fury of the blow Le Noir Faineant then turned his horse upon Athelstane of
Coningsburgh and his own sword having been broken in his encounter with
FrontdeBoeuf he wrenched from the hand of the bulky Saxon the battleaxe
which he wielded and like one familiar with the use of the weapon bestowed
him such a blow upon the crest that Athelstane also lay senseless on the field
Having achieved this double feat for which he was the more highly applauded
that it was totally unexpected from him the knight seemed to resume the
sluggishness of his character returning calmly to the northern extremity of the
lists leaving his leader to cope as he best could with Brian de BoisGuilbert
This was no longer matter of so much difficulty as formerly The Templars horse
had bled much and gave way under the shock of the Disinherited Knights charge
Brian de BoisGuilbert rolled on the field encumbered with the stirrup from
which he was unable to draw his foot His antagonist sprung from horseback
waved his fatal sword over the head of his adversary and commanded him to yield
himself when Prince John more moved by the Templars dangerous situation than
he had been by that of his rival saved him the mortification of confessing
himself vanquished by casting down his warder and putting an end to the
conflict
It was indeed only the relics and embers of the fight which continued to
burn for of the few knights who still continued in the lists the greater part
had by tacit consent forborne the conflict for some time leaving it to be
determined by the strife of the leaders
The squires who had found it a matter of danger and difficulty to attend
their masters during the engagement now thronged into the lists to pay their
dutiful attendance to the wounded who were removed with the utmost care and
attention to the neighbouring pavilions or to the quarters prepared for them in
the adjoining village
Thus ended the memorable field of AshbydelaZouche one of the most
gallantlycontested tournaments of that age for although only four knights
including one who was smothered by the heat of his armour had died upon the
field yet upwards of thirty were desperately wounded four or five of whom
never recovered Several more were disabled for life and those who escaped best
carried the marks of the conflict to the grave with them Hence it is always
mentioned in the old records as the Gentle and Joyous Passage of Arms of Ashby
It being now the duty of Prince John to name the knight who had done best
he determined that the honour of the day remained with the knight whom the
popular voice had termed Le Noir Faineant It was pointed out to the Prince in
impeachment of this decree that the victory had been in fact won by the
Disinherited Knight who in the course of the day had overcome six champions
with his own hand and who had finally unhorsed and struck down the leader of
the opposite party But Prince John adhered to his own opinion on the ground
that the Disinherited Knight and his party had lost the day but for the powerful
assistance of the Knight of the Black Armour to whom therefore he persisted
in awarding the prize
To the surprise of all present however the knight thus preferred was
nowhere to be found He had left the lists immediately when the conflict ceased
and had been observed by some spectators to move down one of the forest glades
with the same slow pace and listless and indifferent manner which had procured
him the epithet of the Black Sluggard After he had been summoned twice by sound
of trumpet and proclamation of the heralds it became necessary to name another
to receive the honours which had been assigned to him Prince John had now no
farther excuse for resisting the claim of the Disinherited Knight whom
therefore he named the champion of the day
Through a field slippery with blood and encumbered with broken armour and
the bodies of slain and wounded horses the marshals of the lists again
conducted the victor to the foot of Prince Johns throne
»Disinherited Knight« said Prince John »since by that title only you will
consent to be known to us we a second time award to you the honours of this
tournament and announce to you your right to claim and receive from the hands
of the Queen of Love and Beauty the Chaplet of Honour which your valour has
justly deserved« The knight bowed low and gracefully but returned no answer
While the trumpets sounded while the heralds strained their voices in
proclaiming honour to the brave and glory to the victor while ladies waved
their silken kerchiefs and embroidered veils and while all ranks joined in a
clamorous shout of exultation the marshals conducted the Disinherited Knight
across the lists to the foot of that throne of honour which was occupied by the
Lady Rowena
On the lower step of this throne the champion was made to kneel down Indeed
his whole action since the fight had ended seemed rather to have been upon the
impulse of those around him than from his own free will and it was observed
that he tottered as they guided him the second time across the lists Rowena
descending from her station with a graceful and dignified step was about to
place the chaplet which she held in her hand upon the helmet of the champion
when the marshals exclaimed with one voice »It must not be thus his head must
be bare« The knight muttered faintly a few words which were lost in the hollow
of his helmet but their purport seemed to be a desire that his casque might not
be removed
Whether from love of form or from curiosity the marshals paid no attention
to his expressions of reluctance but unhelmed him by cutting the laces of his
casque and undoing the fastening of his gorget When the helmet was removed
the wellformed yet sunburnt features of a young man of twentyfive were seen
amidst a profusion of short fair hair His countenance was as pale as death and
marked in one or two places with streaks of blood
Rowena had no sooner beheld him than she uttered a faint shriek but at once
summoning up the energy of her disposition and compelling herself as it were
to proceed while her frame yet trembled with the violence of sudden emotion
she placed upon the drooping head of the victor the splendid chaplet which was
the destined reward of the day and pronounced in a clear and distinct tone
these words »I bestow on thee this chaplet Sir Knight as the meed of valour
assigned to this days victor« here she paused a moment and then firmly added
»And upon brows more worthy could a wreath of chivalry never be placed«
The knight stooped his head and kissed the hand of the lovely Sovereign by
whom his valour had been rewarded and then sinking yet farther forward lay
prostrate at her feet
There was a general consternation Cedric who had been struck mute by the
sudden appearance of his banished son now rushed forward as if to separate him
from Rowena But this had been already accomplished by the marshals of the
field who guessing the cause of Ivanhoes swoon had hastened to undo his
armour and found that the head of a lance had penetrated his breastplate and
inflicted a wound in his side
Chapter Thirteenth
»Heroes approach« Atrides thus aloud
»Stand forth distinguishd from the circling crowd
Ye who by skill or manly force may claim
Your rivals to surpass and merit fame
This cow worth twenty oxen is decreed
For him who farthest sends the winged reed«
Iliad
The name of Ivanhoe was no sooner pronounced than it flew from mouth to mouth
with all the celerity with which eagerness could convey and curiosity receive
it It was not long ere it reached the circle of the Prince whose brow darkened
as he heard the news Looking around him however with an air of scorn »My
lords« said he »and especially you Sir Prior what think ye of the doctrine
the learned tell us concerning innate attractions and antipathies Methinks
that I felt the presence of my brothers minion even when I least guessed whom
yonder suit of armour enclosed«
»FrontdeBoeuf must prepare to restore his fief of Ivanhoe« said De Bracy
who having discharged his part honourably in the tournament had laid his
shield and helmet aside and again mingled with the Princes retinue
»Ay« answered Waldemar Fitzurse »this gallant is likely to reclaim the
castle and manor which Richard assigned to him and which your Highnesss
generosity has since given to FrontdeBoeuf«
»FrontdeBoeuf« replied John »is a man more willing to swallow three
manors such as Ivanhoe than to disgorge one of them For the rest sirs I hope
none here will deny my right to confer the fiefs of the crown upon the faithful
followers who are around me and ready to perform the usual military service in
the room of those who have wandered to foreign countries and can neither render
homage nor service when called upon«
The audience were too much interested in the question not to pronounce the
Princes assumed right altogether indubitable »A generous Prince a most
noble Lord who thus takes upon himself the task of rewarding his faithful
followers«
Such were the words which burst from the train expectants all of them of
similar grants at the expense of King Richards followers and favourites if
indeed they had not as yet received such Prior Aymer also assented to the
general proposition, observing however »That the blessed Jerusalem could not
indeed be termed a foreign country She was communis mater the mother of all
Christians But he saw not« he declared »how the Knight of Ivanhoe could plead
any advantage from this since he« the Prior »was assured that the crusaders
under Richard had never proceeded much farther than Askalon which as all the
world knew was a town of the Philistines and entitled to none of the
privileges of the Holy City«
Waldemar whose curiosity had led him towards the place where Ivanhoe had
fallen to the ground now returned »The gallant« said he »is likely to give
your Highness little disturbance and to leave FrontdeBoeuf in the quiet
possession of his gains he is severely wounded«
»Whatever becomes of him« said Prince John »he is victor of the day and
were he tenfold our enemy or the devoted friend of our brother which is
perhaps the same his wounds must be looked to our own physician shall attend
him«
A stern smile curled the Princes lip as he spoke Waldemar Fitzurse
hastened to reply that Ivanhoe was already removed from the lists and in the
custody of his friends
»I was somewhat afflicted« he said »to see the grief of the Queen of Love
and Beauty whose sovereignty of a day this event has changed into mourning I
am not a man to be moved by a womans lament for her lover but this same Lady
Rowena suppressed her sorrow with such dignity of manner that it could only be
discovered by her folded hands and her tearless eye which trembled as it
remained fixed on the lifeless form before her«
»Who is this lady Rowena« said Prince John »of whom we have heard so
much«
»A Saxon heiress of large possessions« replied the Prior Aymer »a rose of
loveliness and a jewel of wealth the fairest among a thousand a bundle of
myrrh and a cluster of camphire«
»We shall cheer her sorrows« said Prince John »and amend her blood by
wedding her to a Norman She seems a minor and must therefore be at our royal
disposal in marriage How sayst thou De Bracy What thinkst thou of gaining
fair lands and livings by wedding a Saxon after the fashion of the followers
of the Conqueror«
»If the lands are to my liking my lord« answered De Bracy »it will be
hard to displease me with a bride and deeply will I hold myself bound to your
highness for a good deed which will fulfil all promises made in favour of your
servant and vassal«
»We will not forget it« said Prince John »and that we may instantly go to
work command our seneschal presently to order the attendance of the Lady Rowena
and her company that is the rude churl her guardian and the Saxon ox whom the
Black Knight struck down in the tournament upon this evenings banquet De
Bigot« he added to his seneschal »thou wilt word this our second summons so
courteously as to gratify the pride of these Saxons and make it impossible for
them again to refuse although by the bones of Becket courtesy to them is
casting pearls before swine«
Prince John had proceeded thus far and was about to give the signal for
retiring from the lists when a small billet was put into his hand
»From whence« said Prince John looking at the person by whom it was
delivered
»From foreign parts my lord but from whence I know not« replied his
attendant »A Frenchman brought it hither who said he had ridden night and day
to put it into the hands of your highness«
The Prince looked narrowly at the superscription and then at the seal
placed so as to secure the floxsilk with which the billet was surrounded and
which bore the impression of three fleursdelis John then opened the billet
with apparent agitation which visibly and greatly increased when he had perused
the contents which were expressed in these words
»Take heed to yourself for the Devil is unchained«
The Prince turned as pale as death looked first on the earth and then to
heaven like a man who has received news that sentence of execution has been
passed upon him Recovering from the first effects of his surprise he took
Waldemar Fitzurse and De Bracy aside and put the billet into their hands
successively »It means« he added in a faltering voice »that my brother
Richard has obtained his freedom«
»This may be a false alarm or a forged letter« said De Bracy
»It is Frances own hand and seal« replied Prince John
»It is time then« said Fitzurse »to draw our party to a head either at
York or some other centrical place A few days later and it will be indeed too
late Your highness must break short this present mummery«
»The yeomen and commons« said De Bracy »must not be dismissed
discontented for lack of their share in the sports«
»The day« said Waldemar »is not yet very far spent let the archers shoot
a few rounds at the target and the prize be adjudged This will be an abundant
fulfilment of the Princes promises so far as this herd of Saxon serfs is
concerned«
»I thank thee Waldemar« said the Prince »thou remindest me too that I
have a debt to pay to that insolent peasant who yesterday insulted our person
Our banquet also shall go forward tonight as we proposed Were this my last
hour of power it should be an hour sacred to revenge and to pleasure let new
cares come with tomorrows new day«
The sound of the trumpets soon recalled those spectators who had already
begun to leave the field and proclamation was made that Prince John suddenly
called by high and peremptory public duties held himself obliged to discontinue
the entertainments of tomorrows festival nevertheless that unwilling so
many good yeomen should depart without a trial of skill he was pleased to
appoint them before leaving the ground presently to execute the competition of
archery intended for the morrow To the best archer a prize was to be awarded
being a buglehorn mounted with silver and a silken baldric richly ornamented
with a medallion of St Hubert the patron of silvan sport
More than thirty yeomen at first presented themselves as competitors
several of whom were rangers and underkeepers in the royal forests of Needwood
and Charnwood When however the archers understood with whom they were to be
matched upwards of twenty withdrew themselves from the contest unwilling to
encounter the dishonour of almost certain defeat For in those days the skill of
each celebrated marksman was as well known for many miles round him as the
qualities of a horse trained at Newmarket are familiar to those who frequent
that wellknown meeting
The diminished list of competitors for silvan fame still amounted to eight
Prince John stepped from his royal seat to view more nearly the persons of these
chosen yeomen several of whom wore the royal livery Having satisfied his
curiosity by this investigation he looked for the object of his resentment
whom he observed standing on the same spot and with the same composed
countenance which he had exhibited upon the preceding day
»Fellow« said Prince John »I guessed by thy insolent babble thou wert no
true lover of the long bow and I see thou darest not adventure thy skill among
such merrymen as stand yonder«
»Under favour sir« replied the yeoman »I have another reason for
refraining to shoot besides the fearing discomfiture and disgrace«
»And what is thy other reason« said Prince John who for some cause which
perhaps he could not himself have explained felt a painful curiosity respecting
this individual
»Because« replied the woodsman »I know not if these yeomen and I are used
to shoot at the same marks and because moreover I know not how your Grace
might relish the winning of a third prize by one who has unwittingly fallen
under your displeasure«
Prince John coloured as he put the question »What is thy name yeoman«
»Locksley« answered the yeoman
»Then Locksley« said Prince John »thou shalt shoot in thy turn when
these yeomen have displayed their skill If thou carriest the prize I will add
to it twenty nobles but if thou losest it thou shalt be stript of thy Lincoln
green and scourged out of the lists with bowstrings for a wordy and insolent
braggart«
»And how if I refuse to shoot on such a wager« said the yeoman »Your
Graces power supported as it is by so many menatarms may indeed easily
strip and scourge me but cannot compel me to bend or to draw my bow«
»If thou refusest my fair proffer« said the Prince »the Provost of the
lists shall cut thy bowstring break thy bow and arrows and expel thee from the
presence as a fainthearted craven«
»This is no fair chance you put on me proud Prince« said the yeoman »to
compel me to peril myself against the best archers of Leicester and
Staffordshire under the penalty of infamy if they should overshoot me
Nevertheless I will obey your pleasure«
»Look to him close menatarms« said Prince John »his heart is sinking I
am jealous lest he attempt to escape the trial And do you good fellows
shoot boldly round a buck and a butt of wine are ready for your refreshment in
yonder tent when the prize is won«
A target was placed at the upper end of the southern avenue which led to the
lists The contending archers took their station in turn at the bottom of the
southern access the distance between that station and the mark allowing full
distance for what was called a shot at rovers The archers having previously
determined by lot their order of precedence were to shoot each three shafts in
succession The sports were regulated by an officer of inferior rank termed the
Provost of the Games for the high rank of the marshals of the lists would have
been held degraded had they condescended to superintend the sports of the
yeomanry
One by one the archers stepping forward delivered their shafts yeomanlike
and bravely Of twentyfour arrows shot in succession ten were fixed in the
target and the others ranged so near it that considering the distance of the
mark it was accounted good archery Of the ten shafts which hit the target two
within the inner ring were shot by Hubert a forester in the service of
Malvoisin who was accordingly pronounced victorious
»Now Locksley« said Prince John to the bold yeoman with a bitter smile
»wilt thou try conclusions with Hubert or wilt thou yield up bow baldric and
quiver to the Provost of the sports«
»Sith it be no better« said Locksley »I am content to try my fortune on
condition that when I have shot two shafts at yonder mark of Huberts he shall
be bound to shoot one at that which I shall propose«
»That is but fair« answered Prince John »and it shall not be refused thee
If thou dost beat this braggart Hubert I will fill the bugle with silver
pennies for thee«
»A man can do but his best« answered Hubert »but my grandsire drew a good
long bow at Hastings and I trust not to dishonour his memory«
The former target was now removed and a fresh one of the same size placed
in its room Hubert who as victor in the first trial of skill had the right
to shoot first took his aim with great deliberation long measuring the
distance with his eye while he held in his hand his bended bow with the arrow
placed on the string At length he made a step forward and raising the bow at
the full stretch of his left arm till the centre or graspingplace was nigh
level with his face he drew his bowstring to his ear The arrow whistled
through the air and lighted within the inner ring of the target but not
exactly in the centre
»You have not allowed for the wind Hubert« said his antagonist bending
his bow »or that had been a better shot«
So saying and without showing the least anxiety to pause upon his aim
Locksley stepped to the appointed station and shot his arrow as carelessly in
appearance as if he had not even looked at the mark He was speaking almost at
the instant that the shaft left the bowstring yet it alighted in the target two
inches nearer to the white spot which marked the centre than that of Hubert
»By the light of heaven« said Prince John to Hubert »an thou suffer that
runagate knave to overcome thee thou art worthy of the gallows«
Hubert had but one set speech for all occasions »An your highness were to
hang me« he said »a man can but do his best Nevertheless my grandsire drew a
good bow«
»The foul fiend on thy grandsire and all his generation« interrupted John
»shoot knave and shoot thy best or it shall be worse for thee«
Thus exhorted Hubert resumed his place and not neglecting the caution
which he had received from his adversary he made the necessary allowance for a
very light air of wind which had just arisen and shot so successfully that his
arrow alighted in the very centre of the target
»A Hubert a Hubert« shouted the populace more interested in a known
person than in a stranger »In the clout in the clout a Hubert for ever«
»Thou canst not mend that shot Locksley« said the Prince with an
insulting smile
»I will notch his shaft for him however« replied Locksley
And letting fly his arrow with a little more precaution than before it
lighted right upon that of his competitor which it split to shivers The people
who stood around were so astonished at his wonderful dexterity that they could
not even give vent to their surprise in their usual clamour »This must be the
devil and no man of flesh and blood« whispered the yeomen to each other »such
archery was never seen since a bow was first bent in Britain«
»And now« said Locksley »I will crave your Graces permission to plant
such a mark as is used in the North Country and welcome every brave yeoman who
shall try a shot at it to win a smile from the bonny lass he loves best«
He then turned to leave the lists »Let your guards attend me« he said »if
you please I go but to cut a rod from the next willowbush«
Prince John made a signal that some attendants should follow him in case of
his escape but the cry of »Shame shame« which burst from the multitude
induced him to alter his ungenerous purpose
Locksley returned almost instantly with a willow wand about six feet in
length perfectly straight and rather thicker than a mans thumb He began to
peel this with great composure observing at the same time that to ask a good
woodsman to shoot at a target so broad as had hitherto been used was to put
shame upon his skill »For his own part« he said »and in the land where he was
bred men would as soon take for their mark King Arthurs roundtable which
held sixty knights around it A child of seven years old« he said »might hit
yonder target with a headless shaft but« added he walking deliberately to the
other end of the lists and sticking the willow wand upright in the ground »he
that hits that rod at fivescore yards I call him an archer fit to bear both
bow and quiver before a king an it were the stout King Richard himself«
»My grandsire« said Hubert »drew a good bow at the battle of Hastings and
never shot at such a mark in his life and neither will I If this yeoman can
cleave that rod I give him the bucklers or rather I yield to the devil that
is in his jerkin and not to any human skill a man can but do his best and I
will not shoot where I am sure to miss I might as well shoot at the edge of our
parsons whittle or at a wheatstraw or at a sunbeam as at a twinkling white
streak which I can hardly see«
»Cowardly dog« said Prince John »Sirrah Locksley do thou shoot but if
thou hittest such a mark I will say thou art the first man ever did so Howeer
it be thou shalt not crow over us with a mere show of superior skill«
»I will do my best as Hubert says« answered Locksley »no man can do
more«
So saying he again bent his bow but on the present occasion looked with
attention to his weapon and changed the string which he thought was no longer
truly round having been a little frayed by the two former shots He then took
his aim with some deliberation and the multitude awaited the event in
breathless silence The archer vindicated their opinion of his skill his arrow
split the willow rod against which it was aimed A jubilee of acclamations
followed and even Prince John in admiration of Locksleys skill lost for an
instant his dislike to his person »These twenty nobles« he said »which with
the bugle thou hast fairly won are thine own we will make them fifty if thou
wilt take livery and service with us as a yeoman of our bodyguard and be near
to our person For never did so strong a hand bend a bow or so true an eye
direct a shaft«
»Pardon me noble Prince« said Locksley »but I have vowed that if ever I
take service it should be with your royal brother King Richard These twenty
nobles I leave to Hubert who has this day drawn as brave a bow as his grandsire
did at Hastings Had his modesty not refused the trial he would have hit the
wand as well as I«
Hubert shook his head as he received with reluctance the bounty of the
stranger and Locksley anxious to escape further observation mixed with the
crowd and was seen no more
The victorious archer would not perhaps have escaped Johns attention so
easily had not that Prince had other subjects of anxious and more important
meditation pressing upon his mind at that instant He called upon his
chamberlain as he gave the signal for retiring from the lists and commanded him
instantly to gallop to Ashby and seek out Isaac the Jew »Tell the dog« he
said »to send me before sundown two thousand crowns He knows the security
but thou mayest show him this ring for a token The rest of the money must be
paid at York within six days If he neglects I will have the unbelieving
villains head Look that thou pass him not on the way for the circumcised
slave was displaying his stolen finery amongst us«
So saying the Prince resumed his horse and returned to Ashby the whole
crowd breaking up and dispersing upon his retreat
Chapter Fourteenth
In rough magnificence arrayd
When ancient chivalry displayd
The pomp of her heroic games
And crested chiefs and tissued dames
Assembled at the clarions call
In some proud castles higharchd hall
Warton
Prince John held his high festival in the Castle of Ashby This was not the same
building of which the stately ruins still interest the traveller and which was
erected at a later period by the Lord Hastings High Chamberlain of England one
of the first victims of the tyranny of Richard the Third and yet better known
as one of Shakespeares characters than by his historical fame The castle and
town of Ashby at this time belonged to Roger de Quincey Earl of Winchester
who during the period of our history was absent in the Holy Land Prince John
in the meanwhile occupied his castle and disposed of his domains without
scruple and seeking at present to dazzle mens eyes by his hospitality and
magnificence had given orders for great preparations in order to render the
banquet as splendid as possible
The purveyors of the Prince who exercised on this and other occasions the
full authority of royalty had swept the country of all that could be collected
which was esteemed fit for their masters table Guests also were invited in
great numbers and in the necessity in which he then found himself of courting
popularity Prince John had extended his invitation to a few distinguished Saxon
and Danish families as well as to the Norman nobility and gentry of the
neighbourhood However despised and degraded on ordinary occasions the great
numbers of the AngloSaxons must necessarily render them formidable in the civil
commotions which seemed approaching and it was an obvious point of policy to
secure popularity with their leaders
It was accordingly the Princes intention which he for some time
maintained to treat these unwonted guests with a courtesy to which they had
been little accustomed But although no man with less scruple made his ordinary
habits and feelings bend to his interest it was the misfortune of this Prince
that his levity and petulance were perpetually breaking out and undoing all
that had been gained by his previous dissimulation
Of this fickle temper he gave a memorable example in Ireland when sent
thither by his father Henry the Second with the purpose of buying golden
opinions of the inhabitants of that new and important acquisition to the English
crown Upon this occasion the Irish chieftains contended which should first
offer to the young Prince their loyal homage and the kiss of peace But instead
of receiving their salutations with courtesy John and his petulant attendants
could not resist the temptation of pulling the long beards of the Irish
chieftains a conduct which as might have been expected was highly resented by
these insulted dignitaries and produced fatal consequences to the English
domination in Ireland It is necessary to keep these inconsistencies of Johns
character in view that the reader may understand his conduct during the present
evening
In execution of the resolution which he had formed during his cooler
moments Prince John received Cedric and Athelstane with distinguished courtesy
and expressed his disappointment without resentment when the indisposition of
Rowena was alleged by the former as a reason for her not attending upon his
gracious summons Cedric and Athelstane were both dressed in the ancient Saxon
garb which although not unhandsome in itself, and in the present instance
composed of costly materials was so remote in shape and appearance from that of
the other guests that Prince John took great credit to himself with Waldemar
Fitzurse for refraining from laughter at a sight which the fashion of the day
rendered ridiculous Yet in the eye of sober judgment the short close tunic
and long mantle of the Saxons was a more graceful as well as a more convenient
dress than the garb of the Normans whose under garment was a long doublet so
loose as to resemble a shirt or waggoners frock covered by a cloak of scanty
dimensions neither fit to defend the wearer from cold nor from rain and the
only purpose of which appeared to be to display as much fur embroidery and
jewellery work as the ingenuity of the tailor could contrive to lay upon it
The Emperor Charlemagne in whose reign they were first introduced seems to
have been very sensible of the inconveniences arising from the fashion of this
garment »In Heavens name« said he »to what purpose serve these abridged
cloaks If we are in bed they are no cover on horseback they are no protection
from the wind and rain and when seated they do not guard our legs from the
damp or the frost«
Nevertheless spite of this imperial objurgation the short cloaks continued
in fashion down to the time of which we treat and particularly among the
princes of the House of Anjou They were therefore in universal use among Prince
Johns courtiers and the long mantle which formed the upper garment of the
Saxons was held in proportional derision
The guests were seated at a table which groaned under the quantity of good
cheer The numerous cooks who attended on the Princes progress having exerted
all their art in varying the forms in which the ordinary provisions were served
up had succeeded almost as well as the modern professors of the culinary art in
rendering them perfectly unlike their natural appearance Besides these dishes
of domestic origin there were various delicacies brought from foreign parts
and a quantity of rich pastry as well as of the simnel bread and wastel cakes
which were only used at the tables of the highest nobility The banquet was
crowned with the richest wines both foreign and domestic
But though luxurious the Norman nobles were not generally speaking an
intemperate race While indulging themselves in the pleasures of the table they
aimed at delicacy but avoided excess and were apt to attribute gluttony and
drunkenness to the vanquished Saxons as vices peculiar to their inferior
station Prince John indeed and those who courted his pleasure by imitating
his foibles were apt to indulge to excess in the pleasures of the trencher and
the goblet and indeed it is well known that his death was occasioned by a
surfeit upon peaches and new ale His conduct however was an exception to the
general manners of his countrymen
With sly gravity interrupted only by private signs to each other the
Norman knights and nobles beheld the ruder demeanour of Athelstane and Cedric at
a banquet to the form and fashion of which they were unaccustomed And while
their manners were thus the subject of sarcastic observation the untaught
Saxons unwittingly transgressed several of the arbitrary rules established for
the regulation of society Now it is well known that a man may with more
impunity be guilty of an actual breach either of real good breeding or of good
morals than appear ignorant of the most minute point of fashionable etiquette
Thus Cedric who dried his hands with a towel instead of suffering the moisture
to exhale by waving them gracefully in the air incurred more ridicule than his
companion Athelstane when he swallowed to his own single share the whole of a
large pasty composed of the most exquisite foreign delicacies and termed at
that time a Karumpie When however it was discovered by a serious
crossexamination that the Thane of Coningsburgh or Franklin as the Normans
termed him had no idea what he had been devouring and that he had taken the
contents of the Karumpie for larks and pigeons whereas they were in fact
beccaficoes and nightingales his ignorance brought him in for an ample share of
the ridicule which would have been more justly bestowed on his gluttony
The long feast had at length its end and while the goblet circulated
freely men talked of the feats of the preceding tournament of the unknown
victor in the archery games of the Black Knight whose selfdenial had induced
him to withdraw from the honours he had won and of the gallant Ivanhoe who
had so dearly bought the honours of the day The topics were treated with
military frankness and the jest and laugh went round the hall The brow of
Prince John alone was overclouded during these discussions some overpowering
care seemed agitating his mind and it was only when he received occasional
hints from his attendants that he seemed to take interest in what was passing
around him On such occasions he would start up quaff a cup of wine as if to
raise his spirits and then mingle in the conversation by some observation made
abruptly or at random
»We drink this beaker« said he »to the health of Wilfred of Ivanhoe
champion of this Passage of Arms and grieve that his wound renders him absent
from our board Let all fill to the pledge and especially Cedric of
Rotherwood the worthy father of a son so promising«
»No my lord« replied Cedric standing up and placing on the table his
untasted cup »I yield not the name of son to the disobedient youth who at once
despises my commands and relinquishes the manners and customs of his fathers«
»Tis impossible« cried Prince John with wellfeigned astonishment »that
so gallant a knight should be an unworthy or disobedient son«
»Yet my lord« answered Cedric »so it is with this Wilfred He left my
homely dwelling to mingle with the gay nobility of your brothers court where
he learned to do those tricks of horsemanship which you prize so highly He left
it contrary to my wish and command and in the days of Alfred that would have
been termed disobedience ay and a crime severely punishable«
»Alas« replied Prince John with a deep sigh of affected sympathy »since
your son was a follower of my unhappy brother it need not be inquired where or
from whom he learned the lesson of filial disobedience«
Thus spake Prince John wilfully forgetting that of all the sons of Henry
the Second though no one was free from the charge he himself had been most
distinguished for rebellion and ingratitude to his father
»I think« said he after a moments pause »that my brother proposed to
confer upon his favourite the rich manor of Ivanhoe«
»He did endow him with it« answered Cedric »nor is it my least quarrel
with my son that he stooped to hold as a feudal vassal the very domains which
his fathers possessed in free and independent right«
»We shall then have your willing sanction good Cedric« said Prince John
»to confer this fief upon a person whose dignity will not be diminished by
holding land of the British crown Sir Reginald FrontdeBoeuf« he said
turning towards that Baron »I trust you will so keep the goodly Barony of
Ivanhoe that Sir Wilfred shall not incur his fathers displeasure by again
entering upon that fief«
»By St Anthony« answered the blackbrowed giant »I will consent that your
highness shall hold me a Saxon if either Cedric or Wilfred or the best that
ever bore English blood shall wrench from me the gift with which your highness
has graced me«
»Whoever shall call thee Saxon Sir Baron« replied Cedric offended at a
mode of expression by which the Normans frequently expressed their habitual
contempt of the English »will do thee an honour as great as it is undeserved«
FrontdeBoeuf would have replied but Prince Johns petulance and levity
got the start
»Assuredly« said he »my lords the noble Cedric speaks truth and his race
may claim precedence over us as much in the length of their pedigrees as in the
longitude of their cloaks«
»They go before us indeed in the field as deer before dogs« said
Malvoisin
»And with good right may they go before us forget not« said Prior Aymer
»the superior decency and decorum of their manners«
»Their singular abstemiousness and temperance« said De Bracy forgetting
the plan which promised him a Saxon bride
»Together with the courage and conduct« said Brian de BoisGuilbert »by
which they distinguished themselves at Hastings and elsewhere«
While with smooth and smiling cheek the courtiers each in turn followed
their Princes example and aimed a shaft of ridicule at Cedric the face of the
Saxon became inflamed with passion and he glanced his eyes fiercely from one to
another as if the quick succession of so many injuries had prevented his
replying to them in turn or like a baited bull who surrounded by his
tormentors is at a loss to choose from among them the immediate object of his
revenge At length he spoke in a voice half choked with passion and
addressing himself to Prince John as the head and front of the offence which he
had received »Whatever« he said »have been the follies and vices of our race
a Saxon would have been held nidering«21 the most emphatic term for abject
worthlessness »who should in his own hall and while his own winecup passed
have treated or suffered to be treated an unoffending guest as your highness
has this day beheld me used and whatever was the misfortune of our fathers on
the field of Hastings those may at least be silent« here he looked at
FrontdeBoeuf and the Templar »who have within these few hours once and again
lost saddle and stirrup before the lance of a Saxon«
»By my faith a biting jest« said Prince John »How like you it sirs
Our Saxon subjects rise in spirit and courage become shrewd in wit and bold in
bearing in these unsettled times What say ye my lords By this good light
I hold it best to take our galleys and return to Normandy in time«
»For fear of the Saxons« said De Bracy laughing »we should need no
weapons but our hunting spears to bring these boars to bay«
»A truce with your raillery Sir Knights« said Fitzurse »and it were
well« he added addressing the Prince »that your highness should assure the
worthy Cedric there is no insult intended him by jests which must sound but
harshly in the ear of a stranger«
»Insult« answered Prince John resuming his courtesy of demeanour »I trust
it will not be thought that I could mean or permit any to be offered in my
presence Here I fill my cup to Cedric himself since he refuses to pledge his
sons health«
The cup went round amid the welldissembled applause of the courtiers
which however failed to make the impression on the mind of the Saxon that had
been designed He was not naturally acute of perception, but those too much
undervalued his understanding who deemed that this flattering compliment would
obliterate the sense of the prior insult He was silent however when the royal
pledge again passed round »To Sir Athelstane of Coningsburgh«
The knight made his obeisance and showed his sense of the honour by
draining a huge goblet in answer to it
»And now sirs« said Prince John who began to be warmed with the wine
which he had drunk »having done justice to our Saxon guests we will pray of
them some requital to our courtesy Worthy Thane« he continued addressing
Cedric »may we pray you to name to us some Norman whose mention may least sully
your mouth and to wash down with a goblet of wine all bitterness which the
sound may leave behind it«
Fitzurse arose while Prince John spoke and gliding behind the seat of the
Saxon whispered to him not to omit the opportunity of putting an end to
unkindness betwixt the two races by naming Prince John The Saxon replied not
to this politic insinuation but rising up and filling his cup to the brim he
addressed Prince John in these words »Your highness has required that I should
name a Norman deserving to be remembered at our banquet This perchance is a
hard task since it calls on the slave to sing the praises of the master upon
the vanquished while pressed by all the evils of conquest to sing the praises
of the conqueror Yet I will name a Norman the first in arms and in place
the best and noblest of his race And the lips that shall refuse to pledge me to
his wellearned fame I term false and dishonoured and will so maintain them
with my life I quaff this goblet to the health of Richard the Lionhearted«
Prince John who had expected that his own name would have closed the
Saxons speech started when that of his injured brother was so unexpectedly
introduced He raised mechanically the winecup to his lips then instantly set
it down to view the demeanour of the company at this unexpected proposal which
many of them felt it as unsafe to oppose as to comply with Some of them
ancient and experienced courtiers closely imitated the example of the Prince
himself raising the goblet to their lips and again replacing it before them
There were many who with a more generous feeling exclaimed »Long live King
Richard and may he be speedily restored to us« And some few among whom were
FrontdeBoeuf and the Templar in sullen disdain suffered their goblets to
stand untasted before them But no man ventured directly to gainsay a pledge
filled to the health of the reigning monarch
Having enjoyed his triumph for about a minute Cedric said to his companion
»Up noble Athelstane we have remained here long enough since we have requited
the hospitable courtesy of Prince Johns banquet Those who wish to know further
of our rude Saxon manners must henceforth seek us in the homes of our fathers
since we have seen enough of royal banquets and enough of Norman courtesy«
So saying he arose and left the banquetingroom followed by Athelstane
and by several other guests who partaking of the Saxon lineage held
themselves insulted by the sarcasms of Prince John and his courtiers
»By the bones of St Thomas« said Prince John as they retreated »the
Saxon churls have borne off the best of the day and have retreated with
triumph«
»Conclamatum est poculatum est« said Prior Aymer »we have drunk and we
have shouted it were time we left our wine flagons«
»The monk hath some fair penitent to shrive tonight that he is in such a
hurry to depart« said De Bracy
»Not so Sir Knight« replied the Abbot »but I must move several miles
forward this evening upon my homeward journey«
»They are breaking up« said the Prince in a whisper to Fitzurse »their
fears anticipate the event and this coward Prior is the first to shrink from
me«
»Fear not my lord« said Waldemar »I will show him such reasons as shall
induce him to join us when we hold our meeting at York Sir Prior« he said
»I must speak with you in private before you mount your palfrey«
The other guests were now fast dispersing with the exception of those
immediately attached to Prince Johns faction and his retinue
»This then is the result of your advice« said the Prince turning an
angry countenance upon Fitzurse »that I should be bearded at my own board by a
drunken Saxon churl and that on the mere sound of my brothers name men
should fall off from me as if I had the leprosy«
»Have patience sir« replied his counsellor »I might retort your
accusation and blame the inconsiderate levity which foiled my design and
misled your own better judgment But this is no time for recrimination De Bracy
and I will instantly go among these shuffling cowards and convince them they
have gone too far to recede«
»It will be in vain« said Prince John pacing the apartment with disordered
steps and expressing himself with an agitation to which the wine he had drunk
partly contributed »It will be in vain they have seen the handwriting on the
wall they have marked the paw of the lion in the sand they have heard his
approaching roar shake the wood nothing will reanimate their courage«
»Would to God« said Fitzurse to De Bracy »that aught could reanimate his
own His brothers very name is an ague to him Unhappy are the counsellors of a
Prince who wants fortitude and perseverance alike in good and in evil«
Chapter Fifteenth
And yet he thinks ha ha ha ha he thinks
I am the tool and servant of his will
Well let it be through all the maze of trouble
His plots and base oppression must create
Ill shape myself a way to higher things
And who will say tis wrong
Basil a tragedy
No spider ever took more pains to repair the shattered meshes of his web than
did Waldemar Fitzurse to reunite and combine the scattered members of Prince
Johns cabal Few of these were attached to him from inclination and none from
personal regard It was therefore necessary that Fitzurse should open to them
new prospects of advantage and remind them of those which they at present
enjoyed To the young and wild nobles he held out the prospect of unpunished
license and uncontrolled revelry to the ambitious that of power and to the
covetous that of increased wealth and extended domains The leaders of the
mercenaries received a donation in gold an argument the most persuasive to
their minds and without which all others would have proved in vain Promises
were still more liberally distributed than money by this active agent and in
fine nothing was left undone that could determine the wavering or animate the
disheartened The return of King Richard he spoke of as an event altogether
beyond the reach of probability yet when he observed from the doubtful looks
and uncertain answers which he received that this was the apprehension by which
the minds of his accomplices were most haunted he boldly treated that event
should it really take place as one which ought not to alter their political
calculations
»If Richard returns« said Fitzurse »he returns to enrich his needy and
impoverished crusaders at the expense of those who did not follow him to the
Holy Land He returns to call to a fearful reckoning those who during his
absence have done aught that can be construed offence or encroachment upon
either the laws of the land or the privileges of the crown He returns to avenge
upon the Orders of the Temple and the Hospital the preference which they showed
to Philip of France during the wars in the Holy Land He returns in fine to
punish as a rebel every adherent of his brother Prince John Are ye afraid of
his power« continued the artful confidant of that Prince »we acknowledge him a
strong and valiant knight but these are not the days of King Arthur when a
champion could encounter an army If Richard indeed comes back it must be
alone unfollowed unfriended The bones of his gallant army have whitened
the sands of Palestine The few of his followers who have returned have
straggled hither like this Wilfred of Ivanhoe beggared and broken men And
what talk ye of Richards right of birth« he proceeded in answer to those who
objected scruples on that head »Is Richards title of primogeniture more
decidedly certain than that of Duke Robert of Normandy the Conquerors eldest
son And yet William the Red and Henry his second and third brothers were
successively preferred to him by the voice of the nation Robert had every merit
which can be pleaded for Richard he was a bold knight a good leader generous
to his friends and to the church and to crown the whole a crusader and a
conqueror of the Holy Sepulchre and yet he died a blind and miserable prisoner
in the Castle of Cardiff because he opposed himself to the will of the people
who chose that he should not rule over them It is our right« he said »to
choose from the blood royal the prince who is best qualified to hold the supreme
power that is« said he correcting himself »him whose election will best
promote the interests of the nobility In personal qualifications« he added
»it was possible that Prince John might be inferior to his brother Richard but
when it was considered that the latter returned with the sword of vengeance in
his hand while the former held out rewards immunities privileges wealth and
honours it could not be doubted which was the king whom in wisdom the nobility
were called on to support«
These and many more arguments some adapted to the peculiar circumstances
of those whom he addressed had the expected weight with the nobles of Prince
Johns faction Most of them consented to attend the proposed meeting at York
for the purpose of making general arrangements for placing the crown upon the
head of Prince John
It was late at night when worn out and exhausted with his various
exertions however gratified with the result Fitzurse returning to the Castle
of Ashby met with De Bracy who had exchanged his banqueting garments for a
short green kirtle with hose of the same cloth and colour a leathern cap or
headpiece a short sword a horn slung over his shoulder a long bow in his
hand and a bundle of arrows stuck in his belt Had Fitzurse met this figure in
an outer apartment he would have passed him without notice as one of the
yeomen of the guard but finding him in the inner hall he looked at him with
more attention and recognised the Norman knight in the dress of an English
yeoman
»What mummery is this De Bracy« said Fitzurse somewhat angrily »is this
a time for Christmas gambols and quaint maskings when the fate of our master
Prince John is on the very verge of decision Why hast thou not been like me
among these heartless cravens whom the very name of King Richard terrifies as
it is said to do the children of the Saracens«
»I have been attending to mine own business« answered De Bracy calmly »as
you Fitzurse have been minding yours«
»I minding mine own business« echoed Waldemar »I have been engaged in that
of Prince John our joint patron«
»As if thou hadst any other reason for that Waldemar« said De Bracy »than
the promotion of thine own individual interest Come Fitzurse we know each
other ambition is thy pursuit pleasure is mine and they become our different
ages Of Prince John thou thinkest as I do that he is too weak to be a
determined monarch too tyrannical to be an easy monarch too insolent and
presumptuous to be a popular monarch and too fickle and timid to be long a
monarch of any kind But he is a monarch by whom Fitzurse and De Bracy hope to
rise and thrive and therefore you aid him with your policy and I with the
lances of my Free Companions«
»A hopeful auxiliary« said Fitzurse impatiently »playing the fool in the
very moment of utter necessity What on earth dost thou purpose by this absurd
disguise at a moment so urgent«
»To get me a wife« answered de Bracy coolly »after the manner of the
tribe of Benjamin«
»The tribe of Benjamin« said Fitzurse »I comprehend thee not«
»Wert thou not in presence yestereven« said De Bracy »when we heard the
Prior Aymer tell us a tale in reply to the romance which was sung by the
minstrel He told how long since in Palestine a deadly feud arose between
the tribe of Benjamin and the rest of the Israelitish nation and how they cut
to pieces wellnigh all the chivalry of that tribe and how they swore by our
blessed Lady that they would not permit those who remained to marry in their
lineage and how they became grieved for their vow and sent to consult his
holiness the Pope how they might be absolved from it and how by the advice of
the Holy Father the youth of the tribe of Benjamin carried off from a superb
tournament all the ladies who were there present and thus won them wives
without the consent either of their brides or their brides families«
»I have heard the story« said Fitzurse »though either the Prior or thou
hast made some singular alterations in date and circumstances«
»I tell thee« said De Bracy »that I mean to purvey me a wife after the
fashion of the tribe of Benjamin which is as much as to say that in this same
equipment I will fall upon that herd of Saxon bullocks who have this night left
the castle and carry off from them the lovely Rowena«
»Art thou mad De Bracy« said Fitzurse »Bethink thee that though the men
be Saxons they are rich and powerful and regarded with the more respect by
their countrymen that wealth and honour are but the lot of few of Saxon
descent«
»And should belong to none« said De Bracy »the work of the Conquest should
be completed«
»This is no time for it at least« said Fitzurse »the approaching crisis
renders the favour of the multitude indispensable and Prince John cannot refuse
justice to any one who injures their favourites«
»Let him grant it if he dare« said De Bracy »he will soon see the
difference betwixt the support of such a lusty lot of spears as mine and that
of a heartless mob of Saxon churls Yet I mean no immediate discovery of myself
Seem I not in this garb as bold a forester as ever blew horn The blame of the
violence shall rest with the outlaws of the Yorkshire forests I have sure spies
on the Saxons motions Tonight they sleep in the convent of Saint Wittol or
Withold or whatever they call that churl of a Saxon Saint at BurtononTrent
Next days march brings them within our reach and falconways we swoop on
them at once Presently after I will appear in mine own shape play the
courteous knight rescue the unfortunate and afflicted fair one from the hands
of the rude ravishers conduct her to FrontdeBoeufs castle or to Normandy
if it should be necessary and produce her not again to her kindred until she be
the bride and dame of Maurice De Bracy«
»A marvellously sage plan« said Fitzurse »and as I think not entirely of
thine own device Come be frank De Bracy who aided thee in the invention
and who is to assist in the execution for as I think thine own band lies as
far off as York«
»Marry if thou must needs know« said De Bracy »it was the Templar Brian
de BoisGuilbert that shaped out the enterprise which the adventure of the men
of Benjamin suggested to me He is to aid me in the onslaught and he and his
followers will personate the outlaws from whom my valorous arm is after
changing my garb to rescue the lady«
»By my halidome« said Fitzurse »the plan was worthy of your united wisdom
and thy prudence De Bracy is most especially manifested in the project of
leaving the lady in the hands of thy worthy confederate Thou mayest I think
succeed in taking her from her Saxon friends but how thou wilt rescue her
afterwards from the clutches of BoisGuilbert seems considerably more doubtful
He is a falcon well accustomed to pounce on a partridge and to hold his prey
fast«
»He is a Templar« said De Bracy »and cannot therefore rival me in my plan
of wedding this heiress and to attempt aught dishonourable against the
intended bride of De Bracy By Heaven were he a whole Chapter of his Order in
his single person he dared not to do me such an injury«
»Then since nought that I can say« said Fitzurse »will put this folly from
thy imagination for well I know the obstinacy of thy disposition at least
waste as little time as possible let not thy folly be lasting as well as
untimely«
»I tell thee« answered De Bracy »that it will be the work of a few hours
and I shall be at York at the head of my daring and valorous fellows as ready
to support any bold design as thy policy can be to form one But I hear my
comrades assembling and the steeds stamping and neighing in the outer court
Farewell I go like a true knight to win the smiles of beauty«
»Like a true knight« repeated Fitzurse looking after him »like a fool I
should say or like a child who will leave the most serious and needful
occupation to chase the down of the thistle that drives past him But it is
with such tools that I must work and for whose advantage For that of a
Prince as unwise as he is profligate and as likely to be an ungrateful master
as he has already proved a rebellious son and an unnatural brother But he
he too is but one of the tools with which I labour and proud as he is
should he presume to separate his interest from mine this is a secret which he
shall soon learn«
The meditations of the statesman were here interrupted by the voice of the
Prince from an interior apartment calling out »Noble Waldemar Fitzurse« and
with bonnet doffed the future Chancellor for to such high preferment did the
wily Norman aspire hastened to receive the orders of the future sovereign
Chapter Sixteenth
Far in a wild unknown to public view
From youth to age a reverend hermit grew
The moss his bed the cave his humble cell
His food the fruits his drink the crystal well
Remote from man with God he passd his days
Prayer all his business all his pleasure praise
Parnell
The reader cannot have forgotten that the event of the tournament was decided by
the exertions of an unknown knight whom on account of the passive and
indifferent conduct which he had manifested on the former part of the day the
spectators had entitled Le Noir Faineant This knight had left the field
abruptly when the victory was achieved and when he was called upon to receive
the reward of his valour he was nowhere to be found In the meantime while
summoned by heralds and by trumpets the knight was holding his course
northward avoiding all frequented paths and taking the shortest road through
the woodlands He paused for the night at a small hostelry lying out of the
ordinary route where however he obtained from a wandering minstrel news of
the event of the tourney
On the next morning the knight departed early with the intention of making
a long journey the condition of his horse which he had carefully spared during
the preceding morning being such as enabled him to travel far without the
necessity of much repose Yet his purpose was baffled by the devious paths
through which he rode so that when evening closed upon him he only found
himself on the frontiers of the West Riding of Yorkshire By this time both
horse and man required refreshment and it became necessary moreover to look
out for some place in which they might spend the night which was now fast
approaching
The place where the traveller found himself seemed unpropitious for
obtaining either shelter or refreshment and he was likely to be reduced to the
usual expedient of knightserrant who on such occasions turned their horses
to graze and laid themselves down to meditate on their ladymistress with an
oaktree for a canopy But the Black Knight either had no mistress to meditate
upon or being as indifferent in love as he seemed to be in war was not
sufficiently occupied by passionate reflections upon her beauty and cruelty to
be able to parry the effects of fatigue and hunger and suffer love to act as a
substitute for the solid comforts of a bed and supper He felt dissatisfied
therefore when looking around he found himself deeply involved in woods
through which indeed there were many open glades and some paths but such as
seemed only formed by the numerous herds of cattle which grazed in the forest
or by the animals of chase and the hunters who made prey of them
The sun by which the knight had chiefly directed his course had now sunk
behind the Derbyshire hills on his left and every effort which he might take to
pursue his journey was as likely to lead him out of his road as to advance him
on his route After having in vain endeavoured to select the most beaten path
in hopes it might lead to the cottage of some herdsman or the sylvan lodge of a
forester and having repeatedly found himself totally unable to determine on a
choice the knight resolved to trust to the sagacity of his horse experience
having on former occasions made him acquainted with the wonderful talent
possessed by these animals for extricating themselves and their riders on such
emergencies
The good steed grievously fatigued with so long a days journey under a
rider cased in mail had no sooner found by the slackened reins that he was
abandoned to his own guidance than he seemed to assume new strength and spirit
and whereas formerly he had scarce replied to the spur otherwise than by a
groan he now as if proud of the confidence reposed in him pricked up his
ears and assumed of his own accord a more lively motion The path which the
animal adopted rather turned off from the course pursued by the knight during
the day but as the horse seemed confident in his choice the rider abandoned
himself to his discretion
He was justified by the event for the footpath soon after appeared a little
wider and more worn and the tinkle of a small bell gave the knight to
understand that he was in the vicinity of some chapel or hermitage
Accordingly he soon reached an open plat or turf on the opposite side of
which a rock rising abruptly from a gently sloping plain offered its grey and
weatherbeaten front to the traveller Ivy mantled its sides in some places and
in others oaks and holly bushes whose roots found nourishment in the cliffs of
the crag waved over the precipices below like the plumage of the warrior over
his steel helmet giving grace to that whose chief expression was terror At the
bottom of the rock and leaning as it were against it was constructed a rude
hut built chiefly of the trunks of trees felled in the neighbouring forest and
secured against the weather by having its crevices stuffed with moss mingled
with clay The stem of a young firtree lopped of its branches with a piece of
wood tied across near the top was planted upright by the door as a rude emblem
of the holy cross At a little distance on the right hand a fountain of the
purest water trickled out of the rock and was received in a hollow stone which
labour had formed into a rustic basin Escaping from thence the stream murmured
down the descent by a channel which its course had long worn and so wandered
through the little plain to lose itself in the neighbouring wood
Beside this fountain were the ruins of a very small chapel of which the
roof had partly fallen in The building when entire had never been above
sixteen feet long by twelve feet in breadth and the roof low in proportion
rested upon four concentric arches which sprung from the four corners of the
building each supported upon a short and heavy pillar The ribs of two of these
arches remained though the roof had fallen down betwixt them over the others
it remained entire The entrance to this ancient place of devotion was under a
very low round arch ornamented by several courses of that zigzag moulding
resembling sharks teeth which appears so often in the more ancient Saxon
architecture A belfry rose above the porch on four small pillars within which
hung the green and weatherbeaten bell the feeble sounds of which had been some
time before heard by the Black Knight
The whole peaceful and quiet scene lay glimmering in twilight before the
eyes of the traveller giving him good assurance of lodging for the night since
it was a special duty of those hermits who dwelt in the woods to exercise
hospitality towards benighted or bewildered passengers
Accordingly the knight took no time to consider minutely the particulars
which we have detailed but thanking Saint Julian the patron of travellers who
had sent him good harbourage he leaped from his horse and assailed the door of
the hermitage with the butt of his lance in order to arouse attention and gain
admittance
It was some time before he obtained any answer and the reply when made
was unpropitious
»Pass on whosoever thou art« was the answer given by a deep hoarse voice
from within the hut »and disturb not the servant of God and St Dunstan in his
evening devotions«
»Worthy father« answered the knight »here is a poor wanderer bewildered in
these woods who gives thee the opportunity of exercising thy charity and
hospitality«
»Good brother« replied the inhabitant of the hermitage »it has pleased Our
Lady and St Dunstan to destine me for the object of those virtues instead of
the exercise thereof I have no provisions here which even a dog would share
with me and a horse of any tenderness of nurture would despise my couch pass
therefore on thy way and God speed thee«
»But how« replied the knight »is it possible for me to find my way through
such a wood as this when darkness is coming on I pray you reverend father as
you are a Christian to undo your door and at least point out to me my road«
»And I pray you good Christian brother« replied the anchorite »to disturb
me no more You have already interrupted one pater two aves and a credo which
I miserable sinner that I am should according to my vow have said before
moonrise«
»The road the road« vociferated the knight »give me directions for the
road if I am to expect no more from thee«
»The road« replied the hermit »is easy to hit The path from the wood
leads to a morass and from thence to a ford which as the rains have abated
may now be passable When thou hast crossed the ford thou wilt take care of thy
footing up the left bank as it is somewhat precipitous and the path which
hangs over the river has lately as I learn for I seldom leave the duties of
my chapel given way in sundry places Thou wilt then keep straight forward«
»A broken path a precipice a ford and a morass« said the knight
interrupting him »Sir Hermit if you were the holiest that ever wore beard or
told bead you shall scarce prevail on me to hold this road tonight I tell
thee that thou who livest by the charity of the country ill deserved as I
doubt it is hast no right to refuse shelter to the wayfarer when in distress
Either open the door quickly or by the rood I will beat it down and make
entry for myself«
»Friend wayfarer« replied the hermit »be not importunate if thou puttest
me to use the carnal weapon in mine own defence it will be een the worse for
you«
At this moment a distant noise of barking and growling which the traveller
had for some time heard became extremely loud and furious and made the knight
suppose that the hermit alarmed by his threat of making forcible entry had
called the dogs who made this clamour to aid him in his defence out of some
inner recess in which they had been kennelled Incensed at this preparation on
the hermits part for making good his inhospitable purpose the knight struck
the door so furiously with his foot that posts as well as staples shook with
violence
The anchorite not caring again to expose his door to a similar shock now
called out aloud »Patience patience spare thy strength good traveller and
I will presently undo the door though it may be my doing so will be little to
thy pleasure«
The door accordingly was opened and the hermit a large strongbuilt man
in his sackloth gown and hood girt with a rope of rushes stood before the
knight He had in one hand a lighted torch or link and in the other a baton of
crabtree so thick and heavy that it might well be termed a club Two large
shaggy dogs half greyhound half mastiff stood ready to rush upon the traveller
as soon as the door should be opened But when the torch glanced upon the lofty
crest and golden spurs of the knight who stood without the hermit altering
probably his original intentions repressed the rage of his auxiliaries and
changing his tone to a sort of churlish courtesy invited the knight to enter
his hut making excuse for his unwillingness to open his lodge after sunset by
alleging the multitude of robbers and outlaws who were abroad and who gave no
honour to Our Lady or St Dunstan nor to those holy men who spent life in their
service
»The poverty of your cell good father« said the knight looking around
him and seeing nothing but a bed of leaves a crucifix rudely carved in oak a
missal with a roughhewn table and two stools and one or two clumsy articles
of furniture »the poverty of your cell should seem a sufficient defence
against any risk of thieves not to mention the aid of two trusty dogs large
and strong enough I think to pull down a stag and of course to match with
most men«
»The good keeper of the forest« said the hermit »hath allowed me the use
of these animals to protect my solitude until the times shall mend«
Having said this he fixed his torch in a twisted branch of iron which
served for a candlestick and placing the oaken trivet before the embers of the
fire which he refreshed with some dry wood he placed a stool upon one side of
the table and beckoned to the knight to do the same upon the other
They sat down and gazed with great gravity at each other each thinking in
his heart that he had seldom seen a stronger or more athletic figure than was
placed opposite to him
»Reverend hermit« said the knight after looking long and fixedly at his
host »were it not to interrupt your devout meditations I would pray to know
three things of your holiness first where I am to put my horse secondly
what I can have for supper thirdly where I am to take up my couch for the
night«
»I will reply to you« said the hermit »with my finger it being against my
rule to speak by words where signs can answer the purpose« So saying he
pointed successively to two corners of the hut »Your stable« said he »is
there your bed there and« reaching down a platter with two handfuls of
parched pease upon it from the neighbouring shelf and placing it upon the
table he added »your supper is here«
The knight shrugged his shoulders and leaving the hut brought in his horse
which in the interim he had fastened to a tree unsaddled him with much
attention and spread upon the steeds weary back his own mantle
The hermit was apparently somewhat moved to compassion by the anxiety as
well as address which the stranger displayed in tending his horse for
muttering something about provender left for the keepers palfrey he dragged
out of a recess a bundle of forage which he spread before the knights charger
and immediately afterwards shook down a quantity of dried fern in the corner
which he had assigned for the riders couch The knight returned him thanks for
his courtesy and this duty done both resumed their seats by the table
whereon stood the trencher of pease placed between them The hermit after a
long grace which had once been Latin but of which original language few traces
remained excepting here and there the long rolling termination of some word or
phrase set example to his guest by modestly putting into a very large mouth
furnished with teeth which might have ranked with those of a boar both in
sharpness and whiteness some three or four dried pease a miserable grist as it
seemed for so large and able a mill
The knight in order to follow so laudable an example laid aside his
helmet his corselet and the greater part of his armour and showed to the
hermit a head thickcurled with yellow hair high features blue eyes
remarkably bright and sparkling a mouth well formed having an upper lip
clothed with mustaches darker than his hair and bearing altogether the look of
a bold daring and enterprising man with which his strong form well
corresponded
The hermit as if wishing to answer to the confidence of his guest threw
back his cowl and showed a round bullet head belonging to a man in the prime of
life His closeshaven crown surrounded by a circle of stiff curled black hair
had something the appearance of a parish pinfold begirt by its high hedge The
features expressed nothing of monastic austerity or of ascetic privations on
the contrary it was a bold bluff countenance with broad black eyebrows a
wellturned forehead and cheeks as round and vermilion as those of a trumpeter
from which descended a long and curly black beard Such a visage joined to the
brawny form of the holy man spoke rather of sirloins and haunches than of
pease and pulse This incongruity did not escape the guest After he had with
great difficulty accomplished the mastication of a mouthful of the dried pease
he found it absolutely necessary to request his pious entertainer to furnish him
with some liquor who replied to his request by placing before him a large can
of the purest water from the fountain
»It is from the well of Saint Dunstan« said he »in which betwixt sun and
sun he baptized five hundred heathen Danes and Britons blessed be his name«
And applying his black beard to the pitcher he took a draught much more
moderate in quantity than his encomium seemed to warrant
»It seems to me reverend father« said the knight »that the small morsels
which you eat together with this holy but somewhat thin beverage have thriven
with you marvellously You appear a man more fit to win the ram at a wrestling
match or the ring at a bout at quarterstaff or the bucklers at a swordplay
than to linger out your time in this desolate wilderness saying masses and
living upon parched pease and cold water«
»Sir Knight« answered the hermit »your thoughts like those of the
ignorant laity are according to the flesh It has pleased Our Lady and my
patron saint to bless the pittance to which I restrain myself even as the pulse
and water were blessed to the children Shadrach Meshach and Abednego who
drank the same rather than defile themselves with the wine and meats which were
appointed them by the King of the Saracens«
»Holy father« said the knight »upon whose countenance it hath pleased
Heaven to work such a miracle permit a sinful layman to crave thy name«
»Thou mayest call me« answered the hermit »the Clerk of Copmanhurst for
so I am termed in these parts They add it is true the epithet holy but I
stand not upon that as being unworthy of such addition And now valiant
knight may I pray ye for the name of my honourable guest«
»Truly« said the knight »Holy Clerk of Copmanhurst men call me in these
parts the Black Knight many sir add to it the epithet of Sluggard whereby
I am no way ambitious to be distinguished«
The hermit could scarcely forbear from smiling at his guests reply
»I see« said he »Sir Sluggish Knight that thou art a man of prudence and
of counsel and moreover I see that my poor monastic fare likes thee not
accustomed perhaps as thou hast been to the license of courts and camps and
the luxuries of cities and now I bethink me Sir Sluggard that when the
charitable keeper of this forestwalk left these dogs for my protection and
also those bundles of forage he left me also some food which being unfit for
my use the very recollection of it had escaped me amid my more weighty
meditations«
»I dare be sworn he did so« said the knight »I was convinced that there
was better food in the cell Holy Clerk since you first doffed your cowl
Your keeper is ever a jovial fellow and none who beheld thy grinders contending
with these pease and thy throat flooded with this ungenial element could see
thee doomed to such horseprovender and horsebeverage« pointing to the
provisions upon the table »and refrain from mending thy cheer Let us see the
keepers bounty therefore without delay«
The hermit cast a wistful look upon the knight in which there was a sort of
comic expression of hesitation as if uncertain how far he should act prudently
in trusting his guest There was however as much of bold frankness in the
knights countenance as was possible to be expressed by features His smile
too had something in it irresistibly comic and gave an assurance of faith and
loyalty with which his host could not refrain from sympathising
After exchanging a mute glance or two the hermit went to the farther side
of the hut and opened a hutch which was concealed with great care and some
ingenuity Out of the recesses of a dark closet into which this aperture gave
admittance he brought a large pasty baked in a pewter platter of unusual
dimensions This mighty dish he placed before his guest who using his poniard
to cut it open lost no time in making himself acquainted with its contents
»How long is it since the good keeper has been here« said the knight to his
host after having swallowed several hasty morsels of this reinforcement to the
hermits good cheer
»About two months« answered the father hastily
»By the true Lord« answered the knight »every thing in your hermitage is
miraculous Holy Clerk for I would have been sworn that the fat buck which
furnished this venison had been running on foot within the week«
The hermit was somewhat discountenanced by this observation and moreover
he had made but a poor figure while gazing on the diminution of the pasty on
which his guest was making desperate inroads a warfare in which his previous
profession of abstinence left him no pretext for joining
»I have been in Palestine Sir Clerk« said the knight stopping short of a
sudden »and I bethink me it is a custom there that every host who entertains a
guest shall assure him of the wholesomeness of his food by partaking of it
along with him Far be it from me to suspect so holy a man of aught
inhospitable nevertheless I will be highly bound to you would you comply with
this Eastern custom«
»To ease your unnecessary scruples Sir Knight I will for once depart from
my rule« replied the hermit And as there were no forks in those days his
clutches were instantly in the bowels of the pasty
The ice of ceremony being once broken it seemed matter of rivalry between
the guest and the entertainer which should display the best appetite and
although the former had probably fasted longest yet the hermit fairly surpassed
him
»Holy Clerk« said the knight when his hunger was appeased »I would gage
my good horse yonder against a zecchin that that same honest keeper to whom we
are obliged for the venison has left thee a stoup of wine or a runlet of
canary or some such trifle by way of ally to this noble pasty This would be a
circumstance doubtless totally unworthy to dwell in the memory of so rigid an
anchorite yet I think were you to search yonder crypt once more you would
find that I am right in my conjecture«
The hermit replied by a grin and returning to the hutch he produced a
leathern bottle which might contain about four quarts He also brought forth
two large drinking cups made out of the horn of the urus and hooped with
silver Having made this goodly provision for washing down the supper he seemed
to think no further ceremonious scruple necessary on his part but filling both
cups and saying in the Saxon fashion »Waes hael Sir Sluggish Knight« he
emptied his own at a draught
»Drink hael Holy Clerk of Copmanhurst« answered the warrior and did his
host reason in a similar brimmer
»Holy Clerk« said the stranger after the first cup was thus swallowed »I
cannot but marvel that a man possessed of such thews and sinews as thine and
who therewithal shows the talent of so goodly a trencherman should think of
abiding by himself in this wilderness In my judgment you are fitter to keep a
castle or a fort eating of the fat and drinking of the strong than to live
here upon pulse and water or even upon the charity of the keeper At least were
I as thou I should find myself both disport and plenty out of the kings deer
There is many a goodly herd in these forests and a buck will never be missed
that goes to the use of Saint Dunstans chaplain«
»Sir Sluggish Knight« replied the Clerk »these are dangerous words and I
pray you to forbear them I am true hermit to the king and law and were I to
spoil my lieges game I should be sure of the prison and an my gown saved me
not were in some peril of hanging«
»Nevertheless were I as thou« said the knight »I would take my walk by
moonlight when foresters and keepers were warm in bed and ever and anon as
I pattered my prayers I would let fly a shaft among the herds of dun deer
that feed in the glades Resolve me Holy Clerk hast thou never practised such
a pastime«
»Friend Sluggard« answered the hermit »thou hast seen all that can concern
thee of my housekeeping and something more than he deserves who takes up his
quarters by violence Credit me it is better to enjoy the good which God sends
thee than to be impertinently curious how it comes Fill thy cup and welcome
and do not I pray thee by further impertinent inquiries put me to show that
thou couldst hardly have made good thy lodging had I been earnest to oppose
thee«
»By my faith« said the knight »thou makest me more curious than ever Thou
art the most mysterious hermit I ever met and I will know more of thee ere we
part As for thy threats know holy man thou speakest to one whose trade it is
to find out danger wherever it is to be met with«
»Sir Sluggish Knight I drink to thee« said the hermit »respecting thy
valour much but deeming wondrous slightly of thy discretion If thou wilt take
equal arms with me I will give thee in all friendship and brotherly love such
sufficing penance and complete absolution that thou shalt not for the next
twelve months sin the sin of excess and curiosity«
The knight pledged him and desired him to name his weapons
»There is none« replied the hermit »from the scissors of Delilah and the
tenpenny nail of Jael to the scimitar of Goliah at which I am not a match for
thee But if I am to make the election what sayest thou good friend to
these trinkets«
Thus speaking he opened another hutch and took out from it a couple of
broadswords and bucklers such as were used by the yeomanry of the period The
knight who watched his motions observed that this second place of concealment
was furnished with two or three good longbows a crossbow a bundle of bolts
for the latter and halfadozen sheaves of arrows for the former. A harp and
other matters of very uncanonical appearance were also visible when this dark
recess was opened
»I promise thee brother Clerk« said he »I will ask thee no more offensive
questions The contents of that cupboard are an answer to all my inquiries and
I see a weapon there« here he stooped and took out the harp »on which I would
more gladly prove my skill with thee than at the sword and buckler«
»I hope Sir Knight« said the hermit »thou hast given no good reason for
thy surname of the Sluggard I do promise thee I suspect thee grievously
Nevertheless thou art my guest and I will not put thy manhood to the proof
without thine own free will Sit thee down then and fill thy cup let us
drink sing and be merry If thou knowest ever a good lay thou shalt be
welcome to a nook of pasty at Copmanhurst so long as I serve the chapel of Saint
Dunstan which please God shall be till I change my grey covering for one of
green turf But come fill a flagon for it will crave some time to tune the
harp and nought pitches the voice and sharpens the ear like a cup of wine For
my part I love to feel the grape at my very fingerends before they make the
harpstrings tinkle«22
Chapter Seventeenth
At eve within yon studious nook
I ope my brassembossed book
Portrayd with many a holy deed
Of martyrs crownd with heavenly meed
Then as my taper waxes dim
Chant ere I sleep my measured hymn
Who but would cast his pomp away
To take my staff and amice grey
And to the worlds tumultuous stage
Prefer the peaceful Hermitage
Warton
Notwithstanding the prescription of the genial hermit with which his guest
willingly complied he found it no easy matter to bring the harp to harmony
»Methinks holy father« said he »the instrument wants one string and the
rest have been somewhat misused«
»Ay markst thou that« replied the hermit »that shows thee a master of
the craft Wine and wassail« he added gravely casting up his eyes »all the
fault of wine and wassail I told AllanaDale the northern minstrel that he
would damage the harp if he touched it after the seventh cup but he would not
be controlled Friend I drink to thy successful performance«
So saying he took off his cup with much gravity at the same time shaking
his head at the intemperance of the Scottish harper
The knight in the meantime had brought the strings into some order and
after a short prelude asked his host whether he would choose a sirvente in the
language of oc or a lai in the language of oui or a virelai or a ballad in
the vulgar English23
»A ballad a ballad« said the hermit »against all the ocs and ouis of
France Downright English am I Sir Knight and downright English was my patron
Saint Dunstan and scorned oc and oui as he would have scorned the parings of
the devils hoof downright English alone shall be sung in this cell«
»I will essay then« said the knight »a ballad composed by a Saxon
gleeman whom I knew in Holy Land«
It speedily appeared that if the knight was not a complete master of the
minstrel art his taste for it had at least been cultivated under the best
instructors Art had taught him to soften the faults of a voice which had little
compass and was naturally rough rather than mellow and in short had done all
that culture can do in supplying natural deficiencies His performance
therefore might have been termed very respectable by abler judges than the
hermit especially as the knight threw into the notes now a degree of spirit
and now of plaintive enthusiasm which gave force and energy to the verses which
he sung
The Crusaders Return
1
High deeds achieved of knightly fame
From Palestine the champion came
The cross upon his shoulders borne
Battle and blast had dimmd and torn
Each dint upon his batterd shield
Was token of a foughten field
And thus beneath his ladys bower
He sung as fell the twilight hour
2
»Joy to the fair thy knight behold
Returnd from yonder land of gold
No wealth he brings nor wealth can need
Save his good arms and battlesteed
His spurs to dash against a foe
His lance and sword to lay him low
Such all the trophies of his toil
Such and the hope of Teklas smile
3
Joy to the fair whose constant knight
Her favour fired to feats of might
Unnoted shall she not remain
Where meet the bright and noble train
Minstrel shall sing and herald tell
Mark yonder maid of beauty well
Tis she for whose bright eyes was won
The listed field at Askalon
4
Note well her smile it edged the blade
Which fifty wives to widows made
When vain his strength and Mahounds spell
Iconiums turband Soldan fell
Seest thou her locks whose sunny glow
Half shows half shades her neck of snow
Twines not of them one golden thread
But for its sake a Paynim bled
5
Joy to the fair my name unknown
Each deed and all its praise thine own
Then oh unbar this churlish gate
The night dew falls the hour is late
Inured to Syrias glowing breath
I feel the north breeze chill as death
Let grateful love quell maiden shame
And grant him bliss who brings thee fame«
During this performance the hermit demeaned himself much like a firstrate
critic of the present day at a new opera He reclined back upon his seat with
his eyes half shut now folding his hands and twisting his thumbs he seemed
absorbed in attention and anon balancing his expanded palms he gently
flourished them in time to the music At one or two favourite cadences he threw
in a little assistance of his own where the knights voice seemed unable to
carry the air so high as his worshipful taste approved When the song was ended
the anchorite emphatically declared it a good one and well sung
»And yet« said he »I think my Saxon countrymen had herded long enough with
the Normans to fall into the tone of their melancholy ditties What took the
honest knight from home or what could he expect but to find his mistress
agreeably engaged with a rival on his return and his serenade as they call it
as little regarded as the caterwauling of a cat in the gutter Nevertheless Sir
Knight I drink this cup to thee to the success of all true lovers I fear you
are none« he added on observing that the knight whose brain began to be
heated with these repeated draughts qualified his flagon with the water
pitcher
»Why« said the knight »did you not tell me that this water was from the
well of your blessed patron Saint Dunstan«
»Ay truly« said the hermit »and many a hundred of pagans did he baptize
there but I never heard that he drank any of it Everything should be put to
its proper use in this world Saint Dunstan knew as well as any one the
prerogatives of a jovial friar«
And so saying he reached the harp and entertained his guest with the
following characteristic song to a sort of derrydown chorus appropriate to an
old English ditty24
The Barefooted Friar
1
Ill give thee good fellow a twelvemonth or twain
To search Europe through from Byzantium to Spain
But neer shall you find should you search till you tire
So happy a man as the Barefooted Friar
2
Your knight for his lady pricks forth in career
And is brought home at evensong prickd through with a spear
I confess him in haste for his lady desires
No comfort on earth save the Barefooted Friars
3
Your monarch Pshaw many a prince has been known
To barter his robes for our cowl and our gown
But which of us eer felt the idle desire
To exchange for a crown the grey hood of a Friar
4
The Friar has walkd out and whereer he has gone
The land and its fatness is markd for his own
He can roam where he lists he can stop when he tires
For every mans house is the Barefooted Friars
5
Hes expected at noon and no wight till he comes
May profane the great chair or the porridge of plums
For the best of the cheer and the seat by the fire
Is the undenied right of the Barefooted Friar
6
Hes expected at night and the pastys made hot
They broach the brown ale and they fill the black pot
And the goodwife would wish the goodman in the mire
Ere he lackd a soft pillow the Barefooted Friar
7
Long flourish the sandal the cord and the cope
The dread of the devil and trust of the Pope
For to gather lifes roses unscathed by the briar
Is granted alone to the Barefooted Friar
»By my troth« said the knight »thou hast sung well and lustily and in high
praise of thine order And talking of the devil Holy Clerk are you not afraid
he may pay you a visit during some of your uncanonical pastimes«
»I uncanonical« answered the hermit »I scorn the charge I scorn it with
my heels I serve the duty of my chapel duly and truly Two masses daily
morning and evening primes noons and vespers aves credos paters«
»Excepting moonlight nights when the venison is in season« said his guest
»Exceptis excipiendis« replied the hermit »as our old abbot taught me to
say when impertinent laymen should ask me if I kept every punctilio of mine
order«
»True holy father« said the knight »but the devil is apt to keep an eye
on such exceptions he goes about thou knowest like a roaring lion«
»Let him roar here if he dares« said the friar »a touch of my cord will
make him roar as loud as the tongs of Saint Dunstan himself did I never feared
man and I as little fear the devil and his imps Saint Dunstan Saint Dubric
Saint Winibald Saint Winifred Saint Swibert Saint Willick not forgetting
Saint Thomas a Kent and my own poor merits to speed I defy every devil of
them come cut and long tail But to let you into a secret I never speak
upon such subjects my friend until after morning vespers«
He changed the conversation fast and furious grew the mirth of the parties
and many a song was exchanged betwixt them when their revels were interrupted
by a loud knocking at the door of the hermitage
The occasion of this interruption we can only explain by resuming the
adventures of another set of our characters for like old Ariosto we do not
pique ourselves upon continuing uniformly to keep company with any one personage
of our drama
Chapter Eighteenth
Away our journey lies through dell and dingle
Where the blithe fawn trips by its timid mother
Where the broad oak with intercepting boughs
Chequers the sunbeam in the greensward alley
Up and away for lovely paths are these
To tread when the glad sun is on his throne
Less pleasant and less safe when Cynthias lamp
With doubtful glimmer lights the dreary forest
Ettrick Forest
When Cedric the Saxon saw his son drop down senseless in the lists at Ashby his
first impulse was to order him into the custody and care of his own attendants
but the words choked in his throat He could not bring himself to acknowledge
in presence of such an assembly the son whom he had renounced and disinherited
He ordered however Oswald to keep an eye upon him and directed that officer
with two of his serfs to convey Ivanhoe to Ashby as soon as the crowd had
dispersed Oswald however was anticipated in this good office The crowd
dispersed indeed but the knight was nowhere to be seen
It was in vain that Cedrics cupbearer looked around for his young master
he saw the bloody spot on which he had lately sunk down but himself he saw no
longer it seemed as if the fairies had conveyed him from the spot Perhaps
Oswald for the Saxons were very superstitious might have adopted some such
hypothesis to account for Ivanhoes disappearance had he not suddenly cast his
eye upon a person attired like a squire in whom he recognised the features of
his fellowservant Gurth Anxious concerning his masters fate and in despair
at his sudden disappearance the translated swineherd was searching for him
everywhere and had neglected in doing so the concealment on which his own
safety depended Oswald deemed it his duty to secure Gurth as a fugitive of
whose fate his master was to judge
Renewing his inquiries concerning the fate of Ivanhoe the only information
which the cupbearer could collect from the bystanders was that the knight had
been raised with care by certain wellattired grooms and placed in a litter
belonging to a lady among the spectators which had immediately transported him
out of the press Oswald on receiving this intelligence resolved to return to
his master for farther instructions carrying along with him Gurth whom he
considered in some sort as a deserter from the service of Cedric
The Saxon had been under very intense and agonising apprehensions concerning
his son for nature had asserted her rights in spite of the patriotic stoicism
which laboured to disown her But no sooner was he informed that Ivanhoe was in
careful and probably in friendly hands than the paternal anxiety which had
been excited by the dubiety of his fate gave way anew to the feeling of injured
pride and resentment at what he termed Wilfreds filial disobedience »Let him
wander his way« said he »let those leech his wounds for whose sake he
encountered them He is fitter to do the juggling tricks of the Norman chivalry
than to maintain the fame and honour of his English ancestry with the glaive and
brownbill the good old weapons of the country«
»If to maintain the honour of ancestry« said Rowena who was present »it
is sufficient to be wise in council and brave in execution to be boldest among
the bold and gentlest among the gentle I know no voice save his fathers«
»Be silent Lady Rowena on this subject only I hear you not Prepare
yourself for the Princes festival we have been summoned thither with unwonted
circumstance of honour and of courtesy such as the haughty Normans have rarely
used to our race since the fatal day of Hastings Thither will I go were it
only to show these proud Normans how little the fate of a son who could defeat
their bravest can affect a Saxon«
»Thither« said Rowena »do I NOT go and I pray you to beware lest what
you mean for courage and obstinacy shall be accounted hardness of heart«
»Remain at home then ungrateful lady« answered Cedric »thine is the hard
heart which can sacrifice the weal of an oppressed people to an idle and
unauthorised attachment I seek the noble Athelstane and with him attend the
banquet of John of Anjou«
He went accordingly to the banquet of which we have already mentioned the
principal events Immediately upon retiring from the castle the Saxon thanes
with their attendants took horse and it was during the bustle which attended
their doing so that Cedric for the first time cast his eyes upon the deserter
Gurth The noble Saxon had returned from the banquet as we have seen in no
very placid humour and wanted but a pretext for wreaking his anger upon some
one »The gyves« he said »the gyves Oswald Hundibert Dogs and
villains why leave ye the knave unfettered«
Without daring to remonstrate the companions of Gurth bound him with a
halter as the readiest cord which occurred He submitted to the operation
without remonstrance except that darting a reproachful look at his master he
said »This comes of loving your flesh and blood better than mine own«
»To horse and forward« said Cedric
»It is indeed full time« said the noble Athelstane »for if we ride not
the faster the worthy Abbot Waltheoffs preparations for a reresupper25 will
be altogether spoiled«
The travellers however used such speed as to reach the convent of Saint
Witholds before the apprehended evil took place The Abbot himself of ancient
Saxon descent received the noble Saxons with the profuse and exuberant
hospitality of their nation wherein they indulged to a late or rather an early
hour nor did they take leave of their reverend host the next morning until they
had shared with him a sumptuous refection
As the cavalcade left the court of the monastery an incident happened
somewhat alarming to the Saxons who of all people of Europe were most
addicted to a superstitious observance of omens and to whose opinions can be
traced most of those notions upon such subjects still to be found among our
popular antiquities For the Normans being a mixed race and better informed
according to the information of the times had lost most of the superstitious
prejudices which their ancestors had brought from Scandinavia and piqued
themselves upon thinking freely on such topics
In the present instance the apprehension of impending evil was inspired by
no less respectable a prophet than a large lean black dog which sitting
upright howled most piteously as the foremost riders left the gate and
presently afterwards barking wildly and jumping to and fro seemed bent upon
attaching itself to the party
»I like not that music father Cedric« said Athelstane for by this title
of respect he was accustomed to address him »Nor I either uncle« said Wamba
»I greatly fear we shall have to pay the piper«
»In my mind« said Athelstane upon whose memory the Abbots good ale for
Burton was already famous for that genial liquor had made a favourable
impression »in my mind we had better turn back and abide with the Abbot until
the afternoon It is unlucky to travel where your path is crossed by a monk a
hare or a howling dog until you have eaten your next meal«
»Away« said Cedric impatiently »the day is already too short for our
journey For the dog I know it to be the cur of the runaway slave Gurth a
useless fugitive like its master«
So saying and rising at the same time in his stirrups impatient at the
interruption of his journey he launched his javelin at poor Fangs for Fangs
it was who having traced his master thus far upon his stolen expedition had
here lost him and was now in his uncouth way rejoicing at his reappearance
The javelin inflicted a wound upon the animals shoulder and narrowly missed
pinning him to the earth and Fangs fled howling from the presence of the
enraged thane Gurths heart swelled within him for he felt this meditated
slaughter of his faithful adherent in a degree much deeper than the harsh
treatment he had himself received Having in vain attempted to raise his hand to
his eyes he said to Wamba who seeing his masters illhumour had prudently
retreated to the rear »I pray thee do me the kindness to wipe my eyes with the
skirt of thy mantle the dust offends me and these bonds will not let me help
myself one way or another«
Wamba did him the service he required and they rode side by side for some
time during which Gurth maintained a moody silence At length he could repress
his feelings no longer
»Friend Wamba« said he »of all those who are fools enough to serve Cedric
thou alone hast dexterity enough to make thy folly acceptable to him Go to him
therefore and tell him that neither for love nor fear will Gurth serve him
longer He may strike the head from me he may scourge me he may load me with
irons but henceforth he shall never compel me either to love or to obey him
Go to him then and tell him that Gurth the son of Beowulph renounces his
service«
»Assuredly« said Wamba »fool as I am I shall not do your fools errand
Cedric hath another javelin stuck into his girdle and thou knowest he does not
always miss his mark«
»I care not« replied Gurth »how soon he makes a mark of me Yesterday he
left Wilfred my young master in his blood Today he has striven to kill
before my face the only other living creature that ever showed me kindness By
Saint Edmund Saint Dunstan Saint Withold Saint Edward the Confessor and
every other Saxon saint in the calendar« for Cedric never swore by any that was
not of Saxon lineage and all his household had the same limited devotion »I
will never forgive him«
»To my thinking now« said the Jester who was frequently wont to act as
peacemaker in the family »our master did not propose to hurt Fangs but only to
affright him For if you observed he rose in his stirrups as thereby meaning
to overcast the mark and so he would have done but Fangs happening to bound
up at the very moment received a scratch which I will be bound to heal with a
pennys breadth of tar«
»If I thought so« said Gurth »if I could but think so but no I saw
the javelin was well aimed I heard it whizz through the air with all the
wrathful malevolence of him who cast it and it quivered after it had pitched in
the ground as if with regret for having missed its mark By the hog dear to
Saint Anthony I renounce him«
And the indignant swineherd resumed his sullen silence which no efforts of
the Jester could again induce him to break
Meanwhile Cedric and Athelstane the leaders of the troop conversed
together on the state of the land on the dissensions of the royal family on
the feuds and quarrels among the Norman nobles and on the chance which there
was that the oppressed Saxons might be able to free themselves from the yoke of
the Normans or at least to elevate themselves into national consequence and
independence during the civil convulsions which were likely to ensue On this
subject Cedric was all animation The restoration of the independence of his
race was the idol of his heart to which he had willingly sacrificed domestic
happiness and the interests of his son But in order to achieve this great
revolution in favour of the native English it was necessary that they should be
united among themselves and act under an acknowledged head The necessity of
choosing their chief from the Saxon bloodroyal was not only evident in itself,
but had been made a solemn condition by those whom Cedric had intrusted with his
secret plans and hopes Athelstane had this quality at least and though he had
few mental accomplishments or talents to recommend him as a leader he had still
a goodly person was no coward had been accustomed to martial exercises and
seemed willing to defer to the advice of counsellors more wise than himself
Above all he was known to be liberal and hospitable and believed to be
goodnatured But whatever pretensions Athelstane had to be considered as head
of the Saxon confederacy many of that nation were disposed to prefer to his the
title of the Lady Rowena who drew her descent from Alfred and whose father
having been a chief renowned for wisdom courage and generosity his memory was
highly honoured by his oppressed countrymen
It would have been no difficult thing for Cedric had he been so disposed
to have placed himself at the head of a third party as formidable at least as
any of the others To counterbalance their royal descent he had courage
activity energy and above all that devoted attachment to the cause which had
procured him the epithet of THE SAXON and his birth was inferior to none
excepting only that of Athelstane and his ward These qualities however were
unalloyed by the slightest shade of selfishness and instead of dividing yet
farther his weakened nation by forming a faction of his own it was a leading
part of Cedrics plan to extinguish that which already existed by promoting a
marriage betwixt Rowena and Athelstane An obstacle occurred to this his
favourite project in the mutual attachment of his ward and his son and hence
the original cause of the banishment of Wilfred from the house of his father
This stern measure Cedric had adopted in hopes that during Wilfreds
absence Rowena might relinquish her preference but in this hope he was
disappointed a disappointment which might be attributed in part to the mode in
which his ward had been educated Cedric to whom the name of Alfred was as that
of a deity had treated the sole remaining scion of that great monarch with a
degree of observance such as perhaps was in those days scarce paid to an
acknowledged princess Rowenas will had been in almost all cases a law to his
household and Cedric himself as if determined that her sovereignty should be
fully acknowledged within that little circle at least seemed to take a pride in
acting as the first of her subjects Thus trained in the exercise not only of
free will but despotic authority Rowena was by her previous education
disposed both to resist and to resent any attempt to control her affections or
dispose of her hand contrary to her inclinations and to assert her independence
in a case in which even those females who have been trained up to obedience and
subjection are not infrequently apt to dispute the authority of guardians and
parents The opinions which she felt strongly she avowed boldly and Cedric
who could not free himself from his habitual deference to her opinions felt
totally at a loss how to enforce his authority of guardian
It was in vain that he attempted to dazzle her with the prospect of a
visionary throne Rowena who possessed strong sense neither considered his
plan as practicable nor as desirable so far as she was concerned could it
have been achieved Without attempting to conceal her avowed preference of
Wilfred of Ivanhoe she declared that were that favoured knight out of
question she would rather take refuge in a convent than share a throne with
Athelstane whom having always despised she now began on account of the
trouble she received on his account thoroughly to detest
Nevertheless Cedric whose opinion of womens constancy was far from
strong persisted in using every means in his power to bring about the proposed
match in which he conceived he was rendering an important service to the Saxon
cause The sudden and romantic appearance of his son in the lists at Ashby he
had justly regarded as almost a deaths blow to his hopes His paternal
affection it is true had for an instant gained the victory over pride and
patriotism but both had returned in full force and under their joint
operation he was now bent upon making a determined effort for the union of
Athelstane and Rowena together with expediting those other measures which
seemed necessary to forward the restoration of Saxon independence
On this last subject he was now labouring with Athelstane not without
having reason every now and then to lament like Hotspur that he should have
moved such a dish of skimmed milk to so honourable an action Athelstane it is
true was vain enough and loved to have his ears tickled with tales of his high
descent and of his right by inheritance to homage and sovereignty But his
petty vanity was sufficiently gratified by receiving this homage at the hands of
his immediate attendants and of the Saxons who approached him If he had the
courage to encounter danger he at least hated the trouble of going to seek it
and while he agreed in the general principles laid down by Cedric concerning the
claim of the Saxons to independence and was still more easily convinced of his
own title to reign over them when that independence should be attained yet when
the means of asserting these rights came to be discussed he was still
»Athelstane the Unready« slow irresolute procrastinating and unenterprising
The warm and impassioned exhortations of Cedric had as little effect upon his
impassive temper as redhot balls alighting to the water which produce a
little sound and smoke and are instantly extinguished
If leaving this task which might be compared to spurring a tired jade or
to hammering upon cold iron Cedric fell back to his ward Rowena he received
little more satisfaction from conferring with her For as his presence
interrupted the discourse between the lady and her favourite attendant upon the
gallantry and fate of Wilfred Elgitha failed not to revenge both her mistress
and herself by recurring to the overthrow of Athelstane in the lists the most
disagreeable subject which could greet the ears of Cedric To this sturdy Saxon
therefore the days journey was fraught with all manner of displeasure and
discomfort so that he more than once internally cursed the tournament and him
who had proclaimed it together with his own folly in ever thinking of going
thither
At noon upon the motion of Athelstane the travellers paused in a woodland
shade by a fountain to repose their horses and partake of some provisions with
which the hospitable Abbot had loaded a sumpter mule Their repast was a pretty
long one and these several interruptions rendered it impossible for them to
hope to reach Rotherwood without travelling all night a conviction which
induced them to proceed on their way at a more hasty pace than they had hitherto
used
Chapter Nineteenth
A train of armed men some noble dame
Escorting so their scatterd words discoverd
As unperceived I hung upon their rear
Are close at hand and mean to pass the night
Within the castle
Orra a Tragedy
The travellers had now reached the verge of the wooded country and were about
to plunge into its recesses held dangerous at that time from the number of
outlaws whom oppression and poverty had driven to despair and who occupied the
forests in such large bands as could easily bid defiance to the feeble police of
the period From these rovers however notwithstanding the lateness of the
hour Cedric and Athelstane accounted themselves secure as they had in
attendance ten servants besides Wamba and Gurth whose aid could not be counted
upon the one being a jester and the other a captive It may be added that in
travelling thus late through the forest Cedric and Athelstane relied on their
descent and character as well as their courage The outlaws whom the severity
of the forest laws had reduced to this roving and desperate mode of life were
chiefly peasants and yeomen of Saxon descent and were generally supposed to
respect the persons and property of their countrymen
As the travellers journeyed on their way they were alarmed by repeated
cries for assistance and when they rode up to the place from whence they came
they were surprised to find a horselitter placed upon the ground beside which
sat a young woman richly dressed in the Jewish fashion while an old man whose
yellow cap proclaimed him to belong to the same nation walked up and down with
gestures of the deepest despair and wrung his hands as if affected by some
strange disaster
To the inquiries of Athelstane and Cedric the old Jew could for some time
only answer by invoking the protection of all the patriarchs of the Old
Testament successively against the sons of Ishmael who were coming to smite
them hip and thigh with the edge of the sword When he began to come to
himself out of this agony of terror Isaac of York for it was our old friend
was at length able to explain that he had hired a bodyguard of six men at
Ashby together with mules for carrying the litter of a sick friend This party
had undertaken to escort him as far as Doncaster They had come thus far in
safety but having received information from a woodcutter that there was a
strong band of outlaws lying in wait in the woods before them Isaacs
mercenaries had not only taken flight but had carried off with them the horses
which bore the litter and left the Jew and his daughter without the means
either of defence or of retreat to be plundered and probably murdered by the
banditti whom they expected every moment would bring down upon them »Would it
but please your valours« added Isaac in a tone of deep humiliation »to permit
the poor Jews to travel under your safeguard I swear by the tables of our law
that never has favour been conferred upon a child of Israel since the days of
our captivity which shall be more gratefully acknowledged«
»Dog of a Jew« said Athelstane whose memory was of that petty kind which
stores up trifles of all kinds but particularly trifling offences »dost not
remember how thou didst beard us in the gallery at the tiltyard Fight or flee
or compound with the outlaws as thou dost list ask neither aid nor company from
us and if they rob only such as thee who rob all the world I for mine own
share shall hold them right honest folk«
Cedric did not assent to the severe proposal of his companion »We shall do
better« said he »to leave them two of our attendants and two horses to convey
them back to the next village It will diminish our strength but little and
with your good sword noble Athelstane and the aid of those who remain it will
be light work for us to face twenty of those runagates«
Rowena somewhat alarmed by the mention of outlaws in force and so near
them strongly seconded the proposal of her guardian But Rebecca suddenly
quitting her dejected posture and making her way through the attendants to the
palfrey of the Saxon lady knelt down and after the Oriental fashion in
addressing superiors kissed the hem of Rowenas garment Then rising and
throwing back her veil she implored her in the great name of the God whom they
both worshipped and by that revelation of the law upon Mount Sinai in which
they both believed that she would have compassion upon them and suffer them to
go forward under their safeguard »It is not for myself that I pray this
favour« said Rebecca »nor is it even for that poor old man I know that to
wrong and to spoil our nation is a light fault if not a merit with the
Christians and what is it to us whether it be done in the city in the desert
or in the field But it is in the name of one dear to many and dear even to
you that I beseech you to let this sick person be transported with care and
tenderness under your protection For if evil chance him the last moment of
your life would be imbittered with regret for denying that which I ask of you«
The noble and solemn air with which Rebecca made this appeal gave it double
weight with the fair Saxon
»The man is old and feeble« she said to her guardian »the maiden young and
beautiful their friend sick and in peril of his life Jews though they be we
cannot as Christians leave them in this extremity Let them unload two of the
sumptermules and put the baggage behind two of the serfs The mules may
transport the litter and we have led horses for the old man and his daughter«
Cedric readily assented to what she proposed and Athelstane only added the
condition »that they should travel in the rear of the whole party where
Wamba« he said »might attend them with his shield of boars brawn«
»I have left my shield in the tiltyard« answered the Jester »as has been
the fate of many a better knight than myself«
Athelstane coloured deeply for such had been his own fate on the last day
of the tournament while Rowena who was pleased in the same proportion as if
to make amends for the brutal jest of her unfeeling suitor requested Rebecca to
ride by her side
»It were not fit I should do so« answered Rebecca with proud humility
»where my society might be held a disgrace to my protectress«
By this time the change of baggage was hastily achieved for the single word
»outlaws« rendered every one sufficiently alert and the approach of twilight
made the sound yet more impressive Amid the bustle Gurth was taken from
horseback in the course of which removal he prevailed upon the Jester to slack
the cord with which his arms were bound It was so negligently refastened
perhaps intentionally on the part of Wamba that Gurth found no difficulty in
freeing his arms altogether from bondage and then gliding into the thicket he
made his escape from the party
The bustle had been considerable and it was some time before Gurth was
missed for as he was to be placed for the rest of the journey behind a
servant every one supposed that some other of his companions had him under his
custody and when it began to be whispered among them that Gurth had actually
disappeared they were under such immediate expectation of an attack from the
outlaws that it was not held convenient to pay much attention to the
circumstance
The path upon which the party travelled was now so narrow as not to admit
with any sort of convenience above two riders abreast and began to descend
into a dingle traversed by a brook whose banks were broken swampy and
overgrown with dwarf willows Cedric and Athelstane who were at the head of
their retinue saw the risk of being attacked at this pass but neither of them
having had much practice in war no better mode of preventing the danger
occurred to them than that they should hasten through the defile as fast as
possible Advancing therefore without much order they had just crossed the
brook with a part of their followers when they were assailed in front flank
and rear at once with an impetuosity to which in their confused and
illprepared condition it was impossible to offer effectual resistance The
shout of »A white dragon a white dragon Saint George for merry England«
warcries adopted by the assailants as belonging to their assumed character of
Saxon outlaws was heard on every side and on every side enemies appeared with
a rapidity of advance and attack which seemed to multiply their numbers
Both the Saxon chiefs were made prisoners at the same moment and each under
circumstances expressive of his character Cedric the instant an enemy
appeared launched at him his remaining javelin which taking better effect
than that which he had hurled at Fangs nailed the man against an oaktree that
happened to be close behind him Thus far successful Cedric spurred his horse
against a second drawing his sword at the same time and striking with such
inconsiderate fury that his weapon encountered a thick branch which hung over
him and he was disarmed by the violence of his own blow He was instantly made
prisoner and pulled from his horse by two or three of the banditti who crowded
around him Athelstane shared his captivity his bridle having been seized and
he himself forcibly dismounted long before he could draw his weapon or assume
any posture of effectual defence
The attendants embarrassed with baggage surprised and terrified at the
fate of their master fell an easy prey to the assailants while the Lady
Rowena in the centre of the cavalcade and the Jew and his daughter in the
rear experienced the same misfortune
Of all the train none escaped except Wamba who showed upon the occasion
much more courage than those who pretended to greater sense He possessed
himself of a sword belonging to one of the domestics who was just drawing it
with a tardy and irresolute hand laid it about him like a lion drove back
several who approached him and made a brave though ineffectual attempt to
succour his master Finding himself overpowered the Jester at length threw
himself from his horse plunged into the thicket and favoured by the general
confusion escaped from the scene of action
Yet the valiant Jester as soon as he found himself safe hesitated more
than once whether he should not turn back and share the captivity of a master to
whom he was sincerely attached
»I have heard men talk of the blessings of freedom« he said to himself
»but I wish any wise man would teach me what use to make of it now that I have
it«
As he pronounced these words aloud a voice very near him called out in a
low and cautious tone »Wamba« and at the same time a dog which he
recognised to be Fangs jumped up and fawned upon him
»Gurth« answered Wamba with the same caution and the swineherd
immediately stood before him
»What is the matter« said he eagerly »what mean these cries and that
clashing of swords«
»Only a trick of the times« said Wamba »they are all prisoners«
»Who are prisoners« exclaimed Gurth impatiently
»My lord and my lady and Athelstane and Hundibert and Oswald«
»In the name of God« said Gurth »how came they prisoners and to whom«
»Our master was too ready to fight« said the Jester »and Athelstane was
not ready enough and no other person was ready at all And they are prisoners
to green cassocks and black visors And they lie all tumbled about on the
green like the crabapples that you shake down to your swine And I would laugh
at it« said the honest Jester »if I could for weeping« And he shed tears of
unfeigned sorrow
Gurths countenance kindled »Wamba« he said »thou hast a weapon and thy
heart was ever stronger than thy brain we are only two but a sudden attack
from men of resolution will do much follow me«
»Whither and for what purpose« said the Jester
»To rescue Cedric«
»But you have renounced his service but now« said Wamba
»That« said Gurth »was but while he was fortunate follow me«
As the Jester was about to obey a third person suddenly made his
appearance and commanded them both to halt From his dress and arms Wamba
would have conjectured him to be one of those outlaws who had just assailed his
master but besides that he wore no mask the glittering baldric across his
shoulder with the rich buglehorn which it supported as well as the calm and
commanding expression of his voice and manner made him notwithstanding the
twilight recognise Locksley the yeoman who had been victorious under such
disadvantageous circumstances in the contest for the prize of archery
»What is the meaning of all this« said he »or who is it that rifle and
ransom and make prisoners in these forests«
»You may look at their cassocks close by« said Wamba »and see whether they
be thy childrens coats or no for they are as like thine own as one green
peacod is to another«
»I will learn that presently« answered Locksley »and I charge ye on peril
of your lives not to stir from the place where ye stand until I have returned
Obey me and it shall be the better for you and your masters Yet stay I must
render myself as like these men as possible«
So saying he unbuckled his baldric with the bugle took a feather from his
cap and gave them to Wamba then drew a vizard from his pouch and repeating
his charges to them to stand fast went to execute his purposes of
reconnoitring
»Shall we stand fast Gurth« said Wamba »or shall we een give him leg
bail In my foolish mind he had all the equipage of a thief too much in
readiness to be himself a true man«
»Let him be the devil« said Gurth »an he will We can be no worse of
waiting his return If he belong to that party he must already have given them
the alarm and it will avail nothing either to fight or to fly Besides I have
late experience that arrant thieves are not the worst men in the world to have
to deal with«
The yeoman returned in the course of a few minutes
»Friend Gurth« he said »I have mingled among yon men and have learned to
whom they belong and whither they are bound There is I think no chance that
they will proceed to any actual violence against their prisoners For three men
to attempt them at this moment were little else than madness for they are good
men of war and have as such placed sentinels to give the alarm when any one
approaches But I trust soon to gather such a force as may act in defiance of
all their precautions you are both servants and as I think faithful
servants of Cedric the Saxon the friend of the rights of Englishmen He shall
not want English hands to help him in this extremity Come then with me until
I gather more aid«
So saying he walked through the wood at a great pace followed by the
jester and the swineherd It was not consistent with Wambas humour to travel
long in silence
»I think« said he looking at the baldric and bugle which he still carried
»that I saw the arrow shot which won this gay prize and that not so long since
as Christmas«
»And I« said Gurth »could take it on my halidome that I have heard the
voice of the good yeoman who won it by night as well as by day and that the
moon is not three days older since I did so«
»Mine honest friends« replied the yeoman »who or what I am is little to
the present purpose should I free your master you will have reason to think me
the best friend you have ever had in your lives And whether I am known by one
name or another or whether I can draw a bow as well or better than a
cowkeeper or whether it is my pleasure to walk in sunshine or by moonlight
are matters which as they do not concern you so neither need ye busy
yourselves respecting them«
»Our heads are in the lions mouth« said Wamba in a whisper to Gurth »get
them out how we can«
»Hush be silent« said Gurth »Offend him not by thy folly and I trust
sincerely that all will go well«
Chapter Twentieth
When autumn nights were long and drear
And forest walks were dark and dim
How sweetly on the pilgrims ear
Was wont to steal the hermits hymn
Devotion borrows Musics tone
And Music took Devotions wing
And like the bird that hails the sun
They soar to heaven and soaring sing
The Hermit of St Clements Well
It was after three hours good walking that the servants of Cedric with their
mysterious guide arrived at a small opening in the forest in the centre of
which grew an oaktree of enormous magnitude throwing its twisted branches in
every direction Beneath this tree four or five yeomen lay stretched on the
ground while another as sentinel walked to and fro in the moonlight shade
Upon hearing the sound of feet approaching the watch instantly gave the
alarm and the sleepers as suddenly started up and bent their bows Six arrows
placed on the string were pointed towards the quarter from which the travellers
approached when their guide being recognised was welcomed with every token of
respect and attachment and all signs and fears of a rough reception at once
subsided
»Where is the Miller« was his first question
»On the road towards Rotherham«
»With how many« demanded the leader for such he seemed to be
»With six men and good hope of booty if it please Saint Nicholas«
»Devoutly spoken« said Locksley »and where is AllanaDale«
»Walked up towards the Watling Street to watch for the Prior of Jorvaulx«
»That is well thought on also« replied the captain »and where is the
Friar«
»In his cell«
»Thither will I go« said Locksley »Disperse and seek your companions
Collect what force you can for theres game afoot that must be hunted hard and
will turn to bay Meet me here by daybreak And stay« he added »I have
forgotten what is most necessary of the whole Two of you take the road quickly
towards Torquilstone the Castle of FrontdeBoeuf A set of gallants who have
been masquerading in such guise as our own are carrying a band of prisoners
thither Watch them closely for even if they reach the castle before we
collect our force our honour is concerned to punish them and we will find
means to do so Keep a close watch on them therefore and despatch one of your
comrades the lightest of foot to bring the news of the yeomen thereabout«
They promised implicit obedience and departed with alacrity on their
different errands In the meanwhile their leader and his two companions who
now looked upon him with great respect as well as some fear pursued their way
to the chapel of Copmanhurst
When they had reached the little moonlight glade having in front the
reverend though ruinous chapel and the rude hermitage so well suited to
ascetic devotion Wamba whispered to Gurth »If this be the habitation of a
thief it makes good the old proverb The nearer the church the farther from
God And by my cockscomb« he added »I think it be even so Hearken but to
the black sanctus which they are singing in the hermitage«
In fact the anchorite and his guest were performing at the full extent of
their very powerful lungs an old drinkingsong of which this was the burden
»Come trowl the brown bowl to me
Bully boy bully boy
Come trowl the brown bowl to me
Ho jolly Jenkin I spy a knave in drinking
Come trowl the brown bowl to me«
»Now that is not ill sung« said Wamba who had thrown in a few of his own
flourishes to help out the chorus »But who in the saints name ever expected
to have heard such a jolly chant come from out a hermits cell at midnight«
»Marry that should I« said Gurth »for the jolly Clerk of Copmanhurst is a
known man and kills half the deer that are stolen in this walk Men say that
the keeper has complained to his official and that he will be stripped of his
cowl and cope altogether if he keep not better order«
»While they were thus speaking« Locksleys loud and repeated knocks had at
length disturbed the anchorite and his guest »By my beads« said the hermit
stopping short in a grand flourish »here come more benighted guests I would
not for my cowl that they found us in this goodly exercise All men have their
enemies good Sir Sluggard and there be those malignant enough to construe the
hospitable refreshment which I have been offering to you a weary traveller for
the matter of three short hours into sheer drunkenness and debauchery vices
alike alien to my profession and my disposition«
»Base calumniators« replied the knight »I would I had the chastising of
them Nevertheless Holy Clerk it is true that all have their enemies and
there be those in this very land whom I would rather speak to through the bars
of my helmet than barefaced«
»Get thine iron pot on thy head then friend Sluggard as quickly as thy
nature will permit« said the hermit »while I remove these pewter flagons
whose late contents run strangely in mine own pate and to drown the clatter
for in faith I feel somewhat unsteady strike into the tune which thou
hearest me sing it is no matter for the words I scarce know them myself«
So saying he struck up a thundering De profundis clamavi under cover of
which he removed the apparatus of their banquet while the knight laughing
heartily and arming himself all the while assisted his host with his voice
from time to time as his mirth permitted
»What devils matins are you after at this hour« said a voice from without
»Heaven forgive you Sir Traveller« said the hermit whose own noise and
perhaps his nocturnal potations prevented from recognising accents which were
tolerably familiar to him »Wend on your way in the name of God and Saint
Dunstan and disturb not the devotions of me and my holy brother«
»Mad priest« answered the voice from without »open to Locksley«
»Alls safe alls right« said the hermit to his companion
»But who is he« said the Black Knight »it imports me much to know«
»Who is he« answered the hermit »I tell thee he is a friend«
»But what friend« answered the knight »for he may be friend to thee and
none of mine«
»What friend« replied the hermit »that now is one of the questions that
is more easily asked than answered What friend why he is now that I
bethink me a little the very same honest keeper I told thee of a while since«
»Ay as honest a keeper as thou art a pious hermit« replied the knight »I
doubt it not But undo the door to him before he beat it from its hinges«
The dogs in the meantime which had made a dreadful baying at the
commencement of the disturbance seemed now to recognise the voice of him who
stood without for totally changing their manner they scratched and whined at
the door as if interceding for his admission The hermit speedily unbolted his
portal and admitted Locksley with his two companions
»Why hermit« was the yeomans first question as soon as he beheld the
knight »what boon companion hast thou here«
»A brother of our order« replied the friar shaking his head »we have been
at our orisons all night«
»He is a monk of the church militant I think« answered Locksley and there
be more of them abroad »I tell thee friar thou must lay down the rosary and
take up the quarterstaff we shall need every one of our merry men whether
clerk or layman But« he added taking him a step aside »art thou mad to
give admittance to a knight thou dost not know Hast thou forgot our articles«
»Not know him« replied the friar boldly »I know him as well as the beggar
knows his dish«
»And what is his name then« demanded Locksley
»His name« said the hermit »his name is Sir Anthony of Scrablestone as
if I would drink with a man and did not know his name«
»Thou hast been drinking more than enough friar« said the woodsman »and
I fear prating more than enough too«
»Good yeoman« said the knight coming forward »be not wroth with my merry
host He did but afford me the hospitality which I would have compelled from him
if he had refused it«
»Thou compel« said the friar »wait but till I have changed this grey gown
for a green cassock and if I make not a quarterstaff ring twelve upon thy pate
I am neither true clerk nor good woodsman«
While he spoke thus he stripped off his gown and appeared in a close black
buckram doublet and drawers over which he speedily did on a cassock of green
and hose of the same colour »I pray thee truss my points« said he to Wamba
»and thou shalt have a cup of sack for thy labour«
»Gramercy for thy sack« said Wamba »but thinkst thou it is lawful for me
to aid you to transmew thyself from a holy hermit into a sinful forester«
»Never fear« said the hermit »I will but confess the sins of my green
cloak to my grey friars frock and all shall be well again«
»Amen« answered the Jester »a broadcloth penitent should have a sackcloth
confessor and your frock may absolve my motley doublet into the bargain«
So saying he accommodated the friar with his assistance in tying the
endless number of points as the laces which attached the hose to the doublet
were then termed
While they were thus employed Locksley led the knight a little apart and
addressed him thus »Deny it not Sir Knight you are he who decided the
victory to the advantage of the English against the strangers on the second day
of the tournament at Ashby«
»And what follows if you guess truly good yeoman« replied the knight
»I should in that case hold you« replied the yeoman »a friend to the
weaker party«
»Such is the duty of a true knight at least« replied the Black Champion
»and I would not willingly that there were reason to think otherwise of me«
»But for my purpose« said the yeoman »thou shouldst be as well a good
Englishman as a good knight for that which I have to speak of concerns indeed
the duty of every honest man but is more especially that of a trueborn native
of England«
»You can speak to no one« replied the knight »to whom England and the
life of every Englishman can be dearer than to me«
»I would willingly believe so« said the woodsman »for never had this
country such need to be supported by those who love her Hear me and I will
tell thee of an enterprise in which if thou best really that which thou
seemest thou mayest take an honourable part A band of villains in the
disguise of better men than themselves have made themselves master of the
person of a noble Englishman called Cedric the Saxon together with his ward
and his friend Athelstane of Coningsburgh and have transported them to a
castle in this forest called Torquilstone I ask of thee as a good knight and
a good Englishman wilt thou aid in their rescue«
»I am bound by my vow to do so« replied the knight »but I would willingly
know who you are who request my assistance in their behalf«
»I am« said the forester »a nameless man but I am the friend of my
country and of my countrys friends With this account of me you must for the
present remain satisfied the more especially since you yourself desire to
continue unknown Believe however that my word when pledged is as inviolate
as if I wore golden spurs«
»I willingly believe it« said the knight »I have been accustomed to study
mens countenances and I can read in thine honesty and resolution I will
therefore ask thee no farther questions but aid thee in setting at freedom
these oppressed captives which done I trust we shall part better acquainted
and well satisfied with each other«
»So« said Wamba to Gurth for the friar being now fully equipped the
Jester having approached to the other side of the hut had heard the conclusion
of the conversation »So we have got a new ally I trust the valour of the
knight will be truer metal than the religion of the hermit or the honesty of
the yeoman for this Locksley looks like a born deerstealer and the priest
like a lusty hypocrite«
»Hold thy peace Wamba« said Gurth »it may all be as thou dost guess but
were the horned devil to rise and proffer me his assistance to set at liberty
Cedric and the Lady Rowena I fear I should hardly have religion enough to
refuse the foul fiends offer and bid him get behind me«
The friar was now completely accoutred as a yeoman with sword and buckler
bow and quiver and a strong partisan over his shoulder He left his cell at the
head of the party and having carefully locked the door deposited the key
under the threshold
»Art thou in condition to do good service friar« said Locksley »or does
the brown bowl still run in thy head«
»Not more than a draught of Saint Dunstans fountain will allay« answered
the priest »something there is of a whizzing in my brain and of instability in
my legs but you shall presently see both pass away«
So saying he stepped to the stone basin in which the waters of the
fountain as they fell formed bubbles which danced in the white moonlight and
took so long a draught as if he had meant to exhaust the spring
»When didst thou drink as deep a draught of water before Holy Clerk of
Copmanhurst« said the Black Knight
»Never since my winebutt leaked and let out its liquor by an illegal
vent« replied the friar »and so left me nothing to drink but my patrons
bounty here«
Then plunging his hands and head into the fountain he washed from them all
marks of the midnight revel
Thus refreshed and sobered the jolly priest twirled his heavy partisan
round his head with three fingers as if he had been balancing a reed
exclaiming at the same time »Where be those false ravishers who carry off
wenches against their will May the foul fiend fly off with me if I am not man
enough for a dozen of them«
»Swearest thou Holy Clerk« said the Black Knight
»Clerk me no Clerks« replied the transformed priest »by Saint George and
the Dragon I am no longer a shaveling than while my frock is on my back When
I am cased in my green cassock I will drink swear and woo a lass with any
blithe forester in the West Riding«
»Come on Jack Priest« said Locksley »and be silent thou art as noisy as
a whole convent on a holy eve when the Father Abbot has gone to bed Come on
you too my masters tarry not to talk of it I say come on we must collect
all our forces and few enough we shall have if we are to storm the Castle of
Reginald FrontdeBoeuf«
»What is it FrontdeBoeuf« said the Black Knight »who has stopped on the
kings highway the kings liege subjects Is he turned thief and oppressor«
»Oppressor he ever was« said Locksley
»And for thief« said the priest »I doubt if ever he were even half so
honest a man as many a thief of my aquaintance«
»Move on priest and be silent« said the yeoman »it were better you led
the way to the place of rendezvous than say what should be left unsaid both in
decency and prudence«
Chapter TwentyFirst
Alas how many hours and years have passd
Since human forms have round this table sate
Or lamp or taper on its surface gleamd
Methinks I hear the sound of time long past
Still murmuring oer us in the lofty void
Of these dark arches like the lingring voices
Of those who long within their graves have slept
Orra a Tragedy
While these measures were taking in behalf of Cedric and his companions the
armed men by whom the latter had been seized hurried their captives along
towards the place of security where they intended to imprison them But
darkness came on fast and the paths of the wood seemed but imperfectly known to
the marauders They were compelled to make several long halts and once or twice
to return on their road to resume the direction which they wished to pursue The
summer morn had dawned upon them ere they could travel in full assurance that
they held the right path But confidence returned with light and the cavalcade
now moved rapidly forward Meanwhile the following dialogue took place between
the two leaders of the banditti
»It is time thou shouldst leave us Sir Maurice« said the Templar to De
Bracy »in order to prepare the second part of thy mystery Thou art next thou
knowest to act the Knight Deliverer«
»I have thought better of it« said De Bracy »I will not leave thee till
the prize is fairly deposited in FrontdeBoeufs castle There will I appear
before the Lady Rowena in mine own shape and trust that she will set down to
the vehemence of my passion the violence of which I have been guilty«
»And what has made thee change thy plan De Bracy« replied the Knight
Templar
»That concerns thee nothing« answered his companion
»I would hope however Sir Knight« said the Templar »that this alteration
of measures arises from no suspicion of my honourable meaning such as Fitzurse
endeavoured to instil into thee«
»My thoughts are my own« answered De Bracy »the fiend laughs they say
when one thief robs another and we know that were he to spit fire and
brimstone instead it would never prevent a Templar from following his bent«
»Or the leader of a Free Company« answered the Templar »from dreading at
the hands of a comrade and friend the injustice he does to all mankind«
»This is unprofitable and perilous recrimination« answered De Bracy
»suffice it to say I know the morals of the Temple Order and I will not give
thee the power of cheating me out of the fair prey for which I have run such
risks«
»Psha« replied the Templar »what hast thou to fear Thou knowest the
vows of our order«
»Right well« said De Bracy »and also how they are kept Come Sir Templar
the laws of gallantry have a liberal interpretation in Palestine and this is a
case in which I will trust nothing to your conscience«
»Hear the truth then« said the Templar »I care not for your blueeyed
beauty There is in that train one who will make me a better mate«
»What wouldst thou stoop to the waiting damsel« said De Bracy
»No Sir Knight« said the Templar haughtily »To the waitingwoman will I
not stoop I have a prize among the captives as lovely as thine own«
»By the mass thou meanest the fair Jewess« said De Bracy
»And if I do« said BoisGuilbert »who shall gainsay me«
»No one that I know« said De Bracy »unless it be your vow of celibacy or
a check of conscience for an intrigue with a Jewess«
»For my vow« said the Templar »our Grand Master hath granted me a
dispensation And for my conscience a man that has slain three hundred
Saracens need not reckon up every little failing like a village girl at her
first confession upon Good Friday eve«
»Thou knowest best thine own privileges« said De Bracy »Yet I would have
sworn thy thoughts had been more on the old usurers moneybags than on the
black eyes of the daughter«
»I can admire both« answered the Templar »besides the old Jew is but
halfprize I must share his spoils with FrontdeBoeuf who will not lend us
the use of his castle for nothing I must have something that I can term
exclusively my own by this foray of ours and I have fixed on the lovely Jewess
as my peculiar prize But now thou knowest my drift thou wilt resume thine own
original plan wilt thou not Thou hast nothing thou seest to fear from my
interference«
»No« replied De Bracy »I will remain beside my prize What thou sayest is
passing true but I like not the privileges acquired by the dispensation of the
Grand Master and the merit acquired by the slaughter of three hundred Saracens
You have too good a right to a free pardon to render you very scrupulous about
peccadilloes«
While this dialogue was proceeding Cedric was endeavouring to wring out of
those who guarded him an avowal of their character and purpose »You should be
Englishmen« said he »and yet sacred Heaven you prey upon your countrymen as
if you were very Normans You should be my neighbours and if so my friends
for which of my English neighbours have reason to be otherwise I tell ye
yeomen that even those among ye who have been branded with outlawry have had
from me protection for I have pitied their miseries and cursed the oppression
of their tyrannic nobles What then would you have of me or in what can this
violence serve ye Ye are worse than brute beasts in your actions and will
you imitate them in their very dumbness«
It was in vain that Cedric expostulated with his guards who had too many
good reasons for their silence to be induced to break it either by his wrath or
his expostulations They continued to hurry him along travelling at a very
rapid rate until at the end of an avenue of huge trees arose Torquilstone
now the hoary and ancient castle of Reginald FrontdeBoeuf It was a fortress
of no great size consisting of a donjon or large and high square tower
surrounded by buildings of inferior height which were encircled by an inner
courtyard Around the exterior wall was a deep moat supplied with water from a
neighbouring rivulet FrontdeBoeuf whose character placed him often at feud
with his enemies had made considerable additions to the strength of his castle
by building towers upon the outward wall so as to flank it at every angle The
access as usual in castles of the period lay through an arched barbican or
outwork which was terminated and defended by a small turret at each corner
Cedric no sooner saw the turrets of FrontdeBoeufs castle raise their grey
and mossgrown battlements glimmering in the morning sun above the woods by
which they were surrounded than he instantly augured more truly concerning the
cause of his misfortune
»I did injustice« he said »to the thieves and outlaws of these woods when
I supposed such banditti to belong to their bands I might as justly have
confounded the foxes of these brakes with the ravening wolves of France Tell
me dogs is it my life or my wealth that your master aims at Is it too much
that two Saxons myself and the noble Athelstane should hold land in the
country which was once the patrimony of our race Put us then to death and
complete your tyranny by taking our lives as you began with our liberties If
the Saxon Cedric cannot rescue England he is willing to die for her Tell your
tyrannical master I do only beseech him to dismiss the Lady Rowena in honour
and safety She is a woman and he need not dread her and with us will die all
who dare fight in her cause«
The attendants remained as mute to this address as to the former, and they
now stood before the gate of the castle De Bracy winded his horn three times
and the archers and crossbow men who had manned the wall upon seeing their
approach hastened to lower the drawbridge and admit them The prisoners were
compelled by their guards to alight and were conducted to an apartment where a
hasty repast was offered them of which none but Athelstane felt any inclination
to partake Neither had the descendant of the Confessor much time to do justice
to the good cheer placed before them for their guards gave him and Cedric to
understand that they were to be imprisoned in a chamber apart from Rowena
Resistance was vain and they were compelled to follow to a large room which
rising on clumsy Saxon pillars resembled those refectories and chapterhouses
which may be still seen in the most ancient parts of our most ancient
monasteries
The Lady Rowena was next separated from her train and conducted with
courtesy indeed but still without consulting her inclination to a distant
apartment The same alarming distinction was conferred on Rebecca in spite of
her fathers entreaties who offered even money in this extremity of distress
that she might be permitted to abide with him »Base unbeliever« answered one
of his guards »when thou hast seen thy lair thou wilt not wish thy daughter to
partake it« And without farther discussion the old Jew was forcibly dragged
off in a different direction from the other prisoners The domestics after
being carefully searched and disarmed were confined in another part of the
castle and Rowena was refused even the comfort she might have derived from the
attendance of her handmaiden Elgitha
The apartment in which the Saxon chiefs were confined for to them we turn
out first attention although at present used as a sort of guardroom had
formerly been the great hall of the castle It was now abandoned to meaner
purposes because the present lord among other additions to the convenience
security and beauty of his baronial residence had erected a new and noble
hall whose vaulted roof was supported by lighter and more elegant pillars and
fitted up with that higher degree of ornament which the Normans had already
introduced into architecture
Cedric paced the apartment filled with indignant reflections on the past
and on the present while the apathy of his companion served instead of
patience and philosophy to defend him against everything save the inconvenience
of the present moment and so little did he feel even this last that he was
only from time to time roused to a reply by Cedrics animated and impassioned
appeal to him
»Yes« said Cedric half speaking to himself and half addressing himself to
Athelstane »it was in this very hall that my ancestor feasted with Torquil
Wolfganger when he entertained the valiant and unfortunate Harold then
advancing against the Norwegians who had united themselves to the rebel Tosti
It was in this hall that Harold returned the magnanimous answer to the
ambassador of his rebel brother Oft have I heard my father kindle as he told
the tale The envoy of Tosti was admitted when this ample room could scarce
contain the crowd of noble Saxon leaders who were quaffing the bloodred wine
around their monarch«
»I hope« said Athelstane somewhat moved by this part of his friends
discourse »they will not forget to send us some wine and refections at noon
we had scarce a breathingspace allowed to break our fast and I never have the
benefit of my food when I eat immediately after dismounting from horseback
though the leeches recommend that practice«
Cedric went on with his story without noticing this interjectional
observation of his friend
»The envoy of Tosti« he said »moved up the hall undismayed by the
frowning countenances of all around him until he made his obeisance before the
throne of King Harold
What terms he said Lord King hath thy brother Tosti to hope if he should
lay down his arms and crave peace at thy hands
A brothers love cried the generous Harold and the fair earldom of
Northumberland
But should Tosti accept these terms continued the envoy what lands shall
be assigned to his faithful ally Hardrada King of Norway
Seven feet of English ground answered Harold fiercely or as Hardrada is
said to be a giant perhaps we may allow him twelve inches more
The hall rung with acclamations and cup and horn was filled to the
Norwegian who should be speedily in possession of his English territory«
»I could have pledged him with all my soul« said Athelstane »for my tongue
cleaves to my palate«
»The baffled envoy« continued Cedric pursuing with animation his tale
though it interested not the listener »retreated to carry Tosti and his ally
the ominous answer of his injured brother It was then that the distant towers
of York and the bloody streams of the Derwent26 beheld that direful conflict
in which after displaying the most undaunted valour the King of Norway and
Tosti both fell with ten thousand of their bravest followers Who would have
thought that upon the proud day when this battle was won the very gale which
waved the Saxon banners in triumph was filling the Norman sails and impelling
them to the fatal shores of Sussex Who would have thought that Harold within
a few brief days would himself possess no more of his kingdom than the share
which he allotted in his wrath to the Norwegian invader Who would have
thought that you noble Athelstane that you descended of Harolds blood and
that I whose father was not the worst defender of the Saxon crown should be
prisoners to a vile Norman in the very hall in which our ancestors held such
high festival«
»It is sad enough« replied Athelstane »but I trust they will hold us to a
moderate ransom At any rate it cannot be their purpose to starve us outright
and yet although it is high noon I see no preparations for serving dinner
Look up at the window noble Cedric and judge by the sunbeams if it is not on
the verge of noon«
»It may be so« answered Cedric »but I cannot look on that stained lattice
without its awakening other reflections than those which concern the passing
moment or its privations When that window was wrought my noble friend our
hardy fathers knew not the art of making glass or of staining it The pride of
Wolfgangers father brought an artist from Normandy to adorn his hall with this
new species of emblazonment that breaks the golden light of Gods blessed day
into so many fantastic hues The foreigner came here poor beggarly cringing
and subservient ready to doff his cap to the meanest native of the household
He returned pampered and proud to tell his rapacious countrymen of the wealth
and the simplicity of the Saxon nobles a folly O Athelstane foreboded of
old as well as foreseen by those descendants of Hengist and his hardy tribes
who retained the simplicity of their manners We made these strangers our bosom
friends our confidential servants we borrowed their artists and their arts
and despised the honest simplicity and hardihood with which our brave ancestors
supported themselves and we became enervated by Norman arts long ere we fell
under Norman arms Far better was our homely diet eaten in peace and liberty
than the luxurious dainties the love of which hath delivered us as bondsmen to
the foreign conqueror«
»I should« replied Athelstane »hold very humble diet a luxury at present
and it astonishes me noble Cedric that you can bear so truly in mind the
memory of past deeds when it appeareth you forget the very hour of dinner«
»It is time lost« muttered Cedric apart and impatiently »to speak to him
of aught else but that which concerns his appetite The soul of Hardicanute hath
taken possession of him and he hath no pleasure save to fill to swill and to
call for more Alas« said he looking at Athelstane with compassion »that so
dull a spirit should be lodged in so goodly a form Alas that such an
enterprise as the regeneration of England should turn on a hinge so imperfect
Wedded to Rowena indeed her noble and more generous soul may yet awake the
better nature which is torpid within him Yet how should this be while Rowena
Athelstane and I myself remain the prisoners of this brutal marauder and have
been made so perhaps from a sense of the dangers which our liberty might bring
to the usurped power of his nation«
While the Saxon was plunged in these painful reflections the door of their
prison opened and gave entrance to a sewer holding his white rod of office
This important person advanced into the chamber with a grave pace followed by
four attendants bearing in a table covered with dishes the sight and smell of
which seemed to be an instant compensation to Athelstane for all the
inconvenience he had undergone The persons who attended on the feast were
masked and cloaked
»What mummery is this« said Cedric »think you that we are ignorant whose
prisoners we are when we are in the castle of your master Tell him« he
continued willing to use this opportunity to open a negotiation for his freedom
»Tell your master Reginald FrontdeBoeuf that we know no reason he can have
for withholding our liberty excepting his unlawful desire to enrich himself at
our expense Tell him that we yield to his rapacity as in similar circumstances
we should do to that of a literal robber Let him name the ransom at which he
rates our liberty and it shall be paid providing the exaction is suited to our
means«
The sewer made no answer but bowed his head
»And tell Sir Reginald FrontdeBoeuf« said Athelstane »that I send him my
mortal defiance and challenge him to combat with me on foot or horseback at
any secure place within eight days after our liberation which if he be a true
knight he will not under these circumstances venture to refuse or to delay«
»I shall deliver to the knight your defiance« answered the sewer
»meanwhile I leave you to your food«
The challenge of Athelstane was delivered with no good grace for a large
mouthful which required the exercise of both jaws at once added to a natural
hesitation considerably damped the effect of the bold defiance it contained
Still however his speech was hailed by Cedric as an incontestable token of
reviving spirit in his companion whose previous indifference had begun
notwithstanding his respect for Athelstanes descent to wear out his patience
But he now cordially shook hands with him in token of his approbation and was
somewhat grieved when Athelstane observed »that he would fight a dozen such men
as FrontdeBoeuf if by so doing he could hasten his departure from a dungeon
where they put so much garlic into their pottage« Notwithstanding this
intimation of a relapse into the apathy of sensuality Cedric placed himself
opposite to Athelstane and soon showed that if the distresses of his country
could banish the recollection of food while the table was uncovered yet no
sooner were the victuals put there than he proved that the appetite of his
Saxon ancestors had descended to him along with their other qualities
The captives had not long enjoyed their refreshment however ere their
attention was disturbed even from this most serious occupation by the blast of a
horn winded before the gate It was repeated three times with as much violence
as if it had been blown before an enchanted castle by the destined knight at
whose summons halls and towers barbican and battlement were to roll off like a
morning vapour The Saxons started from the table and hastened to the window
But their curiosity was disappointed for these outlets only looked upon the
court of the castle and the sound came from beyond its precincts The summons
however seemed of importance for a considerable degree of bustle instantly
took place in the Castle
Chapter TwentySecond
My daughter O my ducats O my daughter
O my Christian ducats
Justice the Law my ducats and my daughter
Merchant of Venice
Leaving the Saxon chiefs to return to their banquet as soon as their ungratified
curiosity should permit them to attend to the calls of their halfsatiated
appetite we have to look in upon the yet more severe imprisonment of Isaac of
York The poor Jew had been hastily thrown into a dungeonvault of the castle
the floor of which was deep beneath the level of the ground and very damp
being lower than even the moat itself. The only light was received through one
or two loopholes far above the reach of the captives hand These apertures
admitted even at midday only a dim and uncertain light which was changed for
utter darkness long before the rest of the castle had lost the blessing of day
Chains and shackles which had been the portion of former captives from whom
active exertions to escape had been apprehended hung rusted and empty on the
walls of the prison and in the rings of one of those sets of fetters there
remained two mouldering bones which seemed to have been once those of the human
leg as if the prisoner had been left not only to perish there but to be
consumed to a skeleton
At one end of this ghastly apartment was a large firegrate over the top of
which were stretched some transverse iron bars half devoured with rust
The whole appearance of the dungeon might have appalled a stouter heart than
that of Isaac who nevertheless was more composed under the imminent pressure
of danger than he had seemed to be while affected by terrors of which the cause
was as yet remote and contingent The lovers of the chase say that the hare
feels more agony during the pursuit of the greyhounds than when she is
struggling in their fangs27 And thus it is probable that the Jews by the very
frequency of their fear on all occasions had their minds in some degree
prepared for every effort of tyranny which could be practised upon them so that
no aggression when it had taken place could bring with it that surprise which
is the most disabling quality of terror Neither was it the first time that
Isaac had been placed in circumstances so dangerous He had therefore
experience to guide him as well as hope that he might again as formerly be
delivered as a prey from the fowler Above all he had upon his side the
unyielding obstinacy of his nation and that unbending resolution with which
Israelites have been frequently known to submit to the uttermost evils which
power and violence can inflict upon them rather than gratify their oppressors
by granting their demands
In this humour of passive resistance and with his garment collected beneath
him to keep his limbs from the wet pavement Isaac sat in a corner of his
dungeon where his folded hands his dishevelled hair and beard his furred
cloak and high cap seen by the wiry and broken light would have afforded a
study for Rembrandt had that celebrated painter existed at the period The Jew
remained without altering his position for nearly three hours at the expiry of
which steps were heard on the dungeon stair The bolts screamed as they were
withdrawn the hinges creaked as the wicket opened and Reginald
FrontdeBoeuf followed by the two Saracen slaves of the Templar entered the
prison
FrontdeBoeuf a tall and strong man whose life had been spent in public
war or in private feuds and broils and who had hesitated at no means of
extending his feudal power had features corresponding to his character and
which strongly expressed the fiercer and more malignant passions of the mind.
The scars with which his visage was seamed would on features of a different
cast have excited the sympathy and veneration due to the marks of honourable
valour but in the peculiar case of FrontdeBoeuf they only added to the
ferocity of his countenance and to the dread which his presence inspired This
formidable baron was clad in a leathern doublet fitted close to his body which
was frayed and soiled with the stains of his armour He had no weapon excepting
a poniard at his belt which served to counterbalance the weight of the bunch of
rusty keys that hung at his right side
The black slaves who attended FrontdeBoeuf were stripped of their gorgeous
apparel and attired in jerkins and trousers of coarse linen their sleeves
being tucked up above the elbow like those of butchers when about to exercise
their functions in the slaughterhouse Each had in his hand a small pannier
and when they entered the dungeon they stopped at the door until FrontdeBoeuf
himself carefully locked and doublelocked it Having taken this precaution he
advanced slowly up the apartment towards the Jew upon whom he kept his eye
fixed as if he wished to paralyse him with his glance as some animals are said
to fascinate their prey It seemed indeed as if the sullen and malignant eye
of FrontdeBoeuf possessed some portion of that supposed power over his
unfortunate prisoner The Jew sate with his mouth agape and his eyes fixed on
the savage baron with such earnestness of terror that his frame seemed
literally to shrink together and to diminish in size while encountering the
fierce Normans fixed and baleful gaze The unhappy Isaac was deprived not only
of the power of rising to make the obeisance which his terror dictated but he
could not even doff his cap or utter any word of supplication so strongly was
he agitated by the conviction that tortures and death were impending over him
On the other hand the stately form of the Norman appeared to dilate in
magnitude like that of the eagle which ruffles up its plumage when about to
pounce on its defenceless prey He paused within three steps of the corner in
which the unfortunate Jew had now as it were coiled himself up into the
smallest possible space, and made a sign for one of the slaves to approach The
black satellite came forward accordingly and producing from his basket a large
pair of scales and several weights he laid them at the feet of FrontdeBoeuf
and again retired to the respectful distance at which his companion had already
taken his station
The motions of these men were slow and solemn as if there impended over
their souls some preconception of horror and of cruelty FrontdeBoeuf himself
opened the scene by thus addressing his illfated captive
»Most accursed dog of an accursed race« he said awakening with his deep
and sullen voice the sullen echoes of his dungeon vault »seest thou these
scales«
The unhappy Jew returned a feeble affirmative
»In these very scales shalt thou weigh me out« said the relentless Baron
»a thousand silver pounds after the just measure and weight of the Tower of
London«
»Holy Abraham« returned the Jew finding voice through the very extremity
of his danger »heard man ever such a demand Who ever heard even in a
minstrels tale of such a sum as a thousand pounds of silver What human
sight was ever blessed with the vision of such a mass of treasure Not within
the walls of York ransack my house and that of all my tribe wilt thou find the
tithe of that huge sum of silver that thou speakest of«
»I am reasonable« answered FrontdeBoeuf »and if silver be scant I
refuse not gold At the rate of a mark of gold for each six pounds of silver
thou shalt free thy unbelieving carcass from such punishment as thy heart has
never even conceived«
»Have mercy on me noble knight« exclaimed Isaac »I am old and poor and
helpless It were unworthy to triumph over me It is a poor deed to crush a
worm«
»Old thou mayest be« replied the knight »more shame to their folly who
have suffered thee to grow grey in usury and knavery Feeble thou mayest be
for when had a Jew either heart or hand But rich it is well known thou art«
»I swear to you noble knight« said the Jew »by all which I believe and
by all which we believe in common«
»Perjure not thyself« said the Norman interrupting him »and let not thine
obstinacy seal thy doom until thou hast seen and well considered the fate that
awaits thee Think not I speak to thee only to excite thy terror and practise
on the base cowardice thou hast derived from thy tribe I swear to thee by that
which thou dost NOT believe by the gospel which our Church teaches and by the
keys which are given her to bind and to loose that my purpose is deep and
peremptory This dungeon is no place for trifling Prisoners ten thousand times
more distinguished than thou have died within these walls and their fate hath
never been known But for thee is reserved a long and lingering death to which
theirs were luxury«
He again made a signal for the slaves to approach and spoke to them apart
in their own language for he also had been in Palestine where perhaps he had
learnt his lesson of cruelty The Saracens produced from their baskets a
quantity of charcoal a pair of bellows and a flask of oil While the one
struck a light with a flint and steel the other disposed the charcoal in the
large rusty grate which we have already mentioned and exercised the bellows
until the fuel came to a red glow
»Seest thou Isaac« said FrontdeBoeuf »the range of iron bars above that
glowing charcoal28 on that warm couch thou shalt lie stripped of thy clothes
as if thou wert to rest on a bed of down One of these slaves shall maintain the
fire beneath thee while the other shall anoint thy wretched limbs with oil
lest the roast should burn Now choose betwixt such a scorching bed and the
payment of a thousand pounds of silver for by the head of my father thou hast
no other option«
»It is impossible« exclaimed the miserable Jew »it is impossible that
your purpose can be real The good God of nature never made a heart capable of
exercising such cruelty«
»Trust not to that Isaac« said FrontdeBoeuf »it were a fatal error
Dost thou think that I who have seen a town sacked in which thousands of my
Christian countrymen perished by sword by flood and by fire will blench from
my purpose for the outcries or screams of one single wretched Jew or thinkest
thou that these swarthy slaves who have neither law country nor conscience
but their masters will who use the poison or the stake or the poniard or
the cord at his slightest wink thinkest thou that they will have mercy who
do not even understand the language in which it is asked Be wise old man
discharge thyself of a portion of thy superfluous wealth repay to the hands of
a Christian a part of what thou hast acquired by the usury thou hast practised
on those of his religion Thy cunning may soon swell out once more thy
shrivelled purse but neither leech nor medicine can restore thy scorched hide
and flesh wert thou once stretched on these bars Tell down thy ransom I say
and rejoice that at such rate thou canst redeem thee from a dungeon the secrets
of which few have returned to tell I waste no more words with thee choose
between thy dross and thy flesh and blood and as thou choosest so shall it
be«
»So may Abraham Jacob and all the fathers of our people assist me« said
Isaac »I cannot make the choice because I have not the means of satisfying
your exorbitant demand«
»Seize him and strip him slaves« said the knight »and let the fathers of
his race assist him if they can«
The assistants taking their directions more from the Barons eye and his
hand than his tongue once more stepped forward laid hands on the unfortunate
Isaac plucked him up from the ground and holding him between them waited the
hardhearted Barons farther signal The unhappy Jew eyed their countenances and
that of FrontdeBoeuf in hope of discovering some symptoms of relenting but
that of the Baron exhibited the same cold halfsullen halfsarcastic smile
which had been the prelude to his cruelty and the savage eyes of the Saracens
rolling gloomily under their dark brows acquiring a yet more sinister
expression by the whiteness of the circle which surrounds the pupil evinced
rather the secret pleasure which they expected from the approaching scene than
any reluctance to be its directors or agents The Jew then looked at the glowing
furnace over which he was presently to be stretched and seeing no chance of
his tormentors relenting his resolution gave way
»I will pay« he said »the thousand pounds of silver That is« he added
after a moments pause »I will pay it with the help of my brethren for I must
beg as a mendicant at the door of our synagogue ere I make up so unheard of a
sum When and where must it be delivered«
»Here« replied FrontdeBoeuf »here it must be delivered weighed it must
be weighed and told down on this very dungeon floor Thinkest thou I will
part with thee until thy ransom is secure«
»And what is to be my surety« said the Jew »that I shall be at liberty
after this ransom is paid«
»The word of a Norman noble thou pawnbroking slave« answered
FrontdeBoeuf »the faith of a Norman nobleman more pure than the gold and
silver of thee and all thy tribe«
»I crave pardon noble lord« said Isaac timidly »but wherefore should I
rely wholly on the word of one who will trust nothing to mine«
»Because thou canst not help it Jew« said the knight sternly »Wert thou
now in thy treasurechamber at York and were I craving a loan of thy shekels
it would be thine to dictate the time of payment and the pledge of security
This is my treasurechamber Here I have thee at advantage nor will I again
deign to repeat the terms on which I grant thee liberty«
The Jew groaned deeply »Grant me« he said »at least with my own
liberty that of the companions with whom I travel They scorned me as a Jew
yet they pitied my desolation and because they tarried to aid me by the way a
share of my evil hath come upon them moreover they may contribute in some sort
to my ransom«
»If thou meanest yonder Saxon churls« said FrontdeBoeuf »their ransom
will depend upon other terms than thine Mind thine own concerns Jew I warn
thee and meddle not with those of others«
»I am then« said Isaac »only to be set at liberty together with mine
wounded friend«
»Shall I twice recommend it« said FrontdeBoeuf »to a son of Israel to
meddle with his own concerns and leave those of others alone Since thou hast
made thy choice it remains but that thou payest down thy ransom and that at a
short day«
»Yet hear me« said the Jew »for the sake of that very wealth which thou
wouldst obtain at the expense of thy« Here he stopped short afraid of
irritating the savage Norman But FrontdeBoeuf only laughed and himself
filled up the blank at which the Jew had hesitated »At the expense of my
conscience thou wouldst say Isaac speak it out I tell thee I am
reasonable I can bear the reproaches of a loser even when that loser is a Jew
Thou wert not so patient Isaac when thou didst invoke justice against Jacques
Fitzdotterel for calling thee a usurious bloodsucker when thy exactions had
devoured his patrimony«
»I swear by the Talmud« said the Jew »that your valour has been misled in
that matter Fitzdotterel drew his poniard upon me in mine own chamber because
I craved him for mine own silver The term of payment was due at the Passover«
»I care not what he did« said FrontdeBoeuf »the question is when shall
I have mine own when shall I have the shekels Isaac«
»Let my daughter Rebecca go forth to York« answered Isaac »with your
safeconduct noble knight and so soon as man and horse can return the
treasure« Here he groaned deeply but added after the pause of a few
seconds »the treasure shall be told down on this very floor«
»Thy daughter« said FrontdeBoeuf as if surprised »By heavens Isaac
I would I had known of this I deemed that yonder blackbrowed girl had been thy
concubine and I gave her to be a handmaiden to Sir Brian de BoisGuilbert
after the fashion of patriarchs and heroes of the days of old who set us in
these matters a wholesome example«
The yell which Isaac raised at this unfeeling communication made the very
vault to ring and astounded the two Saracens so much that they let go their
hold of the Jew He availed himself of his enlargement to throw himself on the
pavement and clasp the knees of FrontdeBoeuf
»Take all that you have asked« said he »Sir Knight take ten times more
reduce me to ruin and to beggary if thou wilt nay pierce me with thy
poniard broil me on that furnace but spare my daughter deliver her in safety
and honour As thou art born of woman spare the honour of a helpless maiden
She is the image of my deceased Rachael she is the last of six pledges of her
love Will you deprive a widowed husband of his sole remaining comfort Will
you reduce a father to wish that his only living child were laid beside her dead
mother in the tomb of our fathers«
»I would« said the Norman somewhat relenting »that I had known of this
before I thought your race had loved nothing save their moneybags«
»Think not so vilely of us Jews though we be« said Isaac eager to improve
the moment of apparent sympathy »the hunted fox the tortured wildcat loves
its young the despised and persecuted race of Abraham love their children«
»Be it so« said FrontdeBoeuf »I will believe it in future Isaac for
thy very sake but it aids us not now I cannot help what has happened or what
is to follow my word is passed to my comrade in arms nor would I break it for
ten Jews and Jewesses to boot Besides why shouldst thou think evil is to come
to the girl even if she became BoisGuilberts booty«
»There will there must« exclaimed Isaac wringing his hands in agony
»when did Templars breathe aught but cruelty to men and dishonour to women«
»Dog of an Infidel« said FrontdeBoeuf with sparkling eyes and not
sorry perhaps to seize a pretext for working himself into a passion
»blaspheme not the Holy Order of the Temple of Zion but take thought instead to
pay me the ransom thou hast promised or woe betide thy Jewish throat«
»Robber and villain« said the Jew retorting the insults of his oppressor
with passion which however impotent he now found it impossible to bridle »I
will pay thee nothing not one silver penny will I pay thee unless my daughter
is delivered to me in safety and honour«
»Art thou in thy senses Israelite« said the Norman sternly »has thy
flesh and blood a charm against heated iron and scalding oil«
»I care not« said the Jew rendered desperate by paternal affection »do
thy worst My daughter is my flesh and blood dearer to me a thousand times than
those limbs which thy cruelty threatens No silver will I give thee unless I
were to pour it molten down thy avaricious throat no not a silver penny will
I give thee Nazarene were it to save thee from the deep damnation thy whole
life has merited Take my life if thou wilt and say the Jew amidst his
tortures knew how to disappoint the Christian«
»We shall see that« said FrontdeBoeuf »for by the blessed rood which is
the abomination of thy accursed tribe thou shalt feel the extremities of fire
and steel Strip him slaves and chain him down upon the bars«
In spite of the feeble struggles of the old man the Saracens had already
torn from him his upper garment and were proceeding totally to disrobe him
when the sound of a bugle twice winded without the castle penetrated even to
the recesses of the dungeon and immediately after loud voices were heard
calling for Sir Reginald FrontdeBoeuf Unwilling to be found engaged in his
hellish occupation the savage Baron gave the slaves a signal to restore Isaacs
garment and quitting the dungeon with his attendants he left the Jew to thank
God for his own deliverance or to lament over his daughters captivity and
probable fate at his personal or parental feelings might prove strongest
Chapter TwentyThird
Nay if the gentle spirit of moving words
Can no way change you to a milder form
Ill woo you like a soldier at arms end
And love you gainst the nature of love force you
Two Gentlemen of Verona
The apartment to which the Lady Rowena had been introduced was fitted up with
some rude attempts at ornament and magnificence and her being placed there
might be considered as a peculiar mark of respect not offered to the other
prisoners But the wife of FrontdeBoeuf for whom it had been originally
furnished was long dead and decay and neglect had impaired the few ornaments
with which her taste had adorned it The tapestry hung down from the walls in
many places and in others was tarnished and faded under the effects of the sun
or tattered and decayed by age Desolate however as it was this was the
apartment of the castle which had been judged most fitting for the accommodation
of the Saxon heiress and here she was left to meditate upon her fate until the
actors in this nefarious drama had arranged the several parts which each of them
was to perform This had been settled in a council held by FrontdeBoeuf De
Bracy and the Templar in which after a long and warm debate concerning the
several advantages which each insisted upon deriving from his peculiar share in
this audacious enterprise they had at length determined the fate of their
unhappy prisoners
It was about the hour of noon therefore when De Bracy for whose advantage
the expedition had been first planned appeared to prosecute his views upon the
hand and possessions of the Lady Rowena
The interval had not entirely been bestowed in holding council with his
confederates for De Bracy had found leisure to decorate his person with all the
foppery of the times His green cassock and vizard were now flung aside His
long luxuriant hair was trained to flow in quaint tresses down his richlyfurred
cloak His beard was closely shaved his doublet reached to the middle of his
leg and the girdle which secured it and at the same time supported his
ponderous sword was embroidered and embossed with gold work We have already
noticed the extravagant fashion of the shoes at this period and the points of
Maurice de Bracys might have challenged the prize of extravagance with the
gayest being turned up and twisted like the horns of a ram Such was the dress
of a gallant of the period and in the present instance that effect was aided
by the handsome person and good demeanour of the wearer whose manners partook
alike of the grace of a courtier and the frankness of a soldier
He saluted Rowena by doffing his velvet bonnet garnished with a golden
brooch representing St Michael trampling down the Prince of Evil With this
he gently motioned the lady to a seat and as she still retained her standing
posture the knight ungloved his right hand and motioned to conduct her
thither But Rowena declined by her gesture the proffered compliment and
replied »If I be in the presence of my jailer Sir Knight nor will
circumstances allow me to think otherwise it best becomes his prisoner to
remain standing till she learns her doom«
»Alas fair Rowena« returned De Bracy »you are in presence of your
captive not your jailer and it is from your fair eyes that De Bracy must
receive that doom which you fondly expect from him«
»I know you not sir« said the lady drawing herself up with all the pride
of offended rank and beauty »I know you not and the insolent familiarity with
which you apply to me the jargon of a troubadour forms no apology for the
violence of a robber«
»To thyself fair maid« answered De Bracy in his former tone »to thine
own charms be ascribed whateer I have done which passed the respect due to her
whom I have chosen queen of my heart and loadstar of my eyes«
»I repeat to you Sir Knight that I know you not and that no man wearing
chain and spurs ought thus to intrude himself upon the presence of a unprotected
lady«
»That I am unknown to you« said De Bracy »is indeed my misfortune yet let
me hope that De Bracys name has not been always unspoken when minstrels or
heralds have praised deeds of chivalry whether in the lists or in the
battlefield«
»To heralds and to minstrels then leave thy praise Sir Knight« replied
Rowena »more suiting for their mouths than for thine own and tell me which of
them shall record in song or in book of tourney the memorable conquest of this
night a conquest obtained over an old man followed by a few timid hinds and
its booty an unfortunate maiden transported against her will to the castle of
a robber«
»You are unjust Lady Rowena« said the knight biting his lips in some
confusion and speaking in a tone more natural to him than that of affected
gallantry which he had at first adopted »yourself free from passion you can
allow no excuse for the frenzy of another although caused by your own beauty«
»I pray you Sir Knight« said Rowena »to cease a language so commonly used
by strolling minstrels that it becomes not the mouth of knights or nobles
Certes you constrain me to sit down since you enter upon such commonplace
terms of which each vile crowder hath a stock that might last from hence to
Christmas«
»Proud damsel« said De Bracy incensed at finding his gallant style
procured him nothing but contempt »proud damsel thou shalt be as proudly
encountered Know then that I have supported my pretensions to your hand in
the way that best suited thy character It is meeter for thy humour to be wooed
with bow and bill than in set terms and in courtly language«
»Courtesy of tongue« said Rowena »when it is used to veil churlishness of
deed is but a knights girdle around the breast of a base clown I wonder not
that the restraint appears to gall you more it were for your honour to have
retained the dress and language of an outlaw than to veil the deeds of one
under an affectation of gentle language and demeanour«
»You counsel well lady« said the Norman »and in the bold language which
best justifies bold action I tell thee thou shalt never leave this castle or
thou shalt leave it as Maurice de Bracys wife I am not wont to be baffled in
my enterprises nor needs a Norman noble scrupulously to vindicate his conduct
to the Saxon maiden whom he distinguishes by the offer of his hand Thou art
proud Rowena and thou art the fitter to be my wife By what other means
couldst thou be raised to high honour and to princely place saving by my
alliance How else wouldst thou escape from the mean precincts of a country
grange where Saxons herd with the swine which form their wealth to take thy
seat honoured as thou shouldst be and shalt be amid all in England that is
distinguished by beauty or dignified by power«
»Sir Knight« replied Rowena »the grange which you contemn hath been my
shelter from infancy and trust me when I leave it should that day ever
arrive it shall be with one who has not learnt to despise the dwelling and
manners in which I have been brought up«
»I guess your meaning lady« said De Bracy »though you may think it lies
too obscure for my apprehension But dream not that Richard CoeurdeLion will
ever resume his throne far less that Wilfred of Ivanhoe his minion will ever
lead thee to his footstool to be there welcomed as the bride of a favourite
Another suitor might feel jealousy while he touched this string but my firm
purpose cannot be changed by a passion so childish and so hopeless Know lady
that this rival is in my power and that it rests but with me to betray the
secret of his being within the castle to FrontdeBoeuf whose jealousy will be
more fatal than mine«
»Wilfred here« said Rowena in disdain »that is as true as that
FrontdeBoeuf is his rival«
De Bracy looked at her steadily for an instant »Wert thou really ignorant
of this« said he »didst thou not know that Wilfred of Ivanhoe travelled in the
litter of the Jew a meet conveyance for the crusader whose doughty arm was
to conquer the Holy Sepulchre« And he laughed scornfully
»And if he is here« said Rowena compelling herself to a tone of
indifference though trembling with an agony of apprehension which she could not
suppress »in what is he the rival of FrontdeBoeuf or what has he to fear
beyond a short imprisonment and an honourable ransom according to the use of
chivalry«
»Rowena« said De Bracy »art thou too deceived by the common error of thy
sex who think there can be no rivalry but that respecting their own charms
Knowest thou not there is a jealousy of ambition and of wealth as well as of
love and that this our host FrontdeBoeuf will push from his road him who
opposes his claim to the fair barony of Ivanhoe as readily eagerly and
unscrupulously as if he were preferred to him by some blueeyed damsel But
smile on my suit lady and the wounded champion shall have nothing to fear from
FrontdeBoeuf whom else thou mayest mourn for as in the hands of one who has
never shown compassion«
»Save him for the love of Heaven« said Rowena her firmness giving way
under terror for her lovers impending fate
»I can I will it is my purpose« said De Bracy »for when Rowena
consents to be the bride of De Bracy who is it shall dare to put forth a
violent hand upon her kinsman the son of her guardian the companion of her
youth But it is thy love must buy his protection I am not romantic fool enough
to farther the fortune or avert the fate of one who is likely to be a
successful obstacle between me and my wishes Use thine influence with me in his
behalf and he is safe refuse to employ it Wilfred dies and thou thyself art
not the nearer to freedom«
»Thy language« answered Rowena »hath in its indifferent bluntness
something which cannot be reconciled with the horrors it seems to express I
believe not that thy purpose is so wicked or thy power so great«
»Flatter thyself then with that belief« said De Bracy »until time shall
prove it false Thy lover lies wounded in this castle thy preferred lover He
is a bar betwixt FrontdeBoeuf and that which FrontdeBoeuf loves better than
either ambition or beauty What will it cost beyond the blow of a poniard or
the thrust of a javelin to silence his opposition for ever Nay were
FrontdeBoeuf afraid to justify a deed so open let the leech but give his
patient a wrong draught let the chamberlain or the nurse who tends him but
pluck the pillow from his head and Wilfred in his present condition is sped
without the effusion of blood Cedric also«
»And Cedric also« said Rowena repeating his words »my noble my generous
guardian I deserved the evil I have encountered for forgetting his fate even
in that of his son«
»Cedrics fate also depends upon thy determination« said De Bracy »and I
leave thee to form it«
Hitherto Rowena had sustained her part in this trying scene with undismayed
courage but it was because she had not considered the danger as serious and
imminent Her disposition was naturally that which physiognomists consider as
proper to fair complexions mild timid and gentle but it had been tempered
and as it were hardened by the circumstances of her education Accustomed to
see the will of all even of Cedric himself sufficiently arbitrary with
others give way before her wishes she had acquired that sort of courage and
selfconfidence which arises from the habitual and constant deference of the
circle in which we move She could scarce conceive the possibility of her will
being opposed far less that of its being treated with total disregard
Her haughtiness and habit of domination was therefore a fictitious
character induced over that which was natural to her and it deserted her when
her eyes were opened to the extent of her own danger as well as that of her
lover and her guardian and when she found her will the slightest expression of
which was wont to command respect and attention now placed in opposition to
that of a man of a strong fierce and determined mind who possessed the
advantage over her and was resolved to use it she quailed before him
After casting her eyes around as if to look for the aid which was nowhere to
be found and after a few broken interjections she raised her hands to heaven
and burst into a passion of uncontrolled vexation and sorrow It was impossible
to see so beautiful a creature in such extremity without feeling for her and De
Bracy was not unmoved though he was yet more embarrassed than touched He had
in truth gone too far to recede and yet in Rowenas present condition she
could not be acted on either by arguments or threats He paced the apartment to
and fro now vainly exhorting the terrified maiden to compose herself now
hesitating concerning his own line of conduct
If thought he I should be moved by the tears and sorrow of this
disconsolate damsel what should I reap but the loss of those fair hopes for
which I have encountered so much risk and the ridicule of Prince John and his
jovial comrades »And yet« he said to himself »I feel myself ill framed for
the part which I am playing I cannot look on so fair a face while it is
disturbed with agony or on those eyes when they are drowned in tears I would
she had retained her original haughtiness of disposition or that I had a larger
share of FrontdeBoeufs thricetempered hardness of heart«
Agitated by these thoughts he could only bid the unfortunate Rowena be
comforted and assure her that as yet she had no reason for the excess of
despair to which she was now giving way But in this task of consolation De
Bracy was interrupted by the horn »hoarsewinded blowing far and keen« which
had at the same time alarmed the other inmates of the castle and interrupted
their several plans of avarice and of license Of them all perhaps De Bracy
least regretted the interruption for his conference with the Lady Rowena had
arrived at a point where he found it equally difficult to prosecute or to
resign his enterprise
And here we cannot but think it necessary to offer some better proof than
the incidents of an idle tale to vindicate the melancholy representation of
manners which has been just laid before the reader It is grievous to think that
those valiant barons to whose stand against the crown the liberties of England
were indebted for their existence should themselves have been such dreadful
oppressors and capable of excesses contrary not only to the laws of England but
to those of nature and humanity But alas we have only to extract from the
industrious Henry one of those numerous passages which he has collected from
contemporary historians to prove that fiction itself can hardly reach the dark
reality of the horrors of the period
The description given by the author of the Saxon Chronicle of the cruelties
exercised in the reign of King Stephen by the great barons and lords of castles
who were all Normans affords a strong proof of the excesses of which they were
capable when their passions were inflamed »They grievously oppressed the poor
people by building castles and when they were built they filled them with
wicked men or rather devils who seized both men and women who they imagined
had any money threw them into prison and put them to more cruel tortures than
the martyrs ever endured They suffocated some in mud and suspended others by
the feet or the head or the thumbs kindling fires below them They squeezed
the heads of some with knotted cords till they pierced their brains while they
threw others into dungeons swarming with serpents snakes and toads« But it
would be cruel to put the reader to the pain of perusing the remainder of this
description29
As another instance of these bitter fruits of conquest and perhaps the
strongest that can be quoted we may mention that the Princess Matilda though
a daughter of the King of Scotland and afterwards both Queen of England niece
to Edgar Atheling and mother to the Empress of Germany the daughter the wife
and the mother of monarchs was obliged during her early residence for
education in England to assume the veil of a nun as the only means of escaping
the licentious pursuit of the Norman nobles This excuse she stated before a
great council of the clergy of England as the sole reason for her having taken
the religious habit The assembled clergy admitted the validity of the plea and
the notoriety of the circumstances upon which it was founded giving thus an
indubitable and most remarkable testimony to the existence of that disgraceful
license by which that age was stained It was a matter of public knowledge they
said that after the conquest of King William his Norman followers elated by
so great a victory acknowledged no law but their own wicked pleasure and not
only despoiled the conquered Saxons of their lands and their goods but invaded
the honour of their wives and of their daughters with the most unbridled
license and hence it was then common for matrons and maidens of noble families
to assume the veil and take shelter in convents not as called thither by the
vocation of God but solely to preserve their honour from the unbridled
wickedness of man
Such and so licentious were the times as announced by the public
declaration of the assembled clergy recorded by Eadmer and we need add nothing
more to vindicate the probability of the scenes which we have detailed and are
about to detail upon the more apocryphal authority of the Wardour MS
Chapter TwentyFourth
Ill woo her as the lion wooes his bride
Douglas
While the scenes we have described were passing in other parts of the castle
the Jewess Rebecca awaited her fate in a distant and sequestered turret Hither
she had been led by two of her disguised ravishers and on being thrust into the
little cell she found herself in the presence of an old sibyl who kept
murmuring to herself a Saxon rhyme as if to beat time to the revolving dance
which her spindle was performing upon the floor The hag raised her head as
Rebecca entered and scowled at the fair Jewess with the malignant envy which
old age and ugliness when united with evil conditions are apt to look upon
youth and beauty
»Thou must up and away old housecricket« said one of the men »our noble
master commands it Thou must leave this chamber to a fairer guest«
»Ay« grumbled the hag »even thus is service requited I have known when my
bare word would have cast the best manatarms among ye out of saddle and out of
service and now must I up and away at the command of every groom such as thou«
»Good Dame Urfried« said the other man »stand not to reason on it but up
and away Lords hests must be listened to with a quick ear Thou hast had thy
day old dame but thy sun has long been set Thou art now the very emblem of an
old warhorse turned out on the barren heath thou hast had thy paces in thy
time but now a broken amble is the best of them Come amble off with thee«
»Ill omens dog ye both« said the old woman »and a kennel be your
buryingplace May the evil demon Zernebock tear me limb from limb if I leave
my own cell ere I have spun out the hemp on my distaff«
»Answer it to our lord then old housefiend« said the man and retired
leaving Rebecca in company with the old woman upon whose presence she had been
thus unwillingly forced
»What devils deed have they now in the wind« said the old hag murmuring
to herself yet from time to time casting a sidelong and malignant glance at
Rebecca »but it is easy to guess Bright eyes black locks and a skin like
paper ere the priest stains it with his black unguent Ay it is easy to guess
why they send her to this lone turret whence a shriek could no more be heard
than at the depth of five hundred fathoms beneath the earth Thou wilt have
owls for thy neighbours fair one and their screams will be heard as far and
as much regarded as thine own Outlandish too« she said marking the dress and
turban of Rebecca »What country art thou of a Saracen or an Egyptian Why
dost not answer thou canst weep canst thou not speak«
»Be not angry good mother« said Rebecca
»Thou needest say no more« replied Urfried »men know a fox by the train
and a Jewess by her tongue«
»For the sake of mercy« said Rebecca »tell me what I am to expect as the
conclusion of the violence which hath dragged me hither Is it my life they
seek to atone for my religion I will lay it down cheerfully«
»Thy life minion« answered the sibyl »what would taking thy life pleasure
them Trust me thy life is in no peril Such usage shalt thou have as was once
thought good enough for a noble Saxon maiden And shall a Jewess like thee
repine because she hath no better Look at me I was as young and twice as fair
as thou when FrontdeBoeuf father of this Reginald and his Normans stormed
this castle My father and his seven sons defended their inheritance from storey
to storey from chamber to chamber There was not a room not a step of the
stair that was not slippery with their blood They died they died every man
and ere their bodies were cold and ere their blood was dried I had become the
prey and the scorn of the conqueror«
»Is there no help Are there no means of escape« said Rebecca »Richly
richly would I requite thine aid«
»Think not of it« said the hag »from hence there is no escape but through
the gates of death and it is late late« she added shaking her grey head
»ere these open to us Yet it is comfort to think that we leave behind us on
earth those who shall be wretched as ourselves Faretheewell Jewess Jew or
Gentile thy fate would be the same for thou hast to do with them that have
neither scruple nor pity Faretheewell I say My thread is spun out thy
task is yet to begin«
»Stay stay for heavens sake« said Rebecca »stay though it be to curse
and revile me thy presence is yet some protection«
»The presence of the mother of God were no protection« answered the old
woman »There she stands« pointing to a rude image of the Virgin Mary »see if
she can avert the fate that awaits thee«
She left the room as she spoke her features writhed into a sort of sneering
laugh which made them seem even more hideous than their habitual frown She
locked the door behind her and Rebecca might hear her curse every step for its
steepness as slowly and with difficulty she descended the turret stairs
Rebecca was now to expect a fate even more dreadful than that of Rowena for
what probability was there that either softness or ceremony would be used
towards one of her oppressed race whatever shadow of these might be preserved
towards a Saxon heiress Yet had the Jewess this advantage that she was better
prepared by habits of thought and by natural strength of mind to encounter the
dangers to which she was exposed Of a strong and observing character even from
her earliest years the pomp and wealth which her father displayed within his
walls or which she witnessed in the houses of other wealthy Hebrews had not
been able to blind her to the precarious circumstances under which they were
enjoyed Like Damocles at his celebrated banquet Rebecca perpetually beheld
amid that gorgeous display the sword which was suspended over the heads of her
people by a single hair These reflections had tamed and brought down to a pitch
of sounder judgment a temper which under other circumstances might have waxed
haughty supercilious and obstinate
From her fathers example and injunctions Rebecca had learnt to bear
herself courteously towards all who approached her She could not indeed imitate
his excess of subservience because she was a stranger to the meanness of mind
and to the constant state of timid apprehension by which it was dictated but
she bore herself with a proud humility as if submitting to the evil
circumstances in which she was placed as the daughter of a despised race while
she felt in her mind the consciousness that she was entitled to hold a higher
rank from her merit than the arbitrary despotism of religious prejudice
permitted her to aspire to
Thus prepared to expect adverse circumstances she had acquired the firmness
necessary for acting under them Her present situation required all her presence
of mind and she summoned it up accordingly
Her first care was to inspect the apartment but it afforded few hopes
either of escape or protection It contained neither secret passage nor
trapdoor and unless where the door by which she had entered joined the main
building seemed to be circumscribed by the round exterior wall of the turret
The door had no inside bolt or bar The single window opened upon an embattled
space surmounting the turret which gave Rebecca at first sight some hopes of
escaping but she soon found it had no communication with any other part of the
battlements being an isolated bartisan or balcony secured as usual by a
parapet with embrasures at which a few archers might be stationed for
defending the turret and flanking with their shot the wall of the castle on
that side
There was therefore no hope but in passive fortitude and in that strong
reliance on Heaven natural to great and generous characters Rebecca however
erroneously taught to interpret the promises of Scripture to the chosen people
of Heaven did not err in supposing the present to be their hour of trial or in
trusting that the children of Zion would be one day called in with the fulness
of the Gentiles In the meanwhile all around her showed that their present
state was that of punishment and probation and that it was their especial duty
to suffer without sinning Thus prepared to consider herself as the victim of
misfortune Rebecca had early reflected upon her own state and schooled her
mind to meet the dangers which she had probably to encounter
The prisoner trembled however and changed colour when a step was heard on
the stair and the door of the turretchamber slowly opened and a tall man
dressed as one of those banditti to whom they owed their misfortune slowly
entered and shut the door behind him his cap pulled down upon his brows
concealed the upper part of his face and he held his mantle in such a manner as
to muffle the rest In this guise as if prepared for the execution of some
deed at the thought of which he was himself ashamed he stood before the
affrighted prisoner yet ruffian as his dress bespoke him he seemed at a loss
to express what purpose had brought him thither so that Rebecca making an
effort upon herself had time to anticipate his explanation She had already
unclasped two costly bracelets and a collar which she hastened to proffer to
the supposed outlaw concluding naturally that to gratify his avarice was to
bespeak his favour
»Take these« she said »good friend and for Gods sake be merciful to me
and my aged father These ornaments are of value yet are they trifling to what
he would bestow to obtain our dismissal from this castle free and uninjured«
»Fair flower of Palestine« replied the outlaw »these pearls are orient
but they yield in whiteness to your teeth the diamonds are brilliant but they
cannot match your eyes and ever since I have taken up this wild trade I have
made a vow to prefer beauty to wealth«
»Do not do yourself such wrong« said Rebecca »take ransom and have mercy
Gold will purchase you pleasure to misuse us could only bring thee
remorse My father will willingly satiate thy utmost wishes and if thou wilt
act wisely thou mayest purchase with our spoils thy restoration to civil
society mayest obtain pardon for past errors and be placed beyond the
necessity of committing more«
»It is well spoken« replied the outlaw in French finding it difficult
probably to sustain in Saxon a conversation which Rebecca had opened in that
language »but know bright lily of the vale of Baca that thy father is already
in the hands of a powerful alchemist who knows how to convert into gold and
silver even the rusty bars of a dungeon grate The venerable Isaac is subjected
to an alembic which will distil from him all he holds dear without any
assistance from my requests or thy entreaty Thy ransom must be paid by love and
beauty and in no other coin will I accept it«
»Thou art no outlaw« said Rebecca in the same language in which he
addressed her »no outlaw had refused such offers No outlaw in this land uses
the dialect in which thou hast spoken Thou art no outlaw but a Norman a
Norman noble perhaps in birth Oh be so in thy actions and cast off this
fearful mask of outrage and violence«
»And thou who canst guess so truly« said Brian de BoisGuilbert dropping
the mantle from his face »art no true daughter of Israel but in all save
youth and beauty a very witch of Endor I am not an outlaw then fair Rose of
Sharon And I am one who will be more prompt to hang thy neck and arms with
pearls and diamonds which so well become them than to deprive thee of these
ornaments«
»What wouldst thou have of me« said Rebecca »if not my wealth We can
have nought in common between us you are a Christian I am a Jewess Our
union were contrary to the laws alike of the church and the synagogue«
»It were so indeed« replied the Templar laughing »wed with a Jewess
Despardieux Not if she were the Queen of Sheba And know besides sweet
daughter of Zion that were the most Christian king to offer me his most
Christian daughter with Languedoc for a dowry I could not wed her It is
against my vow to love any maiden otherwise than par amours as I will love
thee I am a Templar Behold the cross of my holy Order«
»Darest thou appeal to it« said Rebecca »on an occasion like the present«
»And if I do so« said the Templar »it concerns not thee who art no
believer in the blessed sign of our salvation«
»I believe as my fathers taught« said Rebecca »and may God forgive my
belief if erroneous But you Sir Knight what is yours when you appeal without
scruple to that which you deem most holy even while you are about to transgress
the most solemn of your vows as a knight and as a man of religion«
»It is gravely and well preached O daughter of Sirach« answered the
Templar »but gentle Ecclesiastica thy narrow Jewish prejudices make thee
blind to our high privilege Marriage were an enduring crime on the part of a
Templar but what lesser folly I may practise I shall speedily be absolved from
at the next Preceptory of our Order Not the wisest of monarchs not his father
whose examples you must needs allow are weighty claimed wider privileges than
we poor soldiers of the Temple of Zion have won by our zeal in its defence The
protectors of Solomons Temple may claim license by the example of Solomon«
»If thou readest the Scripture« said the Jewess »and the lives of the
saints only to justify thine own license and profligacy thy crime is like that
of him who extracts poison from the most healthful and necessary herbs«
The eyes of the Templar flashed fire at this reproof »Hearken« he said
»Rebecca I have hitherto spoken mildly to thee but now my language shall be
that of a conqueror Thou art the captive of my bow and spear subject to my
will by the laws of all nations nor will I abate an inch of my right or
abstain from taking by violence what thou refusest to entreaty or necessity«
»Stand back« said Rebecca »stand back and hear me ere thou offerest to
commit a sin so deadly My strength thou mayst indeed overpower for God made
women weak and trusted their defence to mans generosity But I will proclaim
thy villany Templar from one end of Europe to the other I will owe to the
superstition of thy brethren what their compassion might refuse me Each
Preceptory each Chapter of thy Order shall learn that like a heretic thou
hast sinned with a Jewess Those who tremble not at thy crime will hold thee
accursed for having so far dishonoured the cross thou wearest as to follow a
daughter of my people«
»Thou art keenwitted Jewess« replied the Templar well aware of the truth
of what she spoke and that the rules of his Order condemned in the most
positive manner and under high penalties such intrigues as he now prosecuted
and that in some instances even degradation had followed upon it »thou art
sharpwitted« he said »but loud must be thy voice of complaint if it is heard
beyond the iron walls of this castle within these murmurs laments appeals to
justice and screams for help die alike silent away One thing only can save
thee Rebecca Submit to thy fate embrace our religion and thou shalt go
forth in such state that many a Norman lady shall yield as well in pomp as in
beauty to the favourite of the best lance among the defenders of the Temple«
»Submit to my fate« said Rebecca »and sacred Heaven to what fate
embrace thy religion and what religion can it be that harbours such a villain
thou the best lance of the Templars craven knight forsworn priest I
spit at thee and I defy thee The God of Abrahams promise hath opened an
escape to his daughter even from this abyss of infamy«
As she spoke she threw open the latticed window which led to the bartisan
and in an instant after stood on the very verge of the parapet with not the
slightest screen between her and the tremendous depth below Unprepared for such
a desperate effort for she had hitherto stood perfectly motionless
BoisGuilbert had neither time to intercept nor to stop her As he offered to
advance she exclaimed »Remain where thou art proud Templar or at thy choice
advance one foot nearer and I plunge myself from the precipice my body
shall be crushed out of the very form of humanity upon the stones of that
courtyard ere it become the victim of thy brutality«
As she spoke this she clasped her hands and extended them towards heaven
as if imploring mercy on her soul before she made the final plunge The Templar
hesitated and a resolution which had never yielded to pity or distress gave
way to his admiration of her fortitude »Come down« he said »rash girl I
swear by earth and sea and sky I will offer thee no offence«
»I will not trust thee Templar« said Rebecca »thou hast taught me better
how to estimate the virtues of thine Order The next Preceptory would grant thee
absolution for an oath the keeping of which concerned nought but the honour or
the dishonour of a miserable Jewish maiden«
»You do me injustice« exclaimed the Templar fervently »I swear to you by
the name which I bear by the cross on my bosom by the sword on my side by
the ancient crest of my fathers do I swear I will do thee no injury whatsoever
If not for thyself yet for thy fathers sake forbear I will be his friend and
in this castle he will need a powerful one«
»Alas« said Rebecca »I know it but too well dare I trust thee«
»May my arms be reversed and my name dishonoured« said Brian de
BoisGuilbert »if thou shalt have reason to complain of me Many a law, many a
commandment have I broken but my word never«
»I will then trust thee« said Rebecca »thus far« and she descended from
the verge of the battlement but remained standing close by one of the
embrasures or machicolles as they were then called »Here« she said »I take
my stand Remain where thou art and if thou shalt attempt to diminish by one
step the distance now between us thou shalt see that the Jewish maiden will
rather trust her soul with God than her honour to the Templar«
While Rebecca spoke thus her high and firm resolve which corresponded so
well with the expressive beauty of her countenance gave to her looks air and
manner a dignity that seemed more than mortal Her glance quailed not her
cheek blanched not for the fear of a fate so instant and so horrible on the
contrary the thought that she had her fate at her command and could escape at
will from infamy to death gave a yet deeper colour of carnation to her
complexion and a yet more brilliant fire to her eye BoisGuilbert proud
himself and highspirited thought he had never beheld beauty so animated and so
commanding
»Let there be peace between us Rebecca« he said
»Peace if thou wilt« answered Rebecca »Peace but with this space
between«
»Thou needest no longer fear me« said BoisGuilbert
»I fear thee not« replied she »thanks to him that reared this dizzy tower
so high that nought could fall from it and live thanks to him and to the God
of Israel I fear thee not«
»Thou dost me injustice« said the Templar »by earth sea and sky thou
dost me injustice I am not naturally that which you have seen me hard
selfish and relentless It was woman that taught me cruelty and on woman
therefore I have exercised it but not upon such as thou Hear me Rebecca
Never did knight take lance in his hand with a heart more devoted to the lady of
his love than Brian de BoisGuilbert She the daughter of a petty baron who
boasted for all his domains but a ruinous tower and an unproductive vineyard
and some few leagues of the barren Landes of Bordeaux her name was known
whereever deeds of arms were done known wider than that of many a ladys that
had a county for a dowry Yes« he continued pacing up and down the little
platform with an animation in which he seemed to lose all consciousness of
Rebeccas presence »Yes my deeds my danger my blood made the name of
Adelaide de Montemare known from the court of Castile to that of Byzantium And
how was I requited When I returned with my dearbought honours purchased by
toil and blood I found her wedded to a Gascon squire whose name was never
heard beyond the limits of his own paltry domain Truly did I love her and
bitterly did I revenge me of her broken faith But my revenge has recoiled on
myself Since that day I have separated myself from life and its ties my
manhood must know no domestic home must be soothed by no affectionate wife
My age must know no kindly hearth My grave must be solitary and no offspring
must outlive me to bear the ancient name of BoisGuilbert At the feet of my
superior I have laid down the right of self-action the privilege of
independence The Templar a serf in all but the name can possess neither lands
nor goods and lives moves and breathes but at the will and pleasure of
another«
»Alas« said Rebecca »what advantages could compensate for such an absolute
sacrifice«
»The power of vengeance Rebecca« replied the Templar »and the prospects
of ambition«
»An evil recompense« said Rebecca »for the surrender of the rights which
are dearest to humanity«
»Say not so maiden« answered the Templar »revenge is a feast for the
gods And if they have reserved it as priests tell us to themselves it is
because they hold it an enjoyment too precious for the possession of mere
mortals And ambition it is a temptation which could disturb even the bliss
of heaven itself« He paused a moment and then added »Rebecca she who could
prefer death to dishonour must have a proud and a powerful soul Mine thou must
be Nay start not« he added »it must be with thine own consent and on
thine own terms Thou must consent to share with me hopes more extended than can
be viewed from the throne of a monarch Hear me ere you answer and judge ere
you refuse The Templar loses as thou hast said his social rights his power
of free agency but he becomes a member and a limb of a mighty body before
which thrones already tremble even as the single drop of rain which mixes
with the sea becomes an individual part of that resistless ocean which
undermines rocks and engulfs royal armadas Such a swelling flood is that
powerful league Of this mighty Order I am no mean member but already one of
the Chief Commanders and may well aspire one day to hold the batoon of Grand
Master The poor soldiers of the Temple will not alone place their foot upon the
necks of Kings a hempsandalld monk can do that Our mailed step shall ascend
their throne our gauntlet shall wrench the sceptre from their gripe Not the
reign of your vainlyexpected Messiah offers such power to your dispersed tribes
as my ambition may aim at I have sought but a kindred spirit to share it and I
have found such in thee«
»Sayest thou this to one of my people« answered Rebecca »Bethink thee«
»Answer me not« said the Templar »by urging the difference of our creeds
within our secret conclaves we hold these nursery tales in derision Think not
we long remain blind to the idiotical folly of our founders who forswore every
delight of life for the pleasure of dying martyrs by hunger by thirst and by
pestilence and by the swords of savages while they vainly strove to defend a
barren desert valuable only in the eyes of superstition Our Order soon adopted
bolder and wider views and found out a better indemnification for our
sacrifices Our immense possessions in every kingdom of Europe our high
military fame which brings within our circle the flower of chivalry from every
Christian clime these are dedicated to ends of which our pious founders little
dreamed and which are equally concealed from such weak spirits as embrace our
Order on the ancient principles and whose superstition makes them our passive
tools But I will not farther withdraw the veil of our mysteries That
buglesound announces something which may require my presence Think on what I
have said Farewell I do not say forgive me the violence I have threatened
for it was necessary to the display of thy character Gold can be only known by
the application of the touchstone I will soon return and hold farther
conference with thee«
He reentered the turretchamber and descended the stair leaving Rebecca
scarcely more terrified at the prospect of the death to which she had been so
lately exposed than at the furious ambition of the bold bad man in whose power
she found herself so unhappily placed When she entered the turretchamber her
first duty was to return thanks to the God of Jacob for the protection which he
had afforded her and to implore its continuance for her and for her father
Another name glided into her petition it was that of the wounded Christian
whom fate had placed in the hands of bloodthirsty men his avowed enemies Her
heart indeed checked her as if even in communing with the Deity in prayer she
mingled in her devotions the recollection of one with whose fate hers could have
no alliance a Nazarene and an enemy to her faith But the petition was
already breathed nor could all the narrow prejudices of her sect induce Rebecca
to wish it recalled
Chapter TwentyFifth
A damnd cramp piece of penmanship as ever I saw in my life
She stoops to conquer
When the Templar reached the hall of the castle he found De Bracy already
there »Your lovesuit« said De Bracy »hath I suppose been disturbed like
mine by this obstreperous summons But you have come later and more
reluctantly and therefore I presume your interview has proved more agreeable
than mine«
»Has your suit then been unsuccessfully paid to the Saxon heiress« said
the Templar
»By the bones of Thomas à Becket« answered De Bracy »the Lady Rowena must
have heard that I cannot endure the sight of womens tears«
»Away« said the Templar »thou a leader of a Free Company and regard a
womans tears A few drops sprinkled on the torch of love make the flame blaze
the brighter«
»Gramercy for the few drops of thy sprinkling« replied De Bracy »but this
damsel hath wept enough to extinguish a beaconlight Never was such wringing of
hands and such overflowing of eyes since the days of Saint Niobe30 of whom
Prior Aymer told us A waterfiend hath possessed the fair Saxon« »A legion of
fiends have occupied the bosom of the Jewess« replied the Templar »for I
think no single one not even Apollyon himself could have inspired such
indomitable pride and resolution But where is FrontdeBoeuf That horn is
sounded more and more clamorously«
»He is negotiating with the Jew I suppose« replied De Bracy coolly
»probably the howls of Isaac have drowned the blast of the bugle Thou mayest
know by experience Sir Brian that a Jew parting with his treasures on such
terms as our friend FrontdeBoeuf is like to offer will raise a clamour loud
enough to be heard over twenty horns and trumpets to boot But we will make the
vassals call him«
They were soon after joined by FrontdeBoeuf who had been disturbed in his
tyrannical cruelty in the manner with which the reader is acquainted and had
only tarried to give some necessary directions
»Let us see the cause of this cursed clamour« said FrontdeBoeuf »here
is a letter and if I mistake not it is in Saxon«
He looked at it turning it round and round as if he had had really some
hopes of coming at the meaning by inverting the position of the paper and then
handed it to De Bracy
»It may be magic spells for aught I know« said De Bracy who possessed his
full proportion of the ignorance which characterised the chivalry of the period
»Our chaplain attempted to teach me to write« he said »but all my letters were
formed like spearheads and swordblades and so the old shaveling gave up the
task«
»Give it me« said the Templar »We have that of the priestly character
that we have some knowledge to enlighten our valour«
»Let us profit by your most reverend knowledge then« said De Bracy »what
says the scroll«
»It is a formal letter of defiance« answered the Templar »but by our Lady
of Bethlehem if it be not a foolish jest it is the most extraordinary cartel
that ever was sent across the drawbridge of a baronial castle«
»Jest« said FrontdeBoeuf »I would gladly know who dares jest with me in
such a matter Read it Sir Brian«
The Templar accordingly read it as follows
»I Wamba the son of Witless Jester to a noble and freeborn man Cedric of
Rotherwood called the Saxon And I Gurth the son of Beowulph the
swineherd«
»Thou art mad« said FrontdeBoeuf interrupting the reader
»By Saint Luke it is so set down« answered the Templar Then resuming his
task he went on »I Gurth the son of Beowulph swineherd unto the said
Cedric with the assistance of our allies and confederates who make common
cause with us in this our feud namely the good knight called for the present
Le Noir Faineant and the stout yeoman Robert Locksley called Cleavethewand
Do you Reginald FrontdeBoeuf and your allies and accomplices whomsoever to
wit that whereas you have without cause given or feud declared wrongfully and
by mastery seized upon the person of our lord and master the said Cedric also
upon the person of a noble and freeborn damsel the Lady Rowena of
Hargottstandstede also upon the person of a noble and freeborn man Athelstane
of Coningsburgh also upon the persons of certain freeborn men their cnichts
also upon certain serfs their born bondsmen also upon a certain Jew named
Isaac of York together with his daughter a Jewess and certain horses and
mules Which noble persons with their cnichts and slaves and also with the
horses and mules Jew and Jewess beforesaid were all in peace with his majesty
and travelling as liege subjects upon the kings highway therefore we require
and demand that the said noble persons namely Cedric of Rotherwood Rowena of
Hargottstandstede Athelstane of Coningsburgh with their servants cnichts and
followers also the horses and mules Jew and Jewess aforesaid together with
all goods and chattels to them pertaining be within an hour after the delivery
hereof delivered to us or to those whom we shall appoint to receive the same
and that untouched and unharmed in body and goods Failing of which, we do
pronounce to you that we hold ye as robbers and traitors and will wager our
bodies against ye in battle siege or otherwise and do our utmost to your
annoyance and destruction Wherefore may God have you in his keeping Signed
by us upon the eve of Saint Witholds day under the great trysting oak in the
Harthill Walk the above being written by a holy man Clerk to God Our Lady
and Saint Dunstan in the Chapel of Copmanhurst«
At the bottom of this document was scrawled in the first place a rude
sketch of a cocks head and comb with a legend expressing this hieroglyphic to
be the signmanual of Wamba son of Witless Under this respectable emblem stood
a cross stated to be the mark of Gurth son of Beowulph Then were written in
rough bold characters the words Le Noir Faineant And to conclude the whole
an arrow neatly enough drawn was described as the mark of the yeoman Locksley
The knights heard this uncommon document read from end to end and then
gazed upon each other in silent amazement as being utterly at a loss to know
what it could portend De Bracy was the first to break silence by an
uncontrollable fit of laughter wherein he was joined though with more
moderation by the Templar FrontdeBoeuf on the contrary seemed impatient of
their illtimed jocularity
»I give you plain warning« he said »fair sirs that you had better consult
how to bear yourselves under these circumstances than give way to such
misplaced merriment«
»FrontdeBoeuf has not recovered his temper since his late overthrow« said
De Bracy to the Templar »he is cowed at the very idea of a cartel though it
come but from a fool and a swineherd«
»By Saint Michael« answered FrontdeBoeuf »I would thou couldst stand the
whole brunt of this adventure thyself De Bracy These fellows dared not have
acted with such inconceivable impudence had they not been supported by some
strong bands There are enough of outlaws in this forest to resent my protecting
the deer I did but tie one fellow who was taken redhanded and in the fact to
the horns of a wild stag which gored him to death in five minutes and I had as
many arrows shot at me as there were launched against yonder target at Ashby
Here fellow« he added to one of his attendants »hast thou sent out to see by
what force this precious challenge is to be supported«
»There are at least two hundred men assembled in the woods« answered a
squire who was in attendance
»Here is a proper matter« said FrontdeBoeuf »this comes of lending you
the use of my castle that cannot manage your undertaking quietly but you must
bring this nest of hornets about my ears«
»Of hornets« said De Bracy »of stingless drones rather a band of lazy
knaves who take to the wood and destroy the venison rather than labour for
their maintenance«
»Stingless« replied FrontdeBoeuf »forkheaded shafts of a clothyard in
length and these shot within the breadth of a French crown are sting enough«
»For shame Sir Knight« said the Templar »Let us summon our people and
sally forth upon them One knight ay one manatarms were enough for twenty
such peasants«
»Enough and too much« said De Bracy »I should only be ashamed to couch
lance against them«
»True« answered FrontdeBoeuf »were they black Turks or Moors Sir
Templar or the craven peasants of France most valiant De Bracy but these are
English yeomen over whom we shall have no advantage save what we may derive
from our arms and horses which will avail us little in the glades of the
forest Sally saidst thou we have scarce men enough to defend the castle The
best of mine are at York so is all your band De Bracy and we have scarcely
twenty besides the handful that were engaged in this mad business«
»Thou dost not fear« said the Templar »that they can assemble in force
sufficient to attempt the castle«
»Not so Sir Brian« answered FrontdeBoeuf »These outlaws have indeed a
daring captain but without machines scaling ladders and experienced leaders
my castle may defy them«
»Send to thy neighbours« said the Templar »let them assemble their people
and come to the rescue of three knights besieged by a jester and a swineherd in
the baronial castle of Reginald FrontdeBoeuf«
»You jest Sir Knight« answered the baron »but to whom should I send
Malvoisin is by this time at York with his retainers and so are my other
allies and so should I have been but for this infernal enterprise«
»Then send to York and recall our people« said De Bracy »If they abide
the shaking of my standard or the sight of my Free Companions I will give them
credit for the boldest outlaws ever bent bow in greenwood«
»And who shall bear such a message« said Front »They will beset every
path and rip the errand out of his bosom I have it« he added after pausing
for a moment »Sir Templar thou canst write as well as read and if we can but
find the writing materials of my chaplain who died a twelvemonth since in the
midst of his Christmas carousals«
»So please ye« said the squire who was still in attendance »I think old
Urfried has them somewhere in keeping for love of the confessor He was the
last man I have heard her tell who ever said aught to her which man ought in
courtesy to address to maid or matron«
»Go search them out Engelred« said FrontdeBoeuf »and then Sir
Templar thou shalt return an answer to this bold challenge«
»I would rather do it at the swords point than at that of the pen« said
BoisGuilbert »but be it as you will«
He sat down accordingly and indited in the French language an epistle of
the following tenor
»Sir Reginald FrontdeBoeuf with his noble and knightly allies and
confederates receive no defiances at the hands of slaves bondsmen or
fugitives If the person calling himself the Black Knight hath indeed a claim to
the honours of chivalry he ought to know that he stands degraded by his present
association and has no right to ask reckoning at the hands of good men of noble
blood Touching the prisoners we have made we do in Christian charity require
you to send a man of religion to receive their confession and reconcile them
with God since it is our fixed intention to execute them this morning before
noon so that their heads being placed on the battlements shall show to all men
how lightly we esteem those who have bestirred themselves in their rescue
Wherefore as above we require you to send a priest to reconcile them to God
in doing which you shall render them the last earthly service«
This letter being folded was delivered to the squire and by him to the
messenger who waited without as the answer to that which he had brought
The yeoman having thus accomplished his mission returned to the
headquarters of the allies which were for the present established under a
venerable oaktree about three arrowflights distant from the castle Here
Wamba and Gurth with their allies the Black Knight and Locksley and the jovial
hermit awaited with impatience an answer to their summons Around and at a
distance from them were seen many a bold yeoman whose silvan dress and
weatherbeaten countenances showed the ordinary nature of their occupation More
than two hundred had already assembled and others were fast coming in Those
whom they obeyed as leaders were only distinguished from the others by a feather
in the cap their dress arms and equipments being in all other respects the
same
Besides these bands a less orderly and a worse armed force consisting of
the Saxon inhabitants of the neighbouring township as well as many bondsmen and
servants from Cedrics extensive estate had already arrived for the purpose of
assisting in his rescue Few of these were armed otherwise than with such rustic
weapons as necessity sometimes converts to military purposes Boarspears
scythes flails and the like were their chief arms for the Normans with the
usual policy of conquerors were jealous of permitting to the vanquished Saxons
the possession or the use of swords and spears These circumstances rendered the
assistance of the Saxons far from being so formidable to the besieged as the
strength of the men themselves their superior numbers and the animation
inspired by a just cause might otherwise well have made them It was to the
leaders of this motley army that the letter of the Templar was now delivered
Reference was at first made to the chaplain for an exposition of its
contents
»By the crook of Saint Dunstan« said that worthy ecclesiastic »which hath
brought more sheep within the sheepfold than the crook of eer another saint in
Paradise I swear that I cannot expound unto you this jargon which whether it
be French or Arabic is beyond my guess«
He then gave the letter to Gurth who shook his head gruffly and passed it
to Wamba The jester looked at each of the four corners of the paper with such a
grin of affected intelligence as a monkey is apt to assume upon similar
occasions then cut a caper and gave the letter to Locksley
»If the long letters were bows and the short letters broad arrows I might
know something of the matter« said the honest yeoman »but as the matter
stands the meaning is as safe for me as the stag thats at twelve miles
distance«
»I must be clerk then« said the Black Knight and taking the letter from
Locksley he first read it over to himself and then explained the meaning in
Saxon to his confederates
»Execute the noble Cedric« exclaimed Wamba »by the rood thou must be
mistaken Sir Knight«
»Not I my worthy friend« replied the Knight »I have explained the words
as they are here set down«
»Then by St Thomas of Canterbury« replied Gurth »we will have the
castle should we tear it down with our hands«
»We have nothing else to tear it with« replied Wamba »but mine are scarce
fit to make mammocks of freestone and mortar«
»Tis but a contrivance to gain time« said Locksley »they dare not do a
deed for which I could exact a fearful penalty«
»I would« said the Black Knight »there were some one among us who could
obtain admission into the castle and discover how the case stands with the
besieged Methinks as they require a confessor to be sent this holy hermit
might at once exercise his pious vocation and procure us the information we
desire«
»A plague on thee and thy advice« said the good hermit »I tell thee Sir
Slothful Knight that when I doff my friars frock my priesthood my sanctity
my very Latin are put off along with it and when in my green jerkin I can
better kill twenty deer than confess one Christian«
»I fear« said the Black Knight »I fear greatly there is no one here that
is qualified to take upon him for the nonce this same character of father
confessor«
All looked on each other and were silent
»I see« said Wamba after a short pause »that the fool must still be the
fool and put his neck in the venture which wise men shrink from You must know
my dear cousins and countrymen that I wore russet before I wore motley and was
bred to be a friar until a brainfever came upon me and left me just wit enough
to be a fool I trust with the assistance of the good hermits frock together
with the priesthood sanctity and learning which are stitched into the cowl of
it I shall be found qualified to administer both worldly and ghostly comfort to
our worthy master Cedric and his companions in adversity«
»Hath he sense enough thinkst thou« said the Black Knight addressing
Gurth
»I know not« said Gurth »but if he hath not it will be the first time he
hath wanted wit to turn his folly to account«
»On with the frock then good fellow« quoth the knight »and let thy
master send us an account of their situation within the castle Their numbers
must be few and it is five to one they may be accessible by a sudden and bold
attack Time wears away with thee«
»And in the meantime« said Locksley »we will beset the place so closely
that not so much as a fly shall carry news from thence So that my good
friend« he continued addressing Wamba »thou mayest assure these tyrants that
whatever violence they exercise on the persons of their prisoners shall be most
severely repaid upon their own«
»Pax vobiscum« said Wamba who was now muffled in his religious disguise
And so saying he imitated the solemn and stately deportment of a friar and
departed to execute his mission
Chapter TwentySixth
The hottest horse will oft be cool
The dullest will show fire
The friar will often play the fool
The fool will play the friar
Old Song
When the Jester arrayed in the cowl and frock of the hermit and having his
knotted cord twisted around his middle stood before the portal of the castle of
FrontdeBoeuf the warder demanded of him his name and errand
»Pax vobiscum« answered the Jester »I am a poor brother of the Order of
Saint Francis who come hither to do my office to certain unhappy prisoners now
secured within this castle«
»Thou art a bold friar« said the warder »to come hither where saving our
own drunken confessor a cock of thy feather hath not crowed these twenty
years«
»Yet I pray thee do mine errand to the lord of the castle« answered the
pretended friar »trust me it will find good acceptance with him and the cock
shall crow that the whole castle shall hear him«
»Gramercy« said the warder »but if I come to shame for leaving my post
upon thine errand I will try whether a friars grey gown be proof against a
greygoose shaft«
With this threat he left his turret and carried to the hall of the castle
his unwonted intelligence that a holy friar stood before the gate and demanded
instant admission With no small wonder he received his masters commands to
admit the holy man immediately and having previously manned the entrance to
guard against surprise he obeyed without farther scruple the commands which
he had received The harebrained selfconceit which had emboldened Wamba to
undertake this dangerous office was scarce sufficient to support him when he
found himself in the presence of a man so dreadful and so much dreaded as
Reginald FrontdeBoeuf and he brought out his pax vobiscum to which he in a
good measure trusted for supporting his character with more anxiety and
hesitation than had hitherto accompanied it But FrontdeBoeuf was accustomed
to see men of all ranks tremble in his presence so that the timidity of the
supposed father did not give him any cause of suspicion »Who and whence art
thou priest« said he
»Pax vobiscum« reiterated the Jester »I am a poor servant of Saint
Francis who travelling through this wilderness have fallen among thieves as
Scripture hath it quidam viator incidit in latrones which thieves have sent
me unto this castle in order to do my ghostly office on two persons condemned by
your honourable justice«
»Ay right« answered FrontdeBoeuf »and canst thou tell me holy father
the number of those banditti«
»Gallant sir« answered the Jester »nomen illis legio their name is
legion«
»Tell me in plain terms what numbers there are or priest thy cloak and
cord will ill protect thee«
»Alas« said the supposed friar »cor meum eructavit that is to say I was
like to burst with fear but I conceive they may be what of yeomen what of
commons at least five hundred men«
»What« said the Templar who came into the hall that moment »muster the
wasps so thick here it is time to stifle such a mischievous brood« Then taking
FrontdeBoeuf aside »Knowest thou the priest«
»He is a stranger from a distant convent« said FrontdeBoeuf »I know him
not«
»Then trust him not with thy purpose in words« answered the Templar »Let
him carry a written order to De Bracys company of Free Companions to repair
instantly to their masters aid In the meantime and that the shaveling may
suspect nothing permit him to go freely about his task of preparing these Saxon
hogs for the slaughterhouse«
»It shall be so« said FrontdeBoeuf And he forthwith appointed a domestic
to conduct Wamba to the apartment where Cedric and Athelstane were confined
The impatience of Cedric had been rather enhanced than diminished by his
confinement He walked from one end of the hall to the other with the attitude
of one who advances to charge an enemy or to storm the breach of a beleaguered
place sometimes ejaculating to himself sometimes addressing Athelstane who
stoutly and stoically awaited the issue of the adventure digesting in the
meantime with great composure the liberal meal which he had made at noon and
not greatly interesting himself about the duration of his captivity which he
concluded would like all earthly evils find an end in Heavens good time
»Pax vobiscum« said the Jester entering the apartment »the blessing of
Saint Dunstan Saint Dennis Saint Duthoc and all other saints whatsoever be
upon ye and about ye«
»Enter freely« answered Cedric to the supposed friar »with what intent art
thou come hither«
»To bid you prepare yourselves for death« answered the Jester
»It is impossible« replied Cedric starting »Fearless and wicked as they
are they dare not attempt such open and gratuitous cruelty«
»Alas« said the Jester »to restrain them by their sense of humanity is
the same as to stop a runaway horse with a bridle of silk thread Bethink thee
therefore noble Cedric and you also gallant Athelstane what crimes you have
committed in the flesh for this very day will ye be called to answer at a
higher tribunal«
»Hearest thou this Athelstane« said Cedric »we must rouse up our hearts
to this last action since better it is we should die like men than live like
slaves«
»I am ready« answered Athelstane »to stand the worst of their malice and
shall walk to my death with as much composure as ever I did to my dinner«
»Let us then unto our holy gear father« said Cedric
»Wait yet a moment good uncle« said the Jester in his natural tone
»better look long before you leap in the dark«
»By my faith« said Cedric »I should know that voice«
»It is that of your trusty slave and Jester« answered Wamba throwing back
his cowl »Had you taken a fools advice formerly you would not have been here
at all Take a fools advice now and you will not be here long«
»How meanest thou knave« answered the Saxon
»Even thus« replied Wamba »take thou this frock and cord which are all
the orders I ever had and march quietly out of the castle leaving me your
cloak and girdle to take the long leap in thy stead«
»Leave thee in my stead« said Cedric astonished at the proposal »why they
would hang thee my poor knave«
»Een let them do as they are permitted« said Wamba »I trust no
disparagement to your birth that the son of Witless may hang in a chain with
as much gravity as the chain hung upon his ancestor the alderman«
»Well Wamba« answered Cedric »for one thing will I grant thy request And
that is if thou wilt make the exchange of garments with Lord Athelstane instead
of me«
»No by Saint Dunstan« answered Wamba »there were little reason in that
Good right there is that the son of Witless should suffer to save the son of
Hereward but little wisdom there were in his dying for the benefit of one whose
fathers were strangers to his«
»Villain« said Cedric »the fathers of Athelstane were monarchs of
England«
»They might be whomsoever they pleased« replied Wamba »but my neck stands
too straight upon my shoulders to have it twisted for their sake Wherefore
good my master either take my proffer yourself or suffer me to leave this
dungeon as free as I entered«
»Let the old tree wither« continued Cedric »so the stately hope of the
forest be preserved Save the noble Athelstane my trusty Wamba it is the duty
of each who has Saxon blood in his veins Thou and I will abide together the
utmost rage of our injurious oppressors while he free and safe shall arouse
the awakened spirits of our countrymen to avenge us«
»Not so father Cedric« said Athelstane grasping his hand for when
roused to think or act his deeds and sentiments were not unbecoming his high
race »Not so« he continued »I would rather remain in this hall a week
without food save the prisoners stinted loaf or drink save the prisoners
measure of water than embrace the opportunity to escape which the slaves
untaught kindness has purveyed for his master«
»You are called wise men sirs« said the Jester »and I a crazed fool but
uncle Cedric and cousin Athelstane the fool shall decide this controversy for
ye and save ye the trouble of straining courtesies any farther I am like
JohnaDucks mare that will let no man mount her but JohnaDuck I came to
save my master and if he will not consent basta I can but go away home
again Kind service cannot be chucked from hand to hand like a shuttlecock or
stoolball Ill hang for no man but my own born master«
»Go then noble Cedric« said Athelstane »neglect not this opportunity
Your presence without may encourage friends to our rescue your remaining here
would ruin us all«
»And is there any prospect then of rescue from without« said Cedric
looking at the Jester
»Prospect indeed« echoed Wamba »let me tell you when you fill my cloak
you are wrapt in a generals cassock Five hundred men are there without and I
was this morning one of their chief leaders My fools cap was a casque and my
bauble a truncheon Well we shall see what good they will make by exchanging a
fool for a wise man Truly I fear they will lose in valour what they may gain
in discretion And so farewell master and be kind to poor Gurth and his dog
Fangs and let my cockscomb hang in the hall at Rotherwood in memory that I
flung away my life for my master like a faithful fool«
The last word came out with a sort of double expression betwixt jest and
earnest The tears stood in Cedrics eyes
»Thy memory shall be preserved« he said »while fidelity and affection have
honour upon earth But that I trust I shall find the means of saving Rowena and
thee Athelstane and thee also my poor Wamba thou shouldst not overbear me
in this matter«
The exchange of dress was now accomplished when a sudden doubt struck
Cedric
»I know no language« he said »but my own and a few words of their mincing
Norman How shall I bear myself like a reverend brother«
»The spell lies in two words« replied Wamba »Pax vobiscum will answer all
queries If you go or come eat or drink bless or ban Pax vobiscum carries you
through it all It is as useful to a friar as a broomstick to a witch or a
wand to a conjuror Speak it but thus in a deep grave tone Pass vobiscum
it is irresistible Watch and ward knight and squire foot and horse it acts
as a charm upon them all I think if they bring me out to be hanged tomorrow
as is much to be doubted they may I will try its weight upon the finisher of
the sentence«
»If such prove the case« said his master »my religious orders are soon
taken Pax vobiscum I trust I shall remember the password Noble Athelstane
farewell and farewell my poor boy whose heart might make amends for a weaker
head I will save you or return and die with you The royal blood of our Saxon
kings shall not be spilt while mine beats in my veins nor shall one hair fall
from the head of the kind knave who risked himself for his master if Cedrics
peril can prevent it Farewell«
»Farewell noble Cedric« said Athelstane »remember it is the true part of
a friar to accept refreshment if you are offered any«
»Farewell uncle« added Wamba »and remember Pax vobiscum«
Thus exhorted Cedric sallied forth upon his expedition and it was not long
ere he had occasion to try the force of that spell which his Jester had
recommended as omnipotent In a lowarched and dusky passage by which he
endeavoured to work his way to the hall of the castle he was interrupted by a
female form
»Pax vobiscum« said the pseudo friar and was endeavouring to hurry past
when a soft voice replied »Et vobis quoeso domine reverendissime pro
misericordia vestra«
»I am somewhat deaf« replied Cedric in good Saxon and at the same time
muttered to himself »a curse on the fool and his Pax vobiscum I have lost my
javelin at the first cast«
It was however no unusual thing for a priest of those days to be deaf of
his Latin ear and this the person who now addressed Cedric knew full well
»I pray you of dear love reverend father« she replied in his own language
»that you will deign to visit with your ghostly comfort a wounded prisoner of
this castle and have such compassion upon him and us as thy holy office teaches
Never shall good deed so highly advantage thy convent«
»Daughter« answered Cedric much embarrassed »my time in this castle will
not permit me to exercise the duties of mine office I must presently forth
there is life and death upon my speed«
»Yet father let me entreat you by the vow you have taken on you« replied
the suppliant »not to leave the oppressed and endangered without counsel or
succour«
»May the fiend fly away with me and leave me in Ifrin with the souls of
Odin and of Thor« answered Cedric impatiently and would probably have
proceeded in the same tone of total departure from his spiritual character when
the colloquy was interrupted by the harsh voice of Urfried the old crone of the
turret
»How minion« said she to the female speaker »is this the manner in which
you requite the kindness which permitted thee to leave thy prisoncell yonder
Puttest thou the reverend man to use ungracious language to free himself from
the importunities of a Jewess«
»A Jewess« said Cedric availing himself of the information to get clear of
their interruption »Let me pass woman stop me not at your peril I am fresh
from my holy office and would avoid pollution«
»Come this way father« said the old hag »thou art a stranger in this
castle and canst not leave it without a guide Come hither for I would speak
with thee And you daughter of an accursed race go to the sick mans
chamber and tend him until my return and woe betide you if you again quit it
without my permission«
Rebecca retreated Her importunities had prevailed upon Urfried to suffer
her to quit the turret and Urfried had employed her services where she herself
would most gladly have paid them by the bedside of the wounded Ivanhoe With an
understanding awake to their dangerous situation and prompt to avail herself of
each means of safety which occurred Rebecca had hoped something from the
presence of a man of religion who she learned from Urfried had penetrated
into this godless castle She watched the return of the supposed ecclesiastic
with the purpose of addressing him and interesting him in favour of the
prisoners with what imperfect success the reader has been just acquainted
Chapter TwentySeventh
Fond wretch and what canst thou relate
But deeds of sorrow shame and sin
Thy deeds are proved thou knowst thy fate
But come thy tale begin begin
But I have griefs of other kind
Troubles and sorrows more severe
Give me to ease my tortured mind
Lend to my woes a patient ear
And let me if I may not find
A friend to help find one to hear
Crabbes Hall of Justice
When Urfried had with clamours and menaces driven Rebecca back to the apartment
from which she had sallied she proceeded to conduct the unwilling Cedric into a
small apartment the door of which she heedfully secured Then fetching from a
cupboard a stoup of wine and two flagons she placed them on the table and
said in a tone rather asserting a fact than asking a question »Thou art
Saxon father Deny it not« she continued observing that Cedric hastened not
to reply »the sounds of my native language are sweet to mine ears though
seldom heard save from the tongues of the wretched and degraded serfs on whom
the proud Normans impose the meanest drudgery of this dwelling Thou art a
Saxon father a Saxon and save as thou art a servant of God a freeman
Thine accents are sweet in mine ear«
»Do not Saxon priests visit this castle then« replied Cedric »it were
methinks their duty to comfort the outcast and oppressed children of the soil«
»They come not or if they come they better love to revel at the board of
their conquerors« answered Urfried »than to hear the groans of their
countrymen so at least report speaks of them of myself I can say little
This castle for ten years has opened to no priest save the debauched Norman
chaplain who partook the nightly revels of FrontdeBoeuf and he has been long
gone to render an account of his stewardship But thou art a Saxon a Saxon
priest and I have one question to ask of thee«
»I am a Saxon« answered Cedric »but unworthy surely of the name of
priest Let me begone on my way I swear I will return or send one of our
fathers more worthy to hear your confession«
»Stay yet a while« said Urfried »the accents of the voice which thou
hearest now will soon be choked with the cold earth and I would not descend to
it like the beast I have lived But wine must give me strength to tell the
horrors of my tale« She poured out a cup and drank it with a frightful
avidity which seemed desirous of draining the last drop in the goblet »It
stupifies« she said looking upwards as she finished her draught »but it
cannot cheer Partake it father if you would hear my tale without sinking
down upon the pavement« Cedric would have avoided pledging her in this ominous
convivality but the sign which she made to him expressed impatience and
despair He complied with her request and answered her challenge in a large
winecup she then proceeded with her story as if appeased by his complaisance
»I was not born« she said »father the wretch that thou now seest me I
was free was happy was honoured loved and was beloved I am now a slave
miserable and degraded the sport of my masters passions while I had yet
beauty the object of their contempt scorn and hatred since it has passed
away Dost thou wonder father that I should hate mankind and above all
the race that has wrought this change in me Can the wrinkled decrepit hag
before thee whose wrath must vent itself in impotent curses forget she was
once the daughter of the noble Thane of Torquilstone before whose frown a
thousand vassals trembled«
»Thou the daughter of Torquil Wolfganger« said Cedric receding as he
spoke »thou thou the daughter of that noble Saxon my fathers friend and
companion in arms«
»Thy fathers friend« echoed Urfried »then Cedric called the Saxon stands
before me for the noble Hereward of Rotherwood had but one son whose name is
well known among his countrymen But if thou art Cedric of Rotherwood why this
religious dress hast thou too despaired of saving thy country and sought
refuge from oppression in the shade of the convent«
»It matters not who I am« said Cedric »proceed unhappy woman with thy
tale of horror and guilt Guilt there must be there is guilt even in thy
living to tell it«
»There is there is« answered the wretched woman »deep black damning
guilt guilt that lies like a load at my breast guilt that all the
penitential fires of hereafter cannot cleanse Yes in these halls stained with
the noble and pure blood of my father and my brethren in these very halls to
have lived the paramour of their murderer the slave at once and the partaker of
his pleasures was to render every breath which I drew of vital air a crime and
a curse«
»Wretched woman« exclaimed Cedric »And while the friends of thy father
while each true Saxon heart as it breathed a requiem for his soul and those of
his valiant sons forgot not in their prayers the murdered Ulrica while all
mourned and honoured the dead thou hast lived to merit our hate and execration
lived to unite thyself with the vile tyrant who murdered thy nearest and
dearest who shed the blood of infancy rather than a male of the noble house
of Torquil Wolfganger should survive with him hast thou lived to unite
thyself and in the bands of lawless love
In lawless bands indeed but not in those of love« answered the hag »love
will sooner visit the regions of eternal doom than those unhallowed vaults
No with that at least I cannot reproach myself hatred to FrontdeBoeuf and
his race governed my soul most deeply even in the hour of his guilty
endearments«
»You hated him and yet you lived« replied Cedric »wretch was there no
poniard no knife no bodkin Well was it for thee since thou didst prize
such an existence that the secrets of a Norman castle are like those of the
grave For had I but dreamed of the daughter of Torquil living in foul communion
with the murderer of her father the sword of a true Saxon had found thee out
even in the arms of thy paramour«
»Wouldst thou indeed have done this justice to the name of Torquil« said
Ulrica for we may now lay aside her assumed name of Urfried »thou art then
the true Saxon report speaks thee for even within these accursed walls where
as thou well sayest guilt shrouds itself in inscrutable mystery even there has
the name of Cedric been sounded and I wretched and degraded have rejoiced to
think that there yet breathed an avenger of our unhappy nation I also have
had my hours of vengeance I have fomented the quarrels of our foes heated
drunken revelry into murderous broil I have seen their blood flow I have
heard their dying groans Look on me Cedric are there not still left on
this foul and faded face some traces of the features of Torquil«
»Ask me not of them Ulrica« replied Cedric in a tone of grief mixed with
abhorrence »these traces form such a resemblance as arises from the grave of
the dead when a fiend has animated the lifeless corpse«
»Be it so« answered Ulrica »yet were these fiendish features the mask of a
spirit of light when they were able to set at variance the elder FrontdeBoeuf
and his son Reginald The darkness of hell should hide what followed but
revenge must lift the veil and darkly intimate what it would raise the dead to
speak aloud Long had the smouldering fire of discord glowed between the tyrant
father and his savage son long had I nursed in secret the unnatural hatred
it blazed forth in an hour of drunken wassail and at his own board fell my
oppressor by the hand of his own son such are the secrets these vaults
conceal Rend asunder ye accursed arches« she added looking up towards the
roof »and bury in your fall all who are conscious of the hideous mystery«
»And thou creature of guilt and misery« said Cedric »what became thy lot
on the death of thy ravisher«
»Guess it but ask it not Here here I dwelt till age premature age
has stamped its ghastly features on my countenance scorned and insulted where
I was once obeyed and compelled to bound the revenge which had once such ample
scope to the efforts of petty malice of a discontented menial or the vain or
unheeded curses of an impotent hag condemned to hear from my lonely turret the
sounds of revelry in which I once partook or the shrieks and groans of new
victims of oppression«
»Ulrica« said Cedric »with a heart which still I fear regrets the lost
reward of thy crimes as much as the deeds by which thou didst acquire that
meed how didst thou dare to address thee to one who wears this robe Consider
unhappy woman what could the sainted Edward himself do for thee were he here
in bodily presence The royal Confessor was endowed by Heaven with power to
cleanse the ulcers of the body but only God himself can cure the leprosy of the
soul«
»Yet turn not from me stern prophet of wrath« she exclaimed »but tell
me if thou canst in what shall terminate these new and awful feelings that
burst on my solitude Why do deeds long since done rise before me in new and
irresistible horrors What fate is prepared beyond the grave for her to whom
God has assigned on earth a lot of such unspeakable wretchedness Better had I
turn to Woden Hertha and Zernebock to Mista and to Skogula the gods of our
yet unbaptized ancestors than endure the dreadful anticipations which have of
late haunted my waking and my sleeping hours«
»I am no priest« said Cedric turning with disgust from this miserable
picture of guilt wretchedness and despair »I am no priest though I wear a
priests garment«
»Priest or layman« answered Ulrica »thou art the first I have seen for
twenty years by whom God was feared or man regarded and dost thou bid me
despair«
»I bid thee repent« said Cedric »Seek to prayer and penance and mayest
thou find acceptance But I cannot I will not longer abide with thee«
»Stay yet a moment« said Ulrica »leave me not now son of my fathers
friend lest the demon who has governed my life should tempt me to avenge myself
of thy hardhearted scorn Thinkest thou if FrontdeBoeuf found Cedric the
Saxon in his castle in such a disguise that thy life would be a long one
Already his eye has been upon thee like a falcon on his prey«
»And be it so« said Cedric »and let him tear me with beak and talons ere
my tongue say one word which my heart doth not warrant I will die a Saxon
true in word open in deed I bid thee avaunt touch me not stay me not
The sight of FrontdeBoeuf himself is less odious to me than thou degraded and
degenerate as thou art«
»Be it so« said Ulrica no longer interrupting him »go thy way and
forget in the insolence of thy superiority that the wretch before thee is the
daughter of thy fathers friend Go thy way if I am separated from mankind
by my sufferings separated from those whose aid I might most justly expect
not less will I be separated from them in my revenge No man shall aid me but
the ears of all men shall tingle to hear of the deed which I shall dare to do
Farewell thy scorn has burst the last tie which seemed yet to unite me to my
kind a thought that my woes might claim the compassion of my people«
»Ulrica« said Cedric softened by this appeal »hast thou borne up and
endured to live through so much guilt and so much misery and wilt thou now
yield to despair when thine eyes are opened to thy crimes and when repentance
were thy fitter occupation«
»Cedric« answered Ulrica »thou little knowest the human heart To act as I
have acted to think as I have thought requires the maddening love of pleasure
mingled with the keen appetite of revenge the proud consciousness of power
draughts too intoxicating for the human heart to bear and yet retain the power
to prevent Their force has long passed away Age has no pleasures wrinkles
have no influence revenge itself dies away in impotent curses Then comes
remorse with all its vipers mixed with vain regrets for the past and despair
for the future Then when all other strong impulses have ceased we become
like the fiends in hell who may feel remorse but never repentance But thy
words have awakened a new soul within me Well hast thou said all is possible
for those who dare to die Thou hast shown me the means of revenge and be
assured I will embrace them It has hitherto shared this wasted bosom with other
and with rival passions henceforward it shall possess me wholly and thou
thyself shalt say that whatever was the life of Ulrica her death well became
the daughter of the noble Torquil There is a force without beleaguering this
accursed castle hasten to lead them to the attack and when thou shalt see a
red flag wave from the turret on the eastern angle of the donjon press the
Normans hard they will then have enough to do within and you may win the wall
in spite both of bow and mangonel Begone I pray thee follow thine own
fate and leave me to mine«
Cedric would have inquired farther into the purpose which she thus darkly
announced but the stern voice of FrontdeBoeuf was heard exclaiming »Where
tarries this loitering priest By the scallopshell of Compostella I will make
a martyr of him if he loiters here to hatch treason among my domestics«
»What a true prophet« said Ulrica »is an evil conscience But heed him not
out and to thy people Cry your Saxon onslaught and let them sing their
warsong of Rollo if they will vengeance shall bear a burden to it«
As she thus spoke she vanished through a private door and Reginald
FrontdeBoeuf entered the apartment Cedric with some difficulty compelled
himself to make obeisance to the haughty Baron who returned his courtesy with a
slight inclination of the head
»Thy penitents father have made a long shrift it is the better for them
since it is the last they shall ever make Hast thou prepared them for death«
»I found them« said Cedric in such French as he could command »expecting
the worst from the moment they knew into whose power they had fallen«
»How now Sir Friar« replied FrontdeBoeuf »thy speech methinks smacks
of a Saxon tongue«
»I was bred in the convent of Saint Withold of Burton« answered Cedric
»Ay« said the Baron »it had been better for thee to have been a Norman
and better for my purpose too but need has no choice of messengers That Saint
Witholds of Burton is a howlets nest worth the harrying The day will soon
come that the frock shall protect the Saxon as little as the mailcoat«
»Gods will be done« said Cedric in a voice tremulous with passion which
FrontdeBoeuf imputed to fear
»I see« said he »thou dreamest already that our menatarms are in thy
refectory and thy alevaults But do me one cast of thy holy office and come
what list of others thou shalt sleep as safe in thy cell as a snail within his
shell of proof«
»Speak your commands« said Cedric with suppressed emotion
»Follow me through this passage then that I may dismiss thee by the
postern«
And as he strode on his way before the supposed friar FrontdeBoeuf thus
schooled him in the part which he desired he should act
»Thou seest Sir Friar yon herd of Saxon swine who have dared to environ
this castle of Torquilstone Tell them whatever thou hast a mind of the
weakness of this fortalice or aught else that can detain them before it for
twentyfour hours Meantime bear thou this scroll But soft canst read Sir
Priest«
»Not a jot I« answered Cedric »save on my breviary and then I know the
characters because I have the holy service by heart praised be Our Lady and
Saint Withold«
»The fitter messenger for my purpose Carry thou this scroll to the castle
of Philip de Malvoisin say it cometh from me and is written by the Templar
Brian de BoisGuilbert and that I pray him to send it to York with all the
speed man and horse can make Meanwhile tell him to doubt nothing he shall
find us whole and sound behind our battlement Shame on it that we should be
compelled to hide thus by a pack of runagates who are wont to fly even at the
flash of our pennons and the tramp of our horses I say to thee priest
contrive some cast of thine art to keep the knaves where they are until our
friends bring up their lances My vengeance is awake and she is a falcon that
slumbers not till she has been gorged«
»By my patron saint« said Cedric with deeper energy than became his
character »and by every saint who has lived and died in England your commands
shall be obeyed Not a Saxon shall stir from before these walls if I have art
and influence to detain them there«
»Ha« said FrontdeBoeuf »thou changest thy tone Sir Priest and speakest
brief and bold as if thy heart were in the slaughter of the Saxon herd and yet
thou art thyself of kindred to the swine«
Cedric was no ready practiser of the art of dissimulation and would at this
moment have been much the better of a hint from Wambas more fertile brain But
necessity according to the ancient proverb sharpens invention and he muttered
something under his cowl concerning the men in question being excommunicated
outlaws both to church and to kingdom
»Despardieux« answered FrontdeBoeuf »thou hast spoken the very truth I
forgot that the knaves can strip a fat abbot as well as if they had been born
south of yonder salt channel Was it not he of St Ives whom they tied to an
oaktree and compelled to sing a mass while they were rifling his mails and his
wallets No by Our Lady that jest was played by Gualtier of Middleton one
of our own companionsatarms But they were Saxons who robbed the chapel at St
Bees of cup candlestick and chalice were they not«
»They were godless men« answered Cedric
»Ay and they drank out all the good wine and ale that lay in store for many
a secret carousal when ye pretend ye are but busied with vigils and primes
Priest thou art bound to revenge such sacrilege«
»I am indeed bound to vengeance« murmured Cedric »Saint Withold knows my
heart«
FrontdeBoeuf in the meanwhile led the way to a postern where passing
the moat on a single plank they reached a small barbican or exterior defence
which communicated with the open field by a wellfortified sallyport
»Begone then and if thou wilt do mine errand and if thou return hither
when it is done thou shalt see Saxon flesh cheap as ever was hogs in the
shambles of Sheffield And hark thee thou seemest to be a jolly confessor
come hither after the onslaught and thou shalt have as much Malvoisie as would
drench thy whole convent«
»Assuredly we shall meet again« answered Cedric
»Something in hand the whilst« continued the Norman and as they parted at
the postern door he thrust into Cedrics reluctant hand a gold byzant adding
»Remember I will flay off both cowl and skin if thou failest in thy purpose«
»And full leave will I give thee to do both« answered Cedric leaving the
postern and striding forth over the free field with a joyful step »if when we
meet next I deserve not better at thine hand« Turning then back towards the
castle he threw the piece of gold towards the donor exclaiming at the same
time »False Norman thy money perish with thee«
FrontdeBoeuf heard the words imperfectly but the action was suspicious
»Archers« he called to the warders on the outward battlements »send me an
arrow through yon monks frock yet stay« he said as his retainers were
bending their bows »it avails not we must thus far trust him since we have no
better shift I think he dares not betray me at the worst I can but treat with
these Saxon dogs whom I have safe in kennel Ho Giles jailer let them bring
Cedric of Rotherwood before me and the other churl his companion him I mean
of Coningsburgh Athelstane there or what call they him Their very names are
an encumbrance to a Norman knights mouth and have as it were a flavour of
bacon Give me a stoup of wine as jolly Prince John said that I may wash away
the relish place it in the armoury and thither lead the prisoners«
His commands were obeyed and upon entering that Gothic apartment hung
with many spoils won by his own valour and that of his father he found a flagon
of wine on the massive oaken table and the two Saxon captives under the guard
of four of his dependants FrontdeBoeuf took a long draught of wine and then
addressed his prisoners for the manner in which Wamba drew the cap over his
face the change of dress the gloomy and broken light and the Barons
imperfect acquaintance with the features of Cedric who avoided his Norman
neighbours and seldom stirred beyond his own domains prevented him from
discovering that the most important of his captives had made his escape
»Gallants of England« said FrontdeBoeuf »how relish ye your
entertainment at Torquilstone Are ye yet aware what your surquedy and
outrecuidance31 merit for scoffing at the entertainment of a Prince of the House
of Anjou Have ye forgotten how ye requited the unmerited hospitality of the
royal John By God and Saint Dennis an ye pay not the richer ransom I will
hang ye up by the feet from the iron bars of these windows till the kites and
hooded crows have made skeletons of you Speak out ye Saxon dogs what bid
ye for your worthless lives How say you you of Rotherwood«
»Not a doit I« answered poor Wamba »and for hanging up by the feet my
brain has been topsyturvy they say ever since the biggin was bound first
round my head so turning me upside down may peradventure restore it again«
»Saint Genevieve« said FrontdeBoeuf »what have we got here«
And with the back of his hand he struck Cedrics cap from the head of the
Jester and throwing open his collar discovered the fatal badge of servitude
the silver collar round his neck
»Giles Clement dogs and varlets« exclaimed the furious Norman »what
have you brought me here«
»I think I can tell you« said De Bracy who just entered the apartment
»This is Cedrics clown who fought so manful a skirmish with Isaac of York
about a question of precedence«
»I shalt settle it for them both« replied FrontdeBoeuf »they shall hang
on the same gallows unless his master and this boar of Coningsburgh will pay
well for their lives Their wealth is the least they can surrender they must
also carry off with them the swarms that are besetting the castle subscribe a
surrender of their pretended immunities and live under us as serfs and vassals
too happy if in the new world that is about to begin we leave them the breath
of their nostrils Go« said he to two of his attendants »fetch me the right
Cedric hither and I pardon your error for once the rather that you but mistook
a fool for a Saxon franklin«
»Ay but« said Wamba »your chivalrous excellency will find there are more
fools than franklins among us«
»What means the knave« said FrontdeBoeuf looking towards his followers
who lingering and loath faltered forth their belief that if this were not
Cedric who was there in presence they knew not what was become of him
»Saints of Heaven« exclaimed De Bracy »he must have escaped in the monks
garments«
»Fiends of hell« echoed FrontdeBoeuf »it was then the boar of Rotherwood
whom I ushered to the postern and dismissed with my own hands And thou« he
said to Wamba »whose folly could overreach the wisdom of idiots yet more gross
than thyself I will give thee holy orders I will shave thy crown for thee
Here let them tear the scalp from his head and then pitch him headlong from
the battlements Thy trade is to jest canst thou jest now«
»You deal with me better than your word noble knight« whimpered forth poor
Wamba whose habits of buffoonery were not to be overcome even by the immediate
prospect of death »if you give me the red cap you propose out of a simple monk
you will make a cardinal«
»The poor wretch« said De Bracy »is resolved to die in his vocation
FrontdeBoeuf you shall not slay him Give him to me to make sport for my Free
Companions How sayest thou knave Wilt thou take heart of grace and go to
the wars with me«
»Ay with my masters leave« said Wamba »for look you I must not slip
collar« and he touched that which he wore »without his permission«
»Oh a Norman saw will soon cut a Saxon collar« said De Bracy
»Ay noble sir« said Wamba »and thence goes the proverb
Norman saw on English oak
On English neck a Norman yoke
Norman spoon in English dish
And England ruled as Normans wish
Blithe world in England never will be more
Till Englands rid of all the four«
»Thou dost well De Bracy« said FrontdeBoeuf »to stand there listening to a
fools jargon when destruction is gaping for us Seest thou not we are
overreached and that our proposed mode of communicating with our friends
without has been disconcerted by this same motley gentleman thou art so fond to
brother What views have we to expect but instant storm«
»To the battlements then« said De Bracy »when didst thou ever see me the
graver for the thoughts of battle Call the Templar yonder and let him fight
but half as well for his life as he has done for his Order Make thou to the
walls thyself with thy huge body Let me do my poor endeavour in my own way
and I tell thee the Saxon outlaws may as well attempt to scale the clouds as
the castle of Torquilstone or if you will treat with the banditti why not
employ the mediation of this worthy franklin who seems in such deep
contemplation of the wine flagon Here Saxon« he continued addressing
Athelstane and handing the cup to him »rinse thy throat with that noble
liquor and rouse up thy soul to say what thou wilt do for thy liberty«
»What a man of mould may« answered Athelstane »providing it be what a man
of manhood ought Dismiss me free with my companions and I will pay a ransom
of a thousand marks«
»And wilt moreover assure us the retreat of that scum of mankind who are
swarming around the castle contrary to Gods peace and the Kings« said
FrontdeBoeuf
»In so far as I can« answered Athelstane »I will withdraw them and I fear
not but that my father Cedric will do his best to assist me«
»We are agreed then« said FrontdeBoeuf »thou and they are to be set at
freedom and peace is to be on both sides for payment of a thousand marks It
is a trifling ransom Saxon and thou wilt owe gratitude to the moderation which
accepts of it in exchange of your persons But mark this extends not to the Jew
Isaac«
»Nor to the Jew Isaacs daughter« said the Templar who had now joined
them
»Neither« said FrontdeBoeuf »belong to this Saxons company«
»I were unworthy to be called Christian if they did« replied Athelstane
»deal with the unbelievers as ye list«
»Neither does the ransom include the Lady Rowena« said De Bracy »It shall
never be said I was scared out of a fair prize without striking a blow for it«
»Neither« said FrontdeBoeuf »does our treaty refer to this wretched
Jester whom I retain that I may make him an example to every knave who turns
jest into earnest«
»The Lady Rowena« answered Athelstane with the most steady countenance
»is my affianced bride I will be drawn by wild horses before I consent to part
with her The slave Wamba has this day saved the life of my father Cedric I
will lose mine ere a hair of his head be injured«
»Thy affianced bride the Lady Rowena the affianced bride of a vassal like
thee« said De Bracy »Saxon thou dreamest that the days of thy seven kingdoms
are returned again I tell thee the Princes of the House of Anjou confer not
their wards on men of such lineage as thine«
»My lineage proud Norman« replied Athelstane »is drawn from a source more
pure and ancient than that of a beggarly Frenchman whose living is won by
selling the blood of the thieves whom he assembles under his paltry standard
Kings were my ancestors strong in war and wise in council who every day
feasted in their hall more hundreds than thou canst number individual followers
whose names have been sung by minstrels and their laws recorded by
Wittenagemotes whose bones were interred amid the prayers of saints and over
whose tombs minsters have been builded«
»Thou hast it De Bracy« said FrontdeBoeuf well pleased with the rebuff
which his companion had received »the Saxon hath hit thee fairly«
»As fairly as a captive can strike« said De Bracy with apparent
carelessness »for he whose hands are tied should have his tongue at freedom
But the glibness of reply comrade« rejoined he speaking to Athelstane »will
not win the freedom of the Lady Rowena«
To this Athelstane who had already made a longer speech than was his custom
to do on any topic however interesting returned no answer The conversation
was interrupted by the arrival of a menial who announced that a monk demanded
admittance at the postern gate
»In the name of Saint Bennet the prince of these bullbeggars« said
FrontdeBoeuf »have we a real monk this time or another impostor Search him
slaves for an ye suffer a second impostor to be palmed upon you I will have
your eyes torn out and hot coals put into the sockets«
»Let me endure the extremity of your anger my lord« said Giles »if this
be not a real shaveling Your squire Jocelyn knows him well and will vouch him
to be Brother Ambrose a monk in attendance upon the Prior of Jorvaulx«
»Admit him« said FrontdeBoeuf »most likely he brings us news from his
jovial master Surely the devil keeps holiday and the priests are relieved from
duty that they are strolling thus wildly through the country Remove these
prisoners and Saxon think on what thou hast heard«
»I claim« said Athelstane »an honourable imprisonment with due care of my
board and of my couch as becomes my rank and as is due to one who is in treaty
for ransom Moreover I hold him that deems himself the best of you bound to
answer to me with his body for this aggression on my freedom This defiance hath
already been sent to thee by thy sewer thou underliest it and art bound to
answer me There lies my glove«
»I answer not the challenge of my prisoner« said FrontdeBoeuf »nor shalt
thou Maurice de Bracy Giles« he continued »hang the franklins glove upon
the tine of yonder branched antlers there shall it remain until he is a free
man Should he then presume to demand it or to affirm he was unlawfully made my
prisoner by the belt of Saint Christopher he will speak to one who hath never
refused to meet a foe on foot or on horseback alone or with his vassals at his
back«
The Saxon prisoners were accordingly removed just as they introduced the
monk Ambrose who appeared to be in great perturbation
»This is the real Deus vobiscum« said Wamba as he passed the reverend
brother »the others were but counterfeits«
»Holy mother« said the monk as he addressed the assembled knights »I am
at last safe and in Christian keeping«
»Safe thou art« replied De Bracy »and for Christianity here is the stout
Baron Reginald FrontdeBoeuf whose utter abomination is a Jew and the good
Knight Templar Brian de BoisGuilbert whose trade is to slay Saracens If
these are not good marks of Christianity I know no other which they bear about
them«
»Ye are friends and allies of our reverend Father in God Aymer Prior of
Jorvaulx« said the monk without noticing the tone of De Bracys reply »ye owe
him aid both by knightly faith and holy charity for what sayeth the blessed
Saint Augustin in his treatise De Civitate Dei«
»What saith the devil« interrupted FrontdeBoeuf »or rather what dost
thou say Sir Priest We have little time to hear texts from the holy fathers«
»Sancta Maria« ejaculated Father Ambrose »how prompt to ire are these
unhallowed laymen But be it known to you brave knights that certain
murderous caitiffs casting behind them fear of God and reverence of his
church and not regarding the bull of the holy see Si quis suadente Diabolo«
»Brother priest« said the Templar »all this we know or guess at tell us
plainly is thy master the Prior made prisoner and to whom«
»Surely« said Ambrose »he is in the hands of the men of Belial infesters
of these woods and contemners of the holy text Touch not mine anointed and do
my prophets nought of evil«
»Here is a new argument for our swords sirs« said FrontdeBoeuf turning
to his companions »and so instead of reaching us any assistance the Prior of
Jorvaulx requests aid at our hands a man is well helped of these lazy churchmen
when he hath most to do But speak out priest and say at once what doth thy
master expect from us«
»So please you« said Ambrose »violent hands having been imposed on my
reverend superior contrary to the holy ordinance which I did already quote and
the men of Belial having rifled his mails and budgets and stripped him of two
hundred marks of pure refined gold they do yet demand of him a large sum
besides ere they will suffer him to depart from their uncircumcised hands
Wherefore the reverend father in God prays you as his dear friends to rescue
him either by paying down the ransom at which they hold him or by force of
arms at your best discretion«
»The foul fiend quell the Prior« said FrontdeBoeuf »his mornings
draught has been a deep one When did thy master hear of a Norman baron
unbuckling his purse to relieve a churchman whose bags are ten times as weighty
as ours And how can we do aught by valour to free him that are cooped up
here by ten times our number and expect an assault every moment«
»And that was what I was about to tell you« said the monk »had your
hastiness allowed me time But God help me I am old and these foul onslaughts
distract an aged mans brain Nevertheless it is of verity that they assemble a
camp and raise a bank against the walls of this castle«
»To the battlements« cried De Bracy »and let us mark what these knaves do
without« and so saying he opened a latticed window which led to a sort of
bartisan or projecting balcony and immediately called from thence to those in
the apartment »Saint Dennis but the old monk hath brought true tidings
They bring forward mantelets and pavisses32 and the archers muster on the
skirts of the wood like a dark cloud before a hailstorm«
Reginald FrontdeBoeuf also looked out upon the field and immediately
snatched his bugle and after winding a long and loud blast commanded his men
to their posts on the walls
»De Bracy look to the eastern side where the walls are lowest Noble
BoisGuilbert thy trade hath well taught thee how to attack and defend look
thou to the western side I myself will take post at the barbican Yet do not
confine your exertions to any one spot noble friends we must this day be
everywhere and multiply ourselves were it possible so as to carry by our
presence succour and relief wherever the attack is hottest Our numbers are few
but activity and courage may supply that defect since we have only to do with
rascal clowns«
»But noble knights« exclaimed Father Ambrose amidst the bustle and
confusion occasioned by the preparations for defence »will none of ye hear the
message of the reverend father in God Aymer Prior of Jorvaulx I beseech
thee to hear me noble Sir Reginald«
»Go patter thy petitions to Heaven« said the fierce Norman »for we on
earth have no time to listen to them Ho there Anselm see that seething
pitch and oil are ready to pour on the heads of these audacious traitors Look
that the crossbowmen lack not bolts33 Fling abroad my banner with the old
bulls head the knaves shall soon find with whom they have to do this day«
»But noble sir« continued the monk persevering in his endeavours to draw
attention »consider my vows of obedience and let me discharge myself of my
superiors errand«
»Away with this prating dotard« said FrontdeBoeuf »lock him up in the
chapel to tell his beads till the broil be over It will be a new thing to the
saints in Torquilstone to hear aves and paters they have not been so honoured
I trow since they were cut out of stone«
»Blaspheme not the holy saints Sir Reginald« said De Bracy »we shall have
need of their aid today before yon rascal rout disband«
»I expect little aid from their hand« said FrontdeBoeuf »unless we were
to hurl them from the battlements on the heads of the villains There is a huge
lumbering Saint Christopher yonder sufficient to bear a whole company to the
earth«
The Templar had in the meantime been looking out on the proceedings of the
besiegers with rather more attention than the brutal FrontdeBoeuf or his
giddy companion
»By the faith of mine order« he said »these men approach with more touch
of discipline than could have been judged however they come by it See ye how
dexterously they avail themselves of every cover which a tree or bush affords
and shun exposing themselves to the shot of our crossbows I spy neither banner
nor pennon among them and yet will I gage my golden chain that they are led on
by some noble knight or gentleman skilful in the practice of wars«
»I espy him« said De Bracy »I see the waving of a knights crest and the
gleam of his armour See yon tall man in the black mail who is busied
marshalling the farther troop of the rascaille yeomen By Saint Dennis I hold
him to be the same whom we called Le Noir Faineant who overthrew thee
FrontdeBoeuf in the lists at Ashby«
»So much the better« said FrontdeBoeuf »that he comes here to give me my
revenge Some hiding fellow he must be who dared not stay to assert his claim
to the tourney prize which chance had assigned him I should in vain have sought
for him where knights and nobles seek their foes and right glad am I he hath
here shown himself among yon villain yeomanry«
The demonstrations of the enemys immediate approach cut off all farther
discourse Each knight repaired to his post and at the head of the few
followers whom they were able to muster and who were in numbers inadequate to
defend the whole extent of the walls they awaited with calm determination the
threatened assault
Chapter TwentyEighth
This wandering race severd from other men
Boast yet their intercourse with human arts
The seas the woods the deserts which they haunt
Find them acquainted with their secret treasures
And unregarded herbs and flowers and blossoms
Display undreamdof powers when gatherd by them
The Jew
Our history must needs retrograde for the space of a few pages to inform the
reader of certain passages material to his understanding the rest of this
important narrative His own intelligence may indeed have easily anticipated
that when Ivanhoe sunk down and seemed abandoned by all the world it was the
importunity of Rebecca which prevailed on her father to have the gallant young
warrior transported from the lists to the house which for the time the Jews
inhabited in the suburbs of Ashby
It would not have been difficult to have persuaded Isaac to this step in any
other circumstances for his disposition was kind and grateful But he had also
the prejudices and scrupulous timidity of his persecuted people and those were
to be conquered
»Holy Abraham« he exclaimed »he is a good youth and my heart bleeds to
see the gore trickle down his rich embroidered hacqueton and his corselet of
goodly price but to carry him to our house damsel hast thou well
considered he is a Christian and by our law we may not deal with the
stranger and Gentile save for the advantage of our commerce«
»Speak not so my dear father« replied Rebecca »we may not indeed mix with
them in banquet and in jollity but in wounds and in misery the Gentile becometh
the Jews brother«
»I would I knew what the Rabbi Jacob Ben Tudela would opine on it« replied
Isaac »nevertheless the good youth must not bleed to death Let Seth and
Reuben bear him to Ashby«
»Nay let them place him in my litter« said Rebecca »I will mount one of
the palfreys«
»That were to expose thee to the gaze of those dogs of Ishmael and of Edom«
whispered Isaac with a suspicious glance towards the crowd of knights and
squires But Rebecca was already busied in carrying her charitable purpose into
effect and listed not what he said until Isaac seizing the sleeve of her
mantle again exclaimed in a hurried voice »Beard of Aaron what if the
youth perish if he die in our custody shall we not be held guilty of his
blood and be torn to pieces by the multitude«
»He will not die my father« said Rebecca gently extricating herself from
the grasp of Isaac »he will not die unless we abandon him and if so we are
indeed answerable for his blood to God and to man«
»Nay« said Isaac releasing his hold »it grieveth me as much to see the
drops of his blood as if they were so many golden byzants from mine own purse
and I well know that the lessons of Miriam daughter of the Rabbi Manasses of
Byzantium whose soul is in Paradise have made thee skilful in the art of
healing and that thou knowest the craft of herbs and the force of elixirs
Therefore do as thy mind giveth thee thou art a good damsel a blessing and a
crown and a song of rejoicing unto me and to my house and unto the people of
my fathers«
The apprehensions of Isaac however were not illfounded and the generous
and grateful benevolence of his daughter exposed her on her return to Ashby to
the unhallowed gaze of Brian de BoisGuilbert The Templar twice passed and
repassed them on the road fixing his bold and ardent look on the beautiful
Jewess and we have already seen the consequences of the admiration which her
charms excited when accident threw her into the power of that unprincipled
voluptuary
Rebecca lost no time in causing the patient to be transported to their
temporary dwelling and proceeded with her own hands to examine and to bind up
his wounds The youngest reader of romances and romantic ballads must recollect
how often the females during the dark ages as they are called were initiated
into the mysteries of surgery and how frequently the gallant knight submitted
the wounds of his person to her cure whose eyes had yet more deeply penetrated
his heart
But the Jews both male and female possessed and practised the medical
science in all its branches and the monarchs and powerful barons of the time
frequently committed themselves to the charge of some experienced sage among
this despised people when wounded or in sickness The aid of the Jewish
physicians was not less eagerly sought after though a general belief prevailed
among the Christians that the Jewish Rabbins were deeply acquainted with the
occult sciences and particularly with the cabalistical art which had its name
and origin in the studies of the sages of Israel Neither did the Rabbins disown
such acquaintance with supernatural arts which added nothing for what could
add aught to the hatred with which the nation was regarded while it
diminished the contempt with which that malevolence was mingled A Jewish
magician might be the subject of equal abhorrence with a Jewish usurer but he
could not be equally despised It is besides probable considering the wonderful
cures they are said to have performed that the Jews possessed some secrets of
the healing art peculiar to themselves and which with the exclusive spirit
arising out of their condition they took great care to conceal from the
Christians amongst whom they dwelt
The beautiful Rebecca had been heedfully brought up in all the knowledge
proper to her nation which her apt and powerful mind had retained arranged
and enlarged in the course of a progress beyond her years her sex and even
the age in which she lived Her knowledge of medicine and of the healing art had
been acquired under an aged Jewess the daughter of one of their most celebrated
doctors who loved Rebecca as her own child and was believed to have
communicated to her secrets which had been left to herself by her sage father
at the same time and under the same circumstances The fate of Miriam had indeed
been to fall a sacrifice to the fanaticisms of the times but her secrets had
survived in her apt pupil
Rebecca thus endowed with knowledge as with beauty was universally revered
and admired by her own tribe who almost regarded her as one of those gifted
women mentioned in the sacred history Her father himself out of reverence for
her talents which involuntarily mingled itself with his unbounded affection
permitted the maiden a greater liberty than was usually indulged to those of her
sex by the habits of her people and was as we have just seen frequently
guided by her opinion even in preference to his own
When Ivanhoe reached the habitation of Isaac he was still in a state of
unconsciousness owing to the profuse loss of blood which had taken place during
his exertions in the lists Rebecca examined the wound and having applied to it
such vulnerary remedies as her art prescribed informed her father that if fever
could be averted of which the great bleeding rendered her little apprehensive
and if the healing balsam of Miriam retained its virtue there was nothing to
fear for his guests life and that he might with safety travel to York with
them on the ensuing day Isaac looked a little blank at this annunciation His
charity would willingly have stopped short at Ashby or at most would have left
the wounded Christian to be tended in the house where he was residing at
present with an assurance to the Hebrew to whom it belonged that all expenses
should be duly discharged To this however Rebecca opposed many reasons of
which we shall only mention two that had peculiar weight with Isaac The one
was that she would on no account put the phial of precious balsam into the
hands of another physician even of her own tribe lest that valuable mystery
should be discovered the other that this wounded knight Wilfred of Ivanhoe
was an intimate favourite of Richard CoeurdeLion and that in case the
monarch should return Isaac who had supplied his brother John with treasure to
prosecute his rebellious purposes would stand in no small need of a powerful
protector who enjoyed Richards favour
»Thou art speaking but sooth Rebecca« said Isaac giving way to these
weighty arguments »it were an offending of Heaven to betray the secrets of the
blessed Miriam for the good which Heaven giveth is not rashly to be
squandered upon others whether it be talents of gold and shekels of silver or
whether it be the secret mysteries of a wise physician assuredly they should
be preserved to those to whom Providence hath vouchsafed them And him whom the
Nazarenes of England call the Lions Heart assuredly it were better for me to
fall into the hands of a strong lion of Idumea than into his if he shall have
got assurance of my dealings with his brother Wherefore I will lend ear to thy
counsel and this youth shall journey with us to York and our house shall be as
a home to him until his wounds shall be healed And if he of the Lion Heart
shall return to the land as is now noised abroad then shall this Wilfred of
Ivanhoe be unto me as a wall of defence when the Kings displeasure shall burn
high against thy father And if he doth not return this Wilfred may natheless
repay us our charges when he shall gain treasure by the strength of his spear
and of his sword even as he did yesterday and this day also For the youth is a
good youth and keepeth the day which he appointeth and restoreth that which he
borroweth and succoureth the Israelite even the child of my fathers house
when it is encompassed by strong thieves and sons of Belial«
It was not until evening was nearly closed that Ivanhoe was restored to
consciousness of his situation He awoke from a broken slumber under the
confused impressions which are naturally attendant on the recovery from a state
of insensibility He was unable for some time to recall exactly to memory the
circumstances which had preceded his fall in the lists or to make out any
connected chain of the events in which he had been engaged upon the yesterday A
sense of wounds and injury joined to great weakness and exhaustion was mingled
with the recollection of blows dealt and received of steeds rushing upon each
other overthrowing and overthrown of shouts and clashing of arms and all the
heady tumult of a confused fight An effort to draw aside the curtain of his
couch was in some degree successful although rendered difficult by the pain of
his wound
To his great surprise he found himself in a room magnificently furnished
but having cushions instead of chairs to rest upon and in other respects
partaking so much of Oriental costume that he began to doubt whether he had
not during his sleep been transported back again to the land of Palestine The
impression was increased when the tapestry being drawn aside a female form
dressed in a rich habit which partook more of the Eastern taste than that of
Europe glided through the door which it concealed and was followed by a
swarthy domestic
As the wounded knight was about to address this fair apparition she imposed
silence by placing her slender finger upon her ruby lips while the attendant
approaching him proceeded to uncover Ivanhoes side and the lovely Jewess
satisfied herself that the bandage was in its place and the wound doing well
She performed her task with a graceful and dignified simplicity and modesty
which might even in more civilised days have served to redeem it from whatever
might seem repugnant to female delicacy The idea of so young and beautiful a
person engaged in attendance on a sickbed or in dressing the wound of one of a
different sex was melted away and lost in that of a beneficent being
contributing her effectual aid to relieve pain and to avert the stroke of
death Rebeccas few and brief directions were given in the Hebrew language to
the old domestic and he who had been frequently her assistant in similar
cases obeyed them without reply
The accents of an unknown tongue however harsh they might have sounded when
uttered by another had coming from the beautiful Rebecca the romantic and
pleasing effect which fancy ascribes to the charms pronounced by some beneficent
fairy unintelligible indeed to the ear but from the sweetness of utterance
and benignity of aspect which accompanied them touching and affecting to the
heart Without making an attempt at farther question Ivanhoe suffered them in
silence to take the measures they thought most proper for his recovery and it
was not until these were completed and his kind physician about to retire that
his curiosity could no longer be suppressed »Gentle maiden« he began in the
Arabian tongue with which his Eastern travels had rendered him familiar and
which he thought most likely to be understood by the turband and caftand
damsel who stood before him »I pray you gentle maiden of your courtesy«
But here he was interrupted by his fair physician a smile which she could
scarce suppress dimpling for an instant a face whose general expression was
that of contemplative melancholy »I am of England Sir Knight and speak the
English tongue although my dress and my lineage belong to another climate«
»Noble damsel« again the Knight of Ivanhoe began and again Rebecca
hastened to interrupt him
»Bestow not on me Sir Knight« she said »the epithet of noble It is well
you should speedily know that your handmaiden is a poor Jewess the daughter of
that Isaac of York to whom you were so lately a good and kind lord It well
becomes him and those of his household to render to you such careful tendance
as your present state necessarily demands«
I know not whether the fair Rowena would have been altogether satisfied with
the species of emotion with which her devoted knight had hitherto gazed on the
beautiful features and fair form and lustrous eyes of the lovely Rebecca eyes
whose brilliancy was shaded and as it were mellowed by the fringe of her long
silken eyelashes and which a minstrel would have compared to the evening star
darting its rays through a bower of jessamine But Ivanhoe was too good a
Catholic to retain the same class of feelings towards a Jewess This Rebecca had
foreseen and for this very purpose she had hastened to mention her fathers
name and lineage yet for the fair and wise daughter of Isaac was not without
a touch of female weakness she could not but sigh internally when the glance
of respectful admiration not altogether unmixed with tenderness with which
Ivanhoe had hitherto regarded his unknown benefactress was exchanged at once
for a manner cold composed and collected and fraught with no deeper feeling
than that which expressed a grateful sense of courtesy received from an
unexpected quarter and from one of an inferior race It was not that Ivanhoes
former carriage expressed more than that general devotional homage which youth
always pays to beauty yet it was mortifying that one word should operate as a
spell to remove poor Rebecca who could not be supposed altogether ignorant of
her title to such homage into a degraded class to whom it could not be
honourably rendered
But the gentleness and candour of Rebeccas nature imputed no fault to
Ivanhoe for sharing in the universal prejudices of his age and religion On the
contrary the fair Jewess though sensible her patient now regarded her as one
of a race of reprobation with whom it was disgraceful to hold any beyond the
most necessary intercourse ceased not to pay the same patient and devoted
attention to his safety and convalescence She informed him of the necessity
they were under of removing to York and of her fathers resolution to transport
him thither and tend him in his own house until his health should be restored
Ivanhoe expressed great repugnance to this plan which he grounded on
unwillingness to give farther trouble to his benefactors
»Was there not« he said »in Ashby or near it some Saxon franklin or
even some wealthy peasant who would endure the burden of a wounded countrymans
residence with him until he should be again able to bear his armour Was there
no convent of Saxon endowment where he could be received Or could he not be
transported as far as Burton where he was sure to find hospitality with
Waltheoff the Abbot of Saint Witholds to whom he was related«
»Any the worst of these harbourages« said Rebecca with a melancholy
smile »would unquestionably be more fitting for your residence than the abode
of a despised Jew yet Sir Knight unless you would dismiss your physician you
cannot change your lodging Our nation as you well know can cure wounds
though we deal not in inflicting them and in our family in particular are
secrets which have been handed down since the days of Solomon and of which you
have already experienced the advantages No Nazarene I crave your forgiveness
Sir Knight no Christian leech within the four seas of Britain could enable
you to bear your corselet within a month«
»And how soon wilt thou enable me to brook it« said Ivanhoe impatiently
»Within eight days if thou wilt be patient and conformable to my
directions« replied Rebecca
»By our Blessed Lady« said Wilfred »if it be not a sin to name her here
it is no time for me or any true knight to be bedridden and if thou accomplish
thy promise maiden I will pay thee with my casque full of crowns come by them
as I may«
»I will accomplish my promise« said Rebecca »and thou shalt bear thine
armour on the eighth day from hence if thou wilt grant me but one boon in the
stead of the silver thou dost promise me«
»If it be within my power and such as a true Christian knight may yield to
one of thy people« replied Ivanhoe »I will grant thy boon blithely and
thankfully«
»Nay« answered Rebecca »I will but pray of thee to believe henceforward
that a Jew may do good service to a Christian without desiring other guerdon
than the blessing of the Great Father who made both Jew and Gentile«
»It were sin to doubt it maiden« replied Ivanhoe »and I repose myself on
thy skill without farther scruple or question well trusting you will enable me
to bear my corselet on the eighth day And now my kind leech let me inquire of
the news abroad What of the noble Saxon Cedric and his household what of the
lovely lady« He stopt as if unwilling to speak Rowenas name in the house of
a Jew »Of her I mean who was named Queen of the tournament«
»And who was selected by you Sir Knight to hold that dignity with
judgment which was admired as much as your valour« replied Rebecca
The blood which Ivanhoe had lost did not prevent a flush from crossing his
cheek feeling that he had incautiously betrayed his deep interest in Rowena by
the awkward attempt he had made to conceal it
»It was less of her I would speak« said he »than of Prince John and I
would fain know somewhat of a faithful squire and why he now attends me not«
»Let me use my authority as a leech« answered Rebecca »and enjoin you to
keep silence and avoid agitating reflections whilst I apprise you of what you
desire to know Prince John hath broken off the tournament and set forward in
all haste towards York with the nobles knights and churchmen of his party
after collecting such sums as they could wring by fair means or foul from
those who are esteemed the wealthy of the land It is said he designs to assume
his brothers crown«
»Not without a blow struck in his defence« said Ivanhoe raising himself
upon the couch »if there were but one true subject in England I will fight for
Richards title with the best of them ay one to two in his just quarrel«
»But that you may be able to do so« said Rebecca touching his shoulder
with her hand »you must now observe my directions and remain quiet«
»True maiden« said Ivanhoe »as quiet as these disquieted times will
permit And of Cedric and his household«
»His steward came but brief while since« said the Jewess »panting with
haste to ask my father for certain moneys the price of wool the growth of
Cedrics flocks and from him I learned that Cedric and Athelstane of
Coningsburgh had left Prince Johns lodging in high displeasure and were about
to set forth on their return homeward«
»Went any lady with them to the banquet« said Wilfred
»The Lady Rowena« said Rebecca answering the question with more precision
than it had been asked »The Lady Rowena went not to the Princes feast and
as the steward reported to us she is now on her journey back to Rotherwood
with her guardian Cedric And touching your faithful squire Gurth«
»Ha« exclaimed the knight »knowest thou his name But thou dost« he
immediately added »and well thou mayest for it was from thy hand and as I am
now convinced from thine own generosity of spirit that he received but
yesterday a hundred zecchins«
»Speak not of that« said Rebecca blushing deeply »I see how easy it is
for the tongue to betray what the heart would gladly conceal«
»But this sum of gold« said Ivanhoe gravely »my honour is concerned in
repaying it to your father«
»Let it be as thou wilt« said Rebecca »when eight days have passed away
but think not and speak not now of aught that may retard thy recovery«
»Be it so kind maiden« said Ivanhoe »it were most ungrateful to dispute
thy commands But one word of the fate of poor Gurth and I have done with
questioning thee«
»I grieve to tell thee Sir Knight« answered the Jewess »that he is in
custody by the order of Cedric« And then observing the distress which her
communication gave to Wilfred she instantly added »But the steward Oswald
said that if nothing occurred to renew his masters displeasure against him he
was sure that Cedric would pardon Gurth a faithful serf and one who stood high
in favour and who had but committed this error out of the love that he bore to
Cedrics son And he said moreover that he and his comrades and especially
Wamba the Jester were resolved to warn Gurth to make his escape by the way in
case Cedrics ire against him could not be mitigated«
»Would to God they may keep their purpose« said Ivanhoe »but it seems as
if I were destined to bring ruin on whomsoever hath shown kindness to me My
king by whom I was honoured and distinguished thou seest that the brother most
indebted to him is raising his arms to grasp his crown my regard hath brought
restraint and trouble on the fairest of her sex and now my father in his mood
may slay this poor bondsman but for his love and loyal service to me Thou
seest maiden what an illfated wretch thou dost labour to assist be wise and
let me go ere the misfortunes which track my footsteps like slothounds shall
involve thee also in their pursuit«
»Nay« said Rebecca »thy weakness and thy grief Sir Knight make thee
miscalculate the purposes of Heaven Thou hast been restored to thy country when
it most needed the assistance of a strong hand and a true heart and thou hast
humbled the pride of thine enemies and those of thy king when their horn was
most highly exalted and for the evil which thou sustained seest thou not that
Heaven has raised thee a helper and a physician even among the most despised of
the land Therefore be of good courage and trust that thou art preserved for
some marvel which thine arm shall work before this people Adieu and having
taken the medicine which I shall send thee by the hand of Reuben compose
thyself again to rest that thou mayest be the more able to endure the journey
on the succeeding day«
Ivanhoe was convinced by the reasoning and obeyed the directions of
Rebecca The draught which Reuben administered was of a sedative and narcotic
quality and secured the patient sound and undisturbed slumbers In the morning
his kind physician found him entirely free from feverish symptoms and fit to
undergo the fatigue of a journey
He was deposited in the horselitter which had brought him from the lists
and every precaution taken for his travelling with ease In one circumstance
only even the entreaties of Rebecca were unable to secure sufficient attention
to the accommodation of the wounded knight Isaac like the enriched traveller
of Juvenals tenth satire had ever the fear of robbery before his eyes
conscious that he would be alike accounted fair game by the marauding Norman
noble and by the Saxon outlaw He therefore journeyed at a great rate and made
short halts and shorter repasts so that he passed by Cedric and Athelstane
who had several hours the start of him but who had been delayed by their
protracted feasting at the convent of Saint Witholds Yet such was the virtue
of Miriams balsam or such the strength of Ivanhoes constitution that he did
not sustain from the hurried journey that inconvenience which his kind physician
had apprehended
In another point of view however the Jews haste proved somewhat more than
good speed The rapidity with which he insisted on travelling bred several
disputes between him and the party whom he had hired to attend him as a guard
These men were Saxons and not free by any means from the national love of ease
and good living which the Normans stigmatised as laziness and gluttony
Reversing Shylocks position they had accepted the employment in hopes of
feeding upon the wealthy Jew and were very much displeased when they found
themselves disappointed by the rapidity with which he insisted on their
proceeding They remonstrated also upon the risk of damage to their horses by
these forced marches Finally there arose betwixt Isaac and his satellites a
deadly feud concerning the quantity of wine and ale to be allowed for
consumption at each meal And thus it happened that when the alarm of danger
approached and that which Isaac feared was likely to come upon him he was
deserted by the discontented mercenaries on whose protection he had relied
without using the means necessary to secure their attachment
In this deplorable condition the Jew with his daughter and her wounded
patient was found by Cedric as has already been noticed and soon afterwards
fell into the power of De Bracy and his confederates Little notice was at first
taken of the horselitter and it might have remained behind but for the
curiosity of De Bracy who looked into it under the impression that it might
contain the object of his enterprise for Rowena had not unveiled herself But
De Bracys astonishment was considerable when he discovered that the litter
contained a wounded man who conceiving himself to have fallen into the power
of Saxon outlaws with whom his name might be a protection for himself and his
friends frankly avowed himself to be Wilfred of Ivanhoe
The ideas of chivalrous honour which amidst his wildness and levity never
utterly abandoned De Bracy prohibited him from doing the knight any injury in
his defenceless condition and equally interdicted his betraying him to
FrontdeBoeuf who would have had no scruples to put to death under any
circumstances the rival claimant of the fief of Ivanhoe On the other hand to
liberate a suitor preferred by the Lady Rowena as the events of the tournament
and indeed Wilfreds previous banishment from his fathers house had made
matter of notoriety was a pitch far above the flight of De Bracys generosity
A middle course betwixt good and evil was all which he found himself capable of
adopting and he commanded two of his own squires to keep close by the litter
and to suffer no one to approach it If questioned they were directed by their
master to say that the empty litter of the Lady Rowena was employed to
transport one of their comrades who had been wounded in the scuffle On arriving
at Torquilstone while the Knight Templar and the lord of that castle were each
intent upon their own schemes the one on the Jews treasure and the other on
his daughter De Bracys squires conveyed Ivanhoe still under the name of a
wounded comrade to a distant apartment This explanation was accordingly
returned by these men to FrontdeBoeuf when he questioned them why they did
not make for the battlements upon the alarm
»A wounded companion« he replied in great wrath and astonishment »No
wonder that churls and yeomen wax so presumptuous as even to lay leaguer before
castles and that clowns and swineherds send defiances to nobles since
menatarms have turned sick mens nurses and Free Companions are grown keepers
of dying folks curtains when the castle is about to be assailed To the
battlements ye loitering villains« he exclaimed raising his stentorian voice
till the arches around rung again »to the battlements or I will splinter your
bones with this truncheon«
The men sulkily replied »that they desired nothing better than to go to the
battlements providing FrontdeBoeuf would bear them out with their master who
had commanded them to tend the dying man«
»The dying man knaves« rejoined the Baron »I promise thee we shall all be
dying men an we stand not to it the more stoutly But I will relieve the guard
upon this caitiff companion of yours Here Urfried hag fiend of a Saxon
witch hearest me not tend me this bedridden fellow since he must needs be
tended whilst these knaves use their weapons Here be two arblasts comrades
with windlaces and quarrells34 to the barbican with you and see you drive
each bolt through a Saxon brain«
The men who like most of their description were fond of enterprise and
detested inaction went joyfully to the scene of danger as they were commanded
and thus the charge of Ivanhoe was transferred to Urfried or Ulrica But she
whose brain was burning with remembrance of injuries and with hopes of
vengeance was readily induced to devolve upon Rebecca the care of her patient
Chapter TwentyNinth
Ascend the watchtower yonder valiant soldier
Look on the field and say how goes the battle
Schillers Maid of Orleans
A moment of peril is often also a moment of openhearted kindness and affection
We are thrown off our guard by the general agitation of our feelings and betray
the intensity of those, which, at more tranquil periods our prudence at least
conceals if it cannot altogether suppress them In finding herself once more by
the side of Ivanhoe Rebecca was astonished at the keen sensation of pleasure
which she experienced even at a time when all around them both was danger if
not despair As she felt his pulse and inquired after his health there was a
softness in her touch and in her accents implying a kinder interest than she
would herself have been pleased to have voluntarily expressed Her voice
faltered and her hand trembled and it was only the cold question of Ivanhoe
»Is it you gentle maiden« which recalled her to herself and reminded her the
sensations which she felt were not and could not be mutual A sigh escaped but
it was scarce audible and the questions which she asked the knight concerning
his state of health were put in the tone of calm friendship Ivanhoe answered
her hastily that he was in point of health as well and better than he could
have expected »Thanks« he said »dear Rebecca to thy helpful skill«
»He calls me dear Rebecca« said the maiden to herself »but it is in the
cold and careless tone which ill suits the word His warhorse his hunting
hound are dearer to him than the despised Jewess«
»My mind gentle maiden« continued Ivanhoe »is more disturbed by anxiety
than my body with pain From the speeches of these men who were my warders just
now I learn that I am a prisoner and if I judge aright of the loud hoarse
voice which even now despatched them hence on some military duty I am in the
castle of FrontdeBoeuf If so how will this end or how can I protect Rowena
and my father«
»He names not the Jew or Jewess« said Rebecca internally »yet what is our
portion in him and how justly am I punished by Heaven for letting my thoughts
dwell upon him« She hastened after this brief selfaccusation to give Ivanhoe
what information she could but it amounted only to this that the Templar
BoisGuilbert and the Baron FrontdeBoeuf were commanders within the castle
that it was beleaguered from without but by whom she knew not She added that
there was a Christian priest within the castle who might be possessed of more
information
»A Christian priest« said the knight joyfully »fetch him hither Rebecca
if thou canst say a sick man desires his ghostly counsel say what thou wilt
but bring him something I must do or attempt but how can I determine until I
know how matters stand without«
Rebecca in compliance with the wishes of Ivanhoe made that attempt to
bring Cedric into the wounded Knights chamber which was defeated as we have
already seen by the interference of Urfried who had been also on the watch to
intercept the supposed monk Rebecca retired to communicate to Ivanhoe the
result of her errand
They had not much leisure to regret the failure of this source of
intelligence or to contrive by what means it might be supplied for the noise
within the castle occasioned by the defensive preparations which had been
considerable for some time now increased into tenfold bustle and clamour The
heavy yet hasty step of the menatarms traversed the battlements or
resounded on the narrow and winding passages and stairs which led to the various
bartisans and points of defence The voices of the knights were heard animating
their followers or directing means of defence while their commands were often
drowned in the clashing of armour or the clamorous shouts of those whom they
addressed Tremendous as these sounds were and yet more terrible from the awful
event which they presaged there was a sublimity mixed with them which
Rebeccas hightoned mind could feel even in that moment of terror Her eye
kindled although the blood fled from her cheeks and there was a strong mixture
of fear and of a thrilling sense of the sublime as she repeated half
whispering to herself half speaking to her companion the sacred text »The
quiver rattleth the glittering spear and the shield the noise of the
captains and the shouting«
But Ivanhoe was like the warhorse of that sublime passage glowing with
impatience at his inactivity and with his ardent desire to mingle in the affray
of which these sounds were the introduction »If I could but drag myself« he
said »to yonder window that I might see how this brave game is like to go If
I had but bow to shoot a shaft or battleaxe to strike were it but a single
blow for our deliverance It is in vain it is in vain I am alike nerveless
and weaponless«
»Fret not thyself noble knight« answered Rebecca »the sounds have ceased
of a sudden it may be they join not battle«
»Thou knowest nought of it« said Wilfred impatiently »this dead pause
only shows that the men are at their posts on the walls and expecting an
instant attack what we have heard was but the distant muttering of the storm
it will burst anon in all its fury Could I but reach yonder window«
»Thou wilt but injure thyself by the attempt noble knight« replied his
attendant Observing his extreme solicitude she firmly added »I myself will
stand at the lattice and describe to you as I can what passes without«
»You must not you shall not« exclaimed Ivanhoe »each lattice each
aperture will be soon a mark for the archers some random shaft«
»It shall be welcome« murmured Rebecca as with firm pace she ascended two
or three steps which led to the window of which they spoke
»Rebecca dear Rebecca« exclaimed Ivanhoe »this is no maidens pastime
do not expose thyself to wounds and death and render me for ever miserable for
having given the occasion at least cover thyself with yonder ancient buckler
and show as little of your person at the lattice as may be«
Following with wonderful promptitude the directions of Ivanhoe and availing
herself of the protection of the large ancient shield which she placed against
the lower part of the window Rebecca with tolerable security to herself could
witness part of what was passing without the castle and report to Ivanhoe the
preparations which the assailants were making for the storm Indeed the
situation which she thus obtained was peculiarly favourable for this purpose
because being placed on an angle of the main building Rebecca could not only
see what passed beyond the precincts of the castle but also commanded a view of
the outwork likely to be the first object of the meditated assault It was an
exterior fortification of no great height or strength intended to protect the
posterngate through which Cedric had been recently dismissed by
FrontdeBoeuf The castle moat divided this species of barbican from the rest
of the fortress so that in case of its being taken it was easy to cut off the
communication with the main building by withdrawing the temporary bridge In
the outwork was a sallyport corresponding to the postern of the castle and the
whole was surrounded by a strong palisade Rebecca could observe from the
number of men placed for the defence of this post that the besieged entertained
apprehensions for its safety and from the mustering of the assailants in a
direction nearly opposite to the outwork it seemed no less plain that it had
been selected as a vulnerable point of attack
These appearances she hastily communicated to Ivanhoe and added »The
skirts of the wood seem lined with archers although only a few are advanced
from its dark shadow«
»Under what banner« asked Ivanhoe
»Under no ensign of war which I can observe« answered Rebecca
»A singular novelty« muttered the knight »to advance to storm such a
castle without pennon or banner displayed Seest thou who they be that act as
leaders«
»A knight clad in sable armour is the most conspicuous« said the Jewess
»he alone is armed from head to heel and seems to assume the direction of all
around him«
»What device does he bear on his shield« replied Ivanhoe
»Something resembling a bar of iron and a padlock painted blue on the black
shield«35
»A fetterlock and shacklebolt azure« said Ivanhoe »I know not who may bear
the device but well I ween it might now be mine own Canst thou not see the
motto«
»Scarce the device itself at this distance« replied Rebecca »but when the
sun glances fair upon his shield it shows as I tell you«
»Seem there no other leaders« exclaimed the anxious inquirer
»None of mark and distinction that I can behold from this station« said
Rebecca »but doubtless the other side of the castle is also assailed They
appear even now preparing to advance God of Zion protect us What a dreadful
sight Those who advance first bear huge shields and defences made of plank
the others follow bending their bows as they come on They raise their bows
God of Moses forgive the creatures thou hast made«
Her description was here suddenly interrupted by the signal for assault
which was given by the blast of a shrill bugle and at once answered by a
flourish of the Norman trumpets from the battlements which mingled with the
deep and hollow clang of the nakers a species of kettledrum retorted in
notes of defiance the challenge of the enemy The shouts of both parties
augmented the fearful din the assailants crying »Saint George for merry
England« and the Normans answering them with cries of »En avant De Bracy
Beauseant Beauseant FrontdeBoeuf à la rescousse« according to the
warcries of their different commanders
It was not however by clamour that the contest was to be decided and the
desperate efforts of the assailants were met by an equally vigorous defence on
the part of the besieged The archers trained by their woodland pastimes to the
most effective use of the longbow shot to use the appropriate phrase of the
time so »wholly together« that no point at which a defender could show the
least part of his person escaped their clothyard shafts By this heavy
discharge which continued as thick and sharp as hail while notwithstanding
every arrow had its individual aim and flew by scores together against each
embrasure and opening in the parapets as well as at every window where a
defender either occasionally had post or might be suspected to be stationed
by this sustained discharge two or three of the garrison were slain and
several others wounded But confident in their armour of proof and in the
cover which their situation afforded the followers of FrontdeBoeuf and his
allies showed an obstinacy in defence proportioned to the fury of the attack
and replied with the discharge of their large crossbows as well as with their
longbows slings and other missile weapons to the close and continued shower
of arrows and as the assailants were necessarily but indifferently protected
did considerably more damage than they received at their hand The whizzing of
shafts and of missiles on both sides was only interrupted by the shouts which
arose when either side inflicted or sustained some notable loss
»And I must lie here like a bedridden monk« exclaimed Ivanhoe »while the
game that gives me freedom or death is played out by the hand of others Look
from the window once again kind maiden but beware that you are not marked by
the archers beneath Look out once more and tell me if they yet advance to the
storm«
With patient courage strengthened by the interval which she had employed in
mental devotion Rebecca again took post at the lattice sheltering herself
however so as not to be visible from beneath
»What dost thou see Rebecca« again demanded the wounded knight
»Nothing but the cloud of arrows flying so thick as to dazzle mine eyes and
to hide the bowmen who shoot them«
»That cannot endure« said Ivanhoe »if they press not right on to carry the
castle by pure force of arms the archery may avail but little against stone
walls and bulwarks Look for the Knight of the Fetterlock fair Rebecca and see
how he bears himself for as the leader is so will his followers be«
»I see him not« said Rebecca
»Foul craven« exclaimed Ivanhoe »does he blench from the helm when the
wind blows highest«
»He blenches not he blenches not« said Rebecca »I see him now he heads a
body of men close under the outer barrier of the barbican36 They pull down
the piles and palisades they hew down the barriers with axes His high black
plume floats abroad over the throng like a raven over the field of the slain
They have made a breach in the barriers they rush in they are thrust back
FrontdeBoeuf heads the defenders I see his gigantic form above the press
They throng again to the breach and the pass is disputed hand to hand and man
to man God of Jacob it is the meeting of two fierce tides the conflict of
two oceans moved by adverse winds«
She turned her head from the lattice as if unable longer to endure a sight
so terrible
»Look forth again Rebecca« said Ivanhoe mistaking the cause of her
retiring »the archery must in some degree have ceased since they are now
fighting hand to hand Look again there is now less danger«
Rebecca again looked forth and almost immediately exclaimed »Holy prophets
of the law FrontdeBoeuf and the Black Knight fight hand to hand on the
breach amid the roar of their followers who watch the progress of the strife
Heaven strike with the cause of the oppressed and of the captive« She then
uttered a loud shriek and exclaimed »He is down he is down«
»Who is down« cried Ivanhoe »for our dear Ladys sake tell me which has
fallen«
»The Black Knight« answered Rebecca faintly then instantly again shouted
with joyful eagerness »But no but no the name of the Lord of Hosts be
blessed he is on foot again and fights as if there were twenty mens
strength in his single arm His sword is broken he snatches an axe from a
yeoman he presses FrontdeBoeuf with blow on blow The giant stoops and
totters like an oak under the steel of the woodman he falls he falls«
»FrontdeBoeuf« exclaimed Ivanhoe
»FrontdeBoeuf« answered the Jewess »his men rush to the rescue headed
by the haughty Templar their united force compels the champion to pause they
drag FrontdeBoeuf within the walls«
»The assailants have won the barriers have they not« said Ivanhoe
»They have they have« exclaimed Rebecca »and they press the besieged
hard upon the outer wall some plant ladders some swarm like bees and
endeavour to ascend upon the shoulder of each other down go stones beams and
trunks of trees upon their heads and as fast as they bear the wounded to the
rear fresh men supply their places in the assault Great God hast thou given
men thine own image that it should be thus cruelly defaced by the hands of
their brethren«
»Think not of that« said Ivanhoe »this is no time for such thoughts Who
yield who push their way«
»The ladders are thrown down« replied Rebecca shuddering »the soldiers
lie grovelling under them like crushed reptiles The besieged have the better«
»Saint George strike for us« exclaimed the knight »do the false yeomen
give way«
»No« exclaimed Rebecca »they bear themselves right yeomanly the Black
Knight approaches the postern with his huge axe the thundering blows which he
deals you may hear them above all the din and shouts of the battle Stones and
beams are hailed down on the bold champion he regards them no more than if
they were thistledown or feathers«
»By Saint John of Acre« said Ivanhoe raising himself joyfully on his
couch »methought there was but one man in England that might do such a deed«
»The posterngate shakes« continued Rebecca »it crashes it is splintered
by his blows they rush in the outwork is won Oh God they hurl the
defenders from the battlements they throw them into the moat Oh men if ye
be indeed men spare them that can resist no longer«
»The bridge the bridge which communicates with the castle have they won
that pass« exclaimed Ivanhoe
»No« replied Rebecca »the Templar has destroyed the plank on which they
crossed few of the defenders escaped with him into the castle the shrieks
and cries which you hear tell the fate of the others Alas I see it is still
more difficult to look upon victory than upon battle«
»What do they now maiden« said Ivanhoe »look forth yet again this is no
time to faint at bloodshed«
»It is over for the time« answered Rebecca »our friends strengthen
themselves within the outwork which they have mastered and it affords them so
good a shelter from the foemens shot that the garrison only bestow a few bolts
on it from interval to interval as if rather to disquiet than effectually to
injure them«
»Our friends« said Wilfred »will surely not abandon an enterprise so
gloriously begun and so happily attained O no I will put my faith in the good
knight whose axe hath rent heartofoak and bars of iron Singular« he again
muttered to himself »if there be two who can do a deed of such derringdo37
a fetterlock and a shacklebolt on a fieldsable what may that mean seest
thou nought else Rebecca by which the Black Knight may be distinguished«
»Nothing« said the Jewess »all about him is black as the wing of the night
raven Nothing can I spy that can mark him farther but having once seen him
put forth his strength in battle methinks I could know him again among a
thousand warriors He rushes to the fray as if he were summoned to a banquet
There is more than mere strength there seems as if the whole soul and spirit of
the champion were given to every blow which he deals upon his enemies God
assoilzie him of the sin of bloodshed it is fearful yet magnificent to
behold how the arm and heart of one man can triumph over hundreds«
»Rebecca« said Ivanhoe »thou hast painted a hero surely they rest but to
refresh their force or to provide the means of crossing the moat Under such a
leader as thou hast spoken this knight to be there are no craven fears no
coldblooded delays no yielding up a gallant emprise since the difficulties
which render it arduous render it also glorious I swear by the honour of my
house I vow by the name of my bright ladylove I would endure ten years
captivity to fight one day by that good knights side in such a quarrel as
this«
»Alas« said Rebecca leaving her station at the window and approaching the
couch of the wounded knight »this impatient yearning after action this
struggling with and repining at your present weakness will not fail to injure
your returning health How couldst thou hope to inflict wounds on others ere
that be healed which thou thyself hast received«
»Rebecca« he replied »thou knowest not how impossible it is for one
trained to actions of chivalry to remain passive as a priest or a woman when
they are acting deeds of honour around him The love of battle is the food upon
which we live the dust of the mêlée is the breath of our nostrils We live not
we wish not to live longer than while we are victorious and renowned Such
maiden are the laws of chivalry to which we are sworn and to which we offer
all that we hold dear«
»Alas« said the fair Jewess »and what is it valiant knight save an
offering of sacrifice to a demon of vain glory and a passing through the fire
to Moloch What remains to you as the prize of all the blood you have spilled
of all the travail and pain you have endured of all the tears which your
deeds have caused when death hath broken the strong mans spear and overtaken
the speed of his warhorse«
»What remains« cried Ivanhoe »Glory maiden glory which gilds our
sepulchre and embalms our name«
»Glory« continued Rebecca »Alas is the rusted mail which hangs as a
hatchment over the champions dim and mouldering tomb is the defaced sculpture
of the inscription which the ignorant monk can hardly read to the inquiring
pilgrim are these sufficient rewards for the sacrifice of every kindly
affection for a life spent miserably that ye may make others miserable Or is
there such virtue in the rude rhymes of a wandering bard that domestic love
kindly affection peace and happiness are so wildly bartered to become the
hero of those ballads which vagabond minstrels sing to drunken churls over their
evening ale«
»By the soul of Hereward« replied the knight impatiently »thou speakest
maiden of thou knowest not what Thou wouldst quench the pure light of
chivalry which alone distinguishes the noble from the base the gentle knight
from the churl and the savage which rates our life far far beneath the pitch
of our honour raises us victorious over pain toil and suffering and teaches
us to fear no evil but disgrace Thou art no Christian Rebecca and to thee are
unknown those high feelings which swell the bosom of a noble maiden when her
lover hath done some deed of emprise which sanctions his flame Chivalry why
maiden she is the nurse of pure and high affection the stay of the oppressed
the redresser of grievances the curb of the power of the tyrant Nobility were
but an empty name without her and liberty finds the best protection in her
lance and her sword«
»I am indeed« said Rebecca »sprung from a race whose courage was
distinguished in the defence of their own land but who warred not even while
yet a nation save at the command of the Deity or in defending their country
from oppression The sound of the trumpet wakes Judah no longer and her
despised children are now but the unresisting victims of hostile and military
oppression Well hast thou spoken Sir Knight until the God of Jacob shall
raise up for his chosen people a second Gideon or a new Maccabeus it ill
beseemeth the Jewish damsel to speak of battle or of war«
The highminded maiden concluded the argument in a tone of sorrow which
deeply expressed her sense of the degradation of her people embittered perhaps
by the idea that Ivanhoe considered her as one not entitled to interfere in a
case of honour and incapable of entertaining or expressing sentiments of honour
and generosity
»How little he knows this bosom« she said »to imagine that cowardice or
meanness of soul must needs be its guests because I have censured the fantastic
chivalry of the Nazarenes Would to heaven that the shedding of mine own blood
drop by drop could redeem the captivity of Judah Nay would to God it could
avail to set free my father and this his benefactor from the chains of the
oppressor The proud Christian should then see whether the daughter of Gods
chosen people dared not to die as bravely as the vainest Nazarene maiden that
boasts her descent from some petty chieftain of the rude and frozen north«
She then looked towards the couch of the wounded knight
»He sleeps« she said »nature exhausted by sufferance and the waste of
spirits his wearied frame embraces the first moment of temporary relaxation to
sink into slumber Alas is it a crime that I should look upon him when it may
be for the last time When yet but a short space, and those fair features will
be no longer animated by the bold and buoyant spirit which forsakes them not
even in sleep When the nostrils shall be distended the month agape the eyes
fixed and bloodshot and when the proud and noble knight may be trodden on by
the lowest caitiff of this accursed castle yet stir not when the heel is lifted
up against him And my father oh my father evil is it with his daughter
when his grey hairs are not remembered because of the golden locks of youth
What know I but that these evils are the messengers of Jehovahs wrath to the
unnatural child who thinks of a strangers captivity before a parents who
forgets the desolation of Judah and looks upon the comeliness of a Gentile and
a stranger But I will tear this folly from my heart though every fibre bleed
as I rend it away«
She wrapped herself closely in her veil and sat down at a distance from the
couch of the wounded knight with her back turned towards it fortifying or
endeavouring to fortify her mind not only against the impending evils from
without but also against those treacherous feelings which assailed her from
within
Chapter Thirtieth
Approach the chamber look upon his bed
His is the passing of no peaceful ghost
Which as the lark arises to the sky
Mid mornings sweetest breeze and softest dew
Is wingd to heaven by good mens sighs and tears
Anselm parts otherwise
Old Play
During the interval of quiet which followed the first success of the besiegers
while the one party was preparing to pursue their advantage and the other to
strengthen their means of defence the Templar and De Bracy held brief council
together in the hall of the castle
»Where is FrontdeBoeuf« said the latter who had superintended the
defence of the fortress on the other side »men say he hath been slain«
»He lives« said the Templar coolly »lives as yet but had he worn the
bulls head of which he bears the name and ten plates of iron to fence it
withal he must have gone down before yonder fatal axe Yet a few hours and
FrontdeBoeuf is with his fathers a powerful limb lopped off Prince Johns
enterprise«
»And a brave addition to the kingdom of Satan« said De Bracy »this comes
of reviling saints and angels and ordering images of holy things and holy men
to be flung down on the heads of these rascaille yeomen«
»Go to thou art a fool« said the Templar »thy superstition is upon a
level with FrontdeBoeufs want of faith neither of you can render a reason
for your belief or unbelief«
»Benedicite Sir Templar« replied De Bracy »I pray you to keep better rule
with your tongue when I am the theme of it By the Mother of Heaven I am a
better Christian man than thou and thy fellowship for the bruit goeth shrewdly
out that the most holy Order of the Temple of Zion nurseth not a few heretics
within its bosom and that Sir Brian de BoisGuilbert is of the number«
»Care not for such reports« said the Templar »but let us think of making
good the castle How fought these villain yeomen on thy side«
»Like fiends incarnate« said De Bracy »They swarmed close up to the walls
headed as I think by the knave who won the prize at the archery for I knew
his horn and baldric And this is old Fitzurses boasted policy encouraging
these malapert knaves to rebel against us Had I not been armed in proof the
villain had marked me down seven times with as little remorse as if I had been a
buck in season He told every rivet on my armour with a clothyard shaft that
rapped against my ribs with as little compunction as if my bones had been of
iron But that I wore a shirt of Spanish mail under my platecoat I had been
fairly sped«
»But you maintained your post« said the Templar »We lost the outwork on
our part«
»That is a shrewd loss« said De Bracy »the knaves will find cover there to
assault the castle more closely and may if not well watched gain some
unguarded corner of a tower or some forgotten window and so break in upon us
Our numbers are too few for the defences of every point and the men complain
that they can nowhere show themselves but they are the mark for as many arrows
as a parishbutt on a holiday even FrontdeBoeuf is dying too so we shall
receive no more aid from his bulls head and brutal strength How think you Sir
Brian were we not better make a virtue of necessity and compound with the
rogues by delivering up our prisoners«
»How« exclaimed the Templar »deliver up our prisoners and stand an object
alike of ridicule and execration as the doughty warriors who dared by a
nightattack to possess themselves of the persons of a party of defenceless
travellers yet could not make good a strong castle against a vagabond troop of
outlaws led by swineherds jesters and the very refuse of mankind Shame on
thy counsel Maurice de Bracy The ruins of this castle shall bury both my
body and my shame ere I consent to such base and dishonourable composition«
»Let us to the walls then« said De Bracy carelessly »that man never
breathed be he Turk or Templar who held life at a lighter rate than I do But
I trust there is no dishonour in wishing I had here some two scores of my
gallant troop of Free Companions Oh my brave lances if ye knew but how hard
your captain were this day bested how soon would I see my banner at the head of
your clump of spears And how short while would these rabble villains stand to
endure your encounter«
»Wish for whom thou wilt« said the Templar »but let us make what defence
we can with the soldiers who remain They are chiefly FrontdeBoeufs
followers hated by the English for a thousand acts of insolence and
oppression«
»The better« said De Bracy »the rugged slaves will defend themselves to
the last drop of their blood ere they encounter the revenge of the peasants
without Let us up and be doing then Brian de BoisGuilbert and live or die
thou shalt see Maurice de Bracy bear himself this day as a gentleman of blood
and lineage«
»To the walls« answered the Templar and they both ascended the battlements
to do all that skill could dictate and manhood accomplish in defence of the
place They readily agreed that the point of greatest danger was that opposite
to the outwork of which the assailants had possessed themselves The castle
indeed was divided from that barbican by the moat and it was impossible that
the besiegers could assail the postern door with which the outwork
corresponded without surmounting that obstacle but it was the opinion both of
the Templar and De Bracy that the besiegers if governed by the same policy
their leader had already displayed would endeavour by a formidable assault to
draw the chief part of the defenders observation to this point and take
measures to avail themselves of every negligence which might take place in the
defence elsewhere To guard against such an evil their numbers only permitted
the knights to place sentinels from space to space along the walls in
communication with each other who might give the alarm whenever danger was
threatened Meanwhile they agreed that De Bracy should command the defence at
the postern and the Templar should keep with him a score of men or thereabouts
as a body of reserve ready to hasten to any other point which might be suddenly
threatened The loss of the barbican had also this unfortunate effect that
notwithstanding the superior heights of the castle walls the besieged could not
see from them with the same precision as before the operations of the enemy
for some straggling underwood approached so near the sallyport of the outwork
that the assailants might introduce into it whatever force they thought proper
not only under cover but even without the knowledge of the defenders Utterly
uncertain therefore upon what point the storm was to burst De Bracy and his
companion were under the necessity of providing against every possible
contingency and their followers however brave experienced the anxious
dejection of mind incident to men enclosed by enemies who possessed the power
of choosing their time and mode of attack
Meanwhile the lord of the beleaguered and endangered castle lay upon a bed
of bodily pain and mental agony He had not the usual resource of bigots in that
superstitious period most of whom were wont to atone for the crimes they were
guilty of by liberality to the church stupifying by this means their terrors by
the idea of atonement and forgiveness and although the refuge which success
thus purchased was no more like to the peace of mind which follows on sincere
repentance than the turbid stupefaction procured by opium resembles healthy and
natural slumbers it was still a state of mind preferable to the agonies of
awakened remorse But among the vices of FrontdeBoeuf a hard and griping man
avarice was predominant and he preferred setting church and churchmen at
defiance to purchasing from them pardon and absolution at the price of treasure
and of manors Nor did the Templar an infidel of another stamp justly
characterise his associate when he said FrontdeBoeuf could assign no cause
for his unbelief and contempt for the established faith for the baron would
have alleged that the church sold her wares too dear that the spiritual freedom
which she put up to sale was only to be bought like that of the chief captain of
Jerusalem »with a great sum« and FrontdeBoeuf preferred denying the virtue
of the medicine to paying the expense of the physician
But the moment had now arrived when earth and all its treasures were gliding
from before his eyes and when the savage Barons heart though hard as a nether
millstone became appalled as he gazed forward into the waste darkness of
futurity The fever of his body aided the impatience and agony of his mind and
his deathbed exhibited a mixture of the newly awakened feelings of horror
combating with the fixed and inveterate obstinacy of his disposition a
fearful state of mind only to be equalled in those tremendous regions where
there are complaints without hope remorse without repentance a dreadful sense
of present agony and a presentiment that it cannot cease or be diminished
»Where be these dogpriests now« growled the Baron »who set such price on
their ghostly mummery where be all those unshod Carmelites for whom old
FrontdeBoeuf founded the convent of Saint Anne robbing his heir of many a
fair rood of meadow and many a fat field and close where be the greedy hounds
now Swilling I warrant me at the ale or playing their juggling tricks at
the bedside of some miserly churl Me the heir of their founder me whom
their foundation binds them to pray for me ungrateful villains as they are
they suffer to die like the houseless dog on yonder common unshriven and
unhouseled Tell the Templar to come hither he is a priest and may do
something But no as well confess myself to the devil as to Brian de
BoisGuilbert who recks neither of heaven nor of hell I have heard old men
talk of prayer prayer by their own voice such need not to court or to bribe
the false priest But I I dare not«
»Lives Reginald FrontdeBoeuf« said a broken and shrill voice close by his
bedside »to say there is that which he dares not«
The evil conscience and the shaken nerves of FrontdeBoeuf heard in this
strange interruption to his soliloquy the voice of one of those demons who as
the superstition of the times believed beset the beds of dying men to distract
their thoughts and turn them from the meditations which concerned their eternal
welfare He shuddered and drew himself together but instantly summoning up his
wonted resolution he exclaimed »Who is there what art thou that darest to
echo my words in a tone like that of the nightraven Come before my couch
that I may see thee«
»I am thine evil angel Reginald FrontdeBoeuf« replied the voice
»Let me behold thee then in thy bodily shape if thou best indeed a
fiend« replied the dying knight »think not that I will blench from thee By
the eternal dungeon could I but grapple with these horrors that hover round me
as I have done with mortal dangers heaven or hell should never say that I
shrunk from the conflict«
»Think on thy sins Reginald FrontdeBoeuf« said the almost unearthly
voice »on rebellion on rapine on murder Who stirred up the licentious John
to war against his greyheaded father against his generous brother«
»Be thou fiend priest or devil« replied FrontdeBoeuf »thou liest in
thy throat Not I stirred John to rebellion not I alone there were fifty
knights and barons the flower of the midland counties better men never laid
lance in rest And must I answer for the fault done by fifty False fiend I
defy thee Depart and haunt my couch no more let me die in peace if thou be
mortal if thou be a demon thy time is not yet come«
»In peace thou shalt NOT die« repeated the voice »even in death shalt thou
think on thy murders on the groans which this castle has echoed on the blood
that is ingrained in its floors«
»Thou canst not shake me by thy petty malice« answered FrontdeBoeuf with
a ghastly and constrained laugh »The infidel Jew it was merit with heaven to
deal with him as I did else wherefore are men canonised who dip their hands in
the blood of Saracens The Saxon porkers whom I have slain they were the
foes of my country and of my lineage and of my liege lord Ho ho thou
seest there is no crevice in my coat of plate Art thou fled art thou
silenced«
»No foul parricide« replied the voice »think of thy father think of
his death think of his banquetroom flooded with his gore and that poured
forth by the hand of a son«
»Ha« answered the Baron after a long pause »an thou knowest that thou
art indeed the author of evil and as omniscient as the monks call thee That
secret I deemed locked in my own breast and in that of one beside the
temptress the partaker of my guilt Go leave me fiend and seek the Saxon
witch Ulrica who alone could tell thee what she and I alone witnessed Go I
say to her who washed the wounds and straighted the corpse and gave to the
slain man the outward show of one parted in time and in the course of nature
Go to her she was my temptress the foul provoker the more foul rewarder of
the deed let her as well as I taste of the tortures which anticipate hell«
»She already tastes them« said Ulrica stepping before the couch of
FrontdeBoeuf »she hath long drunken of this cup and its bitterness is now
sweetened to see that thou dost partake it Grind not thy teeth
FrontdeBoeuf roll not thine eyes clench not thy hand nor shake it at me
with that gesture of menace The hand which like that of thy renowned
ancestor who gained thy name could have broken with one stroke the skull of a
mountain bull is now unnerved and powerless as mine own«
»Vile murderous hag« replied FrontdeBoeuf »detestable screechowl it is
then thou who art come to exult over the ruins thou hast assisted to lay low«
»Ay Reginald FrontdeBoeuf« answered she »it is Ulrica it is the
daughter of the murdered Torquil Wolfganger it is the sister of his
slaughtered sons it is she who demands of thee and of thy fathers house
father and kindred name and fame all that she has lost by the name of
FrontdeBoeuf Think of my wrongs FrontdeBoeuf and answer me if I speak
not truth Thou hast been my evil angel and I will be thine I will dog thee
till the very instant of dissolution«
»Detestable fury« exclaimed FrontdeBoeuf »that moment shalt thou never
witness Ho Giles Clement and Eustace Saint Maur and Stephen seize this
damned witch and hurl her from the battlements headlong she has betrayed us
to the Saxon Ho Saint Maur Clement falsehearted knaves where tarry ye«
»Call on them again valiant Baron« said the hag with a smile of grisly
mockery »summon thy vassals around thee doom them that loiter to the scourge
and the dungeon But know mighty chief« she continued suddenly changing her
tone »thou shalt have neither answer nor aid nor obedience at their hands
Listen to these horrid sounds« for the din of the recommenced assault and
defence now rung fearfully loud from the battlements of the castle »in that
warcry is the downfall of thy house The bloodcemented fabric of
FrontdeBoeufs power totters to the foundation and before the foes he most
despised The Saxon Reginald the scorned Saxon assails thy walls Why
liest thou here like a wornout hind when the Saxon storms thy place of
strength«
»Gods and fiends« exclaimed the wounded knight »O for one moments
strength to drag myself to the mêlée and perish as becomes my name«
»Think not of it valiant warrior« replied she »thou shalt die no
soldiers death but perish like the fox in his den when the peasants have set
fire to the cover around it«
»Hateful hag thou liest« exclaimed FrontdeBoeuf »my followers bear them
bravely my walls are strong and high my comrades in arms fear not a whole
host of Saxons were they headed by Hengist and Horsa The warcry of the
Templar and of the Free Companions rises high over the conflict And by mine
honour when we kindle the blazing beacon for joy of our defence it shall
consume thee body and bones and I shall live to hear thou art gone from
earthly fires to those of that hell which never sent forth an incarnate fiend so
utterly diabolical«
»Hold thy belief« replied Ulrica »till the proof reach thee But no« she
said interrupting herself »thou shalt know even now the doom which all thy
power strength and courage is unable to avoid though it is prepared for thee
by this feeble hand Markest thou the smouldering and suffocating vapour which
already eddies in sable folds through the chamber Didst thou think it was but
the darkening of thy bursting eyes the difficulty of thy cumbered breathing
No FrontdeBoeuf there is another cause Rememberest thou the magazine of
fuel that is stored beneath these apartments«
»Woman« he exclaimed with fury »thou hast not set fire to it By heaven
thou hast and the castle is in flames«
»They are fast rising at least« said Ulrica with frightful composure »and
a signal shall soon wave to warn the besiegers to press hard upon those who
would extinguish them Farewell FrontdeBoeuf May Mista Skogula and
Zernebock gods of the ancient Saxons fiends as the priests now call them
supply the place of comforters at your dying bed which Ulrica now relinquishes
But know if it will give thee comfort to know it that Ulrica is bound to the
same dark coast with thyself the companion of thy punishment as the companion
of thy guilt And now parricide farewell for ever May each stone of this
vaulted roof find a tongue to echo that title into thine ear«
So saying she left the apartment and FrontdeBoeuf could hear the crash
of the ponderous key as she locked and doublelocked the door behind her thus
cutting off the most slender chance of escape In the extremity of agony he
shouted upon his servants and allies »Stephen and Saint Maur Clement and
Giles I burn here unaided To the rescue to the rescue brave
BoisGuilbert valiant De Bracy It is FrontdeBoeuf who calls It is your
master ye traitor squires Your ally your brother in arms ye perjured and
faithless knights all the curses due to traitors upon your recreant heads do
you abandon me to perish thus miserably They hear me not they cannot hear
me my voice is lost in the din of battle The smoke rolls thicker and
thicker the fire has caught upon the floor below O for one draught of the
air of heaven were it to be purchased by instant annihilation« And in the mad
frenzy of despair the wretch now shouted with the shouts of the fighters now
muttered curses on himself on mankind and on Heaven itself »The red fire
flashes through the thick smoke« he exclaimed »the demon marches against me
under the banner of his own element Foul spirit avoid I go not with thee
without my comrades all all are thine that garrison these walls Thinkest
thou FrontdeBoeuf will be singled out to go alone No the infidel Templar
the licentious De Bracy Ulrica the foul murdering strumpet the men who
aided my enterprises the dog Saxons and accursed Jews who are my prisoners
all all shall attend me a goodly fellowship as ever took the downward road
Ha ha ha« and he laughed in his frenzy till the vaulted roof rang again »Who
laughed there« exclaimed FrontdeBoeuf in altered mood for the noise of the
conflict did not prevent the echoes of his own mad laughter from returning upon
his ear »who laughed there Ulrica was it thou Speak witch and I
forgive thee for only thou or the fiend of hell himself could have laughed at
such a moment Avaunt avaunt«
But it were impious to trace any farther the picture of the blasphemer and
parricides deathbed
Chapter ThirtyFirst
Once more unto the breach dear friends once more
Or close the wall up with our English dead
And you good yeoman
Whose limbs were made in England show us here
The mettle of your pasture let us swear
That you are worth your breeding
King Henry V
Cedric although not greatly confident in Ulricas message omitted not to
communicate her promise to the Black Knight and Locksley They were well pleased
to find they had a friend within the place who might in the moment of need be
able to facilitate their entrance and readily agreed with the Saxon that a
storm under whatever disadvantages ought to be attempted as the only means of
liberating the prisoners now in the hands of the cruel FrontdeBoeuf
»The royal blood of Alfred is endangered« said Cedric
»The honour of a noble lady is in peril« said the Black Knight
»And by the Saint Christopher at my baldric« said the good yeoman »were
there no other cause than the safety of that poor faithful knave Wamba I would
jeopard a joint ere a hair of his head were hurt«
»And so would I« said the Friar »what sirs I trust well that a fool I
mean dye see me sirs a fool that is free of his guild and master of his
craft and can give as much relish and flavour to a cup of wine as ever a flitch
of bacon can I say brethren such a fool shall never want a wise clerk to
pray for or fight for him at a strait while I can say a mass or flourish a
partisan«
And with that he made his heavy halberd to play around his head as a
shepherd boy flourishes his little crook
»True Holy Clerk« said the Black Knight »true as if Saint Dunstan himself
had said it And now good Locksley were it not well that noble Cedric should
assume the direction of this assault«
»Not a jot I« returned Cedric »I have never been wont to study either how
to take or how to hold out those abodes of tyrannic power which the Normans
have erected in this groaning land I will fight among the foremost but my
honest neighbours well know I am not a trained soldier in the discipline of
wars or the attack of strongholds«
»Since it stands thus with the noble Cedric« said Locksley »I am most
willing to take on me the direction of the archery and ye shall hang me up on
my own trystingtree an the defenders be permitted to show themselves over the
walls without being stuck with as many shafts as there are cloves in a gammon of
bacon at Christmas«
»Well said stout yeoman« answered the Black Knight »and if I be thought
worthy to have a charge in these matters and can find among these brave men so
many as are willing to follow a true English knight for so I may surely call
myself I am ready with such skill as my experience has taught me to lead them
to the attack of these walls«
The parts being thus distributed to the leaders they commenced the first
assault of which the reader has already heard the issue
When the barbican was carried the Sable Knight sent notice of the happy
event to Locksley requesting him at the same time to keep such a strict
observation on the castle as might prevent the defenders from combining their
force for a sudden sally and recovering the outwork which they had lost This
the knight was chiefly desirous of avoiding conscious that the men whom he led
being hasty and untrained volunteers imperfectly armed and unaccustomed to
discipline must upon any sudden attack fight at great disadvantage with the
veteran soldiers of the Norman knights who were well provided with arms both
defensive and offensive and who to match the zeal and high spirit of the
besiegers had all the confidence which arises from perfect discipline and the
habitual use of weapons
The knight employed the interval in causing to be constructed a sort of
floating bridge or long raft by means of which he hoped to cross the moat in
despite of the resistance of the enemy This was a work of some time which the
leaders the less regretted as it gave Ulrica leisure to execute her plan of
diversion in their favour whatever that might be
When the raft was completed the Black Knight addressed the besiegers »It
avails not waiting here longer my friends the sun is descending to the west
and I have that upon my hands which will not permit me to tarry with you another
day Besides it will be a marvel if the horsemen come not upon us from York
unless we speedily accomplish our purpose Wherefore one of ye go to Locksley
and bid him commence a discharge of arrows on the opposite side of the castle
and move forward as if about to assault it and you true English hearts stand
by me and be ready to thrust the raft endlong over the moat whenever the
postern on our side is thrown open Follow me boldly across and aid me to burst
yon sallyport in the main wall of the castle As many of you as like not this
service or are but ill armed to meet it do you man the top of the outwork
draw your bowstrings to your ears and mind you quell with your shot whatever
shall appear to man the rampart Noble Cedric wilt thou take the direction of
those which remain«
»Not so by the soul of Hereward« said the Saxon »lead I cannot but may
posterity curse me in my grave if I follow not with the foremost wherever thou
shalt point the way The quarrel is mine and well it becomes me to be in the
van of the battle«
»Yet bethink thee noble Saxon« said the knight »thou hast neither
hauberk nor corselet nor aught but that light helmet target and sword«
»The better« answered Cedric »I shall be the lighter to climb these walls
And forgive the boast Sir Knight thou shalt this day see the naked breast
of a Saxon as boldly presented to the battle as ever ye beheld the steel
corselet of a Norman«
»In the name of God then« said the knight »fling open the door and
launch the floating bridge«
The portal which led from the inner wall of the barbican to the moat and
which corresponded with a sallyport in the main wall of the castle was now
suddenly opened the temporary bridge was then thrust forward and soon flashed
in the waters extending its length between the castle and outwork and forming
a slippery and precarious passage for two men abreast to cross the moat Well
aware of the importance of taking the foe by surprise the Black Knight closely
followed by Cedric threw himself upon the bridge and reached the opposite
side Here he began to thunder with his axe upon the gate of the castle
protected in part from the shot and stones cast by the defenders by the ruins
of the former drawbridge which the Templar had demolished in his retreat from
the barbican leaving the counterpoise still attached to the upper part of the
portal The followers of the knight had no such shelter two were instantly shot
with crossbow bolts and two more fell into the moat the others retreated back
into the barbican
The situation of Cedric and of the Black Knight was now truly dangerous and
would have been still more so but for the constancy of the archers in the
barbican who ceased not to shower their arrows upon the battlements
distracting the attention of those by whom they were manned and thus affording
a respite to their two chiefs from the storm of missiles which must otherwise
have overwhelmed them But their situation was eminently perilous and was
becoming more so with every moment
»Shame on ye all« cried De Bracy to the soldiers around him »do ye call
yourselves crossbowmen and let these two dogs keep their station under the
walls of the castle Heave over the coping stones from the battlement an
better may not be Get pickaxe and levers and down with that huge pinnacle«
pointing to a heavy piece of stone carvedwork that projected from the parapet
At this moment the besiegers caught sight of the red flag upon the angle of
the tower which Ulrica had described to Cedric The good yeoman Locksley was the
first who was aware of it as he was hasting to the outwork impatient to see
the progress of the assault
»Saint George« he cried »Merry Saint George for England To the charge
bold yeomen why leave ye the good knight and noble Cedric to storm the pass
alone make in mad priest show thou canst fight for thy rosary make in
brave yeomen the castle is ours we have friends within See yonder flag it
is the appointed signal Torquilstone is ours Think of honour think of
spoil One effort and the place is ours«
With that he bent his good bow and sent a shaft right through the breast of
one of the menatarms who under De Bracys direction was loosening a
fragment from one of the battlements to precipitate on the heads of Cedric and
the Black Knight A second soldier caught from the hands of the dying man the
iron crow with which he heaved at and had loosened the stone pinnacle when
receiving an arrow through his headpiece he dropped from the battlements into
the moat a dead man The menatarms were daunted for no armour seemed proof
against the shot of this tremendous archer
»Do you give ground base knaves« said De Bracy »Mount joye Saint Dennis
Give me the lever«
And snatching it up he again assailed the loosened pinnacle which was of
weight enough if thrown down not only to have destroyed the remnant of the
drawbridge which sheltered the two foremost assailants but also to have sunk
the rude float of planks over which they had crossed All saw the danger and
the boldest even the stout Friar himself avoided setting foot on the raft
Thrice did Locksley bend his shaft against De Bracy and thrice did his arrow
bound back from the knights armour of proof
»Curse on thy Spanish steelcoat« said Locksley »had English smith forged
it these arrows had gone through an as if it had been silk or sendal« He then
began to call out »Comrades friends noble Cedric bear back and let the
ruin fall«
His warning voice was unheard for the din which the knight himself
occasioned by his strokes upon the postern would have drowned twenty
wartrumpets The faithful Gurth indeed sprung forward on the planked bridge to
warn Cedric of his impending fate or to share it with him But his warning
would have come too late the massive pinnacle already tottered and De Bracy
who still heaved at his task would have accomplished it had not the voice of
the Templar sounded close in his ear
»All is lost De Bracy the castle burns«
»Thou art mad to say so« replied the knight
»It is all in a light flame on the western side I have striven in vain to
extinguish it«
With the stern coolness which formed the basis of his character Brian de
BoisGuilbert communicated this hideous intelligence which was not so calmly
received by his astonished comrade
»Saints of Paradise« said De Bracy »what is to be done I vow to Saint
Nicholas of Limoges a candlestick of pure gold«
»Spare thy vow« said the Templar »and mark me Lead thy men down as if to
a sally throw the posterngate open There are but two men who occupy the
float fling them into the moat and push across to the barbican I will charge
from the main gate and attack the barbican on the outside and if we can regain
that post be assured we shall defend ourselves until we are relieved or at
least till they grant us fair quarter«
»It is well thought upon« said De Bracy »I will play my part Templar
thou wilt not fail me«
»Hand and glove I will not« said BoisGuilbert »But haste thee in the
name of God«
De Bracy hastily drew his men together and rushed down to the posterngate
which he caused instantly to be thrown open But scarce was this done ere the
portentous strength of the Black Knight forced his way inward in despite of De
Bracy and his followers Two of the foremost instantly fell and the rest gave
way notwithstanding all their leaders efforts to stop them
»Dogs« said De Bracy »will ye let two men win our only pass for safety«
»He is the devil« said a veteran manatarms bearing back from the blows
of their sable antagonist
»And if he be the devil« replied De Bracy »would you fly from him into the
mouth of hell the castle burns behind us villains let despair give you
courage or let me forward I will cope with this champion myself«
And well and chivalrous did De Bracy that day maintain the fame he had
acquired in the civil wars of that dreadful period The vaulted passages to
which the postern gave entrance and in which these two redoubted champions were
now fighting hand to hand rung with the furious blows which they dealt each
other De Bracy with his sword the Black Knight with his ponderous axe At
length the Norman received a blow which though its force was partly parried by
his shield for otherwise never more would De Bracy have again moved limb
descended yet with such violence on his crest that he measured his length on
the paved floor
»Yield ye De Bracy« said the Black Champion stooping over him and
holding against the bars of his helmet the fatal poniard with which the knights
despatched their enemies and which was called the dagger of mercy »yield
thee Maurice de Bracy rescue or no rescue or thou art but a dead man«
»I will not yield« replied De Bracy faintly »to an unknown conqueror
Tell me thy name or work thy pleasure on me it shall never be said that
Maurice de Bracy was prisoner to a nameless churl«
The Black Knight whispered something into the ear of the vanquished
»I yield me to be true prisoner rescue or no rescue« answered the Norman
exchanging his tone of stern and determined obstinacy for one of deep though
sullen submission
»Go to the barbican« said the victor in a tone of authority »and there
wait my farther orders«
»Yet first let me say« said De Bracy »what it imports thee to know
Wilfred of Ivanhoe is wounded and a prisoner and will perish in the burning
castle without present help«
»Wilfred of Ivanhoe« exclaimed the Black Knight »prisoner and perish
The life of every man in the castle shall answer it if a hair of his head be
singed Show me his chamber«
»Ascend yonder winding stair« said De Bracy »it leads to his apartment
Wilt thou accept my guidance« he added in a submissive tone
»No To the barbican and there wait my orders I trust thee not De Bracy«
During this combat and the brief conversation which ensued Cedric at the
head of a body of men among whom the Friar was conspicuous had pushed across
the bridge as soon as they saw the postern open and drove back the dispirited
and despairing followers of De Bracy of whom some asked quarter some offered
vain resistance and the greater part fled towards the courtyard De Bracy
himself arose from the ground and cast a sorrowful glance after his conqueror
»He trusts me not« he repeated »but have I deserved his trust« He then lifted
his sword from the floor took off his helmet in token of submission and going
to the barbican gave up his sword to Locksley whom he met by the way
As the fire augmented symptoms of it became soon apparent in the chamber
where Ivanhoe was watched and tended by the Jewess Rebecca He had been
awakened from his brief slumber by the noise of the battle and his attendant
who had at his anxious desire again placed herself at the window to watch and
report to him the fate of the attack was for some time prevented from observing
either by the increase of the smouldering and stifling vapour At length the
volumes of smoke which rolled into the apartment the cries for water which
were heard even above the din of the battle made them sensible of the progress
of this new danger
»The castle burns« said Rebecca »it burns What can we do to save
ourselves«
»Fly Rebecca and save thine own life« said Ivanhoe »for no human aid can
avail me«
»I will not fly« answered Rebecca »we will be saved or perish together
And yet great God my father my father what will be his fate«
At this moment the door of the apartment flew open and the Templar
presented himself a ghastly figure for his gilded armour was broken and
bloody and the plume was partly shorn away partly burnt from his casque »I
have found thee« said he to Rebecca »thou shalt prove I will keep my word to
share weal and woe with thee There is but one path to safety I have cut my
way through fifty dangers to point it to thee up and instantly follow me«38
»Alone« answered Rebecca »I will not follow thee If thou wert born of
woman if thou hast but a touch of human charity in thee if thy heart be not
as hard as thy breastplate save my aged father save this wounded knight«
»A knight« answered the Templar with his characteristic calmness »a
knight Rebecca must encounter his fate whether it meet him in the shape of
sword or flame and who recks how or where a Jew meets with his«
»Savage warrior« said Rebecca »rather will I perish in the flames than
accept safety from thee« »Thou shalt not choose Rebecca once didst thou foil
me but never mortal did so twice«
So saying he seized on the terrified maiden who filled the air with her
shrieks and bore her out of the room in his arms in spite of her cries and
without regarding the menaces and defiance which Ivanhoe thundered against him
»Hound of the Temple stain to thine Order set free the damsel Traitor of
BoisGuilbert it is Ivanhoe commands thee Villain I will have thy hearts
blood«
»I had not found thee Wilfred« said the Black Knight who at that instant
entered the apartment »but for thy shouts«
»If thou best true knight« said Wilfred »think not of me pursue yon
ravisher save the Lady Rowena look to the noble Cedric«
»In their turn« answered he of the Fetterlock »but thine is first«
And seizing upon Ivanhoe he bore him off with as much ease as the Templar
had carried off Rebecca rushed with him to the postern and having there
delivered his burden to the care of two yeomen he again entered the castle to
assist in the rescue of the other prisoners
One turret was now in bright flames which flashed out furiously from window
and shothole But in other parts the great thickness of the walls and the
vaulted roofs of the apartments resisted the progress of the flames and there
the rage of man still triumphed as the scarce more dreadful element held
mastery elsewhere for the besiegers pursued the defenders of the castle from
chamber to chamber and satiated in their blood the vengeance which had long
animated them against the soldiers of the tyrant FrontdeBoeuf Most of the
garrison resisted to the uttermost few of them asked quarter none received
it The air was filled with groans and clashing of arms the floors were
slippery with the blood of despairing and expiring wretches
Through this scene of confusion Cedric rushed in quest of Rowena while the
faithful Gurth following him closely through the mêlée neglected his own
safety while he strove to avert the blows that were aimed at his master The
noble Saxon was so fortunate as to reach his wards apartment just as she had
abandoned all hopes of safety and with a crucifix clasped in agony to her
bosom sat in expectation of instant death He committed her to the charge of
Gurth to be conducted in safety to the barbican the road to which was now
cleared of the enemy and not yet interrupted by the flames This accomplished
the loyal Cedric hastened in quest of his friend Athelstane determined at
every risk to himself to save that last scion of Saxon royalty But ere Cedric
penetrated as far as the old hall in which he had himself been a prisoner the
inventive genius of Wamba had procured liberation for himself and his companion
in adversity
When the noise of the conflict announced that it was at the hottest the
Jester began to shout with the utmost power of his lungs »Saint George and the
Dragon Bonny Saint George for merry England The castle is won« And these
sounds he rendered yet more fearful by banging against each other two or three
pieces of rusty armour which lay scattered around the hall
A guard which had been stationed in the outer or anteroom and whose
spirits were already in a state of alarm took fright at Wambas clamour and
leaving the door open behind them ran to tell the Templar that foemen had
entered the old hall Meantime the prisoners found no difficulty in making their
escape into the anteroom and from thence into the court of the castle which
was now the last scene of contest Here sat the fierce Templar mounted on
horseback surrounded by several of the garrison both on horse and foot who had
united their strength to that of this renowned leader in order to secure the
last chance of safety and retreat which remained to them The drawbridge had
been lowered by his orders but the passage was beset for the archers who had
hitherto only annoyed the castle on that side by their missiles no sooner saw
the flames breaking out and the bridge lowered than they thronged to the
entrance as well to prevent the escape of the garrison as to secure their own
share of booty ere the castle should be burnt down On the other hand a party
of the besiegers who had entered by the postern were now issuing out into the
courtyard and attacking with fury the remnant of the defenders who were thus
assaulted on both sides at once
Animated however by despair and supported by the example of their
indomitable leader the remaining soldiers of the castle fought with the utmost
valour and being well armed succeeded more than once in driving back the
assailants though much inferior in numbers Rebecca placed on horseback before
one of the Templars Saracen slaves was in the midst of the little party and
BoisGuilbert notwithstanding the confusion of the bloody fray showed every
attention to her safety Repeatedly he was by her side and neglecting his own
defence held before her the fence of his triangular steelplated shield and
anon starting from his position by her he cried his warcry dashed forward
struck to earth the most forward of the assailants and was in the same instant
once more at her bridle rein
Athelstane who as the reader knows was slothful but not cowardly beheld
the female form whom the Templar protected thus sedulously and doubted not that
it was Rowena whom the knight was carrying of in despite of all resistance which
could be offered
»By the soul of Saint Edward« he said »I will rescue her from yonder
overproud knight and he shall die by my hand«
»Think what you do« cried Wamba »the hasty hand catches frog for fish by
my bauble yonder is none of my Lady Rowena see but her long dark locks
Nay an ye will not know black from white ye may be leader but I will be no
follower no bones of mine shall be broken unless I know for whom And you
without armour too Bethink you silk bonnet never kept out steel blade Nay
then if wilful will to water wilful must drench Deus vobiscum most doughty
Athelstane« he concluded loosening the hold which he had hitherto kept upon
the Saxons tunic
To snatch a mace from the pavement on which it lay beside one whose dying
grasp had just relinquished it to rush on the Templars band and to strike in
quick succession to the right and left levelling a warrior at each blow was
for Athelstanes great strength now animated with unusual fury but the work of
a single moment he was soon within two yards of BoisGuilbert whom he defied
in his loudest tone
»Turn falsehearted Templar let go her whom thou art unworthy to touch
turn limb of a band of murdering and hypocritical robbers«
»Dog« said the Templar grinding his teeth »I will teach thee to blaspheme
the holy Order of the Temple of Zion« and with these words halfwheeling his
steed he made a demicourbette towards the Saxon and rising in his stirrups
so as to take fall advantage of the descent of the horse he discharged a
fearful blow upon the head of Athelstane
Well said Wamba that silken bonnet keeps out no steel blade So trenchant
was the Templars weapon that it shore asunder as it had been a willow twig
the tough and plaited handle of the mace which the illfated Saxon reared to
parry the blow and descending on his head levelled him with the earth
»Ha Beauseant« exclaimed BoisGuilbert »thus be it to the maligners of
the Templeknights« Taking advantage of the dismay which was spread by the fall
of Athelstane and calling aloud »Those who would save themselves follow me«
he pushed across the drawbridge dispersing the archers who would have
intercepted them He was followed by his Saracens and some five or six
menatarms who had mounted their horses The Templars retreat was rendered
perilous by the numbers of arrows shot off at him and his party but this did
not prevent him from galloping round to the barbican of which according to his
previous plan he supposed it possible De Bracy might have been in possession
»De Bracy De Bracy« he shouted »art thou there«
»I am here« replied De Bracy »but I am a prisoner«
»Can I rescue thee« cried BoisGuilbert
»No« replied De Bracy »I have rendered me rescue or no rescue I will be
true prisoner Save thyself there are hawks abroad put the seas betwixt you
and England I dare not say more«
»Well« answered the Templar »an thou wilt tarry there remember I have
redeemed word and glove Be the hawks where they will methinks the walls of the
Preceptory of Templestowe will be cover sufficient and thither will I like
heron to her haunt«
Having thus spoken he galloped off with his followers
Those of the castle who had not gotten to horse still continued to fight
desperately with the besiegers after the departure of the Templar but rather
in despair of quarter than that they entertained any hope of escape The fire
was spreading rapidly through all parts of the castle when Ulrica who had
first kindled it appeared on a turret in the guise of one of the ancient
furies yelling forth a warsong such as was of yore raised on the field of
battle by the scalds of the yet heathen Saxons Her long dishevelled grey hair
flew back from her uncovered head the inebriating delight of gratified
vengeance contended in her eyes with the fire of insanity and she brandished
the distaff which she held in her hand as if she had been one of the Fatal
Sisters who spin and abridge the thread of human life Tradition has preserved
some wild strophes of the barbarous hymn which she chanted wildly amid that
scene of fire and of slaughter
1
Whet the bright steel
Sons of the White Dragon
Kindle the torch
Daughter of Hengist
The steel glimmers not for the carving of the banquet
It is hard broad and sharply pointed
The torch goeth not to the bridal chamber
It steams and glitters blue with sulphur
Whet the steel the raven croaks
Light the torch Zernebock is yelling
Whet the steel sons of the Dragon
Kindle the torch daughter of Hengist
2
The black cloud is low over the thanes castle
The eagle screams he rides on its bosom
Scream not grey rider of the sable cloud
Thy banquet is prepared
The maidens of Valhalla look forth
The race of Hengist will send them guests
Shake your black tresses maidens of Valhalla
And strike your loud timbrels for joy
Many a haughty step bends to your halls
Many a helmed head
3
Dark sits the evening upon the thanes castle
The black clouds gather round
Soon shall they be red as the blood of the valiant
The destroyer of forests shall shake his red crest against them
He the bright consumer of palaces
Broad waves he his blazing banner
Red wide and dusky
Over the strife of the valiant
His joy is in the clashing swords and broken bucklers
He loves to lick the hissing blood as it bursts warm from the wound
4
All must perish
The sword cleaveth the helmet
The strong armour is pierced by the lance
Fire devoureth the dwelling of princes
Engines break down the fences of the battle
All must perish
The race of Hengist is gone
The name of Horsa is no more
Shrink not then from your doom sons of the sword
Let your blades drink blood like wine
Feast ye in the banquet of slaughter
By the light of the blazing halls
Strong be your swords while your blood is warm
And spare neither for pity nor fear
For vengeance hath but an hour
Strong hate itself shall expire
I also must perish39
The towering flames had now surmounted every obstruction and rose to the
evening skies one huge and burning beacon seen far and wide through the
adjacent country Tower after tower crashed down with blazing roof and rafter
and the combatants were driven from the courtyard The vanquished of whom very
few remained scattered and escaped into the neighbouring wood The victors
assembling in large bands gazed with wonder not unmixed with fear upon the
flames in which their own ranks and arms glanced dusky red The maniac figure
of the Saxon Ulrica was for a long time visible on the lofty stand she had
chosen tossing her arms abroad with wild exultation as if she reigned empress
of the conflagration which she had raised At length with a terrific crash the
whole turret gave way and she perished in the flames which had consumed her
tyrant An awful pause of horror silenced each murmur of the armed spectators
who for the space of several minutes stirred not a finger save to sign the
cross The voice of Locksley was then heard »Shout yeomen the den of
tyrants is no more Let each bring his spoil to our chosen place of rendezvous
at the Trystingtree in the Harthill Walk for there at break of day will we
make just partition among our own bands together with our worthy allies in this
great deed of vengeance«
Chapter ThirtySecond
Trust me each state must have its policies
Kingdoms have edicts cities have their charters
Even the wild outlaw in his forestwalk
Keeps yet some touch of civil discipline
For not since Adam wore his verdant apron
Hath man with man in social union dwelt
But laws were made to draw that union closer
Old Play
The daylight had dawned upon the glades of the oak forest The green boughs
glittered with all their pearls of dew The hind led her fawn from the covert of
high fern to the more open walks of the greenwood and no huntsman was there to
watch or intercept the stately hart as he paced at the head of the antlered
herd
The outlaws were all assembled around the Trystingtree in the Harthill
Walk where they had spent the night in refreshing themselves after the fatigues
of the siege some with wine some with slumber many with hearing and
recounting the events of the day and computing the heaps of plunder which their
success had placed at the disposal of their chief
The spoils were indeed very large for notwithstanding that much was
consumed a great deal of plate rich armour and splendid clothing had been
secured by the exertions of the dauntless outlaws who could be appalled by no
danger when such rewards were in view Yet so strict were the laws of their
society that no one ventured to appropriate any part of the booty which was
brought into one common mass to be at the disposal of their leader
The place of rendezvous was an aged oak not however the same to which
Locksley had conducted Gurth and Wamba in the earlier part of the story but one
which was the centre of a silvan amphitheatre within half a mile of the
demolished castle of Torquilstone Here Locksley assumed his seat a throne of
turf erected under the twisted branches of the huge oak and the silvan
followers were gathered around him He assigned to the Black Knight a seat at
his right hand and to Cedric a place upon his left
»Pardon my freedom noble sirs« he said »but in these glades I am monarch
they are my kingdom and these my wild subjects would reck but little of my
power were I within my own dominions to yield place to mortal man Now
sirs who hath seen our chaplain where is our curtal Friar A mass amongst
Christian men best begins a busy morning« No one had seen the Clerk of
Copmanhurst »Over gods forbode« said the outlaw Chief »I trust the jolly
priest hath but abidden by the winepot a thought too late Who saw him since
the castle was taen«
»I« quoth the Miller »marked him busy about the door of a cellar swearing
by each saint in the calendar he would taste the smack of FrontdeBoeufs
Gascoigne wine«
»Now the saints as many as there be of them« said the Captain »forfend
lest he has drunk too deep of the winebutts and perished by the fall of the
castle Away Miller take with you enow of men seek the place where you
last saw him throw water from the moat on the scorching ruins I will have
them removed stone by stone ere I lose my curtal Friar«
The numbers who hastened to execute this duty considering that an
interesting division of spoil was about to take place showed how much the troop
had at heart the safety of their spiritual father
»Meanwhile let us proceed« said Locksley »for when this bold deed shall
be sounded abroad the bands of De Bracy of Malvoisin and other allies of
FrontdeBoeuf will be in motion against us and it were well for our safety
that we retreat from the vicinity Noble Cedric« he said turning to the
Saxon »that spoil is divided into two portions do thou make choice of that
best suits thee to recompense thy people who were partakers with us in this
adventure«
»Good yeoman« said Cedric »my heart is oppressed with sadness The noble
Athelstane of Coningsburgh is no more the last sprout of the sainted
Confessor Hopes have perished with him which can never return A sparkle hath
been quenched by his blood which no human breath can again rekindle My people
save the few who are now with me do but tarry my presence to transport his
honoured remains to their last mansion The Lady Rowena is desirous to return to
Rotherwood and must be escorted by a sufficient force I should therefore ere
now have left this place and I waited not to share the booty for so help me
God and Saint Withold as neither I nor any of mine will touch the value of a
liard I waited but to render my thanks to thee and to thy bold yeomen for
the life and honour you have saved«
»Nay but« said the chief Outlaw »we did but half the work at most take
of the spoil what may reward your own neighbours and followers«
»I am rich enough to reward them from mine own wealth« answered Cedric
»And some« said Wamba »have been wise enough to reward themselves they do
not march off emptyhanded altogether We do not all wear motley«
»They are welcome« said Locksley »our laws bind none but ourselves«
»But thou my poor knave« said Cedric turning about and embracing his
Jester »how shall I reward thee who feared not to give thy body to chains and
death instead of mine All forsook me when the poor fool was faithful«
A tear stood in the eye of the rough Thane as he spoke a mark of feeling
which even the death of Athelstane had not extracted but there was something in
the halfinstinctive attachment of his clown that waked his nature more keenly
than even grief itself
»Nay« said the Jester extricating himself from his masters caress »if
you pay my service with the water of your eye the Jester must weep for company
and then what becomes of his vocation But uncle if you would indeed
pleasure me I pray you to pardon my playfellow Gurth who stole a week from
your service to bestow it on your son«
»Pardon him« exclaimed Cedric »I will both pardon and reward him Kneel
down Gurth« The swineherd was in an instant at his masters feet »THEOW
and ESNE40 art thou no longer« said Cedric touching him with a wand »FOLKFREE
and SACLESS41 art thou in town and from town in the forest as in the field A
hide of land I give to thee in my steads of Walburgham from me and mine to thee
and thine aye and for ever and Gods malison on his head who this gainsays«
No longer a serf but a freeman and a landholder Gurth sprung upon his
feet and twice bounded aloft to almost his own height from the ground »A smith
and a file« he cried »to do away the collar from the neck of a freeman
Noble master doubled is my strength by your gift and doubly will I fight for
you There is a free spirit in my breast I am a man changed to myself and
all around Ha Fangs« he continued for that faithful cur seeing his
master thus transported began to jump upon him to express his sympathy
»knowest thou thy master still«
»Ay« said Wamba »Fangs and I still know thee Gurth though we must needs
abide by the collar it is only thou art likely to forget both us and thyself«
»I shall forget myself indeed ere I forget thee true comrade« said Gurth
»and were freedom fit for thee Wamba the master would not let thee want it«
»Nay« said Wamba »never think I envy thee brother Gurth the serf sits by
the hall fire when the freeman must forth to the field of battle And what
saith Oldhelm of Malmsbury Better a fool at a feast than a wise man at a
fray«
The tramp of horses was now heard and the Lady Rowena appeared surrounded
by several riders and a much stronger party of footmen who joyfully shook
their pikes and clashed their brownbills for joy of her freedom She herself
richly attired and mounted on a dark chestnut palfrey had recovered all the
dignity of her manner and only an unwonted degree of paleness showed the
sufferings she had undergone Her lovely brow though sorrowful bore on it a
cast of reviving hope for the future as well as of grateful thankfulness for
the past deliverance She knew that Ivanhoe was safe and she knew that
Athelstane was dead The former assurance filled her with the most sincere
delight and if she did not absolutely rejoice at the latter she might be
pardoned for feeling the full advantage of being freed from farther persecution
on the only subject in which she had ever been contradicted by her guardian
Cedric
As Rowena bent her steed towards Locksleys seat that bold yeoman with all
his followers rose to receive her as if by general instinct of courtesy The
blood rose to her cheeks as courteously waving her hand and bending so low
that her beautiful and loose tresses were for an instant mixed with the flowing
mane of her palfrey she expressed in few but apt words her obligations and her
gratitude to Locksley and her other deliverers »God bless you brave men«
she concluded »God and Our Lady bless you and requite you for gallantly
perilling yourselves in the cause of the oppressed If any of you should
hunger remember Rowena has food if you should thirst she has many a butt of
wine and brown ale and if the Normans drive ye from these walks Rowena has
forests of her own where her gallant deliverers may range at full freedom and
never ranger ask whose arrow hath struck down the deer«
»Thanks gentle lady« said Locksley »thanks from my company and myself
But to have saved you requites itself We who walk the greenwood do many a wild
deed and the Lady Rowenas deliverance may be received as an atonement«
Again bowing from her palfrey Rowena turned to depart but pausing a
moment while Cedric who was to attend her was also taking his leave she
found herself unexpectedly close by the prisoner De Bracy He stood under a tree
in deep meditation his arms crossed upon his breast and Rowena was in hopes
that she might pass him unobserved He looked up however and when aware of
her presence a deep flush of shame suffused his handsome countenance He stood
a moment most irresolute then stepping forward took her palfrey by the rein
and bent his knee before her
»Will the Lady Rowena deign to cast an eye on a captive knight on a
dishonoured soldier«
»Sir Knight« answered Rowena »in enterprises such as yours the real
dishonour lies not in failure but in success«
»Conquest lady should soften the heart« answered De Bracy »let me but
know that the Lady Rowena forgives the violence occasioned by an illfated
passion and she shall soon learn that De Bracy knows how to serve her in nobler
ways«
»I forgive you Sir Knight« said Rowena »as a Christian«
»That means« said Wamba »that she does not forgive him at all«
»But I can never forgive the misery and desolation your madness has
occasioned« continued Rowena
»Unloose your hold on the ladys rein« said Cedric coming up »By the
bright sun above us but it were shame I would pin thee to the earth with my
javelin but be well assured thou shalt smart Maurice de Bracy for thy
share in this foul deed«
»He threatens safely who threatens a prisoner« said De Bracy »but when had
a Saxon any touch of courtesy«
Then retiring two steps backward he permitted the lady to move on
Cedric ere they departed expressed his peculiar gratitude to the Black
Champion and earnestly entreated him to accompany him to Rotherwood
»I know« he said »that ye errant knights desire to carry your fortunes on
the point of your lance and reck not of lands or goods but war is a changeful
mistress and a home is sometimes desirable even to the champion whose trade is
wandering Thou hast earned one in the halls of Rotherwood noble knight Cedric
has wealth enough to repair the injuries of fortune and all he has is his
deliverers Come therefore to Rotherwood not as a guest but as a son or
brother«
»Cedric has already made me rich« said the Knight »he has taught me the
value of Saxon virtue To Rotherwood will I come brave Saxon and that
speedily but as now pressing matters of moment detain me from your halls
Peradventure when I come hither I will ask such a boon as will put even thy
generosity to the test«
»It is granted ere spoken out« said Cedric striking his ready hand into
the gauntleted palm of the Black Knight »it is granted already were it to
affect half my fortune«
»Gage not thy promise so lightly« said the Knight of the Fetterlock »yet
well I hope to gain the boon I shall ask Meanwhile adieu«
»I have but to say« added the Saxon »that during the funeral rites of the
noble Athelstane I shall be an inhabitant of the halls of his castle of
Coningsburgh they will be open to all who choose to partake of the funeral
banqueting and I speak in name of the noble Edith mother of the fallen
prince they will never be shut against him who laboured so bravely though
unsuccessfully to save Athelstane from Norman chains and Norman steel«
»Ay ay« said Wamba who had resumed his attendance on his master »rare
feeding there will be pity that the noble Athelstane cannot banquet at his own
funeral But he« continued the Jester lifting up his eyes gravely »is
supping in Paradise and doubtless does honour to the cheer«
»Peace and move on« said Cedric his anger at this untimely jest being
checked by the recollection of Wambas recent services Rowena waved a graceful
adieu to him of the Fetterlock the Saxon bade God speed him and on they moved
through a wide glade of the forest
They had scarce departed ere a sudden procession moved from under the
greenwood branches swept slowly round the silvan amphitheatre and took the
same direction with Rowena and her followers The priests of a neighbouring
convent in expectation of the ample donation or soulscat which Cedric had
propined attended upon the car in which the body of Athelstane was laid and
sang hymns as it was sadly and slowly borne on the shoulders of his vassals to
his castle of Coningsburgh to be there deposited in the grave of Hengist from
whom the deceased derived his long descent Many of his vassals had assembled at
the news of his death and followed the bier with all the external marks at
least of dejection and sorrow Again the outlaws arose and paid the same rude
and spontaneous homage to death which they had so lately rendered to beauty
the slow chant and mournful step of the priests brought back to their
remembrance such of their comrades as had fallen in the yesterdays affray But
such recollections dwell not long with those who lead a life of danger and
enterprise and ere the sound of the deathhymn had died on the wind the
outlaws were again busied in the distribution of their spoil
»Valiant knight« said Locksley to the Black Champion »without whose good
heart and mighty arm our enterprise must altogether have failed will it please
you to take from that mass of spoil whatever may best serve to pleasure you and
to remind you of this my Trystingtree«
»I accept the offer« said the Knight »as frankly as it is given; and I ask
permission to dispose of Sir Maurice de Bracy at my own pleasure«
»He is thine already« said Locksley »and well for him else the tyrant had
graced the highest bough of this oak with as many of his Free Companions as we
could gather hanging thick as acorns around him But he is thy prisoner and
he is safe though he had slain my father«
»De Bracy« said the Knight »thou art free depart He whose prisoner thou
art scorns to take mean revenge for what is past But beware of the future lest
a worse thing befall thee Maurice de Bracy I say BEWARE«
De Bracy bowed low and in silence and was about to withdraw when the
yeomen burst at once into a shout of execration and derision The proud Knight
instantly stopped turned back folded his arms drew up his form to its full
height and exclaimed »Peace ye yelping curs who open upon a cry which ye
followed not when the stag was at bay De Bracy scorns your censure as he would
disdain your applause To your brakes and caves ye outlawed thieves and be
silent when aught knightly or noble is but spoken within a league of your
foxearths«
This illtimed defiance might have procured for De Bracy a volley of arrows
but for the hasty and imperative interference of the outlaw Chief Meanwhile the
knight caught a horse by the rein for several which had been taken in the
stables of FrontdeBoeuf stood accoutred around and were a valuable part of
the booty He threw himself upon the saddle and galloped off through the wood
When the bustle occasioned by this incident was somewhat composed the chief
Outlaw took from his neck the rich horn and baldric which he had recently gained
at the strife of archery near Ashby
»Noble knight« he said to him of the Fetterlock »if you disdain not to
grace by your acceptance a bugle which an English yeoman has once worn this
will I pray you to keep as a memorial of your gallant bearing and if ye have
aught to do and as happeneth oft to a gallant knight ye chance to be hard
bested in any forest between Trent and Tees wind three mots42 upon the horn
thus Wasahoa and it may well chance ye shall find helpers and rescue«
He then gave breath to the bugle and winded once and again the call which
he described until the knight had caught the notes
»Gramercy for the gift bold yeoman« said the knight »and better help than
thine and thy rangers would I never seek were it at my utmost need« And then
in his turn he winded the call till all the greenwood rang
»Well blown and clearly« said the yeoman »beshrew me an thou knowest not
as much of woodcraft as of war thou hast been a striker of deer in thy day I
warrant Comrades mark these three mots it is the call of the Knight of the
Fetterlock and he who hears it and hastens not to serve him at his need I
will have him scourged out of our band with his own bowstring«
»Long live our leader« shouted the yeomen »and long live the Black Knight
of the Fetterlock May he soon use our service to prove how readily it will
be paid«
Locksley now proceeded to the distribution of the spoil which he performed
with the most laudable impartiality A tenth part of the whole was set apart for
the church and for pious uses a portion was next allotted to a sort of public
treasury a part was assigned to the widows and children of those who had
fallen or to be expended in masses for the souls of such as had left no
surviving family The rest was divided amongst the outlaws according to their
rank and merit and the judgment of the Chief on all such doubtful questions as
occurred was delivered with great shrewdness and received with absolute
submission The Black Knight was not a little surprised to find that men in a
state so lawless were nevertheless among themselves so regularly and
equitably governed and all that he observed added to his opinion of the justice
and judgment of their leader
When each had taken his own proportion of the booty and while the
treasurer accompanied by four tall yeomen was transporting that belonging to
the state to some place of concealment or of security the portion devoted to
the church still remained unappropriated
»I would« said the leader »we could hear tidings of our joyous chaplain
he was never wont to be absent when meat was to be blessed or spoil to be
parted and it is his duty to take care of these the tithes of our successful
enterprise It may be the office has helped to cover some of his canonical
irregularities Also I have a holy brother of his a prisoner at no great
distance and I would fain have the Friar to help me to deal with him in due
sort I greatly misdoubt the safety of the bluff priest«
»I were right sorry for that« said the Knight of the Fetterlock »for I
stand indebted to him for the joyous hospitality of a merry night in his cell
Let us to the ruins of the castle it may be we shall there learn some tidings
of him«
While they thus spoke a loud shout among the yeomen announced the arrival
of him for whom they feared as they learned from the stentorian voice of the
Friar himself long before they saw his burly person
»Make room my merry men« he exclaimed »room for your godly father and his
prisoner Cry welcome once more I come noble leader like an eagle with my
prey in my clutch« And making his way through the ring amidst the laughter
of all around he appeared in majestic triumph his huge partisan in one hand
and in the other a halter one end of which was fastened to the neck of the
unfortunate Isaac of York who bent down by sorrow and terror was dragged on
by the victorious priest who shouted aloud »Where is AllanaDale to
chronicle me in a ballad or if it were but a lay By Saint Hermangild the
jingling crowder is ever out of the way where there is an apt theme for exalting
valour«
»Curtal Priest« said the Captain »thou hast been at a wet mass this
morning as early as it is In the name of Saint Nicholas whom hast thou got
here«
»A captive to my sword and to my lance noble Captain« replied the Clerk of
Copmanhurst »to my bow and to my halberd I should rather say and yet I have
redeemed him by my divinity from a worse captivity Speak Jew have I not
ransomed thee from Sathanas have I not taught thee thy credo thy pater and
thine Ave Maria Did I not spend the whole night in drinking to thee and in
expounding of mysteries«
»For the love of God« ejaculated the poor Jew »will no one take me out of
the keeping of this mad I mean this holy man«
»Hows this Jew« said the Friar with a menacing aspect »dost thou
recant Jew Bethink thee if thou dost relapse into thine infidelity though
thou art not so tender as a suckling pig I would I had one to break my fast
upon thou art not too tough to be roasted Be conformable Isaac and repeat
the words after me Ave Maria«
»Nay we will have no profanation mad Priest« said Locksley »let us
rather hear where you found this prisoner of thine«
»By Saint Dunstan« said the Friar »I found him where I sought for better
ware I did step into the cellarage to see what might be rescued there for
though a cup of burnt wine with spice be an evenings draught for an emperor
it were waste methought to let so much good liquor be mulled at once and I
caught up one runlet of sack and was coming to call more aid among these lazy
knaves who are ever to seek when a good deed is to be done when I was advised
of a strong door Aha thought I here is the choicest juice of all in this
secret crypt and the knave butler being disturbed in his vocation hath left
the key in the door In therefore I went and found just nought besides a
commodity of rusted chains and this dog of a Jew who presently rendered himself
my prisoner rescue or no rescue I did but refresh myself after the fatigue of
the action with the unbeliever with one humming cup of sack and was proceeding
to lead forth my captive when crash after crash as with wild thunderdint and
levinfire down toppled the masonry of an outer tower marry beshrew their
hands that built it not the firmer and blocked up the passage The roar of one
falling tower followed another I gave up thought of life and deeming it a
dishonour to one of my profession to pass out of this world in company with a
Jew I heaved up my halberd to beat his brains out but I took pity on his grey
hairs and judged it better to lay down the partisan and take up my spiritual
weapon for his conversion And truly by the blessing of Saint Dunstan the seed
has been sown in good soil only that with speaking to him of mysteries through
the whole night and being in a manner fasting for the few draughts of sack
which I sharpened my wits with were not worth marking my head is wellnigh
dizzied I trow But I was clean exhausted Gilbert and Wibbald know in what
state they found me quite and clean exhausted«
»We can bear witness« said Gilbert »for when we had cleared away the ruin
and by Saint Dunstans help lighted upon the dungeon stair we found the runlet
of sack halfempty the Jew halfdead and the Friar more than half exhausted
as he calls it«
»Ye be knaves ye lie« retorted the offended Friar »it was you and your
gormandising companions that drank up the sack and called it your morning
draught I am a Pagan an I kept it not for the Captains own throat But what
recks it the Jew is converted and understands all I have told him very
nearly if not altogether as well as myself«
»Jew« said the Captain »is this true hast thou renounced thine unbelief«
»May I so find mercy in your eyes« said the Jew »as I know not one word
which the reverend prelate spake to me all this fearful night Alas I was so
distraught with agony and fear and grief that had our holy father Abraham
come to preach to me he had found but a deaf listener«
»Thou liest Jew and thou knowest thou dost« said the Friar »I will
remind thee but of one word of our conference thou didst promise to give all
thy substance to our holy Order«
»So help me the Promise fair sirs« said Isaac even more alarmed than
before »as no such sounds ever crossed my lips Alas I am an aged beggared man
I fear me a childless have ruth on me and let me go«
»Nay« said the Friar »if thou dost retract vows made in favour of Holy
Church thou must do penance«
Accordingly he raised his halberd and would have laid the staff of it
lustily on the Jews shoulders had not the Black Knight stopped the blow and
thereby transferred the Holy Clerks resentment to himself
»By Saint Thomas of Kent« said he »an I buckle to my gear I will teach
thee sir lazy lover to mell with thine own matters maugre thine iron case
there«
»Nay be not wroth with me« said the Knight »thou knowest I am thy sworn
friend and comrade«
»I know no such thing« answered the Friar »and defy thee for a meddling
coxcomb«
»Nay but« said the Knight who seemed to take a pleasure in provoking his
quondam host »hast thou forgotten how that for my sake for I say nothing of
the temptation of the flagon and the pasty thou didst break thy vow of fast and
vigil«
»Truly friend« said the Friar clenching his huge fist »I will bestow a
buffet on thee«
»I accept of no such presents« said the Knight »I am content to take thy
cuff43 as a loan but I will repay thee with usury as deep as ever thy prisoner
there exacted in his traffic«
»I will prove that presently« said the Friar
»Hola« cried the Captain »what art thou after mad Friar brawling beneath
our Trystingtree«
»No brawling« said the Knight »it is but a friendly inter change of
courtesy Friar strike an thou darest I will stand thy blow if thou wilt
stand mine«
»Thou hast the advantage with that iron pot on thy head« said the
churchman »but have at thee Down thou goest an thou wert Goliath of Gath in
his brazen helmet«
The Friar bared his brawny arm up to the elbow and putting his full
strength to the blow gave the knight a buffet that might have felled an ox But
his adversary stood firm as a rock A loud shout was uttered by all the yeomen
around for the Clerks cuff was proverbial amongst them and there were few
who in jest or earnest had not had occasion to know its vigour
»Now Priest« said the Knight pulling off his gauntlet »if I had vantage
on my head I will have none on my hand stand fast as a true man«
»Genam meam dedi vapulatori I have given my cheek to the smiter« said the
Priest »an thou canst stir me from the spot fellow I will freely bestow on
thee the Jews ransom«
So spoke the burly Priest assuming on his part high defiance But who may
resist his fate The buffet of the Knight was given with such strength and
goodwill that the Friar rolled head over heels upon the plain to the great
amazement of all the spectators But he arose neither angry nor crestfallen
»Brother« said he to the Knight »thou shouldst have used thy strength with
more discretion I had mumbled but a lame mass an thou hadst broken my jaw for
the piper plays ill that wants the nether chops Nevertheless there is my hand
in friendly witness that I will exchange no more cuffs with thee having been a
loser by the barter End now all unkindness Let us put the Jew to ransom since
the leopard will not change his spots and a Jew he will continue to be«
»The Priest« said Clement »is not half so confident of the Jews
conversion since he received that buffet on the ear«
»Go to knave what pratest thou of conversions what is there no
respect all masters and no men I tell thee fellow I was somewhat totty
when I received the good knights blow or I had kept my ground under it But an
thou gibest more of it thou shalt learn I can give as well as take«
»Peace all« said the Captain »And thou Jew think of thy ransom thou
needest not to be told that thy race are held to be accursed in all Christian
communities and trust me that we cannot endure thy presence among us Think
therefore of an offer while I examine a prisoner of another cast«
»Were many of FrontdeBoeufs men taken« demanded the Black Knight
»None of note enough to be put to ransom« answered the Captain »a set of
hilding fellows there were whom we dismissed to find them a new master enough
had been done for revenge and profit the bunch of them were not worth a
cardecu The prisoner I speak of is better booty a jolly monk riding to visit
his leman an I may judge by his horsegear and wearing apparel Here cometh
the worthy prelate as pert as a pyet« And between two yeomen was brought
before the silvan throne of the outlaw Chief our friend Prior Aymer of Jorvaulx
Chapter ThirtyThird
Flower of warriors
How ist with Titus Lartius
Marcius As with a man busied about decrees
Condemning some to death and some to exile
Ransoming him or pitying threatening the other
Coriolanus
The captive Abbots features and manners exhibited a whimsical mixture of
offended pride and deranged foppery and bodily terror
»Why how now my masters« said he with a voice in which all three
emotions were blended »What order is this among ye Be ye Turks or Christians
that handle a churchman Know ye what it is manus imponere in servos Domini
Ye have plundered my mails torn my cope of curious cut lace which might have
served a cardinal Another in my place would have been at his excommunicabo vos
but I am placable and if ye order forth my palfreys release my brethren and
restore my mails tell down with all speed an hundred crowns to be expended in
masses at the high altar of Jorvaulx Abbey and make your vow to eat no venison
until next Pentecost it may be you shall hear little more of this mad frolic«
»Holy Father« said the chief Outlaw »it grieves me to think that you have
met with such usage from any of my followers as calls for your fatherly
reprehension«
»Usage« echoed the priest encouraged by the mild tone of the silvan
leader »it were usage fit for no hound of good race much less for a Christian
far less for a priest and least of all for the Prior of the holy community
of Jorvaulx Here is a profane and drunken minstrel called AllanaDale
nebulo quidam who has menaced me with corporal punishment nay with death
itself an I pay not down four hundred crowns of ransom to the boot of all the
treasure he hath already robbed me of gold chains and gymmal rings to an
unknown value besides what is broken and spoiled among their rude hands such
as my pouncetbox and silver crispingtongs«
»It is impossible that AllanaDale can have thus treated a man of your
bearing« replied the Captain
»It is true as the gospel of St Nicodemus« said the Prior »he swore with
many a cruel northcountry oath that he would hang me up on the highest tree in
the greenwood«
»Did he so in very deed Nay then reverend father I think you had better
comply with his demands for AllanaDale is the very man to abide by his word
when he has so pledged it«44
»You do but jest with me« said the astounded Prior with a forced laugh
»and I love a good jest with all my heart But ha ha ha when the mirth has
lasted the livelong night it is time to be grave in the morning«
»And I am as grave as a father confessor« replied the Outlaw »you must pay
a round random Sir Prior or your convent is likely to be called to a new
election for your place will know you no more«
»Are ye Christians« said the Prior »and hold this language to a
churchman«
»Christians ay marry are we and have divinity among us to boot« answered
the Outlaw »Let our buxom chaplain stand forth and expound to this reverend
father the texts which concern this matter«
The Friar halfdrunk halfsober had huddled a Friars frock over his
green cassock and now summoning together whatever scraps of learning he had
acquired by rote in former days »Holy father« said he »Deus faciat salvam
benignitatem vestram You are welcome to the greenwood«
»What profane mummery is this« said the Prior »Friend if thou best
indeed of the church it were a better deed to show me how I may escape from
these mens hands than to stand ducking and grinning here like a
morrisdancer«
»Truly reverend father« said the Friar »I know but one mode in which thou
mayest escape This is Saint Andrews day with us we are taking our tithes«
»But not of the church then I trust my good brother« said the Prior
»Of church and lay« said the Friar »and therefore Sir Prior facite vobis
amicos de Mammone iniquitatis make yourselves friends of the Mammon of
unrighteousness for no other friendship is like to serve your turn«
»I love a jolly woodsman at heart« said the Prior softening his tone
»come ye must not deal too hard with me I can well of woodcraft and can wind
a horn clear and lustily and hollo till every oak rings again Come ye must
not deal too hard with me«
»Give him a horn« said the Outlaw »we will prove the skill he boasts of«
The Prior Aymer winded a blast accordingly The Captain shook his head
»Sir Prior« he said »thou blowest a merry note but it may not ransom thee
we cannot afford as the legend on a good knights shield hath it to set thee
free for a blast Moreover I have found thee thou art one of those who with
new French graces and Traliras disturb the ancient English bugle notes
Prior that last flourish on the recheat hath added fifty crowns to thy ransom
for corrupting the true old manly blasts of venerie«
»Well friend« said the Abbot peevishly »thou art ill to please with thy
woodcraft I pray thee be more conformable in this matter of my ransom At a
word since I must needs for once hold a candle to the devil what ransom am
I to pay for walking on Watling Street without having fifty men at my back«
»Were it not well« said the Lieutenant of the gang apart to the Captain
»that the Prior should name the Jews ransom and the Jew name the Priors«
»Thou art a mad knave« said the Captain »but thy plan transcends Here
Jew step forth Look at that holy Father Aymer Prior of the rich Abbey of
Jorvaulx and tell us at what ransom we should hold him Thou knowest the
income of his convent I warrant thee«
»Oh assuredly« said Isaac »I have trafficked with the good fathers and
bought wheat and barley and fruits of the earth and also much wool Oh it is
a rich abbeystede and they do live upon the fat and drink the sweet wines
upon the lees these good fathers of Jorvaulx Ah if an outcast like me had
such a home to go to and such incomings by the year and by the month I would
pay much gold and silver to redeem my captivity«
»Hound of a Jew« exclaimed the Prior »no one knows better than thy own
cursed self that our holy house of God is indebted for the finishing of our
chancel«
»And for the storing of your cellars in the last season with the due
allowance of Gascon wine« interrupted the Jew »but that that is small
matters«
»Hear the infidel dog« said the churchman »he jangles as if our holy
community did come under debts for the wines we have a license to drink propter
necessitatem et ad frigus depellendum The circumcised villain blasphemeth the
holy church and Christian men listen and rebuke him not«
»All this helps nothing« said the leader »Isaac pronounce what he may
pay without flaying both hide and hair«
»An six hundred crowns« said Isaac »the good Prior might well pay to your
honoured valours and never sit less soft in his stall«
»Six hundred crowns« said the leader gravely »I am contented thou hast
well spoken Isaac six hundred crowns It is a sentence Sir Prior«
»A sentence a sentence« exclaimed the band »Solomon had not done it
better«
»Thou hearest thy doom Prior« said the leader
»Ye are mad my masters« said the Prior »where am I to find such a sum If
I sell the very pyx and candlesticks on the altar at Jorvaulx I shall scarce
raise the half and it will be necessary for that purpose that I go to Jorvaulx
myself ye may retain as borrows45 my two priests« »That will be but blind
trust« said the Outlaw »we will retain thee Prior and send them to fetch thy
ransom Thou shalt not want a cup of wine and a collop of venison the while and
if thou lovest woodcraft thou shalt see such as your north country never
witnessed«
»Or if so please you« said Isaac willing to curry favour with the
outlaws »I can send to York for the six hundred crowns out of certain moneys
in my hands if so be that the most reverend Prior present will grant me a
quittance«
»He shall grant thee whatever thou dost list Isaac« said the Captain »and
thou shalt lay down the redemption money for Prior Aymer as well as for
thyself«
»For myself ah courageous sirs« said the Jew »I am a broken and
impoverished man a beggars staff must be my portion through life supposing I
were to pay you fifty crowns«
»The Prior shall judge of that matter« replied the Captain »How say you
Father Aymer Can the Jew afford a good ransom«
»Can he afford a ransom« answered the Prior »Is he not Isaac of York
rich enough to redeem the captivity of the ten tribes of Israel who were led
into Assyrian bondage I have seen but little of him myself but our cellarer
and treasurer have dealt largely with him and report says that his house at
York is so full of gold and silver as is a shame in any Christian land Marvel
it is to all living Christian hearts that such gnawing adders should be suffered
to eat into the bowels of the state and even of the holy church herself with
foul usuries and extortions«
»Hold father« said the Jew »mitigate and assuage your choler I pray of
your reverence to remember that I force my moneys upon no one But when
churchmen and laymen prince and prior knight and priest come knocking to
Isaacs door they borrow not his shekels with these uncivil terms It is then
Friend Isaac will you pleasure us in this matter and our day shall be truly
kept so God sa me and Kind Isaac if ever you served man show yourself a
friend in this need And when the day comes and I ask my own then what hear I
but damned Jew and the curse of Egypt on your tribe and all that may stir up
the rude and uncivil populace against poor strangers«
»Prior« said the Captain »Jew though he is he hath in this spoken well
Do thou therefore name his ransom as he named thine without farther rude
terms«
»None but latro famosus the interpretation whereof« said the Prior »will
I give at some other time and tide would place a Christian prelate and an
unbaptized Jew upon the same bench But since ye require me to put a price upon
this caitiff I tell you openly that ye will wrong yourselves if you take from
him a penny under a thousand crowns«
»A sentence a sentence« said the chief Outlaw
»A sentence a sentence« shouted his assessors »the Christian has shown
his good nurture and dealt with us more generously than the Jew«
»The God of my fathers help me« said the Jew »will ye bear to the ground
an impoverished creature I am this day childless and will ye deprive me of
the means of livelihood«
»Thou wilt have the less to provide for Jew if thou art childless« said
Aymer
»Alas my lord« said Isaac »your law permits you not to know how the child
of our bosom is entwined with the strings of our heart O Rebecca daughter of
my beloved Rachel were each leaf on that tree a zecchin and each zecchin mine
own all that mass of wealth would I give to know whether thou art alive and
escaped the hands of the Nazarene«
»Was not thy daughter darkhaired« said one of the outlaws »and wore she
not a veil of twisted sendal broidered with silver«
»She did she did« said the old man trembling with eagerness as
formerly with fear »The blessing of Jacob be upon thee canst thou tell me
aught of her safety«
»It was she then« said the yeoman »who was carried off by the proud
Templar when he broke through our ranks on yestereven I had drawn my bow to
send a shaft after him but spared him even for the sake of the damsel who I
feared might take harm from the arrow«
»Oh« answered the Jew »I would to God thou hadst shot though the arrow
had pierced her bosom Better the tomb of her fathers than the dishonourable
couch of the licentious and savage Templar Ichabod Ichabod the glory hath
departed from my house«
»Friends« said the Chief looking round »the old man is but a Jew
natheless his grief touches me Deal uprightly with us Isaac will paying
this ransom of a thousand crowns leave thee altogether penniless«
Isaac recalled to think of his worldly goods the love of which by dint of
inveterate habit contended even with his parental affection grew pale
stammered and could not deny there might be some small surplus
»Well go to what though there be« said the Outlaw »we will not reckon
with thee too closely Without treasure thou mayest as well hope to redeem thy
child from the clutches of Sir Brian de BoisGuilbert as to shoot a stagroyal
with a headless shaft We will take thee at the same ransom with Prior Aymer
or rather at one hundred crowns lower which hundred crowns shall be mine own
peculiar loss and not light upon this worshipful community and so we shall
avoid the heinous offence of rating a Jew merchant as high as a Christian
prelate and thou wilt have six hundred crowns remaining to treat for thy
daughters ransom Templars love the glitter of silver shekels as well as the
sparkle of black eyes Hasten to make thy crowns chink in the ear of De
BoisGuilbert ere worse comes of it Thou wilt find him as our scouts have
brought notice at the next Preceptory house of his Order Said I well my
merry mates«
The yeomen expressed their wonted acquiescence in their leaders opinion
and Isaac relieved of onehalf of his apprehensions by learning that his
daughter lived and might possibly be ransomed threw himself at the feet of the
generous Outlaw and rubbing his beard against his buskins sought to kiss the
hem of his green cassock The Captain drew himself back and extricated himself
from the Jews grasp not without some marks of contempt
»Nay beshrew thee man up with thee I am English born and love no such
Eastern prostrations Kneel to God and not to a poor sinner like me«
»Ay Jew« said Prior Aymer »kneel to God as represented in the servant of
his altar and who knows with thy sincere repentance and due gifts to the
shrine of Saint Robert what grace thou mayest acquire for thyself and thy
daughter Rebecca I grieve for the maiden for she is of fair and comely
countenance I beheld her in the lists of Ashby Also Brian de BoisGuilbert
is one with whom I may do much bethink thee how thou mayest deserve my good
word with him«
»Alas alas« said the Jew »on every hand the spoilers arise against me I
am given as a prey unto the Assyrian and a prey unto him of Egypt«
»And what else should be the lot of thy accursed race« answered the Prior
»for what saith holy writ verbum Domini projecerunt et sapientia est nulla in
eis they have cast forth the word of the Lord and there is no wisdom in them
propterea dabo mulieres eorum exteris I will give their women to strangers
that is to the Templar as in the present matter et thesauros eorum hoeredibus
alienis and their treasures to others as in the present case to these honest
gentlemen«
Isaac groaned deeply and began to wring his hands and to relapse into his
state of desolation and despair But the leader of the yeomen led him aside
»Advise thee well Isaac« said Locksley »what thou wilt do in this matter
my counsel to thee is to make a friend of this churchman He is vain Isaac and
he is covetous at least he needs money to supply his profusion Thou canst
easily gratify his greed for think not that I am blinded by thy pretexts of
poverty I am intimately acquainted Isaac with the very iron chest in which
thou dost keep thy moneybags What know I not the great stone beneath the
appletree that leads into the vaulted chamber under thy garden at York« The
Jew grew as pale as death »But fear nothing from me« continued the yeoman
»for we are of old acquainted Dost thou not remember the sick yeoman whom thy
fair daughter Rebecca redeemed from the gyves at York and kept him in thy house
till his health was restored when thou didst dismiss him recovered and with a
piece of money Usurer as thou art thou didst never place coin at better
interest than that poor silver mark for it has this day saved thee five hundred
crowns«
»And thou art he whom we called Diccon BendtheBow« said Isaac »I thought
ever I knew the accent of thy voice«
»I am BendtheBow« said the Captain »and Locksley and have a good name
besides all these«
»But thou art mistaken good BendtheBow concerning that same vaulted
apartment So help me Heaven as there is nought in it but some merchandise
which I will gladly part with to you one hundred yards of Lincoln green to
make doublets to thy men and a hundred staves of Spanish yew to make bows and
one hundred silken bowstrings tough round and sound these will I send thee
for thy goodwill honest Diccon an thou wilt keep silence about the vault my
good Diccon«
»Silent as a dormouse« said the Outlaw »and never trust me but I am
grieved for thy daughter But I may not help it The Templars lances are too
strong for my archery in the open field they would scatter us like dust Had I
but known it was Rebecca when she was borne off something might have been done
but now thou must needs proceed by policy Come shall I treat for thee with the
Prior«
»In Gods name Diccon an thou canst aid me to recover the child of my
bosom«
»Do not thou interrupt me with thine illtimed avarice« said the Outlaw
»and I will deal with him in thy behalf«
He then turned from the Jew who followed him however as closely as his
shadow
»Prior Aymer« said the Captain »come apart with me under this tree Men
say thou dost love wine and a ladys smile better than beseems thy Order Sir
Priest but with that I have nought to do I have heard too thou dost love a
brace of good dogs and a fleet horse and it may well be that loving things
which are costly to come by thou hatest not a purse of gold But I have never
heard that thou didst love oppression or cruelty Now here is Isaac willing
to give thee the means of pleasure and pastime in a bag containing one hundred
marks of silver if thy intercession with thine ally the Templar shall avail to
procure the freedom of his daughter«
»In safety and honour as when taken from me« said the Jew »otherwise it
is no bargain«
»Peace Isaac« said the Outlaw »or I give up thine interest What say you
to this my purpose Prior Aymer«
»The matter« quoth the Prior »is of a mixed condition for if I do a good
on the one hand yet on the other it goeth to the vantage of a Jew and in so
much is against my conscience Yet if the Israelite will advantage the Church
by giving me somewhat over to the building of our dortour46 I will take it on
my conscience to aid him in the matter of his daughter«
»For a score of marks to the dortour« said the Outlaw »Be still I say
Isaac or for a brace of silver candlesticks to the altar we will not stand
with you«
»Nay but good Diccon BendtheBow« said Isaac endeavouring to
interpose
»Good Jew good beast good earthworm« said the yeoman losing patience
»an thou dost go on to put thy filthy lucre in the balance with thy daughters
life and honour by Heaven I will strip thee of every maravedi thou hast in the
world before three days are out«
Isaac shrunk together and was silent
»And what pledge am I to have for all this« said the Prior
»When Isaac returns successful through your mediation« said the Outlaw »I
swear by Saint Hubert I will see that he pays thee the money in good silver or
I will reckon with him for it in such sort he had better have paid twenty such
sums«
»Well then Jew« said Aymer »since I must needs meddle in this matter let
me have the use of thy writingtablets though hold rather than use thy pen
I would fast for twentyfour hours and where shall I find one«
»If your holy scruples call dispense with using the Jews tablets for the
pen I can find a remedy« said the yeoman and bending his bow he aimed his
shaft at a wildgoose which was soaring over their heads the advance guard of a
phalanx of his tribe which were winging their way to the distant and solitary
fens of Holderness The bird came fluttering down transfixed with the arrow
»There Prior« said the Captain »are quills enow to supply all the monks
of Jorvaulx for the next hundred years an they take not to writing chronicles«
The Prior sat down and at great leisure indited an epistle to Brian de
BoisGuilbert and having carefully sealed up the tablets delivered them to the
Jew saying »This will be thy safeconduct to the Preceptory of Templestowe
and as I think is most likely to accomplish the delivery of thy daughter if
it be well backed with proffers of advantage and commodity at thine own hand
for trust me well the good Knight BoisGuilbert is of their confraternity that
do nought for nought«
»Well Prior« said the Outlaw »I will detain thee no longer here than to
give the Jew acquittance for the five hundred crowns at which thy ransom is
fixed I accept of him for my paymaster and if I hear that ye boggle at
allowing him in his accompts the sum so paid by him Saint Mary refuse me an I
burn not the abbey over thine head though I hang ten years the sooner«
With a much worse grace than that wherewith he had penned the letter to
BoisGuilbert the Prior wrote an acquittance discharging Isaac of York of five
hundred crowns advanced to him in his need for acquittal of his ransom and
faithfully promising to hold true compt with him for that sum
»And now« said Prior Aymer »I will pray you of restitution of my mules and
palfreys and the freedom of the reverend brethren attending upon me and also
of the gymmal rings jewels and fair vestures of which I have been despoiled
having now satisfied you for my ransom as a true prisoner«
»Touching your brethren Sir Prior« said Locksley »they shall have present
freedom it were unjust to detain them touching your horses and mules they
shall also be restored with such spending money as may enable you to reach
York for it were cruel to deprive you of the means of journeying But as
concerning rings jewels chains and what else you must understand that we are
men of tender consciences and will not yield to a venerable man like yourself
who should be dead to the vanities of this life the strong temptation to break
the rule of his foundation by wearing rings chains or other vain gauds«
»Think what you do my masters« said the Prior »ere you put your hand on
the Churchs patrimony These things are inter res sacras and I wot not what
judgment might ensue were they to be handled by laical hands«
»I will take care of that reverend Prior« said the Hermit of Copmanhurst
»for I will wear them myself«
»Friend or brother« said the Prior in answer to this solution of his
doubts »if thou hast really taken religious orders I pray thee to look how
thou wilt answer to thine official for the share thou hast taken in this days
work«
»Friend Prior« returned the Hermit »you are to know that I belong to a
little diocese where I am my own diocesan and care as little for the Bishop of
York as I do for the Abbot of Jorvaulx the Prior and all the convent«
»Thou art utterly irregular« said the Prior »one of those disorderly men
who taking on them the sacred character without due cause profane the holy
rites and endanger the souls of those who take counsel at their hands lapides
pro pane condonantes iis giving them stones instead of bread as the Vulgate
hath it«
»Nay« said the Friar »an my brainpan could have been broken by Latin it
had not held so long together I say that easing a world of such misproud
priests as thou art of their jewels and their gimcracks is a lawful spoiling of
the Egyptians«
»Thou best a hedgepriest«47 said the Prior in great wrath »
excommunicabo vos«
»Thou best thyself more like a thief and a heretic« said the Friar
equally indignant »I will pouch up no such affront before my parishioners as
thou thinkest it not shame to put upon me although I be a reverend brother to
thee Ossa ejus perfringam I will break your bones as the Vulgate hath it«
»Hola« cried the Captain »come the reverend brethren to such terms Keep
thine assurance of peace Friar Prior an thou hast not made thy peace
perfect with God provoke the Friar no farther Hermit let the reverend
father depart in peace as a ransomed man«
The yeomen separated the incensed priests who continued to raise their
voices vituperating each other in bad Latin which the Prior delivered the more
fluently and the Hermit with the greater vehemence The Prior at length
recollected himself sufficiently to be aware that he was compromising his
dignity by squabbling with such a hedgepriest as the Outlaws chaplain and
being joined by his attendants rode off with considerably less pomp and in a
much more apostolical condition so far as worldly matters were concerned than
he had exhibited before this rencounter
It remained that the Jew should produce some security for the ransom which
he was to pay on the Priors account as well as upon his own He gave
accordingly an order sealed with his signet to a brother of his tribe at York
requiring him to pay to the bearer the sum of a thousand crowns and to deliver
certain merchandises specified in the note
»My brother Sheva« he said groaning deeply »hath the key of my
warehouses«
»And of the vaulted chamber« whispered Locksley
»No no may Heaven forefend« said Isaac »evil is the hour that let any
one whomsoever into that secret« »It is safe with me« said the Outlaw »so be
that this thy scroll produce the sum therein nominated and set down But what
now Isaac art dead art stupified hath the payment of a thousand crowns put
thy daughters peril out of thy mind«
The Jew started to his feet »No Diccon no I will presently set forth
Farewell thou whom I may not call good and dare not and will not call evil«
Yet ere Isaac departed the Outlaw Chief bestowed on him this parting
advice »Be liberal of thine offers Isaac and spare not thy purse for thy
daughters safety Credit me that the gold thou shalt spare in her cause will
hereafter give thee as much agony as if it were poured molten down thy throat«
Isaac acquiesced with a deep groan and set forth on his journey accompanied
by two tall foresters who were to be his guides and at the same time his
guards through the wood
The Black Knight who had seen with no small interest these various
proceedings now took his leave of the Outlaw in turn nor could he avoid
expressing his surprise at having witnessed so much civil policy amongst persons
cast out from all the ordinary protection and influence of the laws.
»Good fruit Sir Knight« said the yeoman »will sometimes grow on a sorry
tree and evil times are not always productive of evil alone and unmixed
Amongst those who are drawn into this lawless state there are doubtless
numbers who wish to exercise its license with some moderation and some who
regret it may be that they are obliged to follow such a trade at all«
»And to one of those« said the Knight »I am now I presume speaking«
»Sir Knight« said the Outlaw »we have each our secret You are welcome to
form your judgment of me and I may use my conjectures touching you though
neither of our shafts may hit the mark they are shot at But as I do not pray to
be admitted into your mystery be not offended that I preserve my own«
»I crave pardon brave Outlaw« said the Knight »your reproof is just But
it may be we shall meet hereafter with less of concealment on either side
Meanwhile we part friends do we not«
»There is my hand upon it« said Locksley »and I will call it the hand of a
true Englishman though an Outlaw for the present«
»And there is mine in return« said the Knight »and I hold it honoured by
being clasped with yours For he that does good having the unlimited power to
do evil deserves praise not only for the good which he performs but for the
evil which he forbears Faretheewell gallant Outlaw«
Thus parted that fair fellowship and he of the Fetterlock mounting upon
his strong warhorse rode off through the forest
Chapter ThirtyFourth
King John Ill tell thee what my friend
He is a very serpent in my way
And wheresoeer this foot of mine doth tread
He lies before me Dost thou understand me
King John
There was brave feasting in the Castle of York to which Prince John had invited
those nobles prelates and leaders by whose assistance he hoped to carry
through his ambitious projects upon his brothers throne Waldemar Fitzurse his
able and politic agent was at secret work among them tempering all to that
pitch of courage which was necessary in making an open declaration of their
purpose But their enterprise was delayed by the absence of more than one main
limb of the confederacy The stubborn and daring though brutal courage of
FrontdeBoeuf the buoyant spirits and bold bearing of De Bracy the sagacity
martial experience, and renowned valour of Brian de BoisGuilbert were
important to the success of their conspiracy and while cursing in secret their
unnecessary and unmeaning absence neither John nor his adviser dared to proceed
without them Isaac the Jew also seemed to have vanished and with him the hope
of certain sums of money making up the subsidy for which Prince John had
contracted with that Israelite and his brethren This deficiency was likely to
prove perilous in an emergency so critical
It was on the morning after the fall of Torquilstone that a confused report
began to spread abroad in the city of York that De Bracy and BoisGuilbert
with their confederate FrontdeBoeuf had been taken or slain Waldemar brought
the rumour to Prince John announcing that he feared its truth the more that
they had set out with a small attendance for the purpose of committing an
assault on the Saxon Cedric and his attendants At another time the Prince would
have treated this deed of violence as a good jest but now that it interfered
with and impeded his own plans he exclaimed against the perpetrators and spoke
of the broken laws and the infringement of public order and of private
property in a tone which might have become King Alfred
»The unprincipled marauders« he said »were I ever to become monarch of
England I would hang such transgressors over the drawbridges of their own
castles«
»But to become monarch of England« said his Ahithophel coolly »it is
necessary not only that your Grace should endure the transgressions of these
unprincipled marauders but that you should afford them your protection
notwithstanding your laudable zeal for the laws they are in the habit of
infringing We shall be finely helped if the churl Saxons should have realised
your Graces vision of converting feudal drawbridges into gibbets and yonder
boldspirited Cedric seemeth one to whom such an imagination might occur Your
Grace is well aware it will be dangerous to stir without FrontdeBoeuf De
Bracy and the Templar and yet we have gone too far to recede with safety«
Prince John struck his forehead with impatience and then began to stride up
and down the apartment
»The villains« he said »the base treacherous villains to desert me at
this pinch«
»Nay say rather the featherpated giddy madmen« said Waldemar »who must
be toying with follies when such business was in hand«
»What is to be done« said the Prince stopping short before Waldemar
»I know nothing which can be done« answered his counsellor »save that
which I have already taken order for I come not to bewail this evil chance
with your Grace until I had done my best to remedy it«
»Thou art ever my better angel Waldemar« said the Prince »and when I have
such a chancellor to advise withal the reign of John will be renowned in our
annals What hast thou commanded«
»I have ordered Louis Winkelbrand De Bracys lieutenant to cause his
trumpet sound to horse and to display his banner and to set presently forth
towards the castle of FrontdeBoeuf to do what yet may be done for the succour
of our friends«
Prince Johns face flushed with the pride of a spoilt child who has
undergone what he conceives to be an insult
»By the face of God« he said »Waldemar Fitzurse much hast thou taken upon
thee and over malapert thou wert to cause trumpet to blow or banner to be
raised in a town where ourselves were in presence without our express
command«
»I crave your Graces pardon« said Fitzurse internally cursing the idle
vanity of his patron »but when time pressed and even the loss of minutes might
be fatal I judged it best to take this much burden upon me in a matter of such
importance to your Graces interest«
»Thou art pardoned Fitzurse« said the Prince gravely »thy purpose hath
atoned for thy hasty rashness But whom have we here De Bracy himself by the
rood and in strange guise doth he come before us«
It was indeed De Bracy »bloody with spurring fiery red with speed« His
armour bore all the marks of the late obstinate fray being broken defaced and
stained with blood in many places and covered with clay and dust from the crest
to the spur Undoing his helmet he placed it on the table and stood a moment
as if to collect himself before he told his news
»De Bracy« said Prince John »what means this Speak I charge thee Are
the Saxons in rebellion«
»Speak De Bracy« said Fitzurse almost in the same moment with his master
»thou wert wont to be a man Where is the Templar Where FrontdeBoeuf«
»The Templar is fled« said De Bracy »FrontdeBoeuf you will never see
more He has found a red grave among the blazing rafters of his own castle and
I alone am escaped to tell you«
»Cold news« said Waldemar »to us though you speak of fire and
conflagration«
»The worst news is not yet said« answered De Bracy and coming up to
Prince John he uttered in a low and emphatic tone »Richard is in England I
have seen and spoken with him«
Prince John turned pale tottered and caught at the back of an oaken bench
to support himself much like to a man who receives an arrow in his bosom
»Thou ravest De Bracy« said Fitzurse »it cannot be«
»It is as true as truth itself« said De Bracy »I was his prisoner and
spoke with him«
»With Richard Plantagenet sayest thou« continued Fitzurse
»With Richard Plantagenet« replied De Bracy »with Richard CoeurdeLion
with Richard of England«
»And thou wert his prisoner« said Waldemar »he is then at the head of a
power«
»No only a few outlawed yeomen were around him and to these his person is
unknown I heard him say he was about to depart from them He joined them only
to assist at the storming of Torquilstone«
»Ay« said Fitzurse »such is indeed the fashion of Richard a true
knighterrant he and will wander in wild adventure trusting the prowess of his
single arm like any Sir Guy or Sir Bevis while the weighty affairs of his
kingdom slumber and his own safety is endangered What dost thou propose to
do De Bracy«
»I I offered Richard the service of my Free Lances and he refused them
I will lead them to Hull seize on shipping and embark for Flanders thanks to
the bustling times a man of action will always find employment And thou
Waldemar wilt thou take lance and shield and lay down thy policies and wend
along with me and share the fate which God sends us«
»I am too old Maurice and I have a daughter« answered Waldemar
»Give her to me Fitzurse and I will maintain her as fits her rank with
the help of lance and stirrup« said De Bracy
»Not so« answered Fitzurse »I will take sanctuary in this church of Saint
Peter the Archbishop is my sworn brother«
During this discourse Prince John had gradually awakened from the stupor
into which he had been thrown by the unexpected intelligence and had been
attentive to the conversation which passed betwixt his followers »They fall off
from me« he said to himself »they hold no more by me than a withered leaf by
the bough when a breeze blows on it Hell and fiends can I shape no means for
myself when I am deserted by these cravens« He paused and there was an
expression of diabolical passion in the constrained laugh with which he at
length broke in on their conversation
»Ha ha ha my good lords by the light of Our Ladys brow I held ye sage
men bold men readywitted men yet ye throw down wealth honour pleasure all
that our noble game promised you at the moment it might be won by one bold
cast«
»I understand you not« said De Bracy »As soon as Richards return is blown
abroad he will be at the head of an army and all is then over with us I would
counsel you my lord either to fly to France or take the protection of the
Queen Mother«
»I seek no safety for myself« said Prince John haughtily »that I could
secure by a word spoken to my brother But although you De Bracy and you
Waldemar Fitzurse are so ready to abandon me I should not greatly delight to
see your heads blackening on Cliffords Gate yonder Thinkest thou Waldemar
that the wily Archbishop will not suffer thee to be taken from the very horns of
the altar would it make his peace with King Richard And forgettest thou De
Bracy that Robert Estoteville lies betwixt thee and Hull with all his forces
and that the Earl of Essex is gathering his followers If we had reason to fear
these levies even before Richards return trowest thou there is any doubt now
which party their leaders will take Trust me Estoteville alone has strength
enough to drive all thy Free Lances into the Humber« Waldemar Fitzurse and De
Bracy looked in each others faces with blank dismay »There is but one road
to safety« continued the Prince and his brow grew black as midnight »this
object of our terror journeys alone he must be met withal«
»Not by me« said De Bracy hastily »I was his prisoner and he took me to
mercy I will not harm a feather in his crest«
»Who spoke of harming him« said Prince John with a hardened laugh »the
knave will say next that I meant he should slay him No a prison were
better and whether in Britain or Austria what matters it Things will be but
as they were when we commenced our enterprise It was founded on the hope that
Richard would remain a captive in Germany Our uncle Robert lived and died in
the castle of Cardiffe«
»Ay but« said Waldemar »your sire Henry sate more firm in his seat than
your Grace can I say the best prison is that which is made by the sexton no
dungeon like a churchvault I have said my say«
»Prison or tomb« said De Bracy »I wash my hands of the whole matter«
»Villain« said Prince John »thou wouldst not bewray our counsel«
»Counsel was never bewrayed by me« said De Bracy haughtily »nor must the
name of villain be coupled with mine«
»Peace Sir Knight« said Waldemar »and you good my lord forgive the
scruples of valiant De Bracy I trust I shall soon remove them«
»That passes your eloquence Fitzurse« replied the Knight
»Why good Sir Maurice« rejoined the wily politician »start not aside like
a scared steed without at least considering the object of your terror This
Richard but a day since and it would have been thy dearest wish to have met
him hand to hand in the ranks of battle a hundred times I have heard thee
wish it«
»Ay« said De Bracy »but that was as thou sayest hand to hand and in the
ranks of battle Thou never heardest me breathe a thought of assaulting him
alone and in a forest«
»Thou art no good knight if thou dost scruple at it« said Waldemar »Was it
in battle that Lancelot de Lac and Sir Tristram won renown or was it not by
encountering gigantic knights under the shade of deep and unknown forests«
»Ay but I promise you« said De Bracy »that neither Tristram nor Lancelot
would have been match hand to hand for Richard Plantagenet and I think it was
not their wont to take the odds against a single man«
»Thou art mad De Bracy what is it we propose to thee a hired and
retained Captain of Free Companions whose swords are purchased for Prince
Johns service Thou art apprised of our enemy and then thou scruplest though
thy patrons fortunes those of thy comrades thine own and the life and honour
of every one amongst us are at stake«
»I tell you« said De Bracy sullenly »that he gave me my life True he
sent me from his presence and refused my homage so far I owe him neither
favour nor allegiance but I will not lift hand against him«
»It needs not send Louis Winkelbrand and a score of thy lances«
»Ye have sufficient ruffians of your own« said De Bracy »not one of mine
shall budge on such an errand«
»Art thou so obstinate De Bracy« said Prince John »and wilt thou forsake
me after so many protestations of zeal for my service«
»I mean it not« said De Bracy »I will abide by you in aught that becomes a
knight whether in the lists or in the camp but this highway practice comes not
within my vow«
»Come hither Waldemar« said Prince John »An unhappy Prince am I My
father King Henry had faithful servants He had but to say that he was
plagued with a factious priest and the blood of ThomasàBecket saint though
he was stained the steps of his own altar Tracy Morville Brito48 loyal
and daring subjects your names your spirit are extinct and although Reginald
Fitzurse hath left a son he has fallen off from his fathers fidelity and
courage«
»He has fallen off from neither« said Waldemar Fitzurse »and since it may
not better be I will take on me the conduct of this perilous enterprise
Dearly however did my father purchase the praise of a zealous friend and yet
did his proof of loyalty to Henry fall far short of what I am about to afford
for rather would I assail a whole calendar of saints than put spear in rest
against CoeurdeLion De Bracy to thee I must trust to keep up the spirits
of the doubtful and to guard Prince Johns person If you receive such news as
I trust to send you our enterprise will no longer wear a doubtful aspect
Page« he said »hie to my lodgings and tell my armourer to be there in
readiness and bid Stephen Wetheral Broad Thoresby and the Three Spears of
Spyinghow come to me instantly and let the scoutmaster Hugh Bardon attend
me also Adieu my Prince till better times« Thus speaking he left the
apartment
»He goes to make my brother prisoner« said Prince John to De Bracy »with
as little touch of compunction as if it but concerned the liberty of a Saxon
franklin I trust he will observe our orders and use our dear Richards person
with all due respect«
De Bracy only answered by a smile
»By the light of Our Ladys brow« said Prince John »our orders to him were
most precise though it may be you heard them not as we stood together in the
oriel window Most clear and positive was our charge that Richards safety
should be cared for and woe to Waldemars head if he transgress it«
»I had better pass to his lodgings« said De Bracy »and make him fully
aware of your Graces pleasure for as it quite escaped my ear it may not
perchance have reached that of Waldemar«
»Nay nay« said Prince John impatiently »I promise thee he heard me and
besides I have farther occupation for thee Maurice come hither let me lean
on thy shoulder«
They walked a turn through the hall in this familiar posture and Prince
John with an air of the most confidential intimacy proceeded to say »What
thinkest thou of this Waldemar Fitzurse my De Bracy He trusts to be our
Chancellor Surely we will pause ere we give an office so high to one who shows
evidently how little he reverences our blood by his so readily undertaking this
enterprise against Richard Thou dost think I warrant that thou hast lost
somewhat of our regard by thy boldly declining this unpleasing task But no
Maurice I rather honour thee for thy virtuous constancy There are things most
necessary to be done the perpetrator of which we neither love nor honour and
there may be refusals to serve us which shall rather exalt in our estimation
those who deny our request The arrest of my unfortunate brother forms no such
good title to the high office of Chancellor as thy chivalrous and courageous
denial establishes in thee to the truncheon of High Marshal Think of this De
Bracy and begone to thy charge«
»Fickle tyrant« muttered De Bracy as he left the presence of the Prince
»evil luck have they who trust thee Thy Chancellor indeed He who hath the
keeping of thy conscience shall have an easy charge I trow But High Marshal of
England that« he said extending his arm as if to grasp the baton of office
and assuming a loftier stride along the antechamber »that is indeed a prize
worth playing for«
De Bracy had no sooner left the apartment than Prince John summoned an
attendant
»Bid Hugh Bardon our scoutmaster come hither as soon as he shall have
spoken with Waldemar Fitzurse«
The scoutmaster arrived after a brief delay during which John traversed
the apartment with unequal and disordered steps
»Bardon« said he »what did Waldemar desire of thee«
»Two resolute men well acquainted with these northern wilds and skilful in
tracking the tread of man and horse«
»And thou hast fitted him«
»Let your Grace never trust me else« answered the master of the spies »One
is from Hexamshire he is wont to trace the Tynedale and Teviotdale thieves as a
bloodhound follows the slot of a hurt deer The other is Yorkshire bred and has
twanged his bowstring right oft in merry Sherwood he knows each glade and
dingle copse and highwood betwixt this and Richmond«
»Tis well« said the Prince »Goes Waldemar forth with them«
»Instantly« said Bardon
»With what attendance« asked John carelessly
»Broad Thoresby goes with him and Wetheral whom they call for his
cruelty Stephen Steelheart and three northern menatarms that belonged to
Ralph Middletons gang they are called the Spears of Spyinghow«
»Tis well« said Prince John then added after a moments pause »Bardon
it imports our service that thou keep a strict watch on Maurice de Bracy so
that he shall not observe it however And let us know of his motions from time
to time with whom he converses what he proposeth Fail not in this as thou
wilt be answerable«
Hugh Bardon bowed and retired
»If Maurice betrays me« said Prince John »if he betrays me as his
bearing leads me to fear I will have his head were Richard thundering at the
gates of York«
Chapter ThirtyFifth
Arouse the tiger of Hyrcanian deserts
Strive with the halfstarved lion for his prey
Lesser the risk than rouse the slumbering fire
Of wild Fanaticism
Anonymous
Our tale now returns to Isaac of York Mounted upon a mule the gift of the
Outlaw with two tall yeomen to act as his guard and guides the Jew had set out
for the Preceptory of Templestowe for the purpose of negotiating his daughters
redemption The Preceptory was but a days journey from the demolished castle of
Torquilstone and the Jew had hoped to reach it before nightfall accordingly
having dismissed his guides at the verge of the forest and rewarded them with a
piece of silver he began to press on with such speed as his weariness permitted
him to exert But his strength failed him totally ere he had reached within four
miles of the TempleCourt racking pains shot along his back and through his
limbs and the excessive anguish which he felt at heart being now augmented by
bodily suffering he was rendered altogether incapable of proceeding farther
than a small markettown where dwelt a Jewish Rabbi of his tribe eminent in
the medical profession and to whom Isaac was well known Nathan Ben Israel
received his suffering countryman with that kindness which the law prescribed
and which the Jews practised to each other He insisted on his betaking himself
to repose and used such remedies as were then in most repute to check the
progress of the fever which terror fatigue illusage and sorrow had brought
upon the poor old Jew
On the morrow when Isaac proposed to arise and pursue his journey Nathan
remonstrated against his purpose both as his host and as his physician It
might cost him he said his life But Isaac replied that more than life and
death depended upon his going that morning to Templestowe
»To Templestowe« said his host with surprise again felt his pulse and
then muttered to himself »His fever is abated yet seems his mind somewhat
alienated and disturbed«
»And why not to Templestowe« answered his patient »I grant thee Nathan
that it is a dwelling of those to whom the despised Children of the Promise are
a stumblingblock and an abomination yet thou knowest that pressing affairs of
traffic sometimes carry us among these bloodthirsty Nazarene soldiers and that
we visit the Preceptories of the Templars as well as the Commanderies of the
Knights Hospitallers as they are called«49
»I know it well« said Nathan »but wottest thou that Lucas de Beaumanoir
the chief of their Order and whom they term Grand Master is now himself at
Templestowe«
»I know it not« said Isaac »our last letters from our brethren at Paris
advised us that he was at that city beseeching Philip for aid against the
Sultan Saladine«
»He hath since come to England unexpected by his brethren« said Ben
Israel »and he cometh among them with a strong and outstretched arm to correct
and to punish His countenance is kindled in anger against those who have
departed from the vow which they have made and great is the fear of those sons
of Belial Thou must have heard of his name«
»It is well known unto me« said Isaac »the Gentiles deliver this Lucas
Beaumanoir as a man zealous to slaying for every point of the Nazarene law and
our brethren have termed him a fierce destroyer of the Saracens and a cruel
tyrant to the Children of the Promise«
»And truly have they termed him« said Nathan the physician »Other Templars
may be moved from the purpose of their heart by pleasure or bribed by promise
of gold and silver but Beaumanoir is of a different stamp hating sensuality
despising treasure and pressing forward to that which they call the crown of
martyrdom The God of Jacob speedily send it unto him and unto them all
Specially hath this proud man extended his glove over the children of Judah as
holy David over Edom holding the murder of a Jew to be an offering of as sweet
savour as the death of a Saracen Impious and false things has he said even of
the virtues of our medicines as if they were the devices of Satan The Lord
rebuke him«
»Nevertheless« said Isaac »I must present myself at Templestowe though he
hath made his face like unto a fiery furnace seven times heated«
He then explained to Nathan the pressing cause of his journey The Rabbi
listened with interest and testified his sympathy after the fashion of his
people rending his clothes and saying »Ah my daughter ah my daughter
Alas for the beauty of Zion Alas for the captivity of Israel«
»Thou seest« said Isaac »how it stands with me and that I may not tarry
Peradventure the presence of this Lucas Beaumanoir being the chief man over
them may turn Brian de BoisGuilbert from the ill which he doth meditate and
that he may deliver to me my beloved daughter Rebecca«
»Go thou« said Nathan Ben Israel »and be wise for wisdom availed Daniel
in the den of lions into which he was cast and may it go well with thee even
as thine heart wisheth Yet if thou canst keep thee from the presence of the
Grand Master for to do foul scorn to our people is his morning and evening
delight It may be if thou couldst speak with BoisGuilbert in private thou
shalt the better prevail with him for men say that these accursed Nazarenes are
not of one mind in the Preceptory May their counsels be confounded and brought
to shame But do thou brother return to me as if it were to the house of thy
father and bring me word how it has sped with thee and well do I hope thou
wilt bring with thee Rebecca even the scholar of the wise Miriam whose cures
the Gentiles slandered as if they had been wrought by necromancy«
Isaac accordingly bade his friend farewell and about an hours riding
brought him before the Preceptory of Templestowe
This establishment of the Templars was seated amidst fair meadows and
pastures which the devotion of the former Preceptor had bestowed upon their
Order It was strong and well fortified a point never neglected by these
knights and which the disordered state of England rendered peculiarly
necessary Two halberdiers clad in black guarded the drawbridge and others
in the same sad livery glided to and fro upon the wall with a funeral pace
resembling spectres more than soldiers The inferior officers of the Order were
thus dressed ever since their use of white garments similar to those of the
knights and esquires had given rise to a combination of certain false brethren
in the mountains of Palestine terming themselves Templars and bringing great
dishonour on the Order A knight was now and then seen to cross the court in his
long white cloak his head depressed on his breast and his arms folded They
passed each other if they chanced to meet with a slow solemn and mute
greeting for such was the rule of their Order quoting thereupon the holy
texts »In many words thou shalt not avoid sin« and »Life and death are in the
power of the tongue« In a word the stern ascetic rigour of the Temple
discipline which had been so long exchanged for prodigal and licentious
indulgence seemed at once to have revived at Templestowe under the severe eye
of Lucas Beaumanoir
Isaac paused at the gate to consider how he might seek entrance in the
manner most likely to bespeak favour for he was well aware that to his unhappy
race the reviving fanaticism of the Order was not less dangerous than their
unprincipled licentiousness and that his religion would be the object of hate
and persecution in the one case as his wealth would have exposed him in the
other to the extortions of unrelenting oppression
Meantime Lucas Beaumanoir walked in a small garden belonging to the
Preceptory included within the precincts of its exterior fortification and
held sad and confidential communication with a brother of his Order who had
come in his company from Palestine
The Grand Master was a man advanced in age as was testified by his long
grey beard and the shaggy grey eyebrows overhanging eyes of which however
years had been unable to quench the fire A formidable warrior his thin and
severe features retained the soldiers fierceness of expression an ascetic
bigot they were no less marked by the emaciation of abstinence and the
spiritual pride of the self-satisfied devotee Yet with these severer traits of
physiognomy there was mixed somewhat striking and noble arising doubtless
from the great part which his high office called upon him to act among monarchs
and princes and from the habitual exercise of supreme authority over the
valiant and highborn knights who were united by the rules of the Order His
stature was tall and his gait undepressed by age and toil was erect and
stately His white mantle was shaped with severe regularity according to the
rule of Saint Bernard himself being composed of what was then called Burrel
cloth exactly fitted to the size of the wearer and bearing on the left
shoulder the octangular cross peculiar to the Order formed of red cloth No
vair or ermine decked this garment but in respect of his age the Grand Master
as permitted by the rules wore his doublet lined and trimmed with the softest
lambskin dressed with the wool outwards which was the nearest approach he
could regularly make to the use of fur then the greatest luxury of dress In
his hand he bore that singular abacus or staff of office with which Templars
are usually represented having at the upper end a round plate on which was
engraved the cross of the Order inscribed within a circle or orle as heralds
term it His companion who attended on this great personage had nearly the
same dress in all respects but his extreme deference towards his Superior
showed that no other equality subsisted between them The Preceptor for such he
was in rank walked not in a line with the Grand Master but just so far behind
that Beaumanoir could speak to him without turning round his head
»Conrade« said the Grand Master »dear companion of my battles and my
toils to thy faithful bosom alone I can confide my sorrows To thee alone can I
tell how oft since I came to this kingdom I have desired to be dissolved and
to be with the just Not one object in England hath met mine eye which it could
rest upon with pleasure save the tombs of our brethren beneath the massive
roof of our Temple Church in yonder proud capital Oh valiant Robert de Ros
did I exclaim internally as I gazed upon these good soldiers of the cross
where they lie sculptured on their sepulchres Oh worthy William de
Mareschal open your marble cells and take to your repose a weary brother who
would rather strive with a hundred thousand pagans than witness the decay of our
Holy Order«
»It is but true« answered Conrade MontFitchet »it is but too true and
the irregularities of our brethren in England are even more gross than those in
France«
»Because they are more wealthy« answered the Grand Master »Bear with me
brother although I should something vaunt myself Thou knowest the life I have
led keeping each point of my Order striving with devils embodied and
disembodied striking down the roaring lion who goeth about seeking whom he may
devour like a good knight and devout priest wheresoever I met with him even
as blessed Saint Bernard hath prescribed to us in the fortyfifth capital of our
rule Ut Leo semper feriatur50 But by the Holy Temple the zeal which hath
devoured my substance and my life yea the very nerves and marrow of my bones
by that very Holy Temple I swear to thee that save thyself and some few that
still retain the ancient severity of our Order I look upon no brethren whom I
can bring my soul to embrace under that holy name What say our statutes and
how do our brethren observe them They should wear no vain or worldly ornament
no crest upon their helmet no gold upon stirrup or bridlebit yet who now go
pranked out so proudly and so gaily as the poor soldiers of the Temple They are
forbidden by our statutes to take one bird by means of another to shoot beasts
with bow or arblast to halloo to a huntinghorn or to spur the horse after
game But now at hunting and hawking and each idle sport of wood and river
who so prompt as the Templars in all these fond vanities They are forbidden to
read save what their Superior permitted or listen to what is read save such
holy things as may be recited aloud during the hours of refection but lo their
ears are at the command of idle minstrels and their eyes study empty romaunts
They were commanded to extirpate magic and heresy Lo they are charged with
studying the accursed cabalistical secrets of the Jews and the magic of the
Paynim Saracens Simpleness of diet was prescribed to them roots pottage
gruels eating flesh but thrice aweek because the accustomed feeding on flesh
is a dishonourable corruption of the body and behold their tables groan under
delicate fare Their drink was to be water and now to drink like a Templar is
the boast of each jolly boon companion This very garden filled as it is with
curious herbs and trees sent from the Eastern climes better becomes the harem
of an unbelieving Emir than the plot which Christian Monks should devote to
raise their homely potherbs And oh Conrade well it were that the
relaxation of discipline stopped even here Well thou knowest that we were
forbidden to receive those devout women who at the beginning were associated as
sisters of our Order because saith the fortysixth chapter the Ancient Enemy
hath by female society withdrawn many from the right path to paradise Nay in
the last capital being as it were the copestone which our blessed founder
placed on the pure and undefiled doctrine which he had enjoined we are
prohibited from offering even to our sisters and our mothers the kiss of
affection ut omnium mulierum fugiantur oscula I shame to speak I shame to
think of the corruptions which have rushed in upon us even like a flood The
souls of our pure founders the spirits of Hugh de Payen and Godfrey de Saint
Omer and of the blessed Seven who first joined in dedicating their lives to the
service of the Temple are disturbed even in the enjoyment of paradise itself I
have seen them Conrade in the visions of the night their sainted eyes shed
tears for the sins and follies of their brethren and for the foul and shameful
luxury in which they wallow Beaumanoir they say thou slumberest awake
There is a stain in the fabric of the Temple deep and foul as that left by the
streaks of leprosy on the walls of the infected houses of old51 The soldiers of
the Cross who should shun the glance of a woman as the eye of a basilisk live
in open sin not with the females of their own race only but with the daughters
of the accursed heathen and more accursed Jew Beaumanoir thou sleepest up
and avenge our cause Slay the sinners male and female Take to thee the
brand of Phineas The vision fled Conrade but as I awaked I could still hear
the clank of their mail and see the waving of their white mantles And I will
do according to their word I WILL purify the fabric of the Temple and the
unclean stones in which the plague is I will remove and cast out of the
building«
»Yet bethink thee reverend father« said MontFitchet »the stain hath
become engrained by time and consuetude let thy reformation be cautious as it
is just and wise«
»No MontFitchet« answered the stern old man »it must be sharp and
sudden the Order is on the crisis of its fate The sobriety selfdevotion
and piety of our predecessors made us powerful friends our presumption our
wealth our luxury have raised up against us mighty enemies We must cast
away these riches which are a temptation to princes we must lay down that
presumption which is an offence to them we must reform that license of
manners which is a scandal to the whole Christian world Or mark my words
the Order of the Temple will be utterly demolished and the place thereof shall
no more be known among the nations«
»Now may God avert such a calamity« said the Preceptor
»Amen« said the Grand Master with solemnity »but we must deserve His aid
I tell thee Conrade that neither the powers in Heaven nor the powers on
earth will longer endure the wickedness of this generation My intelligence is
sure the ground on which our fabric is reared is already undermined and each
addition we make to the structure of our greatness will only sink it the sooner
in the abyss We must retrace our steps and show ourselves the faithful
Champions of the Cross sacrificing to our calling not alone our blood and our
lives not alone our lusts and our vices but our ease our comforts and our
natural affections and act as men convinced that many a pleasure which may be
lawful to others is forbidden to the vowed soldier of the Temple«
At this moment a squire clothed in a threadbare vestment for the aspirants
after this holy Order wore during their noviciate the castoff garments of the
knights entered the garden and bowing profoundly before the Grand Master
stood silent awaiting his permission ere he presumed to tell his errand
»Is it not more seemly« said the Grand Master »to see this Damian clothed
in the garments of Christian humility thus appear with reverend silence before
his Superior than but two days since when the fond fool was decked in a
painted coat and jangling as pert and as proud as any popinjay Speak
Damian we permit thee What is thine errand«
»A Jew stands without the gate noble and reverend father« said the squire
»who prays to speak with brother Brian de BoisGuilbert«
»Thou wert right to give me knowledge of it« said the Grand Master »in our
presence a Preceptor is but as a common compeer of our Order who may not walk
according to his own will but to that of his Master even according to the
text In the hearing of the ear he hath obeyed me It imports us especially to
know of this BoisGuilberts proceedings« said he turning to his companion
»Report speaks him brave and valiant« said Conrade
»And truly is he so spoken of« said the Grand Master »in our valour only
we are not degenerated from our predecessors the heroes of the Cross But
brother Brian came into our Order a moody and disappointed man stirred I doubt
me to take our vows and to renounce the world not in sincerity of soul but as
one whom some touch of light discontent had driven into penitence Since then
he hath become an active and earnest agitator a murmurer and a machinator and
a leader amongst those who impugn our authority not considering that the rule
is given to the Master even by the symbol of the staff and the rod the staff
to support the infirmities of the weak the rod to correct the faults of
delinquents Damian« he continued »lead the Jew to our presence«
The squire departed with a profound reverence and in a few minutes returned
marshalling in Isaac of York No naked slave ushered into the presence of some
mighty prince could approach his judgmentseat with more profound reverence and
terror than that with which the Jew drew near to the presence of the Grand
Master When he had approached within the distance of three yards Beaumanoir
made a sign with his staff that he should come no farther The Jew kneeled down
on the earth which he kissed in token of reverence then rising stood before
the Templars his hands folded on his bosom his head bowed on his breast in
all the submission of Oriental slavery
»Damian« said the Grand Master »retire and have a guard ready to await
our sudden call and suffer no one to enter the garden until we shall leave it«
The squire bowed and retreated »Jew« continued the haughty old man »mark
me It suits not our condition to hold with thee long communication nor do we
waste words or time upon any one Wherefore be brief in thy answers to what
questions I shall ask thee and let thy words be of truth for if thy tongue
doubles with me I will have it torn from thy misbelieving jaws«
The Jew was about to reply but the Grand Master went on
»Peace unbeliever not a word in our presence save in answer to our
questions What is thy business with our brother Brian de BoisGuilbert«
Isaac gasped with terror and uncertainty To tell his tale might be
interpreted into scandalising the Order yet unless he told it what hope could
he have of achieving his daughters deliverance Beaumanoir saw his mortal
apprehension and condescended to give him some assurance
»Fear nothing« he said »for thy wretched person Jew so thou dealest
uprightly in this matter I demand again to know from thee thy business with
Brian de BoisGuilbert«
»I am bearer of a letter« stammered out the Jew »so please your reverend
valour to that good knight from Prior Aymer of the Abbey of Jorvaulx«
»Said I not these were evil times Conrade« said the Master »A Cistertian
Prior sends a letter to a soldier of the Temple and can find no more fitting
messenger than an unbelieving Jew Give me the letter«
The Jew with trembling hands undid the folds of his Armenian cap in which
he had deposited the Priors tablets for the greater security and was about to
approach with hand extended and body crouched to place it within the reach of
his grim interrogator
»Back dog« said the Grand Master »I touch not misbelievers save with the
sword Conrade take thou the letter from the Jew and give it to me«
Beaumanoir being thus possessed of the tablets inspected the outside
carefully and then proceeded to undo the packthread which secured its folds
»Reverend father« said Conrade interposing though with much deference »wilt
thou break the seal«
»And will I not« said Beaumanoir with a frown »Is it not written in the
fortysecond capital De Lectione Literarum that a Templar shall not receive a
letter no not from his father without communicating the same to the Grand
Master and reading it in his presence«
He then perused the letter in haste with an expression of surprise and
horror read it over again more slowly then holding it out to Conrade with one
hand and slightly striking it with the other exclaimed »Here is goodly stuff
for one Christian man to write to another and both members and no
inconsiderable members of religious professions When« said he solemnly and
looking upward »wilt thou come with thy fanners to purge the thrashingfloor«
MontFitchet took the letter from his Superior and was about to peruse it
»Read it aloud Conrade« said the Grand Master »and do thou« to Isaac
»attend to the purport of it for we will question thee concerning it«
Conrade read the letter which was in these words
»Aymer by divine grace Prior of the Cistertian house of Saint Marys
of Jorvaulx to Sir Brian de BoisGuilbert a Knight of the holy Order
of the Temple wisheth health with the bounties of King Bacchus and of
my Lady Venus Touching our present condition dear Brother we are a
captive in the hands of certain lawless and godless men who have not
feared to detain our person and put us to ransom whereby we have also
learned of FrontdeBoeufs misfortune and that thou hast escaped with
that fair Jewish sorceress whose black eyes have bewitched thee We are
heartily rejoiced of thy safety nevertheless we pray thee to be on thy
guard in the matter of this second Witch of Endor for we are privately
assured that your Great Master who careth not a bean for cherry cheeks
and black eyes comes from Normandy to diminish your mirth and amend
your misdoings Wherefore we pray you heartily to beware and to be
found watching even as the Holy Text hath it Invenientur vigilantes
And the wealthy Jew her father Isaac of York having prayed of me
letters in his behalf I gave him these earnestly advising and in a
sort entreating that you do hold the damsel to ransom seeing he will
pay you from his bags as much as may find fifty damsels upon safer
terms whereof I trust to have my part when we make merry together as
true brothers not forgetting the winecup For what saith the text
Vinum loetificat cor hominis and again Rex delectabitur pulchritudine
tua
Till which merry meeting we wish you farewell Given from this den
of thieves about the hour of matins
AYMER PR S M JORVOLCIENCIS
Postscriptum Truly your golden chain hath not long abidden with me and
will now sustain around the neck of an outlaw deerstealer the whistle
wherewith he calleth on his hounds«
»What sayest thou to this Conrade« said the Grand Master »Den of thieves
and a fit residence is a den of thieves for such a Prior No wonder that the
hand of God is upon us and that in the Holy Land we lose place by place foot
by foot before the infidels when we have such churchmen as this Aymer And
what meaneth he I trow by this second Witch of Endor« said he to his
confidant something apart
Conrade was better acquainted perhaps by practice with the jargon of
gallantry than was his Superior and he expounded the passage which embarrassed
the Grand Master to be a sort of language used by worldly men towards those
whom they loved par amours but the explanation did not satisfy the bigoted
Beaumanoir
»There is more in it than thou dost guess Conrade thy simplicity is no
match for this deep abyss of wickedness This Rebecca of York was a pupil of
that Miriam of whom thou hast heard Thou shalt hear the Jew own it even now«
Then turning to Isaac he said aloud »Thy daughter then is prisoner with
Brian de BoisGuilbert«
»Ay reverend valorous sir« stammered poor Isaac »and whatsoever ransom a
poor man may pay for her deliverance«
»Peace« said the Grand Master »This thy daughter hath practised the art of
healing hath she not«
»Ay gracious sir« answered the Jew with more confidence »and knight and
yeoman squire and vassal may bless the goodly gift which Heaven hath assigned
to her Many a one can testify that she hath recovered them by her art when
every other human aid hath proved vain but the blessing of the God of Jacob was
upon her«
Beaumanoir turned to MontFitchet with a grim smile »See brother« he
said »the deceptions of the devouring Enemy Behold the baits with which he
fishes for souls giving a poor space of earthly life in exchange for eternal
happiness hereafter Well said our blessed rule Semper percutiatur leo vorans
Up on the lion Down with the destroyer« said he shaking aloft his mystic
abacus as if in defiance of the powers of darkness »Thy daughter worketh the
cures I doubt not« thus he went on to address the Jew »by words and sigils
and periapts and other cabalistical mysteries«
»Nay reverend and brave knight« answered Isaac »but in chief measure by a
balsam of marvellous virtue«
»Where had she that secret« said Beaumanoir
»It was delivered to her« answered Isaac reluctantly »by Miriam a sage
matron of our tribe«
»Ah false Jew« said the Grand Master »was it not from that same witch
Miriam the abomination of whose enchantments have been heard of throughout
every Christian land« exclaimed the Grand Master crossing himself »Her body
was burnt at a stake and her ashes were scattered to the four winds and so be
it with me and mine Order if I do not as much to her pupil and more also I
will teach her to throw spell and incantation over the soldiers of the blessed
Temple There Damian spurn this Jew from the gate shoot him dead if he
oppose or turn again With his daughter we will deal as the Christian law and
our own high office warrant«
Poor Isaac was hurried off accordingly and expelled from the Preceptory
all his entreaties and even his offers unheard and disregarded He could do no
better than return to the house of the Rabbi and endeavour through his means
to learn how his daughter was to be disposed of He had hitherto feared for her
honour he was now to tremble for her life Meanwhile the Grand Master ordered
to his presence the Preceptor of Templestowe
Chapter ThirtySixth
Say not my art is fraud all live by seeming
The beggar begs with it and the gay courtier
Gains land and title rank and rule by seeming
The clergy scorn it not and the bold soldier
Will eke with it his service All admit it
All practise it and he who is content
With showing what he is shall have small credit
In church or camp or state So wags the world
Old Play
Albert Malvoisin President or in the language of the Order Preceptor of the
establishment of Templestowe was brother to that Philip Malvoisin who has been
already occasionally mentioned in this history and was like that baron in
close league with Brian de BoisGuilbert
Amongst dissolute and unprincipled men of whom the Temple Order included
but too many Albert of Templestowe might be distinguished but with this
difference from the audacious BoisGuilbert that he knew how to throw over his
vices and his ambition the veil of hypocrisy and to assume in his exterior the
fanaticism which he internally despised Had not the arrival of the Grand Master
been so unexpectedly sudden he would have seen nothing at Templestowe which
might have appeared to argue any relaxation of discipline And even although
surprised and to a certain extent detected Albert Malvoisin listened with such
respect and apparent contrition to the rebuke of his Superior and made such
haste to reform the particulars he censured succeeded in fine so well in
giving an air of ascetic devotion to a family which had been lately devoted to
license and pleasure that Lucas Beaumanoir began to entertain a higher opinion
of the Preceptors morals than the first appearance of the establishment had
inclined him to adopt
But these favourable sentiments on the part of the Grand Master were greatly
shaken by the intelligence that Albert had received within a house of religion
the Jewish captive and as was to be feared the paramour of a brother of the
Order and when Albert appeared before him he was regarded with unwonted
sternness
»There is in this mansion dedicated to the purposes of the holy Order of
the Temple« said the Grand Master in a severe tone »a Jewish woman brought
hither by a brother of religion by your connivance Sir Preceptor«
Albert Malvoisin was overwhelmed with confusion for the unfortunate Rebecca
had been confined in a remote and secret part of the building and every
precaution used to prevent her residence there from being known He read in the
looks of Beaumanoir ruin to BoisGuilbert and to himself unless he should be
able to avert the impending storm
»Why are you mute« continued the Grand Master
»Is it permitted to me to reply« answered the Preceptor in a tone of the
deepest humility although by the question he only meant to gain an instants
space for arranging his ideas
»Speak you are permitted« said the Grand Master »speak and say knowest
thou the capital of our holy rule De commilitonibus Templi in sancta
civitate qui cum miserrimis mulieribus versantur propter oblectationem carnis
«52
»Surely most reverend father« answered the Preceptor »I have not risen to
this office in the Order being ignorant of one of its most important
prohibitions«
»How comes it then I demand of thee once more that thou hast suffered a
brother to bring a paramour and that paramour a Jewish sorceress into this
holy place to the stain and pollution thereof«
»A Jewish sorceress« echoed Albert Malvoisin »good angels guard us«
»Ay brother a Jewish sorceress« said the Grand Master sternly »I have
said it Darest thou deny that this Rebecca the daughter of that wretched
usurer Isaac of York and the pupil of the foul witch Miriam is now shame to
be thought or spoken lodged within this thy Preceptory«
»Your wisdom reverend father« answered the Preceptor »hath rolled away
the darkness from my understanding Much did I wonder that so good a knight as
Brian de BoisGuilbert seemed so fondly besotted on the charms of this female
whom I received into this house merely to place a bar betwixt their growing
intimacy which else might have been cemented at the expense of the fall of our
valiant and religious brother«
»Hath nothing then as yet passed betwixt them in breach of his vow«
demanded the Grand Master
»What under this roof« said the Preceptor crossing himself »Saint
Magdalene and the ten thousand virgins forbid No if I have sinned in
receiving her here it was in the erring thought that I might thus break off our
brothers besotted devotion to this Jewess which seemed to me so wild and
unnatural that I could not but ascribe it to some touch of insanity more to be
cured by pity than reproof But since your reverend wisdom hath discovered this
Jewish quean to be a sorceress perchance it may account fully for his enamoured
folly«
»It doth it doth« said Beaumanoir »See brother Conrade the peril of
yielding to the first devices and blandishments of Satan We look upon woman
only to gratify the lust of the eye and to take pleasure in what men call her
beauty and the Ancient Enemy the devouring Lion obtains power over us to
complete by talisman and spell a work which was begun by idleness and folly It
may be that our brother BoisGuilbert does in this matter deserve rather pity
than severe chastisement rather the support of the staff than the strokes of
the rod and that our admonitions and prayers may turn him from his folly and
restore him to his brethren
It were deep pity« said Conrade MontFitchet »to lose to the Order one of
its best lances when the Holy Community most requires the aid of its sons
Three hundred Saracens hath this Brian de BoisGuilbert slain with his own
hand«
»The blood of these accursed dogs« said the Grand Master »shall be a sweet
and acceptable offering to the saints and angels whom they despise and
blaspheme and with their aid will we counteract the spells and charms with
which our brother is entwined as in a net He shall burst the bands of this
Delilah as Samson burst the two new cords with which the Philistines had bound
him and shall slaughter the infidels even heaps upon heaps But concerning
this foul witch who hath flung her enchantments over a brother of the Holy
Temple assuredly she shall die the death«
»But the laws of England« said the Preceptor who though delighted that
the Grand Masters resentment thus fortunately averted from himself and
BoisGuilbert had taken another direction began now to fear he was carrying it
too far
»The laws of England« interrupted Beaumanoir »permit and enjoin each judge
to execute justice within his own jurisdiction The most petty baron may arrest
try and condemn a witch found within his own domain And shall that power be
denied to the Grand Master of the Temple within a preceptory of his Order No
we will judge and condemn The witch shall be taken out of the land and the
wickedness thereof shall be forgiven Prepare the Castle hall for the trial of
the sorceress«
Albert Malvoisin bowed and retired not to give directions for preparing
the hall but to seek out Brian de BoisGuilbert and communicate to him how
matters were likely to terminate It was not long ere he found him foaming with
indignation at a repulse he had anew sustained from the fair Jewess »The
unthinking« he said »the ungrateful to scorn him who amidst blood and
flames would have saved her life at the risk of his own By Heaven Malvoisin
I abode until roof and rafters crackled and crashed around me I was the butt of
a hundred arrows they rattled on mine armour like hailstones against a latticed
casement and the only use I made of my shield was for her protection This did
I endure for her and now the self-willed girl upbraids me that I did not leave
her to perish and refuses me not only the slightest proof of gratitude but
even the most distant hope that ever she will be brought to grant any The
devil that possessed her race with obstinacy has concentrated its full force
in her single person«
»The devil« said the Preceptor »I think possessed you both How oft have
I preached to you caution if not continence Did I not tell you that there were
enough willing Christian damsels to be met with who would think it sin to
refuse so brave a knight le don damoureux merci and you must needs anchor
affection on a wilful obstinate Jewess By the mass I think old Lucas
Beaumanoir guesses right when he maintains she hath cast a spell over you«
»Lucas Beaumanoir« said BoisGuilbert reproachfully »Are these your
precautions Malvoisin Hast thou suffered the dotard to learn that Rebecca is
in the Preceptory«
»How could I help it« said the Preceptor »I neglected nothing that could
keep secret your mystery but it is betrayed and whether by the devil or no
the devil only can tell But I have turned the matter as I could you are safe
if you renounce Rebecca You are pitied the victim of magical delusion She is
a sorceress and must suffer as such«
»She shall not by Heaven« said BoisGuilbert
»By Heaven she must and will« said Malvoisin »Neither you nor any one else
can save her Lucas Beaumanoir hath settled that the death of a Jewess will be a
sinoffering sufficient to atone for all the amorous indulgences of the Knights
Templars and thou knowest he hath both the power and will to execute so
reasonable and pious a purpose«
»Will future ages believe that such stupid bigotry ever existed« said
BoisGuilbert striding up and down the apartment
»What they may believe I know not« said Malvoisin calmly »but I know
well that in this our day clergy and laymen take ninetynine to the hundred
will cry amen to the Grand Masters sentence«
»I have it« said BoisGuilbert »Albert thou art my friend Thou must
connive at her escape Malvoisin and I will transport her to some place of
greater security and secrecy«
»I cannot if I would« replied the Preceptor »the mansion is filled with
the attendants of the Grand Master and others who are devoted to him And to
be frank with you brother I would not embark with you in this matter even if
I could hope to bring my bark to haven I have risked enough already for your
sake I have no mind to encounter a sentence of degradation or even to lose my
Preceptory for the sake of a painted piece of Jewish flesh and blood And you
if you will be guided by my counsel will give up this wildgoose chase and fly
your hawk at some other game Think BoisGuilbert thy present rank thy
future honours all depend on thy place in the Order Shouldst thou adhere
perversely to thy passion for this Rebecca thou wilt give Beaumanoir the power
of expelling thee and he will not neglect it He is jealous of the truncheon
which he holds in his trembling gripe and he knows thou stretchest thy bold
hand towards it Doubt not he will ruin thee if thou affordest him a pretext so
fair as thy protection of a Jewish sorceress Give him his scope in this matter
for thou canst not control him When the staff is in thine own firm grasp thou
mayest caress the daughters of Judah or burn them as may best suit thine own
humour«
»Malvoisin« said BoisGuilbert »thou art a coldblooded«
»Friend« said the Preceptor hastening to fill up the blank in which
BoisGuilbert would probably have placed a worse word »a coldblooded friend
I am and therefore more fit to give thee advice I tell thee once more that
thou canst not save Rebecca I tell thee once more thou canst but perish with
her Go hie thee to the Grand Master throw thyself at his feet and tell him«
»Not at his feet by Heaven but to the dotards very beard will I say«
»Say to him then to his beard« continued Malvoisin coolly »that you
love this captive Jewess to distraction and the more thou dost enlarge on thy
passion the greater will be his haste to end it by the death of the fair
enchantress while thou taken in flagrant delict by the avowal of a crime
contrary to thine oath canst hope no aid of thy brethren and must exchange all
thy brilliant visions of ambition and power to lift perhaps a mercenary spear
in some of the petty quarrels between Flanders and Burgundy«
»Thou speakest the truth Malvoisin« said Brian de BoisGuilbert after a
moments reflection »I will give the hoary bigot no advantage over me and for
Rebecca she hath not merited at my hand that I should expose rank and honour
for her sake I will cast her off yes I will leave her to her fate unless«
»Qualify not thy wise and necessary resolution« said Malvoisin »women are
but the toys which amuse our lighter hours ambition is the serious business of
life Perish a thousand such frail baubles as this Jewess before thy manly step
pause in the brilliant career that lies stretched before thee For the present
we part nor must we be seen to hold close conversation I must order the hall
for his judgmentseat«
»What« said BoisGuilbert »so soon«
»Ay« replied the Preceptor »trial moves rapidly on when the judge has
determined the sentence beforehand«
»Rebecca« said BoisGuilbert when he was left alone »thou art like to
cost me dear Why cannot I abandon thee to thy fate as this calm hypocrite
recommends One effort will I make to save thee but beware of ingratitude
for if I am again repulsed my vengeance shall equal my love The life and
honour of BoisGuilbert must not be hazarded where contempt and reproaches are
his only reward«
The Preceptor had hardly given the necessary orders when he was joined by
Conrade MontFitchet who acquainted him with the Grand Masters resolution to
bring the Jewess to instant trial for sorcery
»It is surely a dream« said the Preceptor »we have many Jewess physicians
and we call them not wizards though they work wonderful cures«
»The Grand Master thinks otherwise« said MontFitchet »and Albert I will
be upright with thee wizard or not it were better that this miserable damsel
die than that Brian de BoisGuilbert should be lost to the Order or the Order
divided by internal dissension Thou knowest his high rank his fame in arms
thou knowest the zeal with which many of our brethren regard him but all this
will not avail him with our Grand Master should he consider Brian as the
accomplice not the victim of this Jewess Were the souls of the twelve tribes
in her single body it were better she suffered alone than that BoisGuilbert
were partner in her destruction«
»I have been working him even now to abandon her« said Malvoisin »but
still are there grounds enough to condemn this Rebecca for sorcery Will not
the Grand Master change his mind when he sees that the proofs are so weak«
»They must be strengthened Albert« replied MontFitchet »they must be
strengthened Dost thou understand me«
»I do« said the Preceptor »nor do I scruple to do aught for advancement of
the Order but there is little time to find engines fitting«
»Malvoisin they must be found« said Conrade »well will it advantage both
the Order and thee This Templestowe is a poor Preceptory that of MaisonDieu
is worth double its value thou knowest my interest with our old Chief find
those who can carry this matter through and thou art Preceptor of MaisonDieu
in the fertile Kent How sayest thou«
»There are« replied Malvoisin »among those who came hither with
BoisGuilbert two fellows whom I well know servants they were to my brother
Philip de Malvoisin and passed from his service to that of FrontdeBoeuf It
may be they know something of the witcheries of this woman«
»Away seek them out instantly and hark thee if a byzant or two will
sharpen their memory let them not be wanting«
»They would swear the mother that bore them a sorceress for a zecchin« said
the Preceptor
»Away then« said MontFitchet »at noon the affair will proceed I have
not seen our senior in such earnest preparation since he condemned to the stake
Hamet Alfagi a convert who relapsed to the Moslem faith«
The ponderous castlebell had tolled the point of noon when Rebecca heard a
trampling of feet upon the private stair which led to her place of confinement
The noise announced the arrival of several persons and the circumstance rather
gave her joy for she was more afraid of the solitary visits of the fierce and
passionate BoisGuilbert than of any evil that could befall her besides The
door of the chamber was unlocked and Conrade and the Preceptor Malvoisin
entered attended by four warders clothed in black and bearing halberds
»Daughter of an accursed race« said the Preceptor »arise and follow us«
»Whither« said Rebecca »and for what purpose«
»Damsel« answered Conrade »it is not for thee to question but to obey
Nevertheless be it known to thee that thou art to be brought before the
tribunal of the Grand Master of our holy Order there to answer for thine
offences«
»May the God of Abraham be praised« said Rebecca folding her hands
devoutly »the name of a judge though an enemy to my people is to me as the
name of a protector Most willingly do I follow thee permit me only to wrap my
veil around my head«
They descended the stair with slow and solemn step traversed a long
gallery and by a pair of folding doors placed at the end entered the great
hall in which the Grand Master had for the time established his court of
justice
The lower part of this ample apartment was filled with squires and yeomen
who made way not without some difficulty for Rebecca attended by the
Preceptor and MontFitchet and followed by the guard of halberdiers to move
forward to the seat appointed for her As she passed through the crowd her arms
folded and her head depressed a scrap of paper was thrust into her hand which
she received almost unconsciously and continued to hold without examining its
contents The assurance that she possessed some friend in this awful assembly
gave her courage to look around and to mark into whose presence she had been
conducted She gazed accordingly upon the scene which we shall endeavour to
describe in the next chapter
Chapter ThirtySeventh
Stern was the law which bade its votries leave
At human woes with human hearts to grieve
Stern was the law which at the winning wile
Of frank and harmless mirth forbade to smile
But sterner still when high the iron rod
Of tyrant power she shook and calld that power of God
The Middle Ages
The tribunal erected for the trial of the innocent and unhappy Rebecca
occupied the dais or elevated part of the upper end of the great hall a
platform which we have already described as the place of honour destined to be
occupied by the most distinguished inhabitants or guests of an ancient mansion
On an elevated seat directly before the accused sat the Grand Master of
the Temple in full and ample robes of flowing white holding in his hand the
mystic staff which bore the symbol of the Order At his feet was placed a
table occupied by two scribes chaplains of the Order whose duty it was to
reduce to formal record the proceedings of the day The black dresses bare
scalps and demure looks of these churchmen formed a strong contrast to the
warlike appearance of the knights who attended either as residing in the
Preceptory or as come thither to attend upon their Grand Master The
Preceptors of whom there were four present occupied seats lower in height and
somewhat drawn back behind that of their superior and the knights who enjoyed
no such rank in the Order were placed on benches still lower and preserving
the same distance from the Preceptors as these from the Grand Master Behind
them but still upon the dais or elevated portion of the hall stood the
esquires of the Order in white dresses of an inferior quality
The whole assembly wore an aspect of the most profound gravity and in the
faces of the knights might be perceived traces of military daring united with
the solemn carriage becoming men of a religious profession and which in the
presence of their Grand Master failed not to sit upon every brow
The remaining and lower part of the hall was filled with guards holding
partisans and with other attendants whom curiosity had drawn thither to see at
once a Grand Master and a Jewish sorceress By far the greater part of those
inferior persons were in one rank or other connected with the Order and were
accordingly distinguished by their black dresses But peasants from the
neighbouring country were not refused admittance for it was the pride of
Beaumanoir to render the edifying spectacle of the justice which he administered
as public as possible His large blue eyes seemed to expand as he gazed around
the assembly and his countenance appeared elated by the conscious dignity and
imaginary merit of the part which he was about to perform A psalm which he
himself accompanied with a deep mellow voice which age had not deprived of its
powers commenced the proceedings of the day and the solemn sounds Venite
exultemus Domino so often sung by the Templars before engaging with earthly
adversaries was judged by Lucas most appropriate to introduce the approaching
triumph for such he deemed it over the powers of darkness The deep prolonged
notes raised by a hundred masculine voices accustomed to combine in the choral
chant arose to the vaulted roof of the hall and rolled on amongst its arches
with the pleasing yet solemn sound of the rushing of mighty waters
When the sound ceased the Grand Master glanced his eye slowly around the
circle and observed that the seat of one of the Preceptors was vacant Brian de
BoisGuilbert by whom it had been occupied had left his place and was now
standing near the extreme corner of one of the benches occupied by the Knights
Companions of the Temple one hand extending his long mantle so as in some
degree to hide his face while the other held his crosshandled sword with the
point of which sheathed as it was he was slowly drawing lines upon the oaken
floor
»Unhappy man« said the Grand Master after favouring him with a glance of
compassion »Thou seest Conrade how this holy work distresses him To this can
the light look of woman aided by the Prince of the Powers of this world bring
a valiant and worthy knight Seest thou he cannot look upon us he cannot look
upon her and who knows by what impulse from his tormentor his hand forms these
cabalistic lines upon the floor It may be our life and safety are thus aimed
at but we spit at and defy the foul enemy Semper Leo percutiatur«
This was communicated apart to his confidential follower Conrade
MontFitchet The Grand Master then raised his voice and addressed the
assembly
»Reverend and valiant men Knights Preceptors and Companions of this Holy
Order my brethren and my children you also wellborn and pious Esquires
who aspire to wear this holy Cross and you also Christian brethren of every
degree Be it known to you that it is not defect of power in us which hath
occasioned the assembling of this congregation for however unworthy in our
person yet to us is committed with this batoon full power to judge and to try
all that regards the weal of this our Holy Order Holy Saint Bernard in the
rule of our knightly and religious profession hath said in the fiftyninth
capital53 that he would not that brethren be called together in council save
at the will and command of the Master leaving it free to us as to those more
worthy fathers who have preceded us in this our office to judge as well of the
occasion as of the time and place in which a chapter of the whole Order or of
any part thereof may be convoked Also in all such chapters it is our duty to
hear the advice of our brethren and to proceed according to our own pleasure
But when the raging wolf hath made an inroad upon the flock and carried off one
member thereof it is the duty of the kind shepherd to call his comrades
together that with bows and slings they may quell the invader according to our
wellknown rule that the lion is ever to be beaten down We have therefore
summoned to our presence a Jewish woman by name Rebecca daughter of Isaac of
York a woman infamous for sortileges and for witcheries whereby she hath
maddened the blood and besotted the brain not of a churl but of a Knight
not of a secular Knight but of one devoted to the service of the Holy Temple
not of a Knight Companion but of a Preceptor of our Order first in honour as
in place Our brother Brian de BoisGuilbert is well known to ourselves and
to all degrees who now hear me as a true and zealous champion of the Cross by
whose arm many deeds of valour have been wrought in the Holy Land and the holy
places purified from pollution by the blood of those infidels who defiled them
Neither have our brothers sagacity and prudence been less in repute among his
brethren than his valour and discipline in so much that knights both in
eastern and western lands have named De BoisGuilbert as one who may well be
put in nomination as successor to this batoon when it shall please Heaven to
release us from the toil of bearing it If we were told that such a man so
honoured and so honourable suddenly casting away regard for his character his
vows his brethren and his prospects had associated to himself a Jewess
damsel wandered in this lewd company through solitary places defended her
person in preference to his own and finally was so utterly blinded and
besotted by his folly as to bring her even to one of our own Preceptories what
should we say but that the noble knight was possessed by some evil demon or
influenced by some wicked spell If we could suppose it otherwise think not
rank valour high repute or any earthly consideration should prevent us from
visiting him with punishment that the evil thing might be removed even
according to the text Auferte malum ex vobis For various and heinous are the
acts of transgression against the rule of our blessed Order in this lamentable
history 1st He hath walked according to his proper will contrary to capital
33 Quod nullus juxta propriam voluntatem incedat 2d He hath held
communication with an excommunicated person capital 57 Ut fratres non
participent cum excommunicatis and therefore hath a portion in Anathema
Maranatha 3d He hath conversed with strange women contrary to the capital
Ut fratres non conversantur cum extraneis mulieribus 4th He hath not
avoided nay he hath it is to be feared solicited the kiss of woman by which
saith the last rule of our renowned Order Ut fugiantur oscula the soldiers of
the Cross are brought into a snare For which heinous and multiplied guilt
Brian de BoisGuilbert should be cut off and cast out from our congregation
were he the right hand and right eye thereof«
He paused A low murmur went through the assembly Some of the younger part
who had been inclined to smile at the statute De osculis fugiendis became now
grave enough and anxiously waited what the Grand Master was next to propose
»Such« he said »and so great should indeed be the punishment of a
KnightTemplar who wilfully offended against the rules of his Order in such
weighty points But if by means of charms and of spells Satan had obtained
dominion over the Knight perchance because he cast his eyes too lightly upon a
damsels beauty we are then rather to lament than chastise his backsliding
and imposing on him only such penance as may purify him from his iniquity we
are to turn the full edge of our indignation upon the accursed instrument which
had so wellnigh occasioned his utter falling away Stand forth therefore
and bear witness ye who have witnessed these unhappy doings that we may judge
of the sum and bearing thereof and judge whether our justice may be satisfied
with the punishment of this infidel woman or if we must go on with a bleeding
heart to the farther proceeding against our brother«
Several witnesses were called upon to prove the risks to which BoisGuilbert
exposed himself in endeavouring to save Rebecca from the blazing castle and his
neglect of his personal defence in attending to her safety The men gave these
details with the exaggerations common to vulgar minds which have been strongly
excited by any remarkable event and their natural disposition to the marvellous
was greatly increased by the satisfaction which their evidence seemed to afford
to the eminent person for whose information it had been delivered Thus the
dangers which BoisGuilbert surmounted in themselves sufficiently great became
portentous in their narrative The devotion of the Knight to Rebeccas defence
was exaggerated beyond the bounds not only of discretion but even of the most
frantic excess of chivalrous zeal and his deference to what she said even
although her language was often severe and upbraiding was painted as carried to
an excess which in a man of his haughty temper seemed almost preternatural
The Preceptor of Templestowe was then called on to describe the manner in
which BoisGuilbert and the Jewess arrived at the Preceptory The evidence of
Malvoisin was skilfully guarded But while he apparently studied to spare the
feelings of BoisGuilbert he threw in from time to time such hints as seemed
to infer that he laboured under some temporary alienation of mind so deeply did
he appear to be enamoured of the damsel whom he brought along with him With
sighs of penitence the Preceptor avowed his own contrition for having admitted
Rebecca and her lover within the walls of the Preceptory »But my defence« he
concluded »has been made in my confession to our most reverend father the Grand
Master he knows my motives were not evil though my conduct may have been
irregular Joyfully will I submit to any penance he shall assign me«
»Thou hast spoken well Brother Albert« said Beaumanoir »thy motives were
good since thou didst judge it right to arrest thine erring brother in his
career of precipitate folly But thy conduct was wrong as he that would stop a
runaway steed and seizing by the stirrup instead of the bridle receiveth
injury himself instead of accomplishing his purpose Thirteen paternosters are
assigned by our pious founder for matins and nine for vespers be those
services doubled by thee Thrice aweek are Templars permitted the use of flesh
but do thou keep fast for all the seven days This do for six weeks to come and
thy penance is accomplished«
With a hypocritical look of the deepest submission the Preceptor of
Templestowe bowed to the ground before his Superior and resumed his seat
»Were it not well brethren« said the Grand Master »that we examine
something into the former life and conversation of this woman specially that we
may discover whether she be one likely to use magical charms and spells since
the truths which we have heard may well incline us to suppose that in this
unhappy course our erring brother has been acted upon by some infernal
enticement and delusion«
Herman of Goodalricke was the fourth Preceptor present the other three were
Conrade Malvoisin and BoisGuilbert himself Herman was an ancient warrior
whose face was marked with scars inflicted by the sabre of the Moslemah and had
great rank and consideration among his brethren He arose and bowed to the Grand
Master who instantly granted him license of speech »I would crave to know
most Reverend Father of our valiant brother Brian de BoisGuilbert what he
says to these wondrous accusations and with what eye he himself now regards his
unhappy intercourse with this Jewish maiden«
»Brian de BoisGuilbert« said the Grand Master »thou hearest the question
which our Brother of Goodalricke desireth thou shouldst answer I command thee
to reply to him«
BoisGuilbert turned his head towards the Grand Master when thus addressed
and remained silent
»He is possessed by a dumb devil« said the Grand Master »Avoid thee
Sathanas Speak Brian de BoisGuilbert I conjure thee by this symbol of our
Holy Order«
BoisGuilbert made an effort to suppress his rising scorn and indignation
the expression of which he was well aware would have little availed him
»Brian de BoisGuilbert« he answered »replies not most Reverend Father to
such wild and vague charges If his honour be impeached he will defend it with
his body and with that sword which has often fought for Christendom«
»We forgive thee Brother Brian« said the Grand Master »though that thou
hast boasted thy warlike achievements before us is a glorifying of thine own
deeds and cometh of the Enemy who tempteth us to exalt our own worship But
thou hast our pardon judging thou speakest less of thine own suggestion than
from the impulse of him whom by Heavens leave we will quell and drive forth
from our assembly« A glance of disdain flashed from the dark fierce eyes of
BoisGuilbert but he made no reply »And now« pursued the Grand Master
»since our brother of Goodalrickes question has been thus imperfectly answered
pursue we our quest brethren and with our patrons assistance we will search
to the bottom this mystery of iniquity Let those who have aught to witness of
the life and conversation of this Jewish woman stand forth before us« There
was a bustle in the lower part of the hall and when the Grand Master inquired
the reason it was replied there was in the crowd a bedridden man whom the
prisoner had restored to the perfect use of his limbs by a miraculous balsam
The poor peasant a Saxon by birth was dragged forward to the bar
terrified by the penal consequences which he might have incurred by the guilt of
having been cured of the palsy by a Jewish damsel Perfectly cured he certainly
was not for he supported himself forward on crutches to give evidence Most
unwilling was his testimony and given with many tears but he admitted that two
years since when residing at York he was suddenly afflicted with a sore
disease while labouring for Isaac the rich Jew in his vocation of a joiner
that he had been unable to stir from his bed until the remedies applied by
Rebeccas directions and especially a warming and spicysmelling balsam had in
some degree restored him to the use of his limbs Moreover he said she had
given him a pot of that precious ointment and furnished him with a piece of
money withal to return to the house of his father near to Templestowe »And
may it please your gracious Reverence« said the man »I cannot think the damsel
meant harm by me though she hath the ill hap to be a Jewess for even when I
used her remedy I said the Pater and the Creed and it never operated a whit
less kindly«
»Peace slave« said the Grand Master »and begone It well suits brutes
like thee to be tampering and trinketing with hellish cures and to be giving
your labour to the sons of mischief I tell thee the fiend can impose diseases
for the very purpose of removing them in order to bring into credit some
diabolical fashion of cure Hast thou that unguent of which thou speakest«
The peasant fumbling in his bosom with a trembling hand produced a small
box bearing some Hebrew characters on the lid which was with most of the
audience a sure proof that the devil had stood apothecary Beaumanoir after
crossing himself took the box into his hand and learned in most of the
Eastern tongues read with ease the motto on the lid The Lion of the Tribe of
Judah hath conquered »Strange powers of Sathanas« said he »which can convert
Scripture into blasphemy mingling poison with our necessary food Is there no
leech here who can tell us the ingredients of this mystic unguent«
Two mediciners as they called themselves the one a monk the other a
barber appeared and avouched they knew nothing of the materials excepting
that they savoured of myrrh and camphire which they took to be Oriental herbs
But with the true professional hatred to a successful practitioner of their art
they insinuated that since the medicine was beyond their own knowledge it must
necessarily have been compounded from an unlawful and magical pharmacopoeia
since they themselves though no conjurors fully understood every branch of
their art so far as it might be exercised with the good faith of a Christian
When this medical research was ended the Saxon peasant desired humbly to have
back the medicine which he had found so salutary but the Grand Master frowned
severely at the request »What is thy name fellow« said he to the cripple
»Higg the son of Snell« answered the peasant
»Then Higg son of Snell« said the Grand Master »I tell thee it is better
to be bedridden than to accept the benefit of unbelievers medicine that thou
mayest arise and walk better to despoil infidels of their treasure by the
strong hand than to accept of them benevolent gifts or do them service for
wages Go thou and do as I have said«
»Alack« said the peasant »an it shall not displease your Reverence the
lesson comes too late for me for I am but a maimed man but I will tell my two
brethren who serve the rich Rabbi Nathan Ben Samuel that your mastership says
it is more lawful to rob him than to render him faithful service«
»Out with the prating villain« said Beaumanoir who was not prepared to
refute this practical application of his general maxim
Higg the son of Snell withdrew into the crowd but interested in the fate
of his benefactress lingered until he should learn her doom even at the risk
of again encountering the frown of that severe judge the terror of which
withered his very heart within him
At this period of the trial the Grand Master commanded Rebecca to unveil
herself Opening her lips for the first time she replied patiently but with
dignity »That it was not the wont of the daughters of her people to uncover
their faces when alone in an assembly of strangers« The sweet tones of her
voice and the softness of her reply impressed on the audience a sentiment of
pity and sympathy But Beaumanoir in whose mind the suppression of each feeling
of humanity which could interfere with his imagined duty was a virtue of
itself, repeated his commands that his victim should be unveiled The guards
were about to remove her veil accordingly when she stood up before the Grand
Master and said »Nay but for the love of your own daughters Alas« she said
recollecting herself »ye have no daughters yet for the remembrance of your
mothers for the love of your sisters and of female decency let me not be
thus handled in your presence it suits not a maiden to be disrobed by such rude
grooms I will obey you« she added with an expression of patient sorrow in her
voice which had almost melted the heart of Beaumanoir himself »ye are elders
among your people and at your command I will show the features of an illfated
maiden«
She withdrew her veil and looked on them with a countenance in which
bashfulness contended with dignity Her exceeding beauty excited a murmur of
surprise and the younger knights told each other with their eyes in silent
correspondence that Brians best apology was in the power of her real charms
rather than of her imaginary witchcraft But Higg the son of Snell felt most
deeply the effect produced by the sight of the countenance of his benefactress
»Let me go forth« he said to the warders at the door of the hall »let me go
forth To look at her again will kill me for I have had a share in murdering
her«
»Peace poor man« said Rebecca when she heard his exclamation »thou hast
done me no harm by speaking the truth thou canst not aid me by thy complaints
or lamentations Peace I pray thee go home and save thyself«
Higg was about to be thrust out by the compassion of the warders who were
apprehensive lest his clamorous grief should draw upon them reprehension and
upon himself punishment but he promised to be silent and was permitted to
remain The two menatarms with whom Albert Malvoisin had not failed to
communicate upon the import of their testimony were now called forward Though
both were hardened and inflexible villains the sight of the captive maiden as
well as her excelling beauty at first appeared to stagger them but an
expressive glance from the Preceptor of Templestowe restored them to their
dogged composure and they delivered with a precision which would have seemed
suspicious to more impartial judges circumstances either altogether fictitious
or trivial and natural in themselves, but rendered pregnant with suspicion by
the exaggerated manner in which they were told and the sinister commentary
which the witnesses added to the facts The circumstances of their evidence
would have been in modern days divided into two classes those which were
immaterial and those which were actually and physically impossible But both
were in those ignorant and superstitious times easily credited as proofs of
guilt The first class set forth that Rebecca was heard to mutter to herself
in an unknown tongue that the songs she sung by fits were of a strangely sweet
sound which made the ears of the hearer tingle and his heart throb that she
spoke at times to herself and seemed to look upward for a reply that her
garments were of a strange and mystic form unlike those of women of good repute
that she had rings impressed with cabalistical devices and that strange
characters were broidered on her veil
All these circumstances so natural and so trivial were gravely listened to
as proofs or at least as affording strong suspicions that Rebecca had
unlawful correspondence with mystical powers
But there was less equivocal testimony which the credulity of the assembly
or of the greater part greedily swallowed however incredible One of the
soldiers had seen her work a cure upon a wounded man brought with them to the
castle of Torquilstone She did he said make certain signs upon the wound and
repeated certain mysterious words which he blessed God he understood not when
the iron head of a square crossbow bolt disengaged itself from the wound the
bleeding was stanched the wound was closed and the dying man was within the
quarter of an hour walking upon the ramparts and assisting the witness in
managing a mangonel or machine for hurling stones This legend was probably
founded upon the fact that Rebecca had attended on the wounded Ivanhoe when in
the castle of Torquilstone But it was the more difficult to dispute the
accuracy of the witness as in order to produce real evidence in support of his
verbal testimony he drew from his pouch the very bolthead which according to
his story had been miraculously extracted from the wound and as the iron
weighed a full ounce it completely confirmed the tale however miraculous
His comrade had been a witness from a neighbouring battlement of the scene
betwixt Rebecca and BoisGuilbert when she was upon the point of precipitating
herself from the top of the tower Not to be behind his companion this fellow
stated that he had seen Rebecca perch herself upon the parapet of the turret
and there take the form of a milkwhite swan under which appearance she flitted
three times round the castle of Torquilstone then again settle on the turret
and once more assume the female form
Less than one half of this weighty evidence would have been sufficient to
convict any old woman poor and ugly even though she had not been a Jewess
United with that fatal circumstance the body of proof was too weighty for
Rebeccas youth though combined with the most exquisite beauty
The Grand Master had collected the suffrages and now in a solemn tone
demanded of Rebecca what she had to say against the sentence of condemnation
which he was about to pronounce
»To invoke your pity« said the lovely Jewess with a voice tremulous with
emotion »would I am aware be as useless as I should hold it mean To state
that to relieve the sick and wounded of another religion cannot be displeasing
to the acknowledged Founder of both our faiths were also unavailing to plead
that many things which these men whom may Heaven pardon have spoken against
me are impossible would avail me but little since you believe in their
possibility and still less would it advantage me to explain that the
peculiarities of my dress language and manners are those of my people I had
wellnigh said of my country but alas we have no country Nor will I even
vindicate myself at the expense of my oppressor who stands there listening to
the fictions and surmises which seem to convert the tyrant into the victim
God be judge between him and me but rather would I submit to ten such deaths as
your pleasure may denounce against me than listen to the suit which that man of
Belial has urged upon me friendless defenceless and his prisoner But he is
of your own faith and his lightest affirmance would weigh down the most solemn
protestations of the distressed Jewess I will not therefore return to himself
the charge brought against me but to himself Yes Brian de BoisGuilbert to
thyself I appeal whether these accusations are not false as monstrous and
calumnious as they are deadly«
There was a pause all eyes turned to Brian de BoisGuilbert He was silent
»Speak« she said »if thou art a man if thou art a Christian speak I
conjure thee by the habit which thou dost wear by the name thou dost inherit
by the knighthood thou dost vaunt by the honour of thy mother by the tomb
and the bones of thy father I conjure thee to say are these things true«
»Answer her brother« said the Grand Master »if the Enemy with whom thou
dost wrestle will give thee power«
In fact BoisGuilbert seemed agitated by contending passions which almost
convulsed his features and it was with a constrained voice that at last he
replied looking to Rebecca »The scroll the scroll«
»Ay« said Beaumanoir »this is indeed testimony The victim of her
witcheries can only name the fatal scroll the spell inscribed on which is
doubtless the cause of his silence«
But Rebecca put another interpretation on the words extorted as it were from
BoisGuilbert and glancing her eye upon the slip of parchment which she
continued to hold in her hand she read written thereupon in the Arabian
character Demand a Champion The murmuring commentary which ran through the
assembly at the strange reply of BoisGuilbert gave Rebecca leisure to examine
and instantly to destroy the scroll unobserved When the whisper had ceased the
Grand Master spoke
»Rebecca thou canst derive no benefit from the evidence of this unhappy
knight for whom as we well perceive the Enemy is yet too powerful Hast thou
aught else to say«
»There is yet one chance of life left to me« said Rebecca »even by your
own fierce laws Life has been miserable miserable at least of late but I
will not cast away the gift of God while he affords me the means of defending
it I deny this charge I maintain my innocence and I declare the falsehood of
this accusation I challenge the privilege of trial by combat and will appear
by my champion«
»And who Rebecca« replied the Grand Master »will lay lance in rest for a
sorceress who will be the champion of a Jewess«
»God will raise me up a champion« said Rebecca »it cannot be that in
merry England the hospitable the generous the free where so many are ready
to peril their lives for honour there will not be found one to fight for
justice But it is enough that I challenge the trial by combat there lies my
gage«
She took her embroidered glove from her hand and flung it down before the
Grand Master with an air of mingled simplicity and dignity which excited
universal surprise and admiration
Chapter ThirtyEighth
There I throw my gage
To prove it on thee to the extremest point
Of martial daring
Richard II
Even Lucas Beaumanoir himself was affected by the mien and appearance of
Rebecca He was not originally a cruel or even a severe man but with passions
by nature cold and with a high though mistaken sense of duty his heart had
been gradually hardened by the ascetic life which he pursued the supreme power
which he enjoyed and the supposed necessity of subduing infidelity and
eradicating heresy which he conceived peculiarly incumbent on him His features
relaxed in their usual severity as he gazed upon the beautiful creature before
him alone unfriended and defending herself with so much spirit and courage
He crossed himself twice as doubting whence arose the unwonted softening of a
heart which on such occasions used to resemble in hardness the steel of his
sword At length he spoke
»Damsel« he said »if the pity I feel for thee arise from any practice
thine evil arts have made on me great is thy guilt But I rather judge it the
kinder feelings of nature, which grieves that so goodly a form should be a
vessel of perdition Repent my daughter confess thy witchcrafts turn thee
from thine evil faith embrace this holy emblem and all shall yet be well with
thee here and hereafter In some sisterhood of the strictest order shalt thou
have time for prayer and fitting penance and that repentance not to be repented
of This do and live what has the law of Moses done for thee that thou
shouldest die for it«
»It was the law of my fathers« said Rebecca »it was delivered in thunders
and in storms upon the mountain of Sinai in cloud and in fire This if ye are
Christians ye believe it is you say recalled but so my teachers have not
taught me«
»Let our chaplain« said Beaumanoir »stand forth and tell this obstinate
infidel«
»Forgive the interruption« said Rebecca meekly »I am a maiden unskilled
to dispute for my religion but I can die for it if it be Gods will Let me
pray your answer to my demand of a champion«
»Give me her glove« said Beaumanoir »This is indeed« he continued as he
looked at the flimsy texture and slender fingers »a slight and frail gage for a
purpose so deadly Seest thou Rebecca as this thin and light glove of thine
is to one of our heavy steel gauntlets so is thy cause to that of the Temple
for it is our Order which thou hast defied«
»Cast my innocence into the scale« answered Rebecca »and the glove of silk
shall outweigh the glove of iron«
»Then thou dost persist in thy refusal to confess thy guilt and in that
bold challenge which thou hast made«
»I do persist noble sir« answered Rebecca
»So be it then in the name of Heaven« said the Grand Master »and may God
show the right«
»Amen« replied the Preceptors around him and the word was deeply echoed by
the whole assembly
»Brethren« said Beaumanoir »you are aware that we might well have refused
to this woman the benefit of the trial by combat but though a Jewess and an
unbeliever she is also a stranger and defenceless and God forbid that she
should ask the benefit of our mild laws and that it should be refused to her
Moreover we are knights and soldiers as well as men of religion and shame it
were to us upon any pretence to refuse proffered combat Thus therefore
stands the case Rebecca the daughter of Isaac of York is by many frequent
and suspicious circumstances defamed of sorcery practised on the person of a
noble knight of our holy Order and hath challenged the combat in proof of her
innocence To whom reverend brethren is it your opinion that we should deliver
the gage of battle naming him at the same time to be our champion on the
field«
»To Brian de BoisGuilbert whom it chiefly concerns« said the Preceptor of
Goodalricke »and who moreover best knows how the truth stands in this
matter«
»But if« said the Grand Master »our brother Brian be under the influence
of a charm or a spell we speak but for the sake of precaution for to the arm
of none of our holy Order would we more willingly confide this or a more weighty
cause«
»Reverend father« answered the Preceptor of Goodalricke »no spell can
affect the champion who comes forward to fight for the judgment of God«
»Thou sayest right brother« said the Grand Master »Albert Malvoisin give
this gage of battle to Brian de BoisGuilbert It is our charge to thee
brother« he continued addressing himself to BoisGuilbert »that thou do thy
battle manfully nothing doubting that the good cause shall triumph And do
thou Rebecca attend that we assign thee the third day from the present to
find a champion«
»That is but brief space« answered Rebecca »for a stranger who is also of
another faith to find one who will do battle wagering life and honour for her
cause against a knight who is called an approved soldier«
»We may not extend it« answered the Grand Master »the field must be
foughten in our own presence and divers weighty causes call us on the fourth
day from hence«
»Gods will be done« said Rebecca »I put my trust in Him to whom an
instant is as effectual to save as a whole age«
»Thou hast spoken well damsel« said the Grand Master »but well know we
who can array himself like an angel of light It remains but to name a fitting
place of combat and if it so hap also of execution Where is the Preceptor
of this house«
Albert Malvoisin still holding Rebeccas glove in his hand was speaking to
BoisGuilbert very earnestly but in a low voice
»How« said the Grand Master »will he not receive the gage«
»He will he doth most Reverend Father« said Malvoisin slipping the
glove under his own mantle »And for the place of combat I hold the fittest to
be the lists of Saint George belonging to this Preceptory and used by us for
military exercise«
»It is well« said the Grand Master »Rebecca in those lists shalt thou
produce thy champion and if thou failest to do so or if thy champion shall be
discomfited by the judgment of God thou shalt then die the death of a
sorceress according to doom Let this our judgment be recorded and the
record read aloud that no one may pretend ignorance«
One of the chaplains who acted as clerks to the chapter immediately
engrossed the order in a huge volume which contained the proceedings of the
Templar Knights when solemnly assembled on such occasions and when he had
finished writing the other read aloud the sentence of the Grand Master which
when translated from the Norman French in which it was couched was expressed as
follows
»Rebecca a Jewess daughter of Isaac of York being attainted of sorcery
seduction and other damnable practices practised on a Knight of the most Holy
Order of the Temple of Zion doth deny the same and saith that the testimony
delivered against her this day is false wicked and disloyal and that by
lawful essoine54 of her body as being unable to combat in her own behalf she
doth offer by a champion instead thereof to avouch her case he performing his
loyal devoir in all knightly sort with such arms as to gage of battle do fully
appertain and that at her peril and cost And therewith she proffered her gage
And the gage having been delivered to the noble Lord and Knight Brian de
BoisGuilbert of the Holy Order of the Temple of Zion he was appointed to do
this battle in behalf of his Order and himself as injured and impaired by the
practices of the appellant Wherefore the most reverend Father and puissant
Lord Lucas Marquis of Beaumanoir did allow of the said challenge and of the
said essoine of the appellants body and assigned the third day for the said
combat the place being the enclosure called the lists of Saint George near to
the Preceptory of Templestowe And the Grand Master appoints the appellant to
appear there by her champion on pain of doom as a person convicted of sorcery
or seduction and also the defendant so to appear under the penalty of being
held and adjudged recreant in case of default and the noble Lord and most
reverend Father aforesaid appointed the battle to be done in his own presence
and according to all that is commendable and profitable in such a case And may
God aid the just cause«
»Amen« said the Grand Master and the word was echoed by all around
Rebecca spoke not but she looked up to heaven and folding her hands remained
for a minute without change of attitude She then modestly reminded the Grand
Master that she ought to be permitted some opportunity of free communication
with her friends for the purpose of making her condition known to them and
procuring if possible some champion to fight in her behalf
»It is just and lawful« said the Grand Master »choose what messenger thou
shalt trust and he shall have free communication with thee in thy
prisonchamber«
»Is there« said Rebecca »any one here who either for love of a good
cause or for ample hire will do the errand of a distressed being«
All were silent for none thought it safe in the presence of the Grand
Master to avow any interest in the calumniated prisoner lest he should be
suspected of leaning towards Judaism Not even the prospect of reward far less
any feelings of compassion alone could surmount this apprehension
Rebecca stood for a few moments in indescribable anxiety and then
exclaimed »Is it really thus And in English land am I to be deprived of
the poor chance of safety which remains to me for want of an act of charity
which would not be refused to the worst criminal«
Higg the son of Snell at length replied »I am but a maimed man but that
I can at all stir or move was owing to her charitable assistance I will do
thine errand« he added addressing Rebecca »as well as a crippled object can
and happy were my limbs fleet enough to repair the mischief done by my tongue
Alas when I boasted of thy charity I little thought I was leading thee into
danger«
»God« said Rebecca »is the disposer of all He can turn the captivity of
Judah even by the weakest instrument To execute his message the snail is as
sure a messenger as the falcon Seek out Isaac of York here is that will pay
for horse and man let him have this scroll I know not if it be of Heaven
the spirit which inspires me but most truly do I judge that I am not to die
this death and that a champion will be raised up for me Farewell Life and
death are in thy haste«
The peasant took the scroll which contained only a few lines in Hebrew
Many of the crowd would have dissuaded him from touching a document so
suspicious but Higg was resolute in the service of his benefactress She had
saved his body he said and he was confident she did not mean to peril his
soul
»I will get me« he said »my neighbour Buthans good capul55 and I will be
at York within as brief space as man and beast may«
But as it fortuned he had no occasion to go so far for within a quarter of
a mile from the gate of the Preceptory he met with two riders whom by their
dress and their huge yellow caps he knew to be Jews and on approaching more
nearly discovered that one of them was his ancient employer Isaac of York The
other was the Rabbi Ben Samuel and both had approached as near to the
Preceptory as they dared on hearing that the Grand Master had summoned a
chapter for the trial of a sorceress
»Brother Ben Samuel« said Isaac »my soul is disquieted and I wot not why
This charge of necromancy is right often used for cloaking evil practices on our
people«
»Be of good comfort brother« said the physician »thou canst deal with the
Nazarenes as one possessing the mammon of unrighteousness and canst therefore
purchase immunity at their hands it rules the savage minds of those ungodly
men even as the signet of the mighty Solomon was said to command the evil
genii But what poor wretch comes hither upon his crutches desiring as I
think some speech of me Friend« continued the physician addressing Higg
the son of Snell »I refuse thee not the aid of mine art but I relieve not with
one asper those who beg for alms upon the highway Out upon thee Hast thou
the palsy in thy legs then let thy hands work for thy livelihood for albeit
thou best unfit for a speedy post or for a careful shepherd or for the
warfare or for the service of a hasty master yet there be occupations How
now brother« said he interrupting his harangue to look towards Isaac who had
but glanced at the scroll which Higg offered when uttering a deep groan he
fell from his mule like a dying man and lay for a minute insensible
The Rabbi now dismounted in great alarm and hastily applied the remedies
which his art suggested for the recovery of his companion He had even taken
from his pocket a cupping apparatus and was about to proceed to phlebotomy
when the object of his anxious solicitude suddenly revived but it was to dash
his cap from his head and to throw dust on his grey hairs The physician was at
first inclined to ascribe this sudden and violent emotion to the effects of
insanity and adhering to his original purpose began once again to handle his
implements But Isaac soon convinced him of his error
»Child of my sorrow« he said »well shouldst thou be called Benoni instead
of Rebecca Why should thy death bring down my grey hairs to the grave till in
the bitterness of my heart I curse God and die«
»Brother« said the Rabbi in great surprise »art thou a father in Israel
and dost thou utter words like unto these I trust that the child of thy house
yet liveth«
»She liveth« answered Isaac »but it is as Daniel who was called
Belteshazzar even when within the den of the lions She is captive unto those
men of Belial and they will wreak their cruelty upon her sparing neither for
her youth nor her comely favour Oh she was as a crown of green palms to my
grey locks and she must wither in a night like the gourd of Jonah Child of
my love child of my old age oh Rebecca daughter of Rachel the darkness
of the shadow of death hath encompassed thee«
»Yet read the scroll« said the Rabbi »peradventure it may be that we may
yet find out a way of deliverance«
»Do thou read brother« answered Isaac »for mine eyes are as a fountain of
water«
The physician read but in their native language the following words
»To Isaac the son of Adonikam whom the Gentiles call Isaac of York peace
and the blessing of the promise be multiplied unto thee My father I am as
one doomed to die for that which my soul knoweth not even for the crime of
witchcraft My father if a strong man can be found to do battle for my cause
with sword and spear according to the custom of the Nazarenes and that within
the lists of Templestowe on the third day from this time peradventure our
fathers God will give him strength to defend the innocent and her who hath
none to help her But if this may not be let the virgins of our people mourn
for me as for one cast off and for the hart that is stricken by the hunter and
for the flower which is cut down by the scythe of the mower Wherefore look now
what thou doest and whether there be any rescue One Nazarene warrior might
indeed bear arms in my behalf even Wilfred son of Cedric whom the Gentiles
call Ivanhoe But he may not yet endure the weight of his armour Nevertheless
send the tidings unto him my father for he hath favour among the strong men of
his people and as he was our companion in the house of bondage he may find
some one to do battle for my sake And say unto him even unto him even unto
Wilfred the son of Cedric that if Rebecca live or if Rebecca die she liveth
or dieth wholly free of the guilt she is charged withal And if it be the will
of God that thou shalt be deprived of thy daughter do not thou tarry old man
in this land of bloodshed and cruelty but betake thyself to Cordova where thy
brother liveth in safety under the shadow of the throne even of the throne of
Boabdil the Saracen for less cruel are the cruelties of the Moors unto the race
of Jacob than the cruelties of the Nazarenes of England«
Isaac listened with tolerable composure while Ben Samuel read the letter
and then again resumed the gestures and exclamations of Oriental sorrow tearing
his garments besprinkling his head with dust and ejaculating »My daughter my
daughter flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone«
»Yet« said the Rabbi »take courage for this grief availeth nothing Gird
up thy loins and seek out this Wilfred the son of Cedric It may be he will
help thee with counsel or with strength for the youth hath favour in the eyes
of Richard called of the Nazarenes CoeurdeLion and the tidings that he hath
returned are constant in the land It may be that he may obtain his letter and
his signet commanding these men of blood who take their name from the Temple
to the dishonour thereof that they proceed not in their purposed wickedness«
»I will seek him out« said Isaac »for he is a good youth and hath
compassion for the exile of Jacob But he cannot bear his armour and what other
Christian shall do battle for the oppressed of Zion«
»Nay but« said the Rabbi »thou speakest as one that knoweth not the
Gentiles With gold shalt thou buy their valour even as with gold thou buyest
thine own safety Be of good courage and do thou set forward to find out this
Wilfred of Ivanhoe I will also up and be doing for great sin it were to leave
thee in thy calamity I will hie me to the city of York where many warriors and
strong men are assembled and doubt not I will find among them some one who will
do battle for thy daughter for gold is their god and for riches will they pawn
their lives as well as their lands Thou wilt fulfil my brother such promise
as I may make unto them in thy name«
»Assuredly brother« said Isaac »and Heaven be praised that raised me up a
comforter in my misery Howbeit grant them not their full demand at once for
thou shalt find it the quality of this accursed people that they will ask
pounds and peradventure accept of ounces Nevertheless be it as thou willest
for I am distracted in this thing and what would my gold avail me if the child
of my love should perish«
»Farewell« said the physician »and may it be to thee as thy heart
desireth«
They embraced accordingly and departed on their several roads The crippled
peasant remained for some time looking after them
»These dogJews« said he »to take no more notice of a free guildbrother
than if I were a bond slave or a Turk or a circumcised Hebrew like themselves
They might have flung me a mancus or two however I was not obliged to bring
their unhallowed scrawls and run the risk of being bewitched as more folks
than one told me And what care I for the bit of gold that the wench gave me if
I am to come to harm from the priest next Easter at confession and be obliged
to give him twice as much to make it up with him and be called the Jews flying
post all my life as it may hap into the bargain I think I was bewitched in
earnest when I was beside the girl But it was always so with Jew or Gentile
whosoever came near her none could stay when she had an errand to go and
still whenever I think of her I would give shop and tools to save her life«
Chapter ThirtyNinth
O maid unrelenting and cold as thou art
My bosom is proud as thine own
Seward
It was in the twilight of the day when her trial if it could be called such
had taken place that a low knock was heard at the door of Rebeccas
prisonchamber It disturbed not the inmate who was then engaged in the evening
prayer recommended by her religion and which concluded with a hymn we have
ventured thus to translate into English
When Israel of the Lord beloved
Out of the land of bondage came
Her fathers God before her moved
An awful guide in smoke and flame
By day along the astonishd lands
The cloudy pillar glided slow
By night Arabias crimsond sands
Returnd the fiery columns glow
There rose the choral hymn of praise
And trump and timbrel answerd keen
And Zions daughters pourd their lays
With priests and warriors voice between
No portents now our foes amaze
Forsaken Israel wanders lone
Our fathers would not know THY ways
And THOU hast left them to their own
But present still though now unseen
When brightly shines the prosperous day
Be thoughts of THEE a cloudy screen
To temper the deceitful ray
And oh when stoops on Judahs path
In shade and storm the frequent night
Be THOU longsuffering slow to wrath
A burning and a shining light
Our harps we left by Babels streams
The tyrants jest the Gentiles scorn
No censer round our altar beams
And mute our timbrel trump and horn
But THOU hast said the blood of goat
The flesh of rams I will not prize
A contrite heart an humble thought
Are mine accepted sacrifice
When the sounds of Rebeccas devotional hymn had died away in silence the low
knock at the door was again renewed »Enter« she said »if thou art a friend
and if a foe I have not the means of refusing thy entrance«
»I am« said Brian de BoisGuilbert entering the apartment »friend or foe
Rebecca as the event of this interview shall make me«
Alarmed at the sight of this man whose licentious passion she considered as
the root of her misfortunes Rebecca drew backward with a cautious and alarmed
yet not a timorous demeanour into the farthest corner of the apartment as if
determined to retreat as far as she could but to stand her ground when retreat
became no longer possible She drew herself into an attitude not of defiance
but of resolution as one that would avoid provoking assault yet was resolute
to repel it being offered to the utmost of her power
»You have no reason to fear me Rebecca« said the Templar »or if I must so
qualify my speech you have at least now no reason to fear me«
»I fear you not Sir Knight« replied Rebecca although her shortdrawn
breath seemed to belie the heroism of her accents »my trust is strong and I
fear thee not«
»You have no cause« answered BoisGuilbert gravely »my former frantic
attempts you have not now to dread Within your call are guards over whom I
have no authority They are designed to conduct you to death Rebecca yet would
not suffer you to be insulted by any one even by me were my frenzy for
frenzy it is to urge me so far«
»May heaven be praised« said the Jewess »death is the least of my
apprehensions in this den of evil«
»Ay« replied the Templar »the idea of death is easily received by the
courageous mind when the road to it is sudden and open A thrust with a lance
a stroke with a sword were to me little To you a spring from a dizzy
battlement a stroke with a sharp poniard has no terrors compared with what
either thinks disgrace Mark me I say this perhaps mine own sentiments of
honour are not less fantastic Rebecca than thine are but we know alike how to
die for them«
»Unhappy man« said the Jewess »and art thou condemned to expose thy life
for principles, of which thy sober judgment does not acknowledge the solidity
Surely this is a parting with your treasure for that which is not bread but
deem not so of me Thy resolution may fluctuate on the wild and changeful
billows of human opinion but mine is anchored on the Rock of Ages«
»Silence maiden« answered the Templar »such discourse now avails but
little Thou art condemned to die not a sudden and easy death such as misery
chooses and despair welcomes but a slow wretched protracted course of
torture suited to what the diabolical bigotry of these men calls thy crime«
»And to whom if such my fate to whom do I owe this« said Rebecca
»surely only to him who for a most selfish and brutal cause dragged me
hither and who now for some unknown purpose of his own strives to exaggerate
the wretched fate to which he exposed me«
»Think not« said the Templar »that I have so exposed thee I would have
bucklered thee against such danger with my own bosom as freely as ever I
exposed it to the shafts which had otherwise reached thy life«
»Had thy purpose been the honourable protection of the innocent« said
Rebecca »I had thanked thee for thy care as it is thou hast claimed merit
for it so often that I tell thee life is worth nothing to me preserved at the
price which thou wouldst exact for it«
»Truce with thine upbraidings Rebecca« said the Templar »I have my own
cause of grief and brook not that thy reproaches should add to it«
»What is thy purpose then Sir Knight« said the Jewess »speak it briefly
If thou hast aught to do save to witness the misery thou hast caused let me
know it and then if so it please you leave me to myself the step between
time and eternity is short but terrible and I have few moments to prepare for
it«
»I perceive Rebecca« said BoisGuilbert »that thou dost continue to
burden me with the charge of distresses which most fain would I have
prevented«
»Sir Knight« said Rebecca »I would avoid reproaches but what is more
certain than that I owe my death to thine unbridled passion«
»You err you err« said the Templar hastily »if you impute what I
could neither foresee nor prevent to my purpose or agency Could I guess the
unexpected arrival of yon dotard whom some flashes of frantic valour and the
praises yielded by fools to the stupid selftorments of an ascetic have raised
for the present above his own merits above common sense above me and above
the hundreds of our Order who think and feel as men free from such silly and
fantastic prejudices as are the grounds of his opinions and actions«
»Yet« said Rebecca »you sate a judge upon me innocent most innocent
as you knew me to be you concurred in my condemnation and if I aright
understood are yourself to appear in arms to assert my guilt and assure my
punishment«
»Thy patience maiden« replied the Templar »No race knows so well as
thine own tribes how to submit to the time and so to trim their bark as to make
advantage even of an adverse wind«
»Lamented be the hour« said Rebecca »that has taught such art to the house
of Israel but adversity bends the heart as fire bends the stubborn steel and
those who are no longer their own governors and the denizens of their own free
independent state must crouch before strangers It is our curse Sir Knight
deserved doubtless by our own misdeeds and those of our fathers but you you
who boast your freedom as your birthright how much deeper is your disgrace when
you stoop to soothe the prejudices of others and that against your own
conviction«
»Your words are bitter Rebecca« said BoisGuilbert pacing the apartment
with impatience »but I came not hither to bandy reproaches with you Know
that BoisGuilbert yields not to created man although circumstances may for a
time induce him to alter his plan His will is the mountain stream which may
indeed be turned for a little space aside by the rock but fails not to find its
course to the ocean That scroll which warned thee to demand a champion from
whom couldst thou think it came if not from BoisGuilbert in whom else couldst
thou have excited such interest«
»A brief respite from instant death« said Rebecca »which will little avail
me was this all thou couldst do for one on whose head thou hast heaped
sorrow and whom thou hast brought near even to the verge of the tomb«
»No maiden« said BoisGuilbert »this was not all that I purposed Had it
not been for the accursed interference of yon fanatical dotard and the fool of
Goodalricke who being a Templar affects to think and judge according to the
ordinary rules of humanity the office of the Champion Defender had devolved
not on a Preceptor but on a Companion of the Order Then I myself such was my
purpose had on the sounding of the trumpet appeared in the lists as thy
champion disguised indeed in the fashion of a roving knight who seeks
adventures to prove his shield and spear and then let Beaumanoir have chosen
not one but two or three of the brethren here assembled I had not doubted to
cast them out of the saddle with my single lance Thus Rebecca should thine
innocence have been avouched and to thine own gratitude would I have trusted
for the reward of my victory«
»This Sir Knight« said Rebecca »is but idle boasting a brag of what you
would have done had you not found it convenient to do otherwise You received my
glove and my champion if a creature so desolate can find one must encounter
your lance in the lists yet you would assume the air of my friend and
protector«
»Thy friend and protector« said the Templar gravely »I will yet be but
mark at what risk or rather at what certainty, of dishonour and then blame me
not if I make my stipulations before I offer up all that I have hitherto held
dear to save the life of a Jewish maiden«
»Speak« said Rebecca »I understand thee not«
»Well then« said BoisGuilbert »I will speak as freely as ever did doting
penitent to his ghostly father when placed in the tricky confessional
Rebecca if I appear not in these lists I lose fame and rank lose that which
is the breath of my nostrils the esteem I mean in which I am held by my
brethren and the hopes I have of succeeding to that mighty authority which is
now wielded by the bigoted dotard Lucas de Beaumanoir but of which I should
make a far different use Such is my certain doom except I appear in arms
against thy cause Accursed be he of Goodalricke who baited this trap for me
and doubly accursed Albert de Malvoisin who withheld me from the resolution I
had formed of hurling back the glove at the face of the superstitious and
superannuated fool who listened to a charge so absurd and against a creature
so high in mind and so lovely in form as thou art«
»And what now avails rant or flattery« answered Rebecca »Thou hast made
thy choice between causing to be shed the blood of an innocent woman or of
endangering thine own earthly state and earthly hopes What avails it to reckon
together thy choice is made«
»No Rebecca« said the knight in a softer tone and drawing nearer towards
her »my choice is NOT made nay mark it is thine to make the election If I
appear in the lists I must maintain my name in arms and if I do so championed
or unchampioned thou diest by the stake and faggot for there lives not the
knight who hath coped with me in arms on equal issue or on terms of vantage
save Richard CoeurdeLion and his minion of Ivanhoe Ivanhoe as thou well
knowest is unable to bear his corselet and Richard is in a foreign prison If
I appear then thou diest even although thy charms should instigate some
hotheaded youth to enter the lists in thy defence«
»And what avails repeating this so often« said Rebecca
»Much« replied the Templar »for thou must learn to look at thy fate on
every side«
»Well then turn the tapestry« said the Jewess »and let me see the other
side«
»If I appear« said BoisGuilbert »in the fatal lists thou diest by a slow
and cruel death in pain such as they say is destined to the guilty hereafter
But if I appear not then am I a degraded and dishonoured knight accused of
witchcraft and of communion with infidels the illustrious name which has
grown yet more so under my wearing becomes a hissing and a reproach I lose
fame I lose honour I lose the prospect of such greatness as scarce emperors
attain to I sacrifice mighty ambition I destroy schemes built as high as the
mountains with which heathens say their heaven was once nearly scaled and yet
Rebecca« he added throwing himself at her feet »this greatness will I
sacrifice this fame will I renounce this power will I forego even now when it
is half within my grasp if thou wilt say BoisGuilbert I receive thee for my
lover«
»Think not of such foolishness Sir Knight« answered Rebecca »but hasten
to the Regent the Queen Mother and to Prince John they cannot in honour to
the English crown allow of the proceedings of your Grand Master So shall you
give me protection without sacrifice on your part or the pretext of requiring
any requital from me«
»With these I deal not« he continued holding the train of her robe »it
is thee only I address and what can counterbalance thy choice Bethink thee
were I a fiend yet death is a worse and it is death who is my rival«
»I weigh not these evils« said Rebecca afraid to provoke the wild knight
yet equally determined neither to endure his passion nor even feign to endure
it »Be a man be a Christian If indeed thy faith recommends that mercy which
rather your tongues than your actions pretend save me from this dreadful death
without seeking a requital which would change thy magnanimity into base barter«
»No damsel« said the proud Templar springing up »thou shalt not thus
impose on me if I renounce present fame and future ambition I renounce it
for thy sake and we will escape in company Listen to me Rebecca« he said
again softening his tone »England Europe is not the world There are
spheres in which we may act ample enough even for my ambition We will go to
Palestine where Conrade Marquis of Montserrat is my friend a friend free as
myself from the doting scruples which fetter our freeborn reason rather with
Saladin will we league ourselves than endure the scorn of the bigots whom we
contemn I will form new paths to greatness« he continued again traversing
the room with hasty strides »Europe shall hear the loud step of him she has
driven from her sons Not the millions whom her crusaders send to slaughter
can do so much to defend Palestine not the sabres of the thousands and ten
thousands of Saracens can hew their way so deep into that land for which nations
are striving as the strength and policy of me and those brethren who in
despite of yonder old bigot will adhere to me in good and evil Thou shalt be a
queen Rebecca on Mount Carmel shall we pitch the throne which my valour will
gain for you and I will exchange my longdesired batoon for a sceptre«
»A dream« said Rebecca »an empty vision of the night which were it a
waking reality affects me not Enough that the power which thou mightest
acquire I will never share nor hold I so light of country or religious faith
as to esteem him who is willing to barter these ties and cast away the bonds of
the Order of which he is a sworn member in order to gratify an unruly passion
for the daughter of another people Put not a price on my deliverance Sir
Knight sell not a deed of generosity protect the oppressed for the sake of
charity and not for a selfish advantage Go to the throne of England Richard
will listen to my appeal from these cruel men«
»Never Rebecca« said the Templar fiercely »If I renounce my Order for
thee alone will I renounce it Ambition shall remain mine if thou refuse my
love I will not be fooled on all hands Stoop my crest to Richard ask a
boon of that heart of pride Never Rebecca will I place the Order of the
Temple at his feet in my person I may forsake the Order I never will degrade
or betray it«
»Now God be gracious to me« said Rebecca »for the succour of man is
wellnigh hopeless«
»It is indeed« said the Templar »for proud as thou art thou hast in me
found thy match If I enter the lists with my spear in rest think not any human
consideration shall prevent my putting forth my strength and think then upon
thine own fate to die the dreadful death of the worst of criminals to be
consumed upon a blazing pile dispersed to the elements of which our strange
forms are so mystically composed not a relic left of that graceful frame from
which we could say this lived and moved Rebecca it is not in woman to
sustain this prospect thou wilt yield to my suit«
»BoisGuilbert« answered the Jewess »thou knowest not the heart of woman
or hast only conversed with those who are lost to her best feelings I tell
thee proud Templar that not in thy fiercest battles hast thou displayed more
of thy vaunted courage than has been shown by a woman when called upon to
suffer by affection or duty I am myself a woman tenderly nurtured naturally
fearful of danger and impatient of pain yet when we enter those fatal lists
thou to fight and I to suffer I feel the strong assurance within me that my
courage shall mount higher than thine Farewell I waste no more words on thee
the time that remains on earth to the daughter of Jacob must be otherwise spent
she must seek the Comforter who may hide his face from his people but who
ever opens his ear to the cry of those who seek him in sincerity and in truth«
»We part then thus« said the Templar after a short pause »would to Heaven
we had never met or that thou hadst been noble in birth and Christian in faith
Nay by Heaven when I gaze on thee and think when and how we are next to
meet I could even wish myself one of thine own degraded nation my hand
conversant with ingots and shekels instead of spear and shield my head bent
down before each petty noble and my look only terrible to the shivering and
bankrupt debtor this could I wish Rebecca to be near to thee in life and to
escape the fearful share I must have in thy death«
»Thou hast spoken the Jew« said Rebecca »as the persecution of such as
thou art has made him Heaven in ire has driven him from his country but
industry has opened to him the only road to power and to influence which
oppression has left unbarred Read the ancient history of the people of God and
tell me if those by whom Jehovah wrought such marvels among the nations were
then a people of misers and usurers And know proud knight we number names
amongst us to which your boasted northern nobility is as the gourd compared with
the cedar names that ascend far back to those high times when the Divine
Presence shook the mercyseat between the cherubim and which derive their
splendour from no earthly prince but from the awful Voice which bade their
fathers be nearest of the congregation to the Vision Such were the princes of
the House of Jacob«
Rebeccas colour rose as she boasted the ancient glories of her race but
faded as she added with a sigh »Such were the princes of Judah now such no
more They are trampled down like the shorn grass and mixed with the mire of
the ways Yet there are those among them who shame not such high descent and of
such shall be the daughter of Isaac the son of Adonikam Farewell I envy not
thy bloodwon honours I envy not thy barbarous descent from northern heathens
I envy thee not thy faith which is ever in thy mouth but never in thy heart
nor in thy practice«
»There is a spell on me by Heaven« said BoisGuilbert »I almost think yon
besotted skeleton spoke truth and that the reluctance with which I part from
thee has something in it more than is natural Fair creature« he said
approaching near her but with great respect »so young so beautiful so
fearless of death and yet doomed to die and with infamy and agony Who would
not weep for thee The tear that has been a stranger to these eyelids for
twenty years moistens them as I gaze on thee But it must be nothing may now
save thy life Thou and I are but the blind instruments of some irresistible
fatality that hurries us along like goodly vessels driving before the storm
which are dashed against each other and so perish Forgive me then and let us
part at least as friends part I have assailed thy resolution in vain and
mine own is fixed as the adamantine decrees of fate«
»Thus« said Rebecca »do men throw on fate the issue of their own wild
passions But I do forgive thee BoisGuilbert though the author of my early
death There are noble things which cross over thy powerful mind but it is the
garden of the sluggard and the weeds have rushed up and conspired to choke the
fair and wholesome blossom«
»Yes« said the Templar »I am Rebecca as thou hast spoken me untaught
untamed and proud that amidst a shoal of empty fools and crafty bigots I
have attained the preeminent fortitude that places me above them I have been a
child of battle from my youth upward high in my views steady and inflexible in
pursuing them Such must I remain proud inflexible and unchanging and of
this the world shall have proof But thou forgivest me Rebecca«
»As freely as ever victim forgave her executioner«
»Farewell then« said the Templar and left the apartment
The Preceptor Albert waited impatiently in an adjacent chamber the return of
BoisGuilbert
»Thou hast tarried long« he said »I have been as if stretched on redhot
iron with very impatience What if the Grand Master or his spy Conrade had come
hither I had paid dear for my complaisance But what ails thee brother
Thy step totters thy brow is as black as night Art thou well BoisGuilbert«
»Ay« answered the Templar »as well as the wretch who is doomed to die
within an hour Nay by the rood not half so well for there be those in
such state who can lay down life like a castoff garment By Heaven Malvoisin
yonder girl hath wellnigh unmanned me I am half resolved to go to the Grand
Master abjure the Order to his very teeth and refuse to act the brutality
which his tyranny has imposed on me«
»Thou art mad« answered Malvoisin »thou mayest thus indeed utterly ruin
thyself but canst not even find a chance thereby to save the life of this
Jewess which seems so precious in thine eyes Beaumanoir will name another of
the Order to defend his judgment in thy place and the accused will as assuredly
perish as if thou hadst taken the duty imposed on thee«
»Tis false I will myself take arms in her behalf« answered the Templar
haughtily »and should I do so I think Malvoisin that thou knowest not one of
the Order who will keep his saddle before the point of my lance«
»Ay but thou forgettest« said the wily adviser »thou wilt have neither
leisure nor opportunity to execute this mad project Go to Lucas Beaumanoir and
say thou hast renounced thy vow of obedience and see how long the despotic old
man will leave thee in personal freedom The words shall scarce have left thy
lips ere thou wilt either be an hundred feet under ground in the dungeon of
the Preceptory to abide trial as a recreant knight or if his opinion holds
concerning thy possession thou wilt be enjoying straw darkness and chains in
some distant convent cell stunned with exorcisms and drenched with holy water
to expel the foul fiend which hath obtained dominion over thee Thou must to the
lists Brian or thou art a lost and dishonoured man«
»I will break forth and fly« said BoisGuilbert »fly to some distant
land to which folly and fanaticism have not yet found their way No drop of the
blood of this most excellent creature shall be spilled by my sanction«
»Thou canst not fly« said the Preceptor »thy ravings have excited
suspicion and thou wilt not be permitted to leave the Preceptory Go and make
the essay present thyself before the gate and command the bridge to be
lowered and mark what answer thou shalt receive Thou art surprised and
offended but is it not the better for thee Wert thou to fly what would ensue
but the reversal of thy arms the dishonour of thine ancestry the degradation
of thy rank Think on it Where shall thine old companions in arms hide their
heads when Brian de BoisGuilbert the best lance of the Templars is proclaimed
recreant amid the hisses of the assembled people What grief will be at the
Court of France With what joy will the haughty Richard hear the news that the
knight that set him hard in Palestine and wellnigh darkened his renown has
lost fame and honour for a Jewish girl whom he could not even save by so costly
a sacrifice«
»Malvoisin« said the knight »I thank thee thou hast touched the string
at which my heart most readily thrills Come of it what may recreant shall
never be added to the name of BoisGuilbert Would to God Richard or any of his
vaunting minions of England would appear in these lists But they will be empty
no one will risk to break a lance for the innocent the forlorn«
»The better for thee if it prove so« said the Preceptor »if no champion
appears it is not by thy means that this unlucky damsel shall die but by the
doom of the Grand Master with whom rests all the blame and who will count that
blame for praise and commendation«
»True« said BoisGuilbert »if no champion appears I am but a part of the
pageant sitting indeed on horseback in the lists but having no part in what
is to follow«
»None whatever« said Malvoisin »no more than the armed image of Saint
George when it makes part of a procession«
»Well I will resume my resolution« replied the haughty Templar »She has
despised me repulsed me reviled me and wherefore should I offer up for her
whatever of estimation I have in the opinion of others Malvoisin I will appear
in the lists«
He left the apartment hastily as he uttered these words and the Preceptor
followed to watch and confirm him in his resolution for in BoisGuilberts
fame he had himself a strong interest expecting much advantage from his being
one day at the head of the Order not to mention the preferment of which
MontFitchet had given him hopes on condition he would forward the condemnation
of the unfortunate Rebecca Yet although in combating his friends better
feelings he possessed all the advantage which a wily composed selfish
disposition has over a man agitated by strong and contending passions it
required all Malvoisins art to keep BoisGuilbert steady to the purpose he had
prevailed on him to adopt He was obliged to watch him closely to prevent his
resuming his purpose of flight to intercept his communication with the Grand
Master lest he should come to an open rupture with his Superior and to renew
from time to time the various arguments by which he endeavoured to show that
in appearing as champion on this occasion BoisGuilbert without either
accelerating or ensuring the fate of Rebecca would follow the only course by
which he could save himself from degradation and disgrace
Chapter Fortieth
Shadows avaunt Richards himself again
Richard III
When the Black Knight for it becomes necessary to resume the train of his
adventures left the Trystingtree of the generous Outlaw he held his way
straight to a neighbouring religious house of small extent and revenue and the
Priory of Saint Botolph to which the wounded Ivanhoe had been removed when the
castle was taken under the guidance of the faithful Gurth and the magnanimous
Wamba It is unnecessary at present to mention what took place in the interim
betwixt Wilfred and his deliverer suffice it to say that after long and grave
communication messengers were despatched by the Prior in several directions
and that on the succeeding morning the Black Knight was about to set forth on
his journey accompanied by the jester Wamba who attended as his guide
»We will meet« he said to Ivanhoe »at Coningsburgh the castle of the
deceased Athelstane since there thy father Cedric holds the funeral feast for
his noble relation I would see your Saxon kindred together Sir Wilfred and
become better acquainted with them than heretofore Thou also wilt meet me and
it shall be my task to reconcile thee to thy father«
So saying he took an affectionate farewell of Ivanhoe who expressed an
anxious desire to attend upon his deliverer But the Black Knight would not
listen to the proposal
»Rest this day thou wilt have scarce strength enough to travel on the next
I will have no guide with me but honest Wamba who can play priest or fool as I
shall be most in the humour«
»And I« said Wamba »will attend you with all my heart I would fain see
the feasting at the funeral of Athelstane for if it be not full and frequent
he will rise from the dead to rebuke cook sewer and cupbearer and that were a
sight worth seeing Always Sir Knight I will trust your valour with making my
excuse to my master Cedric in case mine own wit should fail«
»And how should my poor valour succeed Sir Jester when thy light wit
halts resolve me that«
»Wit Sir Knight« replied the Jester »may do much He is a quick
apprehensive knave who sees his neighbours blind side and knows how to keep
the leegage when his passions are blowing high But valour is a sturdy fellow
that makes all split He rows against both wind and tide and makes way
notwithstanding and therefore good Sir Knight while I take advantage of the
fair weather in our noble masters temper I will expect you to bestir yourself
when it grows rough«
»Sir Knight of the Fetterlock since it is your pleasure so to be
distinguished« said Ivanhoe »I fear me you have chosen a talkative and a
troublesome fool to be your guide But he knows every path and alley in the
woods as well as eer a hunter who frequents them and the poor knave as thou
hast partly seen is as faithful as steel«
»Nay« said the Knight »an he have the gift of showing my road I shall not
grumble with him that he desires to make it pleasant Faretheewell kind
Wilfred I charge thee not to attempt to travel till tomorrow at earliest«
So saying he extended his hand to Ivanhoe who pressed it to his lips took
leave of the Prior mounted his horse and departed with Wamba for his
companion Ivanhoe followed them with his eyes until they were lost in the
shades of the surrounding forest and then returned into the convent
But shortly after matinsong he requested to see the Prior The old man
came in haste and inquired anxiously after the state of his health
»It is better« he said »than my fondest hope could have anticipated
either my wound has been slighter than the effusion of blood led me to suppose
or this balsam hath wrought a wonderful cure upon it I feel already as if I
could bear my corselet and so much the better for thoughts pass in my mind
which render me unwilling to remain here longer in inactivity«
»Now the saints forbid« said the Prior »that the son of the Saxon Cedric
should leave our convent ere his wounds were healed It were shame to our
profession were we to suffer it«
»Nor would I desire to leave your hospitable roof venerable father« said
Ivanhoe »did I not feel myself able to endure the journey and compelled to
undertake it«
»And what can have urged you to so sudden a departure« said the Prior
»Have you never holy father« answered the Knight »felt an apprehension of
approaching evil for which you in vain attempted to assign a cause Have you
never found your mind darkened like the sunny landscape by the sudden cloud
which augurs a coming tempest And thinkest thou not that such impulses are
deserving of attention as being the hints of our guardian spirits that danger
is impending«
»I may not deny« said the Prior crossing himself »that such things have
been and have been of Heaven but then such communications have had a visibly
useful scope and tendency But thou wounded as thou art what avails it thou
shouldst follow the steps of him whom thou couldst not aid were he to be
assaulted«
»Prior« said Ivanhoe »thou dost mistake I am stout enough to exchange
buffets with any one who will challenge me to such a traffic But were it
otherwise may I not aid him were he in danger by other means than by force of
arms It is but too well known that the Saxons love not the Norman race and who
knows what may be the issue if he break in upon them when their hearts are
irritated by the death of Athelstane and their heads heated by the carousal in
which they will indulge themselves I hold his entrance among them at such a
moment most perilous and I am resolved to share or avert the danger which
that I may the better do I would crave of thee the use of some palfrey whose
pace may be softer than that of my destrier«56
»Surely« said the worthy churchman »you shall have mine own ambling
jennet and I would it ambled as easy for your sake as that of the Abbot of
Saint Albans Yet this will I say for Malkin for so I call her that unless you
were to borrow a ride on the jugglers steed that paces a hornpipe amongst the
eggs you could not go a journey on a creature so gentle and smoothpaced I
have composed many a homily on her back to the edification of my brethren of
the convent and many poor Christian souls«
»I pray you reverend father« said Ivanhoe »let Malkin be got ready
instantly and bid Gurth attend me with mine arms«
»Nay but fair sir« said the Prior »I pray you to remember that Malkin
hath as little skill in arms as her master and that I warrant not her enduring
the sight or weight of your full panoply Oh Malkin I promise you is a beast
of judgment and will contend against an undue weight I did but borrow the
Fructus Temporum from the priest of Saint Bees and I promise you she would not
stir from the gate until I had exchanged the huge volume for my little
breviary«
»Trust me holy father« said Ivanhoe »I will not distress her with too
much weight and if she calls a combat with me it is odds but she has the
worst«
This reply was made while Gurth was buckling on the Knights heels a pair of
large gilded spurs capable of convincing any restive horse that his best safety
lay in being conformable to the will of his rider
The deep and sharp rowels with which Ivanhoes heels were now armed began
to make the worthy Prior repent of his courtesy and ejaculate »Nay but fair
sir now I bethink me my Malkin abideth not the spur Better it were that you
tarry for the mare of our manciple down at the Grange which may be had in
little more than an hour and cannot but be tractable in respect that she
draweth much of our winter firewood and eateth no corn«
»I thank you reverend father but will abide by your first offer as I see
Malkin is already led forth to the gate Gurth shall carry mine armour and for
the rest rely on it that as I will not overload Malkins back she shall not
overcome my patience And now farewell«
Ivanhoe now descended the stairs more hastily and easily than his wound
promised and threw himself upon the jennet eager to escape the importunity of
the Prior who stuck as closely to his side as his age and fatness would permit
now singing the praises of Malkin now recommending caution to the Knight in
managing her
»She is at the most dangerous period for maidens as well as mares« said the
old man laughing at his own jest »being barely in her fifteenth year«
Ivanhoe who had other web to weave than to stand canvassing a palfreys
paces with its owner lent but a deaf ear to the Priors grave advices and
facetious jests and having leapt on his mare and commanded his squire for
such Gurth now called himself to keep close by his side he followed the track
of the Black Knight into the forest while the Prior stood at the gate of the
convent looking after him and ejaculating »Saint Mary how prompt and fiery
be these men of war I would I had not trusted Malkin to his keeping for
crippled as I am with the cold rheum I am undone if aught but good befalls her
And yet« said he recollecting himself »as I would not spare my own old and
disabled limbs in the good cause of Old England so Malkin must een run her
hazard on the same venture and it may be they will think our poor house worthy
of some munificent guerdon or it may be they will send the old Prior a
pacing nag And if they do none of these as great men will forget little mens
service truly I shall hold me well repaid in having done that which is right
And it is now wellnigh the fitting time to summon the brethren to breakfast in
the refectory Ah I doubt they obey that call more cheerily than the bells for
primes and matins«
So the Prior of Saint Botolphs hobbled back again into the refectory to
preside over the stockfish and ale which was just serving out for the friars
breakfast Pursy and important he sat him down at the table and many a dark
word he threw out of benefits to be expected to the convent and high deeds of
service done by himself which at another season would have attracted
observation But as the stockfish was highly salted and the ale reasonably
powerful the jaws of the brethren were too anxiously employed to admit of their
making much use of their ears nor do we read of any of the fraternity who was
tempted to speculate upon the mysterious hints of their Superior except Father
Diggory who was severely afflicted by the toothache so that he could only eat
on one side of his jaws
In the meantime the Black Champion and his guide were pacing at their
leisure through the recesses of the forest the good Knight whiles humming to
himself the lay of some enamoured troubadour sometimes encouraging by questions
the prating disposition of his attendant so that their dialogue formed a
whimsical mixture of song and jest of which we would fain give our readers some
idea You are then to imagine this Knight such as we have already described
him strong of person tall broadshouldered and large of bone mounted on his
mighty black charger which seemed made on purpose to bear his weight so easily
he paced forward under it having the visor of his helmet raised in order to
admit freedom of breath yet keeping the beaver or under part closed so that
his features could be but imperfectly distinguished But his ruddy embrowned
cheekbones could be plainly seen and the large and bright blue eyes that
flashed from under the dark shade of the raised visor and the whole gesture and
look of the champion expressed careless gaiety and fearless confidence a mind
which was unapt to apprehend danger and prompt to defy it when most imminent
yet with whom danger was a familiar thought as with one whose trade was war and
adventure
The Jester wore his usual fantastic habit but late accidents had led him to
adopt a good cutting falchion instead of his wooden sword with a targe to
match it of both which weapons he had notwithstanding his profession shown
himself a skilful master during the storming of Torquilstone Indeed the
infirmity of Wambas brain consisted chiefly in a kind of impatient
irritability which suffered him not long to remain quiet in any posture or
adhere to any certain train of ideas, although he was for a few minutes alert
enough in performing any immediate task or in apprehending any immediate topic
On horseback therefore he was perpetually swinging himself backwards and
forwards now on the horses ears then anon on the very rump of the animal
now hanging both his legs on one side and now sitting with his face to the
tail moping mowing and making a thousand apish gestures until his palfrey
took his freaks so much to heart as fairly to lay him at his length on the
green grass an incident which greatly amused the knight but compelled his
companion to ride more steadily thereafter
At the point of their journey at which we take them up this joyous pair
were engaged in singing a virelai as it was called in which the clown bore a
mellow burden to the better instructed Knight of the Fetterlock And thus ran
the ditty
AnnaMarie love up is the sun
AnnaMarie love morn is begun
Mists are dispersing love birds singing free
Up in the morning love AnnaMarie
AnnaMarie love up in the morn
The hunter is winding blithe sounds on his horn
The echo rings merry from rock and from tree
Tis time to arouse thee love AnnaMarie
Wamba
O Tybalt love Tybalt awake me not yet
Around my soft pillow while softer dreams flit
For what are the joys that in waking we prove
Compared with these visions O Tybalt my love
Let the birds to the rise of the mist carol shrill
Let the hunter blow out his loud horn on the hill
Softer sounds softer pleasures in slumber I prove
But think not I dreamt of thee Tybalt my love
»A dainty song« said Wamba when they had finished their carol »and I swear by
my bauble a pretty moral I used to sing it with Gurth once my playfellow
and now by the grace of God and his master no less than a freeman and we once
came by the cudgel for being so entranced by the melody that we lay in bed two
hours after sunrise singing the ditty betwixt sleeping and waking my bones
ache at thinking of the tune ever since Nevertheless I have played the part of
AnnaMarie to please you fair sir«
The Jester next struck into another carol a sort of comic ditty to which
the Knight catching up the tune replied in the like manner
Knight and Wamba
There came three merry men from south west and north
Ever more sing the roundelay
To win the Widow of Wycombe forth
And where was the widow might say them nay
The first was a knight and from Tynedale he came
Ever more sing the roundelay
And his fathers God save us were men of great fame
And where was the widow might say him nay
Of his father the laird of his uncle the squire
He boasted in rhyme and in roundelay
She bade him go bask by his seacoal fire
For she was the widow would say him nay
Wamba
The next that came forth swore by blood and by nails
Merrily sing the roundelay
Hurs a gentleman God wot and hurs lineage was of Wales
And where was the widow might say him nay
Sir David ap Morgan ap Griffith ap Hugh
Ap Tudor ap Rhice quoth his roundelay
She said that one widow for so many was too few
And she bade the Welshman wend his way
But then next came a yeoman a yeoman of Kent
Jollily singing his roundelay
He spoke to the widow of living and rent
And where was the widow could say him nay
Both
So the knight and the squire were both left in the mire
There for to sing their roundelay
For a yeoman of Kent with his yearly rent
There never was a widow could say him nay
»I would Wamba« said the Knight »that our host of the Trystingtree or the
jolly Friar his chaplain heard this thy ditty in praise of our bluff yeoman«
»So would not I« said Wamba »but for the horn that hangs at your
baldric«
»Ay« said the Knight »this is a pledge of Locksleys goodwill though I
am not like to need it Three mots on this bugle will I am assured bring
round at our need a jolly band of yonder honest yeomen«
»I would say Heaven forefend« said the Jester »were it not that that fair
gift is a pledge they would let us pass peaceably«
»Why what meanest thou« said the Knight »thinkest thou that but for this
pledge of fellowship they would assault us«
»Nay for me I say nothing« said Wamba »for green trees have ears as well
as stone walls But canst thou construe me this Sir Knight When is thy wine
pitcher and thy purse better empty than full«
»Why never I think« replied the Knight
»Thou never deservest to have a full one in thy hand for so simple an
answer Thou hadst best empty thy pitcher ere thou pass it to a Saxon and leave
thy money at home ere thou walk in the greenwood«
»You hold our friends for robbers then« said the Knight of the Fetterlock
»You hear me not say so fair sir« said Wamba »it may relieve a poor mans
steed to take off his mail when he hath a long journey to make and certes it
may do good to the riders soul to ease him of that which is the root of all
evil therefore will I give no hard names to those who do such services Only I
would wish my mail at home and my purse in my chamber when I meet with these
good fellows because it may save them some trouble«
»We are bound to pray for them my friend notwithstanding the fair
character thou dost afford them«
»Pray for them with all my heart« said Wamba »but in the town not in the
greenwood like the Abbot of Saint Bees whom they caused to say mass with an
old hollow oaktree for his stall«
»Say as thou list Wamba« replied the Knight »these yeomen did thy master
Cedric yeomanly service at Torquilstone«
»Ay truly« answered Wamba »but that was in the fashion of their trade
with Heaven«
»Their trade Wamba how mean you by that« replied his companion
»Marry thus« said the Jester »They make up a balanced account with Heaven
as our old cellarer used to call his ciphering as fair as Isaac the Jew keeps
with his debtors and like him give out a very little and take large credit
for doing so reckoning doubtless on their own behalf the sevenfold usury
which the blessed text hath promised to charitable loans«
»Give me an example of your meaning Wamba I know nothing of ciphers or
rates of usage« answered the Knight
»Why« said Wamba »an your valour be so dull you will please to learn
that those honest fellows balance a good deed with one not quite so laudable as
a crown given to a begging friar with an hundred byzants taken from a fat abbot
or a wench kissed in the greenwood with the relief of a poor widow«
»Which of these was the good deed which was the felony« interrupted the
Knight
»A good gibe a good gibe« said Wamba »keeping witty company sharpeneth
the apprehension You said nothing so well Sir Knight I will be sworn when
you held drunken vespers with the bluff Hermit But to go on The merrymen of
the forest set off the building of a cottage with the burning of a castle the
thatching of a choir against the robbing of a church the setting free a poor
prisoner against the murder of a proud sheriff or to come nearer to our point
the deliverance of a Saxon franklin against the burning alive of a Norman baron
Gentle thieves they are in short and courteous robbers but it is ever the
luckiest to meet with them when they are at the worst«
»How so Wamba« said the Knight
»Why then they have some compunction and are for making up matters with
Heaven But when they have struck an even balance Heaven help them with whom
they next open the account The travellers who first met them after their good
service at Torquilstone would have a woeful flaying And yet« said Wamba
coming close up to the Knights side »there be companions who are far more
dangerous for travellers to meet than yonder outlaws«
»And who may they be for you have neither bears nor wolves I trow« said
the Knight
»Marry sir but we have Malvoisins menatarms« said Wamba »and let me
tell you that in time of civil war a halfscore of these is worth a band of
wolves at any time They are now expecting their harvest and are reinforced
with the soldiers that escaped from Torquilstone So that should we meet with a
band of them we are like to pay for our feats of arms Now I pray you Sir
Knight what would you do if we met two of them«
»Pin the villains to the earth with my lance Wamba if they offered us any
impediment«
»But what if there were four of them«
»They should drink of the same cup« answered the Knight
»What if six« continued Wamba »and we as we now are barely two would
you not remember Locksleys horn«
»What sound for aid« exclaimed the Knight »against a score of such
rascaille as these whom one good knight could drive before him as the wind
drives the withered leaves«
»Nay then« said Wamba »I will pray you for a close sight of that same
horn that hath so powerful a breath«
The Knight undid the clasp of the baldric and indulged his
fellowtraveller who immediately hung the bugle round his own neck
»Tralirala« said he whistling the notes »nay I know my gamut as well
as another«
»How mean you knave« said the Knight »restore me the bugle«
»Content you Sir Knight it is in safe keeping When Valour and Folly
travel Folly should bear the horn because she can blow the best«
»Nay but rogue« said the Black Knight »this exceedeth thy license
Beware ye tamper not with my patience«
»Urge me not with violence Sir Knight« said the Jester keeping at a
distance from the impatient champion »or Folly will show a clean pair of heels
and leave Valour to find out his way through the wood as best he may«
»Nay thou hast hit me there« said the Knight »and sooth to say I have
little time to jangle with thee Keep the horn an thou wilt but let us proceed
on our journey«
»You will not harm me then« said Wamba
»I tell thee no thou knave«
»Ay but pledge me your knightly word for it« continued Wamba as he
approached with great caution
»My knightly word I pledge only come on with thy foolish self«
»Nay then Valour and Folly are once more boon companions« said the
Jester coming up frankly to the Knights side »but in truth I love not such
buffets as that you bestowed on the burly Friar when his holiness rolled on the
green like a king of the ninepins And now that Folly wears the horn let
Valour rouse himself and shake his mane for if I mistake not there are
company in yonder brake that are on the lookout for us«
»What makes thee judge so« said the Knight
»Because I have twice or thrice noticed the glance of a morrion from amongst
the green leaves Had they been honest men they had kept the path But yonder
thicket is a choice chapel for the Clerks of Saint Nicholas«
»By my faith« said the Knight closing his visor »I think thou best in
the right ont«
And in good time did he close it for three arrows flew at the same instant
from the suspected spot against his head and breast one of which would have
penetrated to the brain had it not been turned aside by the steel visor The
other two were averted by the gorget and by the shield which hung around his
neck
»Thanks trusty armourer« said the Knight »Wamba let us close with
them« and he rode straight to the thicket He was met by six or seven
menatarms who ran against him with their lances at full career Three of the
weapons struck against him and splintered with as little effect as if they had
been driven against a tower of steel The Black Knights eyes seemed to flash
fire even through the aperture of his visor He raised himself in his stirrups
with an air of inexpressible dignity and exclaimed »What means this my
masters« The men made no other reply than by drawing their swords and
attacking him on every side crying »Die tyrant«
»Ha Saint Edward Ha Saint George« said the Black Knight striking down a
man at every invocation »have we traitors here«
His opponents desperate as they were bore back from an arm which carried
death in every blow and it seemed as if the terror of his single strength was
about to gain the battle against such odds when a knight in blue armour who
had hitherto kept himself behind the other assailants spurred forward with his
lance and taking aim not at the rider but at the steed wounded the noble
animal mortally
»That was a felon stroke« exclaimed the Black Knight as the steed fell to
the earth bearing his rider along with him
And at this moment Wamba winded the bugle for the whole had passed so
speedily that he had not time to do so sooner The sudden sound made the
murderers bear back once more and Wamba though so imperfectly weaponed did
not hesitate to rush in and assist the Black Knight to rise
»Shame on ye false cowards« exclaimed he in the blue harness who seemed
to lead the assailants »do ye fly from the empty blast of a horn blown by a
Jester«
Animated by his words they attacked the Black Knight anew whose best
refuge was now to place his back against an oak and defend himself with his
sword The felon knight who had taken another spear watching the moment when
his formidable antagonist was most closely pressed galloped against him in
hopes to nail him with his lance against the tree when his purpose was again
intercepted by Wamba The Jester making up by agility the want of strength and
little noticed by the menatarms who were busied in their more important
object hovered on the skirts of the fight and effectually checked the fatal
career of the Blue Knight by hamstringing his horse with a stroke of his sword
Horse and man went to the ground yet the situation of the Knight of the
Fetterlock continued very precarious as he was pressed close by several men
completely armed and began to be fatigued by the violent exertions necessary to
defend himself on so many points at nearly the same moment when a greygoose
shaft suddenly stretched on the earth one of the most formidable of his
assailants and a band of yeomen broke forth from the glade headed by Locksley
and the jovial Friar who taking ready and effectual part in the fray soon
disposed of the ruffians all of whom lay on the spot dead or mortally wounded
The Black Knight thanked his deliverers with a dignity they had not observed in
his former bearing which hitherto had seemed rather that of a blunt bold
soldier than of a person of exalted rank
»It concerns me much« he said »even before I express my full gratitude to
my ready friends to discover if I may who have been my unprovoked enemies
Open the visor of that Blue Knight Wamba who seems the chief of these
villains«
The Jester instantly made up to the leader of the assassins who bruised by
his fall and entangled under the wounded steed lay incapable either of flight
or resistance
»Come valiant sir« said Wamba »I must be your armourer as well as your
equerry I have dismounted you and now I will unhelm you«
So saying with no very gentle hand he undid the helmet of the Blue Knight
which rolling to a distance on the grass displayed to the Knight of the
Fetterlock grizzled locks and a countenance he did not expect to have seen
under such circumstances
»Waldemar Fitzurse« he said in astonishment »what could urge one of thy
rank and seeming worth to so foul an undertaking«
»Richard« said the captive Knight looking up to him »thou knowest little
of mankind if thou knowest not to what ambition and revenge can lead every
child of Adam«
»Revenge« answered the Black Knight »I never wronged thee On me thou
hast nought to revenge«
»My daughter Richard whose alliance thou didst scorn was that no injury
to a Norman whose blood is noble as thine own«
»Thy daughter« replied the Black Knight »a proper cause of enmity and
followed up to a bloody issue Stand back my masters I would speak to him
alone And now Waldemar Fitzurse say me the truth confess who set thee on
this traitorous deed«
»Thy fathers son« answered Waldemar »who in so doing did but avenge on
thee thy disobedience to thy father«
Richards eyes sparkled with indignation but his better nature overcame it
He pressed his hand against his brow and remained an instant gazing on the face
of the humbled baron in whose features pride was contending with shame
»Thou dost not ask thy life Waldemar« said the King
»He that is in the lions clutch« answered Fitzurse »knows it were
needless«
»Take it then unasked« said Richard »the lion preys not on prostrate
carcasses Take thy life but with this condition that in three days thou
shalt leave England and go to hide thine infamy in thy Norman castle and that
thou wilt never mention the name of John of Anjou as connected with thy felony
If thou art found on English ground after the space I have allotted thee thou
diest or if thou breathest aught that can attaint the honour of my house by
Saint George not the altar itself shall be a sanctuary I will hang thee out to
feed the ravens from the very pinnacle of thine own castle Let this knight
have a steed Locksley for I see your yeomen have caught those which were
running loose and let him depart unharmed«
»But that I judge I listen to a voice whose behests must not be disputed«
answered the yeoman »I would send a shaft after the skulking villain that
should spare him the labour of a long journey«
»Thou bearest an English heart Locksley« said the Black Knight »and well
dost judge thou art the more bound to obey my behest I am Richard of England«
At these words pronounced in a tone of majesty suited to the high rank and
no less distinguished character of CoeurdeLion the yeomen at once kneeled
down before him and at the same time tendered their allegiance and implored
pardon for their offences
»Rise my friends« said Richard in a gracious tone looking on them with a
countenance in which his habitual goodhumour had already conquered the blaze of
hasty resentment and whose features retained no mark of the late desperate
conflict excepting the flush arising from exertion »Arise« he said »my
friends Your misdemeanours whether in forest or field have been atoned by
the loyal services you rendered my distressed subjects before the walls of
Torquilstone and the rescue you have this day afforded to your sovereign
Arise my liegemen and be good subjects in future And thou brave Locksley«
»Call me no longer Locksley my Liege but know me under the name which I
fear fame hath blown too widely not to have reached even your royal ears I am
Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest«57
»King of Outlaws and Prince of good fellows« said the King »who hath not
heard a name that has been borne as far as Palestine But be assured brave
Outlaw that no deed done in our absence and in the turbulent times to which it
hath given rise shall be remembered to thy disadvantage«
»True says the proverb« said Wamba interposing his word but with some
abatement of his usual petulance
»When the cat is away
The mice will play«
»What Wamba art thou there« said Richard »I have been so long of hearing thy
voice I thought thou hadst taken flight«
»I take flight« said Wamba »when do you ever find Folly separated from
Valour There lies the trophy of my sword that good grey gelding whom I
heartily wish upon his legs again conditioning his master lay there houghed in
his place It is true I gave a little ground at first for a motley jacket does
not brook lanceheads as a steel doublet will But if I fought not at swords
point you will grant me that I sounded the onset«
»And to good purpose honest Wamba« replied the King »Thy good service
shall not be forgotten«
»Confiteor Confiteor« exclaimed in a submissive tone a voice near the
Kings side »my Latin will carry me no farther but I confess my deadly
treason and pray leave to have absolution before I am led to execution«
Richard looked around and beheld the jovial Friar on his knees telling his
rosary while his quarterstaff which had not been idle during the skirmish
lay on the grass beside him His countenance was gathered so as he thought might
best express the most profound contrition his eyes being turned up and the
corners of his mouth drawn down as Wamba expressed it like the tassels at the
mouth of a purse Yet this demure affectation of extreme penitence was
whimsically belied by a ludicrous meaning which lurked in his huge features and
seemed to pronounce his fear and repentance alike hypocritical
»For what art thou cast down mad Priest« said Richard »art thou afraid
thy diocesan should learn how truly thou dost serve our Lady and Saint Dunstan
Tush man fear it not Richard of England betrays no secrets that pass over
the flagon«
»Nay most gracious Sovereign« answered the Hermit well known to the
curious in penny histories of Robin Hood by the name of Friar Tuck »it is not
the crosier I fear but the sceptre Alas that my sacrilegious fist should
ever have been applied to the ear of the Lords anointed«
»Ha ha« said Richard »sits the wind there In truth I had forgotten the
buffet though mine ear sung after it for a whole day But if the cuff was
fairly given I will be judged by the good men around if it was not as well
repaid or if thou thinkest I still owe thee aught and wilt stand forth for
another counterbuff«
»By no means« replied Friar Tuck »I had mine own returned and with usury
may your Majesty ever pay your debts as fully«
»If I could do so with cuffs« said the King »my creditors should have
little reason to complain of an empty exchequer«
»And yet« said the Friar resuming his demure hypocritical countenance »I
know not what penance I ought to perform for that most sacrilegious blow«
»Speak no more of it brother« said the King »after having stood so many
cuffs from Paynims and misbelievers I were void of reason to quarrel with the
buffet of a clerk so holy as he of Copmanhurst Yet mine honest Friar I think
it would be best both for the church and thyself that I should procure a
license to unfrock thee and retain thee as a yeoman of our guard serving in
care of our person as formerly in attendance upon the altar of Saint Dunstan«
»My Liege« said the Friar »I humbly crave your pardon and you would
readily grant my excuse did you but know how the sin of laziness has beset me
Saint Dunstan may he be gracious to us stands quiet in his niche though I
should forget my orisons in killing a fat buck I stay out of my cell sometimes
a night doing I wot not what Saint Dunstan never complains a quiet master
he is and a peaceful as ever was made of wood But to be a yeoman in
attendance on my sovereign the King the honour is great doubtless yet if I
were but to step aside to comfort a widow in one corner or to kill a deer in
another it would be Where is the dog Priest says one Who has seen the
accursed Tuck says another The unfrocked villain destroys more venison than
half the country besides says one keeper And is hunting after every shy doe in
the country quoth a second In fine good my Liege I pray you to leave me as
you found me or if in aught you desire to extend your benevolence to me that
I may be considered as the poor Clerk of Saint Dunstans cell in Copmanhurst to
whom any small donation will be most thankfully acceptable«
»I understand thee« said the King »and the Holy Clerk shall have a grant
of vert and venison in my woods of Warncliffe Mark however I will but assign
thee three bucks every season but if that do not prove an apology for thy
slaying thirty I am no Christian knight nor true king«
»Your Grace may be well assured« said the Friar »that with the grace of
Saint Dunstan I shall find the way of multiplying your most bounteous gift«
»I nothing doubt it good brother« said the King »and as venison is but
dry food our cellarer shall have orders to deliver to thee a butt of sack a
runlet of Malvoisie and three hogsheads of ale of the first strike yearly If
that will not quench thy thirst thou must come to court and become acquainted
with my butler«
»But for Saint Dunstan« said the Friar
»A cope a stole and an altarcloth shalt thou also have« continued the
King crossing himself »But we may not turn our game into earnest lest God
punish us for thinking more on our follies than on his honour and worship«
»I will answer for my patron« said the Priest joyously
»Answer for thyself Friar« said King Richard something sternly but
immediately stretching out his hand to the Hermit the latter somewhat abashed
bent his knee and saluted it »Thou dost less honour to my extending palm than
to my clenched fist« said the Monarch »thou didst only kneel to the one and
to the other didst prostrate thyself«
But the Friar afraid perhaps of again giving offence by continuing the
conversation in too jocose a style a false step to be particularly guarded
against by those who converse with monarchs bowed profoundly and fell into
the rear
At the same time two additional personages appeared on the scene
Chapter FortyFirst
All hail to the lordlings of high degree
Who live not more happy though greater than we
Our pastimes to see
Under every green tree
In all the gay woodland right welcome ye be
Macdonald
The new comers were Wilfred of Ivanhoe on the Prior of Botolphs palfrey and
Gurth who attended him on the Knights own warhorse The astonishment of
Ivanhoe was beyond bounds when he saw his master besprinkled with blood and
six or seven dead bodies lying around in the little glade in which the battle
had taken place Nor was he less surprised to see Richard surrounded by so many
silvan attendants the outlaws as they seemed to be of the forest and a
perilous retinue therefore for a prince He hesitated whether to address the
King as the Black Knighterrant or in what other manner to demean himself
towards him Richard saw his embarrassment
»Fear not Wilfred« he said »to address Richard Plantagenet as himself
since thou seest him in the company of true English hearts although it may be
they have been urged a few steps aside by warm English blood«
»Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe« said the gallant Outlaw stepping forward »my
assurances can add nothing to those of our sovereign yet let me say somewhat
proudly that of men who have suffered much he hath not truer subjects than
those who now stand around him«
»I cannot doubt it brave man« said Wilfred »since thou art of the number
But what mean these marks of death and danger these slain men and the bloody
armour of my Prince«
»Treason hath been with us Ivanhoe« said the King »but thanks to these
brave men treason hath met its meed But now I bethink me thou too art a
traitor« said Richard smiling »a most disobedient traitor for were not our
orders positive that thou shouldst repose thyself at Saint Botolphs until thy
wound was healed«
»It is healed« said Ivanhoe »it is not of more consequence than the
scratch of a bodkin But why oh why noble Prince will you thus vex the
hearts of your faithful servants and expose your life by lonely journeys and
rash adventures as if it were of no more value than that of a mere
knighterrant who has no interest on earth but what lance and sword may procure
him«
»And Richard Plantagenet« said the King »desires no more fame than his
good lance and sword may acquire him and Richard Plantagenet is prouder of
achieving an adventure with only his good sword and his good arm to speed
than if he led to battle a host of a hundred thousand armed men«
»But your kingdom my Liege« said Ivanhoe »your kingdom is threatened with
dissolution and civil war your subjects menaced with every species of evil if
deprived of their sovereign in some of those dangers which it is your daily
pleasure to incur and from which you have but this moment narrowly escaped«
»Ho ho my kingdom and my subjects« answered Richard impatiently »I tell
thee Sir Wilfred the best of them are most willing to repay my follies in kind
For example, my very faithful servant Wilfred of Ivanhoe will not obey my
positive commands and yet reads his king a homily because he does not walk
exactly by his advice Which of us has most reason to upbraid the other Yet
forgive me my faithful Wilfred The time I have spent and am yet to spend in
concealment is as I explained to thee at Saint Botolphs necessary to give my
friends and faithful nobles time to assemble their forces that when Richards
return is announced he should be at the head of such a force as enemies shall
tremble to face and thus subdue the meditated treason without even unsheathing
a sword Estoteville and Bohun will not be strong enough to move forward to York
for twentyfour hours I must have news of Salisbury from the south and of
Beauchamp in Warwickshire and of Multon and Percy in the north The Chancellor
must make sure of London Too sudden an appearance would subject me to dangers
other than my lance and sword though backed by the bow of bold Robin or the
quarterstaff of Friar Tuck and the horn of the sage Wamba may be able to
rescue me from«
Wilfred bowed in submission well knowing how vain it was to contend with
the wild spirit of chivalry which so often impelled his master upon dangers
which he might easily have avoided or rather which it was unpardonable in him
to have sought out The young knight sighed therefore and held his peace
while Richard rejoiced at having silenced his counsellor though his heart
acknowledged the justice of the charge he had brought against him went on in
conversation with Robin Hood »King of Outlaws« he said »have you no
refreshment to offer to your brother sovereign for these dead knaves have found
me both in exercise and appetite«
»In troth« replied the Outlaw »for I scorn to lie to your Grace our
larder is chiefly supplied with« He stopped and was somewhat embarrassed
»With venison I suppose« said Richard gaily »better food at need there
can be none and truly if a king will not remain at home and slay his own
game methinks he should not brawl too loud if he finds it killed to his hand«
»If your Grace then« said Robin »will again honour with your presence one
of Robin Hoods places of rendezvous the venison shall not be lacking and a
stoup of ale and it may be a cup of reasonably good wine to relish it withal«
The Outlaw accordingly led the way followed by the buxom Monarch more
happy probably in this chance meeting with Robin Hood and his foresters than
he would have been in again assuming his royal state and presiding over a
splendid circle of peers and nobles Novelty in society and adventure were the
zest of life to Richard CoeurdeLion and it had its highest relish when
enhanced by dangers encountered and surmounted In the lionhearted King the
brilliant but useless character of a knight of romance was in a great measure
realised and revived and the personal glory which he acquired by his own deeds
of arms was far more dear to his excited imagination than that which a course
of policy and wisdom would have spread around his government Accordingly his
reign was like the course of a brilliant and rapid meteor which shoots along
the face of heaven shedding around an unnecessary and portentous light which
is instantly swallowed up by universal darkness his feats of chivalry
furnishing themes for bards and minstrels but affording none of those solid
benefits to his country on which history loves to pause and hold up as an
example to posterity But in his present company Richard showed to the greatest
imaginable advantage He was gay goodhumoured and fond of manhood in every
rank of life
Beneath a huge oak tree the silvan repast was hastily prepared for the King
of England surrounded by men outlaws to his government but who now formed his
court and his guard As the flagon went round the rough foresters soon lost
their awe for the presence of Majesty The song and the jest were exchanged
the stories of former deeds were told with advantage and at length and while
boasting of their successful infraction of the laws, no one recollected they
were speaking in presence of their natural guardian The merry King nothing
heeding his dignity any more than his company laughed quaffed and jested
among the jolly band The natural and rough sense of Robin Hood led him to be
desirous that the scene should be closed ere anything should occur to disturb
its harmony the more especially that he observed Ivanhoes brow clouded with
anxiety »We are honoured« he said to Ivanhoe apart »by the presence of our
gallant Sovereign yet I would not that he dallied with time which the
circumstances of his kingdom may render precious«
»It is well and wisely spoken brave Robin Hood« said Wilfred apart »and
know moreover that they who jest with Majesty even in its gayest mood are
but toying with the lions whelp which on slight provocation uses both fangs
and claws«
»You have touched the very cause of my fear« said the Outlaw »my men are
rough by practice and nature the King is hasty as well as goodhumoured nor
know I how soon cause of offence may arise or how warmly it may be received
it is time this revel were broken off«
»It must be by your management then gallant yeoman« said Ivanhoe »for
each hint I have essayed to give him serves only to induce him to prolong it«
»Must I so soon risk the pardon and favour of my Sovereign« said Robin
Hood pausing for an instant »but by Saint Christopher it shall be so I were
undeserving his grace did I not peril it for his good Here Scathlock get
thee behind yonder thicket and wind me a Norman blast on thy bugle and without
an instants delay on peril of your life«
Scathlock obeyed his captain and in less than five minutes the revellers
were startled by the sound of his horn
»It is the bugle of Malvoisin« said the Miller starting to his feet and
seizing his bow The Friar dropped the flagon and grasped his quarterstaff
Wamba stopped short in the midst of a jest and betook himself to sword and
target All the others stood to their weapons
Men of their precarious course of life change readily from the banquet to
the battle and to Richard the exchange seemed but a succession of pleasure He
called for his helmet and the most cumbrous parts of his armour which he had
laid aside and while Gurth was putting them on he laid his strict injunctions
on Wilfred under pain of his highest displeasure not to engage in the skirmish
which he supposed was approaching
»Thou hast fought for me an hundred times Wilfred and I have seen it
Thou shalt this day look on and see how Richard will fight for his friend and
liegeman«
In the meantime Robin Hood had sent off several of his followers in
different directions as if to reconnoitre the enemy and when he saw the
company effectually broken up he approached Richard who was now completely
armed and kneeling down on one knee craved pardon of his Sovereign
»For what good yeoman« said Richard somewhat impatiently »Have we not
already granted thee a full pardon for all transgressions Thinkest thou our
word is a feather to be blown backward and forward between us Thou canst not
have had time to commit any new offence since that time«
»Ay but I have though« answered the yeoman »if it be an offence to
deceive my prince for his own advantage The bugle you have heard was none of
Malvoisins but blown by my direction to break off the banquet lest it
trenched upon hours of dearer import than to be thus dallied with«
He then rose from his knee folded his arms on his bosom and in a manner
rather respectful than submissive awaited the answer of the King like one who
is conscious he may have given offence yet is confident in the rectitude of his
motive The blood rushed in anger to the countenance of Richard but it was the
first transient emotion and his sense of justice instantly subdued it
»The King of Sherwood« he said »grudges his venison and his wineflask to
the King of England It is well bold Robin but when you come to see me in
merry London I trust to be a less niggard host Thou art right however good
fellow Let us therefore to horse and away Wilfred has been impatient this
hour Tell me bold Robin hast thou never a friend in thy band who not
content with advising will needs direct thy motions and look miserable when
thou dost presume to act for thyself«
»Such a one« said Robin »is my Lieutenant Little John who is even now
absent on an expedition as far as the borders of Scotland and I will own to
your Majesty that I am sometimes displeased by the freedom of his counsels
but when I think twice I cannot be long angry with one who can have no motive
for his anxiety save zeal for his masters service«
»Thou art right good yeoman« answered Richard »and if I had Ivanhoe on
the one hand to give grave advice and recommend it by the sad gravity of his
brow and thee on the other to trick me into what thou thinkest my own good I
should have as little the freedom of mine own will as any king in Christendom or
Heathenesse But come sirs let us merrily on to Coningsburgh and think no
more ont«
Robin Hood assured them that he had detached a party in the direction of the
road they were to pass who would not fail to discover and apprize them of any
secret ambuscade and that he had little doubt they would find the ways secure
or if otherwise would receive such timely notice of the danger as would enable
them to fall back on a strong troop of archers with which he himself proposed
to follow on the same route
The wise and attentive precautions adopted for his safety touched Richards
feelings and removed any slight grudge which he might retain on account of the
deception the Outlaw Captain had practised upon him He once more extended his
hand to Robin Hood assured him of his full pardon and future favour as well as
his firm resolution to restrain the tyrannical exercise of the forest rights and
other oppressive laws by which so many English yeomen were driven into a state
of rebellion But Richards good intentions towards the bold Outlaw were
frustrated by the Kings untimely death and the Charter of the Forest was
extorted from the unwilling hands of King John when he succeeded to his heroic
brother As for the rest of Robin Hoods career as well as the tale of his
treacherous death they are to be found in those blackletter garlands once
sold at the low and easy rate of one halfpenny
»Now cheaply purchased at their weight in gold«
The Outlaws opinion proved true and the King attended by Ivanhoe Gurth and
Wamba arrived without any interruption within view of the Castle of
Coningsburgh while the sun was yet in the horizon
There are few more beautiful or striking scenes in England than are
presented by the vicinity of this ancient Saxon fortress The soft and gentle
river Don sweeps through an amphitheatre in which cultivation is richly blended
with woodland and on a mount ascending from the river well defended by walls
and ditches rises this ancient edifice which as its Saxon name implies was
previous to the Conquest a royal residence of the kings of England The outer
walls have probably been added by the Normans but the inner keep bears token of
very great antiquity It is situated on a mount at one angle of the inner court
and forms a complete circle of perhaps twentyfive feet in diameter The wall is
of immense thickness and is propped or defended by six huge external buttresses
which project from the circle and rise up against the sides of the tower as if
to strengthen or to support it These massive buttresses are solid when they
arise from the foundation and a good way higher up but are hollowed out
towards the top and terminate in a sort of turrets communicating with the
interior of the keep itself. The distant appearance of this huge building with
these singular accompaniments is as interesting to the lovers of the
picturesque as the interior of the castle is to the eager antiquary whose
imagination it carries back to the days of the Heptarchy A barrow in the
vicinity of the castle is pointed out as the tomb of the memorable Hengist and
various monuments of great antiquity and curiosity are shown in the
neighbouring churchyard58
When CoeurdeLion and his retinue approached this rude yet stately
building it was not as at present surrounded by external fortifications The
Saxon architect had exhausted his art in rendering the main keep defensible and
there was no other circumvallation than a rude barrier of palisades
A huge black banner which floated from the top of the tower announced that
the obsequies of the late owner were still in the act of being solemnised It
bore no emblem of the deceaseds birth or quality for armorial bearings were
then a novelty among the Norman chivalry themselves and were totally unknown to
the Saxons But above the gate was another banner on which the figure of a
white horse rudely painted indicated the nation and rank of the deceased by
the wellknown symbol of Hengist and his Saxon warriors
All around the castle was a scene of busy commotion for such funeral
banquets were times of general and profuse hospitality which not only every one
who could claim the most distant connection with the deceased but all
passengers whatsoever were invited to partake The wealth and consequence of
the deceased Athelstane occasioned this custom to be observed in the fullest
extent
Numerous parties therefore were seen ascending and descending the hill on
which the castle was situated and when the King and his attendants entered the
open and unguarded gates of the external barrier the space within presented a
scene not easily reconciled with the cause of the assemblage In one place cooks
were toiling to roast huge oxen and fat sheep in another hogsheads of ale were
set abroach to be drained at the freedom of all comers Groups of every
description were to be seen devouring the food and swallowing the liquor thus
abandoned to their discretion The naked Saxon serf was drowning the sense of
his halfyears hunger and thirst in one day of gluttony and drunkenness the
more pampered burgess and guildbrother was eating his morsel with gust or
curiously criticising the quantity of the malt and the skill of the brewer Some
few of the poorer Norman gentry might also be seen distinguished by their
shaven chins and short cloaks and not less so by their keeping together and
looking with great scorn on the whole solemnity even while condescending to
avail themselves of the good cheer which was so liberally supplied
Mendicants were of course assembled by the score together with strolling
soldiers returned from Palestine according to their own account at least
pedlars were displaying their wares travelling mechanics were inquiring after
employment and wandering palmers hedgepriests Saxon minstrels and Welsh
bards were muttering prayers and extracting mistuned dirges from their harps
crowds and rotes59 One sent forth the praises of Athelstane in a doleful
panegyric another in a Saxon genealogical poem rehearsed the uncouth and
harsh names of his noble ancestry Jesters and jugglers were not awanting nor
was the occasion of the assembly supposed to render the exercise of their
profession indecorous or improper Indeed the ideas of the Saxons on these
occasions were as natural as they were rude If sorrow was thirsty there was
drink if hungry there was food if it sunk down upon and saddened the heart
here were the means supplied of mirth or at least of amusement Nor did the
assistants scorn to avail themselves of those means of consolation although
every now and then as if suddenly recollecting the cause which had brought them
together the men groaned in unison while the females of whom many were
present raised up their voices and shrieked for very woe
Such was the scene in the castleyard at Coningsburgh when it was entered by
Richard and his followers The seneschal or steward deigned not to take notice
of the groups of inferior guests who were perpetually entering and withdrawing
unless so far as was necessary to preserve order nevertheless he was struck by
the good mien of the Monarch and Ivanhoe more especially as he imagined the
features of the latter were familiar to him Besides the approach of two
knights for such their dress bespoke them was a rare event at a Saxon
solemnity and could not but be regarded as a sort of honour to the deceased and
his family And in his sable dress and holding in his hand his white wand of
office this important personage made way through the miscellaneous assemblage
of guests thus conducting Richard and Ivanhoe to the entrance of the tower
Gurth and Wamba speedily found acquaintances in the courtyard nor presumed to
intrude themselves any farther until their presence should be required
Chapter FortySecond
I found them winding of Marcellos corpse
And there was such a solemn melody
Twixt doleful songs tears and sad elegies
Such as old grandames watching by the dead
Are wont to outwear the night with
Old Play
The mode of entering the great tower of Coningsburgh Castle is very peculiar
and partakes of the rude simplicity of the early times in which it was erected
A flight of steps so deep and narrow as to be almost precipitous leads up to a
low portal in the south side of the tower by which the adventurous antiquary
may still or at least could a few years since gain access to a small stair
within the thickness of the main wall of the tower which leads up to the third
storey of the building the two lower being dungeons or vaults which neither
receive air nor light save by a square hole in the third storey with which
they seem to have communicated by a ladder The access to the upper apartments
in the tower which consist in all of four storeys is given by stairs which are
carried up through the external buttresses
By this difficult and complicated entrance the good King Richard followed
by his faithful Ivanhoe was ushered into the round apartment which occupies the
whole of the third storey from the ground Wilfred by the difficulties of the
ascent gained time to muffle his face in his mantle as it had been held
expedient that he should not present himself to his father until the King should
give him the signal
There were assembled in this apartment around a large oaken table about a
dozen of the most distinguished representatives of the Saxon families in the
adjacent counties These were all old or at least elderly men for the younger
race to the great displeasure of the seniors had like Ivanhoe broken down
many of the barriers which separated for halfacentury the Norman victors from
the vanquished Saxons The downcast and sorrowful looks of these venerable men
their silence and their mournful posture formed a strong contrast to the levity
of the revellers on the outside of the castle Their grey locks and long full
beards together with their antique tunics and loose black mantles suited well
with the singular and rude apartment in which they were seated and gave the
appearance of a band of ancient worshippers of Woden recalled to life to mourn
over the decay of their national glory
Cedric seated in equal rank among his countrymen seemed yet by common
consent to act as chief of the assembly Upon the entrance of Richard only
known to him as the valorous Knight of the Fetterlock he arose gravely and
gave him welcome by the ordinary salutation Waes hael raising at the same time
a goblet to his head The King no stranger to the customs of his English
subjects returned the greeting with the appropriate words Drinc hael and
partook of a cup which was handed to him by the sewer The same courtesy was
offered to Ivanhoe who pledged his father in silence supplying the usual
speech by an inclination of his head lest his voice should have been
recognised
When this introductory ceremony was performed Cedric arose and extending
his hand to Richard conducted him into a small and very rude chapel which was
excavated as it were out of one of the external buttresses As there was no
opening saving a very narrow loophole the place would have been nearly quite
dark but for two flambeaux or torches which showed by a red and smoky light
the arched roof and naked walls the rude altar of stone and the crucifix of
the same material
Before this altar was placed a bier and on each side of this bier kneeled
three priests who told their beads and muttered their prayers with the
greatest signs of external devotion For this service a splendid soulscat was
paid to the convent of Saint Edmunds by the mother of the deceased and that
it might be fully deserved the whole brethren saving the lame Sacristan had
transferred themselves to Coningsburgh where while six of their number were
constantly on guard in the performance of divine rites by the bier of
Athelstane the others failed not to take their share of the refreshments and
amusements which went on at the castle In maintaining this pious watch and
ward the good monks were particularly careful not to interrupt their hymns for
an instant lest Zernebock the ancient Saxon Apollyon should lay his clutches
on the departed Athelstane Nor were they less careful to prevent any unhallowed
layman from touching the pall which having been that used at the funeral of
Saint Edmund was liable to be desecrated if handled by the profane If in
truth these attentions could be of any use to the deceased he had some right
to expect them at the hands of the brethren of Saint Edmunds since besides a
hundred mancuses of gold paid down as the soulransom the mother of Athelstane
had announced her intention of endowing that foundation with the better part of
the lands of the deceased in order to maintain perpetual prayers for his soul
and that of her departed husband
Richard and Wilfred followed the Saxon Cedric into the apartment of death
where as their guide pointed with solemn air to the untimely bier of
Athelstane they followed his example in devoutly crossing themselves and
muttering a brief prayer for the weal of the departed soul
This act of pious charity performed Cedric again motioned them to follow
him gliding over the stone floor with a noiseless tread and after ascending a
few steps opened with great caution the door of a small oratory which adjoined
to the chapel It was about eight feet square hollowed like the chapel itself
out of the thickness of the wall and the loophole which enlightened it being
to the west and widening considerably as it sloped inward a beam of the
setting sun found its way into its dark recess and showed a female of a
dignified mien and whose countenance retained the marked remains of majestic
beauty Her long mourning robes and her flowing wimple of black cypress
enhanced the whiteness of her skin and the beauty of her lightcoloured and
flowing tresses which time had neither thinned nor mingled with silver Her
countenance expressed the deepest sorrow that is consistent with resignation On
the stone table before her stood a crucifix of ivory beside which was laid a
missal having its pages richly illuminated and its boards adorned with clasps
of gold and bosses of the same precious metal
»Noble Edith« said Cedric after having stood a moment silent as if to
give Richard and Wilfred time to look upon the lady of the mansion »these are
worthy strangers come to take a part in thy sorrows And this in especial is
the valiant Knight who fought so bravely for the deliverance of him for whom we
this day mourn«
»His bravery has my thanks« returned the lady »although it be the will of
Heaven that it should be displayed in vain I thank too his courtesy and that
of his companion which hath brought them hither to behold the widow of Adeling
the mother of Athelstane in her deep hour of sorrow and lamentation To your
care kind kinsman I intrust them satisfied that they will want no hospitality
which these sad walls can yet afford«
The guests bowed deeply to the mourning parent and withdrew with their
hospitable guide
Another winding stair conducted them to an apartment of the same size with
that which they had first entered occupying indeed the storey immediately
above From this room ere yet the door was opened proceeded a low and
melancholy strain of vocal music When they entered they found themselves in
the presence of about twenty matrons and maidens of distinguished Saxon lineage
Four maidens Rowena leading the choir raised a hymn for the soul of the
deceased of which we have only been able to decipher two or three stanzas
Dust unto dust
To this all must
The tenant hath resignd
The faded form
To waste and worm
Corruption claims her kind
Through paths unknown
Thy soul hath flown
To seek the realms of woe
Where fiery pain
Shall purge the stain
Of actions done below
In that sad place
By Marys grace
Brief may thy dwelling be
Till prayers and alms
And holy psalms
Shall set the captive free
While this dirge was sung in a low and melancholy tone by the female
choristers the others were divided into two bands of which one was engaged in
bedecking with such embroidery as their skill and taste could compass a large
silken pall destined to cover the bier of Athelstane while the others busied
themselves in selecting from baskets of flowers placed before them garlands
which they intended for the same mournful purpose The behaviour of the maidens
was decorous if not marked with deep affliction but now and then a whisper or
a smile called forth the rebuke of the severer matrons and here and there might
be seen a damsel more interested in endeavouring to find out how her
mourningrobe became her than in the dismal ceremony for which they were
preparing Neither was this propensity if we must needs confess the truth at
all diminished by the appearance of two strange knights which occasioned some
looking up peeping and whispering Rowena alone too proud to be vain paid
her greeting to her deliverer with a graceful courtesy Her demeanour was
serious but not dejected and it may be doubted whether thoughts of Ivanhoe
and of the uncertainty of his fate did not claim as great a share in her
gravity as the death of her kinsman
To Cedric however who as we have observed was not remarkably
clearsighted on such occasions the sorrow of his ward seemed so much deeper
than any of the other maidens that he deemed it proper to whisper the
explanation »She was the affianced bride of the noble Athelstane« It may be
doubted whether this communication went a far way to increase Wilfreds
disposition to sympathise with the mourners of Coningsburgh
Having thus formally introduced the guests to the different chambers in
which the obsequies of Athelstane were celebrated under different forms Cedric
conducted them into a small room destined as he informed them for the
exclusive accommodation of honourable guests whose more slight connection with
the deceased might render them unwilling to join those who were immediately
affected by the unhappy event He assured them of every accommodation and was
about to withdraw when the Black Knight took his hand
»I crave to remind you noble Thane« he said »that when we last parted
you promised for the service I had the fortune to render you to grant me a
boon«
»It is granted ere named noble Knight« said Cedric »yet at this sad
moment«
»Of that also« said the King »I have bethought me but my time is brief
neither does it seem to me unfit that when closing the grave on the noble
Athelstane we should deposit therein certain prejudices and hasty opinions«
»Sir Knight of the Fetterlock« said Cedric colouring and interrupting the
King in his turn »I trust your boon regards yourself and no other for in that
which concerns the honour of my house it is scarce fitting that a stranger
should mingle«
»Nor do I wish to mingle« said the King mildly »unless in so far as you
will admit me to have an interest As yet you have known me but as the Black
Knight of the Fetterlock Know me now as Richard Plantagenet«
»Richard of Anjou« exclaimed Cedric stepping backward with the utmost
astonishment
»No noble Cedric Richard of England whose deepest interest whose
deepest wish is to see her sons united with each other And how now worthy
Thane hast thou no knee for thy prince«
»To Norman blood« said Cedric »it hath never bended«
»Reserve thine homage then« said the Monarch »until I shall prove my
right to it by my equal protection of Normans and English«
»Prince« answered Cedric »I have ever done justice to thy bravery and thy
worth Nor am I ignorant of thy claim to the crown through thy descent from
Matilda niece to Edgar Atheling and daughter to Malcolm of Scotland But
Matilda though of the royal Saxon blood was not the heir to the monarchy«
»I will not dispute my title with thee noble Thane« said Richard calmly
»but I will bid thee look around thee and see where thou wilt find another to
be put into the scale against it«
»And hast thou wandered hither Prince to tell me so« said Cedric »To
upbraid me with the ruin of my race ere the grave has closed oer the last scion
of Saxon royalty« His countenance darkened as he spoke »It was boldly it
was rashly done«
»Not so by the holy rood« replied the King »it was done in the frank
confidence which one brave man may repose in another without a shadow of
danger«
»Thou sayest well Sir King for King I own thou art and wilt be despite
of my feeble opposition I dare not take the only mode to prevent it though
thou hast placed the strong temptation within my reach«
»And now to my boon« said the King »which I ask not with one jot the less
confidence that thou hast refused to acknowledge my lawful sovereignty I
require of thee as a man of thy word on pain of being held faithless
mansworn and nidering60 to forgive and receive to thy paternal affection the
good knight Wilfred of Ivanhoe In this reconciliation thou wilt own I have an
interest the happiness of my friend and the quelling of dissension among my
faithful people«
»And this is Wilfred« said Cedric pointing to his son
»My father my father« said Ivanhoe prostrating himself at Cedrics
feet »grant me thy forgiveness«
»Thou hast it my son« said Cedric raising him up »The son of Hereward
knows how to keep his word even when it has been passed to a Norman But let me
see thee use the dress and costume of thy English ancestry no short cloaks no
gay bonnets no fantastic plumage in my decent household He that would be the
son of Cedric must show himself of English ancestry Thou art about to speak«
he added sternly »and I guess the topic The Lady Rowena must complete two
years mourning as for a betrothed husband all our Saxon ancestors would
disown us were we to treat of a new union for her ere the grave of him she
should have wedded him so much the most worthy of her hand by birth and
ancestry is yet closed The ghost of Athelstane himself would burst his bloody
cerements and stand before us to forbid such dishonour to his memory«
It seemed as if Cedrics words had raised a spectre for scarce had he
uttered them ere the door flew open and Athelstane arrayed in the garments of
the grave stood before them pale haggard and like something arisen from the
dead
The effect of this apparition on the persons present was utterly appalling
Cedric started back as far as the wall of the apartment would permit and
leaning against it as one unable to support himself gazed on the figure of his
friend with eyes that seemed fixed and a mouth which he appeared incapable of
shutting Ivanhoe crossed himself repeating prayers in Saxon Latin or
NormanFrench as they occurred to his memory while Richard alternately said
Benedicite and swore Mort de ma vie
In the meantime a horrible noise was heard below stairs some crying
»Secure the treacherous monks« others »Down with them into the dungeon«
others »Pitch them from the highest battlements«
»In the name of God« said Cedric addressing what seemed the spectre of his
departed friend »if thou art mortal speak if a departed spirit say for
what cause thou dost revisit us or if I can do aught that can set thy spirit at
repose Living or dead noble Athelstane speak to Cedric«
»I will« said the spectre very composedly »when I have collected breath
and when you give me time Alive saidst thou I am as much alive as he can
be who has fed on bread and water for three days which seem three ages Yes
bread and water Father Cedric By Heaven and all saints in it better food
hath not passed my weasand for three livelong days and by Gods providence it
is that I am now here to tell it«
»Why noble Athelstane« said the Black Knight »I myself saw you struck
down by the fierce Templar towards the end of the storm at Torquilstone and as
I thought and Wamba reported your skull was cloven through the teeth«
»You thought amiss Sir Knight« said Athelstane »and Wamba lied My teeth
are in good order and that my supper shall presently find No thanks to the
Templar though whose sword turned in his hand so that the blade struck me
flatlings being averted by the handle of the good mace with which I warded the
blow had my steel cap been on I had not valued it a rush and had dealt him
such a counterbuff as would have spoilt his retreat But as it was down I
went stunned indeed but unwounded Others of both sides were beaten down
and slaughtered above me so that I never recovered my senses until I found
myself in a coffin an open one by good luck placed before the altar of
the church of Saint Edmunds I sneezed repeatedly groaned awakened and
would have arisen when the Sacristan and Abbot full of terror came running at
the noise surprised doubtless and no way pleased to find the man alive whose
heirs they had proposed themselves to be I asked for wine they gave me some
but it must have been highly medicated for I slept yet more deeply than before
and wakened not for many hours I found my arms swathed down my feet tied so
fast that mine ankles ache at the very remembrance the place was utterly dark
the oubliette as I suppose of their accursed convent and from the close
stifled damp smell I conceive it is also used for a place of sepulture I had
strange thoughts of what had befallen me when the door of my dungeon creaked
and two villain monks entered They would have persuaded me I was in purgatory
but I knew too well the pursy shortbreathed voice of the Father Abbot Saint
Jeremy how different from that tone with which he used to ask me for another
slice of the haunch the dog has feasted with me from Christmas to
Twelfthnight«
»Have patience noble Athelstane« said the King »take breath tell your
story at leisure beshrew me but such a tale is as well worth listening to as a
romance«
»Ay but by the rood of Bromeholm there was no romance in the matter« said
Athelstane »A barleyloaf and a pitcher of water that they gave me the
niggardly traitors whom my father and I myself had enriched when their best
resources were the flitches of bacon and measures of corn out of which they
wheedled poor serfs and bondsmen in exchange for their prayers the nest of
foul ungrateful vipers barley bread and ditch water to such a patron as I had
been I will smoke them out of their nest though I be excommunicated«
»But in the name of Our Lady noble Athelstane« said Cedric grasping the
hand of his friend »how didst thou escape this imminent danger did their
hearts relent«
»Did their hearts relent« echoed Athelstane »Do rocks melt with the sun
I should have been there still had not some stir in the convent which I find
was their procession hitherward to eat my funeral feast when they well knew how
and where I had been buried alive summoned the swarm out of their hive I heard
them droning out their deathpsalms little judging they were sung in respect
for my soul by those who were thus famishing my body They went however and I
waited long for food no wonder the gouty Sacristan was even too busy with
his own provender to mind mine At length down he came with an unstable step
and a strong flavour of wine and spices about his person Good cheer had opened
his heart for he left me a nook of pasty and a flask of wine instead of my
former fare I ate drank and was invigorated when to add to my good luck
the Sacristan too totty to discharge his duty of turnkey fitly locked the door
beside the staple so that it fell ajar The light the food the wine set my
invention to work The staple to which my chains were fixed was more rusted
than I or the villain Abbot had supposed Even iron could not remain without
consuming in the damps of that infernal dungeon«
»Take breath noble Athelstane« said Richard »and partake of some
refreshment ere you proceed with a tale so dreadful«
»Partake« quoth Athelstane »I have been partaking five times today and
yet a morsel of that savoury ham were not altogether foreign to the matter and
I pray you fair sir to do me reason in a cup of wine«
The guests though still agape with astonishment pledged their resuscitated
landlord who thus proceeded in his story He had indeed now many more auditors
than those to whom it was commenced for Edith having given certain necessary
orders for arranging matters within the Castle had followed the deadalive up
to the strangers apartment attended by as many of the guests male and female
as could squeeze into the small room while others crowding the staircase
caught up an erroneous edition of the story and transmitted it still more
inaccurately to those beneath who again sent it forth to the vulgar without in
a fashion totally irreconcilable to the real fact Athelstane however went on
as follows with the history of his escape
»Finding myself freed from the staple I dragged myself up stairs as well as
a man loaded with shackles and emaciated with fasting might and after much
groping about I was at length directed by the sound of a jolly roundelay to
the apartment where the worthy Sacristan an it so please ye was holding a
devils mass with a huge beetlebrowed broadshouldered brother of the grey
frock and cowl who looked much more like a thief than a clergyman I burst in
upon them and the fashion of my graveclothes as well as the clanking of my
chains made me more resemble an inhabitant of the other world than of this
Both stood aghast but when I knocked down the Sacristan with my fist the other
fellow his potcompanion fetched a blow at me with a huge quarterstaff«
»This must be our Friar Tuck for a counts ransom« said Richard looking
at Ivanhoe
»He may be the devil an he will« said Athelstane »Fortunately he missed
the aim and on my approaching to grapple with him took to his heels and ran
for it I failed not to set my own heels at liberty by means of the fetterkey
which hung amongst others at the sextons belt and I had thoughts of beating
out the knaves brains with the bunch of keys but gratitude for the nook of
pasty and the flask of wine which the rascal had imparted to my captivity came
over my heart so with a brace of hearty kicks I left him on the floor
pouched some baked meat and a leathern bottle of wine with which the two
venerable brethren had been regaling went to the stable and found in a private
stall my own best palfrey which doubtless had been set apart for the holy
Father Abbots particular use Hither I came with all the speed the beast could
compass man and mothers son flying before me wherever I came taking me for a
spectre the more especially as to prevent my being recognised I drew the
corpsehood over my face I had not gained admittance into my own castle had I
not been supposed to be the attendant of a juggler who is making the people in
the castleyard very merry considering they are assembled to celebrate their
lords funeral I say the sewer thought I was dressed to bear a part in the
tregetours mummery and so I got admission and did but disclose myself to my
mother and eat a hasty morsel ere I came in quest of you my noble friend«
»And you have found me« said Cedric »ready to resume our brave projects of
honour and liberty I tell thee never will dawn a morrow so auspicious as the
next for the deliverance of the noble Saxon race«
»Talk not to me of delivering any one« said Athelstane »it is well I am
delivered myself I am more intent on punishing that villain Abbot He shall
hang on the top of this Castle of Coningsburgh in his cope and stole and if
the stairs be too strait to admit his fat carcass I will have him craned up
from without«
»But my son« said Edith »consider his sacred office«
»Consider my three days fast« replied Athelstane »I will have their blood
every one of them FrontdeBoeuf was burnt alive for a less matter for he kept
a good table for his prisoners only put too much garlic in his last dish of
pottage But these hypocritical ungrateful slaves so often the self-invited
flatterers at my board who gave me neither pottage nor garlic more or less
they die by the soul of Hengist«
»But the Pope my noble friend« said Cedric
»But the devil my noble friend« answered Athelstane »they die and no
more of them Were they the best monks upon earth the world would go on without
them«
»For shame noble Athelstane« said Cedric »forget such wretches in the
career of glory which lies open before thee Tell this Norman prince Richard of
Anjou that lionhearted as he is he shall not hold undisputed the throne of
Alfred while a male descendant of the Holy Confessor lives to dispute it«
»How« said Athelstane »is this the noble King Richard«
»It is Richard Plantagenet himself« said Cedric »yet I need not remind
thee that coming hither a guest of freewill he may neither be injured nor
detained prisoner thou well knowest thy duty to him as his host«
»Ay by my faith« said Athelstane »and my duty as a subject besides for I
here tender him my allegiance heart and hand«
»My son« said Edith »think on thy royal rights«
»Think on the freedom of England degenerate Prince« said Cedric
»Mother and friend« said Athelstane »a truce to your upbraidings bread
and water and a dungeon are marvellous mortifiers of ambition and I rise from
the tomb a wiser man than I descended into it One half of those vain follies
were puffed into my ear by that perfidious Abbot Wolfram and you may now judge
if he is a counsellor to be trusted Since these plots were set in agitation I
have had nothing but hurried journeys indigestions blows and bruises
imprisonments and starvation besides that they can only end in the murder of
some thousands of quiet folk I tell you I will be king in my own domains and
nowhere else and my first act of dominion shall be to hang the Abbot«
»And my ward Rowena« said Cedric »I trust you intend not to desert her«
»Father Cedric« said Athelstane »be reasonable The Lady Rowena cares not
for me she loves the little finger of my kinsman Wilfreds glove better than
my whole person There she stands to avouch it Nay blush not kinswoman
there is no shame in loving a courtly knight better than a country franklin
and do not laugh neither Rowena for graveclothes and a thin visage are God
knows no matter of merriment Nay an thou wilt needs laugh I will find thee
a better jest Give me thy hand or rather lend it me for I but ask it in the
way of friendship Here cousin Wilfred of Ivanhoe in thy favour I renounce
and abjure Hey by Saint Dunstan our cousin Wilfred hath vanished Yet
unless my eyes are still dazzled with the fasting I have undergone I saw him
stand there but even now«
All now looked round and inquired for Ivanhoe but he had vanished It was
at length discovered that a Jew had been to seek him and that after very brief
conference he had called for Gurth and his armour and had left the castle
»Fair cousin« said Athelstane to Rowena »could I think that this sudden
disappearance of Ivanhoe was occasioned by other than the weightiest reason I
would myself resume«
But he had no sooner let go her hand on first observing that Ivanhoe had
disappeared than Rowena who had found her situation extremely embarrassing
had taken the first opportunity to escape from the apartment
»Certainly« quoth Athelstane »women are the least to be trusted of all
animals monks and abbots excepted I am an infidel if I expected not thanks
from her and perhaps a kiss to boot These cursed graveclothes have surely a
spell on them every one flies from me To you I turn noble King Richard
with the vows of allegiance which as a liegesubject«
But King Richard was gone also and no one knew whither At length it was
learned that he had hastened to the courtyard summoned to his presence the Jew
who had spoken with Ivanhoe and after a moments speech with him had called
vehemently to horse thrown himself upon a steed compelled the Jew to mount
another and set off at a rate which according to Wamba rendered the old
Jews neck not worth a pennys purchase
»By my halidome« said Athelstane »it is certain that Zernebock hath
possessed himself of my castle in my absence I return in my graveclothes a
pledge restored from the very sepulchre and every one I speak to vanishes as
soon as they hear my voice But it skills not talking of it Come my friends
such of you as are left follow me to the banquethall lest any more of us
disappear it is I trust as yet tolerably furnished as becomes the obsequies
of an ancient Saxon noble and should we tarry any longer who knows but the
devil may fly off with the supper«61
Chapter FortyThird
Be Mowbrays sins so heavy in his bosom
That they may break his foaming coursers back
And throw the rider headlong in the lists
A caitiff recreant
Richard II
Our scene now returns to the exterior of the Castle or Preceptory of
Templestowe about the hour when the bloody die was to be cast for the life or
death of Rebecca It was a scene of bustle and life as if the whole vicinity
had poured forth its inhabitants to a village wake or rural feast But the
earnest desire to look on blood and death is not peculiar to those dark ages
though in the gladiatorial exercise of single combat and general tourney they
were habituated to the bloody spectacle of brave men falling by each others
hands Even in our own days when morals are better understood an execution a
bruising match a riot or a meeting of radical reformers collects at
considerable hazard to themselves immense crowds of spectators otherwise
little interested except to see how matters are to be conducted or whether the
heroes of the day are in the heroic language of insurgent tailors flints or
dunghills
The eyes therefore of a very considerable multitude were bent on the gate
of the Preceptory of Templestowe with the purpose of witnessing the procession
while still greater numbers had already surrounded the tiltyard belonging to
that establishment This enclosure was formed on a piece of level ground
adjoining to the Preceptory which had been levelled with care for the exercise
of military and chivalrous sports It occupied the brow of a soft and gentle
eminence was carefully palisaded around and as the Templars willingly invited
spectators to be witnesses of their skill in feats of chivalry was amply
supplied with galleries and benches for their use
On the present occasion a throne was erected for the Grand Master at the
east end surrounded with seats of distinction for the Preceptors and Knights
of the Order Over these floated the sacred standard called Le Beauseant
which was the ensign as its name was the battlecry of the Templars
At the opposite end of the lists was a pile of faggots so arranged around a
stake deeply fixed in the ground as to leave a space for the victim whom they
were destined to consume to enter within the fatal circle in order to be
chained to the stake by the fetters which hung ready for the purpose Beside
this deadly apparatus stood four black slaves whose colour and African
features then so little known in England appalled the multitude who gazed on
them as on demons employed about their own diabolical exercises These men
stirred not excepting now and then under the direction of one who seemed their
chief to shift and replace the ready fuel They looked not on the multitude In
fact they seemed insensible of their presence and of everything save the
discharge of their own horrible duty And when in speech with each other they
expanded their blubber lips and showed their white fangs as if they grinned at
the thoughts of the expected tragedy the startled commons could scarcely help
believing that they were actually the familiar spirits with whom the witch had
communed and who her time being out stood ready to assist in her dreadful
punishment They whispered to each other and communicated all the feats which
Satan had performed during that busy and unhappy period not failing of course
to give the devil rather more than his due
»Have you not heard Father Dennet« quoth one boor to another advanced in
years »that the devil has carried away bodily the great Saxon Thane Athelstane
of Coningsburgh«
»Ay but he brought him back though by the blessing of God and Saint
Dunstan«
»Hows that« said a brisk young fellow dressed in a green cassock
embroidered with gold and having at his heels a stout lad bearing a harp upon
his back which betrayed his vocation The Minstrel seemed of no vulgar rank
for besides the splendour of his gaily broidered doublet he wore around his
neck a silver chain by which hung the wrest or key with which he tuned his
harp On his right arm was a silver plate which instead of bearing as usual
the cognisance or badge of the baron to whose family he belonged had barely the
word SHERWOOD engraved upon it »How mean you by that« said the gay
Ministrel mingling in the conversation of the peasants »I came to seek one
subject for my rhyme and byr Lady I were glad to find two«
»It is well avouched« said the elder peasant »that after Athelstane of
Coningsburgh had been dead four weeks«
»That is impossible« said the Minstrel »I saw him in life at the Passage
of Arms at AshbydelaZouche«
»Dead however he was or else translated« said the younger peasant »for
I heard the Monks of Saint Edmunds singing the deaths hymn for him and
moreover there was a rich deathmeal and dole at the Castle of Coningsburgh as
right was and thither had I gone but for Mabel Parkins who«
»Ay dead was Athelstane« said the old man shaking his head »and the more
pity it was for the old Saxon blood«
»But your story my masters your story« said the Minstrel somewhat
impatiently
»Ay ay construe us the story« said a burly Friar who stood beside them
leaning on a pole that exhibited an appearance between a pilgrims staff and a
quarterstaff and probably acted as either when occasion served »Your
story« said the stalwart churchman »burn not daylight about it we have short
time to spare«
»An please your reverence« said Dennet »a drunken priest came to visit the
Sacristan at Saint Edmunds«
»It does not please my reverence« answered the churchman »that there
should be such an animal as a drunken priest or if there were that a layman
should so speak him Be mannerly my friend and conclude the holy man only
wrapt in meditation which makes the head dizzy and foot unsteady as if the
stomach were filled with new wine I have felt it myself«
»Well then« answered Father Dennet »a holy brother came to visit the
Sacristan at Saint Edmunds a sort of hedgepriest is the visitor and kills
half the deer that are stolen in the forest who loves the tinkling of a
pintpot better than the sacringbell and deems a flitch of bacon worth ten of
his breviary for the rest a good fellow and a merry who will flourish a
quarterstaff draw a bow and dance a Cheshire round with eer a man in
Yorkshire«
»That last part of thy speech Dennet« said the Minstrel »has saved thee a
rib or twain«
»Tush man I fear him not« said Dennet »I am somewhat old and stiff but
when I fought for the bell and ram at Doncaster«
»But the story the story my friend« again said the Minstrel
»Why the tale is but this Athelstane of Coningsburgh was buried at Saint
Edmunds«
»Thats a lie and a loud one« said the Friar »for I saw him borne to his
own Castle of Coningsburgh«
»Nay then een tell the story yourself my masters« said Dennet turning
sulky at these repeated contradictions and it was with some difficulty that the
boor could be prevailed on by the request of his comrade and the Minstrel to
renew his tale »These two sober friars« said he at length »since this
reverend man will needs have them such had continued drinking good ale and
wine and what not for the best part of a summers day when they were aroused
by a deep groan and a clanking of chains and the figure of the deceased
Athelstane entered the apartment saying Ye evil shepherds«
»It is false« said the Friar hastily »he never spoke a word«
»So ho Friar Tuck« said the Minstrel drawing him apart from the rustics
»we have started a new hare I find«
»I tell thee AllanaDale« said the Hermit »I saw Athelstane of
Coningsburgh as much as bodily eyes ever saw a living man He had his shroud on
and all about him smelt of the sepulchre A butt of sack will not wash it out
of my memory«
»Pshaw« answered the Minstrel »thou dost but jest with me«
»Never believe me« said the Friar »an I fetched not a knock at him with my
quarterstaff that would have felled an ox and it glided through his body as it
might through a pillar of smoke«
»By Saint Hubert« said the Minstrel »but it is a wondrous tale and fit to
be put in metre to the ancient tune Sorrow came to the old Friar«
»Laugh if ye list« said Friar Tuck »but an ye catch me singing on such a
theme may the next ghost or devil carry me off with him headlong No no I
instantly formed the purpose of assisting at some good work such as the burning
of a witch a judicial combat or the like matter of godly service and
therefore am I here«
As they thus conversed the heavy bell of the church of Saint Michael of
Templestowe a venerable building situated in a hamlet at some distance from
the Preceptory broke short their argument One by one the sullen sounds fell
successively on the ear leaving but sufficient space for each to die away in
distant echo ere the ear was again filled by repetition of the iron knell
These sounds the signal of the approaching ceremony chilled with awe the
hearts of the assembled multitude whose eyes were now turned to the Preceptory
expecting the approach of the Grand Master the champion and the criminal
At length the drawbridge fell the gates opened and a knight bearing the
great standard of the Order sallied from the castle preceded by six trumpets
and followed by the Knights Preceptors two and two the Grand Master coming
last mounted on a stately horse whose furniture was of the simplest kind
Behind him came Brian de BoisGuilbert armed capapie in bright armour but
without his lance shield and sword which were borne by his two esquires
behind him His face though partly hidden by a long plume which floated down
from his barretcap bore a strong and mingled expression of passion in which
pride seemed to contend with irresolution He looked ghastly pale as if he had
not slept for several nights yet reined his pawing war horse with the habitual
ease and grace proper to the best lance of the Order of the Temple His general
appearance was grand and commanding but looking at him with attention men
read that in his dark features from which they willingly withdrew their eyes
On either side rode Conrade of MontFitchet and Albert de Malvoisin who
acted as godfathers to the champion They were in their robes of peace the
white dress of the Order Behind them followed other Companions of the Temple
with a long train of esquires and pages clad in black aspirants to the honour
of being one day Knights of the Order After these neophytes came a guard of
warders on foot in the same sable livery amidst whose partisans might be seen
the pale form of the accused moving with a slow but undismayed step towards the
scene of her fate She was stripped of all her ornaments lest perchance there
should be among them some of those amulets which Satan was supposed to bestow
upon his victims to deprive them of the power of confession even when under the
torture A coarse white dress of the simplest form had been substituted for
her Oriental garments yet there was such an exquisite mixture of courage and
resignation in her look that even in this garb and with no other ornament than
her long black tresses each eye wept that looked upon her and the most
hardened bigot regretted the fate that had converted a creature so goodly into a
vessel of wrath and a waged slave of the devil
A crowd of inferior personages belonging to the Preceptory followed the
victim all moving with the utmost order with arms folded and looks bent upon
the ground
This slow procession moved up the gentle eminence on the summit of which
was the tiltyard and entering the lists marched once around them from right
to left and when they had completed the circle made a halt There was then a
momentary bustle while the Grand Master and all his attendants excepting the
champion and his godfathers dismounted from their horses which were
immediately removed out of the lists by the esquires who were in attendance for
that purpose
The unfortunate Rebecca was conducted to the black chair placed near the
pile On her first glance at the terrible spot where preparations were making
for a death alike dismaying to the mind and painful to the body she was
observed to shudder and shut her eyes praying internally doubtless for her
lips moved though no speech was heard In the space of a minute she opened her
eyes looked fixedly on the pile as if to familiarise her mind with the object,
and then slowly and naturally turned away her head
Meanwhile the Grand Master had assumed his seat and when the chivalry of
his order was placed around and behind him each in his due rank a loud and
long flourish of the trumpets announced that the Court were seated for judgment
Malvoisin then acting as godfather of the champion stepped forward and laid
the glove of the Jewess which was the pledge of battle at the feet of the
Grand Master
»Valorous Lord and Reverend Father« said he »here standeth the good
Knight Brian de BoisGuilbert Knight Preceptor of the Order of the Temple
who by accepting the pledge of battle which I now lay at your reverences feet
hath become bound to do his devoir in combat this day to maintain that this
Jewish maiden by name Rebecca hath justly deserved the doom passed upon her in
a Chapter of this most Holy Order of the Temple of Zion condemning her to die
as a sorceress here I say he standeth such battle to do knightly and
honourable if such be your noble and sanctified pleasure«
»Hath he made oath« said the Grand Master »that his quarrel is just and
honourable Bring forward the Crucifix and the Te igitur«
»Sir and most reverend Father« answered Malvoisin readily »our brother
here present hath already sworn to the truth of his accusation in the hand of
the good Knight Conrade de MontFitchet and otherwise he ought not to be sworn
seeing that his adversary is an unbeliever and may take no oath«
This explanation was satisfactory to Alberts great joy for the wily
knight had foreseen the great difficulty or rather impossibility of prevailing
upon Brian de BoisGuilbert to take such an oath before the assembly and had
invented this excuse to escape the necessity of his doing so
The Grand Master having allowed the apology of Albert Malvoisin commanded
the herald to stand forth and do his devoir The trumpets then again flourished
and a herald stepping forward proclaimed aloud »Oyez oyez oyez Here
standeth the good Knight Sir Brian de BoisGuilbert ready to do battle with
any knight of free blood who will sustain the quarrel allowed and allotted to
the Jewess Rebecca to try by champion in respect of lawful essoine of her own
body and to such champion the reverend and valorous Grand Master here present
allows a fair field and equal partition of sun and wind and whatever else
appertains to a fair combat« The trumpets again sounded and there was a dead
pause of many minutes
»No champion appears for the appellant« said the Grand Master »Go herald
and ask her whether she expects any one to do battle for her in this her cause«
The herald went to the chair in which Rebecca was seated and BoisGuilbert
suddenly turning his horses head toward that end of the lists in spite of
hints on either side from Malvoisin and MontFitchet was by the side of
Rebeccas chair as soon as the herald
»Is this regular and according to the law of combat« said Malvoisin
looking to the Grand Master
»Albert de Malvoisin it is« answered Beaumanoir »for in this appeal to
the judgment of God we may not prohibit parties from having that communication
with each other which may best tend to bring forth the truth of the quarrel«
In the meantime the herald spoke to Rebecca in these terms »Damsel the
Honourable and Reverend the Grand Master demands of thee if thou art prepared
with a champion to do battle this day in thy behalf or if thou dost yield thee
as one justly condemned to a deserved doom«
»Say to the Grand Master« replied Rebecca »that I maintain my innocence
and do not yield me as justly condemned lest I become guilty of mine own blood
Say to him that I challenge such delay as his forms will permit to see if God
whose opportunity is in mans extremity will raise me up a deliverer and when
such uttermost space is passed may His holy will be done« The herald retired
to carry this answer to the Grand Master
»God forbid« said Lucas Beaumanoir »that Jew or Pagan should impeach us of
injustice Until the shadows be cast from the west to the eastward will we
wait to see if a champion shall appear for this unfortunate woman When the day
is so far passed let her prepare for death«
The herald communicated the words of the Grand Master to Rebecca who bowed
her head submissively folded her arms and looking up towards heaven seemed
to expect that aid from above which she could scarce promise herself from man
During this awful pause the voice of BoisGuilbert broke upon her ear it was
but a whisper yet it startled her more than the summons of the herald had
appeared to do
»Rebecca« said the Templar »dost thou hear me«
»I have no portion in thee cruel hardhearted man« said the unfortunate
maiden
»Ay but dost thou understand my words« said the Templar »for the sound of
my voice is frightful in mine own ears I scarce know on what ground we stand
or for what purpose they have brought us hither This listed space that chair
these faggots I know their purpose and yet it appears to me like something
unreal the fearful picture of a vision which appals my sense with hideous
fantasies but convinces not my reason«
»My mind and senses keep touch and time« answered Rebecca »and tell me
alike that these faggots are destined to consume my earthly body and open a
painful but a brief passage to a better world«
»Dreams Rebecca dreams« answered the Templar »idle visions rejected by
the wisdom of your own wiser Sadducees Hear me Rebecca« he said proceeding
with animation »a better chance hast thou for life and liberty than yonder
knaves and dotard dream of Mount thee behind me on my steed on Zamor the
gallant horse that never failed his rider I won him in single fight from the
Soldan of Trebizond mount I say behind me in one short hour is pursuit and
inquiry far behind a new world of pleasure opens to thee to me a new career
of fame Let them speak the doom which I despise and erase the name of
BoisGuilbert from their list of monastic slaves I will wash out with blood
whatever blot they may dare to cast on my scutcheon«
»Tempter« said Rebecca »begone not in this last extremity canst thou
move me one hairsbreadth from my restingplace surrounded as I am by foes I
hold thee as my worst and most deadly enemy avoid thee in the name of God«
Albert Malvoisin alarmed and impatient at the duration of their conference
now advanced to interrupt it
»Hath the maiden acknowledged her guilt« he demanded of BoisGuilbert »or
is she resolute in her denial«
»She is indeed resolute« said BoisGuilbert
»Then« said Malvoisin »must thou noble brother resume thy place to
attend the issue The shades are changing on the circle of the dial Come
brave BoisGuilbert come thou hope of our holy Order and soon to be its
head«
As he spoke in this soothing tone he laid his hand on the knights bridle
as if to lead him back to his station
»False villain what meanest thou by thy hand on my rein« said Sir Brian
angrily And shaking off his companions grasp he rode back to the upper end
of the lists
»There is yet spirit in him« said Malvoisin apart to MontFitchet »were it
well directed but like the Greek fire it burns whatever approaches it«
The Judges had been now two hours in the lists awaiting in vain the
appearance of a champion
»And reason good« said Friar Tuck »seeing she is a Jewess and yet by
mine order it is hard that so young and beautiful a creature should perish
without one blow being struck in her behalf Were she ten times a witch
provided she were but the least bit of a Christian my quarterstaff should ring
noon on the steel cap of yonder fierce Templar ere he carried the matter off
thus«
It was however the general belief that no one could or would appear for a
Jewess accused of sorcery and the knights instigated by Malvoisin whispered
to each other that it was time to declare the pledge of Rebecca forfeited At
this instant a knight urging his horse to speed appeared on the plain
advancing towards the lists A hundred voices exclaimed »A champion a
champion« And despite the prepossessions and prejudices of the multitude they
shouted unanimously as the knight rode into the tiltyard The second glance
however served to destroy the hope that his timely arrival had excited His
horse urged for many miles to its utmost speed appeared to reel from fatigue
and the rider however undauntedly he presented himself in the lists either
from weakness weariness or both seemed scarce able to support himself in the
saddle
To the summons of the herald who demanded his rank his name and purpose
the stranger knight answered readily and boldly »I am a good knight and noble
come hither to sustain with lance and sword the just and lawful quarrel of this
damsel Rebecca daughter of Isaac of York to uphold the doom pronounced
against her to be false and truthless and to defy Sir Brian de BoisGuilbert
as a traitor murderer and liar as I will prove in this field with my body
against his by the aid of God of our Lady and of Monseigneur Saint George
the good knight«
»The stranger must first show« said Malvoisin »that he is good knight and
of honourable lineage The Temple sendeth not forth her champions against
nameless men«
»My name« said the Knight raising his helmet »is better known my lineage
more pure Malvoisin than thine own I am Wilfred of Ivanhoe«
»I will not fight with thee at present« said the Templar in a changed and
hollow voice »Get thy wounds healed purvey thee a better horse and it may be
I will hold it worth my while to scourge out of thee this boyish spirit of
bravade«
»Ha proud Templar« said Ivanhoe »hast thou forgotten that twice didst
thou fall before this lance Remember the lists at Acre remember the Passage
of Arms at Ashby remember thy proud vaunt in the halls of Rotherwood and the
gage of your gold chain against my reliquary that thou wouldst do battle with
Wilfred of Ivanhoe and recover the honour thou hadst lost By that reliquary
and the holy relic it contains I will proclaim thee Templar a coward in every
court in Europe in every Preceptory of thine Order unless thou do battle
without farther delay«
BoisGuilbert turned his countenance irresolutely towards Rebecca and then
exclaimed looking fiercely at Ivanhoe »Dog of a Saxon take thy lance and
prepare for the death thou hast drawn upon thee«
»Does the Grand Master allow me the combat« said Ivanhoe
»I may not deny what thou hast challenged« said the Grand Master »provided
the maiden accepts thee as her champion Yet I would thou wert in better plight
to do battle An enemy of our Order hast thou ever been yet would I have thee
honourably met with«
»Thus thus I am and not otherwise« said Ivanhoe »it is the judgment of
God to his keeping I commend myself Rebecca« said he riding up to the
fatal chair »dost thou accept of me for thy champion«
»I do« she said »I do« fluttered by an emotion which the fear of death
had been unable to produce »I do accept thee as the champion whom Heaven hath
sent me Yet no no thy wounds are uncured Meet not that proud man why
shouldst thou perish also«
But Ivanhoe was already at his post and had closed his visor and assumed
his lance BoisGuilbert did the same and his esquire remarked as he clasped
his visor that his face which had notwithstanding the variety of emotions by
which he had been agitated continued during the whole morning of an ashy
paleness was now become suddenly very much flushed
The herald then seeing each champion in his place uplifted his voice
repeating thrice »Faites vos devoirs preux chevaliers« After the third cry he
withdrew to one side of the lists and again proclaimed that none on peril of
instant death should dare by word cry or action to interfere with or
disturb this fair field of combat The Grand Master who held in his hand the
gage of battle Rebeccas glove now threw it into the lists and pronounced the
fatal signal words Laissez aller
The trumpets sounded and the knights charged each other in full career The
wearied horse of Ivanhoe and its no less exhausted rider went down as all had
expected before the wellaimed lance and vigorous steed of the Templar This
issue of the combat all had foreseen but although the spear of Ivanhoe did but
in comparison touch the shield of BoisGuilbert that champion to the
astonishment of all who beheld it reeled in his saddle lost his stirrups and
fell in the lists
Ivanhoe extricating himself from his fallen horse was soon on foot
hastening to mend his fortune with his sword but his antagonist arose not
Wilfred placing his foot on his breast and the swords point to his throat
commanded him to yield him or die on the spot BoisGuilbert returned no
answer
»Slay him not Sir Knight« cried the Grand Master »unshriven and
unabsolved kill not body and soul We allow him vanquished«
He descended into the lists and commanded them to unhelm the conquered
champion His eyes were closed the dark red flush was still on his brow As
they looked on him in astonishment the eyes opened but they were fixed and
glazed The flush passed from his brow and gave way to the pallid hue of death
Unscathed by the lance of his enemy he had died a victim to the violence of his
own contending passions
»This is indeed the judgment of God« said the Grand Master looking upwards
»Fiat voluntas tua«
Chapter FortyFourth
So now tis ended like an old wifes story
Webster
When the first moments of surprise were over Wilfred or Ivanhoe demanded of the
Grand Master as judge of the field if he had manfully and rightfully done his
duty in the combat
»Manfully and rightfully hath it been done« said the Grand Master »I
pronounce the maiden free and guiltless The arms and the body of the deceased
knight are at the will of the victor«
»I will not despoil him of his weapons« said the Knight of Ivanhoe »nor
condemn his corpse to shame he hath fought for Christendom Gods arm no
human hand hath this day struck him down But let his obsequies be private as
becomes those of a man who died in an unjust quarrel And for the maiden«
He was interrupted by a clattering of horses feet advancing in such
numbers and so rapidly as to shake the ground before them and the Black Knight
galloped into the lists He was followed by a numerous band of menatarms and
several knights in complete armour
»I am too late« he said looking around him »I had doomed BoisGuilbert
for mine own property Ivanhoe was this well to take on thee such a venture
and thou scarce able to keep thy saddle«
»Heaven my Liege« answered Ivanhoe »hath taken this proud man for its
victim He was not to be honoured in dying as your will had designed«
»Peace be with him« said Richard looking steadfastly on the corpse »if it
may be so he was a gallant knight and has died in his steel harness full
knightly But we must waste no time Bohun do thine office«
A knight stepped forward from the kings attendants and laying his hand on
the shoulder of Albert de Malvoisin said »I arrest thee of high treason«
The Grand Master had hitherto stood astonished at the appearance of so many
warriors He now spoke
»Who dares to arrest a knight of the Temple of Zion within the girth of his
own Preceptory and in the presence of the Grand Master and by whose authority
is this bold outrage offered«
»I make the arrest« replied the knight »I Henry Bohun Earl of Essex
Lord High Constable of England«
»And he arrests Malvoisin« said the King raising his visor »by the order
of Richard Plantagenet here present Conrade MontFitchet it is well for
thee thou art born no subject of mine But for thee Malvoisin thou diest
with thy brother Philip ere the world be a week older«
»I will resist thy doom« said the Grand Master
»Proud Templar« said the King »thou canst not look up and behold the
Royal Standard of England floats over thy towers instead of thy Temple banner
Be wise Beaumanoir and make no bootless opposition Thy hand is in the lions
mouth«
»I will appeal to Rome against thee« said the Grand Master »for usurpation
on the immunities and privileges of our Order«
»Be it so« said the King »but for thine own sake tax me not with
usurpation now Dissolve thy Chapter and depart with thy followers to thy next
Preceptory if thou canst find one which has not been made the scene of
treasonable conspiracy against the King of England Or if thou wilt remain
to share our hospitality and behold our justice«
»To be a guest in the house where I should command« said the Templar
»never Chaplains raise the Psalm Quare fremuerunt Gentes Knights
squires and followers of the holy Temple prepare to follow the banner of
Beauseant«
The Grand Master spoke with a dignity which confronted even that of
Englands king himself and inspired courage into his surprised and dismayed
followers They gathered around him like the sheep around the watchdog when
they hear the baying of the wolf But they evinced not the timidity of the
scared flock there were dark brows of defiance and looks which menaced the
hostility they dared not to proffer in words They drew together in a dark line
of spears from which the white cloaks of the knights were visible among the
dusky garments of their retainers like the lightercoloured edges of a sable
cloud The multitude who had raised a clamorous shout of reprobation paused
and gazed in silence on the formidable and experienced body to which they had
unwarily bade defiance and shrunk back from their front
The Earl of Essex when he beheld them pause in their assembled force
dashed the rowels into his chargers sides and galloped backwards and forwards
to array his followers in opposition to a band so formidable Richard alone as
if he loved the danger his presence had provoked rode slowly along the front of
the Templars calling aloud »What sirs Among so many gallant knights will
none dare splinter a spear with Richard Sirs of the Temple your ladies are
but sunburned if they are not worth the shiver of a broken lance«
»The Brethren of the Temple« said the Grand Master riding forward in
advance of their body »fight not on such idle and profane quarrel and not
with thee Richard of England shall a Templar cross lance in my presence The
Pope and Princes of Europe shall judge our quarrel and whether a Christian
Prince has done well in bucklering the cause which thou hast today adopted If
unassailed we depart assailing no one To thine honour we refer the armour and
household goods of the Order which we leave behind us and on thy conscience we
lay the scandal and offence thou hast this day given to Christendom«
With these words and without waiting a reply the Grand Master gave the
signal of departure Their trumpets sounded a wild march of an Oriental
character which formed the usual signal for the Templars to advance They
changed their array from a line to a column of march and moved off as slowly as
their horses could step as if to show it was only the will of their Grand
Master and no fear of the opposing and superior force which compelled them to
withdraw
»By the splendour of Our Ladys brow« said King Richard »it is pity of
their lives that these Templars are not so trusty as they are disciplined and
valiant«
The multitude like a timid cur which waits to bark till the object of its
challenge has turned his back raised a feeble shout as the rear of the squadron
left the ground
During the tumult which attended the retreat of the Templars Rebecca saw
and heard nothing she was locked in the arms of her aged father giddy and
almost senseless with the rapid change of circumstances around her But one
word from Isaac at length recalled her scattered feelings
»Let us go« he said »my dear daughter my recovered treasure let us go
to throw ourselves at the feet of the good youth«
»Not so« said Rebecca »O no no no I must not at this moment dare to
speak to him Alas I should say more than No my father let us instantly
leave this evil place«
»But my daughter« said Isaac »to leave him who hath come forth like a
strong man with his spear and shield holding his life as nothing so he might
redeem thy captivity and thou too the daughter of a people strange unto him
and his this is service to be thankfully acknowledged«
»It is it is most thankfully most devoutly acknowledged« said Rebecca
»it shall be still more so but not now for the sake of thy beloved Rachel
father grant my request not now«
»Nay but« said Isaac insisting »they will deem us more thankless than
mere dogs«
»But thou seest my dear father that King Richard is in presence and that«
»True my best my wisest Rebecca Let us hence let us hence Money
he will lack for he has just returned from Palestine and as they say from
prison and pretext for exacting it should he need any may rise out of my
simple traffic with his brother John Away away let us hence«
And hurrying his daughter in his turn he conducted her from the lists and
by means of conveyance which he had provided transported her safely to the
house of Rabbi Nathan
The Jewess whose fortunes had formed the principal interest of the day
having now retired unobserved the attention of the populace was transferred to
the Black Knight They now filled the air with »Long life to Richard with the
Lions Heart and down with the usurping Templars«
»Notwithstanding all this liployalty« said Ivanhoe to the Earl of Essex
»it was well the King took the precaution to bring thee with him noble Earl
and so many of thy trusty followers«
The Earl smiled and shook his head
»Gallant Ivanhoe« said Essex »dost thou know our Master so well and yet
suspect him of taking so wise a precaution I was drawing towards York having
heard that Prince John was making head there when I met King Richard like a
true knighterrant galloping hither to achieve in his own person this adventure
of the Templar and the Jewess with his own single arm I accompanied him with
my band almost maugre his consent«
»And what news from York brave Earl« said Ivanhoe »will the rebels bide
us there«
»No more than Decembers snow will bide Julys sun« said the Earl »they
are dispersing and who should come posting to bring us the news but John
himself«
»The traitor the ungrateful insolent traitor« said Ivanhoe »did not
Richard order him into confinement«
»Oh he received him« answered the Earl »as if they had met after a
hunting party and pointing to me and our menatarms said Thou seest
brother I have some angry men with me thou wert best go to our mother carry
her my duteous affection and abide with her until mens minds are pacified«
»And this was all he said« inquired Ivanhoe »would not any one say that
this Prince invites men to treason by his clemency«
»Just« replied the Earl »as the man may be said to invite death who
undertakes to fight a combat having a dangerous wound unhealed«
»I forgive thee the jest Lord Earl« said Ivanhoe »but remember I
hazarded but my own life Richard the welfare of his kingdom«
»Those« replied Essex »who are specially careless of their own welfare
are seldom remarkably attentive to that of others But let us haste to the
castle for Richard meditates punishing some of the subordinate members of the
conspiracy though he has pardoned their principal«
From the judicial investigations which followed on this occasion and which
are given at length in the Wardour Manuscript it appears that Maurice de Bracy
escaped beyond seas and went into the service of Philip of France while Philip
de Malvoisin and his brother Albert the Preceptor of Templestowe were
executed although Waldemar Fitzurse the soul of the conspiracy escaped with
banishment and Prince John for whose behoof it was undertaken was not even
censured by his goodnatured brother No one however pitied the fate of the
two Malvoisins who only suffered the death which they had both well deserved
by many acts of falsehood cruelty and oppression
Briefly after the judicial combat Cedric the Saxon was summoned to the
court of Richard which for the purpose of quieting the counties that had been
disturbed by the ambition of his brother was then held at York Cedric tushed
and pshawed more than once at the message but he refused not obedience In
fact the return of Richard had quenched every hope that he had entertained of
restoring a Saxon dynasty in England for whatever head the Saxons might have
made in the event of a civil war it was plain that nothing could be done under
the undisputed dominion of Richard popular as he was by his personal good
qualities and military fame although his administration was wilfully careless
now too indulgent and now allied to despotism
But moreover it could not escape even Cedrics reluctant observation that
his project for an absolute union among the Saxons by the marriage of Rowena
and Athelstane was now completely at an end by the mutual dissent of both
parties concerned This was indeed an event which in his ardour for the Saxon
cause he could not have anticipated and even when the disinclination of both
was broadly and plainly manifested he could scarce bring himself to believe
that two Saxons of royal descent should scruple on personal grounds at an
alliance so necessary for the public weal of the nation But it was not the less
certain Rowena had always expressed her repugnance to Athelstane and now
Athelstane was no less plain and positive in proclaiming his resolution never to
pursue his addresses to the Lady Rowena Even the natural obstinacy of Cedric
sunk beneath these obstacles where he remaining on the point of junction had
the task of dragging a reluctant pair up to it one with each hand He made
however a last vigorous attack on Athelstane and he found that resuscitated
sprout of Saxon royalty engaged like country squires of our own day in a
furious war with the clergy
It seems that after all his deadly menaces against the Abbot of Saint
Edmunds Athelstanes spirit of revenge what between the natural indolent
kindness of his own disposition what through the prayers of his mother Edith
attached like most ladies of the period to the clerical order had
terminated in his keeping the Abbot and his monks in the dungeons of
Coningsburgh for three days on a meagre diet For this atrocity the Abbot
menaced him with excommunication and made out a dreadful list of complaints in
the bowels and stomach suffered by himself and his monks in consequence of the
tyrannical and unjust imprisonment they had sustained With this controversy
and with the means he had adopted to counteract this clerical prosecution
Cedric found the mind of his friend Athelstane so fully occupied that it had no
room for another idea And when Rowenas name was mentioned the noble
Athelstane prayed leave to quaff a full goblet to her health and that she might
soon be the bride of his kinsman Wilfred It was a desperate case therefore
There was obviously no more to be made of Athelstane or as Wamba expressed it
in a phrase which has descended from Saxon times to ours he was a cock that
would not fight
There remained betwixt Cedric and the determination which the lovers desired
to come to only two obstacles his own obstinacy and his dislike of the
Norman dynasty The former feeling gradually gave way before the endearments of
his ward and the pride which he could not help nourishing in the fame of his
son Besides he was not insensible to the honour of allying his own line to
that of Alfred when the superior claims of the descendant of Edward the
Confessor were abandoned for ever Cedrics aversion to the Norman race of kings
was also much undermined first by consideration of the impossibility of
ridding England of the new dynasty a feeling which goes far to create loyalty
in the subject to the king de facto and secondly by the personal attention of
King Richard who delighted in the blunt humour of Cedric and to use the
language of the Wardour Manuscript so dealt with the noble Saxon that ere he
had been a guest at court for seven days he had given his consent to the
marriage of his ward Rowena and his son Wilfred of Ivanhoe
The nuptials of our hero thus formally approved by his father were
celebrated in the most august of temples the noble Minster of York The King
himself attended and from the countenance which he afforded on this and other
occasions to the distressed and hitherto degraded Saxons gave them a safer and
more certain prospect of attaining their just rights than they could reasonably
hope from the precarious chance of a civil war The Church gave her full
solemnities graced with all the splendour which she of Rome knows how to apply
with such brilliant effect
Gurth gallantly apparelled attended as esquire upon his young master whom
he had served so faithfully and the magnanimous Wamba decorated with a new cap
and a most gorgeous set of silver bells Sharers of Wilfreds dangers and
adversity they remained as they had a right to expect the partakers of his
more prosperous career
But besides this domestic retinue these distinguished nuptials were
celebrated by the attendance of the highborn Normans as well as Saxons joined
with the universal jubilee of the lower orders that marked the marriage of two
individuals as a pledge of the future peace and harmony betwixt two races
which since that period have been so completely mingled that the distinction
has become wholly invisible Cedric lived to see this union approximate towards
its completion for as the two nations mixed in society and formed
intermarriages with each other the Normans abated their scorn and the Saxons
were refined from their rusticity But it was not until the reign of Edward the
Third that the mixed language now termed English was spoken at the court of
London and that the hostile distinction of Norman and Saxon seems entirely to
have disappeared
It was upon the second morning after this happy bridal that the Lady Rowena
was made acquainted by her handmaid Elgitha that a damsel desired admission to
her presence and solicited that their parley might be without witness Rowena
wondered hesitated became curious and ended by commanding the damsel to be
admitted and her attendants to withdraw
She entered a noble and commanding figure the long white veil in which
she was shrouded overshadowing rather than concealing the elegance and majesty
of her shape Her demeanour was that of respect unmingled by the least shade
either of fear or of a wish to propitiate favour Rowena was ever ready to
acknowledge the claims and attend to the feelings of others She arose and
would have conducted her lovely visitor to a seat but the stranger looked at
Elgitha and again intimated a wish to discourse with the Lady Rowena alone
Elgitha had no sooner retired with unwilling steps than to the surprise of the
Lady of Ivanhoe her fair visitant kneeled on one knee pressed her hands to her
forehead and bending her head to the ground in spite of Rowenas resistance
kissed the embroidered hem of her tunic
»What means this lady« said the surprised bride »or why do you offer me a
deference so unusual«
»Because to you Lady of Ivanhoe« said Rebecca rising up and resuming the
usual quiet dignity of her manner »I may lawfully and without rebuke pay the
debt of gratitude which I owe to Wilfred of Ivanhoe I am forgive the boldness
which has offered to you the homage of my country I am the unhappy Jewess for
whom your husband hazarded his life against such fearful odds in the tiltyard
of Templestowe«
»Damsel« said Rowena »Wilfred of Ivanhoe on that day rendered back but in
slight measure your unceasing charity towards him in his wounds and misfortunes
Speak is there aught remains in which he or I can serve thee«
»Nothing« said Rebecca calmly »unless you will transmit to him my
grateful farewell«
»You leave England then« said Rowena scarcely recovering the surprise of
this extraordinary visit
»I leave it lady ere this moon again changes My father hath a brother
high in favour with Mohammed Boabdil King of Grenada thither we go secure of
peace and protection for the payment of such ransom as the Moslem exact from
our people«
»And are you not then as well protected in England« said Rowena »My
husband has favour with the King the King himself is just and generous«
»Lady« said Rebecca »I doubt it not but the people of England are a
fierce race quarrelling ever with their neighbours or among themselves and
ready to plunge the sword into the bowels of each other Such is no safe abode
for the children of my people Ephraim is a heartless dove Issachar an
overlaboured drudge which stoops between two burdens Not in a land of war and
blood surrounded by hostile neighbours and distracted by internal factions
can Israel hope to rest during her wanderings«
»But you maiden« said Rowena »you surely can have nothing to fear She
who nursed the sickbed of Ivanhoe« she continued rising with enthusiasm
»she can have nothing to fear in England where Saxon and Norman will contend
who shall most do her honour«
»Thy speech is fair lady« said Rebecca »and thy purpose fairer but it
may not be there is a gulf betwixt us Our breeding our faith alike forbid
either to pass over it Farewell yet ere I go indulge me one request The
bridalveil hangs over thy face deign to raise it and let me see the features
of which fame speaks so highly«
»They are scarce worthy of being looked upon« said Rowena »but expecting
the same from my visitant I remove the veil« She took it off accordingly and
partly from the consciousness of beauty and partly from bashfulness she
blushed so intensely that cheek brow neck and bosom were suffused with
crimson Rebecca blushed also but it was a momentary feeling and mastered by
higher emotions passed slowly from her features like the crimson cloud which
changes colour when the sun sinks beneath the horizon
»Lady« she said »the countenance you have deigned to show me will long
dwell in my remembrance There reigns in it gentleness and goodness and if a
tinge of the worlds pride or vanities may mix with an expression so lovely how
should we chide that which is of earth for bearing some colour of its original
Long long will I remember your features and bless God that I leave my noble
deliverer united with«
She stopped short her eyes filled with tears She hastily wiped them and
answered to the anxious inquiries of Rowena »I am well lady well But my
heart swells when I think of Torquilstone and the lists of Templestowe
Farewell One the most trifling part of my duty remains undischarged Accept
this casket startle not at its contents«
Rowena opened the small silverchased casket and perceived a carcanet or
necklace with earjewels of diamonds which were obviously of immense value
»It is impossible« she said tendering back the casket »I dare not accept
a gift of such consequence«
»Yet keep it lady« returned Rebecca »You have power rank command
influence we have wealth the source both of our strength and weakness the
value of these toys ten times multiplied would not influence half so much as
your slightest wish To you therefore the gift is of little value and to me
what I part with is of much less Let me not think you deem so wretchedly ill of
my nation as your commons believe Think ye that I prize these sparkling
fragments of stone above my liberty or that my father values them in comparison
to the honour of his only child Accept them lady to me they are valueless I
will never wear jewels more«
»You are then unhappy« said Rowena struck with the manner in which Rebecca
uttered the last words »Oh remain with us the counsel of holy men will wean
you from your erring law and I will be a sister to you«
»No lady« answered Rebecca the same calm melancholy reigning in her soft
voice and beautiful features »that may not be I may not change the faith of
my fathers like a garment unsuited to the climate in which I seek to dwell and
unhappy lady I will not be He to whom I dedicate my future life will be my
comforter if I do His will«
»Have you then convents to one of which you mean to retire« asked Rowena
»No lady« said the Jewess »but among our people since the time of
Abraham downwards have been women who have devoted their thoughts to Heaven
and their actions to works of kindness to men tending the sick feeding the
hungry and relieving the distressed Among these will Rebecca be numbered Say
this to thy lord should he chance to inquire after the fate of her whose life
he saved«
There was an involuntary tremor on Rebeccas voice and a tenderness of
accent which perhaps betrayed more than she would willingly have expressed She
hastened to bid Rowena adieu
»Farewell« she said »may He who made both Jew and Christian shower down
on you his choicest blessings The bark that wafts us hence will be under weigh
ere we can reach the port«
She glided from the apartment leaving Rowena surprised as if a vision had
passed before her The fair Saxon related the singular conference to her
husband on whose mind it made a deep impression He lived long and happily with
Rowena for they were attached to each other by the bonds of early affection
and they loved each other the more from the recollection of the obstacles which
had impeded their union Yet it would be inquiring too curiously to ask whether
the recollection of Rebeccas beauty and magnanimity did not recur to his mind
more frequently than the fair descendant of Alfred might altogether have
approved
Ivanhoe distinguished himself in the service of Richard and was graced with
farther marks of the royal favour He might have risen still higher but for the
premature death of the heroic CoeurdeLion before the Castle of Chaluz near
Limoges With the life of a generous but rash and romantic monarch perished
all the projects which his ambition and his generosity had formed to whom may
be applied with a slight alteration the lines composed by Dr Johnson for
Charles of Sweden
His fate was destined to a foreign strand
A petty fortress and an »humble« hand
He left the name at which the world grew pale
To point a moral or adorn a TALE
Notes
1 This motto alludes to the Author returning to the stage repeatedly after
having taken leave
2 This very curious poem long a desideratum in Scottish literature and given
up as irrecoverably lost was lately brought to light by the researches of Dr
Irving of the Advocates Library and has been reprinted by Mr David Laing
Edinburgh
3 See vol ii p 167
4 See Guy Mannering p 433
5 Like the Hermit the Shepherd makes havoc amongst the Kings game but by
means of a sling not of a bow like the Hermit too he has his peculiar phrases
of compotation the sign and countersign being Passelodion and Berafriend One
can scarce conceive what humour our ancestors found in this species of
gibberish but
»I warrant it proved an excuse for the glass«
6 The Author had revised this posthumous work of Mr Strutt See General Preface
to the present edition vol i p 10
7 This anticipation proved but too true as my learned correspondent did not
receive my letter until a twelvemonth after it was written I mention this
circumstance that a gentleman attached to the cause of learning who now holds
the principal control of the postoffice may consider whether by some
mitigation of the present enormous rates some favour might not be shown to the
correspondents of the principal Literary and Antiquarian Societies I
understand indeed that this experiment was once tried but that the mail coach
having broke down under the weight of packages addressed to members of the
Society of Antiquaries it was relinquished as a hazardous experiment Surely
however it would be possible to build these vehicles in a form more
substantial stronger in the perch and broader in the wheels so as to support
the weight of Antiquarian learning when if they should be found to travel more
slowly they would be not the less agreeable to quiet travellers like myself
L T
8 Mr Skene of Rubislaw is here intimated to whose taste and skill the Author
is indebted for a series of etchings exhibiting the various localities alluded
to in these Novels
9 A most sensible grievance of those aggrieved times were the Forest Laws These
oppressive enactments were the produce of the Norman Conquest for the Saxon
laws of the chase were mild and humane while those of William enthusiastically
attached to the exercise and its rights were to the last degree tyrannical The
formation of the New Forest bears evidence to his passion for hunting where he
reduced many a happy village to the condition of that one commemorated by my
friend Mr William Stewart Rose
»Amongst the ruins of the church
The midnight raven found a perch
A melancholy place
The ruthless Conqueror cast down
Woe worth the deed that little town
To lengthen out his chase«
The disabling dogs which might be necessary for keeping flocks and herds from
running at the deer was called lawing and was in general use The Charter of
the Forest designed to lessen those evils declares that inquisition or view
for lawing dogs shall be made every third year and shall be then done by the
view and testimony of lawful men not otherwise and they whose dogs shall be
then found unlawed shall give three shillings for mercy and for the future no
mans ox shall be taken for lawing Such lawing also shall be done by the assize
commonly used and which is that three claws shall be cut off without the ball
of the right foot See on this subject the Historical Essay on the Magna Charta
of King John a most beautiful volume by Richard Thomson
10 The severe accuracy of some critics has objected to the complexion of the
slaves of Brian de BoisGuilbert as being totally out of costume and propriety
I remember the same objection being made to a set of sable functionaries whom my
friend Mat Lewis introduced as the guards and mischiefdoing satellites of the
wicked Baron in his Castle Spectre Mat treated the objection with great
contempt and averred in reply that he made the slaves black in order to
obtain a striking effect of contrast and that could he have derived a similar
advantage from making his heroine blue blue she should have been
I do not pretend to plead the immunities of my order so highly as this but
neither will I allow that the author of a modern antique romance is obliged to
confine himself to the introduction of those manners only which can be proved to
have absolutely existed in the times he is depicting so that he restrain
himself to such as are plausible and natural and contain no obvious
anachronism In this point of view what can be more natural than that the
Templars who we know copied closely the luxuries of the Asiatic warriors with
whom they fought should use the service of the enslaved Africans whom the fate
of war transferred to new masters I am sure if there are no precise proofs of
their having done so there is nothing on the other hand that can entitle us
positively to conclude that they never did Besides there is an instance in
Romance
John of Rampayne an excellent juggler and minstrel undertook to effect the
escape of Audulf de Bracy by presenting himself in disguise at the court of the
king where he was confined For this purpose »he stained his hair and his
whole body entirely as black as jet so that nothing was white but his teeth«
and succeeded in imposing himself on the king as an Ethiopian minstrel He
effected by stratagem the escape of the prisoner Negroes therefore must
have been known in England in the dark ages
11 The original has Cnichts by which the Saxons seem to have designated a class
of military attendants sometimes free sometimes bondsmen but always ranking
above an ordinary domestic whether in the royal household or in those of the
aldermen and thanes But the term cnicht now spelt knight having been received
into the English language as equivalent to the Norman word chevalier I have
avoided using it in its more ancient sense to prevent confusion L T
12 Pillage
13 These were drinks used by the Saxons as we are informed by Mr Turner Moral
was made of honey flavoured with the juice of mulberries Pigment was a sweet
and rich liquor composed of wine highly spiced and sweetened also with honey
the other liquors need no explanation L T
14 There was no language which the Normans more formally separated from that of
common life than the terms of the chase The objects of their pursuit whether
bird or animal changed their name each year and there were a hundred
conventional terms to be ignorant of which was to be without one of the
distinguishing marks of a gentleman The reader may consult Dame Juliana
Berners book on the subject The origin of this science was imputed to the
celebrated Sir Tristrem famous for his tragic intrigue with the beautiful
Ysolte As the Normans reserved the amusement of hunting strictly to themselves
the terms of this formal jargon were all taken from the French language
15 In those days the Jews were subjected to an Exchequer specially dedicated to
that purpose and which laid them under the most exorbitant impositions L T
16 This sort of masquerade is supposed to have occasioned the introduction of
supporters into the science of heraldry
17 These lines are part of an unpublished poem by Coleridge whose Muse so often
tantalises with fragments which indicate her powers while the manner in which
she flings them from her betrays her caprice yet whose unfinished sketches
display more talent than the laboured masterpieces of others
18 This term of chivalry transferred to the law gives the phrase of being
attainted of treason
19 Presumption insolence
20 Beauseant was the name of the Templars banner which was half black half
white to intimate it is said that they were candid and fair towards
Christians but black and terrible towards infidels
21 There was nothing accounted so ignominious among the Saxons as to merit this
disgraceful epithet Even William the Conqueror hated as he was by them
continued to draw a considerable army of AngloSaxons to his standard by
threatening to stigmatise those who stayed at home as nidering Bartholinus I
think mentions a similar phrase which had like influence on the Danes L T
22 THE JOLLY HERMIT All readers however slightly acquainted with black
letter must recognise in the Clerk of Copmanhurst Friar Tuck the buxom
Confessor of Robin Hoods gang the Curtal Friar of Fountains Abbey
23 The realm of France it is well known was divided betwixt the Norman and
Teutonic race who spoke the language in which the word Yes is pronounced as
oui and the inhabitants of the southern regions whose speech bearing some
affinity to the Italian pronounced the same word oc The
poets of the former race were called Minstrels and their poems Lays those of
the latter were termed Troubadours and their compositions called sirventes and
other names Richard a professed admirer of the joyous science in all its
branches could imitate either the minstrel or troubadour It is less likely
that he should have been able to compose or sing an English ballad yet so much
do we wish to assimilate Him of the Lion Heart to the band of warriors whom he
led that the anachronism if there be one may readily be forgiven
24 It may be proper to remind the reader that the chorus of »derry down« is
supposed to be as ancient not only as the times of the Heptarchy but as those
of the Druids and to have furnished the chorus to the hymns of those venerable
persons when they went to the wood to gather mistletoe
25 A reresupper was a nightmeal and sometimes signified a collation which
was given at a late hour after the regular supper had made its appearance L
T
26 The bloody battle alluded to in the text fought and won by King Harold over
his brother the rebellious Tosti and an auxiliary force of Danes or Norsemen
took place in 1066 at Stamford Strangford or Staneford a ford upon the river
Derwent at the distance of about seven miles from York and situated in that
large and opulent county A long wooden bridge over the Derwent the site of
which with one remaining buttress is still shown to the curious traveller was
furiously contested One Norwegian long defended it by his single arm and was
at length pierced with a spear thrust through the planks of the bridge from a
boat beneath
The neighbourhood of Stamford on the Derwent contains some memorials of the
battle Horseshoes swords and the heads of halberds or bills are often
found there one place is called the »Danes well« another the »Battle flats«
From a tradition that the weapon with which the Norwegian champion was slain
resembled a pear or as others say that the trough or boat in which the
soldier floated under the bridge to strike the blow had such a shape the
country people usually begin a great market which is held at Stamford with an
entertainment called the Pearpie feast which after all may be a corruption of
the Spearpie feast For more particulars Drakes History of York may be
referred to
27 Nota Bene We by no means warrant the accuracy of this piece of natural
history which we give on the authority of the Wardour MS L T
28 This horrid species of torture may remind the reader of that to which the
Spaniards subjected Guatimozin in order to extort a discovery of his concealed
wealth But in fact an instance of similar barbarity is to be found nearer
home and occurs in the annals of Queen Marys time containing so many other
examples of atrocity Every reader must recollect that after the fall of
Catholic Church and the Presbyterian Church Government had been established by
law the rank and especially the wealth of the Bishops Abbots Priors and so
forth were no longer vested in ecclesiastics but in lay impropriators of the
church revenues or as the Scottish lawyers called them titulars of the
temporalities of the benefice though having no claim to the spiritual character
of their predecessors in office
Of these laymen who were thus invested with ecclesiastical revenues some were
men of high birth and rank like the famous Lord James Stewart the Prior of St
Andrews who did not fail to keep for their own use the rents lands and
revenues of the church But if on the other hand the titulars were men of
inferior importance who had been inducted into the office by the interest of
some powerful person it was generally understood that thenew Abbot should grant
for his patrons benefit such leases and conveyances of the church lands and
tithes as might afford their protector the lions share of the booty This was
the origin of those who were wittily termed Tulchan Bishops being a sort of
imaginary prelate whose image was set up to enable his patron and principal to
plunder the benefice under his name
There were other cases however in which men who had got grants of these
secularised benefices were desirous of retaining them for their own use
without having the influence sufficient to establish their purpose and these
became frequently unable to protect themselves however unwilling to submit to
the exactions of the feudal tyrant of the district
Bannatyne secretary to John Knox recounts a singular course of oppression
practised on one of those titular abbots in 1571 by the Earl of Cassilis in
Ayrshire whose extent of feudal influence was so wide that he was usually
termed the King of Carrick We give the fact as it occurs in Bannatynes
Journal only premising that the Journalist held his masters opinions both
with respect to the Earl of Cassilis as an opposer of the Kings party and as
being a detester of the practice of granting church revenues to titulars
instead of their being devoted to pious uses such as the support of the clergy
expense of schools and the relief of the national poor He mingles in the
narrative therefore a welldeserved feeling of execration against the tyrant
who employed the torture with a tone of ridicule towards the patient as if
after all it had not been ill bestowed on such an equivocal and amphibious
character as a titular abbot He entitles his narrative
The Earl of Cassilis Tyranny Against a Quick ie Living Man
»Master Allan Stewart friend to Captain James Stewart of Cardonall by means of
the Queens corrupted court obtained the abbey of Crossraguel The said Earl
thinking himself greater than any king in those quarters determined to have
that whole benefice as he hath divers others to pay at his pleasure and
because he could not find sic security as his insatiable appetite required this
shift was devised The said Mr Allan being in company with the Laird of
Bargany also a Kennedy was by the Earl and his friends enticed to leave the
safeguard which he had with the Laird and come to make good cheer with the said
Earl The simplicity of the imprudent man was suddenly abused and so he passed
his time with them certain days which he did in Maybole with Thomas Kennedie
uncle to the said Earl after which the said Mr Allan passed with quiet
company to visit the place and bounds of Crossraguel of which the said Earl
being surely advertised determined to put in practice the tyranny which long
before he had conceived And so as king of the country apprehended the said
Mr Allan and carried him to the house of Denure where for a season he was
honourably treated gif a prisoner can think any entertainment pleasing but
after that certain days were spent and that the Earl could not obtain the feus
of Crossraguel according to his awin appetite he determined to prove gif a
collation could work that which neither dinner nor supper could do for a long
time And so the said Mr Allan was carried to a secret chamber with him passed
the honourable Earl his worshipful brother and such as were appointed to be
servants at that banquet In the chamber there was a grit iron chimlay under it
a fire other grit provision was not seen The first course was My Lord Abbot
said the Earl it will please you confess here that with your own consent you
remain in my company because you durst not commit yourself to the hands of
others The Abbot answered Would you my lord that I should make a manifest
lie for your pleasure The truth is my lord it is against my will that I am
here neither yet have I any pleasure in your company But ye shall remain with
me nevertheless at this time said the Earl I am not able to resist your will
and pleasure said the Abbot in this place Ye must then obey me said the
Earl and with that were presented unto him certain letters to subscribe
amongst which there was a five years tack and a nineteen years tack and a
charter of feu of all the lands of Crossraguel with all the clauses necessary
for the Earl to hasten him to hell For gif adultery sacrilege oppression
barbarous cruelty and theft heaped upon theft deserve hell the great King of
Carrick can no more escape hell for ever than the imprudent Abbot escaped the
fire for a season as follows
After that the Earl spied repugnance and saw that he could not come to his
purpose by fair means he commanded his cooks to prepare the banquet and so
first they flayed the sheep that is they took off the Abbots cloathes even to
his skin and next they bound him to the chimney his legs to the one end and
his arms to the other and so they began to beet the fire sometimes to his
buttocks sometimes to his legs sometimes to his shoulders and arms and that
the roast might not burn but that it might rest in soppe they spared not
flambing with oil basting as a cook bastes roasted meat Lord look thou to
sic cruelty And that the crying of the miserable man should not be heard they
closed his mouth that the voice might be stopped It may be suspected that some
partisan of the Kings murder was there In that torment they held the poor man
till that often he cried for Gods sake to despatch him for he had as meikle
gold in his awin purse as would buy powder enough to shorten his pain The
famous King of Carrick and his cooks perceiving the roast to be aneuch
commanded it to be tane fra the fire and the Earl himself began the grace in
this manner Benedicte Jesus Maria you are the most obstinate man that ever
I saw gif I had known that ye had been so stubborn I would not for a thousand
crowns have handled you so I never did so to man before you And yet he
returned to the same practice within two days and ceased not till that he
obtained his foremost purpose that is that he had got all his pieces
subscryvit alsweill as ane halfroasted hand could do it The Earl thinking
himself sure enough so long as he had the halfroasted Abbot in his awin
keeping and yet being ashamed of his presence by reason of his former cruelty
left the place of Denure in the hands of certain of his servants and the
halfroasted Abbot to be kept there as prisoner The Laird of Bargany out of
whose company the said Abbot had been enticed understanding not the
extremity but the retaining of the man sent to the court and raised letters
of deliverance of the person of the man according to the order which being
disobeyed the said Earl for his contempt was denounced rebel and put to the
horne But yet hope was there none neither to the afflicted to be delivered
neither yet to the purchaser of the letters to obtain any comfort thereby for
in that time God was despised and the lawful authority was contemned in
Scotland in hope of the sudden return and regiment of that cruel murderer of
her awin husband of whose lords the said Earl was called one and yet oftener
than once he was solemnly sworn to the King and to his Regent«
The Journalist then recites the complaint of the injured Allan Stewart
Commendator of Crossraguel to the Regent and Privy Council averring his having
been carried partly by flattery partly by force to the black vault of Denure
a strong fortalice built on a rock overhanging the Irish channel where its
ruins are still visible Here he stated he had been required to execute leases
and conveyances of the whole churches and parsonages belonging to the Abbey of
Crossraguel which he utterly refused as an unreasonable demand and the more so
that he had already conveyed them to John Stewart of Cardonall by whose
interest he had been made Commendator The complainant proceeds to state that
he was after many menaces stripped bound and his limbs exposed to fire in
the manner already described till compelled by excess of agony he subscribed
the charter and leases presented to him of the contents of which he was totally
ignorant A few days afterwards being again required to execute a ratification
of these deeds before a notary and witnesses and refusing to do so he was once
more subjected to the same torture until his agony was so excessive that he
exclaimed »Fye on you why do you not strike your whingers into me or blow me
up with a barrel of powder rather than torture me thus unmercifully« upon
which the Earl commanded Alexander Richard one of his attendants to stop the
patients mouth with a napkin which was done accordingly Thus he was once more
compelled to submit to their tyranny The petition concluded with stating that
the Earl under pretence of the deeds thus iniquitously obtained had taken
possession of the whole place and living of Crossraguel and enjoyed the profits
thereof for three years
The doom of the Regent and Council shows singularly the total interruption of
justice at this calamitous period even in the most clamant cases of oppression
The Council declined interference with the course of the ordinary justice of the
county which was completely under the said Earl of Cassilis control and only
enacted that he should forbear molestation of the unfortunate Commendator
under the surety of two thousand pounds Scots The Earl was appointed also to
keep the peace towards the celebrated George Buchanan who had a pension out of
the same Abbacy to a similar extent and under the like penalty
The consequences are thus described by the Journalist already quoted
»The said Laird of Bargany perceiving that the ordiner justice could neither
help the oppressed nor yet the afflicted applied his mind to the next remedy
and in the end by his servants took the house of Denure where the poor Abbot
was kept prisoner The bruit flew fra Carrick to Galloway and so suddenly
assembled herd and hyreman that pertained to the band of the Kennedies and so
within a few hours was the house of Denure environed again The master of
Cassilis was the frackast and would not stay but in his heat would lay fire to
the dungeon with no small boasting that all enemies within the house should
die
He was required and admonished by those that were within to be more moderate
and not to hazard himself so foolishly But no admonition would help till that
the wind of an hacquebute blasted his shoulder and then ceased he from further
pursuit in fury The Laird of Bargany had before purchest of the authorities
letters charging all faithfull subjects to the Kings Majesty to assist him
against that cruel tyrant and mansworn traitor the Earl of Cassilis which
letters with his private writings he published and shortly found sic
concurrence of Kyle and Cunynghame with his other friends that the Carrick
company drew back fra the house and so the other approached furnished the
house with more men delivered the said Mr Allan and carried him to Ayre
where publicly at the market cross of the said town he declared how cruelly he
was entreated and how the murdered King suffered not sic torment as he did
excepting only he escaped the death and therefore publicly did revoke all
things that were done in that extremity and especially he revoked the
subscription of the three writings to wit of a fyve yeir tack and nineteen
year tack and of a charter of feu And so the house remained and remains till
this day the 7th of February 1571 in the custody of the said Laird of Bargany
and of his servants And so cruelty was disappointed of proffeit present and
shall be eternallie punished unless he earnestly repent And this far for the
cruelty committed to give occasion unto others and to such as hate the
monstrous dealing of degenerate nobility to look more diligently upon their
behaviours and to paint them forth unto the world that they themselves may be
ashamed of their own beastliness and that the world may be advertised and
admonished to abhor detest and avoid the company of all sic tyrants who are
not worthy of the society of men but ought to be sent suddenly to the devil
with whom they must burn without end for their contempt of God and cruelty
committed against his creatures Let Cassilis and his brother be the first to be
the example unto others Amen Amen«
This extract has been somewhat amended or modernised in orthography to render
it more intelligible to the general reader I have to add that the Kennedies of
Bargany who interfered in behalf of the oppressed Abbot were themselves a
younger branch of the Cassilis family but held different politics and were
powerful enough in this and other instances to bid them defiance
The ultimate issue of this affair does not appear but as the house of Cassilis
are still in possession of the greater part of the feus and leases which
belonged to Crossraguel Abbey it is probable the talons of the King of Carrick
were strong enough in those disorderly times to retain the prey which they had
so mercilessly fixed upon
I may also add that it appears by some papers in my possession that the
Officers or Country Keepers on the Border were accustomed to torment their
prisoners by binding them to the iron bars of their chimneys to extort
confession
29 Henrys Hist edit 1805 vol vii p 346
30 I wish the Prior had also informed them when Niobe was sainted Probably
during that enlightened period when
»Pan to Moses lent his pagan horn« L T
31 Surquedy and outrecuidance insolence and presumption
32 Mantelets were temporary and movable defences formed of planks under cover
of which the assailants advanced to the attack of fortified places of old
Pavisses were a species of large shields covering the whole person employed on
the same occasions
33 The bolt was the arrow peculiarly fitted to the crossbow as that of the
longbow was called a shaft Hence the English proverb »I will either make a
shaft or bolt of it« signifying a determination to make one use or other of the
thing spoken of
34 The arblast was a crossbow the windlace the machine used in bending that
weapon and the quarrell so called from its square or diamondshaped head was
the bolt adapted to it
35 The Author has been here upbraided with false heraldry in having charged
metal upon metal It should be remembered however that heraldry had only its
first rude origin during the crusades and that all the minutiæ of the fantastic
science were the work of time and introduced at a much later period Those who
think otherwise must suppose that the Goddess of Armoiries like the Goddess of
Arms sprung into the world completely equipped in all the gaudy trappings of
the department she presides over
36 Every Gothic castle and city had beyond the outerwalls a fortification
composed of palisades called the barriers which were often the scene of severe
skirmishes as these must necessarily be carried before the walls themselves
could be approached Many of those valiant feats of arms which adorn the
chivalrous pages of Froissart took place at the barriers of be sieged places
37 Derringdo desperate courage
38 The author has some idea that this passage is imitated from the appearance of
Philidaspes before the divine Mandane when the city of Babylon is on fire and
he proposes to carry her from the flames But the theft if there be one would
be rather too severely punished by the penance of searching for the original
passage through the interminable volumes of the Grand Cyrus
39 It will readily occur to the antiquary that these verses are intended to
imitate the antique poetry of the Scalds the minstrels of the old
Scandinavians the race as the Laureate Southey so happily terms them
»Stern to inflict and stubborn to endure
Who smiled in death«
The poetry of the AngloSaxons after their civilisation and conversion was of
a different and softer character but in the circumstances of Ulrica she may be
not unnaturally supposed to return to the wild strains which animated her
forefathers during the time of Paganism and untamed ferocity
40 Thrall and bondsman
41 A lawful freeman
42 The notes upon the bugles were anciently called mots and are distinguished
in the old treatises on hunting not by musical characters but by written
words
43 The interchange of a cuff with the jolly priest is not entirely out of
character with Richard I if romances read him aright In the very curious
romance on the subject of his adventures in the Holy Land and his return from
thence it is recorded how he exchanged a pugilistic favour of this nature
while a prisoner in Germany His opponent was the son of his principal warder
and was so imprudent as to give the challenge to this barter of buffets The
King stood forth like a true man and received a blow which staggered him In
requital having previously waxed his hand a practice unknown I believe to
the gentlemen of the modern fancy he returned the box on the ear with such
interest as to kill his antagonist on the spot See in Elliss Specimens of
English Romance that of CoeurdeLion
44 A commissary is said to have received similar consolation from a certain
commanderinchief to whom he complained that a general officer had used some
such threat towards him as that in the text
45 Borghs or borrows signifies pledges Hence our word to borrow because we
pledge ourselves to restore what is lent
46 Dortour or dormitory
47 It is curious to observe that in every state of society some sort of
ghostly consolation is provided for the members of the community though
assembled for purposes diametrically opposite to religion A gang of beggars
have their Patrico and the banditti of the Apennines have among them persons
acting as monks and priests by whom they are confessed and who perform mass
before them Unquestionably such reverend persons in such a society must
accommodate their manners and their morals to the community in which they live
and if they can occasionally obtain a degree of reverence for their supposed
spiritual gifts are on most occasions loaded with unmerciful ridicule as
possessing a character inconsistent with all around them
Hence the fighting parson in the old play of Sir John Oldcastle and the famous
friar of Robin Hoods band Nor were such characters ideal There exists a
monition of the Bishop of Durham against irregular churchmen of this class who
associated themselves with Border robbers and desecrated the holiest offices of
the priestly function by celebrating them for the benefit of thieves robbers
and murderers amongst ruins and in caverns of the earth without regard to
canonical form and with torn and dirty attire and maimed rites altogether
improper for the occasion
48 Reginald Fitzurse William de Tracy Hugh de Morville and Richard Brito
were the gentlemen of Henry the Seconds household who instigated by some
passionate expressions of their sovereign slew the celebrated ThomasàBecket
49 The establishments of the Knights Templars were called Preceptories and the
title of those who presided in the Order was Preceptor as the principal Knights
of Saint John were termed Commanders and their houses Commanderies But these
terms were sometimes it would seem used indiscriminately
50 In the ordinances of the Knights of the Temple this phrase is repeated in a
variety of forms and occurs in almost every chapter as if it were the signal
word of the Order which may account for its being so frequently put in the
Grand Masters mouth
51 See the 13th chapter of Leviticus
52 The edict which he quotes is against communion with women of light
character
53 The reader is again referred to the Rules of the Poor Military Brotherhood of
the Temple which occur in the works of Saint Bernard L T
54 Essoine signifies excuse and here relates to the appellants privilege of
appearing by her champion in excuse of her own person on account of her sex
55 Capul ie horse in a more limited sense workhorse
56 Destrier warhorse
57 From the ballads of Robin Hood we learn that this celebrated outlaw when in
disguise sometimes assumed the name of Locksley from a village where he was
born but where situated we are not distinctly told
58 When I last saw this interesting ruin of ancient days one of the very few
remaining examples of Saxon fortification I was strongly impressed with the
desire of tracing out a sort of theory on the subject which from somerecent
acquaintance with the architecture of the ancient Scandinavians seemed to me
peculiarly interesting I was however obliged by circumstances to proceed on
my journey without leisure to take more than a transient view of Coningsburgh
Yet the idea dwells so strongly in my mind that I feel considerably tempted to
write a page or two in detailing at least the outline of my hypothesis leaving
better antiquaries to correct or refute conclusions which are perhaps too
hastily drawn
Those who have visited the Zetland Islands are familiar with the description of
castles called by the inhabitants Burghs and by the Highlanders for they are
also to be found both in the Western Isles and on the mainland Duns Pennant
has engraved a view of the famous DunDornadilla in Glenelg and there are many
others all of them built after a peculiar mode of architecture which argues a
people in the most primitive state of society The most perfect specimen is that
upon the island of Mousa near to the mainland of Zetland which is probably in
the same state as when inhabited
It is a single round tower the wall curving in slightly and then turning
outward again in the form of a dicebox so that the defenders on the top might
the better protect the base It is formed of rough stones selected with care
and laid in courses or circles with much compactness but without cement of any
kind The tower has never to appearance had roofing of any sort a fire was
made in the centre of the space which it encloses and originally the building
was probably little more than a wall drawn as a sort of screen around the great
council fire of the tribe But although the means or ingenuity of the builders
did not extend so far as to provide a roof they supplied the want by
constructing apartments in the interior of the walls of the tower itself. The
circumvallation formed a double enclosure the inner side of which was in fact
two feet or three feet distant from the other and connected by a concentric
range of long flat stones thus forming a series of concentric rings or storeys
of various heights rising to the top of the tower Each of these storeys or
galleries has four windows facing directly to the points of the compass and
rising of course regularly above each other These four perpendicular ranges of
windows admitted air and the fire being kindled heat or smoke at least to
each of the galleries The access from gallery to gallery is equally primitive
A path on the principle of an inclined plane turns round and round the
building like a screw and gives access to the different storeys intersecting
each of them in its turn and thus gradually rising to the top of the wall of
the tower On the outside there are no windows and I may add that an
enclosure of a square or sometimes a round form gave the inhabitants of the
Burgh an opportunity to secure any sheep or cattle which they might possess
Such is the general architecture of that very early period when the Northmen
swept the seas and brought to their rude houses such as I have described them
the plunder of polished nations In Zetland there are several scores of these
Burghs occupying in every case capes headlands islets and similar places of
advantage singularly well chosen I remember the remains of one upon an island
in a small lake near Lerwick which at high tide communicates with the sea the
access to which is very ingenious by means of a causeway or dyke about three
or four inches under the surface of the water This causeway makes a sharp angle
in its approach to the Burgh The inhabitants doubtless were well acquainted
with this but strangers who might approach in a hostile manner and were
ignorant of the curve of the causeway would probably plunge into the lake
which is six or seven feet in depth at the least This must have been the
device of some Vauban or Cohorn of those early times
The style of these buildings evinces that the architect possessed neither the
art of using lime or cement of any kind nor the skill to throw an arch
construct a roof or erect a stair and yet with all this ignorance showed
great ingenuity in selecting the situation of Burghs and regulating the access
to them as well as neatness and regularity in the erection since the buildings
themselves show a style of advance in the arts scarcely consistent with the
ignorance of so many of the principal branches of architectural knowledge
I have always thought that one of the most curious and valuable objects of
antiquaries has been to trace the progress of society by the efforts made in
early ages to improve the rudeness of their first expedients until they either
approach excellence or as is most frequently the case are supplied by new and
fundamental discoveries which supersede both the earlier and ruder system and
the improvements which have been engrafted upon it For example, if we conceive
the recent discovery of gas to be so much improved and adapted to domestic use
as to supersede all other modes of production domestic light we can already
suppose some centuries afterwards the heads of a whole Society of Antiquaries
half turned by the discovery of a pair of patent snuffers and by the learned
theories which would be brought forward to account for the form and purpose of
so singular an implement
Following some such principle I am inclined to regard the singular Castle of
Coningsburgh I mean the Saxon part of it as a step in advance from the rude
architecture if it deserves the name which must have been common to the Saxons
as to other Northmen The builders had attained the art of using cement and of
roofing a building great improvements on the original Burgh But in the round
keep a shape only seen in the most ancient castles the chambers excavated in
the thickness of the walls and buttresses the difficulty by which access is
gained from one storey to those above it Coningsburgh still retains the
simplicity of its origin and shows by what slow degrees man proceeded from
occupying such rude and inconvenient lodgings as were afforded by the galleries
of the Castle of Mousa to the more splendid accommodations of the Norman
castles with all their stern and Gothic graces
I am ignorant if these remarks are new or if they will be confirmed by closer
examination but I think that on a hasty observation Coningsburgh offers
means of curious study to those who may wish to trace the history of
architecture back to the times preceding the Norman Conquest
It would be highly desirable that a cork model should be taken of the Castle of
Mousa as it cannot be well understood by a plan
The Castle of Coningsburgh is thus described by Gough
»The castle is large the outer walls standing on a pleasant ascent from the
river but much overtopt by a high hill on which the town stands situated at
the head of a rich and magnificent vale formed by an amphitheatre of woody
hills in which flows the gentle Don Near the castle is a barrow said to be
Hengists tomb The entrance is flanked to the left by a round tower with a
sloping base and there are several similar in the outer wall the entrance has
piers of a gate and on the east side the ditch and bank are double and very
steep On the top of the churchyard wall is a tombstone on which are cut in
high relief two ravens or such like birds On the south side of the churchyard
lies an ancient stone ridged like a coffin on which is carved a man on
horseback and another man with a shield encountering a vast winged serpent and
a man bearing a shield behind him It was probably one of the rude crosses not
uncommon in churchyards in this county See it engraved on the plate of crosses
for this volume plate 14 fig 1 The name of Coningsburgh by which this
castle goes in the old editions of the Britannia would lead one to suppose it
the residence of the Saxon kings It afterwards belonged to King Harold The
Conqueror bestowed it on William de Warran with all its privileges and
jurisdiction which are said to have extended over twentyeight towns At the
corner of the area which is of an irregular form stands the great tower or
keep placed on a small hill of its own dimensions on which lie six vast
projecting buttresses ascending in a steep direction to prop and support the
building and continued upwards up the side as turrets The tower within forms a
complete circle twentyone feet in diameter the walls fourteen feet thick The
ascent into the tower is by an exceeding deep flight of steep steps four feet
and a half wide on the south side leading to a low doorway over which is a
circular arch crossed by a great transom stone Within this door is the
staircase which ascends straight through the thickness of the wall not
communicating with the room on the first floor in whose centre is the opening
to the dungeon Neither of these lower rooms is lighted except from a hole in
the floor of the third storey the room in which as well as in that above it
is finished with compact smooth stonework both having chimneypieces with an
arch resting on tripleclustered pillars In the third storey or guardchamber
is a small recess with a loophole probably a bedchamber and in that floor
above a niche for a saint or holywater pot Mr King imagines this a Saxon
castle of the first ages of the Heptarchy Mr Watson thus describes it From
the first floor to the second storey third from the ground is a way by a
stair in the wall fire feet wide The next staircase is approached by a ladder
and ends at the fourth storey from the ground Two yards from the door at the
head of this stair is an opening nearly east accessible by treading on the
ledge of the wall which diminishes eight inches each storey and this last
opening leads into a room or chapel ten feet by twelve and fifteen or sixteen
high arched with freestone and supported by small circular columns of the
same the capitals and arches Saxon It has an east window and on each side in
the wall about four feet from the ground a stone basin with a hole and iron
pipe to convey the water into or through the wall This chapel is in one of the
buttresses but no sign of it without for even the window though large within
is only a long narrow loophole scarcely to be seen without On the left side
of this chapel is a small oratory eight by six in the thickness of the wall
with a niche in the wall and enlightened by a like loophole The fourth stair
from the ground ten feet west from the chapel door leads to the top of the
tower through the thickness of the wall which at top is but three yards Each
storey is about fifteen feet high so that the tower will be seventyfive feet
from the ground The inside forms a circle whose diameter may be about twelve
feet The well at the bottom of the dungeon is piled with stones«
Goughs Edition of Camdens Britannia Second Edition vol iii p 267
59 The crowth or crowd was a species of violin The rote a sort of guitar or
rather hurdygurdy the strings of which were managed by a wheel from which the
instrument took its name
60 Infamous
61 The resuscitation of Athelstane has been much criticised as too violent a
breach of probability even for a work of such fantastic character It was a
tour to which the Author was compelled to have recourse by the vehement
entreaties of his friend and printer who was inconsolable on the Saxon being
conveyed to the tomb