Sir Walter Scott
Kenilworth
A Romance
No scandal about Queen Elizabeth I hope
The Critic
Introduction
A certain degree of success real or supposed in the delineation of Queen Mary
naturally induced the Author to attempt something similar respecting »her sister
and her foe« the celebrated Elizabeth He will not however pretend to have
approached the task with the same feelings for the candid Robertson himself
confesses having felt the prejudices with which a Scotsman is tempted to regard
the subject and what so liberal a historian avows a poor romancewriter dares
not disown But he hopes the influence of a prejudice almost as natural to him
as his native air will not be found to have greatly affected the sketch he has
attempted of Englands Elizabeth I have endeavoured to describe her as at once
a highminded sovereign and a female of passionate feelings hesitating betwixt
the sense of her rank and the duty she owed her subjects on the one hand and on
the other her attachment to a nobleman who in external qualifications at
least amply merited her favour The interest of the story is thrown upon that
period when the sudden death of the first Countess of Leicester seemed to open
to the ambition of her husband the opportunity of sharing the crown of his
sovereign
It is possible that slander which very seldom favours the memories of
persons in exalted stations may have blackened the character of Leicester with
darker shades than really belonged to it But the almost general voice of the
times attached the most foul suspicions to the death of the unfortunate
Countess more especially as it took place so very opportunely for the
indulgence of her lovers ambition If we can trust Ashmoles Antiquities of
Berkshire there was but too much ground for the traditions which charge
Leicester with the murder of his wife In the following extract of the passage
the reader will find the authority I had for the story of the romance
»At the west end of the church are the ruins of a manor anciently belonging
as a cell or place of removal as some report to the monks of Abingdon At the
Dissolution the said manor or lordship was conveyed to one Owen I believe
the possessor of Godstow then
In the hall over the chimney I find Abingdon arms cut in stone viz a
patonee between four martletts and also another escutcheon viz a lion
rampant and several mitres cut in stone about the house There is also in the
said house a chamber called Dudleys chamber where the Earl of Leicesters wife
was murdered of which this is the story following
Robert Dudley Earl of Leicester a very goodly personage and singularly
well featured being a great favourite to Queen Elizabeth it was thought and
commonly reported that had he been a bachelor or widower the Queen would have
made him her husband to this end to free himself of all obstacles he
commands or perhaps with fair flattering entreaties desires his wife to
repose herself here at his servant Anthony Forsters house who then lived in
the aforesaid manorhouse and also prescribed to Sir Richard Varney a prompter
to this design at his coming hither that he should first attempt to poison
her and if that did not take effect then by any other way whatsoever to
dispatch her This it seems was proved by the report of Dr Walter Bayly
sometime fellow of New College then living in Oxford and professor of physic
in that university whom because he would not consent to take away her life by
poison the Earl endeavoured to displace him the court This man it seems
reported for most certain that there was a practice in Cumnor among the
conspirators to have poisoned this poor innocent lady a little before she was
killed which was attempted after this manner They seeing the good lady sad
and heavy as one that well knew by her other handling that her death was not
far off began to persuade her that her present disease was abundance of
melancholy and other humours etc and therefore would needs counsel her to
take some potion which she absolutely refusing to do as still suspecting the
worst whereupon they sent a messenger on a day unawares to her for Dr Bayly
and entreated him to persuade her to take some little potion by his direction
and they would fetch the same at Oxford meaning to have added something of
their own for her comfort as the doctor upon just cause and consideration did
suspect seeing their great importunity and the small need the lady had of
physic and therefore he peremptorily denied their request misdoubting as he
afterwards reported lest if they had poisoned her under the name of his
potion he might after have been hanged for a colour of their sin and the
doctor remained still well assured that this way taking no effect she would not
long escape their violence which afterwards happened thus For Sir Richard
Varney above said the chief projector in this design who by the Earls
order remained that day of her death alone with her with one man only and
Forster who had that day forcibly sent away all her servants from her to
Abingdon market about three miles distant from this place they I say whether
first stifling her or else strangling her afterwards flung her down a pair of
stairs and broke her neck using much violence upon her but however though it
was vulgarly reported that she by chance fell down stairs but still without
hurting her hood that was upon her head yet the inhabitants will tell you
there that she was conveyed from her usual chamber where she lay to another
where the beds head of the chamber stood close to a privy postern door where
they in the night came and stifled her in her bed bruised her head very much
broke her neck and at length flung her down stairs thereby believing the world
would have thought it a mischance and so have blinded their villany But behold
the mercy and justice of God in revenging and discovering this ladys murder
for one of the persons that was a coadjutor in this murder was afterwards taken
for a felony in the marches of Wales and offering to publish the manner of the
aforesaid murder was privately made away in the prison by the Earls
appointment and Sir Richard Varney the other dying about the same time in
London cried miserably and blasphemed God and said to a person of note who
hath related the same to others since not long before his death that all the
devils in hell did tear him in pieces Forster likewise after this fact being
a man formerly addicted to hospitality company mirth and music was
afterwards observed to forsake all this and with much melancholy and
pensiveness some say with madness pined and drooped away The wife also of
Bald Butter kinsman to the Earl gave out the whole fact a little before her
death Neither are these following passages to be forgotten that as soon as
ever she was murdered they made great haste to bury her before the coroner had
given in his inquest which the Earl himself condemned as not done advisedly
which her father or Sir John Robertsett as I suppose hearing of came with
all speed hither caused her corpse to be taken up the coroner to sit upon
her and farther inquiry to be made concerning this business to the full but it
was generally thought that the Earl stopped his mouth and made up the business
betwixt them and the good Earl to make plain to the world the great love he
bare to her while alive and what a grief the loss of so virtuous a lady was to
his tender heart caused though the thing by these and other means was
beaten into the heads of the principal men of the university of Oxford her body
to be reburied in St Marys Church in Oxford with great pomp and solemnity It
is remarkable when Dr Babington the Earls chaplain did preach the funeral
sermon he tript once or twice in his speech by recommending to their memories
that virtuous lady so pitifully murdered instead of saying pitifully slain
This Earl after all his murders and poisonings was himself poisoned by that
which was prepared for others some say by his wife at Cornbury Lodge before
mentioned though Baker in his Chronicle would have it at Killingworth anno
1588«1
The same accusation has been adopted and circulated by the author of
Leicesters Commonwealth a satire written directly against the Earl of
Leicester which loaded him with the most horrid crimes and among the rest
with the murder of his first wife It was alluded to in the Yorkshire Tragedy a
play erroneously ascribed to Shakspeare where a rake who determines to destroy
all his family throws his wife down stairs with this allusion to the supposed
murder of Leicesters Lady
The only way to charm a womans tongue
Is break her neck a politician did it
The reader will find I have borrowed several incidents as well as names from
Ashmole and the more early authorities but my first acquaintance with the
history was through the more pleasing medium of verse There is a period in
youth when the mere power of numbers has a more strong effect on ear and
imagination than in more advanced life At this season of immature taste the
Author was greatly delighted with the poems of Mickle and Langhorne poets who
though by no means deficient in the higher branches of their art were eminent
for their powers of verbal melody above most who have practised this department
of poetry One of those pieces of Mickle which the author was particularly
pleased with is a ballad or rather a species of elegy on the subject of
Cumnor Hall which with others by the same author were to be found in Evanss
Ancient Ballads volume iv page 130 to which work Mickle made liberal
contributions The first stanza especially had a peculiar species of enchantment
for the youthful ear of the Author the force of which is not even now entirely
spent some others are sufficiently prosaic
Cumnor Hall
The dews of summer night did fall
The moon sweet regent of the sky
Silverd the walls of Cumnor Hall
And many an oak that grew thereby
Now nought was heard beneath the skies
The sounds of busy life were still
Save an unhappy ladys sighs
That issued from that lonely pile
Leicester she cried is this thy love
That thou so oft hast sworn to me
To leave me in this lonely grove
Immured in shameful privity
No more thou comst with lovers speed
Thy once beloved bride to see
But be she alive or be she dead
I fear stern Earl s the same to thee
Not so the usage I received
When happy in my fathers hall
No faithless husband then me grieved
No chilling fears did me appal
I rose up with the cheerful morn
No lark more blithe no flower more gay
And like the bird that haunts the thorn
So merrily sung the livelong day
If that my beauty is but small
Among court ladies all despised
Why didst thou rend it from that hall
Where scornful Earl it well was prized
And when you first to me made suit
How fair I was you oft would say
And proud of conquest pluckd the fruit
Then left the blossom to decay
Yes now neglected and despised
The rose is pale the lilys dead
But he that once their charms so prized
Is sure the cause those charms are fled
For know when sickning grief doth prey
And tender loves repaid with scorn
The sweetest beauty will decay
What floweret can endure the storm
At court Im told is beautys throne
Where every ladys passing rare
That Eastern flowers that shame the sun
Are not so glowing not so fair
Then Earl why didst thou leave the beds
Where roses and where lilies vie
To seek a primrose whose pale shades
Must sicken when those gauds are by
Mong rural beauties I was one
Among the fields wild flowers are fair
Some country swain might me have won
And thought my beauty passing rare
But Leicester or I much am wrong
Or tis not beauty lures thy vows
Rather ambitions gilded crown
Makes thee forget thy humble spouse
Then Leicester why again I plead
The injured surely may repine
Why didst thou wed a country maid
When some fair princess might be thine
Why didst thou praise my humble charms
And oh then leave them to decay
Why didst thou win me to thy arms
Then leave to mourn the livelong day
The village maidens of the plain
Salute me lowly as they go
Envious they mark my silken train
Nor think a Countess can have woe
The simple nymphs they little know
How far more happys their estate
To smile for joy than sigh for woe
To be content than to be great
How far less blest am I than them
Daily to pine and waste with care
Like the poor plant that from its stem
Divided feels the chilling air
Nor cruel Earl can I enjoy
The humble charms of solitude
Your minions proud my peace destroy
By sullen frowns or pratings rude
Last night as sad I chanced to stray
The village deathbell smote my ear
They winked aside and seemd to say
»Countess prepare thy end is near«
And now while happy peasants sleep
Here I sit lonely and forlorn
No one to soothe me as I weep
Save Philomel on yonder thorn
My spirits flag my hopes decay
Still that dread deathbell smites my ear
And many a boding seems to say
»Countess prepare thy end is near«
Thus sore and sad that lady grieved
In Cumnor Hall so lone and drear
And many a heartfelt sigh she heaved
And let fall many a bitter tear
And ere the dawn of day appeard
In Cumnor Hall so lone and drear
Full many a piercing scream was heard
And many a cry of mortal fear
The deathbell thrice was heard to ring
An aerial voice was heard to call
And thrice the raven flappd its wing
Around the towers of Cumnor Hall
The mastiff howld at village door
The oaks were shatterd on the green
Woe was the hour for never more
That hapless Countess eer was seen
And in that Manor now no more
Is cheerful feast and sprightly ball
For ever since that dreary hour
Have spirits haunted Cumnor Hall
The village maids with fearful glance
Avoid the ancient mossgrown wall
Nor ever lead the merry dance
Among the groves of Cumnor Hall
Full many a traveller oft hath sighd
And pensive wept the Countess fall
As wandering onwards theyve espied
The haunted towers of Cumnor Hall
ABBOTSFORD 1st March 1831
Cumnor Hall or Place
In a valuable work by Mr Adlard on Amy Robsart the Earl of Leicester and
Kenilworth 8vo London 1870 the author says that Cumnor Place was originally
one of the country seats of the Abbots of Abingdon and that on the dissolution
of the monasteries it was granted by Henry VIII to his physician George Owen
At Owens death in 1561 it was bought by Anthony Foster and was occupied by him
for several years and at his demise it passed into the hands of the Earl of
Leicester The Place ultimately became the property of Lord Abingdon
»For a long period« says Mr Adlard »Cumnor was deserted the recollection
of Amy Dudleys melancholy end was revived amongst the ignorant villagers whose
imaginations conjured up forms and horrors before unheard of and hence arose
the legendary tales that have descended to the present time Decay followed fast
on desertion and with the aid of the wanton and mischievous before a century
had rolled away it had become almost a ruin«
»A few fine elms scattered here and there are all that is left to aid in
realising the former picturesque appearance of this retreat where we are
privileged to sympathise with suffering innocence and blighted affection«
Chapter First
I am an innkeeper and know my grounds
And study them Brain o man I study them
I must have jovial guests to drive my ploughs
And whistling boys to bring my harvests home
Or I shall hear no flails thwack
The New Inn
It is the privilege of taletellers to open their story in an inn the free
rendezvous of all travellers and where the humour of each displays itself
without ceremony or restraint This is especially suitable when the scene is
laid during the old days of merry England when the guests were in some sort not
merely the inmates but the messmates and temporary companions of mine host who
was usually a personage of privileged freedom comely presence and good humour
Patronised by him the characters of the company were placed in ready contrast
and they seldom failed during the emptying of a sixhooped pot to throw off
reserve and present themselves to each other and to their landlord with the
freedom of old acquaintance
The village of Cumnor within three or four miles of Oxford boasted during
the eighteenth year of Queen Elizabeth an excellent inn of the old stamp
conducted or rather ruled by Giles Gosling a man of a goodly person and of
somewhat round belly fifty years of age and upwards moderate in his
reckonings prompt in his payments having a cellar of sound liquor a ready
wit and a pretty daughter Since the days of old Harry Baillie of the Tabbard
in Southwark no one had excelled Giles Gosling in the power of pleasing his
guests of every description and so great was his fame that to have been in
Cumnor without wetting a cup at the bonny Black Bear would have been to avouch
onesself utterly indifferent to reputation as a traveller A country fellow
might as well return from London without looking in the face of majesty The
men of Cumnor were proud of their host and their host was proud of his house
his liquor his daughter and himself
It was in the courtyard of the inn which called this honest fellow landlord
that a traveller alighted in the close of the evening gave his horse which
seemed to have made a long journey to the hostler and made some inquiry which
produced the following dialogue betwixt the myrmidons of the bonny Black Bear
»What ho John Tapster«
»At hand Will Hostler« replied the man of the spigot showing himself in
his costume of loose jacket linen breeches and green apron half within and
half without a door which appeared to descend to an outer cellar
»Here is a gentleman asks if you draw good ale« continued the hostler
»Beshrew my heart else« answered the tapster »since there are but four
miles betwixt us and Oxford Marry if my ale did not convince the heads of
the scholars they would soon convince my pate with the pewter flagon«
»Call you that Oxford logic« said the stranger who had now quitted the
rein of his horse and was advancing towards the inn door when he was
encountered by the goodly form of Giles Gosling himself
»Is it logic you talk of Sir Guest« said the host »why then have at you
with a downright consequence
The horse to the rack
And to fire with the sack«
»Amen with all my heart my good host« said the stranger »let it be a quart
of your best canaries and give me your good help to drink it«
»Nay you are but in your accidence yet Sir Traveller if you call on your
host for help for such a sipping matter as a quart of sack were it a gallon
you might lack some neighbourly aid at my hand and yet call yourself a toper«
»Fear me not« said the guest »I will do my devoir as becomes a man who
finds himself within five miles of Oxford for I am not come from the field of
Mars to discredit myself amongst the followers of Minerva«
As he spoke thus the landlord with much semblance of hearty welcome
ushered his guest into a large low chamber where several persons were seated
together in different parties some drinking some playing at cards some
conversing and some whose business called them to be early risers on the
morning concluding their evening meal and conferring with the chamberlain
about their nights quarters
The entrance of a stranger procured him that general and careless sort of
attention which is usually paid on such occasions from which the following
results were deduced The guest was one of those who with a wellmade person
and features not in themselves unpleasing are nevertheless so far from
handsome that whether from the expression of their features or the tone of
their voice or from their gait and manner there arises on the whole a
disinclination to their society The strangers address was bold without being
frank and seemed eagerly and hastily to claim for him a degree of attention and
deference which he feared would be refused if not instantly vindicated as his
right His attire was a ridingcloak which when open displayed a handsome
jerkin overlaid with lace and belted with a buff girdle which sustained a
broadsword and a pair of pistols
»You ride well provided sir« said the host looking at the weapons as he
placed on the table the mulled sack which the traveller had ordered
»Yes mine host I have found the use ont in dangerous times and I do not
like your modern grandees turn off my followers the instant they are useless«
»Ay sir« said Giles Gosling »then you are from the Low Countries the
land of pike and caliver«
»I have been high and low my friend broad and wide far and near but here
is to thee in a cup of thy sack fill thyself another to pledge me and if it
is less than superlative een drink as you have brewed«
»Less than superlative« said Giles Gosling drinking off the cup and
smacking his lips with an air of ineffable relish »I know nothing of
superlative nor is there such a wine at the Three Cranes in the Vintry to my
knowledge but if you find better sack than that in the Sheres or in the
Canaries either I would I may never touch either pot or penny more Why hold
it up betwixt you and the light you shall see the little motes dance in the
golden liquor like dust in the sunbeam But I would rather draw wine for ten
clowns than one traveller I trust your honour likes the wine«
»It is neat and comfortable mine host but to know good liquor you should
drink where the vine grows Trust me your Spaniard is too wise a man to send
you the very soul of the grape Why this now which you account so choice were
counted but as a cup of bastard at the Groyne or at Port Saint Marys You
should travel mine host if you would be deep in the mysteries of the butt and
pottlepot«
»In troth Signior Guest« said Giles Gosling »if I were to travel only
that I might be discontented with that which I can get at home methinks I
should go but on a fools errand Besides I warrant you there is many a fool
can turn his nose up at good drink without ever having been out of the smoke of
Old England and so ever gramercy mine own fireside«
»This is but a mean mind of yours mine host« said the stranger »I warrant
me all your towns folk do not think so basely You have gallants among you I
dare undertake that have made the Virginia voyage or taken a turn in the Low
Countries at least Come cudgel your memory Have you no friends in foreign
parts that you would gladly have tidings of«
»Troth sir not I« answered the host »since ranting Robin of Drysandford
was shot at the siege of the Brill The devil take the caliver that fired the
ball for a blither lad never filled a cup at midnight But he is dead and gone
and I know not a soldier or a traveller who is a soldiers mate that I would
give a peeled codling for«
»By the mass that is strange What so many of our brave English hearts are
abroad and you who seem to be a man of mark have no friend no kinsman among
them«
»Nay if you speak of kinsmen« answered Gosling »I have one wild slip of a
kinsman who left us in the last year of Queen Mary but he is better lost than
found«
»Do not say so friend unless you have heard ill of him lately Many a wild
colt has turned out a noble steed His name I pray you«
»Michael Lambourne« answered the landlord of the Black Bear »a son of my
sisters there is little pleasure in recollecting either the name or the
connection«
»Michael Lambourne« said the stranger as if endeavouring to recollect
himself »what no relation to Michael Lambourne the gallant cavalier who
behaved so bravely at the siege of Venlo that Grave Maurice thanked him at the
head of the army Men said he was an English cavalier and of no high
extraction«
»It could scarcely be my nephew« said Giles Gosling »for he had not the
courage of a henpartridge for aught but mischief«
»Oh many a man finds courage in the wars« replied the stranger
»It may be« said the landlord »but I would have thought our Mike more
likely to lose the little he had«
»The Michael Lambourne whom I knew« continued the traveller »was a likely
fellow went always gay and wellattired and had a hawks eye after a pretty
wench«
»Our Michael« replied the host »had the look of a dog with a bottle at its
tail and wore a coat every rag of which was bidding good day to the rest«
»Oh men pick up good apparel in the wars« replied the guest
»Our Mike« answered the landlord »was more like to pick it up in a
frippery warehouse while the broker was looking another way and for the
hawks eye you talk of his was always after my stray spoons He was tapsters
boy here in this blessed house for a quarter of a year and between
misreckonings miscarriages mistakes and misdemeanours had he dwelt with me
for three months longer I might have pulled down sign shut up house and given
the devil the key to keep«
»You would be sorry after all« continued the traveller »were I to tell
you poor Mike Lambourne was shot at the head of his regiment at the taking of a
sconce near Maestricht«
»Sorry it would be the blithest news I ever heard of him since it would
ensure me he was not hanged But let him pass I doubt his end will never do
such credit to his friends were it so I should say« taking another cup of
sack »Heres God rest him with all my heart«
»Tush man« replied the traveller »never fear but you will have credit by
your nephew yet especially if he be the Michael Lambourne whom I knew and
loved very nearly or altogether as well as myself Can you tell me no mark by
which I could judge whether they be the same«
»Faith none that I can think of« answered Giles Gosling »unless that our
Mike had the gallows branded on his left shoulder for stealing a silver
caudlecup from Dame Snort of Hogsditch«
»Nay there you lie like a knave uncle« said the stranger slipping aside
his ruff and turning down the sleeve of his doublet from his neck and shoulder
»by this good day my shoulder is as unscarred as thine own«
»What Mike boy Mike« exclaimed the host »and is it thou in good
earnest Nay I have judged so for this halfhour for I knew no other person
would have taen half the interest in thee But Mike an thy shoulder be
unscathed as thou sayest thou must own that Goodman Thong the hangman was
merciful in his office and stamped thee with a cold iron«
»Tush uncle truce with your jests Keep them to season your sour ale and
let us see what hearty welcome thou wilt give a kinsman who has rolled the world
around for eighteen years who has seen the sun set where it rises and has
travelled till the west has become the east«
»Thou hast brought back one travellers gift with thee Mike as I well see
and that was what thou least didst need to travel for I remember well among
thine other qualities there was no crediting a word which came from thy mouth«
»Heres an unbelieving Pagan for you gentlemen« said Michael Lambourne
turning to those who witnessed this strange interview betwixt uncle and nephew
some of whom being natives of the village were no strangers to his juvenile
wildness »This may be called slaying a Cumnor fatted calf for me with a
vengeance But uncle I come not from the husks and the swinetrough and I
care not for thy welcome or no welcome I carry that with me will make me
welcome wend where I will«
So saying he pulled out a purse of gold indifferently well filled the
sight of which produced a visible effect upon the company Some shook their
heads and whispered to each other while one or two of the less scrupulous
speedily began to recollect him as a schoolcompanion a townsman or so forth
On the other hand two or three grave sedatelooking persons shook their heads
and left the inn hinting that if Giles Gosling wished to continue to thrive
he should turn his thriftless godless nephew adrift again as soon as he could
Gosling demeaned himself as if he were much of the same opinion for even the
sight of the gold made less impression on the honest gentleman than it usually
doth upon one of his calling
»Kinsman Michael« he said »put up thy purse My sisters son shall be
called to no reckoning in my house for supper or lodging and I reckon thou wilt
hardly wish to stay longer where thou art een but too well known«
»For that matter uncle« replied the traveller »I shall consult my own
needs and conveniences Meantime I wish to give the supper and sleeping cup to
those good townsmen who are not too proud to remember Mike Lambourne the
tapsters boy If you will let me have entertainment for my money so if not
it is but a short two minutes walk to the Hare and Tabor and I trust our
neighbours will not grudge going thus far with me«
»Nay Mike« replied his uncle »as eighteen years have gone over thy head
and I trust thou art somewhat amended in thy conditions thou shalt not leave my
house at this hour and shalt een have whatever in reason you list to call for
But I would I knew that that purse of thine which thou vapourest of were as
well come by as it seems well filled«
»Here is an infidel for you my good neighbours« said Lambourne again
appealing to the audience »Heres a fellow will rip up his kinsmans follies of
a good score of years standing And for the gold why sirs I have been where
it grew and was to be had for the gathering In the New World have I been man
in the Eldorado where urchins play at cherrypit with diamonds and country
wenches thread rubies for necklaces instead of rowantree berries where the
pantiles are made of pure gold and the paving stones of virgin silver«
»By my credit friend Mike« said young Laurence Goldthred the cutting
mercer of Abingdon »that were a likely coast to trade to And what may lawns
cypresses and ribands fetch where gold is so plenty«
»Oh the profit were unutterable« replied Lambourne »especially when a
handsome young merchant bears the pack himself for the ladies of that clime are
bonarobas and being themselves somewhat sunburnt they catch fire like tinder
at a fresh complexion like thine with a head of hair inclining to be red«
»I would I might trade thither« said the mercer chuckling
»Why and so thou mayest« said Michael »that is if thou art the same
brisk boy who was partner with me at robbing the Abbots orchard tis but a
little touch of alchemy to decoct thy house and land into ready money and that
ready money into a tall ship with sails anchors cordage and all things
conforming then clap thy warehouse of goods under hatches put fifty good
fellows on deck with myself to command them and so hoise topsails and hey for
the New World«
»Thou hast taught him a secret kinsman« said Giles Gosling »to decoct an
that be the word his pound into a penny and his webs into a thread Take a
fools advice neighbour Goldthred Tempt not the sea for she is a devourer
Let cards and cockatrices do their worst thy fathers bales may bide a banging
for a year or two ere thou comest to the Spital but the sea hath a bottomless
appetite she would swallow the wealth of Lombard Street in a morning as
easily as I would a poached egg and a cup of clary and for my kinsmans
Eldorado never trust me if I do not believe he has found it in the pouches of
some such gulls as thyself But take no snuff in the nose about it fall to
and welcome for here comes the supper and I heartily bestow it on all that
will take share in honour of my hopeful nephews return always trusting that
he has come home another man In faith kinsman thou art as like my poor
sister as ever was son to mother«
»Not quite so like old Benedict Lambourne her husband though« said the
mercer nodding and winking »Dost thou remember Mike what thou saidst when
the schoolmasters ferule was over thee for striking up thy fathers crutches
it is a wise child saidst thou that knows its own father Dr Bircham laughed
till he cried again and his crying saved yours«
»Well he made it up to me many a day after« said Lambourne »and how is
the worthy pedagogue«
»Dead« said Giles Gosling »this many a day since«
»That he is« said the clerk of the parish »I sat by his bed the whilst
He passed away in a blessed frame Morior mortuus sum vel fui mori These
were hie latest words and he just added my last verb is conjugated«
»Well peace be with him« said Mike »he owes me nothing«
»No truly« replied Goldthred »and every lash which he laid on thee he
always was wont to say he spared the hangman a labour«
»One would have thought he left him little to do then« said the clerk »and
yet Goodman Thong had no sinecure of it with our friend after all«
»Voto a dios« exclaimed Lambourne his patience appearing to fail him as
he snatched his broad slouched hat from the table and placed it on his head so
that the shadow gave the sinister expression of a Spanish bravo to eyes and
features which naturally boded nothing pleasant »Harkee my masters all is
fair among friends and under the rose and I have already permitted my worthy
uncle here and all of you to use your pleasure with the frolics of my nonage
But I carry sword and dagger my good friends and can use them lightly too upon
occasion I have learned to be dangerous upon points of honour ever since I
served the Spaniard and I would not have you provoke me to the degree of
falling foul«
»Why what would you do« said the clerk
»Ay sir what would you do« said the mercer bustling up on the other side
of the table
»Slit your throat and spoil your Sundays quavering Sir Clerk« said
Lambourne fiercely »cudgel you my worshipful dealer in flimsy sarsenets into
one of your own bales«
»Come come« said the host interposing »I will have no swaggering here
Nephew it will become you best to show no haste to take offence and you
gentlemen will do well to remember that if you are in an inn still you are
the innkeepers guests and should spare the honour of his family I protest
your silly broils make me as oblivious as yourself for yonder sits my silent
guest as I call him who hath been my two days inmate and hath never spoken a
word save to ask for his food and his reckoning gives no more trouble than a
very peasant pays his shot like a prince royal looks but at the sum total of
the reckoning and does not know what day he shall go away Oh tis a jewel of
a guest and yet hangdog that I am I have suffered him to sit by himself like
a castaway in yonder obscure nook without so much as asking him to take bite or
sup along with us It were but the right guerdon of my incivility were he to
set off to the Hare and Tabor before the night grows older«
With his white napkin gracefully arranged over his left arm his velvet cap
laid aside for the moment and his best silver flagon in his right hand mine
host walked up to the solitary guest whom he mentioned and thereby turned upon
him the eyes of the assembled company
He was a man aged between twentyfive and thirty rather above the middle
size dressed with plainness and decency yet bearing an air of ease which
almost amounted to dignity and which seemed to infer that his habit was rather
beneath his rank His countenance was reserved and thoughtful with dark hair
and dark eyes the last upon any momentary excitement sparkled with uncommon
lustre but on other occasions had the same meditative and tranquil cast which
was exhibited by his features The busy curiosity of the little village had been
employed to discover his name and quality as well as his business at Cumnor
but nothing had transpired on either subject which could lead to its
gratification Giles Gosling headborough of the place and a steady friend to
Queen Elizabeth and the Protestant religion was at one time inclined to suspect
his guest of being a Jesuit or seminary priest of whom Rome and Spain sent at
this time so many to grace the gallows in England But it was scarce possible to
retain such a prepossession against a guest who gave so little trouble paid his
reckoning so regularly and who proposed as it seemed to make a considerable
stay at the bonny Black Bear
»Papists« argued Giles Gosling »are a pinching closefisted race and
this man would have found a lodging with the wealthy squire at Bessellsey or
with the old Knight at Wootton or in some other of their Roman dens instead of
living in a house of public entertainment as every honest man and good
Christian should Besides on Friday he stuck by the salt beef and carrot
though there were as good spitchcocked eels on the board as ever were taen out
of the Isis«
Honest Giles therefore satisfied himself that his guest was no Roman and
with all comely courtesy besought the stranger to pledge him in a draught of the
cool tankard and honour with his attention a small collation which he was
giving to his nephew in honour of his return and as he verily hoped of his
reformation The stranger at first shook his head as if declining the courtesy
but mine host proceeded to urge him with arguments founded on the credit of his
house and the construction which the good people of Cumnor might put upon such
an unsocial humour
»By my faith sir« he said »it touches my reputation that men should be
merry in my house and we have ill tongues amongst us at Cumnor as where be
there not who put an evil mark on men who pull their hat over their brows as
if they were looking back to the days that are gone instead of enjoying the
blithe sunshiny weather which God hath sent us in the sweet looks of our
sovereign mistress Queen Elizabeth whom Heaven long bless and preserve«
»Why mine host« answered the stranger »there is no treason sure in a
mans enjoying his own thoughts under the shadow of his own bonnet You have
lived in the world twice as long as I have and you must know there are thoughts
that will haunt us in spite of ourselves and to which it is in vain to say be
gone and let me be merry«
»By my sooth« answered Giles Gosling »if such troublesome thoughts haunt
your mind and will not get them gone for plain English we will have one of
Father Bacons pupils from Oxford to conjure them away with logic and with
Hebrew Or what say you to laying them in a glorious red sea of claret my
noble guest Come sir excuse my freedom I am an old host and must have my
talk This peevish humour of melancholy sits ill upon you it suits not with a
sleek boot a hat of a trim block a fresh cloak and a full purse A pize on
it send it off to those who have their legs swathed with a haywisp their
heads thatched with a felt bonnet their jerkin as thin as a cobweb and their
pouch without ever a cross to keep the fiend Melancholy from dancing in it
Cheer up sir or by this good liquor we will banish thee from the joys of
blithesome company into the mists of melancholy and the land of littleease
Here be a set of good fellows willing to be merry do not scowl on them like the
devil looking over Lincoln«
»You say well my worthy host« said the guest with a melancholy smile
which melancholy as it was gave a very pleasant expression to his countenance
»You say well my jovial friend and they that are moody like myself should
not disturb the mirth of those who are happy I will drink a round with your
guests with all my heart rather than be termed a marfeast«
So saying he arose and joined the company who encouraged by the precept
and example of Michael Lambourne and consisting chiefly of persons much
disposed to profit by the opportunity of a merry meal at the expense of their
landlord had already made some inroads upon the limits of temperance as was
evident from the tone in which Michael inquired after his old acquaintances in
the town and the bursts of laughter with which each answer was received Giles
Gosling himself was somewhat scandalised at the obstreperous nature of their
mirth especially as he involuntarily felt some respect for his unknown guest
He paused therefore at some distance from the table occupied by these noisy
revellers and began to make a sort of apology for their license
»You would think« he said »to hear these fellows talk that there was not
one of them who had not been bred to live by Stand and Deliver and yet
tomorrow you will find them a set of as painstaking mechanics and so forth as
ever cut an inch short of measure or paid a letter of change in light crowns
over a counter The mercer there wears his hat awry over a shagged head of
hair that looks like a curly waterdogs back goes unbraced wears his cloak
on one side and affects a ruffianly vapouring humour when in his shop at
Abingdon he is from his flat cap to his glistening shoes as precise in his
apparel as if he was named for mayor He talks of breaking parks and taking the
highway in such fashion that you would think he haunted every night betwixt
Hounslow and London when in fact he may be found sound asleep on his
featherbed with a candle placed beside him on one side and a Bible on the
other to fright away the goblins«
»And your nephew mine host this same Michael Lambourne who is lord of the
feast is he too such a wouldbe ruffler as the rest of them«
»Why there you push me hard« said the host »my nephew is my nephew and
though he was a desperate Dick of yore yet Mike may have mended like other
folks you wot And I would not have you think all I said of him even now was
strict gospel I knew the wag all the while and wished to pluck his plumes
from him And now sir by what name shall I present my worshipful guest to
these gallants«
»Marry mine host« replied the stranger »you may call me Tressilian«
»Tressilian« answered my host of the Bear »a worthy name and as I think
of Cornish lineage for what says the south proverb
By Pol Tre and Pen
You may know the Cornish men
Shall I say the worthy Mr Tressilian of Cornwall«
»Say no more than I have given you warrant for mine host and so shall you
be sure you speak no more than is true A man may have one of those honourable
prefixes to his name yet be born far from Saint Michaels Mount«
Mine host pushed his curiosity no farther but presented Mr Tressilian to
his nephews company who after exchange of salutations and drinking to the
health of their new companion pursued the conversation in which he found them
engaged seasoning it with many an intervening pledge
Chapter Second
Talk you of young Master Lancelot
Merchant of Venice
After some brief interval Master Goldthred at the earnest instigation of mine
host and the joyous concurrence of his guests indulged the company with the
following morsel of melody
Of all the birds on bush or tree
Commend me to the owl
Since he may best ensample be
To those the cup that trowl
For when the sun hath left the west
He chooses the tree that he loves the best
And he whoops out his song and he laughs at his jest
Then though hours be late and weather foul
Well drink to the health of the bonny bonny owl
The lark is but a bumpkin fowl
He sleeps in his nest till morn
But my blessing upon the jolly owl
That all night blows his horn
Then up with your cup till you stagger in speech
And match me this catch though you swagger and screech
And drink till you wink my merry men each
For though hours be late and weather be foul
Well drink to the health of the bonny bonny owl
»There is savour in this my hearts« said Michael when the mercer had finished
his song »and some goodness seems left among you yet but what a beadroll you
have read me of old comrades and to every mans name tacked some illomened
motto And so Swashing Will of Wallingford hath bid us goodnight«
»He died the death of a fat buck« said one of the party »being shot with a
crossbow bolt by old Thatcham the Dukes stout parkkeeper at Donington
Castle«
»Ay ay he always loved venison well« replied Michael »and a cup of
claret to boot and so heres one to his memory Do me right my masters«
When the health of this departed worthy had been duly honoured Lambourne
proceeded to inquire after Prance of Padworth
»Pranced off made immortal ten years since« said the mercer »marry sir
Oxford Castle and Goodman Thong and a tenpennyworth of cord best know how«
»What so they hung poor Prance high and dry so much for loving to walk by
moonlight a cup to his memory my masters all merry fellows like moonlight
What has become of Hal with the plume he who lived near Yattenden and wore
the long feather I forget his name«
»What Hal Hempseed« replied the mercer »why you may remember he was a
sort of a gentleman and would meddle in state matters and so he got into the
mire about the Duke of Norfolks matter these two or three years since fled the
country with a pursuivants warrant at his heels and has never since been heard
of«
»Nay after these baulks« said Michael Lambourne »I need hardly inquire
after Tony Foster for when ropes and crossbow shafts and pursuivants
warrants and such like gear were so rife Tony could hardly scape them«
»Which Tony Foster mean you« said the innkeeper
»Why he they called Tony FiretheFagot because he brought a light to
kindle the pile round Latimer and Ridley when the wind blew out Jack Thongs
torch and no man else would give him light for love or money«
»Tony Foster lives and thrives« said the host »But kinsman I would not
have you call him Tony FiretheFagot if you would not brook the stab«
»How is he grown ashamed ont« said Lambourne »why he was wont to boast
of it and say he liked as well to see a roasted heretic as a roasted ox«
»Ay but kinsman that was in Marys time« replied the landlord »when
Tonys father was Reeve here to the Abbot of Abingdon But since that Tony
married a pure precisian and is as good a Protestant I warrant you as the
best«
»And looks grave and holds his head high and scorns his old companions«
said the mercer
»Then he hath prospered I warrant him« said Lambourne »for ever when a
man hath got nobles of his own he keeps out of the way of those whose
exchequers lie in other mens purchase«
»Prospered quotha« said the mercer »why you remember Cumnor Place the
old mansionhouse beside the churchyard«
»By the same token I robbed the orchard three times what of that It
was the old Abbots residence when there was plague or sickness at Abingdon«
»Ay« said the host »but that has been long over and Anthony Foster hath a
right in it and lives there by some grant from a great courtier who had the
churchlands from the crown and there he dwells and has as little to do with
any poor wight in Cumnor as if he were himself a belted knight«
»Nay« said the mercer »it is not altogether pride in Tony neither there
is a fair lady in the case and Tony will scarce let the light of day look on
her«
»How« said Tressilian who now for the first time interfered in their
conversation »did ye not say this Foster was married and to a precisian«
»Married he was and to as bitter a precisian as ever ate flesh in Lent and
a catanddog life she led with Tony as men said But she is dead rest be with
her and Tony hath but a slip of a daughter so it is thought he means to wed
this stranger that men keep such a coil about«
»And why so I mean why do they keep a coil about her« said Tressilian
»Why I wot not« answered the host »except that men say she is as
beautiful as an angel and no one knows whence she comes and every one wishes
to know why she is kept so closely mewed up For my part I never saw her you
have I think Master Goldthred«
»That I have old boy« said the mercer »Look you I was riding hither from
Abingdon I passed under the east oriel window of the old mansion where all
the old saints and histories and such like are painted It was not the common
path I took but one through the Park for the posterndoor was upon the latch
and I thought I might take the privilege of an old comrade to ride across
through the trees both for shading as the day was somewhat hot and for
avoiding of dust because I had on my peachcoloured doublet pinked out with
cloth of gold«
»Which garment« said Michael Lambourne »thou wouldst willingly make
twinkle in the eyes of a fair dame Ah villain thou wilt never leave thy old
tricks«
»Not so not so« said the mercer with a smirking laugh »not altogether
so but curiosity thou knowest and a strain of compassion withal for the
poor young lady sees nothing from morn to even but Tony Foster with his
scowling black brows his bulls head and his bandy legs«
»And thou wouldst willingly show her a dapper body in a silken jerkin a
limb like a shortlegged hens in a cordovan boot and a round simpering
whatdyelack sort of a countenance set off with a velvet bonnet a Turkey
feather and a gilded brooch Ah jolly mercer they who have good wares are
fond to show them Come gentles let not the cup stand heres to long spurs
short boots full bonnets and empty skulls«
»Nay now you are jealous of me Mike« said Goldthred »and yet my luck was
but what might have happened to thee or any man«
»Marry confound thine impudence« retorted Lambourne »thou wouldst not
compare thy pudding face and sarsenet manners to a gentleman and a soldier«
»Nay my good sir« said Tressilian »let me beseech you will not interrupt
the gallant citizen methinks he tells his tale so well I could hearken to him
till midnight«
»Its more of your favour than of my desert« answered Master Goldthred
»but since I give you pleasure worthy Master Tressilian I shall proceed
maugre all the gibes and quips of this valiant soldier who peradventure hath
had more cuffs than crowns in the Low Countries And so sir as I passed
under the great painted window leaving my rein loose on my ambling palfreys
neck partly for mine ease and partly that I might have the more leisure to
peer about I hears me the lattice open and never credit me sir if there did
not stand there the person of as fair a woman as ever crossed mine eyes and I
think I have looked on as many pretty wenches and with as much judgment as
other folks«
»May I ask her appearance sir« said Tressilian
»Oh sir« replied Master Goldthred »I promise you she was in
gentlewomans attire a very quaint and pleasing dress that might have served
the Queen herself for she had a forepart with body and sleeves of
gingercoloured satin which in my judgment must have cost by the yard some
thirty shillings lined with murrey taffeta and laid down and guarded with two
broad laces of gold and silver And her hat sir was truly the best fashioned
thing that I have seen in these parts being of tawny taffeta embroidered with
scorpions of Venice gold and having a border garnished with gold fringe I
promise you sir an absolute and allsurpassing device Touching her skirts
they were in the old passdevant fashion«
»I did not ask you of her attire sir« said Tressilian who had shown some
impatience during their conversation »but of her complexion the colour of her
hair her features«
»Touching her complexion« answered the mercer »I am not so special
certain but I marked that her fan had an ivory handle curiously inlaid and
then again as to the colour of her hair why I can warrant be its hue what it
might that she wore above it a net of green silk parcel twisted with gold«
»A most mercerlike memory« said Lambourne »the gentleman asks him of the
ladys beauty and he talks of her fine clothes«
»I tell thee« said the mercer somewhat disconcerted »I had little time to
look at her for just as I was about to give her the good time of day and for
that purpose had puckered my features with a smile«
»Like those of a jackanape simpering at a chestnut« said Michael Lambourne
»Up started of a sudden« continued Goldthred without heeding the
interruption »Tony Foster himself with a cudgel in his hand«
»And broke thy head across I hope for thine impertinence« said his
entertainer
»That were more easily said than done« answered Goldthred indignantly »no
no there was no breaking of heads its true he advanced his cudgel and
spoke of laying on and asked why I did not keep the public road and such like
and I would have knocked him over the pate handsomely for his pains only for
the ladys presence who might have swooned for what I know«
»Now out upon thee for a faintspirited slave« said Lambourne »what
adventurous knight ever thought of the ladys terror when he went to thwack
giant dragon or magician in her presence and for her deliverance But why
talk to thee of dragons who would be driven back by a dragonfly There thou
hast missed the rarest opportunity«
»Take it thyself then bully Mike« answered Goldthred »Yonder is the
enchanted manor and the dragon and the lady all at thy service if thou
darest venture on them«
»Why so I would for a quartern of sack« said the soldier »Or stay I am
foully out of linen wilt thou bet a piece of Hollands against these five
angels that I go not up to the Hall tomorrow and force Tony Foster to
introduce me to his fair guest«
»I accept your wager« said the mercer »and I think though thou hadst even
the impudence of the devil I shall gain on thee this bout Our landlord here
shall hold stakes and I will stake down gold till I send the linen«
»I will hold stakes on no such matter« said Gosling »Good now my kinsman
drink your wine in quiet and let such ventures alone I promise you Master
Foster hath interest enough to lay you up in lavender at the Castle of Oxford
or to get your legs made acquainted with the townstocks«
»That would be but renewing an old intimacy for Mikes shins and the towns
wooden pinfold have been well known to each other ere now« said the mercer
»but he shall not budge from his wager unless he means to pay forfeit«
»Forfeit« said Lambourne »I scorn it I value Tony Fosters wrath no more
than a shelled peacod and I will visit his Lindabrides by Saint George be he
willing or no«
»I would gladly pay your halves of the risk sir« said Tressilian »to be
permitted to accompany you on the adventure«
»In what would that advantage you sir« answered Lambourne
»In nothing sir« said Tressilian »unless to mark the skill and valour
with which you conduct yourself I am a traveller who seeks for strange
rencounters and uncommon passages as the knights of yore did after adventures
and feats of arms«
»Nay if it pleasures you to see a trout tickled« answered Lambourne »I
care not how many witness my skill And so here I drink success to my
enterprise and he that will not pledge me on his knees is a rascal and I will
cut his legs off by the garters«
The draught which Michael Lambourne took upon this occasion had been
preceded by so many others that reason tottered on her throne He swore one or
two incoherent oaths at the mercer who refused reasonably enough to pledge
him to a sentiment which inferred the loss of his own wager
»Wilt thou chop logic with me« said Lambourne »thou knave with no more
brains than a skein of ravelled silk By Heaven I will cut thee into fifty
yards of galloon lace«
But as he attempted to draw his sword for this doughty purpose Michael
Lambourne was seized upon by the tapster and the chamberlain and conveyed to
his own apartment there to sleep himself sober at his leisure
The party then broke up and the guests took their leave much more to the
contentment of mine host than of some of the company who were unwilling to quit
good liquor when it was to be had for free cost so long as they were able to
sit by it They were however compelled to remove and go at length they did
leaving Gosling and Tressilian in the empty apartment
»By my faith« said the former »I wonder where our great folks find
pleasure when they spend their means in entertainments and in playing mine
host without sending in a reckoning It is what I but rarely practise and
whenever I do by Saint Julian it grieves me beyond measure Each of these
empty stoups now which my nephew and his drunken comrades have swilled off
should have been a matter of profit to one in my line and I must set them down
a dead loss I cannot for my heart conceive the pleasure of noise and
nonsense and drunken freaks and drunken quarrels and smut and blasphemy and
so forth when a man loses money instead of gaining by it And yet many a fair
estate is lost in upholding such a useless course and that greatly contributes
to the decay of publicans for who the devil do you think would pay for drink at
the Black Bear when he can have it for nothing at my Lords or the Squires«
Tressilian perceived that the wine had made some impression even on the
seasoned brain of mine host which was chiefly to be inferred from his
declaiming against drunkenness As he himself had carefully avoided the bowl he
would have availed himself of the frankness of the moment to extract from
Gosling some farther information upon the subject of Anthony Foster and the
lady whom the mercer had seen in the mansionhouse but his inquiries only set
the host upon a new theme of declamation against the wiles of the fair sex in
which he brought at full length the whole wisdom of Solomon to reinforce his
own Finally he turned his admonitions mixed with much objurgation upon his
tapsters and drawers who were employed in removing the relics of the
entertainment and restoring order to the apartment and at length joining
example to precept though with no good success he demolished a salver with
half a score of glasses in attempting to show how such service was done at the
Three Cranes in the Vintry then the most topping tavern in London This last
accident so far recalled him to his better self that he retired to his bed
slept sound and awoke a new man in the morning
Chapter Third
Nay Ill hold touch the game shall be playd out
It neer shall stop for me this merry wager
That which I say when gamesome Ill avouch
In my most sober mood neer trust me else
The HazardTable
»And how doth your kinsman good mine host« said Tressilian when Giles Gosling
first appeared in the public room on the morning following the revel which we
described in the last chapter »Is he well and will he abide by his wager«
»For well sir he started two hours since and has visited I know not what
purlieus of his old companions hath but now returned and is at this instant
breakfasting on newlaid eggs and muscadine and for his wager I caution you as
a friend to have little to do with that or indeed aught that Mike proposes
Wherefore I counsel you to a warm breakfast upon a culiss which shall restore
the tone of the stomach and let my nephew and Master Goldthred swagger about
their wager as they list«
»It seems to me mine host« said Tressilian »that you know not well what
to say about this kinsman of yours and that you can neither blame nor commend
him without some twinge of conscience«
»You have spoken truly Master Tressilian« replied Giles Gosling »There is
natural affection whimpering into one ear Giles Giles why wilt thou take away
the good name of thy own nephew Wilt thou defame thy sisters son Giles
Gosling wilt thou defoul thine own nest dishonour thine own blood And then
again comes Justice and says Here is a worthy guest as ever came to the bonny
Black Bear one who never challenged a reckoning as I say to your face you
never did Master Tressilian not that you have had cause one who knows not
why he came so far as I can see or when he is going away and wilt thou being
a publican having paid scot and lot these thirty years in the town of Cumnor
and being at this instant headborough wilt thou suffer this guest of guests
this man of men this sixhooped pot as I may say of a traveller to fall into
the meshes of thy nephew who is known for a swasher and a desperate Dick a
carder and a dicer a professor of the seven damnable sciences if ever man
took degrees in them No by Heaven I might wink and let him catch such a
small butterfly as Goldthred but thou my guest shalt be forewarned
forearmed so thou wilt but listen to thy trusty host«
»Why mine host thy counsel shall not be cast away« replied Tressilian
»however I must uphold my share in this wager having once passed my word to
that effect But lend me I pray some of thy counsel This Foster who or
what is he and why makes he such mystery of his female inmate«
»Troth« replied Gosling »I can add but little to what you heard last
night He was one of Queen Marys Papists and now he is one of Queen
Elizabeths Protestants he was an onhanger of the Abbot of Abingdon and now
he lives as master of the Manorhouse Above all he was poor and is rich Folk
talk of private apartments in his old waste mansionhouse bedizened fine enough
to serve the Queen God bless her Some men think he found a treasure in the
orchard some that he sold himself to the devil for treasure and some say that
he cheated the Abbot out of the church plate which was hidden in the old
Manorhouse at the Reformation Rich however he is and God and his
conscience with the devil perhaps besides only know how he came by it He has
sulky ways too breaking off intercourse with all that are of the place as if
he had either some strange secret to keep or held himself to be made of another
clay than we are I think it likely my kinsman and he will quarrel if Mike
thrust his acquaintance on him and I am sorry that you my worthy Master
Tressilian will still think of going in my nephews company«
Tressilian again answered him that he would proceed with great caution and
that he should have no fears on his account in short he bestowed on him all
the customary assurances with which those who are determined on a rash action
are wont to parry the advice of their friends
Meantime the traveller accepted the landlords invitation and had just
finished the excellent breakfast which was served to him and Gosling by pretty
Cicely the beauty of the bar when the hero of the preceding night Michael
Lambourne entered the apartment His toilette had apparently cost him some
labour for his clothes which differed from those he wore on his journey were
of the newest fashion and put on with great attention to the display of his
person
»By my faith uncle« said the gallant »you made a wet night of it and I
feel it followed by a dry morning I will pledge you willingly in a cup of
bastard How my pretty coz Cicely why I left you but a child in the
cradle and there thou standst in thy velvet waistcoat as tight a girl as
Englands sun shines on Know thy friends and kindred Cicely and come hither
child that I may kiss thee and give thee my blessing«
»Concern not yourself about Cicely kinsman« said Giles Gosling »but een
let her go her way o Gods name for although your mother were her fathers
sister yet that shall not make you and her catercousins«
»Why uncle« replied Lambourne »thinkst thou I am an infidel and would
harm those of mine own house«
»It is for no harm that I speak Mike« answered his uncle »but a simple
humour of precaution which I have True thou art as well gilded as a snake when
he casts his old slough in the springtime but for all that thou creepest not
into my Eden I will look after mine Eve Mike and so content thee But how
brave thou best lad To look on thee now and compare thee with Master
Tressilian here in his sadcoloured ridingsuit who would not say that thou
wert the real gentleman and he the tapsters boy«
»Troth uncle« replied Lambourne »no one would say so but one of your
country breeding that knows no better I will say and I care not who hears me
there is something about the real gentry that few men come up to that are not
born and bred to the mystery I wot not where the trick lies but although I can
enter an ordinary with as much audacity rebuke the waiters and drawers as
loudly drink as deep a health swear as round an oath and fling my gold as
freely about as any of the jingling spurs and white feathers that are around me
yet hang me if I can ever catch the true grace of it though I have practised
an hundred times The man of the house sets me lowest at the board and carves
to me the last and the drawer says Coming friend without any more
reverence or regardful addition But hang it let it pass care killed a cat I
have gentry enough to pass the trick on Tony FiretheFagot and that will do
for the matter in hand«
»You hold your purpose then of visiting your old acquaintance« said
Tressilian to the adventurer
»Ay sir« replied Lambourne »when stakes are made the game must be
played that is gamesters law all over the world You sir unless my memory
fails me for I did steep it somewhat too deeply in the sackbutt took some
share in my hazard«
»I propose to accompany you in your adventure« said Tressilian »if you
will do me so much grace as to permit me and I have staked my share of the
forfeit in the hands of our worthy host«
»That he hath« answered Giles Gosling »in as fair Harrynobles as ever
were melted into sack by a good fellow So luck to your enterprise since you
will needs venture on Tony Foster but by my credit you had better take
another draught before you depart for your welcome at the Hall yonder will be
somewhat of the driest And if you do get into peril beware of taking to cold
steel but send for me Giles Gosling the headborough and I may be able to
make something out of Tony yet for as proud as he is«
The nephew dutifully obeyed his uncles hint by taking a second powerful
pull at the tankard observing that his wit never served him so well as when he
had washed his temples with a deep mornings draught and they set forth
together for the habitation of Anthony Foster
The village of Cumnor is pleasantly built on a hill and in a wooded park
closely adjacent was situated the ancient mansion occupied at this time by
Anthony Foster of which the ruins may be still extant The park was then full
of large trees and in particular of ancient and mighty oaks which stretched
their giant arms over the high walls surrounding the demesne thus giving it a
melancholy secluded and monastic appearance The entrance to the park lay
through an oldfashioned gateway in the outer wall the door of which was formed
of two huge oaken leaves thickly studded with nails like the gate of an old
town
»We shall be finely holped up here« said Michael Lambourne looking at the
gateway and gate »if this fellows suspicious humour should refuse us admission
altogether as it is like he may in case this linseywolsey fellow of a
mercers visit to his premises has disquieted him But no« he added pushing
the huge gate which gave way »the door stands invitingly open and here we are
within the forbidden ground without other impediment than the passive
resistance of a heavy oak door moving on rusty hinges«
They stood now in an avenue overshadowed by such old trees as we have
described and which had been bordered at one time by high hedges of yew and
holly But these having been untrimmed for many years had run up into great
bushes or rather dwarftrees and now encroached with their dark and melancholy
boughs upon the road which they once had screened The avenue itself was grown
up with grass and in one or two places interrupted by piles of withered
brushwood which had been lopped from the trees cut down in the neighbouring
park and was here stacked for drying Formal walks and avenues which at
different points crossed this principal approach were in like manner choked
up and interrupted by piles of brushwood and billets and in other places by
underwood and brambles Besides the general effect of desolation which is so
strongly impressed whenever we behold the contrivances of man wasted and
obliterated by neglect and witness the marks of social life effaced gradually
by the influence of vegetation the size of the trees and the outspreading
extent of their boughs diffused a gloom over the scene even when the sun was
at the highest and made a proportional impression on the mind of those who
visited it This was felt even by Michael Lambourne however alien his habits
were to receiving any impressions excepting from things which addressed
themselves immediately to his passions
»This wood is as dark as a wolfs mouth« said he to Tressilian as they
walked together slowly along the solitary and broken approach and had just come
in sight of the monastic front of the old mansion with its shafted windows
brick walls overgrown with ivy and creeping shrubs and twisted stalks of
chimneys of heavy stonework »And yet« continued Lambourne »it is fairly done
on the part of Foster too for since he chooses not visitors it is right to
keep his place in a fashion that will invite few to trespass upon his privacy
But had he been the Anthony I once knew him these sturdy oaks had long since
become the property of some honest woodmonger and the manorclose here had
looked lighter at midnight than it now does at noon while Foster played fast
and loose with the price in some cunning corner in the purlieus of
Whitefriars«
»Was he then such an unthrift« asked Tressilian
»He was« answered Lambourne »like the rest of us no saint and no saver
But what I liked worst of Tony was that he loved to take his pleasure by
himself and grudged as men say every drop of water that went past his own
mill I have known him deal with such measures of wine when he was alone as I
would not have ventured on with aid of the best toper in Berkshire that and
some sway towards superstition which he had by temperament rendered him
unworthy the company of a good fellow And now he has earthed himself here in a
den just befitting such a sly fox as himself«
»May I ask you Master Lambourne« said Tressilian »since your old
companions humour jumps so little with your own wherefore you are so desirous
to renew acquaintance with him«
»And may I ask you in return Master Tressilian« answered Lambourne
»wherefore you have shown yourself so desirous to accompany me on this party«
»I told you my motive« said Tressilian »when I took share in your wager
it was simple curiosity«
»La you there now« answered Lambourne »see how you civil and discreet
gentlemen think to use us who live by the free exercise of our wits Had I
answered your question by saying that it was simple curiosity which led me to
visit my old comrade Anthony Foster I warrant you had set it down for an
evasion and a turn of my trade But any answer I suppose must serve my turn«
»And wherefore should not bare curiosity« said Tressilian »be a sufficient
reason for my taking this walk with you«
»Oh content yourself sir« replied Lambourne »you cannot put the change
on me so easy as you think for I have lived among the quickstirring spirits of
the age too long to swallow chaff for grain You are a gentleman of birth and
breeding your bearing makes it good of civil habits and fair reputation
your manners declare it and my uncle avouches it and yet you associate
yourself with a sort of scantofgrace as men call me and knowing me to be
such you make yourself my companion in a visit to a man whom you are a stranger
to and all out of mere curiosity forsooth The excuse if curiously
balanced would be found to want some scruples of just weight or so«
»If your suspicions were just« said Tressilian »you have shown no
confidence in me to invite or deserve mine«
»Oh if that be all« said Lambourne »my motives lie above water While
this gold of mine lasts« taking out his purse chucking it into the air and
catching it as it fell »I will make it buy pleasure and when it is out I
must have more Now if this mysterious Lady of the Manor this fair
Lindabrides of Tony FiretheFagot be so admirable a piece as men say why
theres chance that she may aid me to melt my nobles into groats and again if
Anthony be so wealthy a chuff as report speaks him he may prove the
philosophers stone to me and convert my groats into fair rosenobles again«
»A comfortable proposal truly« said Tressilian »but I see not what chance
there is of accomplishing it«
»Not today or perchance tomorrow« answered Lambourne »I expect not to
catch the old jack till I have disposed my ground baits handsomely But I know
something more of his affairs this morning than I did last night and I will so
use my knowledge that he shall think it more perfect than it is Nay without
expecting either pleasure or profit or both I had not stepped a stride within
this manor I can tell you for I promise you I hold our visit not altogether
without risk But here we are and we must make the best ont«
While he thus spoke they had entered a large orchard which surrounded the
house on two sides though the trees abandoned by the care of man were
overgrown and mossy and seemed to bear little fruit Those which had been
formerly trained as espaliers had now resumed their natural mode of growing
and exhibited grotesque forms partaking of the original training which they had
received The greater part of the ground which had once been parterres and
flowergardens was suffered in like manner to run to waste excepting a few
patches which had been dug up and planted with ordinary potherbs Some
statues which had ornamented the garden in its days of splendour were now
thrown down from their pedestals and broken in pieces and a large summerhouse
having a heavy stone front decorated with carving representing the life and
actions of Samson was in the same dilapidated condition
They had just traversed this garden of the sluggard and were within a few
steps of the door of the mansion when Lambourne had ceased speaking a
circumstance very agreeable to Tressilian as it saved him the embarrassment of
either commenting upon or replying to the frank avowal which his companion had
just made of the sentiments and views which induced him to come hither
Lambourne knocked roundly and boldly at the huge door of the mansion observing
at the same time he had seen a less strong one upon a county jail It was not
until they had knocked more than once that an aged sourvisaged domestic
reconnoitred them through a small square hole in the door well secured with
bars of iron and demanded what they wanted
»To speak with Master Foster instantly on pressing business of the state«
was the ready reply of Michael Lambourne
»Methinks you will find difficulty to make that good« said Tressilian in a
whisper to his companion while the servant went to carry the message to his
master
»Tush« replied the adventurer »no soldier would go on were he always to
consider when and how he should come off Let us once obtain entrance and all
will go well enough«
In a short time the servant returned and drawing with a careful hand both
bolt and bar opened the gate which admitted them through an archway into a
square court surrounded by buildings Opposite to the arch was another door
which the servingman in like manner unlocked and thus introduced them into a
stonepaved parlour where there was but little furniture and that of the
rudest and most ancient fashion The windows were tall and ample reaching
almost to the roof of the room which was composed of black oak those opening
to the quadrangle were obscured by the height of the surrounding buildings and
as they were traversed with massive shafts of solid stonework and thickly
painted with religious devices and scenes taken from Scripture history by no
means admitted light in proportion to their size and what did penetrate through
them partook of the dark and gloomy tinge of the stained glass
Tressilian and his guide had time enough to observe all these particulars
for they waited some space in the apartment ere the present master of the
mansion at length made his appearance Prepared as he was to see an inauspicious
and illlooking person the ugliness of Anthony Foster considerably exceeded
what Tressilian had anticipated He was of middle stature built strongly but
so clumsily as to border on deformity and to give all his motions the ungainly
awkwardness of a leftlegged and lefthanded man His hair in arranging which
men at that time as at present were very nice and curious instead of being
carefully cleaned and disposed into short curls or else set up on end as is
represented in old paintings in a manner resembling that used by fine gentlemen
of our own day escaped in sable negligence from under a furred bonnet and hung
in elflocks which seemed strangers to the comb over his rugged brows and
around his very singular and unprepossessing countenance His keen dark eyes
were deep set beneath broad and shaggy eyebrows and as they were usually bent
on the ground seemed as if they were themselves ashamed of the expression
natural to them and were desirous to conceal it from the observation of men At
times however when more intent on observing others he suddenly raised them
and fixed them keenly on those with whom he conversed they seemed to express
both the fiercer passions and the power of mind which could at will suppress or
disguise the intensity of inward feeling The features which corresponded with
these eyes and this form were irregular and marked so as to be indelibly fixed
on the mind of him who had once seen them Upon the whole as Tressilian could
not help acknowledging to himself the Anthony Foster who now stood before them
was the last person judging from personal appearance upon whom one would have
chosen to intrude an unexpected and undesired visit His attire was a doublet of
russet leather like those worn by the better sort of country folk girt with a
buff belt in which was stuck on the right side a long knife or dudgeon dagger
and on the other a cutlass He raised his eyes as he entered the room and fixed
a keenly penetrating glance upon his two visitors then cast them down as if
counting his steps while he advanced slowly into the middle of the room and
said in a low and smothered tone of voice »Let me pray you gentlemen to tell
me the cause of this visit«
He looked as if he expected the answer from Tressilian so true was
Lambournes observation that the superior air of breeding and dignity shone
through the disguise of an inferior dress But it was Michael who replied to
him with the easy familiarity of an old friend and a tone which seemed
unembarrassed by any doubt of the most cordial reception
»Ha my dear friend and ingle Tony Foster« he exclaimed seizing upon the
unwilling hand and shaking it with such emphasis as almost to stagger the
sturdy frame of the person whom he addressed »how fares it with you for many a
long year What have you altogether forgotten your friend gossip and
playfellow Michael Lambourne«
»Michael Lambourne« said Foster looking at him a moment then dropping his
eyes and with little ceremony extricating his hand from the friendly grasp of
the person by whom he was addressed »are you Michael Lambourne«
»Ay sure as you are Anthony Foster« replied Lambourne
»Tis well« answered his sullen host »and what may Michael Lambourne
expect from his visit hither«
»Voto a Dios« answered Lambourne »I expected a better welcome than I am
like to meet I think«
»Why thou gallowsbird thou jailrat thou friend of the hangman and his
customers« replied Foster »hast thou the assurance to expect countenance from
any one whose neck is beyond the compass of a Tyburn tippet«
»It may be with me as you say« replied Lambourne »and suppose I grant it
to be so for arguments sake I were still good enough society for mine ancient
friend Anthony FiretheFagot though he be for the present by some
indescribable title the master of Cumnor Place«
»Hark you Michael Lambourne« said Foster »you are a gambler now and live
by the counting of chances Compute me the odds that I do not on this instant
throw you out of that window into the ditch there«
»Twenty to one that you do not« answered the sturdy visitor
»And wherefore I pray you« demanded Anthony Foster setting his teeth and
compressing his lips like one who endeavours to suppress some violent internal
emotion
»Because« said Lambourne coolly »you dare not for your life lay a finger
on me I am younger and stronger than you and have in me a double portion of
the fighting devil though not it may be quite so much of the undermining
fiend that finds an underground way to his purpose who hides halters under
folks pillows and who puts ratsbane into their porridge as the stageplay
says«
Foster looked at him earnestly then turned away and paced the room twice
with the same steady and considerate pace with which he had entered it then
suddenly came back and extended his hand to Michael Lambourne saying »Be not
wroth with me good Mike I did but try whether thou hadst parted with aught of
thine old and honourable frankness which your enviers and backbiters called
saucy impudence«
»Let them call it what they will« said Michael Lambourne »it is the
commodity we must carry through the world with us Uds daggers I tell thee
man mine own stock of assurance was too small to trade upon I was fain to take
in a ton or two more of brass at every port where I touched in the voyage of
life and I started overboard what modesty and scruples I had remaining in
order to make room for the stowage«
»Nay nay« replied Foster »touching scruples and modesty you sailed hence
in ballast But who is this gallant honest Mike is he a Corinthian a
cutter like thyself«
»I prithee know Master Tressilian bully Foster« replied Lambourne
presenting his friend in answer to his friends question »know him and honour
him for he is a gentleman of many admirable qualities and though he traffics
not in my line of business at least so far as I know he has nevertheless a
just respect and admiration for artists of our class He will come to in time
as seldom fails but as yet he is only a Neophyte only a proselyte and
frequents the company of cocks of the game as a puny fencer does the schools of
the masters to see how a foil is handled by the teachers of defence«
»If such be his quality I will pray your company in another chamber honest
Mike for what I have to say to thee is for thy private ear Meanwhile I pray
you sir to abide us in this apartment and without leaving it there be those
in this house who would be alarmed by the sight of a stranger«
Tressilian acquiesced and the two worthies left the apartment together in
which he remained alone to await their return2
Chapter Fourth
Not serve two masters Heres a youth will try it
Would fain serve God yet give the devil his due
Says grace before he doth a deed of villany
And returns his thanks devoutly when tis acted
Old Play
The room into which the Master of Cumnor Place conducted his worthy visitant
was of greater extent than that in which they had at first conversed and had
yet more the appearance of dilapidation Large oaken presses filled with
shelves of the same wood surrounded the room and had at one time served for
the arrangement of a numerous collection of books many of which yet remained
but torn and defaced covered with dust deprived of their costly clasps and
bindings and tossed together in heaps upon the shelves as things altogether
disregarded and abandoned to the pleasure of every spoiler The very presses
themselves seemed to have incurred the hostility of those enemies of learning
who had destroyed the volumes with which they had been heretofore filled They
were in several places dismantled of their shelves and otherwise broken and
damaged and were moreover mantled with cobwebs and covered with dust
»The men who wrote these books« said Lambourne looking round him »little
thought whose keeping they were to fall into«
»Nor what yeomans service they were to do me« quoth Anthony Foster »the
cook hath used them for scouring his pewter and the groom hath had nought else
to clean my boots with this many a month past«
»And yet« said Lambourne »I have been in cities where such learned
commodities would have been deemed too good for such offices«
»Pshaw pshaw« answered Foster »they are Popish trash every one of them
private studies of the mumping old Abbot of Abingdon The nineteenthly of a
pure gospel sermon were worth a cartload of such rakings of the kennel of
Rome«
»Gadamercy Master Tony FiretheFagot« said Lambourne by way of reply
Foster scowled darkly at him as he replied »Hark ye friend Mike forget
that name and the passage which it relates to if you would not have our newly
revived comradeship die a sudden and a violent death«
»Why« said Michael Lambourne »you were wont to glory in the share you had
in the death of the two old heretical bishops«
»That« said his comrade »was while I was in the gall of bitterness and
bond of iniquity and applies not to my walk or my ways now that I am called
forth into the lists Mr Melchisedek Maultext compared my misfortune in that
matter to that of the Apostle Paul who kept the clothes of the witnesses who
stoned Saint Stephen He held forth on the matter three Sabbaths past and
illustrated the same by the conduct of an honourable person present meaning
me«
»I prithee peace Foster« said Lambourne »for I know not how it is I have
a sort of creeping comes over my skin when I hear the Devil quote Scripture and
besides man how couldst thou have the heart to quit that convenient old
religion which you could so slip off or on as easily as your glove Do I not
remember how you were wont to carry your conscience to confession as duly as
the month came round and when thou hadst it scoured and burnished and
whitewashed by the priest thou wert ever ready for the worst villany which
could be devised like a child who is always readiest to rush into the mire when
he has got his Sundays clean jerkin on«
»Trouble not thyself about my conscience« said Foster »it is a thing thou
canst not understand having never had one of thine own but let us rather to
the point and say to me in one word what is thy business with me and what
hopes have drawn thee hither«
»The hope of bettering myself to be sure« answered Lambourne »as the old
woman said when she leapt over the bridge at Kingston Look you this purse has
all that is left of as round a sum as a man would wish to carry in his
sloppouch You are here well established it would seem and as I think well
befriended for men talk of your being under some special protection nay stare
not like a pig that is stuck mon thou canst not dance in a net and they not
see thee Now I know such protection is not purchased for nought you must have
services to render for it and in these I propose to help thee«
»But how if I lack no assistance from thee Mike I think thy modesty might
suppose that were a case possible«
»That is to say« retorted Lambourne »that you would engross the whole
work rather than divide the reward but be not overgreedy Anthony
Covetousness bursts the sack and spills the grain Look you when the huntsman
goes to kill a stag he takes with him more dogs than one He has the stanch
lymehound to track the wounded buck over hill and dale but he hath also the
fleet gazehound to kill him at view Thou art the lymehound I am the
gazehound and thy patron will need the aid of both and can well afford to
requite it Thou hast deep sagacity an unrelenting purpose a steady
longbreathed malignity of nature that surpasses mine But then I am the
bolder the more ready both at action and expedient Separate our properties
are not so perfect but unite them and we drive the world before us How sayest
thou shall we hunt in couples«
»It is a currish proposal thus to thrust thyself upon my private matters«
replied Foster »but thou wert ever an illnurtured whelp«
»You shall have no cause to say so unless you spurn my courtesy« said
Michael Lambourne »but if so keep thee well from me Sir Knight as the
romance has it I will either share your counsels or traverse them for I have
come here to be busy either with thee or against thee«
»Well« said Anthony Foster »since thou dost leave me so fair a choice I
will rather be thy friend than thine enemy Thou art right I can prefer thee to
the service of a patron who has enough of means to make us both and an hundred
more And to say truth thou art well qualified for his service Boldness and
dexterity he demands the justicebooks bear witness in thy favour no starting
at scruples in his service why who ever suspected thee of a conscience an
assurance he must have who would follow a courtier and thy brow is as
impenetrable as a Milan visor There is but one thing I would fain see amended
in thee«
»And what is that my most precious friend Anthony« replied Lambourne »for
I swear by the pillow of the Seven Sleepers I will not be slothful in amending
it«
»Why you gave a sample of it even now« said Foster »Your speech twangs
too much of the old stamp and you garnish it ever and anon with singular oaths
that savour of Papistrie Besides your exterior man is altogether too deboshed
and irregular to become one of his lordships followers since he has a
reputation to keep up in the eye of the world You must somewhat reform your
dress upon a more grave and composed fashion wear your cloak on both
shoulders and your falling band unrumpled and well starched You must enlarge
the brim of your beaver and diminish the superfluity of your trunkhose go to
church or which will be better to meeting at least once amonth protest
only upon your faith and conscience lay aside your swashing look and never
touch the hilt of your sword but when you would draw the carnal weapon in good
earnest«
»By this light Anthony thou art mad« answered Lambourne »and hast
described rather the gentlemanusher to a puritans wife than the follower of
an ambitious courtier Yes such a thing as thou wouldst make of me should wear
a book at his girdle instead of a poniard and might just be suspected of
manhood enough to squire a proud damecitizen to the lecture at Saint
Antonlins and quarrel in her cause with any flatcappd threadmaker that
would take the wall of her He must ruffle it in another sort that would walk to
court in a noblemans train«
»Oh content you sir« replied Foster »there is a change since you knew
the English world and there are those who can hold their way through the
boldest courses and the most secret and yet never a swaggering word or an
oath or a profane word in their conversation«
»That is to say« replied Lambourne »they are in a trading copartnery to
do the devils business without mentioning his name in the firm Well I will
do my best to counterfeit rather than lose ground in this new world since thou
sayest it is grown so precise But Anthony what is the name of this nobleman
in whose service I am to turn hypocrite«
»Aha Master Michael are you there with your bears« said Foster with a
grim smile »and this is the knowledge you pretend of my concernments How
know you now there is such a person in rerum natura and that I have not been
putting a jape upon you all this time«
»Thou put a jape upon me thou soddenbrained gull« answered Lambourne
nothing daunted »why dark and muddy as thou thinkst thyself I would engage
in a days space to see as clear through thee and thy concernments as thou
callst them as through the filthy horn of an old stable lantern«
At this moment their conversation was interrupted by a scream from the next
apartment
»By the holy cross of Abingdon« exclaimed Anthony Foster forgetting his
Protestantism in his alarm »I am a ruined man«
So saying he rushed into the apartment whence the scream issued followed
by Michael Lambourne But to account for the sounds which interrupted their
conversation it is necessary to recede a little way in our narrative
It has been already observed that when Lambourne accompanied Foster into
the library they left Tressilian alone in the ancient parlour His dark eye
followed them forth of the apartment with a glance of contempt a part of which
his mind instantly transferred to himself for having stooped to be even for a
moment their familiar companion »These are the associates Amy« it was thus
he communed with himself »to which thy cruel levity thine unthinking and
most unmerited falsehood has condemned him of whom his friends once hoped for
other things and who now scorns himself as he will be scorned by others for
the baseness he stoops to for the love of thee But I will not leave the pursuit
of thee once the object of my purest and most devoted affection though to me
thou canst henceforth be nothing but a thing to weep over I will save thee
from thy betrayer and from thyself I will restore thee to thy parents to
thy God I cannot bid the bright star again sparkle in the sphere it has shot
from but«
A slight noise in the apartment interrupted his reverie he looked round
and in the beautiful and richlyattired female who entered at that instant by a
sidedoor he recognised the object of his search The first impulse arising
from this discovery urged him to conceal his face with the collar of his cloak
until he should find a favourable moment of making himself known But his
purpose was disconcerted by the young lady she was not above eighteen years
old who ran joyfully towards him and pulling him by the cloak said
playfully »Nay my sweet friend after I have waited for you so long you come
not to my bower to play the masquer You are arraigned of treason to true love
and fond affection and you must stand up at the bar and answer it with face
uncovered how say you guilty or not«
»Alas Amy« said Tressilian in a low and melancholy tone as he suffered
her to draw the mantle from his face The sound of his voice and still more the
unexpected sight of his face changed in an instant the ladys playful mood
She staggered back turned as pale as death and put her hands before her face
Tressilian was himself for a moment much overcome but seeming suddenly to
remember the necessity of using an opportunity which might not again occur he
said in a low tone »Amy fear me not«
»Why should I fear you« said the lady withdrawing her hands from her
beautiful face which was now covered with crimson »why should I fear you
Mr Tressilian or wherefore have you intruded yourself into my dwelling
uninvited sir and unwished for«
»Your dwelling Amy« said Tressilian »Alas is a prison your dwelling a
prison guarded by one of the most sordid of men but not a greater wretch than
his employer«
»This house is mine« said Amy »mine while I choose to inhabit it If it
is my pleasure to live in seclusion who shall gainsay me«
»Your father maiden« answered Tressilian »your brokenhearted father who
despatched me in quest of you with that authority which he cannot exert in
person Here is his letter written while he blessed his pain of body which
somewhat stunned the agony of his mind«
»The pain is my father then ill« said the lady
»So ill« answered Tressilian »that even your utmost haste may not restore
him to health but all shall be instantly prepared for your departure the
instant you yourself will give consent«
»Tressilian« answered the lady »I cannot I must not I dare not leave
this place Go back to my father tell him I will obtain leave to see him
within twelve hours from hence Go back Tressilian tell him I am well I am
happy happy could I think he was so tell him not to fear that I will come
and in such a manner that all the grief Amy has given him shall be forgotten
the poor Amy is now greater than she dare name Go good Tressilian I have
injured thee too but believe me I have power to heal the wounds I have caused
I robbed you of a childish heart which was not worthy of you and I can repay
the loss with honours and advancement«
»Do you say this to me Amy Do you offer me pageants of idle ambition
for the quiet peace you have robbed me of But be it so I came not to
upbraid but to serve and to free you You cannot disguise it from me you are
a prisoner Otherwise your kind heart for it was once a kind heart would
have been already at your fathers bedside Come poor deceived unhappy
maiden all shall be forgot all shall be forgiven Fear not my importunity
for what regarded our contract It was a dream and I have awaked But come
your father yet lives Come and one word of affection one tear of penitence
will efface the memory of all that has passed«
»Have I not already said Tressilian« replied she »that I will surely come
to my father and that without farther delay than is necessary to discharge
other and equally binding duties Go carry him the news I come as sure as
there is light in heaven that is when I obtain permission«
»Permission permission to visit your father on his sickbed perhaps on
his deathbed« repeated Tressilian impatiently »and permission from whom
From the villain who under disguise of friendship abused every duty of
hospitality and stole thee from thy fathers roof«
»Do him no slander Tressilian He whom thou speakest of wears a sword as
sharp as thine sharper vain man for the best deeds thou hast ever done in
peace or war were as unworthy to be named with his as thy obscure rank to
match itself with the sphere he moves in Leave me Go do mine errand to my
father and when he next sends to me let him choose a more welcome messenger«
»Amy« replied Tressilian calmly »thou canst not move me by thy
reproaches Tell me one thing that I may bear at least one ray of comfort to
my aged friend This rank of his which thou dost boast dost thou share it
with him Amy Does he claim a husbands right to control thy motions«
»Stop thy base unmannered tongue« said the lady »to no question that
derogates from my honour do I deign an answer«
»You have said enough in refusing to reply« answered Tressilian »and mark
me unhappy as thou art I am armed with thy fathers full authority to command
thy obedience and I will save thee from the slavery of sin and of sorrow even
despite of thyself Amy«
»Menace no violence here« exclaimed the lady drawing back from him and
alarmed at the determination expressed in his look and manner »threaten me not
Tressilian for I have means to repel force«
»But not I trust the wish to use them in so evil a cause« said
Tressilian »With thy will thine uninfluenced free and natural will Amy
thou canst not choose this state of slavery and dishonour thou hast been bound
by some spell entrapped by some deceit art now detained by some compelled
vow But thus I break the charm Amy in the name of thine excellent thy
brokenhearted father I command thee to follow me«
As he spoke he advanced and extended his arm as with the purpose of laying
hold upon her But she shrunk back from his grasp and uttered the scream which
as we before noticed brought into the apartment Lambourne and Foster
The latter exclaimed as soon as he entered »Fire and fagot what have we
here« Then addressing the lady in a tone betwixt entreaty and command he
added »Uds precious madam what make you here out of bounds Retire retire
there is life and death in this matter And you friend whoever you may be
leave this house out with you before my daggers hilt and your costard become
acquainted Draw Mike and rid us of the knave«
»Not I on my soul« replied Lambourne »he came hither in my company and
he is safe from me by cutters law at least till we meet again But hark ye
my Cornish comrade you have brought a Cornish flaw of wind with you hither a
hurricanoe as they call it in the Indies Make yourself scarce depart vanish
or well have you summoned before the Mayor of Halgaver and that before
Dudman and Ramhead meet«3
»Away base groom« said Tressilian »And you madam fare you well what
life lingers in your fathers bosom will leave him at the news I have to tell«
He departed the lady saying faintly as he left the room »Tressilian be
not rash say no scandal of me«
»Here is proper gear« said Foster »I pray you go to your chamber my lady
and let us consider how this is to be answered nay tarry not«
»I move not at your command sir« answered the lady
»Nay but you must fair lady« replied Foster »excuse my freedom but by
blood and nails this is no time to strain courtesies you must go to your
chamber Mike follow that meddling coxcomb and as you desire to thrive see
him safely clear of the premises while I bring this headstrong lady to reason
Draw thy tool man and after him«
»Ill follow him« said Michael Lambourne »and see him fairly out of
Flanders But for hurting a man I have drunk my mornings draught withal tis
clean against my conscience« So saying he left the apartment
Tressilian meanwhile with hasty steps pursued the first path which
promised to conduct him through the wild and overgrown part in which the mansion
of Foster was situated Haste and distress of mind led his steps astray and
instead of taking the avenue which led towards the village he chose another
which after he had pursued it for some time with a hasty and reckless step
conducted him to the other side of the demesne where a posterndoor opened
through the wall and led into the open country
Tressilian paused an instant It was indifferent to him by what road he left
a spot now so odious to his recollections but it was probable that the
posterndoor was locked and his retreat by that pass rendered impossible
»I must make the attempt however« he said to himself »the only means of
reclaiming this lost this miserable this still most lovely and most unhappy
girl must rest in her fathers appeal to the broken laws of his country I
must haste to apprise him of this heartrending intelligence«
As Tressilian thus conversing with himself approached to try some means of
opening the door or climbing over it he perceived there was a key put into the
lock from the outside It turned round the bolt revolved and a cavalier who
entered muffled in his riding cloak and wearing a slouched hat with a
drooping feather stood at once within four yards of him who was desirous of
going out They exclaimed at once in tones of resentment and surprise the one
»Varney« the other »Tressilian«
»What make you here« was the stern question put by the stranger to
Tressilian when the moment of surprise was passed »What make you here where
your presence is neither expected nor desired«
»Nay Varney« replied Tressilian »what make you here Are you come to
triumph over the innocence you have destroyed as the vulture or carrioncrow
comes to batten on the lamb whose eyes it has first plucked out Or are you
come to encounter the merited vengeance of an honest man Draw dog and
defend thyself«
Tressilian drew his sword as he spoke but Varney only laid his hand on the
hilt of his own as he replied »Thou art mad Tressilian I own appearances
are against me but by every oath a priest can make or a man can swear
Mistress Amy Robsart hath had no injury from me and in truth I were somewhat
loath to hurt you in this cause Thou knowst I can fight«
»I have heard thee say so Varney« replied Tressilian »but now methinks
I would fain have some better evidence than thine own word«
»That shall not be lacking if blade and hilt be but true to me« answered
Varney and drawing his sword with the right hand he threw his cloak around his
left and attacked Tressilian with a vigour which for a moment seemed to give
him the advantage of the combat But this advantage lasted not long Tressilian
added to a spirit determined on revenge a hand and eye admirably well adapted
to the use of the rapier so that Varney finding himself hard pressed in his
turn endeavoured to avail himself of his superior strength by closing with his
adversary For this purpose he hazarded the receiving one of Tressilians passes
in his cloak wrapt as it was around his arm and ere his adversary could
extricate his rapier thus entangled he closed with him shortening his own
sword at the same time with the purpose of despatching him But Tressilian was
on his guard and unsheathing his poniard parried with the blade of that weapon
the homethrust which would otherwise have finished the combat and in the
struggle which followed displayed so much address as might have confirmed the
opinion that he drew his origin from Cornwall whose natives are such masters in
the art of wrestling as were the games of antiquity revived might enable them
to challenge all Europe to the ring Varney in his illadvised attempt
received a fall so sudden and violent that his sword flew several paces from
his hand and ere he could recover his feet that of his antagonist was pointed
to his throat
»Give me the instant means of relieving the victim of thy treachery« said
Tressilian »or take the last look of your Creators blessed sun«
And while Varney too confused or too sullen to reply made a sudden effort
to arise his adversary drew back his arm and would have executed his threat
but that the blow was arrested by the grasp of Michael Lambourne who directed
by the clashing of swords had come up just in time to save the life of Varney
»Come come comrade« said Lambourne »here is enough done and more than
enough put up your fox and let us be jogging The Black Bear growls for us«
»Off abject« said Tressilian striking himself free of Lambournes grasp
»darest thou come betwixt me and mine enemy«
»Abject abject« repeated Lambourne »that shall be answered with cold
steel whenever a bowl of sack has washed out memory of the mornings draught
that we had together In the meanwhile do you see shog tramp begone we
are two to one«
He spoke truth for Varney had taken the opportunity to regain his weapon
and Tressilian perceived it was madness to press the quarrel farther against
such odds He took his purse from his side and taking out two gold nobles
flung them to Lambourne »There caitiff is thy morning wage thou shalt not
say thou hast been my guide unhired Varney farewell we shall meet where
there are none to come betwixt us« So saying he turned round and departed
through the posterndoor
Varney seemed to want the inclination or perhaps the power for his fall
had been a severe one to follow his retreating enemy But he glared darkly as
he disappeared and then addressed Lambourne »Art thou a comrade of Fosters
good fellow«
»Sworn friends as the haft is to the knife« replied Michael Lambourne
»Here is a broad piece for thee follow yonder fellow and see where he
takes earth and bring me word up to the mansion house here Cautious and
silent thou knave as thou valuest thy throat«
»Enough said« replied Lambourne »I can draw on a scent as well as a
sleuthhound«
»Begone then« said Varney sheathing his rapier and turning his back on
Michael Lambourne he walked slowly towards the house Lambourne stopped but an
instant to gather the nobles which his late companion had flung towards him so
unceremoniously and muttered to himself while he put them up in his purse
along with the gratuity of Varney »I spoke to yonder gulls of Eldorado By
Saint Anthony there is no Eldorado for men of our stamp equal to bonny Old
England It rains nobles by Heaven they lie on the grass as thick as
dewdrops you may have them for gathering And if I have not my share of such
glittering dewdrops may my sword melt like an icicle«
Chapter Fifth
He was a man
Versed in the world as pilot in his compass
The needle pointed ever to that interest
Which was his loadstar and he spread his sails
With vantage to the gale of others passion
The Deceiver a Tragedy
Anthony Foster was still engaged in debate with his fair guest who treated with
scorn every entreaty and request that she would retire to her own apartment
when a whistle was heard at the entrancedoor of the mansion
»We are fairly sped now« said Foster »yonder is thy lords signal and
what to say about the disorder which has happened in this household by my
conscience I know not Some evil fortune dogs the heels of that unhanged rogue
Lambourne and he has scaped the gallows against every chance to come back and
be the ruin of me«
»Peace sir« said the lady »and undo the gate to your master My lord
my dear lord« she then exclaimed hastening to the entrance of the apartment
then added with a voice expressive of disappointment »Pooh it is but
Richard Varney«
»Ay madam« said Varney entering and saluting the lady with a respectful
obeisance which she returned with a careless mixture of negligence and of
displeasure »It is but Richard Varney but even the first grey cloud should be
acceptable when it lightens in the east because it announces the approach of
the blessed sun«
»How comes my lord hither tonight« said the lady in joyful yet startled
agitation and Anthony Foster caught up the word and echoed the question
Varney replied to the lady that his lord purposed to attend her and would have
proceeded with some compliment when running to the door of the parlour she
called aloud »Janet Janet come to my tiringroom instantly« Then returning
to Varney she asked if her lord sent any farther commendations to her
»This letter honoured madam« said he taking from his bosom a small parcel
wrapt in scarlet silk »and with it a token to the Queen of his Affections«
With eager speed the lady hastened to undo the silken string which surrounded
the little packet and failing to unloose readily the knot with which it was
secured she again called loudly on Janet »Bring me a knife scissors aught
that may undo this envious knot«
»May not my poor poniard serve honoured madam« said Varney presenting a
small dagger of exquisite workmanship which hung in his turkeyleather
swordbelt
»No sir« replied the lady rejecting the instrument which he offered
»Steel poniard shall cut no true loveknot of mine«
»It has cut many however« said Anthony Foster half aside and looking at
Varney By this time the knot was disentangled without any other help than the
neat and nimble fingers of Janet a simplyattired pretty maiden the daughter
of Anthony Foster who came running at the repeated call of her mistress A
necklace of orient pearl the companion of a perfumed billet was now hastily
produced from the packet The lady gave the one after a slight glance to the
charge of her attendant while she read or rather devoured the contents of the
other
»Surely lady« said Janet gazing with admiration at the neckstring of
pearls »the daughters of Tyre wore no fairer neckjewels than those And then
the posy For a neck that is fairer each pearl is worth a freehold«
»Each word in this dear paper is worth the whole string my girl But come
to my tiringroom girl we must be brave my lord comes hither tonight He
bids me grace you Master Varney and to me his wish is a law I bid you to a
collation in my bower this afternoon and you too Master Foster Give orders
that all is fitting and that suitable preparations be made for my lords
reception tonight« With these words she left the apartment
»She takes state on her already« said Varney »and distributes the favour
of her presence as if she were already the partner of his dignity Well it
is wise to practise beforehand the part which fortune prepares us to play the
young eagle must gaze at the sun ere he soars on strong wing to meet it«
»If holding her head aloft« said Foster »will keep her eyes from dazzling
I warrant you the dame will not stoop her crest She will presently soar beyond
reach of my whistle Master Varney I promise you she holds me already in
slight regard«
»It is thine own fault thou sullen uninventive companion« answered Varney
»who knowst no mode of control save downright brute force Canst thou not
make home pleasant to her with music and toys Canst thou not make the
outofdoors frightful to her with tales of goblins Thou livest here by the
churchyard and hast not even wit enough to raise a ghost to scare thy females
into good discipline«
»Speak not thus Master Varney« said Foster »the living I fear not but I
trifle not nor toy with my dead neighbours of the churchyard I promise you it
requires a good heart to live so near it worthy Master Holdforth the
afternoons lecturer of Saint Antonlins had a sore fright there the last time
he came to visit me«
»Hold thy superstitious tongue« answered Varney »and while thou talkst of
visiting answer me thou paltering knave how came Tressilian to be at the
posterndoor«
»Tressilian« answered Foster »what know I of Tressilian I never heard
his name«
»Why villain it was the very Cornish chough to whom old Sir Hugh Robsart
destined his pretty Amy and hither the hotbrained fool has come to look after
his fair runaway there must be some order taken with him for he thinks he hath
wrong and is not the mean hind that will sit down with it Luckily he knows not
of my lord but thinks he has only me to deal with But how in the fiends
name came he hither«
»Why with Mike Lambourne an you must know« answered Foster
»And who is Mike Lambourne« demanded Varney »By Heaven thou wert best set
up a bush over thy door and invite every stroller who passes by to see what
thou shouldst keep secret even from the sun and air«
»Ay ay this is a courtlike requital of my service to you Master Richard
Varney« replied Foster »Didst thou not charge me to seek out for thee a fellow
who had a good sword and an unscrupulous conscience and was I not busying
myself to find a fit man for thank Heaven my acquaintance lies not amongst
such companions when as Heaven would have it this tall fellow who is in all
his qualities the very flashing knave thou didst wish came hither to fix
acquaintance upon me in the plenitude of his impudence and I admitted his
claim thinking to do you a pleasure and now see what thanks I get for
disgracing myself by converse with him«
»And did he« said Varney »being such a fellow as thyself only lacking I
suppose thy present humour of hypocrisy which lies as thin over thy hard
ruffianly heart as gold lacquer upon rusty iron did he I say bring the
saintly sighing Tressilian in his train«
»They came together by Heaven« said Foster »and Tressilian to speak
Heavens truth obtained a moments interview with our pretty moppet while I
was talking apart with Lambourne«
»Improvident villain we are both undone« said Varney »She has of late
been casting many a backward look to her fathers halls whenever her lordly
lover leaves her alone Should this preaching fool whistle her back to her old
perch we were but lost men«
»No fear of that my master« replied Anthony Foster »she is in no mood to
stoop to his lure for she yelled out on seeing him as if an adder had stung
her«
»That is good Canst thou not get from thy daughter an inkling of what
passed between them good Foster«
»I tell you plain Master Varney« said Foster »my daughter shall not enter
our purposes or walk in our paths They may suit me well enough who know how
to repent of my misdoings but I will not have my childs soul committed to
peril either for your pleasure or my lords I may walk among snares and
pitfalls myself because I have discretion but I will not trust the poor lamb
among them«
»Why thou suspicions fool I were as averse as thou art that thy babyfaced
girl should enter into my plans or walk to hell at her fathers elbow But
indirectly thou mightst gain some intelligence of her«
»And so I did Master Varney« answered Foster »and she said her lady
called out upon the sickness of her father«
»Good« replied Varney »that is a hint worth catching and I will work upon
it But the country must be rid of this Tressilian I would have cumbered no
man about the matter for I hate him like strong poison his presence is
hemlock to me and this day I had been rid of him but that my foot slipped
when to speak truth had not thy comrade yonder come to my aid and held his
hand I should have known by this time whether you and I have been treading the
path to heaven or hell«
»And you can speak thus of such a risk« said Foster »You keep a stout
heart Master Varney for me if I did not hope to live many years and to have
time for the great work of repentance I would not go forward with you«
»Oh thou shalt live as long as Methuselah« said Varney »and amass as much
wealth as Solomon and thou shalt repent so devoutly that thy repentance shall
be more famous than thy villany and that is a bold word But for all this
Tressilian must be looked after Thy ruffian yonder is gone to dog him It
concerns our fortunes Anthony«
»Ay ay« said Foster sullenly »this it is to be leagued with one who
knows not even so much of Scripture as that the labourer is worthy of his hire
I must as usual take all the trouble and risk«
»Risk and what is the mighty risk I pray you« answered Varney »This
fellow will come prowling again about your demesne or into your house and if
you take him for a housebreaker or a parkbreaker is it not most natural you
should welcome him with cold steel or hot lead Even a mastiff will pull down
those who come near his kennel and who will blame him«
»Ay I have mastiffs work and mastiffs wage among you« said Foster »Here
have you Master Varney secured a good freehold estate out of this old
superstitious foundation and I have but a poor lease of this mansion under you
voidable at your honours pleasure«
»Ay and thou wouldst fain convert thy leasehold into a copyhold the thing
may chance to happen Anthony Foster if thou dost good service for it But
softly good Anthony it is not the lending a room or two of this old house for
keeping my lords pretty paroquet nay it is not the shutting thy doors and
windows to keep her from flying off that may deserve it Remember the manor
and tithes are rated at the clear annual value of seventynine pounds five
shillings and fivepence halfpenny besides the value of the wood Come come
thou must be conscionable great and secret service may deserve both this and a
better thing And now let thy knave come and pluck off my boots Get us some
dinner and a cup of thy best wine I must visit this mavis brave in apparel
unruffled in aspect and gay in temper«
They parted and at the hour of noon which was then that of dinner they
again met at their meal Varney gaily dressed like a courtier of the time and
even Anthony Foster improved in appearance as far as dress could amend an
exterior so unfavourable
This alteration did not escape Varney When the meal was finished the cloth
removed and they were left to their private discourse »Thou art gay as a
goldfinch Anthony« said Varney looking at his host »methinks thou wilt
whistle a jig anon but I crave your pardon that would secure your ejection
from the congregation of the zealous botchers the purehearted weavers and the
sanctified bakers of Abingdon who let their ovens cool while their brains get
heated«
»To answer you in the spirit Master Varney« said Foster »were excuse
the parable to fling sacred and precious things before swine So I will speak
to thee in the language of the world which he who is King of the World hath
taught thee to understand and to profit by in no common measure«
»Say what thou wilt honest Tony« replied Varney »for be it according to
thine absurd faith or according to thy most villanous practice it cannot
choose but be rare matter to qualify this cup of Alicant Thy conversation is
relishing and poignant and beats caviare dried neats tongue and all other
provocatives that give savour to good liquor«
»Well then tell me« said Anthony Foster »is not our good lord and
masters turn better served and his antechamber more suitably filled with
decent Godfearing men who will work his will and their own profit quietly
and without worldly scandal than that he should be manned and attended and
followed by such open debauchers and ruffianly swordsmen as Tidesly Killigrew
this fellow Lambourne whom you have put me to seek out for you and other such
who bear the gallows in their face and murder in their right hand who are a
terror to peaceable men and a scandal to my lords service«
»Oh content you good Master Anthony Foster« answered Varney »he that
flies at all manner of game must keep all kinds of hawks both short and long
winged The course my lord holds is no easy one and he must stand provided at
all points with trusty retainers to meet each sort of service He must have his
gay courtier like myself to ruffle it in the presencechamber and to lay hand
on hilt when any speaks in disparagement of my lords honour«
»Ay« said Foster »and to whisper a word for him into a fair ladys ear
when he may not approach her himself«
»Then« said Varney going on without appearing to notice the interruption
»he must have his lawyers deep subtle pioneers to draw his contracts his
precontracts and his postcontracts and to find the way to make the most of
grants of churchlands and commons and licenses for monopoly And he must have
physicians who can spice a cup or a caudle And he must have his cabalists
like Dee and Allan for conjuring up the devil And he must have ruffling
swordsmen who would fight the devil when he is raised and at the wildest And
above all without prejudice to others he must have such godly innocent
puritanic souls as thou honest Anthony who defy Satan and do his work at the
same time«
»You would not say Master Varney« said Foster »that our good lord and
master whom I hold to be fulfilled in all nobleness would use such base and
sinful means to rise as thy speech points at«
»Tush man« said Varney »never look at me with so sad a brow you trap me
not nor am I in your power as your weak brain may imagine because I name to
you freely the engines the springs the screws the tackle and braces by which
great men rise in stirring times Sayest thou our good lord is fulfilled of all
nobleness Amen and so be it he has the more need to have those about him
who are unscrupulous in his service and who because they know that his fall
will overwhelm and crush them must wager both blood and brain soul and body
in order to keep him aloft and this I tell thee because I care not who knows
it«
»You speak truth Master Varney« said Anthony Foster »he that is head of a
party is but a boat on a wave that raises not itself but is moved upward by
the billow which it floats upon«
»Thou art metaphorical honest Anthony« replied Varney »that velvet
doublet hath made an oracle of thee we will have thee to Oxford to take the
degrees in the arts And in the meantime hast thou arranged all the matters
which were sent from London and put the western chambers into such fashion as
may answer my lords humour«
»They may serve a king on his bridalday« said Anthony »and I promise you
that Dame Amy sits in them yonder as proud and gay as if she were the Queen of
Sheba«
»Tis the better good Anthony« answered Varney »We must found our future
fortunes on her good liking«
»We build on sand then« said Anthony Foster »for supposing that she sails
away to court in all her lords dignity and authority how is she to look back
upon me who am her jailor as it were to detain her here against her will
keeping her a caterpillar on an old wall when she would fain be a painted
butterfly in a court garden«
»Fear not her displeasure man« said Varney »I will show her that all thou
hast done in this matter was good service both to my lord and her and when she
chips the eggshell and walks alone she shall own we have hatched her
greatness«
»Look to yourself Master Varney« said Foster »you may misreckon foully in
this matter She gave you but a frosty reception this morning and I think
looks on you as well as me with an evil eye«
»You mistake her Foster you mistake her utterly To me she is bound by
all the ties which can secure her to one who has been the means of gratifying
both her love and ambition Who was it that took the obscure Amy Robsart the
daughter of an impoverished and dotard knight the destined bride of a
moonstruck moping enthusiast like Edmund Tressilian from her lowly fates and
held out to her in prospect the brightest fortune in England or perchance in
Europe Why man it was I as I have often told thee that found opportunity
for their secret meeting It was I who watched the wood while he beat for the
deer It was I who to this day am blamed by her family as the companion of
her flight and were I in their neighbourhood would be fain to wear a shirt of
better stuff than Holland linen lest my ribs should be acquainted with Spanish
steel Who carried their letters I Who amused the old knight and Tressilian
I Who planned her escape it was I It was I in short Dick Varney who
pulled this pretty little daisy from its lowly nook and placed it in the
proudest bonnet in Britain«
»Ay Master Varney« said Foster »but it may be she thinks that had the
matter remained with you the flower had been stuck so slightly into the cap
that the first breath of a changeable breeze of passion had blown the poor daisy
to the common«
»She should consider« said Varney smiling »the true faith I owed my lord
and master prevented me at first from counselling marriage and yet I did
counsel marriage when I saw she would not be satisfied without the the
sacrament or the ceremony which callest thou it Anthony«
»Still she has you at feud on another score« said Foster »and I tell it
you that you may look to yourself in time She would not hide her splendour in
this dark lantern of an old monastic house but would fain shine a countess
amongst countesses«
»Very natural very right« answered Varney »but what have I to do with
that she may shine through horn or through crystal at my lords pleasure I
have nought to say against it«
»She deems that you have an oar upon that side of the boat Master Varney«
replied Foster »and that you can pull it or no at your good pleasure In a
word she ascribes the secrecy and obscurity in which she is kept to your
secret counsel to my lord and to my strict agency and so she loves us both as
a sentenced man loves his judge and his jailor«
»She must love us better ere she leave this place Anthony« answered
Varney »If I have counselled for weighty reasons that she remain here for a
season I can also advise her being brought forth in the full blow of her
dignity But I were mad to do so holding so near a place to my lords person
were she mine enemy Bear this truth in upon her as occasion offers Anthony
and let me alone for extolling you in her ear and exalting you in her opinion
Ka me ka thee it is a proverb all over the world The lady must know her
friends and be made to judge of the power they have of being her enemies
meanwhile watch her strictly but with all the outward observance that thy
rough nature will permit Tis an excellent thing that sullen look and bulldog
humour of thine thou shouldst thank God for it and so should my lord for when
there is aught harsh or hardnatured to be done thou dost it as if it flowed
from thine own natural doggedness and not from orders and so my lord escapes
the scandal But hark some one knocks at the gate Look out of the window
let no one enter this were an ill night to be interrupted«
»It is he whom we spoke of before dinner« said Foster as he looked through
the casement »it is Michael Lambourne«
»Oh admit him by all means« said the courtier »he comes to give some
account of his guest it imports us much to know the movements of Edmund
Tressilian Admit him I say but bring him not hither I will come to you
presently in the Abbots library«
Foster left the room and the courtier who remained behind paced the
parlour more than once in deep thought his arms folded on his bosom until at
length he gave vent to his meditations in broken words which we have somewhat
enlarged and connected that his soliloquy may be intelligible to the reader
»Tis true« he said suddenly stopping and resting his right hand on the
table at which they had been sitting »this base churl hath fathomed the very
depth of my fear and I have been unable to disguise it from him She loves me
not I would it were as true that I loved not her Idiot that I was to move
her in my own behalf when wisdom bade me be a true broker to my lord And
this fatal error has placed me more at her discretion than a wise man would
willingly be at that of the best piece of painted Eves flesh of them all Since
the hour that my policy made so perilous a slip I cannot look at her without
fear and hate and fondness so strangely mingled that I know not whether
were it at my choice I would rather possess or ruin her But she must not leave
this retreat until I am assured on what terms we are to stand My lords
interest and so far it is mine own for if he sinks I fall in his train
demands concealment of this obscure marriage and besides I will not lend her
my arm to climb to her chair of state that she may set her foot on my neck when
she is fairly seated I must work an interest in her either through love or
through fear and who knows but I may yet reap the sweetest and best revenge
for her former scorn that were indeed a masterpiece of courtlike art Let
me but once be her counselkeeper let her confide to me a secret did it but
concern the robbery of a linnets nest and fair Countess thou art mine own«
He again paced the room in silence stopped filled and drank a cup of wine as
if to compose the agitation of his mind and muttering »Now for a close heart
and an open and unruffled brow« he left the apartment
Chapter Sixth
The dews of summer night did fall
The moon sweet regent of the sky
Silverd the walls of Cumnor Hall
And many an oak that grew thereby4
Mickle
Four apartments which occupied the western side of the old quadrangle at Cumnor
Place had been fitted up with extraordinary splendour This had been the work
of several days prior to that on which our story opened Workmen sent from
London and not permitted to leave the premises until the work was finished had
converted the apartments in that side of the building from the dilapidated
appearance of a dissolved monastic house into the semblance of a royal palace
A mystery was observed in all these arrangements the workmen came thither and
returned by night and all measures were taken to prevent the prying curiosity
of the villagers from observing or speculating upon the changes which were
taking place in the mansion of their once indigent but now wealthy neighbour
Anthony Foster Accordingly the secrecy desired was so far preserved that
nothing got abroad but vague and uncertain reports which were received and
repeated but without much credit being attached to them
On the evening of which we treat the new and highly decorated suite of
rooms were for the first time illuminated and that with a brilliancy which
might have been visible halfadozen miles off had not oaken shutters
carefully secured with bolt and padlock and mantled with long curtains of silk
and of velvet deeply fringed with gold prevented the slightest gleam of
radiance from being seen without
The principal apartments as we have seen were four in number each opening
into the other Access was given to them by a large scale staircase as they were
then called of unusual length and height which had its landingplace at the
door of an antechamber shaped somewhat like a gallery This apartment the Abbot
had used as an occasional council room but it was now beautifully wainscoted
with dark foreign wood of a brown colour and bearing a high polish said to
have been brought from the Western Indies and to have been wrought in London
with infinite difficulty and much damage to the tools of the workmen The dark
colour of this finishing was relieved by the number of lights in silver sconces
which hung against the walls and by six large and richlyframed pictures by
the first masters of the age A massy oaken table placed at the lower end of
the apartment served to accommodate such as chose to play at the then
fashionable game of shovelboard and there was at the other end an elevated
gallery for the musicians or minstrels who might be summoned to increase the
festivity of the evening
From this antechamber opened a banquetingroom of moderate size but
brilliant enough to dazzle the eyes of the spectator with the richness of its
furniture The walls lately so bare and ghastly were now clothed with hangings
of skyblue velvet and silver the chairs were of ebony richly carved with
cushions corresponding to the hangings and the place of the silver sconces
which enlightened the antechamber was supplied by a huge chandelier of the same
precious metal The floor was covered with a Spanish footcloth or carpet on
which flowers and fruits were represented in such glowing and natural colours
that you hesitated to place the foot on such exquisite workmanship The table
of old English oak stood ready covered with the finest linen and a large
portable court cupboard was placed with the leaves of its embossed foldingdoors
displayed showing the shelves within decorated with a full display of plate
and porcelain In the midst of the table stood a saltcellar of Italian
workmanship a beautiful and splendid piece of plate about two feet high
moulded into a representation of the giant Briareus whose hundred hands of
silver presented to the guest various sorts of spices or condiments to season
their food withal
The third apartment was called the withdrawingroom It was hung with the
finest tapestry representing the fall of Phaeton for the looms of Flanders
were now much occupied on classical subjects The principal seat of this
apartment was a chair of state raised a step or two from the floor and large
enough to contain two persons It was surmounted by a canopy which as well as
the cushions sidecurtains and the very footcloth was composed of crimson
velvet embroidered with seedpearl On the top of the canopy were two coronets
resembling those of an earl and countess Stools covered with velvet and some
cushions disposed in the Moorish fashion and ornamented with Arabesque
needlework supplied the place of chairs in this apartment which contained
musical instruments embroidery frames and other articles for ladies pastime
Besides lesser lights the withdrawingroom was illuminated by four tall torches
of virgin wax each of which was placed in the grasp of a statue representing
an armed Moor who held in his left arm a round buckler of silver highly
polished interposed betwixt his breast and the light which was thus
brilliantly reflected as from a crystal mirror
The sleeping chamber belonging to this splendid suite of apartments was
decorated in a taste less showy but not less rich than had been displayed in
the others Two silver lamps fed with perfumed oil diffused at once a
delicious odour and a trembling twilightseeming shimmer through the quiet
apartment It was carpeted so thick that the heaviest step could not have been
heard and the bed richly heaped with down was spread with an ample coverlet
of silk and gold from under which peeped forth cambric sheets and blankets as
white as the lambs which yielded the fleece that made them The curtains were of
blue velvet lined with crimson silk deeply festooned with gold and embroidered
with the loves of Cupid and Psyche On the toilet was a beautiful Venetian
mirror in a frame of silver filigree and beside it stood a gold possetdish to
contain the nightdraught A pair of pistols and a dagger mounted with gold
were displayed near the head of the bed being the arms for the night which
were presented to honoured guests rather it may be supposed in the way of
ceremony than from any apprehension of danger We must not omit to mention
what was more to the credit of the manners of the time that in a small recess
illuminated by a taper were disposed two cassocks of velvet and gold
corresponding with the bed furniture before a desk of carved ebony This recess
had formerly been the private oratory of the Abbot but the crucifix was
removed and instead there were placed on the desk two Books of Common Prayer
richly bound and embossed with silver With this enviable sleeping apartment
which was so far removed from every sound save that of the wind sighing among
the oaks of the park that Morpheus might have coveted it for his own proper
repose corresponded two wardrobes or dressingrooms as they are now termed
suitably furnished and in a style of the same magnificence which we have
already described It ought to be added that a part of the building in the
adjoining wing was occupied by the kitchen and its offices and served to
accommodate the personal attendants of the great and wealthy nobleman for whose
use these magnificent preparations had been made
The divinity for whose sake this temple had been decorated was well worthy
the cost and pains which had been bestowed She was seated in the
withdrawingroom which we have described surveying with the pleased eye of
natural and innocent vanity the splendour which had been so suddenly created
as it were in her honour For as her own residence at Cumnor Place formed the
cause of the mystery observed in all the preparations for opening these
apartments it was sedulously arranged that until she took possession of them
she should have no means of knowing what was going forward in that part of the
ancient building or of exposing herself to be seen by the workmen engaged in
the decorations She had been therefore introduced on that evening to a part
of the mansion which she had never yet seen so different from all the rest
that it appeared in comparison like an enchanted palace And when she first
examined and occupied these splendid rooms it was with the wild and
unrestrained joy of a rustic beauty who finds herself suddenly invested with a
splendour which her most extravagant wishes had never imagined and at the same
time with the keen feeling of an affectionate heart which knows that all the
enchantment that surrounds her is the work of the great magician Love
The Countess Amy therefore for to that rank she was exalted by her
private but solemn union with Englands proudest Earl had for a time flitted
hastily from room to room admiring each new proof of her lover and her
bridegrooms taste and feeling that admiration enhanced as she recollected
that all she gazed upon was one continued proof of his ardent and devoted
affection »How beautiful are these hangings How natural these paintings
which seem to contend with life How richly wrought is that plate which looks
as if all the galleons of Spain had been intercepted on the broad seas to
furnish it forth And oh Janet« she exclaimed repeatedly to the daughter of
Anthony Foster the close attendant who with equal curiosity but somewhat
less ecstatic joy followed on her mistresss footsteps »Oh Janet how much
more delightful to think that all these fair things have been assembled by his
love for the love of me and that this evening this very evening which grows
darker every instant I shall thank him more for the love that has created such
an unimaginable paradise than for all the wonders it contains«
»The Lord is to be thanked first« said the pretty Puritan »who gave thee
lady the kind and courteous husband whose love has done so much for thee I
too have done my poor share But if you thus run wildly from room to room the
toil of my crisping and my curling pins will vanish like the frostwork on the
window when the sun is high«
»Thou sayest true Janet« said the young and beautiful Countess stopping
suddenly from her tripping race of enraptured delight and looking at herself
from head to foot in a large mirror such as she had never before seen and
which indeed had few to match it even in the Queens palace »Thou sayest
true Janet« she answered as she saw with pardonable selfapplause the noble
mirror reflect such charms as were seldom presented to its fair and polished
surface »I have more of the milkmaid than the countess with these cheeks
flushed with haste and all these brown curls which you laboured to bring to
order straying as wild as the tendrils of an unpruned vine My falling ruff is
chafed too and shows the neck and bosom more than is modest and seemly Come
Janet we will practise state we will go to the withdrawingroom my good
girl and thou shalt put these rebel locks in order and imprison within lace
and cambric the bosom that beats too high«
They went to the withdrawing apartment accordingly where the Countess
playfully stretched herself upon the pile of Moorish cushions half sitting
half reclining half rapt in her own thoughts half listening to the prattle of
her attendant
While she was in this attitude and with a corresponding expression betwixt
listlessness and expectation on her fine and expressive features you might have
searched sea and land without finding anything half so expressive or half so
lovely The wreath of brilliants which mixed with her dark brown hair did not
match in lustre the hazel eye which a light brown eyebrow pencilled with
exquisite delicacy and long eyelashes of the same colour relieved and shaded
The exercise she had just taken her excited expectation and gratified vanity
spread a glow over her fine features which had been sometimes censured as
beauty as well as art has her minute critics for being rather too pale The
milkwhite pearls of the necklace which she wore the same which she had just
received as a truelove token from her husband were excelled in purity by her
teeth and by the colour of her skin saving where the blush of pleasure and
selfsatisfaction had somewhat stained the neck with a shade of light crimson
»Now have done with these busy fingers Janet« she said to her handmaiden who
was still officiously employed in bringing her hair and her dress into order
»Have done I say I must see your father ere my lord arrives and also Master
Richard Varney whom my lord has highly in his esteem but I could tell that of
him would lose him favour«
»Oh do not do so good my lady« replied Janet »leave him to God who
punishes the wicked in his own time but do not you cross Varneys path for so
thoroughly hath he my lords ear that few have thriven who have thwarted his
courses«
»And from whom had you this my most righteous Janet« said the Countess
»or why should I keep terms with so mean a gentleman as Varney being as I am
wife to his master and patron«
»Nay madam« replied Janet Foster »your ladyship knows better than I But
I have heard my father say he would rather cross a hungry wolf than thwart
Richard Varney in his projects And he has often charged me to have a care of
holding commerce with him«
»Thy father said well girl for thee« replied the lady »and I dare swear
meant well It is a pity though his face and manner do little match his true
purpose for I think his purpose may be true«
»Doubt it not my lady« answered Janet »Doubt not that my father
purposes well though he is a plain man and his blunt looks may belie his
heart«
»I will not doubt it girl were it only for thy sake and yet he has one of
those faces which men tremble when they look on I think even thy mother Janet
nay have done with that pokingiron could hardly look upon him without
quaking«
»If it were so madam« answered Janet Foster »my mother had those who
could keep her in honourable countenance Why even you my lady both trembled
and blushed when Varney brought the letter from my lord«
»You are bold damsel« said the Countess rising from the cushions on which
she sate halfreclined in the arms of her attendant »Know that there are
causes of trembling which have nothing to do with fear But Janet« she
added immediately relapsing into the goodnatured and familiar tone which was
natural to her »believe me I will do what credit I can to your father and the
rather that you sweetheart are his child Alas alas« she added a sudden
sadness passing over her fine features and her eyes filling with tears »I
ought the rather to hold sympathy with thy kind heart that my own poor father
is uncertain of my fate and they say lies sick and sorrowful for my worthless
sake But I will soon cheer him the news of my happiness and advancement
will make him young again And that I may cheer him the sooner« she wiped
her eyes as she spoke »I must be cheerful myself My lord must not find me
insensible to his kindness or sorrowful when he snatches a visit to his
recluse after so long an absence Be merry Janet the night wears on and my
lord must soon arrive Call thy father hither and call Varney also I
cherish resentment against neither and though I may have some room to be
displeased with both it shall be their own fault if ever a complaint against
them reaches the Earl through my means Call them hither Janet«
Janet Foster obeyed her mistress and in a few minutes after Varney entered
the withdrawingroom with the graceful ease and unclouded front of an
accomplished courtier skilled under the veil of external politeness to
disguise his own feelings and to penetrate those of others Anthony Foster
plodded into the apartment after him his natural gloomy vulgarity of aspect
seeming to become yet more remarkable from his clumsy attempt to conceal the
mixture of anxiety and dislike with which he looked on her over whom he had
hitherto exercised so severe a control now so splendidly attired and decked
with so many pledges of the interest which she possessed in her husbands
affections The blundering reverence which he made rather at than to the
Countess had confession in it It was like the reverence which the criminal
makes to the judge when he at once owns his guilt and implores mercy which
is at the same time an impudent and embarrassed attempt at defence or
extenuation a confession of a fault and an entreaty for lenity
Varney who in right of his gentle blood had pressed into the room before
Anthony Foster knew better what to say than he and said it with more assurance
and a better grace
The Countess greeted him indeed with an appearance of cordiality which
seemed a complete amnesty for whatever she might have to complain of She rose
from her seat and advanced two steps towards him holding forth her hand as she
said »Master Richard Varney you brought me this morning such welcome tidings
that I fear surprise and joy made me neglect my lord and husbands charge to
receive you with distinction We offer you our hand sir in reconciliation«
»I am unworthy to touch it« said Varney dropping on one knee save as a
subject honours that of a prince
He touched with his lips those fair and slender fingers so richly loaded
with rings and jewels then rising with graceful gallantry was about to hand
her to the chair of state when she said »No good Master Richard Varney I
take not my place there until my lord himself conducts me I am for the present
but a disguised Countess and will not take dignity on me until authorised by
him whom I derive it from«
»I trust my lady« said Foster »that in doing the commands of my lord your
husband in your restraint and so forth I have not incurred your displeasure
seeing that I did but my duty towards your lord and mine for Heaven as Holy
Writ saith hath given the husband supremacy and dominion over the wife I
think it runs so or something like it«
»I receive at this moment so pleasant a surprise Master Foster« answered
the Countess »that I cannot but excuse the rigid fidelity which secluded me
from these apartments until they had assumed an appearance so new and so
splendid«
»Ay lady« said Foster »it hath cost many a fair crown and that more need
not be wasted than is absolutely necessary I leave you till my lords arrival
with good Master Richard Varney who as I think hath somewhat to say to you
from your most noble lord and husband Janet follow me to see that all be in
order«
»No Master Foster« said the Countess »we will your daughter remains here
in our apartment out of earshot however in case Varney hath aught to say to
me from my lord«
Foster made his clumsy reverence and departed with an aspect which seemed
to grudge the profuse expense which had been wasted upon changing his house
from a bare and ruinous grange to an Asiatic palace When he was gone his
daughter took her embroidery frame and went to establish herself at the bottom
of the apartment while Richard Varney with a profoundly humble courtesy took
the lowest stool he could find and placing it by the side of the pile of
cushions on which the Countess had now again seated herself sat with his eyes
for a time fixed on the ground and in profound silence
»I thought Master Varney« said the Countess when she saw he was not
likely to open the conversation »that you had something to communicate from my
lord and husband so at least I understood Master Foster and therefore I
removed my waitingmaid If I am mistaken I will recall her to my side for her
needle is not so absolutely perfect in tent and crossstitch but that my
superintendence is advisable«
»Lady« said Varney »Foster was partly mistaken in my purpose It was not
from but of your noble husband and my approved and most noble patron that I
am led and indeed bound to speak«
»The theme is most welcome sir« said the Countess »whether it be of or
from my noble husband But be brief for I expect his hasty approach«
»Briefly then madam« replied Varney »and boldly for my argument
requires both haste and courage You have this day seen Tressilian«
»I have sir and what of that« answered the lady somewhat sharply
»Nothing that concerns me lady« Varney replied with humility »But think
you honoured madam that your lord will hear it with equal equanimity«
»And wherefore should he not to me alone was Tressilians visit
embarrassing and painful for he brought news of my good fathers illness«
»Of your fathers illness madam« answered Varney »It must have been
sudden then very sudden for the messenger whom I despatched at my lords
instance found the good knight on the hunting field cheering his beagles with
his wonted jovial fieldcry I trust Tressilian has but forged this news He
hath his reasons madam as you well know for disquieting your present
happiness«
»You do him injustice Master Varney« replied the Countess with animation
»You do him much injustice He is the freest the most open the most gentle
heart that breathes My honourable lord ever excepted I know not one to whom
falsehood is more odious than to Tressilian«
»I crave your pardon madam« said Varney »I meant the gentleman no
injustice I knew not how nearly his cause affected you A man may in some
circumstances disguise the truth for fair and honest purpose for were it to be
always spoken and upon all occasions this were no world to live in«
»You have a courtly conscience Master Varney« said the Countess »and your
veracity will not I think interrupt your preferment in the world such as it
is But touching Tressilian I must do him justice for I have done him
wrong as none knows better than thou Tressilians conscience is of other
mould the world thou speakest of has not that which could bribe him from the
way of truth and honour and for living in it with a soiled fame the ermine
would as soon seek to lodge in the den of the foul polecat For this my father
loved him For this I would have loved him if I could And yet in this case
he had what seemed to him unknowing alike of my marriage and to whom I was
united such powerful reasons to withdraw me from this place that I well trust
he exaggerated much of my fathers indisposition and that thy better news may
be the truer«
»Believe me they are madam« answered Varney »I pretend not to be a
champion of that same naked virtue called truth to the very outrance I can
consent that her charms be hidden with a veil were it but for decencys sake
But you must think lower of my head and heart than is due to one whom my noble
lord deigns to call his friend if you suppose I could wilfully and
unnecessarily palm upon your ladyship a falsehood so soon to be detected in a
matter which concerns your happiness«
»Master Varney« said the Countess »I know that my lord esteems you and
holds you a faithful and a good pilot in those seas in which he has spread so
high and so venturous a sail Do not suppose therefore I meant hardly by you
when I spoke the truth in Tressilians vindication I am as you well know
countrybred and like plain rustic truth better than courtly compliment but I
must change my fashions with my sphere I presume«
»True madam« said Varney smiling »and though you speak now in jest it
will not be amiss that in earnest your present speech had some connection with
your real purpose A courtdame take the most noble the most virtuous
the most unimpeachable that stands around our Queens throne would for
example have shunned to speak the truth or what she thought such in praise of
a discarded suitor before the dependant and confidant of her noble husband«
»And wherefore« said the Countess colouring impatiently »should I not do
justice to Tressilians worth before my husbands friend before my husband
himself before the whole world«
»And with the same openness« said Varney »your ladyship will this night
tell my noble lord your husband that Tressilian has discovered your place of
residence so anxiously concealed from the world and that he has had an
interview with you«
»Unquestionably« said the Countess »It will be the first thing I tell him
together with every word that Tressilian said and that I answered I shall
speak my own shame in this for Tressilians reproaches less just than he
esteemed them were not altogether unmerited I will speak therefore with
pain but I will speak and speak all«
»Your ladyship will do your pleasure« answered Varney »but methinks it
were as well since nothing calls for so frank a disclosure to spare yourself
this pain and my noble lord the disquiet and Master Tressilian since belike
he must be thought of in the matter the danger which is like to ensue«
»I can see nought of all these terrible consequences« said the lady
composedly »unless by imputing to my noble lord unworthy thoughts which I am
sure never harboured in his generous heart«
»Far be it from me to do so« said Varney And then after a moments
silence he added with a real or affected plainness of manner very different
from his usual smooth courtesy »Come madam I will show you that a courtier
dare speak truth as well as another when it concerns the weal of those whom he
honours and regards ay and although it may infer his own danger« He waited
as if to receive commands or at least permission to go on but as the lady
remained silent he proceeded but obviously with caution »Look around you«
he said »noble lady and observe the barriers with which this place is
surrounded the studious mystery with which the brightest jewel that England
possesses is secluded from the admiring gaze See with what rigour your walks
are circumscribed and your movements restrained at the beck of yonder churlish
Foster Consider all this and judge for yourself what can be the cause«
»My lords pleasure« answered the Countess »and I am bound to seek no
other motive«
»His pleasure it is indeed« said Varney »and his pleasure arises out of a
love worthy of the object which inspires it But he who possesses a treasure
and who values it is oft anxious in proportion to the value he puts upon it
to secure it from the depredations of others«
»What needs all this talk Master Varney« said the lady in reply »you
would have me believe that my noble lord is jealous Suppose it true I know a
cure for jealousy«
»Indeed madam« said Varney
»It is« replied the lady »to speak the truth to my lord at all times to
hold up my mind and my thoughts before him as pure as that polished mirror so
that when he looks into my heart he shall only see his own features reflected
there«
»I am mute madam« answered Varney »and as I have no reason to grieve for
Tressilian who would have my hearts blood were he able I shall reconcile
myself easily to what may befall the gentleman in consequence of your frank
disclosure of his having presumed to intrude upon your solitude You who know
my lord so much better than I will judge if he be likely to bear the insult
unavenged«
»Nay if I could think myself the cause of Tressilians ruin« said the
Countess »I who have already occasioned him so much distress I might be
brought to be silent And yet what will it avail since he was seen by Foster
and I think by some one else No no Varney urge it no more I will tell the
whole matter to my lord and with such pleading for Tressilians folly as shall
dispose my lords generous heart rather to serve than to punish him«
»Your judgment madam« said Varney »is far superior to mine especially as
you may if you will prove the ice before you step on it by mentioning
Tressilians name to my lord and observing how he endures it For Foster and
his attendant they know not Tressilian by sight and I can easily give them
some reasonable excuse for the appearance of an unknown stranger«
The lady paused for an instant and then replied»If Varney it be indeed
true that Foster knows not as yet that the man he saw was Tressilian I own I
were unwilling he should learn what nowise concerns him He bears himself
already with austerity enough and I wish him not to be judge or
privycouncillor in my affairs«
»Tush« said Varney »what has the surly groom to do with your ladyships
concerns No more surely than the bandog which watches his courtyard If
he is in aught distasteful to your ladyship I have interest enough to have him
exchanged for a seneschal that shall be more agreeable to you«
»Master Varney« said the Countess »let us drop this theme when I
complain of the attendants whom my lord has placed around me it must be to my
lord himself Hark I hear the trampling of horse He comes he comes« she
exclaimed jumping up in ecstasy
»I cannot think it is he« said Varney »or that you can hear the tread of
his horse through the closelymantled casements«
»Stop me not Varney my ears are keener than thine it is he«
»But madam but madam« exclaimed Varney anxiously and still placing
himself in her way »I trust that what I have spoken in humble duty and
service will not be turned to my ruin I hope that my faithful advice will
not be bewrayed to my prejudice I implore that«
»Content thee man content thee« said the Countess »and quit my skirt
you are too bold to detain me Content thyself I think not of thee«
At this moment the folding doors flew wide open and a man of majestic mien
muffled in the folds of a long dark ridingcloak entered the apartment
Chapter Seventh
This is he
Who rides on the courtgale controls its tides
Knows all their secret shoals and fatal eddies
Whose frown abases and whose smile exalts
He shines like any rainbow and perchance
His colours are as transient
Old Play
There was some little displeasure and confusion on the Countesss brow owing to
her struggle with Varneys pertinacity but it was exchanged for an expression
of the purest joy and affection as she threw herself into the arms of the noble
stranger who entered and clasping him to her bosom exclaimed »At length at
length thou art come«
Varney discreetly withdrew as his lord entered and Janet was about to do
the same when her mistress signed to her to remain She took her place at the
farther end of the apartment and continued standing as if ready for
attendance
Meanwhile the Earl for he was of no inferior rank returned his ladys
caress with the most affectionate ardour but affected to resist when she strove
to take his cloak from him
»Nay« she said »but I will unmantle you I must see if you have kept your
word to me and come as the great Earl men call thee and not as heretofore like
a private cavalier«
»Thou art like the rest of the world Amy« said the Earl suffering her to
prevail in the playful contest »the jewels and feathers and silk are more to
them than the man whom they adorn many a poor blade looks gay in a velvet
scabbard«
»But so cannot men say of thee thou noble Earl« said his lady as the
cloak dropped on the floor and showed him dressed as princes when they ride
abroad »thou art the good and welltried steel whose inly worth deserves yet
disdains its outward ornaments Do not think Amy can love thee better in this
glorious garb than she did when she gave her heart to him who wore the
russetbrown cloak in the woods of Devon«
»And thou too« said the Earl as gracefully and majestically he led his
beautiful Countess towards the chair of state which was prepared for them both
»thou too my love hast donned a dress which becomes thy rank though it
cannot improve thy beauty What thinkst thou of our court taste«
The lady cast a sidelong glance upon the great mirror as they passed it by
and then said »I know not how it is but I think not of my own person while I
look at the reflection of thine Sit thou there« she said as they approached
the chair of state »like a thing for men to worship and to wonder at«
»Ay love« said the Earl »if thou wilt share my state with me«
»Not so« said the Countess »I will sit on this footstool at thy feet that
I may spell over thy splendour and learn for the first time how princes are
attired«
And with a childish wonder which her youth and rustic education rendered
not only excusable but becoming mixed as it was with a delicate show of the
most tender conjugal affection she examined and admired from head to foot the
noble form and princely attire of him who formed the proudest ornament of the
court of Englands Maiden Queen renowned as it was for splendid courtiers as
well as for wise counsellors Regarding affectionately his lovely bride and
gratified by her unrepressed admiration the dark eye and noble features of the
Earl expressed passions more gentle than the commanding and aspiring look which
usually sate upon his broad forehead and in the piercing brilliancy of his dark
eye and he smiled at the simplicity which dictated the questions she put to him
concerning the various ornaments with which he was decorated
»The embroidered strap as thou callest it around my knee« he said »is
the English Garter an ornament which kings are proud to wear See here is the
star which belongs to it and here the Diamond George the jewel of the Order
You have heard how King Edward and the Countess of Salisbury«
»Oh I know all that tale« said the Countess slightly blushing »and how a
ladys garter became the proudest badge of English chivalry«
»Even so« said the Earl »and this most honourable Order I had the good hap
to receive at the same time with three most noble associates the Duke of
Norfolk the Marquis of Northampton and the Earl of Rutland I was the lowest
of the four in rank but what then he that climbs a ladder must begin at the
first round«
»But this other fair collar so richly wrought with some jewel like a sheep
hung by the middle attached to it what« said the young Countess »does that
emblem signify«
»This collar« said the Earl »with its double fusilles interchanged with
these knobs which are supposed to present flintstones sparkling with fire and
sustaining the jewel you inquire about is the badge of the noble Order of the
Golden Fleece once appertaining to the House of Burgundy It hath high
privileges my Amy belonging to it this most noble Order for even the King of
Spain himself who hath now succeeded to the honours and demesnes of Burgundy
may not sit in judgment upon a knight of the Golden Fleece unless by assistance
and consent of the Great Chapter of the Order«
»And is this an Order belonging to the cruel King of Spain« said the
Countess »Alas my noble lord that you will defile your noble English breast
by bearing such an emblem Bethink you of the most unhappy Queen Marys days
when this same Philip held sway with her in England and of the piles which were
built for our noblest and our wisest and our most truly sanctified prelates and
divines And will you whom men call the standardbearer of the true Protestant
faith be contented to wear the emblem and mark of such a Romish tyrant as he of
Spain«
»Oh content you my love« answered the Earl »we who spread our sails to
gales of court favour cannot always display the ensigns we love the best or at
all times refuse sailing under colours which we like not Believe me I am not
the less good Protestant that for policy I must accept the honour offered me by
Spain in admitting me to this his highest order of knighthood Besides it
belongs properly to Flanders and Egmont Orange and others have pride in
seeing it displayed on an English bosom«
»Nay my lord you know your own path best« replied the Countess »And
this other collar to what country does this fair jewel belong«
»To a very poor one my love« replied the Earl »this is the Order of Saint
Andrew revived by the last James of Scotland It was bestowed on me when it was
thought the young widow of France and Scotland would gladly have wedded an
English baron but a free coronet of England is worth a crown matrimonial held
at the humour of a woman and owning only the poor rocks and bogs of the north«
The Countess paused as if what the Earl last said had excited some painful
but interesting train of thought and as she still remained silent her husband
proceeded
»And now loveliest your wish is gratified and you have seen your vassal
in such of his trim array as accords with riding vestments for robes of state
and coronets are only for princely halls«
»Well then« said the Countess »my gratified wish has as usual given
rise to a new one«
»And what is it thou canst ask that I can deny« said the fond husband
»I wished to see my Earl visit this obscure and secret bower« said the
Countess »in all his princely array and now methinks I long to sit in one of
his princely halls and see him enter dressed in sober russet as when he won
poor Amy Robsarts heart«
»That is a wish easily granted« said the Earl »the sober russet shall be
donned tomorrow if you will«
»But shall I« said the lady »go with you to one of your castles to see
how the richness of your dwelling will correspond with your peasant habit«
»Why Amy« said the Earl looking around »are not these apartments
decorated with sufficient splendour I gave the most unbounded order and
methinks it has been indifferently well obeyed but if thou canst tell me aught
which remains to be done I will instantly give direction«
»Nay my lord now you mock me« replied the Countess »the gaiety of this
rich lodging exceeds my imagination as much as it does my desert But shall not
your wife my love at least one day soon be surrounded with the honour which
arises neither from the toils of the mechanic who decks her apartment nor from
the silks and jewels with which your generosity adorns her but which is
attached to her place among the matronage as the avowed wife of Englands
noblest Earl«
»One day« said her husband »Yes Amy my love one day this shall surely
happen and believe me thou canst not wish for that day more fondly than I
With what rapture could I retire from labours of state and cares and toils of
ambition to spend my life in dignity and honour on my own broad domains with
thee my lovely Amy for my friend and companion But Amy this cannot yet be
and these dear but stolen interviews are all I can give to the loveliest and
the best beloved of her sex«
»But why can it not be« urged the Countess in the softest tones of
persuasion »Why can it not immediately take place this more perfect this
uninterrupted union for which you say you wish and which the laws of God and
man alike command Ah did you but desire it half as much as you say mighty
and favoured as you are who or what should bar your attaining your wish«
The Earls brow was overcast
»Amy« he said »you speak of what you understand not We that toil in
courts are like those who climb a mountain of loose sand we dare make no halt
until some projecting rock affords us a secure footing and restingplace if we
pause sooner we slide down by our own weight an object of universal derision
I stand high but I stand not secure enough to follow my own inclination To
declare my marriage were to be the artificer of my own ruin But believe me I
will reach a point and that speedily when I can do justice to thee and to
myself Meantime poison not the bliss of the present moment by desiring that
which cannot at present be Let me rather know whether all here is managed to
thy liking How does Foster bear himself to you In all things respectful I
trust else the fellow shall dearly rue it«
»He reminds me sometimes of the necessity of this privacy« answered the
lady with a sigh »but that is reminding me of your wishes and therefore I am
rather bound to him than disposed to blame him for it«
»I have told you the stern necessity which is upon us« replied the Earl
»Foster is I note somewhat sullen of mood but Varney warrants to me his
fidelity and devotion to my service If thou hast aught however to complain of
the mode in which he discharges his duty he shall abye it«
»Oh I have nought to complain of« answered the lady »so he discharges his
task with fidelity to you and his daughter Janet is the kindest and best
companion of my solitude her little air of precision sits so well upon her«
»Is she indeed« said the Earl »she who gives you pleasure must not pass
unrewarded Come hither damsel«
»Janet« said the lady »come hither to my lord«
Janet who as we already noticed had discreetly retired to some distance
that her presence might be no check upon the private conversation of her lord
and lady now came forward and as she made her reverential courtesy the Earl
could not help smiling at the contrast which the extreme simplicity of her dress
and the prim demureness of her looks made with a very pretty countenance and a
pair of black eyes that laughed in spite of their mistresss desire to look
grave
»I am bound to you pretty damsel« said the Earl »for the contentment
which your service hath given to this lady« As he said this he took from his
finger a ring of some price and offered it to Janet Foster adding »Wear this
for her sake and for mine«
»I am well pleased my lord« answered Janet demurely »that my poor
service hath gratified my lady whom no one can draw nigh to without desiring to
please but we of the precious Master Holdforths congregation seek not like
the gay daughters of this world to twine gold around our fingers or wear
stones upon our necks like the vain women of Tyre and of Sidon«
»Oh what you are a grave professor of the precise sisterhood pretty
Mistress Janet« said the Earl »and I think your father is of the same
congregation in sincerity I like you both the better for it for I have been
prayed for and wished well to in your congregations And you may the better
afford the lack of ornament Mistress Janet because your fingers are slender
and your neck white But here is what neither papist nor puritan
latitudinarian nor precisian ever boggles or makes mouths at Een take it my
girl and employ it as you list«
So saying he put into her hand five broad gold pieces of Philip and Mary
»I would not accept this gold neither« said Janet »but that I hope to find
a use for it which will bring a blessing on us all«
»Even please thyself pretty Janet« said the Earl and I shall be well
satisfied And I prithee let them hasten the evening collation
»I have bidden Master Varney and Master Foster to sup with us my lord«
said the Countess as Janet retired to obey the Earls commands »has it your
approbation«
»What you do ever must have so my sweet Amy« replied her husband »and I
am the better pleased thou hast done them this grace because Richard Varney is
my sworn man and a close brother of my secret council and for the present I
must needs repose much trust in this Anthony Foster«
»I had a boon to beg of thee and a secret to tell thee my dear lord« said
the Countess with a faltering accent
»Let both be for tomorrow my love« replied the Earl »I see they open the
foldingdoors into the banquetingparlour and as I have ridden far and fast a
cup of wine will not be unacceptable«
So saying he led his lovely wife into the next apartment where Varney and
Foster received them with the deepest reverences which the first paid with the
fashion of the court and the second after that of the congregation The Earl
returned their salutation with the negligent courtesy of one long used to such
homage while the Countess repaid it with a punctilious solicitude which showed
it was not quite so familiar to her
The banquet at which the company seated themselves corresponded in
magnificence with the splendour of the apartment in which it was served up but
no domestic gave his attendance Janet alone stood ready to wait upon the
company and indeed the board was so well supplied with all that could be
desired that little or no assistance was necessary The Earl and his lady
occupied the upper end of the table and Varney and Foster sat beneath the salt
as was the custom with inferiors The latter overawed perhaps by society to
which he was altogether unused did not utter a single syllable during the
repast while Varney with great tact and discernment sustained just as much of
the conversation as without the appearance of intrusion on his part prevented
it from languishing and maintained the good humour of the Earl at the highest
pitch This man was indeed highly qualified by nature to discharge the part in
which he found himself placed being discreet and cautious on the one hand and
on the other quick keenwitted and imaginative so that even the Countess
prejudiced as she was against him on many accounts felt and enjoyed his powers
of conversation and was more disposed than she had ever hitherto found herself
to join in the praises which the Earl lavished on his favourite The hour of
rest at length arrived the Earl and Countess retired to their apartment and
all was silent in the castle for the rest of the night
Early on the ensuing morning Varney acted as the Earls chamberlain as
well as his master of horse though the latter was his proper office in that
magnificent household where knights and gentlemen of good descent were well
contented to hold such menial situations as nobles themselves held in that of
the sovereign The duties of each of these charges were familiar to Varney who
sprung from an ancient but decayed family was the Earls page during his
earlier and more obscure fortunes and faithful to him in adversity had
afterwards contrived to render himself no less useful to him in his rapid and
splendid advance to fortune thus establishing in him an interest resting both
on present and past services which rendered him an almost indispensable sharer
of his confidence
»Help me to do on a plainer riding suit Varney« said the Earl as he laid
aside his morninggown flowered with silk and lined with sables »and put
these chains and fetters there« pointing to the collars of the various Orders
which lay on the table »into their place of security my neck last night was
wellnigh broke with the weight of them I am half of the mind that they shall
gall me no more They are bonds which knaves have invented to fetter fools How
thinkst thou Varney«
»Faith my good lord« said his attendant »I think fetters of gold are like
no other fetters they are ever the weightier the welcomer«
»For all that Varney« replied his master »I am wellnigh resolved they
shall bind me to the court no longer What can farther service and higher favour
give me beyond the high rank and large estate which I have already secured
What brought my father to the block but that he could not bound his wishes
within right and reason I have you know had mine own ventures and mine own
escapes I am wellnigh resolved to tempt the sea no farther but sit me down in
quiet on the shore«
»And gather cockleshells with Dan Cupid to aid you« said Varney
»How mean you by that Varney« said the Earl somewhat hastily
»Nay my lord« said Varney »be not angry with me If your lordship is
happy in a lady so rarely lovely that in order to enjoy her company with
somewhat more freedom you are willing to part with all you have hitherto lived
for some of your poor servants may be sufferers but your bounty hath placed me
so high that I shall ever have enough to maintain a poor gentleman in the rank
befitting the high office he has held in your lordships family«
»Yet you seem discontented when I propose throwing up a dangerous game
which may end in the ruin of both of us«
»I my Lord« said Varney »surely I have no cause to regret your lordships
retreat It will not be Richard Varney who will incur the displeasure of
majesty and the ridicule of the court when the stateliest fabric that ever was
founded upon a princes favour melts away like a morning frostwork I would
only have you yourself to be assured my lord ere you take a step which cannot
be retracted that you consult your fame and happiness in the course you
propose«
»Speak on then Varney« said the Earl »I tell thee I have determined
nothing and will weigh all considerations on either side«
»Well then my lord« replied Varney »we will suppose the step taken the
frown frowned the laugh laughed and the moan moaned You have retired we will
say to some one of your most distant castles so far from court that you hear
neither the sorrow of your friends nor the glee of your enemies We will
suppose too that your successful rival will be satisfied a thing greatly to
be doubted with abridging and cutting away the branches of the great tree which
so long kept the sun from him and that he does not insist upon tearing you up
by the roots Well the late prime favourite of England who wielded her
generals staff and controlled her parliaments is now a rural baron hunting
hawking drinking fat ale with country esquires and mustering his men at the
command of the High Sheriff«
»Varney forbear« said the Earl
»Nay my lord you must give me leave to conclude my picture Sussex
governs England the Queens health fails the succession is to be settled a
road is opened to ambition more splendid than ambition ever dreamed of You
hear all this as you sit by the hob under the shade of your hallchimney You
then begin to think what hopes you have fallen from and what insignificance you
have embraced and all that you might look babies in the eyes of your fair wife
oftener than once afortnight«
»I say Varney« said the Earl »no more of this I said not that the step
which my own ease and comfort would urge me to was to be taken hastily or
without due consideration to the public safety Bear witness to me Varney I
subdue my wishes of retirement not because I am moved by the call of private
ambition but that I may preserve the position in which I may best serve my
country at the hour of need Order our horses presently I will wear as
formerly one of the livery cloaks and ride before the portmantle Thou shalt
be master for the day Varney neglect nothing that can blind suspicion We
will to horse ere men are stirring I will but take leave of my lady and be
ready I impose a restraint on my own poor heart and wound one yet more dear to
me but the patriot must subdue the husband«
Having said this in a melancholy but firm accent he left the dressing
apartment
»I am glad thou art gone« thought Varney »or practised as I am in the
follies of mankind I had laughed in the very face of thee Thou mayest tire as
thou wilt of thy new bauble thy pretty piece of painted Eves flesh there I
will not be thy hindrance But of thine old bauble ambition thou shalt not
tire for as you climb the hill my lord you must drag Richard Varney up with
you and if he can urge you to the ascent he means to profit by believe me he
will spare neither whip nor spur And for you my pretty lady that would be
Countess outright you were best not thwart my courses lest you are called to
an old reckoning on a new score Thou shalt be master did he say By my
faith he may find that he spoke truer than he is aware of And thus he who
in the estimation of so many wisejudging men can match Burleigh and Walsingham
in policy and Sussex in war becomes pupil to his own menial and all for a
hazel eye and a little cunning red and white and so falls ambition And yet if
the charms of mortal woman could excuse a mans politic pate for becoming
bewildered my lord had the excuse at his right hand on this blessed evening
that has last passed over us Well let things roll as they may he shall make
me great or I will make myself happy and for that softer piece of creation if
she speak not out her interview with Tressilian as well I think she dare not
she also must traffic with me for concealment and mutual support in spite of all
this scorn I must to the stables Well my lord I order your retinue now
the time may soon come that my master of the horse shall order mine own What
was Thomas Cromwell but a smiths son and he died my lord on a scaffold
doubtless but that too was in character And what was Ralph Sadler but the
clerk of Cromwell and he has gazed eighteen fair lordships viâ I know my
steerage as well as they«
So saying he left the apartment
In the meanwhile the Earl had reentered the bedchamber bent on taking a
hasty farewell of the lovely Countess and scarce daring to trust himself in
private with her to hear requests again urged which he found it difficult to
parry yet which his recent conversation with his master of horse had determined
him not to grant
He found her in a white cymar of silk lined with furs her little feet
unstockinged and hastily thrust into slippers her unbraided hair escaping from
under her midnight coif with little array but her own loveliness rather
augmented than diminished by the grief which she felt at the approaching moment
of separation
»Now God be with thee my dearest and loveliest« said the Earl scarce
tearing himself from her embrace yet again returning to fold her again and
again in his arms and again bidding farewell and again returning to kiss and
bid adieu once more
»The sun is on the verge of the blue horizon I dare not stay Ere this I
should have been ten miles from hence«
Such were the words with which at length he strove to cut short their
parting interview
»You will not grant my request then« said the Countess »Ah false knight
did ever lady with bare foot in slipper seek boon of a brave knight yet
return with denial«
»Any thing Amy any thing thou canst ask I will grant« answered the Earl
»always excepting« he said »that which might ruin us both«
»Nay« said the Countess »I urge not my wish to be acknowledged in the
character which would make me the envy of England as the wife that is of my
brave and noble lord the first as the most fondly beloved of English nobles
Let me but share the secret with my dear father Let me but end his misery on
my unworthy account they say he is ill the good old kindhearted man«
»They say« asked the Earl hastily »who says Did not Varney convey to Sir
Hugh all we dare at present tell him concerning your happiness and welfare and
has he not told you that the good old knight was following with good heart and
health his favourite and wonted exercise Who has dared put other thoughts into
your head«
»Oh no one my lord no one« said the Countess something alarmed at the
tone in which the question was put »but yet my lord I would fain be assured
by mine own eyesight that my father is well«
»Be contented Amy thou canst not now have communication with thy father
or his house Were it not a deep course of policy to commit no secret
unnecessarily to the custody of more than must needs be it were sufficient
reason for secrecy that yonder Cornish man yonder Trevanion or Tressilian or
whatever his name is haunts the old knights house and must necessarily know
whatever is communicated there«
»My lord« answered the Countess »I do not think it so My father has been
long noted a worthy and honourable man and for Tressilian if we can pardon
ourselves the ill we have wrought him I will wager the coronet I am to share
with you one day that he is incapable of returning injury for injury«
»I will not trust him however Amy« said her husband »by my honour I
will not trust him I would rather the foul fiend intermingle in our secret
than this Tressilian«
»And why my lord« said the Countess though she shuddered slightly at the
tone of determination in which he spoke »let me but know why you think thus
hardly of Tressilian«
»Madam« replied the Earl »my will ought to be a sufficient reason If you
desire more consider how this Tressilian is leagued and with whom He stands
high in the opinion of this Radcliffe this Sussex against whom I am barely
able to maintain my ground in the opinion of our suspicious mistress and if he
had me at such advantage Amy as to become acquainted with the tale of our
marriage before Elizabeth were fitly prepared I were an outcast from her grace
for ever a bankrupt at once in favour and in fortune perhaps for she hath in
her a touch of her father Henry a victim and it may be a bloody one to her
offended and jealous resentment«
»But why my lord« again urged his lady »should you deem thus injuriously
of a man of whom you know so little What you do know of Tressilian is through
me and it is I who assure you that in no circumstances will he betray your
secret If I did him wrong in your behalf my lord I am now the more concerned
you should do him justice You are offended at my speaking of him what would
you say had I actually myself seen him«
»If you had« replied the Earl »you would do well to keep that interview as
secret as that which is spoken in a confessional I seek no ones ruin but he
who thrusts himself on my secret privacy were better look well to his future
walk The bear5 brooks no one to cross his awful path«
»Awful indeed« said the Countess turning very pale
»You are ill my love« said the Earl supporting her in his arms »stretch
yourself on your couch again it is but an early day for you to leave it Have
you aught else involving less than my fame my fortune and my life to ask of
me«
»Nothing my lord and love« answered the Countess faintly »something
there was that I would have told you but your anger has driven it from my
recollection«
»Reserve it till our next meeting my love« said the Earl fondly and
again embracing her »and barring only those requests which I cannot and dare
not grant thy wish must be more than England and all its dependencies can
fulfil if it is not gratified to the letter«
Thus saying he at length took farewell At the bottom of the staircase he
received from Varney an ample livery cloak and slouched hat in which he wrapped
himself so as to disguise his person and completely conceal his features
Horses were ready in the courtyard for himself and Varney for one or two of
his train intrusted with the secret so far as to know or guess that the Earl
intrigued with a beautiful lady at that mansion though her name and quality
were unknown to them had already been dismissed over night
Anthony Foster himself had in hand the rein of the Earls palfrey a stout
and able nag for the road while his old servingman held the bridle of the more
showy and gallant steed which Richard Varney was to occupy in the character of
master
As the Earl approached however Varney advanced to hold his masters
bridle and to prevent Foster from paying that duty to the Earl which he
probably considered as belonging to his own office Foster scowled at an
interference which seemed intended to prevent his paying his court to his
patron but gave place to Varney and the Earl mounting without farther
observation and forgetting that his assumed character of a domestic threw him
into the rear of his supposed master rode pensively out of the quadrangle not
without waving his hand repeatedly in answer to the signals which were made by
the Countess with her kerchief from the windows of her apartment
While his stately form vanished under the dark archway which led out of the
quadrangle Varney muttered »There goes fine policy the servant before the
master« then as he disappeared seized the moment to speak a word with Foster
»Thou lookst dark on me Anthony« he said »as if I had deprived thee of a
parting nod of my lord but I have moved him to leave thee a better remembrance
for thy faithful service See here a purse of as good gold as ever chinked
under a misers thumb and forefinger Ay count them lad« said he as Foster
received the gold with a grim smile »and add to them the goodly remembrance he
gave last night to Janet«
»Hows this hows this« said Anthony Foster hastily »gave he gold to
Janet«
»Ay man wherefore not does not her service to his fair lady require
guerdon«
»She shall have none ont« said Foster »she shall return it I know his
dotage on one face is as brief as it is deep His affections are as fickle as
the moon«
»Why Foster thou art mad thou dost not hope for such good fortune as
that my lord should cast an eye on Janet Who in the fiends name would
listen to the thrush when the nightingale is singing«
»Thrush or nightingale all is one to the fowler and Master Varney you
can sound the quailpipe most daintily to wile wantons into his nets I desire no
such devils preferment for Janet as you have brought many a poor maiden to
Dost thou laugh I will keep one limb of my family at least from Satans
clutches that thou mayest rely on She shall restore the gold«
»Ay or give it to thy keeping Tony which will serve as well« answered
Varney »but I have that to say which is more serious Our lord is returning
to court in an evil humour for us«
»How meanest thou« said Foster »Is he tired already of his pretty toy
his plaything yonder He has purchased her at a monarchs ransom and I warrant
me he rues his bargain«
»Not a whit Tony« answered the master of the horse »he dotes on her and
will forsake the court for her then down go hopes possessions and safety
church lands are resumed Tony and well if the holders be not called to account
in Exchequer«
»That were ruin« said Foster his brow darkening with apprehensions »and
all this for a woman Had it been for his souls sake it were something and
I sometimes wish I myself could fling away the world that cleaves to me and be
as one of the poorest of our church«
»Thou art like enough to be so Tony« answered Varney »but I think the
devil will give thee little credit for thy compelled poverty and so thou losest
on all hands But follow my counsel and Cumnor Place shall be thy copyhold yet
Say nothing of this Tressilians visit not a word until I give thee notice«
»And wherefore I pray you« asked Foster suspiciously
»Dull beast« replied Varney »in my lords present humour it were the ready
way to confirm him in his resolution of retirement should he know that his lady
was haunted with such a spectre in his absence He would be for playing the
dragon himself over his golden fruit and then Tony thy occupation is ended A
word to the wise Farewell I must follow him«
He turned his horse struck him with the spurs and rode off under the
archway in pursuit of his lord
»Would thy occupation were ended or thy neck broken damned pander« said
Anthony Foster »But I must follow his beck for his interest and mine are the
same and he can wind the proud Earl to his will Janet shall give me these
pieces though they shall be laid out in some way for Gods service and I
will keep them separate in my strong chest till I can fall upon a fitting
employment for them No contagious vapour shall breathe on Janet she shall
remain pure as a blessed spirit were it but to pray God for her father I need
her prayers for I am at a hard pass Strange reports are abroad concerning my
way of life The congregation look cold on me and when Master Holdforth spoke
of hypocrites being like a whited sepulchre which within was full of dead mens
bones methought he looked full at me The Romish was a comfortable faith
Lambourne spoke true in that A man had but to follow his thrift by such ways as
offered tell his beads hear a mass confess and be absolved These
Puritans tread a harder and a rougher path but I will try I will read my
Bible for an hour ere I again open mine iron chest«
Varney meantime spurred after his lord whom he found waiting for him at
the posterngate of the park
»You waste time Varney« said the Earl »and it presses I must be at
Woodstock before I can safely lay aside my disguise and till then I journey in
some peril«
»It is but two hours brisk riding my lord« said Varney »for me I only
stopped to enforce your commands of care and secrecy on yonder Foster and to
inquire about the abode of the gentleman whom I would promote to your lordships
train in the room of Trevors«
»Is he fit for the meridian of the antechamber thinkst thou« said the
Earl
»He promises well my lord« replied Varney »but if your lordship were
pleased to ride on I could go back to Cumnor and bring him to your lordship at
Woodstock before you are out of bed«
»Why I am asleep there thou knowest at this moment« said the Earl »and
I pray you not to spare horseflesh that you may be with me at my levee«
So saying he gave his horse the spur and proceeded on his journey while
Varney rode back to Cumnor by the public road avoiding the park The latter
alighted at the door of the Bonny Black Bear and desired to speak with Master
Michael Lambourne That respectable character was not long of appearing before
his new patron but it was with downcast looks
»Thou hast lost the scent« said Varney »of thy comrade Tressilian I
know it by thy hangdog visage Is this thy alacrity thou impudent knave«
»Cogswounds« said Lambourne »there was never a trail so finely hunted I
saw him to earth at mine uncles here stuck to him like bees wax saw him at
supper watched him to his chamber and presto he is gone next morning the
very hostler knows not where«
»This sounds like practice upon me sir« replied Varney »and if it proves
so by my soul you shall repent it«
»Sir the best hound will be sometimes at fault« answered Lambourne »how
should it serve me that this fellow should have thus evanished You may ask mine
host Giles Gosling ask the tapster and hostler ask Cicely and the whole
household how I kept eyes on Tressilian while he was on foot On my soul I
could not be expected to watch him like a sicknurse when I had seen him fairly
abed in his chamber That will be allowed me surely«
Varney did in fact make some inquiry among the household which confirmed
the truth of Lambournes statement Tressilian it was unanimously agreed had
departed suddenly and unexpectedly betwixt night and morning
»But I will wrong no one« said mine host »he left on the table in his
lodging the full value of his reckoning with some allowance to the servants of
the house which was the less necessary that he saddled his own gelding as it
seems without the hostlers assistance«
Thus satisfied of the rectitude of Lambournes conduct Varney began to talk
to him upon his future prospects and the mode in which he meant to bestow
himself intimating that he understood from Foster he was not disinclined to
enter into the household of a nobleman
»Have you« said he »ever been at court«
»No« replied Lambourne »but ever since I was ten years old I have dreamt
once aweek that I was there and made my fortune«
»It may be your own fault if your dream comes not true« said Varney »Are
you needy«
»Um« replied Lambourne »I love pleasure«
»That is a sufficient answer and an honest one« said Varney »Know you
aught of the requisites expected from the retainer of a rising courtier«
»I have imagined them to myself sir« answered Lambourne »as for example
a quick eye a close mouth a ready and bold hand a sharp wit and a blunt
conscience«
»And thine I suppose« said Varney »has had its edge blunted long since«
»I cannot remember sir that its edge was ever over keen« replied
Lambourne »When I was a youth I had some few whimsies but I rubbed them
partly out of my recollection on the rough grindstone of the wars and what
remained I washed out in the broad waves of the Atlantic«
»Thou hast served then in the Indies«
»In both East and West« answered the candidate for courtservice »by both
sea and land I have served both the Portugal and the Spaniard both the
Dutchman and the Frenchman and have made war on our own account with a crew of
jolly fellows who held there was no peace beyond the Line«6
»Thou mayest do me and my lord and thyself good service« said Varney
after a pause »But observe I know the world and answer me truly canst thou
be faithful«
»Did you not know the world« answered Lambourne »it were my duty to say
ay without farther circumstance and to swear to it with life and honour and
so forth But as it seems to me that your worship is one who desires rather
honest truth than politic falsehood I reply to you that I can be faithful to
the gallows foot ay to the loop that dangles from it if I am well used and
well recompensed not otherwise«
»To thy other virtues thou canst add no doubt« said Varney in a jeering
tone »the knack of seeming serious and religious when the moment demands it«
»It would cost me nothing« said Lambourne »to say yes but to speak on
the square I must needs say no If you want a hypocrite you may take Anthony
Foster who from his childhood had some sort of phantom haunting him which he
called religion though it was that sort of godliness which always ended in
being great gain But I have no such knack of it« »Well« replied Varney »if
thou hast no hypocrisy hast thou not a nag here in the stable«
»Ay sir« said Lambourne »that shall take hedge and ditch with my Lord
Dukes best hunters When I made a little mistake on Shooters Hill and stopped
an ancient grazier whose pouches were better lined than his brainpan the bonny
bay nag carried me sheer off in spite of the whole hue and cry«
»Saddle him then instantly and attend me« said Varney »Leave thy clothes
and baggage under charge of mine host and I will conduct thee to a service in
which if thou do not better thyself the fault shall not be fortunes but
thine own«
»Brave and hearty« said Lambourne »and I am mounted in an instant Knave
hostler saddle my nag without the loss of one instant as thou dost value the
safety of thy noddle Pretty Cicely take half this purse to comfort thee for
my sudden departure«
»Gogsnouns« replied the father »Cicely wants no such token from thee Go
away Mike and gather grace if thou canst though I think thou goest not to the
land where it grows«
»Let me look at this Cicely of thine mine host« said Varney »I have heard
much talk of her beauty«
»It is a sunburnt beauty« said mine host »well qualified to stand out rain
and wind but little calculated to please such critical gallants as yourself
She keeps her chamber and cannot encounter the glance of such sunnyday
courtiers as my noble guest«
»Well peace be with her my good host« answered Varney »our horses are
impatient we bid you good day«
»Does my nephew go with you so please you« said Gosling
»Ay such is his purpose« answered Richard Varney
»You are right fully right« replied mine host »you are I say fully
right my kinsman Thou hast got a gay horse see thou light not unaware upon a
halter or if thou wilt needs be made immortal by means of a rope which thy
purpose of following this gentleman renders not unlikely I charge thee to find
a gallows as far from Cumnor as thou conveniently mayest and so I commend you
to your saddle«
The master of the horse and his new retainer mounted accordingly leaving
the landlord to conclude his illomened farewell to himself and at leisure and
set off together at a rapid pace which prevented conversation until the ascent
of a steep sandy hill permitted them to resume it
»You are contented then« said Varney to his companion »to take
courtservice«
»Ay worshipful sir if you like my terms as well as I like yours«
»And what are your terms« demanded Varney
»If I am to have a quick eye for my patrons interest he must have a dull
one towards my faults« said Lambourne
»Ay« said Varney »so they lie not so grossly open that he must needs break
his shins over them«
»Agreed« said Lambourne »Next if I run down game I must have the picking
of the bones«
»That is but reason« replied Varney »so that your betters are served
before you«
»Good« said Lambourne »and it only remains to be said that if the law and
I quarrel my patron must bear me out for that is a chief point«
»Reason again« said Varney »if the quarrel hath happened in your masters
service«
»For the wage and so forth I say nothing« proceeded Lambourne »it is the
secret guerdon that I must live by«
»Never fear« said Varney »thou shalt have clothes and spending money to
ruffle it with the best of thy degree for thou goest to a household where you
have gold as they say by the eye«
»That jumps all with my humour« replied Michael Lambourne »and it only
remains that you tell me my masters name«
»My name is Master Richard Varney« answered his companion
»But I mean« said Lambourne »the name of the noble lord to whose service
you are to prefer me«
»How knave art thou too good to call me master« said Varney hastily »I
would have thee bold to others but not saucy to me«
»I crave your worships pardon« said Lambourne »but you seemed familiar
with Anthony Foster now I am familiar with Anthony myself«
»Thou art a shrewd knave I see« replied Varney »Mark me I do indeed
propose to introduce thee into a noblemans household but it is upon my person
thou wilt chiefly wait and upon my countenance that thou wilt depend I am his
master of horse Thou wilt soon know his name it is one that shakes the
council and wields the state«
»By this light a brave spell to conjure with« said Lambourne »if a man
would discover hidden treasures«
»Used with discretion it may prove so« replied Varney »but mark if thou
conjure with it at thine own hand it may raise a devil who will tear thee in
fragments«
»Enough said« replied Lambourne »I will not exceed my limits«
The travellers then resumed the rapid rate of travelling which their
discourse had interrupted and soon arrived at the Royal Park of Woodstock This
ancient possession of the crown of England was then very different from what it
had been when it was the residence of the fair Rosamond and the scene of Henry
the Seconds secret and illicit amours and yet more unlike to the scene which
it exhibits in the present day when Blenheim House commemorates the victory of
Marlborough and no less the genius of Vanburgh though decried in his own time
by persons of taste far inferior to his own It was in Elizabeths time an
ancient mansion in bad repair which had long ceased to be honoured with the
royal residence to the great impoverishment of the adjacent village The
inhabitants however had made several petitions to the Queen to have the favour
of the sovereigns countenance occasionally bestowed upon them and upon this
very business ostensibly at least was the noble lord whom we have already
introduced to our readers a visitor at Woodstock
Varney and Lambourne galloped without ceremony into the courtyard of the
ancient and dilapidated mansion which presented on that morning a scene of
bustle which it had not exhibited for two reigns Officers of the Earls
household liverymen and retainers went and came with all the insolent fracas
which attaches to their profession The neigh of horses and the baying of hounds
were heard for my lord in his occupation of inspecting and surveying the manor
and demesne was of course provided with the means of following his pleasure in
the chase or park said to have been the earliest that was enclosed in England
and which was well stocked with deer that had long roamed there unmolested
Several of the inhabitants of the village in anxious hope of a favourable
result from this unwonted visit loitered about the courtyard and awaited the
great mans coming forth Their attention was excited by the hasty arrival of
Varney and a murmur ran amongst them »The Earls master of the horse« while
they hurried to bespeak favour by hastily unbonneting and proffering to hold
the bridle and stirrup of the favoured retainer and his attendant
»Stand somewhat aloof my masters« said Varney haughtily »and let the
domestics do their office«
The mortified citizens and peasants fell back at the signal while
Lambourne who had his eye upon his superiors deportment repelled the services
of those who offered to assist him with yet more discourtesy »Stand back
Jack peasant with a murrain to you and let these knave footmen do their duty«
While they gave their nags to the attendants of the household and walked
into the mansion with an air of superiority which long practice and
consciousness of birth rendered natural to Varney and which Lambourne
endeavoured to imitate as well as he could the poor inhabitants of Woodstock
whispered to each other »Welladay God save us from all such misproud
princoxes An the master be like the men why the fiend may take all and yet
have no more than his due«
»Silence good neighbours« said the Bailiff »keep tongue betwixt teeth
we shall know more by and by But never will a lord come to Woodstock so
welcome as bluff old King Harry He would horsewhip a fellow one day with his
own royal hand and then fling him an handful of silver groats with his own
broad face on them to noint the sore withal«
»Ay rest be with him« echoed the auditors »it will be long ere this Lady
Elizabeth horsewhip any of us«
»There is no saying« answered the Bailiff »Meanwhile patience good
neighbours and let us comfort ourselves by thinking that we deserve such notice
at her Graces hands«
Meanwhile Varney closely followed by his new dependant made his way to
the hall where men of more note and consequence than those left in the
courtyard awaited the appearance of the Earl who as yet kept his chamber All
paid court to Varney with more or less deference as suited their own rank or
the urgency of the business which brought them to his lords levee To the
general question of »When comes my lord forth Master Varney« he gave brief
answers as »See you not my boots I am just returned from Oxford and know
nothing of it« and the like until the same query was put in a higher tone by a
personage of more importance »I will inquire of the chamberlain Sir Thomas
Copely« was the reply The chamberlain distinguished by his silver key
answered that the Earl only awaited Master Varneys return to come down but
that he would first speak with him in his private chamber Varney therefore
bowed to the company and took leave to enter his lords apartment
There was a murmur of expectation which lasted a few minutes and was at
length hushed by the opening of the foldingdoors at the upper end of the
apartment through which the Earl made his entrance marshalled by his
chamberlain and the steward of his family and followed by Richard Varney In
his noble mien and princely features men read nothing of that insolence which
was practised by his dependants His courtesies were indeed measured by the
rank of those to whom they were addressed but even the meanest person present
had a share of his gracious notice The inquiries which he made respecting the
condition of the manor of the Queens rights there and of the advantages and
disadvantages which might attend her occasional residence at the royal seat of
Woodstock seemed to show that he had most earnestly investigated the matter of
the petition of the inhabitants and with a desire to forward the interest of
the place
»Now the Lord love his noble countenance« said the Bailiff who had thrust
himself into the presencechamber »he looks somewhat pale I warrant him he
hath spent the whole night in perusing our memorial Master Toughyarn who took
six months to draw it up said it would take a week to understand it and see if
the Earl hath not knocked the marrow out of it in twentyfour hours«
The Earl then acquainted them that he should move their sovereign to honour
Woodstock occasionally with her residence during her royal progresses that the
town and its vicinity might derive from her countenance and favour the same
advantages as from those of her predecessors Meanwhile he rejoiced to be the
expounder of her gracious pleasure in assuring them that for the increase of
trade and encouragement of the worthy burgesses of Woodstock her majesty was
minded to erect the town into a Staple for wool
This joyful intelligence was received with the acclamations not only of the
better sort who were admitted to the audiencechamber but of the commons who
awaited without
The freedom of the corporation was presented to the Earl upon knee by the
magistrates of the place together with a purse of gold pieces which the Earl
handed to Varney who on his part gave a share to Lambourne as the most
acceptable earnest of his new service
The Earl and his retinue took horse soon after to return to court
accompanied by the shouts of the inhabitants of Woodstock who made the old oaks
ring with reechoing »Long live Queen Elizabeth and the noble Earl of
Leicester« The urbanity and courtesy of the Earl even threw a gleam of
popularity over his attendants as their haughty deportment had formerly
obscured that of their master and men shouted »Long life to the Earl and to
his gallant followers« as Varney and Lambourne each in his rank rode proudly
through the streets of Woodstock
Chapter Eighth
Host I will hear you Master Fenton
And I will at least keep your counsel
Merry Wives of Windsor
It becomes necessary to return to the detail of those circumstances which
accompanied and indeed occasioned the sudden disappearance of Tressilian from
the sign of the Black Bear at Cumnor It will be recollected that this
gentleman after his rencounter with Varney had returned to Giles Goslings
caravansary where he shut himself up in his own chamber demanded pen ink and
paper and announced his purpose to remain private for the day in the evening
he appeared again in the public room where Michael Lambourne who had been on
the watch for him agreeably to his engagement to Varney endeavoured to renew
his acquaintance with him and hoped he retained no unfriendly recollection of
the part he had taken in the mornings scuffle
But Tressilian repelled his advances firmly though with civility »Master
Lambourne« said he »I trust I have recompensed to your pleasure the time you
have wasted on me Under the show of wild bluntness which you exhibit I know
you have sense enough to understand me when I say frankly that the object of
our temporary acquaintance having been accomplished we must be strangers to
each other in future«
»Voto« said Lambourne twirling his whiskers with one hand and grasping
the hilt of his weapon with the other »if I thought that this usage was meant
to insult me«
»You would bear it with discretion doubtless« interrupted Tressilian »as
you must do at any rate You know too well the distance that is betwixt us to
require me to explain myself farther Good evening«
So saying he turned his back upon his former companion and entered into
discourse with the landlord Michael Lambourne felt strongly disposed to bully
but his wrath died away in a few incoherent oaths and ejaculations and he sank
unresistingly under the ascendency which superior spirits possess over persons
of his habits and description He remained moody and silent in a corner of the
apartment paying the most marked attention to every motion of his late
companion against whom he began now to nourish a quarrel on his own account
which he trusted to avenge by the execution of his new master Varneys
directions The hour of supper arrived and was followed by that of repose when
Tressilian like others retired to his sleeping apartment
He had not been in bed long when the train of sad reveries which supplied
the place of rest in his disturbed mind was suddenly interrupted by the jar of
a door on its hinges and a light was seen to glimmer in the apartment
Tressilian who was as brave as steel sprang from his bed at this alarm and
had laid hand upon his sword when he was prevented from drawing it by a voice
which said »Be not too rash with your rapier Master Tressilian It is I your
host Giles Gosling«
At the same time unshrouding the dark lantern which had hitherto only
emitted an indistinct glimmer the goodly aspect and figure of the landlord of
the Black Bear was visibly presented to his astonished guest
»What mummery is this mine host« said Tressilian »have you supped as
jollily as last night and so mistaken your chamber or is midnight a time for
masquerading it in your guests lodging«
»Master Tressilian« replied mine host »I know my place and my time as well
as eer a merry landlord in England But here has been my hangdog kinsman
watching you as close as ever cat watched a mouse and here have you on the
other hand quarrelled and fought either with him or with some other person and
I fear that danger will come of it«
»Go to thou art but a fool man« said Tressilian »thy kinsman is beneath
my resentment and besides why shouldst thou think I had quarrelled with any
one whomsoever«
»Oh sir« replied the innkeeper »there was a red spot on thy very
cheekbone which boded of a late brawl as sure as the conjunction of Mars and
Saturn threatens misfortune and when you returned the buckles of your girdle
were brought forward and your step was quick and hasty and all things showed
your hand and your hilt had been lately acquainted«
»Well good mine host if I have been obliged to draw my sword« said
Tressilian »why should such a circumstance fetch thee out of thy warm bed at
this time of night Thou seest the mischief is all over«
»Under favour that is what I doubt Anthony Foster is a dangerous man
defended by strong court patronage which hath borne him out in matters of very
deep concernment And then my kinsman why I have told you what he is and if
these two old cronies have made up their old acquaintance I would not my
worshipful guest that it should be at thy cost I promise you Mike Lambourne
has been making very particular inquiries at mine hostler when and which way
you ride Now I would have you think whether you may not have done or said
something for which you may be waylaid and taken at disadvantage«
»Thou art an honest man mine host« said Tressilian after a moments
consideration »and I will deal frankly with thee If these mens malice is
directed against me as I deny not but it may it is because they are the
agents of a more powerful villain than themselves«
»You mean Master Richard Varney do you not« said the landlord »he was at
Cumnor Place yesterday and came not thither so private but what he was espied
by one who told me«
»I mean the same mine host«
»Then for Gods sake worshipful Master Tressilian« said honest Gosling
»look well to yourself This Varney is the protector and patron of Anthony
Foster who holds under him and by his favour some lease of yonder mansion and
the park Varney got a large grant of the lands of the Abbacy of Abingdon and
Cumnor Place amongst others from his master the Earl of Leicester Men say he
can do everything with him though I hold the Earl too good a nobleman to employ
him as some men talk of And then the Earl can do anything that is anything
right or fitting with the Queen God bless her so you see what an enemy you
have made to yourself«
»Well it is done and I cannot help it« answered Tressilian
»Uds precious but it must be helped in some manner« said the host
»Richard Varney why what between his influence with my lord and his
pretending to so many old and vexatious claims in right of the Abbot here men
fear almost to mention his name much more to set themselves against his
practices You may judge by our discourses the last night Men said their
pleasure of Tony Foster but not a word of Richard Varney though all men judge
him to be at the bottom of yonder mystery about the pretty wench But perhaps
you know more of that matter than I do for women though they wear not swords
are occasion for many a blades exchanging a sheath of neats leather for one of
flesh and blood«
»I do indeed know more of that poor unfortunate lady than thou dost my
friendly host and so bankrupt am I at this moment of friends and advice that
I will willingly make a counsellor of thee and tell thee the whole history the
rather that I have a favour to ask when my tale is ended«
»Good Master Tressilian« said the landlord »I am but a poor innkeeper
little able to adjust or counsel such a guest as yourself But as sure as I have
risen decently above the world by giving good measure and reasonable charges I
am an honest man and as such if I may not be able to assist you I am at least
not capable to abuse your confidence Say away therefore as confidently as if
you spoke to your father and thus far at least be certain that my curiosity
for I will not deny that which belongs to my calling is joined to a reasonable
degree of discretion«
»I doubt it not mine host« answered Tressilian and while his auditor
remained in anxious expectation he meditated for an instant how he should
commence his narrative »My tale« he at length said »to be quite intelligible
must begin at some distance back You have heard of the battle of Stoke my
good host and perhaps of old Sir Roger Robsart who in that battle valiantly
took part with Henry VII the Queens grandfather and routed the Earl of
Lincoln Lord Geraldin and his wild Irish and the Flemings whom the Duchess of
Burgundy had sent over in the quarrel of Lambert Simnel«
»I remember both one and the other« said Giles Gosling »it is sung of a
dozen times aweek on my alebench below Sir Roger Robsart of Devon Oh ay
tis him of whom minstrels sing to this hour
He was the flower of Stokes red field
When Martin Swart on ground lay slain
In raging rout he never reeld
But like a rock did firm remain7
Ay and then there was Martin Swart I have heard my grandfather talk of and of
the jolly Almains whom he commanded with their slashed doublets and quaint
hose all frounced with ribbons above the nether stocks Heres a song goes of
Martin Swart too an I had but memory for it
Martin Swart and his men
Saddle them saddle them
Martin Swart and his men
Saddle them well«8
»True good mine host the day was long talked of but if you sing so loud you
will awake more listeners than I care to commit my confidence unto«
»I crave pardon my worshipful guest« said mine host »I was oblivious
When an old song comes across us merry old knights of the spigot it runs away
with our discretion«
»Well mine host my grandfather like some other Cornish men kept a warm
affection to the House of York and espoused the quarrel of this Simnel
assuming the title of Earl of Warwick as the county afterwards in great
numbers countenanced the cause of Perkin Warbeck calling himself the Duke of
York My grandsire joined Simnels standard and was taken fighting desperately
at Stoke where most of the leaders of that unhappy army were slain in their
harness The good knight to whom he rendered himself Sir Roger Robsart
protected him from the immediate vengeance of the King and dismissed him
without ransom But he was unable to guard him from other penalties of his
rashness being the heavy fines by which he was impoverished according to
Henrys mode of weakening his enemies The good knight did what he might to
mitigate the distresses of my ancestor and their friendship became so strict
that my father was bred up as the sworn brother and intimate of the present Sir
Hugh Robsart the only son of Sir Roger and the heir of his honest and
generous and hospitable temper though not equal to him in martial
achievements«
»I have heard of good Sir Hugh Robsart« interrupted the host »many a time
and oft His huntsman and sworn servant Will Badger hath spoken of him an
hundred times in this very house a jovial knight he is and hath loved
hospitality and open housekeeping more than the present fashion which lays as
much gold lace on the seams of a doublet as would feed a dozen of tall fellows
with beef and ale for a twelvemonth and let them have their evening at the
alehouse once aweek to do good to the publican«
»If you have seen Will Badger mine host« said Tressilian »you have heard
enough of Sir Hugh Robsart and therefore I will but say that the hospitality
you boast of hath proved somewhat detrimental to the estate of his family which
is perhaps of the less consequence as he has but one daughter to whom to
bequeath it And here begins my share in the tale Upon my fathers death now
several years since the good Sir Hugh would willingly have made me his constant
companion There was a time however at which I felt the kind knights
excessive love for fieldsports detained me from studies by which I might have
profited more but I ceased to regret the leisure which gratitude and hereditary
friendship compelled me to bestow on these rural avocations The exquisite
beauty of Mistress Amy Robsart as she grew up from childhood to woman could
not escape one whom circumstances obliged to be so constantly in her company I
loved her in short my host and her father saw it«
»And crossed your true loves no doubt« said mine host »it is the way in
all such cases and I judge it must have been so in your instance from the
heavy sigh you uttered even now«
»The case was different mine host My suit was highly approved by the
generous Sir Hugh Robsart it was his daughter who was cold to my passion«
»She was the more dangerous enemy of the two« said the innkeeper »I fear
your suit proved a cold one«
»She yielded me her esteem« said Tressilian »and seemed not unwilling that
I should hope it might ripen into a warmer passion There was a contract of
future marriage executed betwixt us upon her fathers intercession but to
comply with her anxious request the execution was deferred for a twelvemonth
During this period Richard Varney appeared in the country and availing
himself of some distant family connection with Sir Hugh Robsart spent much of
his time in his company until at length he almost lived in the family«
»That could bode no good to the place he honoured with his residence« said
Gosling
»No by the rood« replied Tressilian »Misunderstanding and misery followed
his presence yet so strangely that I am at this moment at a loss to trace the
gradations of their encroachment upon a family which had till then been so
happy For a time Amy Robsart received the attentions of this man Varney with
the indifference attached to common courtesies then followed a period in which
she seemed to regard him with dislike and even with disgust and then an
extraordinary species of connection appeared to grow up betwixt them Varney
dropped those airs of pretension and gallantry which had marked his former
approaches and Amy on the other hand seemed to renounce the illdisguised
disgust with which she had regarded them They seemed to have more of privacy
and confidence together than I fully liked and I suspected that they met in
private where there was less restraint than in our presence Many
circumstances which I noticed but little at the time for I deemed her heart
as open as her angelic countenance have since arisen on my memory to convince
me of their private understanding But I need not detail them the fact speaks
for itself She vanished from her fathers house Varney disappeared at the
same time and this very day I have seen her in the character of his paramour
living in the house of his sordid dependant Foster and visited by him muffled
and by a secret entrance«
»And this then is the cause of your quarrel Methinks you should have
been sure that the fair lady either desired or deserved your interference«
»Mine host« answered Tressilian »my father such I must ever consider Sir
Hugh Robsart sits at home struggling with his grief or if so far recovered
vainly attempting to drown in the practice of his fieldsports the
recollection that he had once a daughter a recollection which ever and anon
breaks from him under circumstances the most pathetic I could not brook the
idea that he should live in misery and Amy in guilt and I endeavoured to seek
her out with the hope of inducing her to return to her family I have found
her and when I have either succeeded in my attempt or have found it altogether
unavailing it is my purpose to embark for the Virginia voyage«
»Be not so rash good sir« replied Giles Gosling »and cast not yourself
away because a woman to be brief is a woman and changes her lovers like her
suit of ribands with no better reason than mere fantasy And ere we probe this
matter farther let me ask you what circumstances of suspicion directed you so
truly to this ladys residence or rather to her place of concealment«
»The last is the better chosen word mine host« answered Tressilian »and
touching your question the knowledge that Varney held large grants of the
demesnes formerly belonging to the monks of Abingdon directed me to this
neighbourhood and your nephews visit to his old comrade Foster gave me the
means of conviction on the subject«
»And what is now your purpose worthy sir excuse my freedom in asking the
question so broadly«
»I purpose mine host« said Tressilian »to renew my visit to the place of
her residence tomorrow and to seek a more detailed communication with her than
I have had today She must indeed be widely changed from what she once was if
my words make no impression upon her«
»Under your favour Master Tressilian« said the landlord »you can follow
no such course The lady if I understand you has already rejected your
interference in the matter«
»It is but too true« said Tressilian »I cannot deny it«
»Then marry by what right or interest do you process a compulsory
interference with her inclination disgraceful as it may be to herself and to
her parents Unless my judgment gulls me those under whose protection she has
thrown herself would have small hesitation to reject your interference even if
it were that of a father or brother but as a discarded lover you expose
yourself to be repelled with the strong hand as well as with scorn You can
apply to no magistrate for aid or countenance and you are hunting therefore a
shadow in water and will only excuse my plainness come by ducking and danger
in attempting to catch it«
»I will appeal to the Earl of Leicester« said Tressilian »against the
infamy of his favourite He courts the severe and strict sect of puritans He
dare not for the sake of his own character refuse my appeal even although he
were destitute of the principles of honour and nobleness with which fame
invests him Or I will appeal to the Queen herself«
»Should Leicester« said the landlord »be disposed to protect his dependant
as indeed he is said to be very confidential with Varney the appeal to the
Queen may bring them both to reason Her Majesty is strict in such matters and
if it be not treason to speak it will rather it is said pardon a dozen
courtiers for falling in love with herself than one for giving preference to
another woman Coragio then my brave guest for if thou layest a petition from
Sir Hugh at the foot of the throne bucklered by the story of thine own wrongs
the favourite earl dared as soon leap into the Thames at the fullest and
deepest as offer to protect Varney in a cause of this nature But to do this
with any chance of success you must go formally to work and without staying
here to tilt with the master of horse to a privy councillor and expose yourself
to the dagger of his cameradoes you should hie you to Devonshire get a
petition drawn up for Sir Hugh Robsart and make as many friends as you can to
forward your interest at court«
»You have spoken well mine host« said Tressilian »And I will profit by
your advice and leave you tomorrow early«
»Nay leave me tonight sir before tomorrow comes« said the landlord »I
never prayed for a guests arrival more eagerly than I do to have you safely
gone My kinsmans destiny is most like to be hanged for something but I would
not that the cause were the murder of an honoured guest of mine Better ride
safe in the dark says the proverb than in daylight with a cutthroat at your
elbow Come sir I move you for your own safety Your horse and all is ready
and here is your score«
»It is somewhat under a noble« said Tressilian giving one to the host
»give the balance to pretty Cicely your daughter and the servants of the
house«
»They shall taste of your bounty sir« said Gosling »and you should taste
of my daughters lips in grateful acknowledgment but at this hour she cannot
grace the porch to greet your departure«
»Do not trust your daughter too far with your guests my good landlord«
said Tressilian
»Oh sir we will keep measure but I wonder not that you are jealous of
them all May I crave to know with what aspect the fair lady at the Place
yesterday received you«
»I own« said Tressilian »it was angry as well as confused and affords me
little hope that she is yet awakened from her unhappy delusion«
»In that case sir I see not why you should play the champion of a wench
that will none of you and incur the resentment of a favourites favourite as
dangerous a monster as ever a knight adventurer encountered in the old story
books«
»You do me wrong in the supposition mine host gross wrong« said
Tressilian »I do not desire that Amy should ever turn thought upon me more Let
me but see her restored to her father and all I have to do in Europe perhaps
in the world is over and ended«
»A wiser resolution were to drink a cup of sack and forget her« said the
landlord »But fiveandtwenty and fifty look on those matters with different
eyes especially when one case of peepers is set in the skull of a young
gallant and the other in that of an old publican I pity you Master
Tressilian but I see not how I can aid you in the matter«
»Only thus far mine host« replied Tressilian »Keep a watch on the
motions of those at the Place which thou canst easily learn without suspicion
as all mens news fly to the alebench and be pleased to communicate the tidings
in writing to such person and to no other who shall bring you this ring as a
special token look at it it is of value and I will freely bestow it on
you«
»Nay sir« said the landlord »I desire no recompense but it seems an
unadvised course in me being in a public line to connect myself in a matter of
this dark and perilous nature I have no interest in it«
»You and every father in the land who would have his daughter released from
the snares of shame and sin and misery have an interest deeper than aught
concerning earth only could create«
»Well sir« said the host »these are brave words and I do pity from my
soul the frankhearted old gentleman who has minished his estate in good
housekeeping for the honour of his country and now has his daughter who should
be the stay of his age and so forth whisked up by such a kite as this Varney
And though your part in the matter is somewhat of the wildest yet I will een
be a madcap for company and help you in your honest attempt to get back the
good mans child so far as being your faithful intelligencer can serve And as
I shall be true to you I pray you to be trusty to me and keep my secret for
it were bad for the custom of the Black Bear should it be said the bearwarder
interfered in such matters Varney has interest enough with the justices to
dismount my noble emblem from the post on which he swings so gallantly to call
in my license and ruin me from garret to cellar«
»Do not doubt my secrecy mine host« said Tressilian »I will retain
besides the deepest sense of thy service and of the risk thou dost run
remember the ring is my sure token And now farewell for it was thy wise
advice that I should tarry here as short a time as may be«
»Follow me then Sir Guest« said the landlord »and tread as gently as if
eggs were under your foot instead of deal boards No one must know when or how
you departed«
By the aid of his dark lantern he conducted Tressilian as soon as he had
made himself ready for his journey through a long intricacy of passages which
opened to an outer court and from thence to a remote stable where he had
already placed his guests horse He then aided him to fasten on the saddle the
small portmantle which contained his necessaries opened a posterndoor and
with a hearty shake of the hand and a reiteration of his promise to attend to
what went on at Cumnor Place he dismissed his guest to his solitary journey
Chapter Ninth
Far in the lane a lonely hut he found
No tenant ventured on the unwholesome ground
Here smokes his forge he bares his sinewy arm
And early strokes the sounding anvil warm
Around his shop the steely sparkles flew
As for the steed he shaped the bending shoe
Gays Trivia
As it was deemed proper by the traveller himself as well as by Giles Gosling
that Tressilian should avoid being seen in the neighbourhood of Cumnor by those
whom accident might make early risers the landlord had given him a route
consisting of various byways and lanes which he was to follow in succession
and which all the turns and shortcuts duly observed was to conduct him to the
public road to Marlborough
But like counsel of every other kind this species of direction is much
more easily given than followed and what betwixt the intricacy of the way the
darkness of the night Tressilians ignorance of the country and the sad and
perplexing thoughts with which he had to contend his journey proceeded so
slowly that morning found him only in the vale of Whitehorse memorable for the
defeat of the Danes in former days with his horse deprived of a forefoot shoe
an accident which threatened to put a stop to his journey by laming the animal
The residence of a smith was his first object of inquiry in which he received
little satisfaction from the dulness or sullenness of one or two peasants early
bound for their labour who gave brief and indifferent answers to his questions
on the subject Anxious at length that the partner of his journey should
suffer as little as possible from the unfortunate accident Tressilian
dismounted and led his horse in the direction of a little hamlet where he
hoped either to find or hear tidings of such an artificer as he now wanted
Through a deep and muddy lane he at length waded on to the place which proved
only an assemblage of five or six miserable huts about the doors of which one
or two persons whose appearance seemed as rude as that of their dwellings were
beginning the toils of the day One cottage however seemed of rather superior
aspect and the old dame who was sweeping her threshold appeared something
less rude than her neighbours To her Tressilian addressed the oftrepeated
question whether there was a smith in this neighbourhood or any place where he
could refresh his horse The dame looked him in the face with a peculiar
expression as she replied »Smith ay truly is there a smith what wouldst
ha wi un mon«
»To shoe my horse good dame« answered Tressilian »you may see that he has
thrown a forefoot shoe«
»Master Holiday« exclaimed the dame without returning any direct answer
»Master Herasmus Holiday come and speak to mon and please you«
»Favete linguis« answered a voice from within »I cannot now come forth
Gammer Sludge being in the very sweetest bit of my morning studies«
»Nay but good now Master Holiday come ye out do ye Heres a mon would
to Wayland Smith and I care not to show him way to devil his horse hath cast
shoe«
»Quid mihi cum caballo« replied the man of learning from within »I think
there is but one wise man in the hundred and they cannot shoe a horse without
him«
And forth came the honest pedagogue for such his dress bespoke him A long
lean shambling stooping figure was surmounted by a head thatched with lank
black hair somewhat inclining to grey His features had the cast of habitual
authority which I suppose Dionysius carried with him from the throne to the
schoolmasters pulpit and bequeathed as a legacy to all of the same profession
A black buckram cassock was gathered at his middle with a belt at which hung
instead of knife or weapon a goodly leathern penandinkcase His ferula was
stuck on the other side like Harlequins wooden sword and he carried in his
hand the tattered volume which he had been busily perusing
On seeing a person of Tressilians appearance which he was better able to
estimate than the country folks had been the schoolmaster unbonneted and
accosted him with »Salve domine Intelligisne linguam Latinam«
Tressilian mustered his learning to reply »Linguæ Latinæ haud penitus
ignarus venia tua domine eruditissime vernaculam libentius loquor«
The Latin reply had upon the schoolmaster the effect which the masons sign
is said to produce on the brethren of the trowel He was at once interested in
the learned traveller listened with gravity to his story of a tired horse and a
lost shoe and then replied with solemnity »It may appear a simple thing most
worshipful to reply to you that there dwells within a brief mile of these
tuguria the best faber ferrarius the most accomplished blacksmith that ever
nailed iron upon horse Now were I to say so I warrant me you would think
yourself compos voti or as the vulgar have it a made man«
»I should at least« said Tressilian »have a direct answer to a plain
question which seems difficult to be obtained in this country«
»It is a mere sending of a sinful soul to the evil un« said the old woman
»the sending a living creature to Wayland Smith«
»Peace Gammer Sludge« said the pedagogue »pauca verba Gammer Sludge
look to the furmity Gammer Sludge curetur jentaculum Gammer Sludge this
gentleman is none of thy gossips« Then turning to Tressilian he resumed his
lofty tone »And so most worshipful you would really think yourself felix bis
terque should I point out to you the dwelling of this same smith«
»Sir« replied Tressilian »I should in that case have all that I want at
present a horse fit to carry me forward out of hearing of your learning«
The last words he muttered to himself
»O cæca mens mortalium« said the learned man »well was it sung by Junius
Juvenalis numinibus vota exaudita malignis«
»Learned Magister« said Tressilian »your erudition so greatly exceeds my
poor intellectual capacity that you must excuse my seeking elsewhere for
information which I can better understand«
»There again now« replied the pedagogue »how fondly you fly from him that
would instruct you Truly said Quintilian«
»I pray sir let Quintilian be for the present and answer in a word and
in English if your learning can condescend so far whether there is any place
here where I can have opportunity to refresh my horse until I can have him
shod«
»Thus much courtesy sir« said the schoolmaster »I can readily render you
that although there is in this poor hamlet nostra paupera regna no regular
hospitium as my namesake Erasmus calleth it yet forasmuch as you are somewhat
embued or at least tinged as it were with good letters I will use my interest
with the good woman of the house to accommodate you with a platter of furmity
an wholesome food for which I have found no Latin phrase your horse shall
have a share of the cowhouse with a bottle of sweet hay in which the good
woman Sludge so much abounds that it may be said of her cow foenum habet in
cornu and if it please you to bestow on me the pleasure of your company the
banquet shall cost you ne semissem quidem so much is Gammer Sludge bound to me
for the pains I have bestowed on the top and bottom of her hopeful heir Dickie
whom I have painfully made to travel through the accidence«
»Now God yield ye for it Mr Herasmus« said the good Gammer »and grant
that little Dickie may be the better for his accident and for the rest if
the gentleman list to stay breakfast shall be on the board in the wringing of a
dishclout and for horsemeat and mans meat I bear no such base mind as to
ask a penny«
Considering the state of his horse Tressilian upon the whole saw no
better course than to accept the invitation thus learnedly made and hospitably
confirmed and take chance that when the good pedagogue had exhausted every
topic of conversation he might possibly condescend to tell him where he could
find the smith they spoke of He entered the hut accordingly and sat down with
the learned Magister Erasmus Holiday partook of his furmity and listened to
his learned account of himself for a good halfhour ere he could get him to
talk upon any other topic The reader will readily excuse our accompanying this
man of learning into all the details with which he favoured Tressilian of which
the following sketch may suffice
He was born at Hogsnorton where according to popular saying the pigs play
upon the organ a proverb which he interpreted allegorically as having
reference to the herd of Epicurus of which litter Horace confessed himself a
porker His name of Erasmus he derived partly from his father having been the
son of a renowned washerwoman who had held that great scholar in clean linen
all the while he was at Oxford a task of some difficulty as he was only
possessed of two shirts »the one« as she expressed herself »to wash the
other« The vestiges of one of these camiciæ as Master Holiday boasted were
still in his possession having fortunately been detained by his grandmother to
cover the balance of her bill But he thought there was a still higher and
overruling cause for his having had the name of Erasmus conferred on him
namely the secret presentiment of his mothers mind that in the babe to be
christened was a hidden genius which should one day lead him to rival the fame
of the great scholar of Amsterdam The schoolmasters surname led him as far
into dissertation as his Christian appellative He was inclined to think that he
bore the name of Holiday quasi lucus a non lucendo because he gave such few
holidays to his school »Hence« said he »the schoolmaster is termed
classically Ludi Magister because he deprives the boys of their play« And
yet on the other hand he thought it might bear a very different
interpretation and refer to his own exquisite art in arranging pageants
morrisdances Mayday festivities and such like holiday delights for which he
assured Tressilian he had positively the purest and the most inventive brain in
England insomuch that his cunning in framing such pleasures had made him known
to many honourable persons both in country and in court and especially to the
noble Earl of Leicester »And although he may now seem to forget me« he said
»in the multitude of state affairs yet I am well assured that had he some
pretty pastime to array for entertainment of the Queens Grace horse and man
would be seeking the humble cottage of Erasmus Holiday Parvo contentus in the
meanwhile I hear my pupils parse and construe worshipful sir and drive away
my time with the aid of the Muses And I have at all times when in
correspondence with foreign scholars subscribed myself Erasmus ab Die Fausto
and have enjoyed the distinction due to the learned under that title witness
the erudite Diedrichus Buckerschockius who dedicated to me under that title his
treatise on the letter Tau In fine sir I have been a happy and distinguished
man«
»Long may it be so sir« said the traveller »but permit me to ask in your
own learned phrase Quid hoc ad Iphycli boves what has all this to do with the
shoeing of my poor nag«
»Festina lente« said the man of learning »we will presently come to that
point You must know that some two or three years past there came to these
parts one who called himself Doctor Doboobie although it may be he never wrote
even Magister artium save in right of his hungry belly Or it may be that if
he had any degrees they were of the devils giving for he was what the vulgar
call a white witch a cunning man and such like Now good sir I perceive you
are impatient but if a man tell not his tale his own way how have you warrant
to think that he can tell it in yours«
»Well then learned sir take your way« answered Tressilian »only let us
travel at a sharper pace for my time is somewhat of the shortest«
»Well sir« resumed Erasmus Holiday with the most provoking perseverance
»I will not say that this same Demetrius for so he wrote himself when in
foreign parts was an actual conjuror but certain it is that he professed to
be a brother of the mystical Order of the Rosy Gross a disciple of Geber ex
nomine cujus venit verbum vernaculum gibberish He cured wounds by salving the
weapon instead of the sore told fortunes by palmistry discovered stolen
goods by the sieve and shears gathered the right maddow and the male fern
seed through use of which men walk invisible pretended some advances towards
the panacea or universal elixir and affected to convert good lead into sorry
silver«
»In other words« said Tressilian »he was a quacksalver and common cheat
but what has all this to do with my nag and the shoe which he has lost«
»With your worshipful patience« replied the diffusive man of letters »you
shall understand that presently patientia then right worshipful which
word according to our Marcus Tullius is difficilium rerum diurna perpessio
This same Demetrius Doboobie after dealing with the country as I have told
you began to acquire fame inter magnates among the prime men of the land and
there is likelihood he might have aspired to great matters had not according
to vulgar fame for I aver not the thing as according with my certain
knowledge the devil claimed his right one dark night and flown off with
Demetrius who was never seen or heard of afterwards Now here comes the
medulla the very marrow of my tale This Doctor Doboobie had a servant a poor
snake whom he employed in trimming his furnace regulating it by just measure
compounding his drugs tracing his circles cajoling his patients et sic de
cæteris Well right worshipful the Doctor being removed thus strangely and
in a way which struck the whole country with terror this poor Zany thinks to
himself in the words of Maro Uno avulso non deficit alter and even as a
tradesmans apprentice sets himself up in his masters shop when he is dead or
hath retired from business so doth this Wayland assume the dangerous trade of
his defunct master But although most worshipful sir the world is ever prone
to listen to the pretensions of such unworthy men who are indeed mere saltim
banqui and charlatani though usurping the style and skill of doctors of
medicine yet the pretensions of this poor Zany this Wayland were too gross to
pass on them nor was there a mere rustic a villager who was not ready to
accost him in the sense of Persius though in their own rugged words
Diluis helleborum certo compescere puncto
Nescius examen vetat hoc natura medendi
which I have thus rendered in a poor paraphrase of mine own
Wilt thou mix hellebore who doth not know
How many grains should to the mixture go
The art of medicine this forbids I trow
Moreover the evil reputation of the master and his strange and doubtful end
or at least sudden disappearance prevented any excepting the most desperate
of men to seek any advice or opinion from the servant wherefore the poor
vermin was likely at first to swarf for very hunger But the devil that serves
him since the death of Demetrius or Doboobie put him on a fresh device This
knave whether from the inspiration of the devil or from early education shoes
horses better than eer a man betwixt us and Iceland and so he gives up his
practice on the bipeds the twolegged and unfledged species called mankind and
betakes him entirely to shoeing of horses«
»Indeed and where does he lodge all this time« said Tressilian »And does
he shoe horses well show me his dwelling presently«
The interruption pleased not the Magister who exclaimed »O cæca mens
mortalium though by the way I used that quotation before But I would the
classics could afford me any sentiment of power to stop those who are so willing
to rush upon their own destruction Hear but I pray you the conditions of this
man« said he in continuation »ere you are so willing to place yourself within
his danger«
»A takes no money for as work« said the dame who stood by enraptured as
it were with the fine words and learned apophthegms which glided so fluently
from her erudite inmate Master Holiday But this interruption pleased not the
Magister more than that of the traveller
»Peace« said he »Gammer Sludge know your place if it be your will
Sufflamina Gammer Sludge and allow me to expound this matter to our worshipful
guest Sir« said he again addressing Tressilian »this old woman speaks
true though in her own rude style for certainly this faber ferrarius or
blacksmith takes money of no one«
»And that is a sure sign he deals with Satan« said Dame Sludge »since no
good Christian would ever refuse the wages of his labour«
»The old woman hath touched it again« said the pedagogue »rem acu tetigit
she hath pricked it with her needles point This Wayland takes no money
indeed nor doth he show himself to any one«
»And can this madman for such I hold him« said the traveller »know aught
like good skill of his trade«
»Oh sir in that let us give the devil his due Mulciber himself with all
his Cyclops could hardly amend him But assuredly there is little wisdom in
taking counsel or receiving aid from one who is but too plainly in league with
the author of evil«
»I must take my chance of that good Master Holiday« said Tressilian
rising »and as my horse must now have eaten his provender I must needs thank
you for your good cheer and pray you to show me this mans residence that I
may have the means of proceeding on my journey«
»Ay ay do ye show him Master Herasmus« said the old dame who was
perhaps desirous to get her house freed of her guest »a must needs go when
the devil drives«
»Do manus« said the Magister »I submit taking the world to witness that
I have possessed this honourable gentleman with the full injustice which he has
done and shall do to his own soul if he becomes thus a trinketer with Satan
Neither will I go forth with our guest myself but rather send my pupil
Ricarde adsis nebulo«
»Under your favour not so« answered the old woman »you may peril your own
soul if you list but my son shall budge on no such errand and I wonder at
you Dominie Doctor to propose such a piece of service for little Dickie«
»Nay my good Gammer Sludge« answered the preceptor »Ricardus shall go but
to the top of the hill and indicate with his digit to the stranger the dwelling
of Wayland Smith Believe not that any evil can come to him he having read this
morning fasting a chapter of the Septuagint and moreover having had his
lesson in the Greek Testament«
»Ay« said his mother »and I have sewn a sprig of witchs elm in the neck
of uns doublet ever since that foul thief has begun his practices on man and
beast in these parts«
»And as he goes oft as I hugely suspect towards this conjuror for his own
pastime he may for once go thither or near it to pleasure us and to assist
this stranger Ergo heus Ricarde adsis quæso mi didascule«
The pupil thus affectionately invoked at length came stumbling into the
room a queer shambling illmade urchin who by his stunted growth seemed
about twelve or thirteen years old though he was probably in reality a year
or two older with a carroty pate in huge disorder a freckled sunburnt visage
with a snub nose a long chin and two peery grey eyes which had a droll
obliquity of vision approaching to a squint though perhaps not a decided one
It was impossible to look at the little man without some disposition to laugh
especially when Gammer Sludge seizing upon and kissing him in spite of his
struggling and kicking in reply to her caresses termed him her own precious
pearl of beauty
»Ricarde« said the preceptor »you must forthwith which is profecto set
forth so far as the top of the hill and show this man of worship Wayland
Smiths workshop«
»A proper errand of a morning« said the boy in better language than
Tressilian expected »and who knows but the devil may fly away with me before I
come back«
»Ay marry may un« said Dame Sludge »and you might have thought twice
Master Dominie ere you sent my dainty darling on arrow such errand It is not
for such doings I feed your belly and clothe your back I warrant you«
»Pshaw nugæ good Gammer Sludge« answered the preceptor »I ensure you
that Satan if there be Satan in the case shall not touch a thread of his
garment for Dickie can say his pater with the best and may defy the foul fiend
Eumenides Stygiumque nefas«
»Ay and I as I said before have sewed a sprig of the mountainash into
his collar« said the good woman »which will avail more than your clerkship I
wus but for all that it is ill to seek the devil or his mates either«
»My good boy« said Tressilian who saw from a grotesque sneer on Dickies
face that he was more likely to act upon his own bottom than by the
instructions of his elders »I will give thee a silver groat my pretty fellow
if you will but guide me to this mans forge«
The boy gave him a knowing side look which seemed to promise acquiescence
while at the same time he exclaimed »I be your guide to Wayland Smiths Why
man did I not say that the devil might fly off with me just as the kite there«
looking to the window »is flying off with one of grandams chicks«
»The kite the kite« exclaimed the old woman in return and forgetting all
other matters in her alarm hastened to the rescue of her chicken as fast as her
old legs could carry her
»Now for it« said the urchin to Tressilian »snatch your beaver get out
your horse and have at the silver groat you spoke of«
»Nay but tarry tarry« said the preceptor »Sufflamina Ricarde«
»Tarry yourself« said Dickie »and think what answer you are to make to
granny for sending me post to the devil«
The teacher aware of the responsibility he was incurring bustled up in
great haste to lay hold of the urchin and to prevent his departure but Dickie
slipped through his fingers bolted from the cottage and sped him to the top of
a neighbouring rising ground while the preceptor despairing by welltaught
experience of recovering his pupil by speed of foot had recourse to the most
honeyed epithets the Latin vocabulary affords to persuade his return But to mi
anime corculum meum and all such classical endearments the truant turned a
deaf ear and kept frisking on the top of the rising ground like a goblin by
moonlight making signs to his new acquaintance Tressilian to follow him
The traveller lost no time in getting out his horse and departed to join
his elvish guide after half forcing on the poor deserted teacher a recompense
for the entertainment he had received which partly allayed the terror he had
for facing the return of the old lady of the mansion Apparently this took place
soon afterwards for ere Tressilian and his guide had proceeded far on their
journey they heard the screams of a cracked female voice intermingled with the
classical objurgations of Master Erasmus Holiday But Dickie Sludge equally
deaf to the voice of maternal tenderness and of magisterial authority skipped
on unconsciously before Tressilian only observing that »if they cried
themselves hoarse they might go lick the honeypot for he had eaten up all the
honeycomb himself on yesterday even«
Chapter Tenth
There entering in they found the goodman selfe
Full busylie unto his work ybent
Who was to weet a wretched wearish elf
With hollow eyes and rawbone cheeks forspent
As if he had been long in prison pent
The Faery Queene
»Are we far from the dwelling of this smith my pretty lad« said Tressilian to
his young guide
»How is it you call me« said the boy looking askew at him with his sharp
grey eyes
»I call you my pretty lad is there any offence in that my boy«
»No but were you with my grandam and Dominie Holiday you might sing
chorus to the old song of
We three
Tomfools be«
»And why so my little man« said Tressilian
»Because« answered the ugly urchin »you are the only three ever called me
pretty lad Now my grandam does it because she is parcel blind by age and
whole blind by kindred and my master the poor Dominie does it to curry
favour and have the fullest platter of furmity and the warmest seat by the
fire But what you call me pretty lad for you know best yourself«
»Thou art a sharp wag at least if not a pretty one But what do thy
playfellows call thee«
»Hobgoblin« answered the boy readily »but for all that I would rather
have my own ugly viznomy than any of their jolterheads that have no more brains
in them than a brickbat«
»Then you fear not this smith whom you are going to see«
»Me fear him« answered the boy »if he were the devil folk think him I
would not fear him but though there is something queer about him hes no more
a devil than you are and thats what I would not tell to every one«
»And why do you tell it to me then my boy« said Tressilian
»Because you are another guess gentleman than those we see here every day«
replied Dickie »and though I am as ugly as sin I would not have you think me
an ass especially as I may have a boon to ask of you one day«
»And what is that my lad whom I must not call pretty« replied Tressilian
»Oh if I were to ask it just now« said the boy »you would deny it me
but I will wait till we meet at court«
»At court Richard are you bound for court« said Tressilian
»Ay ay thats just like the rest of them« replied the boy »I warrant me
you think what should such an illfavoured scrambling urchin do at court But
let Richard Sludge alone I have not been cock of the roost here for nothing I
will make sharp wit mend foul feature«
»But what will your grandam say and your tutor Dominie Holiday«
»Een what they like« replied Dickie »the one has her chickens to reckon
and the other has his boys to whip I would have given them the candle to hold
long since and shown this trumpery hamlet a fair pair of heels but the Dominie
promises I should go with him to bear share in the next pageant he is to set
forth and they say there are to be great revels shortly«
»And whereabout are they to be held my little friend« said Tressilian
»Oh at some castle far in the north« answered his guide »a worlds
breadth from Berkshire But our old Dominie holds that they cannot go forward
without him and it may be he is right for he has put in order many a fair
pageant He is not half the fool you would take him for when he gets to work he
understands and so he can spout verses like a play when God wot if you set
him to steal a gooses egg he would be drubbed by the gander«
»And you are to play a part in his next show« said Tressilian somewhat
interested by the boys boldness of conversation and shrewd estimate of
character
»In faith« said Richard Sludge in answer »he hath so promised me and if
he break his word it will be the worse for him for let me take the bit between
my teeth and turn my head down hill and I will shake him off with a fall that
may harm his bones And I should not like much to hurt him neither« said he
»for the tiresome old fool has painfully laboured to teach me all he could
But enough of that here are we at Wayland Smiths forgedoor«
»You jest my little friend« said Tressilian »here is nothing but a bare
moor and that ring of stones with a great one in the midst like a Cornish
barrow«
»Ay and that great flat stone in the midst which lies across the top of
these uprights« said the boy »is Wayland Smiths counter that you must tell
down your money upon«
»What do you mean by such folly« said the traveller beginning to be angry
with the boy and vexed with himself for having trusted such a harebrained
guide
»Why« said Dickie with a grin »you must tie your horse to that upright
stone that has the ring int and then you must whistle three times and lay me
down your silver groat on that other flat stone walk out of the circle sit
down on the west side of that little thicket of bushes and take heed you look
neither to right nor to left for ten minutes or so long as you shall hear the
hammer clink and whenever it ceases say your prayers for the space you could
tell a hundred or count over a hundred which will do as well and then
come into the circle you will find your money gone and your horse shod«
»My money gone to a certainty« said Tressilian »but as for the rest Hark
ye my lad I am not your schoolmaster but if you play off your waggery on me
I will take a part of his task off his hands and punish you to purpose«
»Ay when you catch me« said the boy and presently took to his heels
across the heath with a velocity which baffled every attempt of Tressilian to
overtake him loaded as he was with his heavy boots Nor was it the least
provoking part of the urchins conduct that he did not exert his utmost speed
like one who finds himself in danger or who is frightened but preserved just
such a rate as to encourage Tressilian to continue the chase and then darted
away from him with the swiftness of the wind when his pursuer supposed he had
nearly run him down doubling at the same time and winding so as always to
keep near the place from which he started
This lasted until Tressilian from very weariness stood still and was
about to abandon the pursuit with a hearty curse on the illfavoured urchin who
had engaged him in an exercise so ridiculous But the boy who had as formerly
planted himself on the top of a hillock close in front began to clap his long
thin hands point with his skinny fingers and twist his wild and ugly features
into such an extravagant expression of laughter and derision that Tressilian
began half to doubt whether he had not in view an actual hobgoblin
Provoked extremely yet at the same time feeling an irresistible desire to
laugh so very odd were the boys grimaces and gesticulations the Cornish man
returned to his horse and mounted him with the purpose of pursuing Dickie at
more advantage
The boy no sooner saw him mount his horse than he hollod out to him that
rather than he should spoil his whitefooted nag he would come to him on
condition he would keep his fingers to himself
»I will make no condition with thee thou naughty varlet« said Tressilian
»I will have thee at my mercy in a moment«
»Aha Master Traveller« said the boy »there is a marsh hard by would
swallow all the horses of the Queens Guard I will into it and see where you
will go then You shall hear the bittern bump and the wilddrake quack ere
you get hold of me without my consent I promise you«
Tressilian looked out and from the appearance of the ground behind the
hillock believed it might be as the boy said and accordingly determined to
strike up a peace with so lightfooted and readywitted an enemy »Come down«
he said »thou mischievous brat leave thy mopping and mowing and come
hither I will do thee no harm as I am a gentleman«
The boy answered his invitation with the utmost confidence and danced down
from his stance with a galliard sort of step keeping his eye at the same time
fixed on Tressilians who once more dismounted stood with his horses bridle
in his hand breathless and half exhausted with his fruitless exercise though
not one drop of moisture appeared on the freckled forehead of the urchin which
looked like a piece of dry and discoloured parchment drawn tight across the
brow of a fleshless skull
»And tell me« said Tressilian »why you use me thus thou mischievous imp
or what your meaning is by telling me so absurd a legend as you wished but now
to put on me Or rather show me in good earnest this smiths forge and I will
give thee what will buy thee apples through the whole winter«
»Were you to give me an orchard of apples« said Dickie Sludge »I can guide
thee no better than I have done Lay down the silver token on the flat stone
whistle three times then come sit down on the western side of the thicket of
gorse I will sit by you and give you free leave to wring my head off unless
you hear the smith at work within two minutes after we are seated«
»I may be tempted to take thee at thy word« said Tressilian »if you make
me do aught half so ridiculous for your own mischievous sport however I will
prove your spell Here then I tie my horse to this upright stone I must
lay my silver groat here and whistle three times sayest thou«
»Ay but thou must whistle louder than an unfledged ousel« said the boy as
Tressilian having laid down his money and half ashamed of the folly he
practised made a careless whistle »You must whistle louder than that for who
knows where the smith is that you call for He may be in the king of Frances
stables for what I know«
»Why you said but now he was no devil« replied Tressilian
»Man or devil« said Dickie »I see that I must summon him for you« and
therewithal he whistled sharp and shrill with an acuteness of sound that almost
thrilled through Tressilians brain »That is what I call whistling« said he
after he had repeated the signal thrice »and now to cover to cover or
Whitefoot will not be shod this day«
Tressilian musing what the upshot of this mummery was to be yet satisfied
there was to be some serious result by the confidence with which the boy had
put himself in his power suffered himself to be conducted to that side of the
little thicket of gorse and brushwood which was farthest from the circle of
stones and there sat down and as it occurred to him that after all this
might be a trick for stealing his horse he kept his hand on the boys collar
determined to make him hostage for its safety
»Now hush and listen« said Dickie in a low whisper »you will soon hear
the tack of a hammer that was never forged of earthly iron for the stone it was
made of was shot from the moon« And in effect Tressilian did immediately hear
the light stroke of a hammer as when a farrier is at work The singularity of
such a sound in so very lonely a place made him involuntarily start but
looking at the boy and discovering by the arch malicious expression of his
countenance that the urchin saw and enjoyed his slight tremor he became
convinced that the whole was a concerted stratagem and determined to know by
whom or for what purpose the trick was played off
Accordingly he remained perfectly quiet all the time that the hammer
continued to sound being about the space usually employed in fixing a
horseshoe But the instant the sound ceased Tressilian instead of interposing
the space of time which his guide had requested started up with his sword in
his hand ran round the thicket and confronted a man in a farriers leathern
apron but otherwise fantastically attired in a bearskin dressed with the fur
on and a cap of the same which almost hid the sooty and begrimed features of
the wearer »Come back come back« cried the boy to Tressilian »or you will
be torn to pieces no man lives that looks on him« In fact the invisible
smith now fully visible heaved up his hammer and showed symptoms of doing
battle
But when the boy observed that neither his own entreaties nor the menaces
of the farrier appeared to change Tressilians purpose but that on the
contrary he confronted the hammer with his drawn sword he exclaimed to the
smith in turn »Wayland touch him not or you will come by the worse the
gentleman is a true gentleman and a bold«
»So thou hast betrayed me Flibbertigibbet« said the smith »it shall be
the worse for thee«
»Be who thou wilt« said Tressilian »thou art in no danger from me so thou
tell me the meaning of this practice and why thou drivest thy trade in this
mysterious fashion«
The smith however turning to Tressilian exclaimed in a threatening tone
»Who questions the Keeper of the crystal Castle of Light the Lord of the Green
Lion the Rider of the Red Dragon Hence avoid thee ere I summon Talpack
with his fiery lance to quell crush and consume« These words he uttered with
violent gesticulation mouthing and flourishing his hammer
»Peace thou vile cozener with thy gipsy cant« replied Tressilian
scornfully »and follow me to the next magistrate or I will cut thee over the
pate«
»Peace I pray thee good Wayland« said the boy »credit me the swaggering
vein will not pass here you must cut boon whids«9
»I think worshipful sir« said the smith sinking his hammer and assuming
a more gentle and submissive tone of voice »that when so poor a man does his
days job he might be permitted to work it out after his own fashion Your
horse is shod and your farrier paid What need you cumber yourself farther than
to mount and pursue your journey«
»Nay friend you are mistaken« replied Tressilian »every man has the
right to take the mask from the face of a cheat and a juggler and your mode of
living raises suspicion that you are both«
»If you are so determined sir« said the smith »I cannot help myself save
by force which I were unwilling to use towards you Master Tressilian not that
I fear your weapon but because I know you to be a worthy kind and
wellaccomplished gentleman who would rather help than harm a poor man that is
in a strait«
»Well said Wayland« said the boy who had anxiously awaited the issue of
their conference »But let us to thy den man for it is ill for thy health to
stand here talking in the open air«
»Thou art right Hobgoblin« replied the smith and going to the little
thicket of gorse on the side nearest to the circle and opposite to that at
which his customer had so lately couched he discovered a trapdoor curiously
covered with bushes raised it and descending into the earth vanished from
their eyes Notwithstanding Tressilians curiosity he had some hesitation at
following the fellow into what might be a den of robbers especially when he
heard the smiths voice issuing from the bowels of the earth call out
»Flibbertigibbet do you come last and be sure to fasten the trap«
»Have you seen enough of Wayland Smith now« whispered the urchin to
Tressilian with an arch sneer as if marking his companions uncertainty
»Not yet« said Tressilian firmly and shaking off his momentary
irresolution he descended into the narrow staircase to which the entrance led
and was followed by Dickie Sludge who made fast the trap behind him and thus
excluded every glimmer of daylight The descent however was only a few steps
and led to a level passage of a few yards length at the end of which appeared
the reflection of a lurid and red light Arrived at this point with his drawn
sword in his hand Tressilian found that a turn to the left admitted him and
Hobgoblin who followed closely into a small square vault containing a smiths
forge glowing with charcoal the vapour of which filled the apartment with an
oppressive smell which would have been altogether suffocating but that by some
concealed vent the smithy communicated with the upper air The light afforded by
the red fuel and by a lamp suspended in an iron chain served to show that
besides an anvil bellows tongs hammers a quantity of readymade horseshoes
and other articles proper to the profession of a farrier there were also
stoves alembics crucibles retorts and other instruments of alchemy The
grotesque figure of the smith and the ugly but whimsical features of the boy
seen by the gloomy and imperfect light of the charcoal fire and the dying lamp
accorded very well with all this mystical apparatus and in that age of
superstition would have made some impression on the courage of most men
But nature had endowed Tressilian with firm nerves and his education
originally good had been too sedulously improved by subsequent study to give
way to any imaginary terrors and after giving a glance around him he again
demanded of the artist who he was and by what accident he came to know and
address him by his name
»Your worship cannot but remember« said the smith »that about three years
since upon Saint Lucys Eve there came a travelling juggler to a certain Hall
in Devonshire and exhibited his skill before a worshipful knight and a fair
company I see from your worships countenance dark as this place is that my
memory has not done me wrong«
»Thou hast said enough« said Tressilian turning away as wishing to hide
from the speaker the painful train of recollections which his discourse had
unconsciously awakened
»The juggler« said the smith »played his part so bravely that the clowns
and clownlike squires in the company held his art to be little less than
magical but there was one maiden of fifteen or thereby with the fairest face
I ever looked upon whose rosy cheek grew pale and her bright eyes dim at the
sight of the wonders exhibited«
»Peace I command thee peace« said Tressilian
»I mean your worship no offence« said the fellow »but I have cause to
remember how to relieve the young maidens fears you condescended to point out
the mode in which these deceptions were practised and to baffle the poor
juggler by laying bare the mysteries of his art as ably as if you had been a
brother of his order She was indeed so fair a maiden that to win a smile of
her a man might well«
»Not a word more of her I charge thee« said Tressilian »I do well
remember the night you speak of one of the few happy evenings my life has
known«
»She is gone then« said the smith interpreting after his own fashion the
sigh with which Tressilian uttered these words »She is gone young beautiful
and beloved as she was I crave your worships pardon I would have hammered
on another theme I see I have unwarily driven the nail to the quick«
This speech was made with a mixture of rude feeling which inclined
Tressilian favourably to the poor artisan of whom before he was inclined to
judge very harshly But nothing can so soon attract the unfortunate as real or
seeming sympathy with their sorrows
»I think« proceeded Tressilian after a minutes silence »thou wert in
those days a jovial fellow who could keep a company merry by song and tale
and rebeck as well as by thy juggling tricks why do I find thee a laborious
handicraftsman plying thy trade in so melancholy a dwelling and under such
extraordinary circumstances«
»My story is not long« said the artist »but your honour had better sit
while you listen to it« So saying he approached to the fire a threefooted
stool and took another himself while Dickie Sludge or Flibbertigibbet as he
called the boy drew a cricket to the smiths feet and looked up in his face
with features which as illuminated by the glow of the forge seemed convulsed
with intense curiosity »Thou too« said the smith to him »shalt learn as
thou well deservest at my hand the brief history of my life and in troth it
were as well tell it thee as leave thee to ferret it out since Nature never
packed a shrewder wit into a more ungainly casket Well sir if my poor story
may pleasure you it is at your command But will you not taste a stoup of
liquor I promise you that even in this poor cell I have some in store«
»Speak not of it« said Tressilian »but go on with thy story for my
leisure is brief«
»You shall have no cause to rue the delay« said the smith »for your horse
shall be better fed in the meantime than he hath been this morning and made
fitter for travel«
With that the artist left the vault and returned after a few minutes
interval Here also we pause that the narrative may commence in another
chapter
Chapter Eleventh
I say my lord can such a subtilty
But all his craft ye must not wot of me
And somewhat help I yet to his working
That all the ground on which we ben riding
Till that we come to Canterbury town
He can all clean turnen so up so down
And pave it all of silver and of gold
The Canons Yeomans Prologue
Canterbury Tales
The artist commenced his narrative in the following terms
»I was bred a blacksmith and knew my art as well as eer a blackthumbd
leathernaprond swartfaced knave of that noble mystery But I tired of ringing
hammertunes on iron stithies and went out into the world where I became
acquainted with a celebrated juggler whose fingers had become rather too stiff
for legerdemain and who wished to have the aid of an apprentice in his noble
mystery I served him for six years until I was master of my trade I refer
myself to your worship whose judgment cannot be disputed whether I did not
learn to ply the craft indifferently well«
»Excellently« said Tressilian »but be brief«
»It was not long after I had performed at Sir Hugh Robsarts in your
worships presence« said the artist »that I took myself to the stage and have
swaggered with the bravest of them all both at the Black Bull the Globe the
Fortune and elsewhere but I know not how apples were so plenty that year
that the lads in the twopenny gallery never took more than one bite out of
them and threw the rest of the pippin at whatever actor chanced to be on the
stage So I tired of it renounced my half share in the company gave my foil
to my comrade my buskins to the wardrobe and showed the theatre a clean pair
of heels«
»Well friend and what« said Tressilian »was your next shift«
»I became« said the smith »half partner half domestic to a man of much
skill and little substance who practised the trade of a physicianer«
»In other words« said Tressilian »you were Jack Pudding to a quacksalver«
»Something beyond that let me hope my good Master Tressilian« replied the
artist »and yet to say truth our practice was of an adventurous description
and the pharmacy which I had acquired in my first studies for the benefit of
horses was frequently applied to our human patients But the seeds of all
maladies are the same and if turpentine tar pitch and beefsuet mingled
with turmeric gummastic and one head of garlic can cure the horse that hath
been grieved with a nail I see not but what it may benefit the man that hath
been pricked with a sword But my masters practice as well as his skill went
far beyond mine and dealt in more dangerous concerns He was not only a bold
and adventurous practitioner in physic but also if your pleasure so chanced to
be an adept who read the stars and expounded the fortunes of mankind
genethliacally as he called it or otherwise He was a learned distiller of
simples and a profound chemist made several efforts to fix mercury and
judged himself to have made a fair hit at the philosophers stone I have yet a
programme of his on that subject which if your honour understandeth I believe
you have the better not only of all who read but also of him who wrote it«
He gave Tressilian a scroll of parchment bearing at top and bottom and
down the margin the signs of the seven planets curiously intermingled with
talismanical characters and scraps of Greek and Hebrew In the midst were some
Latin verses from a cabalistical author written out so fairly that even the
gloom of the place did not prevent Tressilian from reading them The tenor of
the original ran as follows
»Si fixum solvas faciasque volare solutum
Et volucrem figas facient te vivere tutum
Si pariat ventum valet auri pondere centum
Ventus ubi vult spirat Capiat qui capere potest«
»I protest to you« said Tressilian »all I understand of this jargon is that
the last words seem to mean Catch who catch can«
»That« said the smith »is the very principle that my worthy friend and
master Doctor Doboobie always acted upon until being besotted with his own
imaginations and conceited of his high chemical skill he began to spend in
cheating himself the money which he had acquired in cheating others and either
discovered or built for himself I could never know which this secret
elaboratory in which he used to seclude himself both from patients and
disciples who doubtless thought his long and mysterious absences from his
ordinary residence in the town of Farringdon were occasioned by his progress in
the mystic sciences and his intercourse with the invisible world Me also he
tried to deceive but though I contradicted him not he saw that I knew too much
of his secrets to be any longer a safe companion Meanwhile his name waxed
famous or rather infamous and many of those who resorted to him did so under
persuasion that he was a sorcerer And yet his supposed advance in the occult
sciences drew to him the secret resort of men too powerful to be named for
purposes too dangerous to be mentioned Men cursed and threatened him and
bestowed on me the innocent assistant of his studies the nickname of the
Devils footpost which procured me a volley of stones as soon as ever I
ventured to show my face in the street of the village At length my master
suddenly disappeared pretending to me that he was about to visit his
elaboratory in this place and forbidding me to disturb him till two days were
past When this period had elapsed I became anxious and resorted to this
vault where I found the fires extinguished and the utensils in confusion with
a note from the learned Doboobius as he was wont to style himself acquainting
me that we should never meet again bequeathing me his chemical apparatus and
the parchment which I have just put into your hands advising me strongly to
prosecute the secret which it contained which would infallibly lead me to the
discovery of the grand magisterium«
»And didst thou follow this sage advice« said Tressilian
»Worshipful sir no« replied the smith »for being by nature cautious and
suspicious from knowing with whom I had to do I made so many perquisitions
before I ventured even to light a fire that I at length discovered a small
barrel of gunpowder carefully hid beneath the furnace with the purpose no
doubt that as soon as I should commence the grand work of the transmutation of
metals the explosion should transmute the vault and all in it into a heap of
ruins which might serve at once for my slaughterhouse and my grave This cured
me of alchemy and fain would I have returned to the honest hammer and anvil
but who would bring a horse to be shod by the Devils post Meantime I had won
the regard of my honest Flibbertigibbet here he being then at Farringdon with
his master the sage Erasmus Holiday by teaching him a few secrets such as
please youth at his age and after much counsel together we agreed that since
I could get no practice in the ordinary way I should try how I could work out
business among these ignorant boors by practising upon their silly fears and
thanks to Flibbertigibbet who hath spread my renown I have not wanted custom
But it is won at too great risk and I fear I shall be at length taken up for a
wizard so that I seek but an opportunity to leave this vault when I can have
the protection of some worshipful person against the fury of the populace in
case they chance to recognise me«
»And art thou« said Tressilian »perfectly acquainted with the roads in
this country«
»I could ride them every inch by midnight« answered Wayland Smith which
was the name this adept had assumed
»Thou hast no horse to ride upon« said Tressilian
»Pardon me« replied Wayland »I have as good a tit as ever yeoman bestrode
and I forgot to say it was the best part of the mediciners legacy to me
excepting one or two of the choicest of his medical secrets which I picked up
without his knowledge and against his will«
»Get thyself washed and shaved then« said Tressilian »reform thy dress as
well as thou canst and fling away those grotesque trappings and so thou wilt
be secret and faithful thou shalt follow me for a short time till thy pranks
here are forgotten Thou hast I think both address and courage and I have
matter to do that may require both«
Wayland Smith eagerly embraced the proposal and protested his devotion to
his new master In a very few minutes he had made so great an alteration in his
original appearance by change of dress trimming his beard and hair and so
forth that Tressilian could not help remarking that he thought he would stand
in little need of a protector since none of his old acquaintance were likely to
recognise him
»My debtors would not pay me money« said Wayland shaking his head »but my
creditors of every kind would be less easily blinded And in truth I hold
myself not safe unless under the protection of a gentleman of birth and
character as is your worship«
So saying he led the way out of the cavern He then called loudly for
Hobgoblin who after lingering for an instant appeared with the horse
furniture when Wayland closed and sedulously covered up the trapdoor
observing it might again serve him at his need besides that the tools were
worth somewhat A whistle from the owner brought to his side a nag that fed
quietly on the common and was accustomed to the signal While he accoutred him
for the journey Tressilian drew his own girths faster and in a few minutes
both were ready to mount
At this moment Sludge approached to bid them farewell
»You are going to leave me then my old playfellow« said the boy »and
there is an end of all our game at bopeep with the cowardly lubbards whom I
brought hither to have their broadfooted nags shod by the devil and his imps«
»It is even so« said Wayland Smith »the best friends must part
Flibbertigibbet but thou my boy art the only thing in the Vale of Whitehorse
which I shall regret to leave behind me«
»Well I bid thee not farewell« said Dickie Sludge »for you will be at
these revels I judge and so shall I for if Dominie Holiday take me not
thither by the light of day which we see not in yonder dark hole I will take
myself there«
»In good time« said Wayland »but I pray you to do nought rashly«
»Nay now you would make a child a common child of me and tell me of the
risk of walking without leading strings But before you are a mile from these
stones you shall know by a sure token that I have more of the hobgoblin about
me than you credit and I will so manage that if you take advantage you may
profit by my prank«
»What dost thou mean boy« said Tressilian but Flibbertigibbet only
answered with a grin and a caper and bidding both of them farewell and at the
same time exhorting them to make the best of their way from the place he set
them the example by running homeward with the same uncommon velocity with which
he had baffled Tressilians former attempts to get hold of him
»It is in vain to chase him« said Wayland Smith »for unless your worship
is expert in larkhunting we should never catch hold of him and besides what
would it avail Better make the best of our way hence as he advises«
They mounted their horses accordingly and began to proceed at a round pace
as soon as Tressilian had explained to his guide the direction in which he
desired to travel
After they had trotted nearly a mile Tressilian could not help observing to
his companion that his horse felt more lively under him than even when he
mounted in the morning
»Are you avised of that« said Wayland Smith smiling »That is owing to a
little secret of mine I mixed that with an handful of oats which shall save
your worships heels the trouble of spurring those six hours at least Nay I
have not studied medicine and pharmacy for nought«
»I trust« said Tressilian »your drugs will do my horse no harm«
»No more than the mares milk which foaled him« answered the artist and
was proceeding to dilate on the excellence of his recipe when he was
interrupted by an explosion as loud and tremendous as the mine which blows up
the rampart of a beleaguered city The horses started and the riders were
equally surprised They turned to gaze in the direction from which the
thunderclap was heard and beheld just over the spot they had left so recently
a huge pillar of dark smoke rising high into the clear blue atmosphere »My
habitation is gone to wrack« said Wayland immediately conjecturing the cause
of the explosion »I was a fool to mention the Doctors kind intentions towards
my mansion before that limb of mischief Flibbertigibbet I might have guessed
he would long to put so rare a frolic into execution But let us hasten on for
the sound will collect the country to the spot«
So saying he spurred his horse and Tressilian also quickening his speed
they rode briskly forward
»This then was the meaning of the little imps token which he promised
us« said Tressilian »had we lingered near the spot we had found it a
lovetoken with a vengeance«
»He would have given us warning« said the smith »I saw him look back more
than once to see if we were off tis a very devil for mischief yet not an
illnatured devil either It were long to tell your honour how I became first
acquainted with him and how many tricks he played me Many a good turn he did
me too especially in bringing me customers for his great delight was to see
them sit shivering behind the bushes when they heard the click of my hammer I
think Dame Nature when she lodged a double quantity of brains in that misshapen
head of his gave him the power of enjoying other peoples distresses as she
gave them the pleasure of laughing at his ugliness«
»It may be so« said Tressilian »those who find themselves severed from
society by peculiarities of form if they do not hate the common bulk of
mankind are at least not altogether indisposed to enjoy their mishaps and
calamities«
»But Flibbertigibbet« answered Wayland »hath that about him which may
redeem his turn for mischievous frolic for he is as faithful when attached as
he is tricky and malignant to strangers and as I said before I have cause to
say so«
Tressilian pursued the conversation no farther and they continued their
journey towards Devonshire without farther adventure until they alighted at an
inn in the town of Marlborough since celebrated for having given title to the
greatest general excepting one whom Britain ever produced Here the travellers
received in the same breath an example of the truth of two old proverbs
namely that Ill news fly fast and that Listeners seldom hear a good tale of
themselves
The innyard was in a sort of combustion when they alighted insomuch that
they could scarce get man or boy to take care of their horses so full were the
whole household of some news which flew from tongue to tongue the import of
which they were for some time unable to discover At length indeed they found
it respected matters which touched them nearly
»What is the matter say you master« answered at length the head
hostler in reply to Tressilians repeated questions »Why truly I scarce
know myself But here was a rider but now who says that the devil hath flown
away with him they called Wayland Smith that wond about three miles from the
Whitehorse of Berkshire this very blessed morning in a flash of fire and a
pillar of smoke and rooted up the place he dwelt in near that old cockpit of
upright stones as cleanly as if it had all been delved up for a cropping«
»Why then« said an old farmer »the more is the pity for that Wayland
Smith whether he was the devils crony or no I skill not had a good notion of
horse diseases and its to be thought the bots will spread in the country far
and near an Satan has not gien un time to leave his secret behind un«
»You may say that Gaffer Grimesby« said the hostler in return »I have
carried a horse to Wayland Smith myself for he passed all farriers in this
country«
»Did you see him« said Dame Alison Crane mistress of the inn bearing that
sign and deigning to term husband the owner thereof a meanlooking
hopomythumb sort of person whose halting gait and long neck and meddling
henpecked insignificance are supposed to have given origin to the celebrated
old English tune of »My dame hath a lame tame Crane«
On this occasion he chirpd out a repetition of his wifes question »Didst
see the devil Jack Hostler I say«
»And what if I did see un Master Crane« replied Jack Hostler for like
all the rest of the household he paid as little respect to his master as his
mistress herself did
»Nay nought Jack Hostler« replied the pacific Master Crane »only if you
saw the devil methinks I would like to know what uns like«
»You will know that one day Master Crane« said his helpmate »an ye mend
not your manners and mind your business leaving off such idle palabras But
truly Jack Hostler I should be glad to know myself what like the fellow was«
»Why dame« said the hostler more respectfully »as for what he was like I
cannot tell nor no man else for why I never saw un«
»And how didst thou get thine errand done« said Gaffer Grimesby »if thou
seedst him not«
»Why I had schoolmaster to write down ailment o nag« said Jack Hostler
»and I went wi the ugliest slip of a boy for my guide as ever man cut out o
limetree root to please a child withal«
»And what was it and did it cure your nag Jack Hostler« was uttered
and echoed by all who stood around
»Why how can I tell you what it was« said the hostler »simply it smelled
and tasted for I did make bold to put a peas substance into my mouth like
hartshorn and savin mixed with vinegar but then no hartshorn and savin ever
wrought so speedy a cure And I am dreading that if Wayland Smith be gone the
bots will have more power over horse and cattle«
The pride of art which is certainly not inferior in its influence to any
other pride whatever here so far operated on Wayland Smith that
notwithstanding the obvious danger of his being recognised he could not help
winking to Tressilian and smiling mysteriously as if triumphing in the
undoubted evidence of his veterinary skill In the meanwhile the discourse
continued
»Een let it be so« said a grave man in black the companion of Gaffer
Grimesby »een let us perish under the evil God sends us rather than the devil
be our doctor«
»Very true« said Dame Crane »and I marvel at Jack Hostler that he would
peril his own soul to cure the bowels of a nag«
»Very true mistress« said Jack Hostler »but the nag was my masters and
had it been yours I think ye would ha held me cheap enow an I had feared the
devil when the poor beast was in such a taking For the rest let the clergy
look to it Every man to his craft says the proverb the parson to the
prayerbook and the groom to his currycomb«
»I vow« said Dame Crane »I think Jack Hostler speaks like a good Christian
and a faithful servant who will spare neither body nor soul in his masters
service However the devil has lifted him in time for a Constable of the
Hundred came hither this morning to get old Gaffer Pinniewinks the trier of
witches to go with him to the Vale of Whitehorse to comprehend Wayland Smith
and put him to his probation I helped Pinniewinks to sharpen his pincers and
his pokingawl and I saw the warrant from Justice Blindas«
»Pooh pooh the devil would laugh both at Blindas and his warrant
constable and witchfinder to boot« said Old Dame Crank the Papist laundress
»Wayland Smiths flesh would mind Pinniewinks awl no more than a cambric ruff
minds a hot piccadilloeneedle But tell me gentlefolks if the devil ever had
such a hand among ye as to snatch away your smiths and your artists from under
your nose when the good Abbots of Abingdon had their own By Our Lady no
they had their hallowed tapers and their holy water and their relics and what
not could send the foulest fiends apacking Go ask a heretic parson to do
the like But ours were a comfortable people«
»Very true Dame Crank« said the hostler »so said Simpkins of Simonburn
when the curate kissed his wife They are a comfortable people said he«
»Silence thou foulmouthed vermin« said Dame Crank »is it fit for a
heretic horseboy like thee to handle such a text as the Catholic clergy«
»In troth no dame« replied the man of oats »and as you yourself are now
no text for their handling dame whatever may have been the case in your day I
think we had een better leave un alone«
At this last exchange of sarcasm Dame Crank set up her throat and began a
horrible exclamation against Jack Hostler under cover of which Tressilian and
his attendant escaped into the house
They had no sooner entered a private chamber to which Goodman Crane himself
had condescended to usher them and despatched their worthy and obsequious host
on the errand of procuring wine and refreshment than Wayland Smith began to
give vent to his selfimportance
»You see sir« said he addressing Tressilian »that I nothing fabled in
asserting that I possessed fully the mighty mystery of a farrier or mareschal
as the French more honourably term us These dog hostlers who after all are
the better judges in such a case know what credit they should attach to my
medicaments I call you to witness worshipful Master Tressilian that nought
save the voice of calumny and the hand of malicious violence hath driven me
forth from a station in which I held a place alike useful and honoured«
»I bear witness my friend but will reserve my listening« answered
Tressilian »for a safer time unless indeed you deem it essential to your
reputation to be translated like your late dwelling by the assistance of a
flash of fire For you see your best friends reckon you no better than a mere
sorcerer«
»Now Heaven forgive them« said the artist »who confound learned skill
with unlawful magic I trust a man may be as skilful or more so than the best
chirurgeon ever meddled with horseflesh and yet may be upon the matter little
more than other ordinary men or at the worst no conjuror«
»God forbid else« said Tressilian »But be silent just for the present
since here comes mine host with an assistant who seems something of the least«
Every body about the inn Dame Crank herself included had been indeed so
interested and agitated by the story they had heard of Wayland Smith and by the
new varying and more marvellous editions of the incident which arrived from
various quarters that mine host in his righteous determination to accommodate
his guests had been able to obtain the assistance of none of his household
saving that of a little boy a junior tapster of about twelve years old who
was called Sampson
»I wish« he said apologising to his guests as he set down a flagon of
sack and promised some food immediately »I wish the devil had flown away
with my wife and my whole family instead of this Wayland Smith who I daresay
after all said and done was much less worthy of the distinction which Satan has
done him«
»I hold opinion with you good fellow« replied Wayland Smith »and I will
drink to you upon that argument«
»Not that I would justify any man who deals with the devil« said mine host
after having pledged Wayland in a rousing draught of sack »but that Saw ye
ever better sack my masters but that I say a man had better deal with a
dozen cheats and scoundrel fellows such as this Wayland Smith than with a
devil incarnate that takes possession of house and home bed and board«
The poor fellows detail of grievances was here interrupted by the shrill
voice of his helpmate screaming from the kitchen to which he instantly
hobbled craving pardon of his guests He was no sooner gone than Wayland Smith
expressed by every contemptuous epithet in the language his utter scorn for a
nincompoop who stuck his head under his wifes apronstring and intimated
that saving for the sake of the horses which required both rest and food he
would advise his worshipful Master Tressilian to push on a stage farther rather
than pay a reckoning to such a meanspirited crowtrodden henpecked coxcomb
as Gaffer Crane
The arrival of a large dish of good cowheel and bacon something soothed the
asperity of the artist which wholly vanished before a choice capon so
delicately roasted that the lard frothed on it said Wayland like Maydew on a
lily and both Gaffer Crane and his good dame became in his eyes very
painstaking accommodating obliging persons
According to the manners of the times the master and his attendant sat at
the same table and the latter observed with regret how little attention
Tressilian paid to his meal He recollected indeed the pain he had given by
mentioning the maiden in whose company he had first seen him but fearful of
touching upon a topic too tender to be tampered with he chose to ascribe his
abstinence to another cause
»This fare is perhaps too coarse for your worship« said Wayland as the
limbs of the capon disappeared before his own exertions »but had you dwelt as
long as I have done in yonder dungeon which Flibbertigibbet has translated to
the upper element a place where I dared hardly broil my food lest the smoke
should be seen without you would think a fair capon a more welcome dainty«
»If you are pleased friend« said Tressilian »it is well Nevertheless
hasten thy meal if thou canst for this place is unfriendly to thy safety and
my concerns crave travelling«
Allowing therefore their horses no more rest than was absolutely necessary
for them they pursued their journey by a forced march as far as Bradford where
they reposed themselves for the night
The next morning found them early travellers And not to fatigue the reader
with unnecessary particulars they traversed without adventure the counties of
Wiltshire and Somerset and about noon of the third day after Tressilians
leaving Cumnor arrived at Sir Hugh Robsarts seat called Lidcote Hall on the
frontiers of Devonshire
Chapter Twelfth
Ah me the flower and blossom of your house
The wind hath blown away to other towers
Joanna Baillies Family Legend
The ancient seat of Lidcote Hall was situated near the village of the same name
and adjoined the wild and extensive forest of Exmoor plentifully stocked with
game in which some ancient rights belonging to the Robsart family entitled
Sir Hugh to pursue his favourite amusement of the chase The old mansion was a
low venerable building occupying a considerable space of ground which was
surrounded by a deep moat The approach and drawbridge were defended by an
octagonal tower of ancient brickwork but so clothed with ivy and other
creepers that it was difficult to discover of what materials it was
constructed The angles of this tower were each decorated with a turret
whimsically various in form and in size and therefore very unlike the
monotonous stone pepperboxes which in modern Gothic architecture are
employed for the same purpose One of these turrets was square and occupied as
a clockhouse But the clock was now standing still a circumstance peculiarly
striking to Tressilian because the good old knight among other harmless
peculiarities had a fidgety anxiety about the exact measurement of time very
common to those who have a great deal of that commodity to dispose of and find
it lie heavy upon their hands just as we see shopkeepers amuse themselves
with taking an exact account of their stock at the time there is least demand
for it
The entrance to the courtyard of the old mansion lay through an archway
surmounted by the aforesaid tower but the drawbridge was down and one leaf of
the ironstudded foldingdoors stood carelessly open Tressilian hastily rode
over the drawbridge entered the court and began to call loudly on the
domestics by their names For some time he was only answered by the echoes and
the howling of the hounds whose kennel lay at no great distance from the
mansion and was surrounded by the same moat At length Will Badger the old and
favourite attendant of the knight who acted alike as squire of his body and
superintendent of his sports made his appearance The stout weatherbeaten
forester showed great signs of joy when he recognised Tressilian
»Lord love you« he said »Master Edmund be it thou in flesh and fell
Then thou mayest do some good on Sir Hugh for it passes the wit of man that
is of mine own and the Curates and Master Mumblazens to do aught wi un«
»Is Sir Hugh then worse since I went away Will« demanded Tressilian
»For worse in body no he is much better« replied the domestic »but he
is clean mazed as it were eats and drinks as he was wont but sleeps not or
rather wakes not for he is ever in a sort of twilight that is neither sleeping
nor waking Dame Swineford thought it was like the dead palsy But no no
dame said I it is the heart it is the heart«
»Can ye not stir his mind to any pastimes« said Tressilian
»He is clean and quite off his sports« said Will Badger »hath neither
touched backgammon or shovelboard nor looked on the big book of harrowtry wi
Master Mumblazen I let the clock run down thinking the missing the bell might
somewhat move him for you know Master Edmund he was particular in counting
time but he never said a word ont so I may een set the old chime towling
again I made bold to tread on Bungays tail too and you know what a round
rating that would ha cost me once aday but he minded the poor tykes whine
no more than a madge howlet whooping down the chimney so the case is beyond
me«
»Thou shalt tell me the rest within doors Will Meanwhile let this
person be taen to the buttery and used with respect He is a man of art«
»White art or black art I would« said Will Badger »that he had any art
which could help us Here Tom Butler look to the man of art and see that
he steals none of thy spoons lad« he added in a whisper to the butler who
showed himself at a low window »I have known as honest a faced fellow have art
enough to do that«
He then ushered Tressilian into a low parlour and went at his desire to
see in what state his master was lest the sudden return of his darling pupil
and proposed soninlaw should affect him too strongly He returned
immediately and said that Sir Hugh was dozing in his elbowchair but that
Master Mumblazen would acquaint Master Tressilian the instant he awaked
»But it is chance if he knows you« said the huntsman »for he has forgotten
the name of every hound in the pack I thought about a week since he had gotten
a favourable turn Saddle me old Sorrel said he suddenly after he had taken
his usual nightdraught out of the great silver grace cup and take the hounds
to Mount Hazelhurst tomorrow Glad men were we all and out we had him in the
morning and he rode to cover as usual with never a word spoken but that the
wind was south and the scent would lie But ere we had uncoupled the hounds he
began to stare round him like a man that wakes suddenly out of a dream turns
bridle and walks back to Hall again and leaves us to hunt at leisure by
ourselves if we listed«
»You tell a heavy tale Will« replied Tressilian »but God must help us
there is no aid in man«
»Then you bring us no news of young Mistress Amy But what need I ask
your brow tells the story Ever I hoped that if any man could or would track
her it must be you Alls over and lost now But if ever I have that Varney
within reach of a flightshot I will bestow a forked shaft on him and that I
swear by salt and bread«
As he spoke the door opened and Master Mumblazen appeared a withered
thin elderly gentleman with a cheek like a winter apple and his grey hair
partly concealed by a small high hat shaped like a cone or rather like such a
strawberrybasket as London fruiterers exhibit at their windows He was too
sententious a person to waste words on mere salutation so having welcomed
Tressilian with a nod and a shake of the hand he beckoned him to follow to Sir
Hughs great chamber which the good knight usually inhabited Will Badger
followed unasked anxious to see whether his master would be relieved from his
state of apathy by the arrival of Tressilian
In a long low parlour amply furnished with implements of the chase and
with silvan trophies by a massive stone chimney over which hung a sword and
suit of armour somewhat obscured by neglect sat Sir Hugh Robsart of Lidcote a
man of large size which had been only kept within moderate compass by the
constant use of violent exercise It seemed to Tressilian that the lethargy
under which his old friend appeared to labour had even during his few weeks
absence added bulk to his person at least it had obviously diminished the
vivacity of his eye which as they entered first followed Master Mumblazen
slowly to a large oaken desk on which a ponderous volume lay open and then
rested as if in uncertainty on the stranger who had entered along with him
The Curate a greyheaded clergyman who had been a confessor in the days of
Queen Mary sat with a book in his hand in another recess in the apartment He
too signed a mournful greeting to Tressilian and laid his book aside to watch
the effect his appearance should produce on the afflicted old man
As Tressilian his own eyes filling fast with tears approached more and
more nearly to the father of his betrothed bride Sir Hughs intelligence seemed
to revive He sighed heavily as one who awakens from a state of stupor a
slight convulsion passed over his features he opened his arms without speaking
a word and as Tressilian threw himself into them he folded him to his bosom
»There is something left to live for yet« were the first words he uttered
and while he spoke he gave vent to his feelings in a paroxysm of weeping the
tears chasing each other down his sunburnt cheeks and long white beard
»I neer thought to have thanked God to see my master weep« said Will
Badger »but now I do though I am like to weep for company«
»I will ask thee no questions« said the old knight »no questions none
Edmund thou hast not found her or so found her that she were better lost«
Tressilian was unable to reply otherwise than by putting his hands before
his face
»It is enough it is enough But do not thou weep for her Edmund I have
cause to weep for she was my daughter thou hast cause to rejoice that she
did not become thy wife Great God thou knowest best what is good for us It
was my nightly prayer that I should see Amy and Edmund wedded had it been
granted it had now been gall added to bitterness«
»Be comforted my friend« said the Curate addressing Sir Hugh »it cannot
be that the daughter of all our hopes and affections is the vile creature you
would bespeak her«
»Oh no« replied Sir Hugh impatiently »I were wrong to name broadly the
base thing she is become there is some new court name for it I warrant me It
is honour enough for the daughter of an old Denshire clown to be the leman of a
gay courtier of Varney too of Varney whose grandsire was relieved by my
father when his fortune was broken at the battle of the battle of where
Richard was slain out on my memory and I warrant none of you will help me«
»The battle of Bosworth« said Master Mumblazen »stricken between Richard
Crookback and Henry Tudor grandsire of the Queen that now is primo Henrici
Septimi and in the year one thousand four hundred and eightyfive post Christum
natum«
»Ay even so« said the old Knight »every child knows it But my poor head
forgets all it should remember and remembers only what it would most willingly
forget My brain has been at fault Tressilian almost ever since thou hast been
away and even yet it hunts counter«
»Your worship« said the good clergyman »had better retire to your
apartment and try to sleep for a little space the physician left a composing
draught and our Great Physician has commanded us to use earthly means that
we may be strengthened to sustain the trials he sends us«
»True true old friend« said Sir Hugh »and we will bear our trials
manfully We have lost but a woman See Tressilian« he drew from his bosom
a long ringlet of fair hair »see this lock I tell thee Edmund the very
night she disappeared when she bid me good even as she was wont she hung
about my neck and fondled me more than usual and I like an old fool held her
by this lock until she took her scissors severed it and left it in my hand
as all I was ever to see more of her«
Tressilian was unable to reply well judging what a complication of feelings
must have crossed the bosom of the unhappy fugitive at that cruel moment The
clergyman was about to speak but Sir Hugh interrupted him
»I know what you would say Master Curate after all it is but a lock of
womans tresses and by woman shame and sin and death came into an
innocent world And learned Master Mumblazen too can say scholarly things of
their inferiority«
»Cest lhomme« said Master Mumblazen »qui se bast et qui conseille«
»True« said Sir Hugh »and we will bear us therefore like men who have
both mettle and wisdom in us Tressilian thou art as welcome as if thou hadst
brought better news But we have spoken too long drylipped Amy fill a cup
of wine to Edmund and another to me« Then instantly recollecting that he had
called upon her who could not hear he shook his head and said to the
clergyman »This grief is to my bewildered mind what the Church of Lidcote is to
our park we may lose ourselves among the briars and thickets for a little
space but from the end of each avenue we see the old grey steeple and the grave
of my forefathers I would I were to travel that road tomorrow«
Tressilian and the Curate joined in urging the exhausted old man to lay
himself to rest and at length prevailed Tressilian remained by his pillow till
he saw that slumber at length sunk down on him and then returned to consult
with the Curate what steps should be adopted in these unhappy circumstances
They could not exclude from these deliberations Master Michael Mumblazen
and they admitted him the more readily that besides what hopes they entertained
from his sagacity they knew him to be so great a friend to taciturnity that
there was no doubt of his keeping counsel He was an old bachelor of good
family but small fortune and distantly related to the House of Robsart in
virtue of which connection Lidcote Hall had been honoured with his residence
for the last twenty years His company was agreeable to Sir Hugh chiefly on
account of his profound learning which though it only related to heraldry and
genealogy with such scraps of history as connected themselves with these
subjects was precisely of a kind to captivate the good old knight besides the
convenience which he found in having a friend to appeal to when his own memory
as frequently happened proved infirm and played him false concerning names and
dates which and all similar deficiencies Master Michael Mumblazen supplied
with due brevity and discretion And indeed in matters concerning the modern
world he often gave in his enigmatical and heraldic phrase advice which was
well worth attending to or in Will Badgers language started the game while
others beat the bush
»We have had an unhappy time of it with the good Knight Master Edmund«
said the Curate »I have not suffered so much since I was torn away from my
beloved flock and compelled to abandon them to the Romish wolves«
»That was in Tertio Mariæ« said Master Mumblazen
»In the name of Heaven« continued the Curate »tell us has your time been
better spent than ours or have you any news of that unhappy maiden who being
for so many years the principal joy of this brokendown house is now proved our
greatest unhappiness Have you not at least discovered her place of residence«
»I have« replied Tressilian »Know you Cumnor Place near Oxford«
»Surely« said the clergyman »it was a house of removal for the monks of
Abingdon«
»Whose arms« said Master Michael »I have seen over a stone chimney in the
hall a cross patonee betwixt four martlets«
»There« said Tressilian »this unhappy maiden resides in company with the
villain Varney But for a strange mishap my sword had revenged all our
injuries as well as hers on his worthless head«
»Thank God that kept thine hand from bloodguiltiness rash young man«
answered the Curate »Vengeance is mine saith the Lord and I will repay it It
were better study to free her from the villains nets of infamy«
»They are called in heraldry laquei amoris or lacs damour« said
Mumblazen
»It is in that I require your aid my friends« said Tressilian »I am
resolved to accuse this villain at the very foot of the throne of falsehood
seduction and breach of hospitable laws The Queen shall hear me though the
Earl of Leicester the villains patron stood at her right hand«
»Her Grace« said the Curate »hath set a comely example of continence to
her subjects and will doubtless do justice on this inhospitable robber But
wert thou not better apply to the Earl of Leicester in the first place for
justice on his servant If he grants it thou dost save the risk of making
thyself a powerful adversary which will certainly chance if in the first
instance, you accuse his master of the horse and prime favourite before the
Queen«
»My mind revolts from your counsel« said Tressilian »I cannot brook to
plead my noble patrons cause the unhappy Amys cause before any one save my
lawful Sovereign Leicester thou wilt say is noble be it so he is but a
subject like ourselves and I will not carry my plaint to him if I can do
better Still I will think on what thou hast said but I must have your
assistance to persuade the good Sir Hugh to make me his commissioner and
fiduciary in this matter for it is in his name I must speak and not in my own
Since she is so far changed as to dote upon this empty profligate courtier he
shall at least do her the justice which is yet in his power«
»Better she died coelebs and sine prole« said Mumblazen with more
animation than he usually expressed »than part per pale the noble coat of
Robsart with that of such a miscreant«
»If it be your object as I cannot question« said the clergyman »to save
as much as is yet possible the credit of this unhappy young woman I repeat
you should apply in the first instance, to the Earl of Leicester He is as
absolute in his household as the Queen in her kingdom and if he expresses to
Varney that such is his pleasure her honour will not stand so publicly
committed«
»You are right you are right« said Tressilian eagerly »and I thank you
for pointing out what I overlooked in my haste I little thought ever to have
besought grace of Leicester but I could kneel to the proud Dudley if doing so
could remove one shade of shame from this unhappy damsel You will assist me
then to procure the necessary powers from Sir Hugh Robsart«
The Curate assured him of his assistance and the herald nodded assent
»You must hold yourselves also in readiness to testify in case you are
called upon the openhearted hospitality which our good patron exercised
towards this deceitful traitor and the solicitude with which he laboured to
seduce his unhappy daughter«
»At first« said the clergyman »she did not as it seemed to me much
affect his company but latterly I saw them often together«
»Seiant in the parlour« said Michael Mumblazen »and passant in the
garden«
»I once came on them by chance« said the priest »in the South wood in a
spring evening Varney was muffled in a russet cloak so that I saw not his
face they separated hastily as they heard me rustle amongst the leaves and
I observed she turned her head and looked long after him«
»With neck reguardant« said the herald »and on the day of her flight and
that was on Saint Austens Eve I saw Varneys groom attired in his liveries
hold his masters horse and Mistress Amys palfrey bridled and saddled proper
behind the wall of the churchyard«
»And now is she found mewed up in his secret place of retirement« said
Tressilian »The villain is taken in the manner and I well wish he may deny his
crime that I may thrust conviction down his false throat But I must prepare
for my journey Do you gentlemen dispose my patron to grant me such powers as
are needful to act in his name«
So saying Tressilian left the room
»He is too hot« said the Curate »and I pray to God that he may grant him
the patience to deal with Varney as is fitting«
»Patience and Varney« said Mumblazen »is worse heraldry than metal upon
metal He is more false than a siren more rapacious than a griffin more
poisonous than a wyvern and more cruel than a lion rampant«
»Yet I doubt much« said the Curate »whether we can with all right ask from
Sir Hugh Robsart being in his present condition any deed deputing his paternal
right in Mistress Amy to whomsoever«
»Your reverence need not doubt that« said Will Badger who entered as he
spoke »for I will lay my life he is another man when he wakes than he has been
these thirty days past«
»Ay Will« said the Curate »hast thou then so much confidence in Doctor
Diddleums draught«
»Not a whit« said Will »because master neer tasted a drop ont seeing it
was emptied out by the housemaid But heres a gentleman who came attending on
Master Tressilian has given Sir Hugh a draught that is worth twenty of yon un
I have spoken cunningly with him and a better farrier or one who hath a more
just notion of horse and dog ailment I have never seen and such a one would
never be unjust to a Christian man«
»A farrier you saucy groom And by whose authority pray« said the
Curate rising in surprise and indignation »or who will be warrant for this new
physician«
»For authority an it like your reverence he had mine and for warrant I
trust I have not been fiveandtwenty years in this house without having right
to warrant the giving of a draught to beast or body I who can gie a drench and
a ball and bleed or blister if need to my very self«
The counsellors of the house of Robsart thought it meet to carry this
information instantly to Tressilian who as speedily summoned before him Wayland
Smith and demanded of him in private however by what authority he had
ventured to administer any medicine to Sir Hugh Robsart
»Why« replied the artist »your worship cannot but remember that I told you
I had made more progress into my masters I mean the learned Doctor Doboobies
mystery than he was willing to own and indeed half of his quarrel and malice
against me was that besides that I got something too deep into his secrets
several discerning persons and particularly a buxom young widow of Abingdon
preferred my prescriptions to his«
»None of thy buffoonery sir« said Tressilian sternly »If thou hast
trifled with us much more if thou hast done aught that may prejudice Sir Hugh
Robsarts health thou shalt find thy grave at the bottom of a tinmine«
»I know too little of the great arcanum to convert the ore to gold« said
Wayland firmly »But truce to your apprehensions Master Tressilian I
understood the good Knights case from what Master William Badger told me and
I hope I am able enough to administer a poor dose of mandragorn which with the
sleep that must needs follow is all that Sir Hugh Robsart requires to settle
his distraught brains«
»I trust thou dealest fairly with me Wayland« said Tressilian
»Most fairly and honestly as the event shall show« replied the artist
»What would it avail me to harm the poor old man for whom you are interested
you to whom I owe it that Gaffer Pinniewinks is not even now rending my flesh
and sinews with his accursed pincers and probing every mole in my body with his
sharpened awl a murrain on the hands which forged it in order to find out the
witchs mark I trust to yoke myself as a humble follower to your worships
train and I only wish to have my faith judged of by the result of the good
Knights slumbers«
Wayland Smith was right in his prognostication The sedative draught which
his skill had prepared and Will Badgers confidence had administered was
attended with the most beneficial effects The patients sleep was long and
healthful and the poor old knight awoke humbled indeed in thought and weak in
frame yet a much better judge of whatever was subjected to his intellect than
he had been for some time past He resisted for a while the proposal made by his
friends that Tressilian should undertake a journey to court to attempt the
recovery of his daughter and the redress of her wrongs in so far as they might
yet be repaired »Let her go« he said »she is but a hawk that goes down the
wind I would not bestow even a whistle to reclaim her« But though he for some
time maintained this argument he was at length convinced it was his duty to
take the part to which natural affection inclined him and consent that such
efforts as could yet be made should be used by Tressilian in behalf of his
daughter He subscribed therefore a warrant of attorney such as the Curates
skill enabled him to draw up for in those simple days the clergy were often the
advisers of their flock in law as well as in gospel
All matters were prepared for Tressilians second departure within
twentyfour hours after he had returned to Lidcote Hall but one material
circumstance had been forgotten which was first called to the remembrance of
Tressilian by Master Mumblazen »You are going to court Master Tressilian«
said he »you will please remember that your blazonry must be argent and or
no other tinctures will pass current« The remark was equally just and
embarrassing To prosecute a suit at court ready money was as indispensable
even in the golden days of Elizabeth as at any succeeding period and it was a
commodity little at the command of the inhabitants of Lidcote Hall Tressilian
was himself poor the revenues of good Sir Hugh Robsart were consumed and even
anticipated in his hospitable mode of living and it was finally necessary that
the herald who started the doubt should himself solve it Master Michael
Mumblazen did so by producing a bag of money containing nearly three hundred
pounds in gold and silver of various coinage the savings of twenty years which
he now without speaking a syllable upon the subject dedicated to the service
of the patron whose shelter and protection had given him the means of making
this little hoard Tressilian accepted it without affecting a moments
hesitation and a mutual grasp of the hand was all that passed betwixt them to
express the pleasure which the one felt in dedicating his all to such a purpose
and that which the other received from finding so material an obstacle to the
success of his journey so suddenly removed and in a manner so unexpected
While Tressilian was making preparations for his departure early the ensuing
morning Wayland Smith desired to speak with him and expressing his hope that
he had been pleased with the operation of his medicine in behalf of Sir Hugh
Robsart added his desire to accompany him to court This was indeed what
Tressilian himself had several times thought of for the shrewdness alertness
of understanding and variety of resource which this fellow had exhibited
during the time they had travelled together had made him sensible that his
assistance might be of importance But then Wayland was in danger from the grasp
of law and of this Tressilian reminded him mentioning something at the same
time of the pincers of Pinniewinks and the warrant of Master Justice Blindas
Wayland Smith laughed both to scorn
»See you sir« said he »I have changed my garb from that of a farrier to a
servingman but were it still as it was look at my mustaches they now hang
down I will but turn them up and dye them with a tincture that I know of and
the devil will scarce know me again«
He accompanied these words with the appropriate action and in less than a
minute by setting up his mustaches and his hair he seemed a different person
from him that had but now entered the room Still however Tressilian hesitated
to accept his services and the artist became proportionably urgent
»I owe you life and limb« he said »and I would fain pay a part of the
debt especially as I know from Will Badger on what dangerous service your
worship is bound I do not indeed pretend to be what is called a man of
mettle one of those ruffling tearcats who maintain their masters quarrel
with sword and buckler Nay I am even one of those who hold the end of a feast
better than the beginning of a fray But I know that I can serve your worship
better in such quest as yours than any of these swordanddagger men and that
my head will be worth an hundred of their hands«
Tressilian still hesitated He knew not much of this strange fellow and was
doubtful how far he could repose in him the confidence necessary to render him a
useful attendant upon the present emergency Ere he had come to a determination
the trampling of a horse was heard in the courtyard and Master Mumblazen and
Will Badger both entered hastily into Tressilians chamber speaking almost at
the same moment
»Here is a servingman on the bonniest grey tit I ever seed in my life«
said Will Badger who got the start »having on his arm a silver cognisance
being a firedrake holding in his mouth a brickbat under a coronet of an
Earls degree« said Master Mumblazen »and bearing a letter sealed of the
same«
Tressilian took the letter which was addressed »To the worshipful Master
Edmund Tressilian our loving kinsman These ride ride ride for thy life
for thy life for thy life« He then opened it and found the following
contents
»Master Tressilian our
good Friend and Cousin
We are at present so ill at ease and otherwise so unhappily
circumstanced that we are desirous to have around us those of our
friends on whose loving kindness we can most especially repose
confidence amongst whom we hold our good Master Tressilian one of the
foremost and nearest both in good will and good ability We therefore
pray you with your most convenient speed to repair to our poor
lodging at Says Court near Deptford where we will treat farther with
you of matters which we deem it not fit to commit unto writing And so
we bid you heartily farewell being your loving kinsman to command
RATCLIFFE EARL OF SUSSEX«
»Send up the messenger instantly Will Badger« said Tressilian and as the man
entered the room he exclaimed »Aha Stevens is it you how does my good
lord«
»Ill Master Tressilian« was the messengers reply »and having therefore
the more need of good friends around him«
»But what is my lords malady« said Tressilian anxiously »I heard nothing
of his being ill«
»I know not sir« replied the man »he is very ill at ease The leeches are
at a stand and many of his household suspect foul practice witchcraft or
worse«
»What are the symptoms« said Wayland Smith stepping forward hastily
»Anan« said the messenger not comprehending his meaning
»What does he ail« said Wayland »where lies his disease«
The man looked at Tressilian as if to know whether he should answer these
inquiries from a stranger and receiving a sign in the affirmative he hastily
enumerated gradual loss of strength nocturnal perspiration and loss of
appetite faintness etc
»Joined« said Wayland »to a gnawing pain in the stomach and a low fever«
»Even so« said the messenger somewhat surprised
»I know how the disease is caused« said the artist »and I know the cause
Your master has eaten of the manna of Saint Nicholas I know the cure too my
master shall not say I studied in his laboratory for nothing«
»How mean you« said Tressilian frowning »we speak of one of the first
nobles of England Bethink you this is no subject for buffoonery«
»God forbid« said Wayland Smith »I say that I know his disease and can
cure him Remember what I did for Sir Hugh Robsart«
»We will set forth instantly« said Tressilian »God calls us«
Accordingly hastily mentioning this new motive for his instant departure
though without alluding to either the suspicions of Stevens or the assurances of
Wayland Smith he took the kindest leave of Sir Hugh and the family at Lidcote
Hall who accompanied him with prayers and blessings and attended by Wayland
and the Earl of Sussexs domestic travelled with the utmost speed towards
London
Chapter Thirteenth
Ay I know you have arsenic
Vitriol saltartre argaile alkaly
Cinoper I know all This fellow Captain
Will come in time to be a great distiller
And give a say I will not say directly
But very near at the philosophers stone
The Alchemist
Tressilian and his attendants pressed their route with all despatch He had
asked the smith indeed when their departure was resolved on whether he would
not rather choose to avoid Berkshire in which he had played a part so
conspicuous But Wayland returned a confident answer He had employed the short
interval they passed at Lidcote Hall in transforming himself in a wonderful
manner His wild and overgrown thicket of beard was now restrained to two small
mustaches on the upper lip turned up in a military fashion A tailor from the
village of Lidcote well paid had exerted his skill under his customers
directions so as completely to alter Waylands outward man and take off from
his appearance almost twenty years of age Formerly besmeared with soot and
charcoal overgrown with hair and bent double with the nature of his labour
disfigured too by his odd and fantastic dress he seemed a man of fifty years
old But now in a handsome suit of Tressilians livery with a sword by his
side and a buckler on his shoulder he looked like a gay ruffling servingman
whose age might be betwixt thirty and thirtyfive the very prime of human life
His loutish savagelooking demeanour seemed equally changed into a forward
sharp and impudent alertness of look and action
When challenged by Tressilian who desired to know the cause of a
metamorphosis so singular and so absolute Wayland only answered by singing a
stave from a comedy which was then new and was supposed among the more
favourable judges to augur some genius on the part of the author We are happy
to preserve the couplet which ran exactly thus
»Ban ban ca Caliban
Get a new master Be a new man«
Although Tressilian did not recollect the verses yet they reminded him that
Wayland had once been a stageplayer a circumstance which of itself accounted
indifferently well for the readiness with which he could assume so total a
change of personal appearance The artist himself was so confident of his
disguise being completely changed or of his having completely changed his
disguise which may be the more correct mode of speaking that he regretted they
were not to pass near his old place of retreat
»I could venture« he said »in my present dress and with your worships
backing to face Master Justice Blindas even on a day of Quarter Sessions and
I would like to know what is become of Hobgoblin who is like to play the devil
in the world if he can once slip the string and leave his granny and his
Dominie Ay and the scathed vault« he said »I would willingly have seen what
havoc the explosion of so much gunpowder has made among Doctor Demetrius
Doboobies retorts and phials I warrant me my fame haunts the Vale of the
Whitehorse long after my body is rotten and that many a lout ties up his horse
lays down his silver groat and pipes like a sailor whistling in a calm for
Wayland Smith to come and shoe his tit for him But the horse will catch the
founders ere the smith answers the call«
In this particular indeed Wayland proved a true prophet and so easily do
fables rise that an obscure tradition of his extraordinary practice in farriery
prevails in the Vale of Whitehorse even unto this day and neither the tradition
of Alfreds Victory nor of the celebrated Pusey Horn are better preserved in
Berkshire than the wild legend of Wayland Smith10
The haste of the travellers admitted their making no stay upon their
journey save what the refreshment of the horses required and as many of the
places through which they passed were under the influence of the Earl of
Leicester or persons immediately dependent on him they thought it prudent to
disguise their names and the purpose of their journey On such occasions the
agency of Wayland Smith by which name we shall continue to distinguish the
artist though his real name was Lancelot Wayland was extremely serviceable He
seemed indeed to have a pleasure in displaying the alertness with which he
could baffle investigation and amuse himself by putting the curiosity of
tapsters and innkeepers on a false scent During the course of their brief
journey three different and inconsistent reports were circulated by him on
their account namely first that Tressilian was the Lord Deputy of Ireland
come over in disguise to take the Queens pleasure concerning the great rebel
Rory Oge MacCarthy MacMahon secondly that the said Tressilian was an agent of
Monsieur coming to urge his suit to the hand of Elizabeth thirdly that he was
the Duke of Medina come over incognito to adjust the quarrel betwixt Philip
and that Princess
Tressilian was angry and expostulated with the artist on the various
inconveniences and in particular the unnecessary degree of attention to which
they were subjected by the figments he thus circulated but he was pacified for
who could be proof against such an argument by Waylands assuring him that a
general importance was attached to his own Tressilians striking presence
which rendered it necessary to give an extraordinary reason for the rapidity and
secrecy of his journey
At length they approached the metropolis where owing to the more general
recourse of strangers their appearance excited neither observation nor inquiry
and finally they entered London itself
It was Tressilians purpose to go down directly to Deptford where Lord
Sussex resided in order to be near the court then held at Greenwich the
favourite residence of Elizabeth and honoured as her birthplace Still a brief
halt in London was necessary and it was somewhat prolonged by the earnest
entreaties of Wayland Smith who desired permission to take a walk through the
city
»Take thy sword and buckler and follow me then« said Tressilian »I am
about to walk myself and we will go in company«
This he said because he was not altogether so secure of the fidelity of his
new retainer as to lose sight of him at this interesting moment when rival
factions at the court of Elizabeth were running so high Wayland Smith willingly
acquiesced in the precaution of which he probably conjectured the motive but
only stipulated that his master should enter the shops of such chemists or
apothecaries as he should point out in walking through Fleet Street and permit
him to make some necessary purchases Tressilian agreed and obeying the signal
of his attendant walked successively into more than four or five shops where
he observed that Wayland purchased in each only one single drug in various
quantities The medicines which he first asked for were readily furnished each
in succession but those which he afterwards required were less easily supplied
and Tressilian observed that Wayland more than once to the surprise of the
shopkeeper returned the gum or herb that was offered to him and compelled him
to exchange it for the right sort or else went on to seek it elsewhere But one
ingredient in particular seemed almost impossible to be found Some chemists
plainly admitted they had never seen it others denied that such a drug
existed excepting in the imagination of crazy alchemists and most of them
attempted to satisfy their customer by producing some substitute which when
rejected by Wayland as not being what he had asked for they maintained
possessed in a superior degree the selfsame qualities In general they all
displayed some curiosity concerning the purpose for which he wanted it One old
meagre chemist to whom the artist put the usual question in terms which
Tressilian neither understood nor could recollect answered frankly there was
none of that drug in London unless Yoglan the Jew chanced to have some of it
upon hand
»I thought as much« said Wayland And as soon as they left the shop he
said to Tressilian »I crave your pardon sir but no artist can work without
his tools I must needs go to this Yoglans and I promise you that if this
detains you longer than your leisure seems to permit you shall nevertheless
be well repaid by the use I will make of this rare drug Permit me« he added
»to walk before you for we are now to quit the broad street and we will make
double speed if I lead the way«
Tressilian acquiesced and following the smith down a lane which turned to
the left hand towards the river he found that his guide walked on with great
speed and apparently perfect knowledge of the town through a labyrinth of
bystreets courts and blind alleys until at length Wayland paused in the
midst of a very narrow lane the termination of which showed a peep of the
Thames looking misty and muddy which background was crossed saltierwise as Mr
Mumblazen might have said by the masts of two lighters that lay waiting for the
tide The shop under which he halted had not as in modern days a glazed window
but a paltry canvas screen surrounded such a stall as a cobbler now occupies
having the front open much in the manner of a fishmongers booth of the present
day A little old smockfaced man the very reverse of a Jew in complexion for
he was very softhaired as well as beardless appeared and with many courtesies
asked Wayland what he pleased to want He had no sooner named the drug than the
Jew started and looked surprised »And vat might your worship vant with that
drug which is not named mein God in forty years as I have been chemist here«
»These questions it is no part of my commission to answer« said Wayland »I
only wish to know if you have what I want and having it are willing to sell
it«
»Ay mein God for having it that I have and for selling it I am a
chemist and sell every drug« So saying he exhibited a powder and then
continued »But it will cost much moneys Vat I ave cost its weight in gold
ay gold well refined I vill say six times It comes from Mount Sinai where
we had our blessed Law given forth and the plant blossoms but once in one
hundred year«
»I do not know how often it is gathered on Mount Sinai« said Wayland after
looking at the drug offered him with great disdain »but I will wager my sword
and buckler against your gaberdine that this trash you offer me instead of
what I asked for may be had for gathering any day of the week in the
castleditch of Aleppo«
»You are a rude man« said the Jew »and besides I ave no better than that
or if I ave I will not sell it without order of a physician or without you
tell me vat you make of it«
The artist made brief answer in a language of which Tressilian could not
understand a word and which seemed to strike the Jew with the utmost
astonishment He stared upon Wayland like one who has suddenly recognised some
mighty hero or dreaded potentate in the person of an unknown and unmarked
stranger »Holy Elias« he exclaimed when he had recovered the first stunning
effects of his surprise and then passing from his former suspicious and surly
manner to the very extremity of obsequiousness he cringed low to the artist
and besought him to enter his poor house to bless his miserable threshold by
crossing it
»Vill you not taste a cup vith the poor Jew Zacharias Yoglan Vill you
Tokay ave vill you Lachrymæ taste vill you«
»You offend in your proffers« said Wayland »minister to me in what I
require of you and forbear further discourse«
The rebuked Israelite took his bunch of keys and opening with
circumspection a cabinet which seemed more strongly secured than the other cases
of drugs and medicines amongst which it stood he drew out a little secret
drawer having a glass lid and containing a small portion of a black powder
This he offered to Wayland his manner conveying the deepest devotion towards
him though an avaricious and jealous expression which seemed to grudge every
grain of which his customer was about to possess himself disputed ground in his
countenance with the obsequious deference which he desired it should exhibit
»Have you scales« said Wayland
The Jew pointed to those which lay ready for common use in the shop but he
did so with a puzzled expression of doubt and fear which did not escape the
artist
»They must be other than these« said Wayland sternly »know you not that
holy things lose their virtue if weighed in an unjust balance«
The Jew hung his head took from a steelplated casket a pair of scales
beautifully mounted and said as he adjusted them for the artists use »With
these I do mine own experiment one hair of the highpriests beard would turn
them«
»It suffices« said the artist and weighed out two drachms for himself of
the black powder which he very carefully folded up and put into his pouch with
the other drugs He then demanded the price of the Jew who answered shaking
his head and bowing
»No price no nothing at all from such as you But you will see the poor
Jew again you will look into his laboratory where God help him he hath dried
himself to the substance of the withered gourd of Jonah the holy prophet You
vill ave pity on him and show him one little step on the great road«
»Hush« said Wayland laying his finger mysteriously on his mouth »it may
be we shall meet again thou hast already the Schahmajm as thine own Rabbis
call it the general creation watch therefore and pray for thou must attain
the knowledge of Alchahest Elixir Samech ere I may commune farther with thee«
Then returning with a slight nod the reverential congees of the Jew he walked
gravely up the lane followed by his master whose first observation on the
scene he had just witnessed was that Wayland ought to have paid the man for his
drug whatever it was
»I pay him« said the artist »may the foul fiend pay me if I do Had it
not been that I thought it might displease your worship I would have had an
ounce or two of gold out of him in exchange for the same just weight of
brickdust«
»I advise you to practise no such knavery while waiting upon me« said
Tressilian
»Did I not say« answered the artist »that for that reason alone I forbore
him for the present Knavery call you it why yonder wretched skeleton
hath wealth sufficient to pave the whole lane he lives in with dollars and
scarce miss them out of his own iron chest yet he goes mad after the
philosophers stone and besides he would have cheated a poor servingman as
he thought me at first with trash that was not worth a penny Match for match
quoth the devil to the collier if his false medicine was worth my good crowns
my true brickdust is as well worth his good gold«
»It may be so for aught I know« said Tressilian »in dealing amongst Jews
and apothecaries but understand that to have such tricks of legerdemain
practised by one attending on me diminishes my honour and that I will not
permit them I trust thou hast made up thy purchases«
»I have sir« replied Wayland »and with these drugs will I this very day
compound the true orvietan that noble medicine which is so seldom found genuine
and effective within these realms of Europe for want of that most rare and
precious drug which I got but now from Yoglan«11
»But why not have made all your purchases at one shop« said his master »we
have lost nearly an hour in running from one pounder of simples to another«
»Content you sir« said Wayland »No man shall learn my secret and it
would not be mine long were I to buy all my materials from one chemist«
They now returned to their inn the famous BellSavage and while the Lord
Sussexs servant prepared the horses for their journey Wayland obtaining from
the cook the service of a mortar shut himself up in a private chamber where he
mixed pounded and amalgamated the drugs which he had bought each in its own
proportion with a readiness and address that plainly showed him well practised
in all the manual operations of pharmacy
By the time Waylands electuary was prepared the horses were ready and a
short hours riding brought them to the present habitation of Lord Sussex an
ancient house called Says Court near Deptford which had long pertained to a
family of that name but had for upwards of a century been possessed by the
ancient and honourable family of Evelyn The present representative of that
ancient house took a deep interest in the Earl of Sussex and had willingly
accommodated both him and his numerous retinue in his hospitable mansion Says
Court was afterwards the residence of the celebrated Mr Evelyn whose Silva is
still the manual of British planters and whose life manners and principles
as illustrated in his Memoirs ought equally to be the manual of English
gentlemen
Chapter Fourteenth
This is rare news thou tellst me my good fellow
There are two bulls fierce battling on the green
For one fair heifer if the one goes down
The dale will be more peaceful and the herd
Which have small interest in their brulziement
May pasture there in peace
Old Play
Says Court was watched like a beleaguered fort and so high rose the suspicions
of the time that Tressilian and his attendants were stopped and questioned
repeatedly by sentinels both on foot and horseback as they approached the
abode of the sick Earl In truth the high rank which Sussex held in Queen
Elizabeths favour and his known and avowed rivalry of the Earl of Leicester
caused the utmost importance to be attached to his welfare for at the period
we treat of all men doubted whether he or the Earl of Leicester might
ultimately have the higher rank in her regard
Elizabeth like many of her sex was fond of governing by factions so as to
balance two opposing interests and reserve in her own hand the power of making
either predominate as the interest of the state or perhaps as her own female
caprice for to that foible even she was not superior might finally determine
To finesse to hold the cards to oppose one interest to another to bridle
him who thought himself highest in her esteem by the fears he must entertain of
another equally trusted if not equally beloved were arts which she used
throughout her reign and which enabled her though frequently giving way to the
weakness of favouritism to prevent most of its evil effects on her kingdom and
government
The two nobles who at present stood as rivals in her favour possessed very
different pretensions to share it yet it might be in general said that the
Earl of Sussex had been most serviceable to the Queen while Leicester was most
dear to the woman Sussex was according to the phrase of the times a
martialist had done good service in Ireland and in Scotland and especially in
the great northern rebellion in 1569 which was quelled in a great measure by
his military talents He was therefore naturally surrounded and looked up to by
whose who wished to make arms their road to distinction The Earl of Sussex
moreover was of more ancient and honourable descent than his rival uniting in
his person the representation of the FitzWalters as well as of the Ratcliffes
while the scutcheon of Leicester was stained by the degradation of his
grandfather the oppressive minister of Henry VII and scarce improved by that
of his father the unhappy Dudley Duke of Northumberland executed on Tower
Hill August 22 1553 But in person features and address weapons so
formidable in the court of a female sovereign Leicester had advantages more
than sufficient to counterbalance the military services high blood and frank
bearing of the Earl of Sussex and he bore in the eye of the court and kingdom
the higher share in Elizabeths favour though for such was her uniform policy
by no means so decidedly expressed as to warrant him against the final
preponderance of his rivals pretensions The illness of Sussex therefore
happened so opportunely for Leicester as to give rise to strange surmises among
the public while the followers of the one Earl were filled with the deepest
apprehensions and those of the other with the highest hopes of its probable
issue Meanwhile for in that old time men never forgot the probability that
the matter might be determined by length of sword the retainers of each noble
flocked around their patron appeared well armed in the vicinity of the court
itself and disturbed the ear of the sovereign by their frequent and alarming
debates held even within the precincts of her palace This preliminary
statement is necessary to render what follows intelligible to the reader12
On Tressilians arrival at Says Court he found the place filled with the
retainers of the Earl of Sussex and of the gentlemen who came to attend their
patron in his illness Arms were in every hand and a deep gloom on every
countenance as if they had apprehended an immediate and violent assault from
the opposite faction In the hall however to which Tressilian was ushered by
one of the Earls attendants while another went to inform Sussex of his
arrival he found only two gentlemen in waiting There was a remarkable contrast
in their dress appearance and manners The attire of the elderly gentleman a
person as it seemed of quality and in the prime of life was very plain and
soldierlike his stature low his limbs stout his bearing ungraceful and his
features of that kind which express sound common sense without a grain of
vivacity or imagination The younger who seemed about twenty or upwards was
clad in the gayest habit used by persons of quality at the period wearing a
crimson velvet cloak richly ornamented with lace and embroidery with a bonnet
of the same encircled with a gold chain turned three times round it and
secured by a medal His hair was adjusted very nearly like that of some fine
gentlemen of our own time that is it was combed upwards and made to stand as
it were on end and in his ears he wore a pair of silver earrings having each
a pearl of considerable size The countenance of this youth besides being
regularly handsome and accompanied by a fine person was animated and striking
in a degree that seemed to speak at once the firmness of a decided and the fire
of an enterprising character the power of reflection and the promptitude of
determination
Both these gentlemen reclined nearly in the same posture on benches near
each other but each seemed engaged in his own meditations looked straight upon
the wall which was opposite to them without speaking to his companion The looks
of the elder were of that sort which convinced the beholder that in looking on
the wall he saw no more than the side of an old hall hung around with cloaks
antlers bucklers old pieces of armour partisans and the similar articles
which were usually the furniture of such a place The look of the younger
gallant had in it something imaginative he was sunk in reverie and it seemed
as if the empty space of air betwixt him and the wall were the stage of a
theatre on which his fancy was mustering his own dramatis personæ and treated
him with sights far different from those which his awakened and earthly vision
could have offered
At the entrance of Tressilian both started from their musing and bade him
welcome the younger in particular with great appearance of animation and
cordiality
»Thou art welcome Tressilian« said the youth »thy philosophy stole thee
from us when this household had objects of ambition to offer it is an honest
philosophy since it returns thee to us when there are only dangers to be
shared«
»Is my lord then so dangerously indisposed« said Tressilian
»We fear the very worst« answered the elder gentleman »and by the worst
practice«
»Fie« replied Tressilian »my Lord of Leicester is honourable«
»What doth he with such attendants then as he hath about him« said the
younger gallant »The man who raises the devil may be honest but he is
answerable for the mischief which the fiend does for all that«
»And is this all that are of you my mates« said Tressilian »that are
about my lord in his utmost straits«
»No no« replied the elder gentleman »there are Tracy Markham and
several more but we keep watch here by two at once and some are weary and are
sleeping in the gallery above«
»And some« said the young man »are gone down to the Dock yonder at
Deptford to look out such a hulk as they may purchase by clubbing their broken
fortunes and so soon as all is over we will lay our noble lord in a noble
green grave have a blow at those who have hurried him thither if opportunity
suits and then sail for the Indies with heavy hearts and light purses«
»It may be« said Tressilian »that I will embrace the same purpose so soon
as I have settled some business at court«
»Thou business at court« they both exclaimed at once »and thou make the
Indian voyage«
»Why Tressilian« said the younger man »art thou not wedded and beyond
these flaws of fortune that drive folks out to sea when their bark bears
fairest for the haven What has become of the lovely Indamira that was to
match my Amoret for truth and beauty«
»Speak not of her« said Tressilian averting his face
»Ay stands it so with you« said the youth taking his hand very
affectionately »then fear not I will again touch the green wound But it is
strange as well as sad news Are none of our fair and merry fellowship to escape
shipwreck of fortune and happiness in this sudden tempest I had hoped thou wert
in harbour at least my dear Edmund But truly says another dear friend of
thy name
What man that sees the ever whirling wheel
Of Chance the which all mortal things doth sway
But that thereby doth find and plainly feel
How Mutability in them doth play
Her cruel sports to many mens decay«
The elder gentleman had risen from his bench and was pacing the hall with some
impatience while the youth with much earnestness and feeling recited these
lines When he had done the other wrapped himself in his cloak and again
stretched himself down saying »I marvel Tressilian you will feed the lad in
this silly humour If there were aught to draw a judgment upon a virtuous and
honourable household like my lords renounce me if I think not it were this
piping whining childish trick of poetry that came among us with Master Walter
Wittypate here and his comrades twisting into all manner of uncouth and
incomprehensible forms of speech the honest plain English phrase which God gave
us to express our meaning withal«
»Blount believes« said his comrade laughing »the devil wood Eve in rhyme
and that the mystic meaning of the Tree of Knowledge refers solely to the art of
clashing rhymes and meting out hexameters«13
At this moment the Earls chamberlain entered and informed Tressilian that
his lord required to speak with him
He found Lord Sussex dressed but unbraced and lying on his couch and was
shocked at the alteration disease had made in his person The Earl received him
with the most friendly cordiality and inquired into the state of his courtship
Tressilian evaded his inquiries for a moment and turning his discourse on the
Earls own health he discovered to his surprise that the symptoms of his
disorder corresponded minutely with those which Wayland had predicated
concerning it He hesitated not therefore to communicate to Sussex the whole
history of his attendant and the pretensions he set up to cure the disorder
under which he laboured The Earl listened with incredulous attention until the
name of Demetrius was mentioned and then suddenly called to his secretary to
bring him a certain casket which contained papers of importance »Take out from
thence« he said »the declaration of the rascal cook whom we had under
examination and look heedfully if the name of Demetrius be not there
mentioned«
The secretary turned to the passage at once and read »And said declarant
being examined saith That he remembers having made the sauce to the said
sturgeonfish after eating of which the said noble Lord was taken ill and he
put the usual ingredients and condiments therein namely«
»Pass over his trash« said the Earl »and see whether he had not been
supplied with his materials by a herbalist called Demetrius«
»It is even so« answered the secretary »And he adds he has not since seen
the said Demetrius«
»This accords with thy fellows story Tressilian« said the Earl »call him
hither«
On being summoned to the Earls presence Wayland Smith told his former tale
with firmness and consistency
»It may be« said the Earl »thou art sent by those who have begun this
work to end it for them but bethink if I miscarry under thy medicine it may
go hard with thee«
»That were severe measure« said Wayland »since the issue of medicine and
the end of life are in Gods disposal But I will stand the risk I have not
lived so long under ground to be afraid of a grave«
»Nay if thou best so confident« said the Earl of Sussex »I will take the
risk too for the learned can do nothing for me Tell me how this medicine is to
be taken«
»That will I do presently« said Wayland »but allow me to condition that
since I incur all the risk of this treatment no other physician shall be
permitted to interfere with it«
»That is but fair« replied the Earl »and now prepare your drug«
While Wayland obeyed the Earls commands his servants by the artists
direction undressed their master and placed him in bed
»I warn you« he said »that the first operation of this medicine will be to
produce a heavy sleep during which time the chamber must be kept undisturbed
as the consequences may otherwise be fatal I myself will watch by the Earl
with any of the gentlemen of his chamber«
»Let all leave the room save Stanley and this good fellow« said the Earl
»And saving me also« said Tressilian »I too am deeply interested in the
effects of this potion«
»Be it so good friend« said the Earl »and now for our experiment but
first call my secretary and chamberlain«
»Bear witness« he continued when these officers arrived »bear witness for
me gentlemen that our honourable friend Tressilian is in no way responsible
for the effects which this medicine may produce upon me the taking it being my
own free action and choice in regard I believe it to be a remedy which God has
furnished me by unexpected means to recover me of my present malady Commend me
to my noble and princely Mistress and say that I live and die her true servant
and wish to all about her throne the same singleness of heart and will to serve
her with more ability to do so than hath been assigned to poor Thomas
Ratcliffe«
He then folded his hands and seemed for a second or two absorbed in mental
devotion then took the potion in his hand and pausing regarded Wayland with a
look that seemed designed to penetrate his very soul but which caused no
anxiety or hesitation in the countenance or manner of the artist
»Here is nothing to be feared« said Sussex to Tressilian and swallowed the
medicine without farther hesitation
»I am now to pray your lordship« said Wayland »to dispose yourself to rest
as commodiously as you can and of you gentlemen to remain as still and mute
as if you waited at your mothers deathbed«
The chamberlain and secretary then withdrew giving orders that all doors be
bolted and all noise in the house strictly prohibited Several gentlemen were
voluntary watchers in the hall but none remained in the chamber of the sick
Earl save his groom of the chamber Stanley the artist and Tressilian
Wayland Smiths predictions were speedily accomplished and a sleep fell upon
the Earl so deep and sound that they who watched his bedside began to fear
that in his weakened state he might pass away without awakening from his
lethargy Wayland Smith himself appeared anxious and felt the temples of the
Earl slightly from time to time attending particularly to the state of
respiration which was full and deep but at the same time easy and
uninterrupted
Chapter Fifteenth
You loggerheaded and unpolishd grooms
What no attendance no regard no duty
Where is the foolish knave I sent before
Taming of the Shrew
There is no period at which men look worse in the eyes of each other or feel
more uncomfortable than when the first dawn of daylight finds them watchers
Even a beauty of the first order after the vigils of a ball are interrupted by
the dawn would do wisely to withdraw herself from the gaze of her fondest and
most partial admirers Such was the pale inauspicious and ungrateful light
which began to beam upon those who kept watch all night in the hall at Says
Court and which mingled its cold pale blue diffusion with the red yellow
and smoky beams of expiring lamps and torches The young gallant whom we
noticed in our last chapter had left the room for a few minutes to learn the
cause of a knocking at the outward gate and on his return was so struck with
the forlorn and ghastly aspects of his companions of the watch that he
exclaimed »Pity of my heart my masters how like owls you look Methinks when
the sun rises I shall see you flutter off with your eyes dazzled to stick
yourselves into the next ivytod or ruined steeple«
»Hold thy peace thou gibing fool« said Blount »hold thy peace Is this a
time for jeering when the manhood of England is perchance dying within a walls
breadth of thee«
»There thou liest« replied the gallant
»How lie« exclaimed Blount starting up »lie and to me«
»Why so thou didst thou peevish fool« answered the youth »thou didst lie
on that bench even now didst thou not But art thou not a hasty coxcomb to
pick up a wry word so wrathfully Nevertheless loving and honouring my lord as
truly as thou or any one I do say that should Heaven take him from us all
Englands manhood dies not with him«
»Ay« replied Blount »a good portion will survive with thee doubtless«
»And a good portion with thyself Blount and with stout Markham here and
Tracy and all of us But I am he will best employ the talent heaven has given
to us all«
»As how I prithee« said Blount »tell us your mystery of multiplying«
»Why sirs« answered the youth »ye are like goodly land which bears no
crop because it is not quickened by manure but I have that rising spirit in me
which will make my poor faculties labour to keep pace with it My ambition will
keep my brain at work I warrant thee«
»I pray to God it does not drive thee mad« said Blount »for my part if we
lose our noble lord I bid adieu to the court and to the camp both I have five
hundred foul acres in Norfolk and thither will I and change the court
pantoufle for the country hobnail«
»O base transmutation« exclaimed his antagonist »thou hast already got the
true rustic slouch thy shoulders stoop as if thine hands were at the stilts
of the plough and thou hast a kind of earthy smell about thee instead of being
perfumed with essence as a gallant and courtier should On my soul thou hast
stolen out to roll thyself on a hay mow Thy only excuse will be to swear by thy
hilts that the farmer had a fair daughter«
»I pray thee Walter« said another of the company »cease thy raillery
which suits neither time nor place and tell us who was at the gate just now«
»Doctor Masters physician to her Grace in ordinary sent by her especial
orders to inquire after the Earls health« answered Walter
»Ha what« exclaimed Tracy »that was no slight mark of favour if the Earl
can but come through he will match with Leicester yet Is Masters with my lord
at present«
»Nay« replied Walter »he is halfway back to Greenwich by this time and
in high dudgeon«
»Thou didst not refuse him admittance« exclaimed Tracy
»Thou wert not surely so mad« ejaculated Blount
»I refused him admittance as flatly Blount as you would refuse a penny to
a blind beggar as obstinately Tracy as thou didst ever deny access to a dun«
»Why in the fiends name didst thou trust him to go to the gate« said
Blount to Tracy
»It suited his years better than mine« answered Tracy »but he has undone
us all now thoroughly My lord may live or die he will never have a look of
favour from her Majesty again«
»Nor the means of making fortunes for his followers« said the young
gallant smiling contemptuously »there lies the sore point that will brook
no handling My good sirs I sounded my lamentations over my lord somewhat less
loudly than some of you but when the point comes of doing him service I will
yield to none of you Had this learned leech entered thinkst thou not there
had been such a coil betwixt him and Tressilians mediciner that not the
sleeper only but the very dead might have awakened I know what larum belongs
to the discord of doctors«
»And who is to take the blame of opposing the Queens orders« said Tracy
»for undeniably Doctor Masters came with her Graces positive commands to cure
the Earl«
»I who have done the wrong will bear the blame« said Walter
»Thus then off fly the dreams of court favour thou hast nourished« said
Blount »and despite all thy boasted art and ambition Devonshire will see thee
shine a true younger brother fit to sit low at the board carve turn about with
the chaplain look that the hounds be fed and see the squires girths drawn
when he goes a hunting«
»Not so« said the young man colouring »not while Ireland and the
Netherlands have wars and not while the sea hath pathless waves The rich west
hath lands undreamed of and Britain contains bold hearts to venture on the
quest of them Adieu for a space my masters I go to walk in the court and
look to the sentinels«
»The lad hath quicksilver in his veins that is certain« said Blount
looking at Markham
»He hath that both in brain and blood« said Markham »which may either make
or mar him But in closing the door against Masters he hath done a daring and
loving piece of service for Tressilians fellow hath ever averred that to wake
the Earl were death and Masters would wake the Seven Sleepers themselves if he
thought they slept not by the regular ordinance of medicine«
Morning was well advanced when Tressilian fatigued and overwatched came
down to the hall with the joyful intelligence that the Earl had awakened of
himself that he found his internal complaints much mitigated and spoke with a
cheerfulness and looked round with a vivacity which of themselves showed a
material and favourable change had taken place Tressilian at the same time
commanded the attendance of one or two of his followers to report what had
passed during the night and to relieve the watchers in the Earls chamber
When the message of the Queen was communicated to the Earl of Sussex he at
first smiled at the repulse which the physician had received from his zealous
young follower but instantly recollecting himself he commanded Blount his
master of the horse instantly to take boat and go down the river to the Palace
of Greenwich taking young Walter and Tracy with him and make a suitable
compliment expressing his grateful thanks to his Sovereign and mentioning the
cause why he had not been enabled to profit by the assistance of the wise and
learned Doctor Masters
»A plague on it« said Blount as he descended the stairs »had he sent me
with a cartel to Leicester I think I should have done his errand indifferently
well But to go to our gracious Sovereign before whom all words must be
lackered over either with gilding or with sugar is such a confectionary matter
as clean baffles my poor old English brain Come with me Tracy and come you
too Master Walter Wittypate that art the cause of our having all this ado Let
us see if thy neat brain that frames so many flashy fireworks can help out a
plain fellow at need with some of thy shrewd devices«
»Never fear never fear« exclaimed the youth »it is I will help you
through let me but fetch my cloak«
»Why thou hast it on thy shoulders« said Blount »the lad is mazed«
»No this is Tracys old mantle« answered Walter »I go not with thee to
court unless as a gentleman should«
»Why« said Blount »thy braveries are like to dazzle the eyes of none but
some poor groom or porter«
»I know that« said the youth »but I am resolved I will have my own cloak
ay and brush my doublet to boot ere I stir forth with you«
»Well well« said Blount »here is a coil about a doublet and a cloak get
thyself ready a Gods name«
They were soon launched on the princely bosom of the broad Thames upon
which the sun now shone forth in all its splendour
»There are two things scarce matched in the universe« said Walter to Blount
»the sun in heaven and the Thames on the earth«
»The one will light us to Greenwich well enough« said Blount »and the
other would take us there a little faster if it were ebb tide«
»And this is all thou thinkst all thou carest all thou deemst the use
of the King of Elements and the King of Rivers to guide three such poor
caitiffs as thyself and me and Tracy upon an idle journey of courtly
ceremony«
»It is no errand of my seeking faith« replied Blount »and I could excuse
both the sun and the Thames the trouble of carrying me where I have no great
mind to go and where I expect but dogs wages for my trouble and by my
honour« he added looking out from the head of the boat »it seems to me as if
our message were a sort of labour in vain for see the Queens barge lies at
the stairs as if her Majesty were about to take water«
It was even so The royal barge manned with the Queens watermen richly
attired in the regal liveries and having the banner of England displayed did
indeed lie at the great stairs which ascended from the river and along with it
two or three other boats for transporting such part of her retinue as were not
in immediate attendance on the royal person The yeomen of the guard the
tallest and most handsome men whom England could produce guarded with their
halberds the passage from the palacegate to the riverside and all seemed in
readiness for the Queens coming forth although the day was yet so early
»By my faith this bodes us no good« said Blount »it must be some perilous
cause puts her Grace in motion thus untimeously By my counsel we were best put
back again and tell the Earl what we have seen«
»Tell the Earl what we have seen« said Walter »why what have we seen but
a boat and men with scarlet jerkins and halberds in their hands Let us do his
errand and tell him what the Queen says in reply«
So saying he caused the boat to be pulled towards a landing place at some
distance from the principal one which it would not at that moment have been
thought respectful to approach and jumped on shore followed though with
reluctance by his cautious and timid companions As they approached the gate of
the palace one of the sergeant porters told them they could not at present
enter as her Majesty was in the act of coming forth The gentlemen used the
name of the Earl of Sussex but it proved no charm to subdue the officer who
alleged in reply that it was as much as his post was worth to disobey in the
least tittle the commands which he had received
»Nay I told you as much before« said Blount »do I pray you my dear
Walter let us take boat and return«
»Not till I see the Queen come forth« returned the youth composedly
»Thou art mad stark mad by the mass« answered Blount
»And thou« said Walter »art turned coward of the sudden I have seen thee
face halfascore of shagheaded Irish kernes to thy own share of them and now
thou wouldst blink and go back to shun the frown of a fair lady«
At this moment the gates opened and ushers began to issue forth in array
preceded and flanked by the band of Gentlemen Pensioners After this amid a
crowd of lords and ladies yet so disposed around her that she could see and be
seen on all sides came Elizabeth herself then in the prime of womanhood and
in the full glow of what in a Sovereign was called beauty and who would in the
lowest rank of life have been truly judged a noble figure joined to a striking
and commanding physiognomy She leant on the arm of Lord Hunsdon whose relation
to her by her mothers side often procured him such distinguished marks of
Elizabeths intimacy
The young cavalier we have so often mentioned had probably never yet
approached so near the person of his Sovereign and he pressed forward as far as
the line of warders permitted in order to avail himself of the present
opportunity His companion on the contrary cursing his imprudence kept
pulling him backwards till Walter shook him off impatiently and letting his
rich cloak drop carelessly from one shoulder a natural action which served
however to display to the best advantage his wellproportioned person
Unbonneting at the same time he fixed his eager gaze on the Queens approach
with a mixture of respectful curiosity and modest yet ardent admiration which
suited so well with his fine features that the warders struck with his rich
attire and noble countenance suffered him to approach the ground over which the
Queen was to pass somewhat closer than was permitted to ordinary spectators
Thus the adventurous youth stood full in Elizabeths eye an eye never
indifferent to the admiration which she deservedly excited among her subjects
or to the fair proportions of external form which chanced to distinguish any of
her courtiers Accordingly she fixed her keen glance on the youth as she
approached the place where he stood with a look in which surprise at his
boldness seemed to be unmingled with resentment while a trifling accident
happened which attracted her attention towards him yet more strongly The night
had been rainy and just where the young gentleman stood a small quantity of
mud interrupted the Queens passage As she hesitated to pass on the gallant
throwing his cloak from his shoulders laid it on the miry spot so as to ensure
her stepping over it dryshod Elizabeth looked at the young man who accompanied
this act of devoted courtesy with a profound reverence and a blush that
overspread his whole countenance The Queen was confused and blushed in her
turn nodded her head hastily passed on and embarked in her barge without
saying a word
»Come along Sir Coxcomb« said Blount »your gay cloak will need the brush
today I wot Nay if you had meant to make a footcloth of your mantle better
have kept Tracys old drapdebure which despises all colours«
»This cloak« said the youth taking it up and folding it »shall never be
brushed while in my possession«
»And that will not be long if you learn not a little more economy we
shall have you in cuerpo soon as the Spaniard says«
Their discourse was here interrupted by one of the band of Pensioners
»I was sent« said he after looking at them attentively »to a gentleman
who hath no cloak or a muddy one You sir I think« addressing the younger
cavalier »are the man you will please to follow me«
»He is in attendance on me« said Blount »on me the noble Earl of Sussexs
master of horse«
»I have nothing to say to that« answered the messenger »my orders are
directly from her Majesty and concern this gentleman only«
So saying he walked away followed by Walter leaving the others behind
Blounts eyes almost starting from his head with the excess of his astonishment
At length he gave vent to it in an exclamation »Who the good jere would have
thought this« And shaking his head with a mysterious air he walked to his own
boat embarked and returned to Deptford
The young cavalier was in the meanwhile guided to the waterside by the
Pensioner who showed him considerable respect a circumstance which to a
person in his situation may be considered as an augury of no small consequence
He ushered him into one of the wherries which lay ready to attend the Queens
barge which was already proceeding up the river with the advantage of that
floodtide of which in the course of their descent Blount had complained to
his associates
The two rows used their oars with such expedition at the signal of the
Gentleman Pensioner that they very soon brought their little skiff under the
stern of the Queens boat where she sate beneath an awning attended by two or
three ladies and the nobles of her household She looked more than once at the
wherry in which the young adventurer was seated spoke to those around her and
seemed to laugh At length one of the attendants by the Queens order
apparently made a sign for the wherry to come alongside and the young man was
desired to step from his own skiff into the Queens barge which he performed
with graceful agility at the fore part of the boat and was brought aft to the
Queens presence the wherry at the same time dropping into the rear The youth
underwent the gaze of majesty not the less gracefully that his selfpossession
was mingled with embarrassment The muddied cloak still hung upon his arm and
formed the natural topic with which the Queen introduced the conversation
»You have this day spoiled a gay mantle in our service young man We thank
you for your service though the manner of offering it was unusual and
something bold«
»In a sovereigns need« answered the youth »it is each liegemans duty to
be bold«
»Gods pity That was well said my lord« said the Queen turning to a
grave person who sate by her and answered with a grave inclination of the head
and something of a mumbled assent »Well young man your gallantry shall not go
unrewarded Go to the wardrobe keeper and he shall have orders to supply the
suit which you have cast away in our service Thou shalt have a suit and that
of the newest cut I promise thee on the word of a princess«
»May it please your grace« said Walter hesitating »it is not for so
humble a servant of your Majesty to measure out your bounties but if it became
me to choose«
»Thou wouldst have gold I warrant me« said the Queen interrupting him
»fie young man I take shame to say that in our capital such and so various
are the means of thriftless folly that to give gold to youth is giving fuel to
fire and furnishing them with the means of selfdestruction If I live and
reign these means of unchristian excess shall be abridged Yet thou mayest be
poor« she added »or thy parents may be It shall be gold if thou wilt but
thou shalt answer to me for the use ont«
Walter waited patiently until the Queen had done and then modestly assured
her that gold was still less in his wish than the raiment her Majesty had
before offered
»How boy« said the Queen »neither gold nor garment What is it thou
wouldst have of me then«
»Only permission madam if it is not asking too high an honour
permission to wear the cloak which did you this trifling service«
»Permission to wear thine own cloak thou silly boy« said the Queen
»It is no longer mine« said Walter »when your Majestys foot touched it
it became a fit mantle for a prince but far too rich a one for its former
owner«
The Queen again blushed and endeavoured to cover by laughing a slight
degree of not unpleasing surprise and confusion
»Heard you ever the like my lords The youths head is turned with reading
romances I must know something of him that I may send him safe to his friends
What art thou«
»A gentleman of the household of the Earl of Sussex so please your Grace
sent hither with his Master of Horse upon a message to your Majesty«
In a moment the gracious expression which Elizabeths face had hitherto
maintained gave way to an expression of haughtiness and severity
»My Lord of Sussex« she said »has taught us how to regard his messages by
the value he places upon ours We sent but this morning the physician in
ordinary of our chamber and that at no usual time understanding his lordships
illness to be more dangerous than we had before apprehended There is at no
court in Europe a man more skilled in this holy and most useful science than
Doctor Masters and he came from Us to our subject Nevertheless he found the
gate of Says Court befended by men with culverins as if it had been on the
Borders of Scotland not in the vicinity of our court and when he demanded
admittance in our name it was stubbornly refused For this slight of a
kindness which had but too much of condescension in it we will receive at
present at least no excuse and some such we suppose to have been the purport
of my Lord of Sussexs message«
This was uttered in a tone and with a gesture which made Lord Sussexs
friends who were within hearing tremble He to whom the speech was addressed
however trembled not but with great deference and humility as soon as the
Queens passion gave him an opportunity he replied »So please your most
gracious Majesty I was charged with no apology from the Earl of Sussex«
»With what were you then charged sir« said the Queen with the impetuosity
which amid nobler qualities strongly marked her character »was it with a
justification or Gods death with a defiance«
»Madam« said the young man »my Lord of Sussex knew the offence approached
towards treason and could think of nothing save of securing the offender and
placing him in your Majestys hands and at your mercy The noble Earl was fast
asleep when your most gracious message reached him a potion having been
administered to that purpose by his physician and his Lordship knew not of the
ungracious repulse your Majestys royal and most comfortable message had
received until after he awoke this morning«
»And which of his domestics then in the name of Heaven presumed to reject
my message without even admitting my own physician to the presence of him whom
I sent him to attend« said the Queen much surprised
»The offender madam is before you« replied Walter bowing very low »the
full and sole blame is mine and my lord has most justly sent me to abye the
consequences of a fault of which he is as innocent as a sleeping mans dreams
can be of a waking mans actions«
»What was it thou thou thyself that repelled my messenger and my
physician from Says Court« said the Queen »What could occasion such boldness
in one who seems devoted that is whose exterior bearing shows devotion to
his Sovereign«
»Madam« said the youth who notwithstanding an assumed appearance of
severity thought that he saw something in the Queens face that resembled not
implacability »we say in our country that the physician is for the time the
liege sovereign of his patient Now my noble master was then under dominion of
a leech by whose advice he had greatly profited who had issued his commands
that his patient should not that night be disturbed on the very peril of his
life«
»Thy master hath trusted some false varlet of an empiric« said the Queen
»I know not madam but by the fact that he is now this very morning
awakened much refreshed and strengthened from the only sleep he hath had for
many hours«
The nobles looked at each other but more with the purpose to see what each
thought of this news than to exchange any remarks on what had happened The
Queen answered hastily and without affecting to disguise her satisfaction »By
my word I am glad he is better But thou wert over bold to deny the access of
my Doctor Masters Knowst thou not that Holy Writ saith in the multitude of
counsel there is safety«
»Ay madam« said Walter »but I have heard learned men say that the safety
spoken of is for the physicians not for the patient«
»By my faith child thou hast pushed me home« said the Queen laughing
»for my Hebrew learning does not come quite at a call How say you my Lord of
Lincoln Hath the lad given a just interpretation of the text«
»The word safety my most gracious madam« said the Bishop of Lincoln »for
so hath been translated it may be somewhat hastily the Hebrew word being«
»My lord« said the Queen interrupting him »we said we had forgotten our
Hebrew But for thee young man what is thy name and birth«
»Raleigh is my name most gracious Queen the youngest son of a large but
honourable family of Devonshire«
»Raleigh« said Elizabeth after a moments recollection »have we not heard
of your service in Ireland«
»I have been so fortunate as to do some service there madam« replied
Raleigh »scarce however of consequence sufficient to reach your Graces ears«
»They hear farther than you think of« said the Queen graciously »and have
heard of a youth who defended a ford in Shannon against a whole band of wild
Irish rebels until the stream ran purple with their blood and his own«
»Some blood I may have lost« said the youth looking down »but it was
where my best is due and that is in your Majestys service«
The Queen paused and then said hastily »You are very young to have fought
so well and to speak so well But you must not escape your penance for turning
back Masters the poor man hath caught cold on the river for our order reached
him when he was just returned from certain visits in London and he held it
matter of loyalty and conscience instantly to set forth again So hark ye
Master Raleigh see thou fail not to wear thy muddy cloak in token of
penitence till our pleasure be farther known And here« she added giving him
a jewel of gold in the form of a chessman »I give thee this to wear at the
collar«
Raleigh to whom nature had taught intuitively as it were those courtly
arts which many scarce acquire from long experience knelt and as he took from
her hand the jewel kissed the fingers which gave it He knew perhaps better
than almost any of the courtiers who surrounded her how to mix the devotion
claimed by the Queen with the gallantry due to her personal beauty and in
this his first attempt to unite them he succeeded so well as at once to
gratify Elizabeths personal vanity and her love of power14
His master the Earl of Sussex had the full advantage of the satisfaction
which Raleigh had afforded Elizabeth on their first interview
»My lords and ladies« said the Queen looking around to the retinue by whom
she was attended »methinks since we are upon the river it were well to
renounce our present purpose of going to the city and surprise this poor Earl
of Sussex with a visit He is ill and suffering doubtless under the fear of our
displeasure from which he hath been honestly cleared by the frank avowal of
this malapert boy What think ye were it not an act of charity to give him such
consolation as the thanks of a Queen much bound to him for his loyal service
may perchance best minister«
It may be readily supposed that none to whom this speech was addressed
ventured to oppose its purport
»Your Grace« said the Bishop of Lincoln »is the breath of our nostrils«
The men of war averred that the face of the Sovereign was a whetstone to the
soldiers sword while the men of state were not less of opinion that the light
of the Queens countenance was a lamp to the paths of her councillors and the
ladies agreed with one voice that no noble in England so well deserved the
regard of Englands royal Mistress as the Earl of Sussex the Earl of
Leicesters right being reserved entire so some of the more politic worded
their assent an exception to which Elizabeth paid no apparent attention The
barge had therefore orders to deposit its royal freight at Deptford at the
nearest and most convenient point of communication with Says Court in order
that the Queen might satisfy her royal and maternal solicitude by making
personal inquiries after the health of the Earl of Sussex
Raleigh whose acute spirit foresaw and anticipated important consequences
from the most trifling events hastened to ask the Queens permission to go in
the skiff and announce the royal visit to his master ingeniously suggesting
that the joyful surprise might prove prejudicial to his health since the
richest and most generous cordials may sometimes be fatal to those who have been
long in a languishing state
But whether the Queen deemed it too presumptuous in so young a courtier to
interpose his opinion unasked or whether she was moved by a recurrence of the
feeling of jealousy which had been instilled into her by reports that the Earl
kept armed men about his person she desired Raleigh sharply to reserve his
counsel till it was required of him and repeated her former orders to be
landed at Deptford adding »We will ourselves see what sort of household my
Lord of Sussex keeps about him«
»Now the Lord have pity on us« said the young courtier to himself »Good
hearts the Earl hath many a one round him but good heads are scarce with us
and he himself is too ill to give direction And Blount will be at his morning
meal of Yarmouth herrings and ale and Tracy will have his beastly black
puddings and Rhenish those thoroughpaced Welshmen Thomas ap Rice and Evan
Evans will be at work on their leek porridge and toasted cheese and she
detests they say all coarse meats evil smells and strong wines Could they
but think of burning some rosemary in the great hall but vogue la galère all
must now be trusted to chance Luck hath done indifferent well for me this
morning for I trust I have spoiled a cloak and made a court fortune May she
do as much for my gallant patron«
The royal barge soon stopped at Deptford and amid the loud shouts of the
populace which her presence never failed to excite the Queen with a canopy
borne over her head walked accompanied by her retinue towards Says Court
where the distant acclamations of the people gave the first notice of her
arrival Sussex who was in the act of advising with Tressilian how he should
make up the supposed breach in the Queens favour was infinitely surprised at
learning her immediate approach not that the Queens custom of visiting her
more distinguished nobility whether in health or sickness could be unknown to
him but the suddenness of the communication left no time for those preparations
with which he well knew Elizabeth loved to be greeted and the rudeness and
confusion of his military household much increased by his late illness
rendered him altogether unprepared for her reception
Cursing internally the chance which thus brought her gracious visitation on
him unaware he hastened down with Tressilian to whose eventful and interesting
story he had just given an attentive ear
»My worthy friend« he said »such support as I can give your accusation of
Varney you have a right to expect alike from justice and gratitude Chance will
presently show whether I can do aught with our Sovereign or whether in very
deed my meddling in your affair may not rather prejudice than serve you«
Thus spoke Sussex while hastily casting around him a loose robe of sables
and adjusting his person in the best manner he could to meet the eye of his
Sovereign But no hurried attention bestowed on his apparel could remove the
ghastly effects of long illness on a countenance which nature had marked with
features rather strong than pleasing Besides he was of low stature and though
broadshouldered athletic and fit for martial achievements his presence in a
peaceful hall was not such as ladies love to look upon a personal disadvantage
which was supposed to give Sussex though esteemed and honoured by his
Sovereign considerable disadvantage when compared with Leicester who was alike
remarkable for elegance of manners and for beauty of person
The Earls utmost despatch only enabled him to meet the Queen as she entered
the great hall and he at once perceived there was a cloud on her brow Her
jealous eye had noticed the martial array of armed gentlemen and retainers with
which the mansion was filled and her first words expressed her disapprobation
»Is this a royal garrison my Lord of Sussex that it holds so many pikes and
calivers or have we by accident overshot Says Court and landed at our Tower
of London«
Lord Sussex hastened to offer some apology
»It needs not« she said »My lord we intend speedily to take up a certain
quarrel between your lordship and another great lord of our household and at
the same time to reprehend this uncivilised and dangerous practice of
surrounding yourselves with armed and even with ruffianly followers as if in
the neighbourhood of our capital nay in the very verge of our royal residence
you were preparing to wage civil war with each other We are glad to see you so
well recovered my lord though without the assistance of the learned physician
whom we sent to you Urge no excuse we know how that matter fell out and we
have corrected for it the wild slip young Raleigh By the way my lord we
will speedily relieve your household of him and take him into our own
Something there is about him which merits to be better nurtured than he is like
to be amongst your very military followers«
To this proposal Sussex though scarce understanding how the Queen came to
make it could only bow and express his acquiescence He then entreated her to
remain till refreshment could be offered but in this he could not prevail And
after a few compliments of a much colder and more commonplace character than
might have been expected from a step so decidedly favourable as a personal
visit the Queen took her leave of Says Court having brought confusion thither
along with her and leaving doubt and apprehension behind
Chapter Sixteenth
Then call them to our presence Face to face
And frowning brow to brow ourselves will hear
The accuser and accused freely speak
Highstomachd are they both and full of ire
In rage deaf as the sea hasty as fire
Richard II
»I am ordered to attend court tomorrow« said Leicester speaking to Varney
»to meet as they surmise my Lord of Sussex The Queen intends to take up
matters betwixt us This comes of her visit to Says Court of which you must
needs speak so lightly«
»I maintain it was nothing« said Varney »nay I know from a sure
intelligencer who was within earshot of much that was said that Sussex has
lost rather than gained by that visit The Queen said when she stepped into the
boat that Says Court looked like a guardhouse and smelt like an hospital
Like a cooks shop in Rams Alley rather said the Countess of Rutland who is
ever your lordships good friend And then my Lord of Lincoln must needs put in
his holy oar and say that my Lord of Sussex must be excused for his rude and
oldworld housekeeping since he had as yet no wife«
»And what said the Queen« asked Leicester hastily
»She took him up roundly« said Varney »and asked what my Lord Sussex had
to do with a wife or my Lord Bishop to speak on such a subject If marriage is
permitted she said I nowhere read that it is enjoined«
»She likes not marriages or speech of marriage among churchmen« said
Leicester
»Nor among courtiers neither« said Varney but observing that Leicester
changed countenance he instantly added »that all the ladies who were present
had joined in ridiculing Lord Sussexs housekeeping and in contrasting it with
the reception her Grace would have assuredly received at my Lord of
Leicesters«
»You have gathered much tidings« said Leicester »but you have forgotten or
omitted the most important of all She hath added another to those dangling
satellites whom it is her pleasure to keep revolving around her«
»Your lordship meaneth that Raleigh the Devonshire youth« said Varney
»the Knight of the Cloak as they call him at court«
»He may be Knight of the Garter one day for aught I know« said Leicester
»for he advances rapidly She hath capd verses with him and such fooleries I
would gladly abandon of my own free will the part I have in her fickle favour
but I will not be elbowed out of it by the clown Sussex or this new upstart I
hear Tressilian is with Sussex also and high in his favour I would spare him
for considerations but he will thrust himself on his fate Sussex too is
almost as well as ever in his health«
»My lord« replied Varney »there will be rubs in the smoothest road
specially when it leads up hill Sussexs illness was to us a godsend from
which I hoped much He has recovered indeed but he is not now more formidable
than ere he fell ill when he received more than one foil in wrestling with your
lordship Let not your heart fail you my lord and all shall be well«
»My heart never failed me sir« replied Leicester
»No my lord« said Varney »but it has betrayed you right often He that
would climb a tree my lord must grasp by the branches not by the blossom«
»Well well well« said Leicester impatiently »I understand thy meaning
My heart shall neither fail me nor seduce me Have my retinue in order see
that their array be so splendid as to put down not only the rude companions of
Ratcliffe but the retainers of every other nobleman and courtier Let them be
well armed withal but without any outward display of their weapons wearing
them as if more for fashions sake than for use Do thou thyself keep close to
me I may have business for you«
The preparations of Sussex and his party were not less anxious than those of
Leicester
»Thy Supplication impeaching Varney of seduction« said the Earl to
Tressilian »is by this time in the Queens hand I have sent it through a sure
channel Methinks your suit should succeed being as it is founded in justice
and honour and Elizabeth being the very muster of both But I wot not how the
gipsy« so Sussex was wont to call his rival on account of his dark complexion
»hath much to say with her in these holiday times of peace Were war at the
gates I should be one of her white boys but soldiers like their bucklers and
Bilboa blades get out of fashion in peace time and satin sleeves and walking
rapiers bear the bell Well we must be gay since such is the fashion Blount
hast thou seen our household put into their new braveries But thou knowst as
little of these toys as I do thou wouldst be ready enough at disposing a stand
of pikes«
»My good lord« answered Blount »Raleigh hath been here and taken that
charge upon him Your train will glitter like a May morning Marry the cost
is another question One might keep an hospital of old soldiers at the charge of
ten modern lackeys«
»We must not count cost today Nicholas« said the Earl in reply »I am
beholden to Raleigh for his care I trust though he has remembered that I am
an old soldier and would have no more of these follies than needs must«
»Nay I understand nought about it« said Blount »but here are your
honourable lordships brave kinsmen and friends coming in by scores to wait upon
you to court where methinks we shall bear as brave a front as Leicester let
him ruffle it as he will«
»Give them the strictest charges« said Sussex »that they suffer no
provocation short of actual violence to provoke them into quarrel they have
hot bloods and I would not give Leicester the advantage over me by any
imprudence of theirs«
The Earl of Sussex ran so hastily through these directions that it was with
difficulty Tressilian at length found opportunity to express his surprise that
he should have proceeded so far in the affair of Sir Hugh Robsart as to lay his
petition at once before the Queen »It was the opinion of the young ladys
friends« he said »that Leicesters sense of justice should be first appealed
to as the offence had been committed by his officer and so he had expressly
told to Sussex«
»This could have been done without applying to me« said Sussex somewhat
haughtily »I at least ought not to have been a counsellor when the object was
a humiliating reference to Leicester and I am surprised that you Tressilian a
man of honour and my friend would assume such a mean course If you said so I
certainly understood you not in a matter which sounded so unlike yourself«
»My lord« said Tressilian »the course I would prefer for my own sake is
that you have adopted but the friends of this most unhappy lady«
»Oh the friends the friends« said Sussex interrupting him »they must
let us manage this cause in the way which seems best This is the time and the
hour to accumulate every charge against Leicester and his household and yours
the Queen will hold a heavy one But at all events she hath the complaint before
her«
Tressilian could not help suspecting that in his eagerness to strengthen
himself against his rival Sussex had purposely adopted the course most likely
to throw odium on Leicester without considering minutely whether it were the
mode of proceeding most likely to be attended with success But the step was
irrevocable and Sussex escaped from farther discussing it by dismissing his
company with the command »Let all be in order at eleven oclock I must be at
court and in the presence by high noon precisely«
While the rival statesmen were thus anxiously preparing for their
approaching meeting in the Queens presence even Elizabeth herself was not
without apprehension of what might chance from the collision of two such fiery
spirits each backed by a strong and numerous body of followers and dividing
betwixt them either openly or in secret the hopes and wishes of most of her
court The band of Gentlemen Pensioners were all under arms and a reinforcement
of the yeomen of the guard was brought down the Thames from London A royal
proclamation was sent forth strictly prohibiting nobles of whatever degree to
approach the Palace with retainers or followers armed with short or with long
weapons and it was even whispered that the High Sheriff of Kent had secret
instructions to have a part of the array of the county ready on the shortest
notice
The eventful hour thus anxiously prepared for on all sides at length
approached and each followed by his long and glittering train of friends and
followers the rival Earls entered the Palaceyard of Greenwich at noon
precisely
As if by previous arrangement or perhaps by intimation that such was the
Queens pleasure Sussex and his retinue came to the Palace from Deptford by
water while Leicester arrived by land and thus they entered the courtyard from
opposite sides This trifling circumstance gave Leicester a certain ascendency
in the opinion of the vulgar the appearance of his cavalcade of mounted
followers showing more numerous and more imposing than those of Sussexs party
who were necessarily upon foot No show or sign of greeting passed between the
Earls though each looked full at the other both expecting perhaps an exchange
of courtesies which neither was willing to commence Almost in the minute of
their arrival the castlebell tolled the gates of the Palace were opened and
the Earls entered each numerously attended by such gentlemen of their train
whose rank gave them that privilege The yeomen and inferior attendants remained
in the courtyard where the opposite parties eyed each other with looks of eager
hatred and scorn as if waiting with impatience for some cause of tumult or
some apology for mutual aggression But they were restrained by the strict
commands of their leaders and overawed perhaps by the presence of an armed
guard of unusual strength
In the meanwhile the more distinguished persons of each train followed
their patrons into the lofty halls and antechambers of the royal Palace flowing
on in the same current like two streams which are compelled into the same
channel yet shun to mix their waters The parties arranged themselves as it
were instinctively on the different sides of the lofty apartment and seemed
eager to escape from the transient union which the narrowness of the crowded
entrance had for an instant compelled them to submit to The folding doors at
the upper end of the long gallery were immediately afterwards opened and it was
announced in a whisper that the Queen was in her presencechamber to which
these gave access Both Earls moved slowly and stately towards the entrance
Sussex followed by Tressilian Blount and Raleigh and Leicester by Varney The
pride of Leicester was obliged to give way to courtforms and with a grave and
formal inclination of the head he paused until his rival a peer of older
creation than his own passed before him Sussex returned the reverence with the
same formal civility and entered the presenceroom Tressilian and Blount
offered to follow him but were not permitted the Usher of the Black Rod
alleging in excuse that he had precise orders to look to all admissions that
day To Raleigh who stood back on the repulse of his companions he said »You
sir may enter« and he entered accordingly
»Follow me close Varney« said the Earl of Leicester who had stood aloof
for a moment to mark the reception of Sussex and advancing to the entrance he
was about to pass on when Varney who was close behind him dressed out in the
utmost bravery of the day was stopped by the usher as Tressilian and Blount
had been before him »How is this Master Bowyer« said the Earl of Leicester
»Know you who I am and that this is my friend and follower«
»Your lordship will pardon me« replied Bowyer stoutly »my orders are
precise and limit me to a strict discharge of my duty«
»Thou art a partial knave« said Leicester the blood mounting to his face
»to do me this dishonour when you but now admitted a follower of my Lord of
Sussex«
»My lord« said Bowyer »Master Raleigh is newly admitted a sworn servant of
her Grace and to him my orders did not apply«
»Thou art a knave an ungrateful knave« said Leicester »but he that hath
done can undo thou shalt not prank thee in thy authority long«
This threat he uttered aloud with less than his usual policy and
discretion and having done so he entered the presencechamber and made his
reverence to the Queen who attired with even more than her usual splendour
and surrounded by those nobles and statesmen whose courage and wisdom have
rendered her reign immortal stood ready to receive the homage of her subjects
She graciously returned the obeisance of the favourite Earl and looked
alternately at him and at Sussex as if about to speak when Bowyer a man whose
spirit could not brook the insult he had so openly received from Leicester in
the discharge of his office advanced with his black rod in his hand and knelt
down before her
»Why how now Bowyer« said Elizabeth »thy courtesy seems strangely
timed«
»My Liege Sovereign« he said while every courtier around trembled at his
audacity »I come but to ask whether in the discharge of my office I am to
obey your Highness commands or those of the Earl of Leicester who has
publicly menaced me with his displeasure and treated me with disparaging terms
because I denied entry to one of his followers in obedience to your Graces
precise orders«
The spirit of Henry VIII was instantly aroused in the bosom of his
daughter and she turned on Leicester with a severity which appalled him as
well as all his followers
»Gods death my lord« such was her emphatic phrase »what means this We
have thought well of you and brought you near to our person but it was not
that you might hide the sun from our faithful subjects Who gave you license to
contradict our orders or control our officers I will have in this court ay
and in this realm but one mistress and no master Look to it that Master
Bowyer sustains no harm for his duty to me faithfully discharged for as I am
Christian woman and crowned Queen I will hold you dearly answerable Go
Bowyer you have done the part of an honest man and a true subject We will
brook no mayor of the palace here«
Bowyer kissed the hand which she extended towards him and withdrew to his
post astonished at the success of his own audacity A smile of triumph pervaded
the faction of Sussex that of Leicester seemed proportionally dismayed and the
favourite himself assuming an aspect of the deepest humility did not even
attempt a word in his own exculpation
He acted wisely for it was the policy of Elizabeth to humble not to
disgrace him and it was prudent to suffer her without opposition or reply to
glory in the exertion of her authority The dignity of the Queen was gratified
and the woman began soon to feel for the mortification which she had imposed on
her favourite Her keen eye also observed the secret looks of congratulation
exchanged amongst those who favoured Sussex and it was no part of her policy to
give either party a decisive triumph
»What I say to my Lord of Leicester« she said after a moments pause »I
say also to you my Lord of Sussex You also must needs ruffle in the court of
England at the head of a faction of your own«
»My followers gracious Princess« said Sussex »have indeed ruffled in your
cause in Ireland in Scotland and against yonder rebellious Earls in the
north I am ignorant that«
»Do you bandy looks and words with me my lord« said the Queen
interrupting him »methinks you might learn of my Lord of Leicester the modesty
to be silent at least under our censure I say my lord that my grandfather
and father in their wisdom debarred the nobles of this civilised land from
travelling with such disorderly retinues and think you that because I wear a
coif their sceptre has in my hand been changed into a distaff I tell you no
king in Christendom will less brook his court to be cumbered his people
oppressed and his kingdoms peace disturbed by the arrogance of overgrown
power than she who now speaks with you My Lord of Leicester and you my
Lord of Sussex I command you both to be friends with each other or by the
crown I wear you shall find an enemy who will be too strong for both of you«
»Madam« said the Earl of Leicester »you who are yourself the fountain of
honour know best what is due to mine I place it at your disposal and only
say that the terms on which I have stood with my Lord of Sussex have not been
of my seeking nor had he cause to think me his enemy until he had done me
gross wrong«
»For me madam« said the Earl of Sussex »I cannot appeal from your
sovereign pleasure but I were well content my Lord of Leicester should say in
what I have as he terms it wronged him since my tongue never spoke the word
that I would not willingly justify either on foot or horseback«
»And for me« said Leicester »always under my gracious Sovereigns
pleasure my hand shall be as ready to make good my words as that of any man who
ever wrote himself Ratcliffe«
»My lords« said the Queen »these are no terms for this presence and if
you cannot keep your temper we will find means to keep both that and you close
enough Let me see you join hands my lords and forget your idle animosities«
The two rivals looked at each other with reluctant eyes each unwilling to
make the first advance to execute the Queens will
»Sussex« said Elizabeth »I entreat Leicester I command you«
Yet so were her words accented that the entreaty sounded like command and
the command like entreaty They remained still and stubborn until she raised
her voice to a height which argued at once impatience and absolute command
»Sir Henry Lee« she said to an officer in attendance »have a guard in
present readiness and man a barge instantly My Lords of Sussex and
Leicester I bid you once more to join hands and Gods death he that refuses
shall taste of our Tower fare ere he see our face again I will lower your proud
hearts ere we part and that I promise on the word of a Queen«
»The prison« said Leicester »might be borne but to lose your Graces
presence were to lose light and life at once Here Sussex is my hand«
»And here« said Sussex »is mine in truth and honesty but«
»Nay under favour you shall add no more« said the Queen »Why this is as
it should be« she added looking on them more favourably »and when you the
shepherds of the people unite to protect them it shall be well with the flock
we rule over For my lords I tell you plainly your follies and your brawls
lead to strange disorders among your servants My Lord of Leicester you have
a gentleman in your household called Varney«
»Yes gracious madam« replied Leicester »I presented him to kiss your
royal hand when you were last at Nonsuch«
»His outside was well enough« said the Queen »but scarce so fair I should
have thought as to have caused a maiden of honourable birth and hopes to barter
her fame for his good looks and become his paramour Yet so it is this fellow
of yours hath seduced the daughter of a good old Devonshire knight Sir Hugh
Robsart of Lidcote Hall and she hath fled with him from her fathers house like
a castaway My Lord of Leicester are you ill that you look so deadly pale«
»No gracious madam« said Leicester and it required every effort he could
make to bring forth these few words
»You are surely ill my lord« said Elizabeth going towards him with hasty
speech and hurried step which indicated the deepest concern »Call Masters
call our surgeon in ordinary Where be these loitering fools We lose the
pride of our court through their negligence Or is it possible Leicester«
she continued looking on him with a very gentle aspect »can fear of my
displeasure have wrought so deeply on thee Doubt not for a moment noble
Dudley that we could blame thee for the folly of thy retainer thee whose
thoughts we know to be far otherwise employed He that would climb the eagles
nest my lord cares not who are catching linnets at the foot of the precipice«
»Mark you that« said Sussex aside to Raleigh »The devil aids him surely
for all that would sink another ten fathom deep seems but to make him float the
more easily Had a follower of mine acted thus«
»Peace my good Lord« said Raleigh »for Gods sake peace Wait the change
of the tide it is even now on the turn«
The acute observation of Raleigh perhaps did not deceive him for
Leicesters confusion was so great and indeed for the moment so irresistibly
overwhelming that Elizabeth after looking at him with a wondering eye and
receiving no intelligible answer to the unusual expressions of grace and
affection which had escaped from her shot her quick glance around the circle of
courtiers and reading perhaps in their faces something that accorded with
her own awakened suspicions she said suddenly »Or is there more in this than
we see or than you my lord wish that we should see Where is this Varney
Who saw him«
»An it please your Grace« said Bowyer »it is the same against whom I this
instant closed the door of the presenceroom«
»An it please me« repeated Elizabeth sharply not at that moment in the
humour of being pleased with anything »It does not please me that he should
pass saucily into my presence or that you should exclude from it one who came
to justify himself from an accusation«
»May it please you« answered the perplexed usher »if I knew in such case
how to bear myself I would take heed«
»You should have reported the fellows desire to us Master Usher and taken
our directions You think yourself a great man because but now we chid a
nobleman on your account yet after all we hold you but as the leadweight
that keeps the door fast Call this Varney hither instantly there is one
Tressilian also mentioned in this petition let them both come before us«
She was obeyed and Tressilian and Varney appeared accordingly Varneys
first glance was at Leicester his second at the Queen In the looks of the
latter there appeared an approaching storm and in the downcast countenance of
his patron he could read no directions in what way he was to trim his vessel
for the encounter he then saw Tressilian and at once perceived the peril of
the situation in which he was placed But Varney was as boldfaced and
readywitted as he was cunning and unscrupulous a skilful pilot in extremity
and fully conscious of the advantages which he would obtain could he extricate
Leicester from his present peril and of the ruin that yawned for himself should
he fail in doing so
»Is it true sirrah« said the Queen with one of those searching looks
which few had the audacity to resist »that you have seduced to infamy a young
lady of birth and breeding the daughter of Sir Hugh Robsart of Lidcote Hall«
Varney kneeled down and replied with a look of the most profound
contrition »There had been some love passages betwixt him and Mistress Amy
Robsart«
Leicesters flesh quivered with indignation as he heard his dependant make
this avowal and for one moment he manned himself to step forward and bidding
farewell to the court and the royal favour confess the whole mystery of the
secret marriage But he looked at Sussex and the idea of the triumphant smile
which would clothe his cheek upon hearing the avowal sealed his lips »Not now
at least« he thought »or in this presence will I afford him so rich a
triumph« And pressing his lips close together he stood firm and collected
attentive to each word which Varney uttered and determined to hide to the last
the secret on which his courtfavour seemed to depend Meanwhile the Queen
proceeded in her examination of Varney
»Love passages« said she echoing his last words »what passages thou
knave and why not ask the wenchs hand from her father if thou hadst any
honesty in thy love for her«
»An it please your Grace« said Varney still on his knees »I dared not do
so for her father had promised her hand to a gentleman of birth and honour I
will do him justice though I know he bears me ill will one Master Edmund
Tressilian whom I now see in the presence«
»Soh« replied the Queen »and what was your right to make the simple fool
break her worthy fathers contract through your love passages as your conceit
and assurance term them«
»Madam« replied Varney »it is in vain to plead the cause of human frailty
before a judge to whom it is unknown or that of love to one who never yields
to the passion« He paused an instant and then added in a very low and timid
tone »which she inflicts upon all others«
Elizabeth tried to frown but smiled in her own despite as she answered
»Thou art a marvellously impudent knave Art thou married to the girl«
Leicesters feelings became so complicated and so painfully intense that it
seemed to him as if his life was to depend on the answer made by Varney who
after a moments real hesitation answered »Yes«
»Thou false villain« said Leicester bursting forth into rage yet unable
to add another word to the sentence which he had begun with such emphatic
passion
»Nay my lord« said the Queen »we will by your leave stand between this
fellow and your anger We have not yet done with him Knew your master my
Lord of Leicester of this fair work of yours Speak truth I command thee and I
will be thy warrant from danger on every quarter«
»Gracious madam« said Varney »to speak heavens truth my lord was the
cause of the whole matter«
»Thou villain wouldst thou betray me« said Leicester
»Speak on« said the Queen hastily her cheek colouring and her eyes
sparkling as she addressed Varney »speak on here no commands are heard but
mine«
»They are omnipotent gracious madam« replied Varney »and to you there can
be no secrets Yet I would not« he added looking around him »speak of my
masters concerns to other ears«
»Fall back my lords« said the Queen to those who surrounded her »and do
you speak on What hath the Earl to do with this guilty intrigue of thine
See fellow that thou beliest him not«
»Far be it from me to traduce my noble patron« replied Varney »yet I am
compelled to own that some deep overwhelming yet secret feeling hath of late
dwelt in my lords mind hath abstracted him from the cares of the household
which he was wont to govern with such religious strictness and hath left us
opportunities to do follies of which the shame as in this case partly falls
upon our patron Without this I had not had means or leisure to commit the
folly which has drawn on me his displeasure the heaviest to endure by me which
I could by any means incur saving always the yet more dreaded resentment of
your Grace«
»And in this sense and no other hath he been accessory to thy fault« said
Elizabeth
»Surely madam in no other« replied Varney »but since somewhat hath
chanced to him he can scarce be called his own man Look at him madam how
pale and trembling he stands how unlike his usual majesty of manner yet what
has he to fear from aught I can say to your Highness Ah madam since he
received that fatal packet«
»What packet and from whence« said the Queen eagerly
»From whence madam I cannot guess but I am so near to his person that I
know he has ever since worn suspended around his neck and next to his heart
that lock of hair which sustains a small golden jewel shaped like a heart he
speaks to it when alone he parts not from it when he sleeps no heathen ever
worshipped an idol with such devotion«
»Thou art a prying knave to watch thy master so closely« said Elizabeth
blushing but not with anger »and a tattling knave to tell over again his
fooleries What colour might the braid of hair be that thou pratest of«
Varney replied »A poet madam might call it a thread from the golden web
wrought by Minerva but to my thinking it was paler than even the purest gold
more like the last parting sunbeam of the softest day of spring«
»Why you are a poet yourself Master Varney« said the Queen smiling »but
I have not genius quick enough to follow your rare metaphors Look round these
ladies is there« she hesitated and endeavoured to assume an air of great
indifference »Is there here in this presence any lady the colour of whose
hair reminds thee of that braid Methinks without prying into my Lord of
Leicesters amorous secrets I would fain know what kind of locks are like the
thread of Minervas web or the what was it the last rays of the Mayday
sun«
Varney looked round the presencechamber his eye travelling from one lady
to another until at length it rested upon the Queen herself but with an aspect
of the deepest veneration »I see no tresses« he said »in this presence
worthy of such similes unless where I dare not look on them«
»How sir knave« said the Queen »dare you intimate«
»Nay madam« replied Varney shading his eyes with his hand »it was the
beams of the Mayday sun that dazzled my weak eyes«
»Go to go to« said the Queen »thou art a foolish fellow« and turning
quickly from him she walked up to Leicester
Intense curiosity mingled with all the various hopes fears and passions
which influence court faction had occupied the presencechamber during the
Queens conference with Varney as if with the strength of an Eastern talisman
Men suspended every even the slightest external motion and would have ceased
to breathe had Nature permitted such an intermission of her functions The
atmosphere was contagious and Leicester who saw all around wishing or fearing
his advancement or his fall forgot all that love had previously dictated and
saw nothing for the instant but the favour or disgrace which depended on the
nod of Elizabeth and the fidelity of Varney He summoned himself hastily and
prepared to play his part in the scene which was like to ensue when as he
judged from the glances which the Queen threw towards him Varneys
communications be they what they might were operating in his favour Elizabeth
did not long leave him in doubt for the more than favour with which she
accosted him decided his triumph in the eyes of his rival and of the assembled
court of England »Thou hast a prating servant of this same Varney my lord«
she said »it is lucky you trust him with nothing that can hurt you in our
opinion for believe me he would keep no counsel«
»From your Highness« said Leicester dropping gracefully on one knee »it
were treason he should I would that my heart itself lay before you barer than
the tongue of any servant could strip it«
»What my lord« said Elizabeth looking kindly upon him »is there no one
little corner over which you would wish to spread a veil Ah I see you are
confused at the question and your Queen knows she should not look too deeply
into her servants motives for their faithful duty lest she see what might or
at least ought to displease her«
Relieved by these last words Leicester broke out into a torrent of
expressions of deep and passionate attachment which perhaps at that moment
were not altogether fictitious The mingled emotions which had at first overcome
him had now given way to the energetic vigour with which he had determined to
support his place in the Queens favour and never did he seem to Elizabeth more
eloquent more handsome more interesting than while kneeling at her feet he
conjured her to strip him of all his power but to leave him the name of her
servant »Take from the poor Dudley« he exclaimed »all that your bounty has
made him and bid him be the poor gentleman he was when your Grace first shone
on him leave him no more than his cloak and his sword but let him still boast
he has what in word or deed he never forfeited the regard of his adored
Queen and mistress«
»No Dudley« said Elizabeth raising him with one hand while she extended
the other that he might kiss it »Elizabeth hath not forgotten that whilst you
were a poor gentleman despoiled of your hereditary rank she was as poor a
princess and that in her cause you then ventured all that oppression had left
you your life and honour Rise my lord and let my hand go Rise and be
what you have ever been the grace of our court and the support of our throne
Your mistress may be forced to chide your misdemeanours but never without
owning your merits And so help me God« she added turning to the audience
who with various feelings witnessed this interesting scene »So help me God
gentlemen as I think never sovereign had a truer servant than I have in this
noble Earl«
A murmur of assent rose from the Leicesterian faction which the friends of
Sussex dared not oppose They remained with their eyes fixed on the ground
dismayed as well as mortified by the public and absolute triumph of their
opponents Leicesters first use of the familiarity to which the Queen had so
publicly restored him was to ask her commands concerning Varneys offence
»Although« he said »the fellow deserves nothing from me but displeasure yet
might I presume to intercede«
»In truth we had forgotten his matter« said the Queen »and it was ill
done of us who owe justice to our meanest as well as to our highest subject
We are pleased my lord that you were the first to recall the matter to our
memory Where is Tressilian the accuser let him come before us«
Tressilian appeared and made a low and beseeming reverence His person as
we have elsewhere observed had an air of grace and even of nobleness which did
not escape Queen Elizabeths critical observation She looked at him with
attention as he stood before her unabashed but with an air of the deepest
dejection
»I cannot but grieve for this gentleman« she said to Leicester »I have
inquired concerning him and his presence confirms what I heard that he is a
scholar and a soldier well accomplished both in arts and arms We women my
lord are fanciful in our choice I had said now to judge by the eye there
was no comparison to be held betwixt your follower and this gentleman But
Varney is a wellspoken fellow and to say truth that goes far with us of the
weaker sex Look you Master Tressilian a bolt lost is not a bow broken Your
true affection as I will hold it to be hath been it seems but ill requited
but you have scholarship and you know there have been false Cressidas to be
found from the Trojan war downward Forget good sir this Lady LightoLove
teach your affection to see with a wiser eye This we say to you more from the
writings of learned men than our own knowledge being as we are far removed
by station and will from the enlargement of experience in such idle toys of
humorous passion For this dames father we can make his grief the less by
advancing his soninlaw to such station as may enable him to give an honourable
support to his bride Thou shalt not be forgotten thyself Tressilian follow
our court and thou shalt see that a true Troilus hath some claim in our grace
Think of what that archknave Shakspeare says a plague on him his toys come
into my head when I should think of other matter Stay how goes it
Cressid was yours tied with the bonds of heaven
These bonds of Heaven are slipt dissolved and loosed
And with another knot five fingers tied
The fragments of her faith are bound to Diomed
You smile my Lord of Southampton perchance I make your players verse halt
through my bad memory but let it suffice let there be no more of this mad
matter«
And as Tressilian kept the posture of one who would willingly be heard
though at the same time expressive of the deepest reverence the Queen added
with some impatience »What would the man have The wench cannot wed both of
you She has made her election not a wise one perchance but she is
Varneys wedded wife«
»My suit should sleep there most gracious Sovereign« said Tressilian »and
with my suit my revenge But I hold this Varneys word no good warrant for the
truth«
»Had that doubt been elsewhere urged« answered Varney »my sword«
»Thy sword« interrupted Tressilian scornfully »with her Graces leave my
sword shall show«
»Peace you knaves both« said the Queen »know you where you are This
comes of your feuds my lords« she added looking towards Leicester and Sussex
»your followers catch your own humour and must bandy and brawl in my court and
in my very presence like so many Matamoros Look you sirs he that speaks of
drawing swords in any other quarrel than mine or Englands by mine honour Ill
bracelet him with iron both on wrist and ankle« She then paused a minute and
resumed in a milder tone »I must do justice betwixt the bold and mutinous
knaves notwithstanding My Lord of Leicester will you warrant with your
honour that is to the best of your belief that your servant speaks truth in
saying he hath married this Amy Robsart«
This was a homethrust and had nearly staggered Leicester But he had now
gone too far to recede and answered after a moments hesitation »To the best
of my belief indeed on my certain knowledge she is a wedded wife«
»Gracious madam« said Tressilian »may I yet request to know when and under
what circumstances this alleged marriage«
»Out sirrah« answered the Queen »alleged marriage Have you not the
word of this illustrious Earl to warrant the truth of what his servant says But
thou art a loser thinkst thyself such at least and thou shalt have
indulgence we will look into the matter ourself more at leisure My Lord of
Leicester I trust you remember we mean to taste the good cheer of your castle
of Kenilworth on this week ensuing we will pray you to bid our good and valued
friend the Earl of Sussex to hold company with us there«
»If the noble Earl of Sussex« said Leicester bowing to his rival with the
easiest and with the most graceful courtesy »will so far honour my poor house
I will hold it an additional proof of the amicable regard it is your Graces
desire we should entertain towards each other«
Sussex was more embarrassed »I should« said he »madam be but a clog on
your gayer hours since my late severe illness«
»And have you been indeed so very ill« said Elizabeth looking on him with
more attention than before »you are in faith strangely altered and deeply am I
grieved to see it But be of good cheer we will ourselves look after the
health of so valued a servant and to whom we owe so much Masters shall order
your diet and that we ourselves may see that he is obeyed you must attend us
in this progress to Kenilworth«
This was said so peremptorily and at the same time with so much kindness
that Sussex however unwilling to become the guest of his rival had no resource
but to bow low to the Queen in obedience to her commands and to express to
Leicester with blunt courtesy though mingled with embarrassment his
acceptance of his invitation As the Earls exchanged compliments on the
occasion the Queen said to her High Treasurer »Methinks my lord the
countenances of these our two noble peers resemble those of the two famed
classic streams the one so dark and sad the other so fair and noble My old
Master Ascham would have chid me for forgetting the author It is Cæsar as I
think See what majestic calmness sits on the brow of the noble Leicester
while Sussex seems to greet him as if he did our will indeed but not
willingly«
»The doubt of your Majestys favour« answered the Lord Treasurer »may
perchance occasion the difference which does not as what does escape your
Graces eye«
»Such doubt were injurious to us my lord« replied the Queen »We hold both
to be near and dear to us and will with impartiality employ both in honourable
service for the weal of our kingdom But we will break up their farther
conference at present My Lords of Sussex and Leicester we have a word more
with you Tressilian and Varney are near your persons you will see that they
attend you at Kenilworth And as we shall then have both Paris and Menelaus
within our call so we will have this same fair Helen also whose fickleness has
caused this broil Varney thy wife must be at Kenilworth and forthcoming at my
order My Lord of Leicester we expect you will look to this«
The Earl and his follower bowed low and raised their heads without daring
to look at the Queen or at each other for both felt at the instant as if the
nets and toils which their own falsehood had woven were in the act of closing
around them The Queen however observed not their confusion but proceeded to
say »My Lords of Sussex and Leicester we require your presence at the privy
council to be presently held where matters of importance are to be debated We
will then take the water for our divertisement and you my lords will attend
us And that reminds us of a circumstance Do you Sir Squire of the Soiled
Cassock« distinguishing Raleigh by a smile »fail not to observe that you are
to attend us on our progress You shall be supplied with suitable means to
reform your wardrobe«
And so terminated this celebrated audience in which as throughout her
life Elizabeth united the occasional caprice of her sex with that sense and
sound policy in which neither man nor woman ever excelled her
Chapter Seventeenth
Well then our course is chosen spread the sail
Heave oft the lead and mark the soundings well
Look to the helm good master many a shoal
Marks this stern coast and rocks where sits the Siren
Who like ambition lures men to their ruin
The Shipwreck
During the brief interval that took place betwixt the dismissal of the audience
and the sitting of the privy council Leicester had time to reflect that he had
that morning sealed his own fate »It was impossible for him now« he thought
»after having in the face of all that was honourable in England pledged his
truth though in an ambiguous phrase for the statement of Varney to contradict
or disavow it without exposing himself not merely to the loss of court favour
but to the highest displeasure of the Queen his deceived mistress and to the
scorn and contempt at once of his rival and of all his compeers« This certainly
rushed at once on his mind together with all the difficulties which he would
necessarily be exposed to in preserving a secret which seemed now equally
essential to his safety to his power and to his honour He was situated like
one who walks upon ice ready to give way around him and whose only safety
consists in moving onwards by firm and unvacillating steps The Queens favour
to preserve which he had made such sacrifices must now be secured by all means
and at all hazards it was the only plank which he could cling to in the
tempest He must settle himself therefore to the task of not only preserving
but augmenting the Queens partiality He must be the favourite of Elizabeth
or a man utterly shipwrecked in fortune and in honour All other considerations
must be laid aside for the moment and he repelled the intrusive thoughts which
forced on his mind the image of Amy by saying to himself there would be time
to think hereafter how he was to escape from the labyrinth ultimately since the
pilot who sees a Scylla under his bows must not for the time think of the more
distant dangers of Charybdis
In this mood the Earl of Leicester that day assumed his chair at the
council table of Elizabeth and when the hours of business were over in this
same mood did he occupy an honoured place near her during her pleasure
excursion on the Thames And never did he display to more advantage his powers
as a politician of the first rank or his parts as an accomplished courtier
It chanced that in that days council matters were agitated touching the
affairs of the unfortunate Mary the seventh year of whose captivity in England
was now in doleful currency There had been opinions in favour of this unhappy
princess laid before Elizabeths council and supported with much strength of
argument by Sussex and others who dwelt more upon the law of nations and the
breach of hospitality than however softened or qualified was agreeable to the
Queens ear Leicester adopted the contrary opinion with great animation and
eloquence and described the necessity of continuing the severe restraint of the
Queen of Scots as a measure essential to the safety of the kingdom and
particularly of Elizabeths sacred person the lightest hair of whose head he
maintained ought in their lordships estimation to be matter of more deep and
anxious concern than the life and fortunes of a rival who after setting up a
vain and unjust pretence to the throne of England was now even while in the
bosom of her country the constant hope and theme of encouragement to all
enemies to Elizabeth whether at home or abroad He ended by craving pardon of
their lordships if in the zeal of speech he had given any offence but the
Queens safety was a theme which hurried him beyond his usual moderation of
debate
Elizabeth chid him but not severely for the weight which he attached
unduly to her personal interest yet she owned that since it had been the
pleasure of Heaven to combine those interests with the weal of her subjects she
did only her duty when she adopted such measures of selfpreservation as
circumstances forced upon her and if the council in their wisdom should be of
opinion that it was needful to continue some restraint on the person of her
unhappy sister of Scotland she trusted they would not blame her if she
requested of the Countess of Shrewsbury to use her with as much kindness as
might be consistent with her safe keeping And with this intimation of her
pleasure the council was dismissed
Never was more anxious and ready way made for »my Lord of Leicester« than
as he passed through the crowded anterooms to go towards the river side in
order to attend her Majesty to her barge Never was the voice of the ushers
louder to »make room make room for the noble Earl« Never were these signals
more promptly and reverentially obeyed Never were more anxious eyes turned on
him to obtain a glance of favour or even of mere recognition while the heart
of many an humble follower throbbed betwixt the desire to offer his
congratulations and the fear of intruding himself on the notice of one so
infinitely above him The whole court considered the issue of this days
audience expected with so much doubt and anxiety as a decisive triumph on the
part of Leicester and felt assured that the orb of his rival satellite if not
altogether obscured by his lustre must revolve hereafter in a dimmer and more
distant sphere So thought the court and courtiers from high to low and they
acted accordingly
On the other hand never did Leicester return the general greeting with such
ready and condescending courtesy or endeavour more successfully to gather in
the words of one who at that moment stood at no great distance from him
»golden opinions from all sorts of men«
For all the favourite Earl had a bow a smile at least and often a kind
word Most of these were addressed to courtiers whose names have long gone down
the tide of oblivion but some to each as sound strangely in our ears when
connected with the ordinary matters of human life above which the gratitude of
posterity has long elevated them A few of Leicesters interlocutory sentences
ran as follows
»Poynings goodmorrow and how does your wife and fair daughter Why come
they not to court Adams your suit is naught the Queen will grant no more
monopolies but I may serve you in another matter My good Alderman Aylford
the suit of the city affecting Queenhithe shall be forwarded as far as my poor
interest can serve Master Edmund Spenser touching your Irish petition I
would willingly aid you from my love to the Muses but thou hast nettled the
Lord Treasurer«
»My Lord« said the poet »were I permitted to explain«
»Come to my lodging Edmund« answered the Earl »not tomorrow or next
day but soon Ha Will Shakspeare wild Will thou hast given my nephew
Philip Sydney lovepowder he cannot sleep without thy Venus and Adonis under
his pillow We will have thee hanged for the veriest wizard in Europe Hark
thee mad wag I have not forgotten thy matter of the patent and of the bears«
The player bowed and the Earl nodded and passed on so that age would have
told the tale in ours perhaps we might say the immortal had done homage to
the mortal The next whom the favourite accosted was one of his own zealous
dependants
»How now Sir Francis Denning« he whispered in answer to his exulting
salutation »that smile hath made thy face shorter by onethird than when I
first saw it this morning What Master Bowyer stand you back and think you
I bear malice You did but your duty this morning and if I remember aught of
the passage betwixt us it shall be in thy favour«
Then the Earl was approached with several fantastic congees by a person
quaintly dressed in a doublet of black velvet curiously slashed and pinked with
crimson satin A long cocks feather in the velvet bonnet which he held in his
hand and an enormous ruff stiffened to the extremity of the absurd taste of
the times joined with a sharp lively conceited expression of countenance
seemed to body forth a vain harebrained coxcomb and small wit while the rod
he held and an assumption of royal authority appeared to express some sense of
official consequence which qualified the natural pertness of his manner A
perpetual blush which occupied rather the sharp nose than the thin cheek of
this personage seemed to speak more of »good life« as it was called than of
modesty and the manner in which he approached to the Earl confirmed that
suspicion
»Good even to you Master Robert Laneham« said Leicester and seemed
desirous to pass forward without farther speech
»I have a suit to your noble lordship« said the figure boldly following
him
»And what is it good master keeper of the councilchamber door«
»Clerk of the councilchamber door« said Master Robert Laneham with
emphasis by way of reply and of correction
»Well qualify thine office as thou wilt man« replied the Earl »what
wouldst thou have with me«
»Simply« answered Laneham »that your lordship would be as heretofore my
good lord and procure me license to attend the Summer Progress unto your
lordships most beautiful and alltobeunmatched Castle of Kenilworth«
»To what purpose good Master Laneham« replied the Earl »bethink you my
guests must needs be many«
»Not so many« replied the petitioner »but that your nobleness will
willingly spare your old servitor his crib and his mess Bethink you my lord
how necessary is this rod of mine to fright away all those listeners who else
would play at bopeep with the honourable council and be searching for
keyholes and crannies in the door of the chamber so as to render my staff as
needful as a flyflap in a butchers shop«
»Methinks you have found out a flyblown comparison for the honourable
council Master Laneham« said the Earl »but seek not about to justify it Come
to Kenilworth if you list there will be store of fools there besides and so
you will be fitted«
»Nay an there be fools my lord« replied Laneham with much glee »I
warrant I will make sport among them for no greyhound loves to cote a hare as
I to turn and course a fool But I have another singular favour to beseech of
your honour«
»Speak it and let me go« said the Earl »I think the Queen comes forth
instantly«
»My very good lord I would fain bring a bedfellow with me«
»How you irreverent rascal« said Leicester
»Nay my lord my meaning was within the canons« answered his unblushing
or rather his everblushing petitioner »I have a wife as curious as her
grandmother who ate the apple Now take her with me I may not her Highnesss
orders being so strict against the officers bringing with them their wives in a
progress and so lumbering the court with womankind But what I would crave of
your lordship is to find room for her in some mummery or pretty pageant in
disguise as it were so that not being known for my wife there may be no
offence«
»The foul fiend seize ye both« said Leicester stung into uncontrollable
passion by the recollection which this speech excited »Why stop you me with
such follies«
The terrified clerk of the chamberdoor astonished at the burst of
resentment he had so unconsciously produced dropped his staff of office from
his hand and gazed on the incensed Earl with a foolish face of wonder and
terror which instantly recalled Leicester to himself
»I meant but to try if thou hadst the audacity which befits thine office«
said he hastily »Come to Kenilworth and bring the devil with thee if thou
wilt«
»My wife sir hath played the devil ere now in a Mystery in Queen Marys
time but we shall want a trifle for properties«
»Here is a crown for thee« said the Earl »make me rid of thee the
great bell rings«
Master Robert Laneham stared a moment at the agitation which he had excited
and then said to himself as he stooped to pick up his staff of office »The
noble Earl runs wild humours today but they who give crowns expect us witty
fellows to wink at their unsettled starts and by my faith if they paid not
for mercy we would finger them tightly«15
Leicester moved hastily on neglecting the courtesies he had hitherto
dispensed so liberally and hurrying through the courtly crowd until he paused
in a small withdrawingroom into which he plunged to draw a moments breath
unobserved and in seclusion
»What am I now« he said to himself »that am thus jaded by the words of a
mean weatherbeaten goosebrained gull Conscience thou art a bloodhound
whose growl wakes as readily at the paltry stir of a rat or mouse as at the
step of a lion Can I not quit myself by one bold stroke of a state so
irksome so unhonoured What if I kneel to Elizabeth and owning the whole
throw myself on her mercy«
As he pursued this train of thought the door of the apartment opened and
Varney rushed in
»Thank God my lord that I have found you« was his exclamation
»Thank the devil whose agent thou art« was the Earls reply
»Thank whom you will my lord« replied Varney »but hasten to the
waterside The Queen is on board and asks for you«
»Go say I am taken suddenly ill« replied Leicester »for by Heaven my
brain can sustain this no longer«
»I may well say so« said Varney with bitterness of expression »for your
place ay and mine who as your master of the horse was to have attended your
lordship is already filled up in the Queens barge The new minion Walter
Raleigh and our old acquaintance Tressilian were called for to fill our
places just as I hastened away to seek you«
»Thou art a devil Varney« said Leicester hastily »but thou hast the
mastery for the present I follow thee«
Varney replied not but led the way out of the palace and towards the
river while his master followed him as if mechanically until looking back
he said in a tone which savoured of familiarity at least if not of authority
»How is this my lord your cloak hangs on one side your hose are unbraced
permit me«
»Thou art a fool Varney as well as a knave« said Leicester shaking him
off and rejecting his officious assistance »we are best thus sir when we
require you to order our person it is well but now we want you not«
So saying the Earl resumed at once his air of command and with it his
selfpossession shook his dress into yet wilder disorder passed before
Varney with the air of a superior and master and in his turn led the way to the
riverside
The Queens barge was on the very point of putting off the seat allotted to
Leicester in the stern and that to his master of the horse on the bow of the
boat being already filled up But on Leicesters approach there was a pause as
if the bargemen anticipated some alteration in their company The angry spot
was however on the Queens cheek as in that cold tone with which superiors
endeavour to veil their internal agitation while speaking to those before whom
it would be derogation to express it she pronounced the chilling words »We
have waited my Lord of Leicester«
»Madam and most gracious Princess« said Leicester »you who can pardon so
many weaknesses which your own heart never knows can best bestow your
commiseration on the agitations of the bosom which for a moment affect both
head and limbs I came to your presence a doubting and an accused subject
your goodness penetrated the clouds of defamation and restored me to my honour
and what is yet dearer to your favour is it wonderful though for me it is
most unhappy that my master of the horse should have found me in a state which
scarce permitted me to make the exertion necessary to follow him to this place
when one glance of your Highness although alas an angry one has had power to
do that for me in which Esculapius might have failed«
»How is this« said Elizabeth hastily looking at Varney »hath your lord
been ill«
»Something of a fainting fit« answered the readywitted Varney »as your
Grace may observe from his present condition My lords haste would not permit
me leisure even to bring his dress into order«
»It matters not« said Elizabeth as she gazed on the noble face and form of
Leicester to which even the strange mixture of passions by which he had been so
lately agitated gave additional interest »make room for my noble lord Your
place Master Varney has been filled up you must find a seat in another
barge«
Varney bowed and withdrew
»And you too our young Squire of the Cloak« added she looking at
Raleigh »must for the time go to the barge of our ladies of honour As for
Tressilian he hath already suffered too much by the caprice of women that I
should aggrieve him by my change of plan so far as he is concerned«
Leicester seated himself in his place in the barge and close to the
Sovereign Raleigh rose to retire and Tressilian would have been so illtimed
in his courtesy as to offer to relinquish his own place to his friend had not
the acute glance of Raleigh himself who seemed now in his native element made
him sensible that so ready a disclamation of the royal favour might be
misinterpreted He sate silent therefore whilst Raleigh with a profound bow
and a look of the deepest humiliation was about to quit his place
A noble courtier the gallant Lord Willoughby read as he thought
something in the Queens face which seemed to pity Raleighs real or assumed
semblance of mortification
»It is not for us old courtiers« he said »to hide the sunshine from the
young ones I will with her Majestys leave relinquish for an hour that which
her subjects hold dearest the delight of her Highnesss presence and mortify
myself by walking in starlight while I forsake for a brief season the glory of
Dianas own beams I will take place in the boat which the ladies occupy and
permit this young cavalier his hour of promised felicity«
The Queen replied with an expression betwixt mirth and earnest »If you are
so willing to leave us my lord we cannot help the mortification But under
favour we do not trust you old and experienced as you may deem yourself
with the care of our young ladies of honour Your venerable age my lord« she
continued smiling »may be better assorted with that of my Lord Treasurer who
follows in the third boat and by whose experience even my Lord Willoughbys may
be improved«
Lord Willoughby hid his disappointment under a smile laughed was
confused bowed and left the Queens barge to go on board my Lord Burleighs
Leicester who endeavoured to divert his thoughts from all internal reflection
by fixing them on what was passing around watched this circumstance among
others But when the boat put off from the shore when the music sounded from a
barge which accompanied them when the shouts of the populace were heard from
the shore and all reminded him of the situation in which he was placed he
abstracted his thoughts and his feelings by a strong effort from everything but
the necessity of maintaining himself in the favour of his patroness and exerted
his talents of pleasing captivation with such success that the Queen
alternately delighted with his conversation and alarmed for his health at
length imposed a temporary silence on him with playful yet anxious care lest
his flow of spirits should exhaust him
»My lords« she said »having passed for a time our edict of silence upon
our good Leicester we will call you to counsel on a gamesome matter more
fitted to be now treated of amidst mirth and music than in the gravity of our
ordinary deliberations Which of you my lords« said she smiling »know
aught of a petition from Orson Pinnit the keeper as he qualifies himself of
our royal bears Who stands godfather to his request«
»Marry with your Graces good permission that do I« said the Earl of
Sussex »Orson Pinnit was a stout soldier before he was so mangled by the
skenes of the Irish clan MacDonough and I trust your Grace will be as you
always have been good mistress to your good and trusty servants«
»Surely« said the Queen »it is our purpose to be so and in especial to
our poor soldiers and sailors who hazard their lives for little pay We would
give« she said with her eyes sparkling »yonder royal palace of ours to be an
hospital for their use rather than they should call their mistress ungrateful
But this is not the question« she said her voice which had been awakened by
her patriotic feelings once more subsiding into the tone of gay and easy
conversation »for this Orson Pinnits request goes something farther He
complains that amidst the extreme delight with which men haunt the play houses
and in especial their eager desire for seeing the exhibitions of one Will
Shakspeare whom I think my lords we have all heard something of the manly
amusement of bearbaiting is falling into comparative neglect since men will
rather throng to see these roguish players kill each other in jest than to see
our royal dogs and bears worry each other in bloody earnest What say you to
this my Lord of Sussex«
»Why truly gracious madam« said Sussex »you must expect little from an
old soldier like me in favour of battles in sport when they are compared with
battles in earnest and yet by my faith I wish Will Shakspeare no harm He is
a stout man at quarterstaff and single falchion though as I am told a
halting fellow and he stood they say a tough fight with the rangers of old
Sir Thomas Lucy of Charlecot when he broke his deerpark and kissed his
keepers daughter«
»I cry you mercy my Lord of Sussex« said Queen Elizabeth interrupting
him »that matter was heard in council and we will not have this fellows
offence exaggerated there was no kissing in the matter and the defendant hath
put the denial on record But what say you to his present practice my lord on
the stage for there lies the point and not in any ways touching his former
errors in breaking parks or the other follies you speak of«
»Why truly madam« replied Sussex »as I said before I wish the gamesome
mad fellow no injury Some of his whoreson poetry I crave your Graces pardon
for such a phrase has rung in mine ears as if the lines sounded to boot and
saddle But then it is all froth and folly no substance or seriousness in
it as your Grace has already well touched What are halfadozen knaves with
rusty foils and tattered targets making but a mere mockery of a stout fight to
compare to the royal game of bearbaiting which had been graced by your
Highnesss countenance and that of your royal predecessors in this your
princely kingdom famous for matchless mastiffs and bold bearwards over all
Christendom Greatly is it to be doubted that the race of both will decay if
men should throng to hear the lungs of an idle player belch forth nonsensical
bombast instead of bestowing their pence in encouraging the bravest image of
war that can be shown in peace and that is the sports of the beargarden There
you may see the bear lying at guard with his red pinky eyes watching the onset
of the mastiff like a wily captain who maintains his defence that an assailant
may be tempted to venture within his danger And then comes Sir Mastiff like a
worthy champion in full career at the throat of his adversary and then shall
Sir Bruin teach him the reward for those who in their overcourage neglect the
policies of war and catching him in his arms strain him to his breast like a
lusty wrestler until rib after rib crack like the shot of a pistolet And then
another mastiff as bold but with better aim and sounder judgment catches Sir
Bruin by the netherlip and hangs fast while he tosses about his blood and
slaver and tries in vain to shake Sir Talbot from his hold And then«
»Nay by my honour my lord« said the Queen laughing »you have described
the whole so admirably that had we never seen a bearbaiting as we have
beheld many and hope with Heavens allowance to see many more your words
were sufficient to put the whole Beargarden before our eyes But come who
speaks next in this case My Lord of Leicester what say you«
»Am I then to consider myself as unmuzzled please your Grace« replied
Leicester
»Surely my lord that is if you feel hearty enough to take part in our
game« answered Elizabeth »and yet when I think of your cognisance of the bear
and ragged staff methinks we had better hear some less partial orator«
»Nay on my word gracious Princess« said the Earl »though my brother
Ambrose of Warwick and I do carry the ancient cognisance your Highness deigns to
remember I nevertheless desire nothing but fair play on all sides or as they
say fight dog fight bear And in behalf of the players I must needs say that
they are witty knaves whose rants and jests keep the minds of the commons from
busying themselves with state affairs and listening to traitorous speeches
idle rumours and disloyal insinuations When men are agape to see how Marlowe
Shakspeare and other play artificers work out their fanciful plots as they
call them the mind of the spectators is withdrawn from the conduct of their
rulers«
»We would not have the mind of our subjects withdrawn from the consideration
of our own conduct my lord« answered Elizabeth »because the more closely it
is examined the true motives by which we are guided will appear the more
manifest«
»I have heard however madam« said the Dean of St Asaphs an eminent
Puritan »that these players are wont in their plays not only to introduce
profane and lewd expressions tending to foster sin and harlotry but even to
bellow out such reflections on government its origin and its object as tend to
render the subject discontented and shake the solid foundations of civil
society And it seems to be under your Graces favour far less than safe to
permit these naughty foulmouthed knaves to ridicule the godly for their decent
gravity and in blaspheming Heaven and slandering its earthly rulers to set at
defiance the laws both of God and man«
»If we could think this were true my lord« said Elizabeth »we should give
sharp correction for such offences But it is ill arguing against the use of
anything from its abuse And touching this Shakspeare we think there is that in
his plays that is worth twenty Beargardens and that this new undertaking of
his Chronicles as he calls them may entertain with honest mirth mingled with
useful instruction not only our subjects but even the generation which may
succeed to us«
»Your Majestys reign will need no such feeble aid to make it remembered to
the latest posterity« said Leicester »And yet in his way Shakspeare hath so
touched some incidents of your Majestys happy government as may countervail
what has been spoken by his reverence the Dean of St Asaphs There are some
lines for example I would my nephew Philip Sidney were here they are
scarce ever out of his mouth they are spoken in a mad tale of fairies
lovecharms and I wot not what besides but beautiful they are however short
they may and must fall of the subject to which they bear a bold relation and
Philip murmurs them I think even in his dreams«
»You tantalise us my lord« said the Queen »Master Philip Sidney is we
know a minion of the Muses and we are pleased it should be so Valour never
shines to more advantage than when united with the true taste and love of
letters But surely there are some others among our young courtiers who can
recollect what your lordship has forgotten amid weightier affairs Master
Tressilian you are described to me as a worshipper of Minerva remember you
aught of these lines«
Tressilians heart was too heavy his prospects in life too fatally
blighted to profit by the opportunity which the Queen thus offered to him of
attracting her attention but he determined to transfer the advantage to his
more ambitious young friend and excusing himself on the score of want of
recollection he added that he believed the beautiful verses of which my Lord
of Leicester had spoken were in the remembrance of Master Walter Raleigh
At the command of the Queen that cavalier repeated with accent and manner
which even added to their exquisite delicacy of tact and beauty of description
the celebrated vision of Oberon
»That very time I saw but thou couldst not
Flying between the cold moon and the earth
Cupid all armd a certain aim he took
At a fair vestal throned by the west
And loosed his loveshaft smartly from his bow
As it should pierce a hundred thousand hearts
But I might see young Cupids fiery shaft
Quenchd in the chaste beams of the watery moon
And the imperial votress passed on
In maiden meditation fancy free«
The voice of Raleigh as he repeated the last lines became a little tremulous
as if diffident how the Sovereign to whom the homage was addressed might receive
it exquisite as it was If this diffidence was affected it was good policy
but if real there was little occasion for it The verses were not probably new
to the Queen for when was ever such elegant flattery long in reaching the royal
ear to which it was addressed But they were not the less welcome when repeated
by such a speaker as Raleigh Alike delighted with the matter the manner and
the graceful form and animated countenance of the gallant young reciter
Elizabeth kept time to every cadence with look and with finger When the
speaker had ceased she murmured over the last lines as if scarce conscious that
she was overheard and as she uttered the words
»In maiden meditation fancy free«
she dropt into the Thames the supplication of Orson Pinnit keeper of the royal
bears to find more favourable acceptance at Sheerness or wherever the tide
might waft it
Leicester was spurred to emulation by the success of the young courtiers
exhibition as the veteran racer is roused when a highmettled colt passes him
on the way He turned the discourse on shows banquets pageants and on the
character of those by whom these gay scenes were then frequented He mixed acute
observation with light satire in that just proportion which was free alike from
malignant slander and insipid praise He mimicked with ready accent the manners
of the affected or the clownish and made his own graceful tone and manner seem
doubly such when he resumed it Foreign countries their customs their
manners the rules of their courts the fashions and even the dress of their
ladies were equally his theme and seldom did he conclude without conveying
some compliment always couched in delicacy and expressed with propriety to
the Virgin Queen her court and her government Thus passed the conversation
during this pleasure voyage seconded by the rest of the attendants upon the
royal person in gay discourse varied by remarks upon ancient classics and
modern authors and enriched by maxims of deep policy and sound morality by the
statesmen and sages who sate around and mixed wisdom with the lighter talk of a
female court
When they returned to the palace Elizabeth accepted or rather selected
the arm of Leicester to support her from the stairs where they landed to the
great gate It even seemed to him though that might arise from the flattery of
his own imagination that during this short passage she leaned on him somewhat
more than the slipperiness of the way necessarily demanded Certainly her
actions and words combined to express a degree of favour which even in his
proudest days he had not till then attained His rival indeed was repeatedly
graced by the Queens notice but it was in a manner that seemed to flow less
from spontaneous inclination than as extorted by a sense of his merit And in
the opinion of many experienced courtiers all the favour she showed him was
overbalanced by her whispering in the ear of the Lady Derby that »now she saw
sickness was a better alchemist than she before wotted of seeing it had changed
my lord of Sussexs copper nose into a golden one«
The jest transpired and the Earl of Leicester enjoyed his triumph as one
to whom court favour had been both the primary and the ultimate motive of life
while he forgot in the intoxication of the moment the perplexities and dangers
of his own situation Indeed strange as it may appear he thought less at that
moment of the perils arising from his secret union than of the marks of grace
which Elizabeth from time to time showed to young Raleigh They were indeed
transient but they were conferred on one accomplished in mind and body with
grace gallantry literature and valour An accident occurred in the course of
the evening which rivetted Leicesters attention to this object
The nobles and courtiers who had attended the Queen on her pleasure
expedition were invited with royal hospitality to a splendid banquet in the
hall of the palace The table was not indeed graced by the presence of the
Sovereign for agreeable to her idea of what was at once modest and dignified
the Maiden Queen on such occasions was wont to take in private or with one or
two favourite ladies her light and temperate meal After a moderate interval
the court again met in the splendid gardens of the palace and it was while thus
engaged that the Queen suddenly asked a lady who was near to her both in place
and favour what had become of the young Squire LackCloak
The Lady Paget answered »She had seen Mr Raleigh but two or three minutes
since standing at the window of a small pavilion or pleasurehouse which
looked out on the Thames and writing on the glass with a diamond ring«
»That ring« said the Queen »was a small token I gave him to make amends
for his spoiled mantle Come Paget let us see what use he has made of it for
I can see through him already He is a marvellously sharpwitted spirit«
They went to the spot within sight of which but at some distance the
young cavalier still lingered as the fowler watches the net which he has set
The Queen approached the window on which Raleigh had used her gift to inscribe
the following line
»Fain would I climb but that I fear to fall«
The Queen smiled read it twice over once with deliberation to Lady Paget and
once again to herself »It is a pretty beginning« she said after the
consideration of a moment or two »but methinks the muse hath deserted the young
wit at the very outset of his task It were goodnatured were it not Lady
Paget to complete it for him Try your rhyming faculties«
Lady Paget prosaic from her cradle upwards as ever any lady of the
bedchamber before or after her disclaimed all possibility of assisting the
young poet
»Nay then we must sacrifice to the Muses ourselves« said Elizabeth
»The incense of no one can be more acceptable« said Lady Paget »and your
Highness will impose such obligation on the ladies of Parnassus«
»Hush Paget« said the Queen »you speak sacrilege against the immortal
Nine yet virgins themselves they should be exorable to a Virgin Queen and
therefore let me see how runs his verse
Fain would I climb but that I fear to fall
Might not the answer for fault of a better run thus
If thy mind fail thee do not climb at all«
The dame of honour uttered an exclamation of joy and surprise at so happy a
termination and certainly a worse has been applauded even when coming from a
less distinguished author
The Queen thus encouraged took off a diamond ring and saying »We will
give this gallant some cause of marvel when he finds his couplet perfected
without his own interference« she wrote her own line beneath that of Raleigh
The Queen left the pavilion but retiring slowly and often looking back
she could see the young cavalier steal with the flight of a lapwing towards
the place where he had seen her make a pause »She stayed but to observe« as
she said »that her train had taken« and then laughing at the circumstance
with the Lady Paget she took the way slowly towards the palace Elizabeth as
they returned cautioned her companion not to mention to any one the aid which
she had given to the young poet and Lady Paget promised scrupulous secrecy It
is to be supposed that she made a mental reservation in favour of Leicester to
whom her ladyship transmitted without delay an anecdote so little calculated to
give him pleasure
Raleigh in the meanwhile stole back to the window and read with a
feeling of intoxication the encouragement thus given him by the Queen in person
to follow out his ambitious career and returned to Sussex and his retinue then
on the point of embarking to go up the river his heart beating high with
gratified pride and with hope of future distinction
The reverence due to the person of the Earl prevented any notice being taken
of the reception he had met with at court until they had landed and the
household were assembled in the great hall at Says Court while that lord
exhausted by his late illness and the fatigues of the day had retired to his
chamber demanding the attendance of Wayland his successful physician Wayland
however was nowhere to be found and while some of the party were with
military impatience seeking him and cursing his absence the rest flocked
around Raleigh to congratulate him on his prospects of court favour
He had the good taste and judgment to conceal the decisive circumstance of
the couplet to which Elizabeth had deigned to find a rhyme but other
circumstances had transpired which plainly intimated that he had made some
progress in the Queens favour All hastened to wish him joy on the mended
appearance of his fortune some from real regard some perhaps from hopes that
his preferment might hasten their own and most from a mixture of these motives
and a sense that the countenance shown to any one of Sussexs household was in
fact a triumph to the whole Raleigh returned the kindest thanks to them all
disowning with becoming modesty that one days fair reception made a
favourite any more than one swallow a summer But he observed that Blount did
not join in the general congratulation and somewhat hurt at his apparent
unkindness he plainly asked him the reason
Blount replied with equal sincerity »My good Walter I wish thee as well
as do any of these chattering gulls who are whistling and whooping gratulations
in thine ear because it seems fair weather with thee But I fear for thee
Walter« and he wiped his honest eye »I fear for thee with all my heart These
court tricks and gambols and flashes of fine womens favour are the tricks
and trinkets that bring fair fortunes to farthings and fine faces and witty
coxcombs to the acquaintance of dull block and sharp axes«
So saying Blount arose and left the hall while Raleigh looked after him
with an expression that blanked for a moment his bold and animated countenance
Stanley just then entered the hall and said to Tressilian »My lord is
calling for your fellow Wayland and your fellow Wayland is just come hither in
a sculler and is calling for you nor will he go to my lord till he sees you
The fellow looks as he were mazed methinks I would you would see him
immediately«
Tressilian instantly left the hall and causing Wayland Smith to be shown
into a withdrawing apartment and lights placed he conducted the artist
thither and was surprised when he observed the emotion of his countenance
»What is the matter with you Smith« said Tressilian »have you seen the
devil«
»Worse sir worse« replied Wayland »I have seen a basilisk Thank God
I saw him first for being so seen and seeing not me he will do the less
harm«
»In Gods name speak sense« said Tressilian »and say what you mean«
»I have seen my old master« said the artist »Last night a friend whom I
had acquired took me to see the palace clock judging me to be curious in such
works of art At the window of a turret next to the clockhouse I saw my old
master«
»Thou must have needs been mistaken« said Tressilian
»I was not mistaken« said Wayland »He that once hath his features by
heart would know him amongst a million He was anticly habited but he cannot
disguise himself from me God be praised as I can from him I will not
however tempt Providence by remaining within his ken Tarleton the player
himself could not so disguise himself but that sooner or later Doboobie would
find him out I must away tomorrow for as we stand together it were death to
me to remain within reach of him«
»But the Earl of Sussex« said Tressilian
»He is in little danger from what he has hitherto taken provided he swallow
the matter of a beans size of the Orvietan every morning fasting but let him
beware of a relapse«
»And how is that to be guarded against« said Tressilian
»Only by such caution as you would use against the devil« answered Wayland
»Let my lords clerk of the kitchen kill his lords meat himself and dress it
himself using no spice but what he procures from the surest hands Let the
sewer serve it up himself and let the master of my lords household see that
both clerk and sewer taste the dishes which the one dresses and the other
serves Let my lord use no perfumes which come not from well accredited persons
no unguents no pomades Let him on no account drink with strangers or eat
fruit with them either in the way of nooning or otherwise Especially let him
observe such caution if he goes to Kenilworth the excuse of his illness and
his being under diet will and must cover the strangeness of such practice«
»And thou« said Tressilian »what dost thou think to make of thyself«
»France Spain either India East or West shall be my refuge« said
Wayland »ere I venture my life by residing within ken of Doboobie Demetrius
or whatever else he calls himself for the time«
»Well« said Tressilian »this happens not inopportunely I had business
for you in Berkshire but in the opposite extremity to the place where thou
art known and ere thou hadst found out this new reason for living private I
had settled to send thee thither upon a secret embassage«
The artist expressed himself willing to receive his commands and
Tressilian knowing he was well acquainted with the outline of his business at
court frankly explained to him the whole mentioned the agreement which
subsisted betwixt Giles Gosling and him and told what had that day been averred
in the presencechamber by Varney and supported by Leicester
»Thou seest« he added »that in the circumstances in which I am placed it
behoves me to keep a narrow watch on the motions of these unprincipled men
Varney and his complices Foster and Lambourne as well as those of my Lord
Leicester himself who I suspect is partly a deceiver and not altogether the
deceived in that matter Here is my ring as a pledge to Giles Gosling here is
besides gold which shall be trebled if thou serve me faithfully Away down to
Cumnor and see what happens there«
»I go with double goodwill« said the artist »first because I serve your
honour who has been so kind to me and then that I may escape my old master
who if not an absolute incarnation of the devil has at least as much of the
demon about him in will word and action as ever polluted humanity And yet
let him take care of me I fly him now as heretofore but if like the Scottish
wild cattle16 I am vexed by frequent pursuit I may turn on him in hate and
desperation Will your honour command my nag to be saddled I will but give
the medicine to my lord divided in its proper proportions with a few
instructions His safety will then depend on the care of his friends and
domestics for the past he is guarded but let him beware of the future«
Wayland Smith accordingly made his farewell visit to the Earl of Sussex
dictated instructions as to his regimen and precautions concerning his diet
and left Says Court without waiting for morning
Chapter Eighteenth
The moment comes
It is already come when thou must write
The absolute total of thy lifes vast sum
The constellations stand victorious oer thee
The planets shoot good fortune in fair junctions
And tell thee »Nows the time«
Schillers Wallenstein by Coleridge
When Leicester returned to his lodging after a day so important and so
harassing in which after riding out more than one gale and touching on more
than one shoal his bark had finally gained the harbour with banner displayed
he seemed to experience as much fatigue as a mariner after a perilous storm He
spoke not a word while his chamberlain exchanged his rich courtmantle for a
furred nightrobe and when this officer signified that Master Varney desired to
speak with his lordship he replied only by a sullen nod Varney however
entered accepting this signal as a permission and the chamberlain withdrew
The Earl remained silent and almost motionless in his chair his head
reclined on his hand and his elbow resting upon the table which stood beside
him without seeming to be conscious of the entrance or of the presence of his
confidant Varney waited for some minutes until he should speak desirous to
know what was the finally predominant mood of a mind through which so many
powerful emotions had that day taken their course But he waited in vain for
Leicester continued still silent and the confidant saw himself under the
necessity of being the first to speak »May I congratulate your lordship« he
said »on the deserved superiority you have this day attained over your most
formidable rival«
Leicester raised his head and answered sadly but without anger »Thou
Varney whose ready invention has involved me in a web of most mean and perilous
falsehood knowest best what small reason there is for gratulation on the
subject«
»Do you blame me my lord« said Varney »for not betraying on the first
push the secret on which your fortunes depended and which you have so oft and
so earnestly recommended to my safe keeping Your lordship was present in
person and might have contradicted me and ruined yourself by an avowal of the
truth but surely it was no part of a faithful servant to have done so without
your commands«
»I cannot deny it Varney« said the Earl rising and walking across the
room »my own ambition has been traitor to my love«
»Say rather my lord that your love has been traitor to your greatness and
barred you from such a prospect of honour and power as the world cannot offer to
any other To make my honoured lady a countess you have missed the chance of
being yourself«
He paused and seemed unwilling to complete the sentence
»Of being myself what« demanded Leicester »speak out thy meaning Varney«
»Of being yourself a KlNG my lord« replied Varney »and King of England to
boot It is no treason to our Queen to say so It would have chanced by her
obtaining that which all true subjects wish her a lusty noble and gallant
husband«
»Thou ravest Varney« answered Leicester »Besides our times have seen
enough to make men loathe the Crown Matrimonial which men take from their wives
lap There was Darnley of Scotland«
»He« said Varney »a gull a fool a thrice sodden ass who suffered
himself to be fired off into the air like a rocket on a rejoicing day Had Mary
had the hap to have wedded the noble Earl once destined to share her throne
she had experienced a husband of different metal and her husband had found in
her a wife as complying and loving as the mate of the meanest squire who
follows the hounds ahorseback and holds her husbands bridle as he mounts«
»It might have been as thou sayest Varney« said Leicester a brief smile
of selfsatisfaction passing over his anxious countenance »Henry Darnley knew
little of women with Mary a man who knew her sex might have had some chance
of holding his own But not with Elizabeth Varney for I think God when he
gave her the heart of a woman gave her the head of a man to control its
follies No I know her She will accept lovetokens ay and requite them
with the like put sugared sonnets in her bosom ay and answer them too
push gallantry to the very verge where it becomes exchange of affection but
she writes nil ultra to all which is to follow and would not barter one iota of
her own supreme power for all the alphabet of both Cupid and Hymen«
»The better for you my lord« said Varney »that is in the case supposed
if such be her disposition since you think you cannot aspire to become her
husband Her favourite you are and may remain if the lady at Cumnor Place
continues in her present obscurity«
»Poor Amy« said Leicester with a deep sigh »she desires so earnestly to
be acknowledged in presence of God and man«
»Ay but my lord« said Varney »is her desire reasonable that is the
question Her religious scruples are solved she is an honoured and beloved
wife enjoying the society of her husband at such times as his weightier duties
permit him to afford her his company What would she more I am right sure that
a lady so gentle and so loving would consent to live her life through in a
certain obscurity which is after all not dimmer than when she was at Lidcote
Hall rather than diminish the least jot of her lords honours and greatness by
a premature attempt to share them«
»There is something in what thou sayest« said Leicester »and her
appearance here were fatal yet she must be seen at Kenilworth Elizabeth will
not forget that she has so appointed«
»Let me sleep on that point« said Varney »I cannot else perfect the device
I have on the stithy which I trust will satisfy the Queen and please my
honoured lady yet leave this fatal secret where it is now buried Has your
lordship farther commands for the night«
»I would be alone« said Leicester »Leave me and place my steel casket on
the table Be within summons«
Varney retired and the Earl opening the window of his apartment looked
out long and anxiously upon the brilliant host of stars which glimmered in the
splendour of a summer firmament The words burst from him as at unawares »I
had never more need that the heavenly bodies should befriend me for my earthly
path is darkened and confused«
It is well known that the age reposed a deep confidence in the vain
predictions of judicial astrology and Leicester though exempt from the general
control of superstition was not in this respect superior to his time but on
the contrary was remarkable for the encouragement which he gave to the
professors of this pretended science Indeed the wish to pry into futurity so
general among the human race is peculiarly to be found amongst those who trade
in state mysteries and the dangerous intrigues and cabals of courts With
heedful precaution to see that it had not been opened or its locks tampered
with Leicester applied a key to the steel casket and drew from it first a
parcel of gold pieces which he put into a silk purse then a parchment
inscribed with planetary signs and the lines and calculations used in framing
horoscopes on which he gazed intently for a few moments and lastly took forth
a large key which lifting aside the tapestry he applied to a little concealed
door in the corner of the apartment and opening it disclosed a stair
constructed in the thickness of the wall
»Alasco« said the Earl with a voice raised yet no higher raised than to
be heard by the inhabitant of the small turret to which the stair conducted
»Alasco I say descend«
»I come my lord« answered a voice from above The foot of an aged man was
heard slowly descending the narrow stair and Alasco entered the Earls
apartment The astrologer was a little man and seemed much advanced in age for
his beard was long and white and reached over his black doublet down to his
silken girdle His hair was of the same venerable hue But his eyebrows were as
dark as the keen and piercing black eyes which they shaded and this peculiarity
gave a wild and singular cast to the physiognomy of the old man His cheek was
still fresh and ruddy and the eyes we have mentioned resembled those of a rat
in acuteness and even fierceness of expression His manner was not without a
sort of dignity and the interpreter of the stars though respectful seemed
altogether at his ease and even assumed a tone of instruction and command in
conversing with the prime favourite of Elizabeth
»Your prognostications have failed Alasco« said the Earl when they had
exchanged salutations »He is recovering«
»My son« replied the astrologer »let me remind you I warranted not his
death nor is there any prognostication that can be derived from the heavenly
bodies their aspects and their conjunctions which is not liable to be
controlled by the will of Heaven Astra regunt homines sed regit astra Deus«
»Of what avail then is your mystery« inquired the Earl
»Of much my son« replied the old man »since it can show the natural and
probable course of events although that course moves in subordination to a
Higher Power Thus in reviewing the horoscope which your lordship subjected to
my skill you will observe that Saturn being in the sixth House in opposition
to Mars retrograde in the House of Life cannot but denote long and dangerous
sickness the issue whereof is in the will of Heaven though death may probably
be inferred Yet if I knew the name of the party I would erect another
scheme«
»His name is a secret« said the Earl »yet I must own thy prognostication
hath not been unfaithful He has been sick and dangerously so not however to
death But hast thou again cast my horoscope as Varney directed thee and art
thou prepared to say what the stars tell of my present fortune«
»My art stands at your command« said the old man »and here my son is the
map of thy fortunes brilliant in aspect as ever beamed from those blessed signs
whereby our life is influenced yet not unchequered with fears difficulties
and dangers«
»My lot were more than mortal were it otherwise« said the Earl »proceed
father and believe you speak with one ready to undergo his destiny in action
and in passion as may beseem a noble of England«
»Thy courage to do and to suffer must be wound up yet a strain higher« said
the old man »The stars intimate yet a prouder title yet a higher rank It is
for thee to guess their meaning not for me to name it«
»Name it I conjure you name it I command you« said the Earl his eyes
brightening as he spoke
»I may not and I will not« replied the old man »The ire of princes is as
the wrath of the lion But mark and judge for thyself Here Venus ascendant in
the House of Life and conjoined with Sol showers down that flood of silver
light blent with gold which promises power wealth dignity all that the
proud heart of man desires and in such abundance that never the future
Augustus of that old and mighty Rome heard from his Haruspices such a tale of
glory as from this rich text my lore might read to my favourite son«
»Thou dost but jest with me father« said the Earl astonished at the
strain of enthusiasm is which the astrologer delivered his prediction
»Is it for him to jest who hath his eye on heaven who hath his foot in the
grave« returned the old man solemnly
The Earl made two or three strides through the apartment with his hand
outstretched as one who follows the beckoning signal of some phantom waving
him on to deeds of high import As he turned however he caught the eye of the
astrologer fixed on him while an observing glance of the most shrewd
penetration shot from under the penthouse of his shaggy dark eyebrows
Leicesters haughty and suspicious soul at once caught fire he darted towards
the old man from the farther end of the lofty apartment only standing still
when his extended hand was within a foot of the astrologers body
»Wretch« he said »if you dare to palter with me I will have your skin
stripped from your living flesh Confess thou hast been hired to deceive and
to betray me that thou art a cheat and I thy silly prey and booty«
The old man exhibited some symptoms of emotion but not more than the
furious deportment of his patron might have extorted from innocence itself
»What means this violence my lord« he answered »or in what can I have
deserved it at your hands«
»Give me proof« said the Earl vehemently »that you have not tampered with
mine enemies«
»My lord« replied the old man with dignity »you can have no better proof
than that which you yourself elected In that turret I have spent the last
twentyfour hours under the key which has been in your own custody The hours
of darkness I have spent in gazing on the heavenly bodies with these dim eyes
and during those of light I have toiled this aged brain to complete the
calculation arising from their combinations Earthly food I have not tasted
earthly voice I have not heard you are yourself aware I had no means of doing
so and yet I tell you I who have been thus shut up in solitude and study
that within these twentyfour hours your star has become predominant in the
horizon and either the bright book of heaven speaks false or there must have
been a proportionate revolution in your fortunes upon earth If nothing has
happened within that space to secure your power or advance your favour then am
I indeed a cheat and the divine art which was first devised in the plains of
Chaldea is a foul imposture«
»It is true« said Leicester after a moments reflection »thou wert
closely immured and it is also true that the change has taken place in my
situation which thou sayest the horoscope indicates«
»Wherefore this distrust then my son« said the astrologer assuming a
tone of admonition »the celestial intelligences brook not diffidence even in
their favourites«
»Peace father« answered Leicester »I have erred in doubting thee Not to
mortal man nor to celestial intelligence under that which is supreme will
Dudleys lips say more in condescension or apology Speak rather to the present
purpose Amid these bright promises thou hast said there was a threatening
aspect Can thy skill tell whence or by whose means such danger seems to
impend«
»Thus far only« answered the astrologer »does my art enable me to answer
your query The infortune is threatened by the malignant and adverse aspect
through means of a youth and as I think a rival but whether in love or in
princes favour I know not nor can I give farther indication respecting him
save that he comes from the western quarter«
»The western ha« replied Leicester »it is enough the tempest does
indeed brew in that quarter Cornwall and Devon Raleigh and Tressilian one
of them is indicated I must beware of both Father if I have done thy skill
injustice I will make thee a lordly recompense«
He took a purse of gold from the strong casket which stood before him »Have
thou double the recompense which Varney promised Be faithful be secret
obey the directions thou shalt receive from my master of the horse and grudge
not a little seclusion or restraint in my cause it shall be richly considered
Here Varney conduct this venerable man to thine own lodging tend him
heedfully in all things but see that he holds communication with no one«
Varney bowed and the astrologer kissed the Earls hand in token of adieu
and followed the master of the horse to another apartment in which were placed
wine and refreshments for his use
The astrologer sat down to his repast while Varney shut two doors with
great precaution examined the tapestry lest any listener lurked behind it and
then sitting down opposite to the sage began to question him
»Saw you my signal from the court beneath«
»I did« said Alasco for by such name he was at present called »and shaped
the horoscope accordingly«
»And it passed upon the patron without challenge« continued Varney
»Not without challenge« replied the old man »but it did pass and I added
as before agreed danger from a discovered secret and a western youth«
»My lords fear will stand sponsor to the one and his conscience to the
other of these prognostications« replied Varney »Sure never man chose to run
such a race as his yet continued to retain those silly scruples I am fain to
cheat him to his own profit But touching your matters sage interpreter of the
stars I can tell you more of your own fortune than plan or figure can show You
must be gone from hence forthwith«
»I will not« said Alasco peevishly »I have been too much hurried up and
down of late immured for day and night in a desolate turretchamber I must
enjoy my liberty and pursue my studies which are of more import than the fate
of fifty statesmen and favourites that rise and burst like bubbles in the
atmosphere of a court«
»At your pleasure« said Varney with a sneer that habit had rendered
familiar to his features and which forms the principal characteristic which
painters have assigned to that of Satan »At your pleasure« he said »you may
enjoy your liberty and your studies until the daggers of Sussexs followers are
clashing within your doublet and against your ribs« The old man turned pale
and Varney proceeded »Wot you not he hath offered a reward for the archquack
and poisonvender Demetrius who sold certain precious spices to his lordships
cook What turn you pale old friend Does Hali already see an infortune in
the House of Life Why hark thee we will have thee down to an old house of
mine in the country where thou shalt live with a hobnailed slave whom thy
alchemy may convert into ducats for to such conversion alone is thy art
serviceable«
»It is false thou foulmouthed railer« said Alasco shaking with impotent
anger »it is well known that I have approached more nearly to projection than
any hermetic artist who now lives There are not six chemists in the world who
possess so near an approximation to the grand arcanum«
»Come come« said Varney interrupting him »what means this in the name
of heaven Do we not know one another I believe thee to be so perfect so very
perfect in the mystery of cheating that having imposed upon all mankind thou
hast at length in some measure imposed upon thyself and without ceasing to
dupe others hast become a species of dupe to thine own imagination Blush not
for it man thou art learned and shalt have classical comfort
Ne quisquam Ajacem possit superare nisi Ajax
No one but thyself could have gulled thee and thou hast gulled the whole
brotherhood of the Rosy Cross beside none so deep in the mystery as thou But
hark thee in thine ear had the seasoning which spiced Sussexs broth wrought
more surely I would have thought better of the chemical science thou dost boast
so highly«
»Thou art a hardened villain Varney« replied Alasco »many will do those
things who dare not speak of them«
»And many speak of them who dare not do them« answered Varney »but be not
wroth I will not quarrel with thee If I did I were fain to live on eggs for
a month that I might feed without fear Tell me at once how came thine art to
fail thee at this great emergency«
»The Earl of Sussexs horoscope intimates« replied the astrologer »that
the sign of the ascendant being in combustion«
»Away with your gibberish« replied Varney »thinkst thou it is the patron
thou speakst with«
»I crave your pardon« replied the old man »and swear to you I know but
one medicine that could have saved the Earls life and as no man living in
England knows that antidote save myself moreover as the ingredients one of
them in particular are scarce possible to be come by I must needs suppose his
escape was owing to such a constitution of lungs and vital parts as was never
before bound up in a body of clay«
»There was some talk of a quack who waited upon him« said Varney after a
moments reflection »Are you sure there is no one in England who has this
secret of thine«
»One man there was« said the doctor »once my servant who might have
stolen this of me with one or two other secrets of art But content you Master
Varney it is no part of my policy to suffer such interlopers to interfere in my
trade He pries into no mysteries more I warrant you for as I well believe
he hath been wafted to heaven on the wing of a fiery dragon Peace be with him
But in this retreat of mine shall I have the use of mine elaboratory«
»Of a whole workshop man« said Varney »for a reverend father Abbot who
was fain to give place to bluff King Hal and some of his courtiers a score of
years since had a chemists complete apparatus which he was obliged to leave
behind him to his successors Thou shalt there occupy and melt and puff and
blaze and multiply until the Green Dragon become a golden goose or whatever
the newer phrase of the brotherhood may testify«
»Thou art right Master Varney« said the alchemist setting his teeth
close and grinding them together »thou art right even in thy very contempt of
right and reason For what thou sayest in mockery may in sober verity chance to
happen ere we meet again If the most venerable sages of ancient days have
spoken the truth if the most learned of our own have rightly received it If
I have been accepted wherever I travelled in Germany in Poland in Italy and
in the farther Tartary as one to whom nature has unveiled her darkest secrets
If I have acquired the most secret signs and passwords of the Jewish Cabala so
that the greyest beard in the synagogue would brush the steps to make them clean
for me if all this is so and if there remains but one step one little step
betwixt my long deep and dark and subterranean progress and that blaze of
light which shall show Nature watching her richest and her most glorious
productions in the very cradle one step betwixt dependence and the power of
sovereignty one step betwixt poverty and such a sum of wealth as earth
without that noble secret cannot minister from all her mines in the old or the
newfound world if this be all so is it not reasonable that to this I
dedicate my future life secure for a brief period of studious patience to
rise above the mean dependence upon favourites and their favourites by which I
am now enthralled«
»Now bravo Bravo my good father« said Varney with the usual sardonic
expression of ridicule on his countenance »yet all this approximation to the
philosophers stone wringeth not one single crown out of my Lord Leicesters
pouch and far less out of Richard Varneys We must have earthly and
substantial services man and care not whom else thou canst delude with thy
philosophical charlatanry«
»My son Varney« said the alchemist »the unbelief gathered around thee
like a frost fog hath dimmed thine acute perception to that which is a
stumblingblock to the wise and which yet to him who seeketh knowledge with
humility extends a lesson so clear that he who runs may read Hath not Art
thinkst thou the means of completing Natures imperfect concoctions in her
attempts to form the precious metals even as by art we can perfect those other
operations of incubation distillation fermentation and similar processes of
an ordinary description by which we extract life itself out of a senseless egg
summon purity and vitality out of muddy dregs or call into vivacity the inert
substance of a sluggish liquid«
»I have heard all this before« said Varney »and my heart is proof against
such cant ever since I sent twenty good gold pieces marry it was in the nonage
of my wit to advance the grand magisterium all which God help the while
vanished in fumo Since that moment when I paid for my freedom I defy
chemistry astrology palmistry and every other occult art were it as secret
as hell itself to unloose the stricture of my pursestrings Marry I neither
defy the manna of Saint Nicholas nor can I dispense with it Thy first task
must be to prepare some when thou getst down to my little sequestered retreat
yonder and then make as much gold as thou wilt«
»I will make no more of that dose« replied the alchemist resolutely
»Then« said the master of the horse »thou shalt be hanged for what thou
hast made already and so were the great secret for ever lost to mankind Do
not humanity this injustice good father but een bend to thy destiny and make
us an ounce or two of this same stuff which cannot prejudice above one or two
individuals in order to gain lifetime to discover the universal medicine
which shall clear away all mortal diseases at once But cheer up thou grave
learned and most melancholy jackanape Hast thou not told me that a moderate
portion of thy drug hath mild effects no ways ultimately dangerous to the human
frame but which produces depression of spirits nausea headache an
unwillingness to change of place even such a state of temper as would keep a
bird from flying out of a cage were the door left open«
»I have said so and it is true« said the alchemist »this effect will it
produce and the bird who partakes of it in such proportion shall sit for a
season drooping on her perch without thinking of the free blue sky or of the
fair greenwood though the one be lighted by the rays of the rising sun and the
other ringing with the newlyawakened song of all the feathered inhabitants of
the forest«
»And this without danger to life« said Varney somewhat anxiously
»Ay so that proportion and measure be not exceeded and so that one who
knows the nature of the manna be ever near to watch the symptoms and succour in
case of need«
»Thou shalt regulate the whole« said Varney »thy reward shall be princely
if thou keepst time and touch and exceedest not the due proportion to the
prejudice of her health otherwise thy punishment shall be as signal«
»The prejudice of her health« repeated Alasco »it is then a woman I am
to use my skill upon«
»No thou fool« replied Varney »said I not it was a bird a reclaimed
linnet whose pipe might soothe a hawk when in mid stoop I see thine eyes
sparkle and I know thy beard is not altogether so white as art has made it
that at least thou hast been able to transmute to silver But mark me this is
no mate for thee This caged bird is dear to one who brooks no rivalry and far
less such rivalry as thine and her health must over all things be cared for
But she is in the case of being commanded down to yonder Kenilworth revels and
it is most expedient most needful most necessary that she fly not thither
Of these necessities and their causes it is not needful that she should know
aught and it is to be thought that her own wish may lead her to combat all
ordinary reasons which can be urged for her remaining a housekeeper«
»That is but natural« said the alchemist with a strange smile which yet
bore a greater reference to the human character than the uninterested and
abstracted gaze which his physiognomy had hitherto expressed where all seemed
to refer to some world distant from that which was existing around him
»It is so« answered Varney »you understand women well though it may have
been long since you were conversant amongst them Well then she is not to be
contradicted yet she is not to be humoured Understand me a slight illness
sufficient to take away the desire of removing from thence and to make such of
your wise fraternity as may be called in to aid recommend a quiet residence at
home will in one word be esteemed good service and remunerated as such«
»I am not to be asked to affect the House of Life« said the chemist
»On the contrary we will have thee hanged if thou dost« replied Varney
»And I must« added Alasco »have opportunity to do my turn and all
facilities for concealment or escape should there be detection«
»All all and everything thou infidel in all but the impossibilities of
alchemy Why man for what dost thou take me«
The old man rose and taking a light walked towards the end of the
apartment where was a door that led to the small sleeping room destined for his
reception during the night At the door he turned round and slowly repeated
Varneys question ere he answered it »For what do I take thee Richard Varney
Why for a worse devil than I have been myself But I am in your toils and I
must serve you till my term be out«
»Well well« answered Varney hastily »be stirring with grey light It may
be we shall not need thy medicine Do nought till I myself come down Michael
Lambourne shall guide you to the place of your destination«17
When Varney heard the adepts door shut and carefully bolted within he
stepped towards it and with similar precaution carefully locked it on the
outside and took the key from the lock muttering to himself »Worse than thee
thou poisoning quacksalver and witchmonger who if thou art not a bounden
slave to the devil it is only because he disdains such an apprentice I am a
mortal man and seek by mortal means the gratification of my passions and
advancement of my prospects Thou art a vassal of hell itself So ho
Lambourne« he called at another door and Michael made his appearance with a
flushed cheek and an unsteady step
»Thou art drunk thou villain« said Varney to him
»Doubtless noble sir« replied the unabashed Michael »we have been
drinking all even to the glories of the day and to my noble Lord of Leicester
and his valiant master of the horse Drunk odds blades and poniards he that
would refuse to swallow a dozen healths on such an evening is a base besognio
and a puckfoist and shall swallow six inches of my dagger«
»Hark ye scoundrel« said Varney »be sober on the instant I command
thee I know thou canst throw off thy drunken folly like a fools coat at
pleasure and if not it were the worse for thee«
Lambourne drooped his head left the apartment and returned in two or three
minutes with his face composed his hair adjusted his dress in order and
exhibiting as great a difference from his former self as if the whole man had
been changed
»Art thou sober now and dost thou comprehend me« said Varney sternly
Lambourne bowed in acquiescence
»Thou must presently down to Cumnor Place with the reverend man of art who
sleeps yonder in the little vaulted chamber Here is the key that thou mayest
call him by times Take another trusty fellow with you Use him well on the
journey but let him not escape you pistol him if he attempt it and I will be
your warrant I will give thee letters to Foster The doctor is to occupy the
lower apartments of the eastern quadrangle with freedom to use the old
elaboratory and its implements He is to have no access to the lady but such
as I shall point out only she may be amused to see his philosophical jugglery
Thou wilt await at Cumnor Place my farther orders and as thou livest beware of
the alebench and the aquavitæ flask Each breath drawn in Cumnor Place must be
kept severed from common air«
»Enough my Lord I mean my worshipful master soon I trust to be my
worshipful knightly master You have given me my lesson and my license I will
execute the one and not abuse the other I will be in the saddle by daybreak«
»Do so and deserve favour Stay ere thou goest fill me a cup of wine
not out of that flask sirrah« as Lambourne was pouring out from that which
Alasco had left half finished »fetch me a fresh one«
Lambourne obeyed and Varney after rinsing his mouth with the liquor drank
a full cup and said as he took up a lamp to retreat to his sleeping
apartment »It is strange I am as little the slave of fancy as any one yet I
never speak for a few minutes with this fellow Alasco but my mouth and lungs
feel as if soiled with the fumes of calcined arsenic pah«
So saying he left the apartment Lambourne lingered to drink a cup of the
freshly opened flask »It is from SaintJohnsBerg« he said as he paused in
the draught to enjoy its flavour »and has the true relish of the violet But I
must forbear it now that I may one day drink it at my own pleasure« And he
quaffed a goblet of water to quench the fumes of the Rhenish wine retired
slowly towards the door made a pause and then finding the temptation
irresistible walked hastily back and took another long pull at the wine flask
without the formality of a cup
»Were it not for this accursed custom« he said »I might climb as high as
Varney himself But who can climb when the room turns round with him like a
parishtop I would the distance were greater or the road rougher betwixt my
hand and mouth But I will drink nothing tomorrow save water nothing save
fair water«
Chapter Nineteenth
Pistol And tidings do I bring and lucky joys
And happy news of price
Falstaff I prithee now deliver them like to men of this world
Pistol A foutra for the world and worldlings base
I speak of Africa and golden joys
Henry IV Part 2
The public room of the Black Bear at Cumnor to which the scene of our story now
returns boasted on the evening which we treat of no ordinary assemblage of
guests There had been a fair in the neighbourhood and the cutting mercer of
Abingdon with some of the other personages whom the reader has already been
made acquainted with as friends and customers of Giles Gosling had already
formed their wonted circle around the evening fire and were talking over the
news of the day
A lively bustling arch fellow whose pack and oaken ell wand studded duly
with brass points denoted him to be of Autolycuss profession occupied a good
deal of the attention and furnished much of the amusement of the evening The
pedlars of those days it must be remembered were men of far greater importance
than the degenerate and degraded hawkers of our modern times It was by means of
these peripatetic venders that the country trade in the finer manufactures used
in female dress particularly was almost entirely carried on and if a merchant
of this description arrived at the dignity of travelling with a packhorse he
was a person of no small consequence and company for the most substantial
yeoman or Franklin whom he might meet in his wanderings
The pedlar of whom we speak bore accordingly an active and unrebuked share
in the merriment to which the rafters of the bonny Black Bear of Cumnor
resounded He had his smile with pretty Mistress Cicely his broad laugh with
mine host and his jest upon dashing Master Goldthred who though indeed
without any such benevolent intention on his own part was the general butt of
the evening The pedlar and he were closely engaged in a dispute upon the
preference due to the Spanish netherstock over the black Gascoigne hose and
mine host had just winked to the guests around him as who should say »You will
have mirth presently my masters« when the trampling of horses was heard in the
courtyard and the hostler was loudly summoned with a few of the newest oaths
then in vogue to add force to the invocation Out tumbled Will Hostler John
Tapster and all the militia of the inn who had slunk from their posts in order
to collect some scattered crumbs of the mirth which was flying about among the
customers Out into the yard sallied mine host himself also to do fitting
salutation to his new guests and presently returned ushering into the
apartment his own worthy nephew Michael Lambourne pretty tolerably drunk and
having under his escort the astrologer Alasco though still a little old man
had by altering his gown to a ridingdress trimming his beard and eyebrows
and so forth struck at least a score of years from his apparent age and might
now seem an active man of sixty or little upwards He appeared at present
exceedingly anxious and had insisted much with Lambourne that they should not
enter the inn but go straight forward to the place of their destination But
Lambourne would not be controlled »By Cancer and Capricorn« he vociferated
»and the whole heavenly host besides all the stars that these blessed eyes of
mine have seen sparkle in the southern heavens to which these northern blinkers
are but farthing candles I will be unkindly for no ones humour I will stay
and salute my worthy uncle here Chesu that good blood should ever be
forgotten betwixt friends A gallon of your best uncle and let it go round
to the health of the noble Earl of Liecester What shall we not collogue
together and warm the cockles of our ancient kindness Shall we not collogue
I say«
»With all my heart kinsman« said mine host who obviously wished to be rid
of him »but are you to stand shot to all this good liquor«
This is a question has quelled many a jovial toper but it moved not the
purpose of Lambournes soul »Question my means nuncle« he said producing a
handful of mixed gold and silver pieces »Question Mexico and Peru question
the Queens exchequer God save her Majesty She is my good Lords good
mistress«
»Well kinsman« said mine host »it is my business to sell wine to those
who can buy it So Jack Tapster do me thine office But I would I knew how
to come by money as lightly as thou dost Mike«
»Why uncle« said Lambourne »I will tell thee a secret Dost see this
little old fellow here as old and withered a chip as ever the devil put into
his porridge and yet uncle between you and me he hath Potosi in that brain
of his Sblood he can coin ducats faster than I can vent oaths«
»I will have none of his coinage in my purse though Michael« said mine
host »I know what belongs to falsifying the Queens coin«
»Thou art an ass uncle for as old as thou art Pull me not by the skirts
doctor thou art an ass thyself to boot so being both asses I tell ye I
spoke but metaphorically«
»Are you mad« said the old man »is the devil in you can you not let us
begone without drawing all mens eyes on us«
»Sayst thou« said Lambourne »thou art deceived now no man shall see you
an I give the word By heavens masters an any one dare to look on this old
gentleman I will slash the eyes out of his head with my poniard So sit down
old friend and be merry these are mine ingles mine ancient inmates and
will betray no man«
»Had you not better withdraw to a private apartment nephew« said Giles
Gosling »you speak strange matter« he added »and there be intelligencers
everywhere«
»I care not for them« said the magnanimous Michael »intelligencers
pshaw I serve the noble Earl of Leicester Here comes the wine Fill round
Master Skinker a carouse to the health of the flower of England the noble Earl
of Leicester I say the noble Earl of Leicester He that does me not reason is
a swine of Sussex and Ill make him kneel to the pledge if I should cut his
hams and smoke them for bacon«
None disputed a pledge given under such formidable penalties and Michael
Lambourne whose drunken humour was not of course diminished by this new
potation went on in the same wild way renewing his acquaintance with such of
the guests as he had formerly known and experiencing a reception in which there
was now something of deference mingled with a good deal of fear for the least
servitor of the favourite Earl especially such a man as Lambourne was for
very sufficient reasons an object both of the one and of the other
In the meanwhile the old man seeing his guide in this uncontrollable
humour ceased to remonstrate with him and sitting down in the most obscure
corner of the room called for a small measure of sack over which he seemed as
it were to slumber withdrawing himself as much as possible from general
observation and doing nothing which could recall his existence to the
recollection of his fellowtraveller who by this time had got into close
intimacy with his ancient comrade Goldthred of Abingdon
»Never believe me bully Mike« said the mercer »if I am not as glad to see
thee as ever I was to see a customers money Why thou canst give a friend a
sly place at a mask or a revel now Mike ay or I warrant thee thou canst say
in my lords ear when my honourable lord is down in these parts and wants a
Spanish ruff or the like thou canst say in his ear There is mine old friend
young Lawrence Goldthred of Abingdon has as good wares lawn tiffany cambric
and so forth ay and is as pretty a piece of mans flesh too as is in
Berkshire and will ruffle it for your lordship with any man of his inches and
thou mayest say«
»I can say a hundred dd lies besides mercer« answered Lambourne »what
one must not stand upon a good word for a friend«
»Here is to thee Mike with all my heart« said the mercer »and thou canst
tell one the reality of the new fashions too Here was a rogue pedlar but now
was crying up the oldfashioned Spanish netherstock over the Gascoigne hose
although thou seest how well the French hose set off the leg and knee being
adorned with particoloured garters and garniture in conformity«
»Excellent excellent« replied Lambourne »why thy limber bit of a thigh
thrust through that bunch of slashed buckram and tiffany shows like a
housewifes distaff when the flax is half spun off«
»Said I not so« said the mercer whose shallow brain was now overflowed in
his turn »where then where be this rascal pedlar there was a pedlar here
but now methinks Mine host where the foul fiend is this pedlar«
»Where wise men should be Master Goldthred« replied Giles Gosling »even
shut up in his private chamber telling over the sales of today and preparing
for the custom of tomorrow«
»Hang him a mechanical chuff« said the mercer »but for shame it were a
good deed to ease him of his wares a set of peddling knaves who stroll
through the land and hurt the established trader There are good fellows in
Berkshire yet mine host your pedlar may be met withal on Maiden Castle«
»Ay« replied mine host laughing »and he who meets him may meet his match
the pedlar is a tall man«
»Is he« said Goldthred
»Is he« replied the host »ay by cock and pie is he the very pedlar he
who raddled Robin Hood so tightly as the song says
Now Robin Hood drew his sword so good
The pedlar drew his brand
And he hath raddled him Robin Hood
Till he neither could see nor stand«
»Hang him foul scroyle let him pass« said the mercer »if he be such a one
there were small worship to be won upon him And now tell me Mike my honest
Mike how wears the Hollands you won of me«
»Why well as you may see Master Goldthred« answered Mike »I will bestow
a pot on thee for the handsel Fill the flagon Master Tapster«
»Thou wilt win no more Hollands I think on such wager friend Mike« said
the mercer »for the sulky swain Tony Foster rails at thee all to nought and
swears you shall neer darken his doors again for that your oaths are enough to
blow the roof off a Christian mans dwelling«
»Doth he say so the mincing hypocritical miser« vociferated Lambourne
»Why then he shall come down and receive my commands here this blessed night
under my uncles roof And I will ring him such a black sanctus that he shall
think the devil hath him by the skirts for a month to come for barely hearing
me«
»Nay now the pottlepot is uppermost with a witness« said the mercer
»Tony Foster obey thy whistle Alas good Mike go sleep go sleep«
»I tell thee what thou thinfaced gull« said Michael Lambourne in high
chafe »I will wager thee fifty angels against the first five shelves of thy
shop numbering upward from the false light with all that is on them that I
make Tony Foster come down to this public house before we have finished three
rounds«
»I will lay no bet to that amount« said the mercer something sobered by an
offer which intimated rather too private a knowledge on Lambournes part of
the secret recesses of his shop »I will lay no such wager« he said »but I
will stake five angels against thy five if thou wilt that Tony Foster will not
leave his own roof or come to alehouse after prayer time for thee or any
man«
»Content« said Lambourne »Here uncle hold stakes and let one of your
young bleedbarrels here one of your infant tapsters trip presently up to The
Place and give this letter to Master Foster and say that I his ingle Michael
Lambourne pray to speak with him at mine uncles castle here upon business of
grave import Away with thee child for it is now sundown and the wretch
goeth to bed with the birds to save muttonsuet faugh«
Shortly after this messenger was despatched an interval which was spent in
drinking and buffoonery he returned with the answer that Master Foster was
coming presently
»Won won« said Lambourne darting on the stake
»Not till he comes if you please« said the mercer interfering
»Why sblood he is at the threshold« replied Michael »What said he
boy«
»If it please your worship« answered the messenger »he looked out of
window with a musquetoon in his hand and when I delivered your errand which I
did with fear and trembling he said with a vinegar aspect that your worship
might be gone to the infernal regions«
»Or to hell I suppose« said Lambourne »it is there he disposes of all
that are not of the congregation«
»Even so« said the boy »I used the other phrase as being the more
poetical«
»An ingenious youth« said Michael »shalt have a drop to whet thy poetical
whistle And what said Foster next«
»He called me back« answered the boy »and bid me say you might come to
him if you had aught to say to him«
»And what next« said Lambourne
»He read the letter and seemed in a fluster and asked if your worship was
in drink and I said you were speaking a little Spanish as one who had been in
the Canaries«
»Out you diminutive pintpot whelped of an overgrown reckoning« replied
Lambourne »Out But what said he then«
»Why« said the boy »he muttered that if he came not your worship would
bolt out what were better kept in and so he took his old flat cap and
threadbare blue cloak and as I said before he will be here incontinent«
»There is truth in what he said« replied Lambourne as if speaking to
himself »My brain has played me its old dogs trick but couragio let him
approach I have not rolled about in the world for many a day to fear Tony
Foster be I drunk or sober Bring me a flagon of cold water to christen my
sack withal«
While Lambourne whom the approach of Foster seemed to have recalled to a
sense of his own condition was busied in preparing to receive him Giles
Gosling stole up to the apartment of the pedlar whom he found traversing the
room in much agitation
»You withdrew yourself suddenly from the company« said the landlord to the
guest
»It was time when the devil became one among you« replied the pedlar
»It is not courteous in you to term my nephew by such a name« said Gosling
»nor is it kindly in me to reply to it and yet in some sort Mike may be
considered as a limb of Satan«
»Pooh I talk not of the swaggering ruffian« replied the pedlar »it is of
the other who for aught I know But when go they or wherefore come they«
»Marry these are questions I cannot answer« replied the host »But look
you sir you have brought me a token from worthy Master Tressilian a pretty
stone it is« He took out the ring and looked at it adding as he put it into
his purse again that it was too rich a guerdon for anything he could do for the
worthy donor He was he said in the public line and it ill became him to be
too inquisitive into other folks concerns he had already said that he could
hear nothing but that the lady lived still at Cumnor Place in the closest
seclusion and to such as by chance had a view of her seemed pensive and
discontented with her solitude »But here« he said »if you are desirous to
gratify your master is the rarest chance that hath occurred for this many a
day Tony Foster is coming down hither and it is but letting Mike Lambourne
smell another wineflask and the Queens command would not move him from the
alebench So they are fast for an hour or so Now if you will don your pack
which will be your best excuse you may perchance win the ear of the old
servant being assured of the masters absence to let you try to get some
custom of the lady and then you may learn more of her condition than I or any
other can tell you«
»True very true« answered Wayland for he it was »an excellent device
but methinks something dangerous for say Foster should return«
»Very possible indeed« replied the host
»Or say« continued Wayland »the lady should render me cold thanks for my
exertions«
»As is not unlikely« replied Giles Gosling »I marvel Master Tressilian
will take such heed of her that cares not for him«
»In either case I were foully sped« said Wayland »and therefore I do not
on the whole much relish your device«
»Nay but take me with you good master servingman« replied mine host
»this is your masters business and not mine
you best know the risk to be encountered or how far you are willing to
brave it But that which you will not yourself hazard you cannot expect others
to risk«
»Hold hold« said Wayland »tell me but one thing Goes yonder old man up
to Cumnor«
»Surely I think so« said the landlord »their servant said he was to take
their baggage thither but the aletap has been as potent for him as the
sackspigot has been for Michael«
»It is enough« said Wayland assuming an air of resolution »I will thwart
that old villains projects my affright at his baleful aspect begins to abate
and my hatred to arise Help me on with my pack good mine host And look to
thyself old Albumazar there is a malignant influence in thy horoscope and it
gleams from the constellation Ursa Major«
So saying he assumed his burden and guided by the landlord through the
postern gate of the Black Bear took the most private way from thence up to
Cumnor Place
Chapter Twentieth
Clown You have of these pedlars that have more in em than youd
think sister
Winters Tale Act IV Scene 3
In his anxiety to obey the Earls repeated charges of secrecy as well as from
his own unsocial and miserly habits Anthony Foster was more desirous by his
mode of housekeeping to escape observation than to resist intrusive curiosity
Thus instead of a numerous household to secure his charge and defend his
house he studied as much as possible to elude notice by diminishing his
attendants so that unless when there were followers of the Earl or of Varney
in the mansion one old male domestic and two aged crones who assisted in
keeping the Countesss apartments in order were the only servants of the
family
It was one of these old women who opened the door when Wayland knocked and
answered his petition to be admitted to exhibit his wares to the ladies of the
family with a volley of vituperation couched in what is there called the
jowring dialect The pedlar found the means of checking this vociferation by
slipping a silver groat into her hand and intimating the present of some stuff
for a coif if the lady would buy of his wares
»God ield thee for mine is aw in littocks Slocket with thy pack into
gharn mon Her walks in gharn« Into the garden she ushered the pedlar
accordingly and pointing to an old ruinous gardenhouse said »Yonder bes
her mon yonder bes her Zhe will buy changes an zhe loikes stuffs«
»She has left me to come off as I may« thought Wayland as he heard the hag
shut the garden door behind him »But they shall not beat me and they dare not
murder me for so little trespass and by this fair twilight Hang it I will on
a brave general never thought of his retreat till he was defeated I see two
females in the old gardenhouse yonder but how to address them Stay Will
Shakspeare be my friend in need I will give them a taste of Autolycus« He
then sung with a good voice and becoming audacity the popular playhouse ditty
»Lawn as white as driven snow
Cyprus black as eer was crow
Gloves as sweet as damask roses
Masks for faces and for noses«
»What hath fortune sent us here for an unwonted sight Janet« said the lady
»One of those merchants of vanity called pedlars« answered Janet demurely
»who utters his light wares in lighter measures I marvel old Dorcas let him
pass«
»It is a lucky chance girl« said the Countess »we lead a heavy life here
and this may while off a weary hour«
»Ay my gracious lady« said Janet »but my father«
»He is not my father Janet nor I hope my master« answered the lady »I
say call the man hither I want some things«
»Nay« replied Janet »your ladyship has just to say so in the next packet
and if England can furnish them they will be sent There will come mischief
ont Pray dearest lady let me bid the man begone«
»I will have thee bid him come hither« said the Countess »or stay thou
terrified fool I will bid him myself and spare thee a chiding«
»Ah welladay dearest lady if that were the worst« said Janet sadly
while the lady called to the pedlar »Good fellow step forward undo thy pack
if thou hast good wares chance has sent thee hither for my convenience and
thy profit«
»What may your ladyship please to lack« said Wayland unstrapping his pack
and displaying its contents with as much dexterity as if he had been bred to the
trade Indeed he had occasionally pursued it in the course of his roving life
and now commended his wares with all the volubility of a trader and showed some
skill in the main art of placing prices upon them
»What do I please to lack« said the lady »why considering I have not for
six long months bought one yard of lawn or cambric or one trinket the most
inconsiderable for my own use and at my own choice the better question is
what hast thou got to sell Lay aside for me that cambric partlet and pair of
sleeves and those roundells of gold fringe drawn out with cyprus and that
short cloak of cherrycoloured fine cloth garnished with gold buttons and loops
is it not of an absolute fancy Janet«
»Nay my lady« replied Janet »if you consult my poor judgment it is
methinks over gaudy for a graceful habit«
»Now out upon my judgment if it be no brighter wench« said the Countess
»thou shalt wear it thyself for penance sake and I promise thee the gold
buttons being somewhat massive will comfort thy father and reconcile him to
the cherrycoloured body See that he snap them not away Janet and send them
to bear company with the imprisoned angels which he keeps captive in his
strongbox«
»May I pray your ladyship to spare my poor father« said Janet
»Nay but why should any one spare him that is so sparing of his own
nature« replied the lady »Well but to our gear That head garniture for
myself and that silver bodkin mounted with pearl and take off two gowns of
that russet cloth for Dorcas and Alison Janet to keep the old wretches warm
against winter comes And stay hast thou no perfumes and sweet bags or any
handsome casting bottles of the newest mode«
»Were I a pedlar in earnest I were a made merchant« thought Wayland as he
busied himself to answer the demands which she thronged one on another with the
eagerness of a young lady who has been long secluded from such a pleasing
occupation »But how to bring her to a moments serious reflection« Then as he
exhibited his choicest collection of essences and perfumes he at once arrested
her attention by observing that these articles had almost risen to double value
since the magnificent preparations made by the Earl of Leicester to entertain
the Queen and court at his princely Castle of Kenilworth
»Ha« said the Countess hastily »that rumour then is true Janet«
»Surely madam« answered Wayland »and I marvel it hath not reached your
noble ladyships ears The Queen of England feasts with the noble Earl for a
week during the Summers Progress and there are many who will tell you England
will have a king and Englands Elizabeth God save her a husband ere the
Progress be over«
»They lie like villains« said the Countess bursting forth impatiently
»For Gods sake madam consider« said Janet trembling with apprehension
»who would cumber themselves about pedlars tidings«
»Yes Janet« exclaimed the Countess »right thou hast corrected me justly
Such reports blighting the reputation of Englands brightest and noblest peer
can only find currency amongst the mean the abject and the infamous«
»May I perish lady« said Wayland Smith observing that her violence
directed itself towards him »if I have done anything to merit this strange
passion I have said but what many men say«
By this time the Countess had recovered her composure and endeavoured
alarmed by the anxious hints of Janet to suppress all appearance of
displeasure »I were loath« she said »good fellow that our Queen should
change the virgin style so dear to us her people think not of it« And then
as if desirous to change the subject she added »And what is this paste so
carefully put up in the silver box« as she examined the contents of a casket in
which drugs and perfumes were contained in separate drawers
»It is a remedy madam for a disorder of which I trust your ladyship will
never have reason to complain The amount of a small turkeybean swallowed
daily for a week fortifies the heart against those black vapours which arise
from solitude melancholy unrequited affection disappointed hope«
»Are you a fool friend« said the Countess sharply »or do you think
because I have goodnaturedly purchased your trumpery goods at your roguish
prices that you may put any gullery you will on me who ever heard that
affections of the heart were cured by medicines given to the body«
»Under your honourable favour« said Wayland »I am an honest man and I
have sold my goods at an honest price As to this most precious medicine when
I told its qualities I asked you not to purchase it so why should I lie to
you I say not it will cure a rooted affection of the mind which only God and
time can do but I say that this restorative relieves the black vapours which
are engendered in the body of that melancholy which broodeth on the mind I have
relieved many with it both in court and city and of late one Master Edmund
Tressilian a worshipful gentleman in Cornwall who on some slight received it
was told me where he had set his affections was brought into that state of
melancholy which made his friends alarmed for his life«
He paused and the lady remained silent for some time and then asked with
a voice which she strove in vain to render firm and indifferent in its tone »Is
the gentleman you have mentioned perfectly recovered«
»Passably madam« answered Wayland »he hath at least no bodily complaint«
»I will take some of the medicine Janet« said the Countess »I too have
sometimes that dark melancholy which overclouds the brain«
»You shall not do so madam« said Janet »who shall answer that this fellow
vends what is wholesome«
»I will myself warrant my good faith« said Wayland and taking a part of
the medicine he swallowed it before them The Countess now bought what
remained a step to which Janet by farther objections only determined her the
more obstinately She even took the first dose upon the instant and professed
to feel her heart lightened and her spirits augmented a consequence which in
all probability existed only in her own imagination The lady then piled the
purchases she had made together flung her purse to Janet and desired her to
compute the amount and to pay the pedlar while she herself as if tired of the
amusement she at first found in conversing with him wished him good evening
and walked carelessly into the house thus depriving Wayland of every
opportunity to speak with her in private He hastened however to attempt an
explanation with Janet
»Maiden« he said »thou hast the face of one who should love her mistress
She hath much need of faithful service«
»And well deserves it at my hands« replied Janet »but what of that«
»Maiden I am not altogether what I seem« said the pedlar lowering his
voice
»The less like to be an honest man« said Janet
»The more so« answered Wayland »since I am no pedlar«
»Get thee gone then instantly or I will call for assistance« said Janet
»my father must ere this time be returned«
»Do not be so rash« said Wayland »you will do what you may repent of I am
one of your mistresss friends and she had need of more not that thou shouldst
ruin those she hath«
»How shall I know that« said Janet
»Look me in the face« said Wayland Smith »and see if thou dost not read
honesty in my looks«
And in truth though by no means handsome there was in his physiognomy the
sharp keen expression of inventive genius and prompt intellect which joined
to quick and brilliant eyes a wellformed mouth and an intelligent smile
often gives grace and interest to features which are both homely and irregular
Janet looked at him with the sly simplicity of her sect and replied
»Notwithstanding thy boasted honesty friend and although I am not accustomed
to read and pass judgment on such volumes as thou hast submitted to my perusal
I think I see in thy countenance something of the pedlar something of the
picaroon«
»On a small scale perhaps« said Wayland Smith laughing »But this
evening or tomorrow will an old man come hither with thy father who has the
stealthy step of the cat the shrewd and vindictive eye of the rat the fawning
wile of the spaniel the determined snatch of the mastiff of him beware for
your own sake and that of your mistress See you fair Janet he brings the
venom of the aspic under the assumed innocence of the dove What precise
mischief he meditates towards you I cannot guess but death and disease have
ever dogged his footsteps Say nought of this to thy mistress my art
suggests to me that in her state the fear of evil may be as dangerous as its
operation But see that she take my specific for« he lowered his voice and
spoke low but impressively in her ear »it is an antidote against poison
Hark they enter the garden«
In effect a sound of noisy mirth and loud talking approached the garden
door alarmed by which Wayland Smith sprung into the midst of a thicket of
overgrown shrubs while Janet withdrew to the gardenhouse that she might not
incur observation and that she might at the same time conceal at least for the
present the purchases made from the supposed pedlar which lay scattered on the
floor of the summerhouse
Janet however had no occasion for anxiety Her father his old attendant
Lord Leicesters domestic and the astrologer entered the garden in tumult and
in extreme perplexity endeavouring to quiet Lambourne whose brain had now
become completely fired with liquor and who was one of those unfortunate
persons who being once stirred with the vinous stimulus do not fall asleep
like other drunkards but remain partially influenced by it for many hours
until at length by successive draughts they are elevated into a state of
uncontrollable frenzy Like many men in this state also Lambourne neither lost
the power of motion speech or expression but on the contrary spoke with
unwonted emphasis and readiness and told all that at another time he would have
been most desirous to keep secret
»What« ejaculated Michael at the full extent of his voice »am I to have
no welcome no carouse when I have brought fortune to your old ruinous dog in
the shape of a devils ally that can change slateshivers into Spanish dollars
Here you Tony FiretheFagot papist puritan hypocrite miser profligate
devil compounded of all mens sins bow down and reverence him who has brought
into thy house the very mammon thou worshippest«
»For Gods sake« said Foster »speak low come into the house thou shalt
have wine or whatever thou wilt«
»No old puckfoist I will have it here« thundered the inebriated ruffian
here al fresco as the Italian hath it »No no I will not drink with that
poisoning devil within doors to be choked with the fumes of arsenic and
quicksilver I learned from villain Varney to beware of that«
»Fetch him wine in the name of all the fiends« said the alchemist
»Aha and thou wouldst spice it for me old Truepenny wouldst thou not Ay
I should have copperas and hellebore and vitriol and aquafortis and twenty
devilish materials bubbling in my brainpan like a charm to raise the devil in
a witchs caldron Hand me the flask thyself old Tony FiretheFagot and let
it be cool I will have no wine mulled at the pile of the old burnt bishops
Or stay let Leicester be king if he will good and Varney villain Varney
grand vizier why excellent and what shall I be then why emperor
Emperor Lambourne I will see this choice piece of beauty that they have
walled up here for their private pleasures I will have her this very night to
serve my winecup and put on my nightcap What should a fellow do with two
wives were he twenty times an Earl answer me that Tony boy you old
reprobate hypocritical dog whom God struck out of the book of life but
tormented with the constant wish to be restored to it You old bishopburning
blasphemous fanatic answer me that«
»I will stick my knife to the haft in him« said Foster in a low tone
which trembled with passion
»For the love of Heaven no violence« said the astrologer »It cannot but
be looked closely into Here honest Lambourne wilt thou pledge me to the
health of the noble Earl of Leicester and Master Richard Varney«
»I will mine old Albumazar I will my trusty vendor of ratsbane I would
kiss thee mine honest infractor of the Lex Julia as they said at Leyden
didst thou not flavour so damnably of sulphur and such fiendish apothecarys
stuff Here goes it up seyes to Varney and Leicester two more noble
mounting spirits and more darkseeking deepdiving highflying malicious
ambitious miscreants well I say no more but I will whet my dagger on his
heart that refuses to pledge me And so my masters«
Thus speaking Lambourne exhausted the cup which the astrologer had handed
to him and which contained not wine but distilled spirits He swore half an
oath dropped the empty cup from his grasp laid his hand on his sword without
being able to draw it reeled and fell without sense or motion into the arms of
the domestic who dragged him off to his chamber and put him to bed
In the general confusion Janet regained her ladys chamber unobserved
trembling like an aspen leaf but determined to keep secret from the Countess
the dreadful surmises which she could not help entertaining from the drunken
ravings of Lambourne Her fears however though they assumed no certain shape
kept pace with the advice of the pedlar and she confirmed her mistress in her
purpose of taking the medicine which he had recommended from which it is
probable she would otherwise have dissuaded her Neither had these intimations
escaped the ears of Wayland who knew much better how to interpret them He felt
much compassion at beholding so lovely a creature as the Countess and whom he
had first seen in the bosom of domestic happiness exposed to the machinations
of such a gang of villains His indignation too had been highly excited by
hearing the voice of his old master against whom he felt in equal degree the
passions of hatred and fear He nourished also a pride in his own art and
resources and dangerous as the task was he that night formed a determination
to attain the bottom of the mystery and to aid the distressed lady if it were
yet possible From some words which Lambourne had dropped among his ravings
Wayland now for the first time felt inclined to doubt that Varney had acted
entirely on his own account in wooing and winning the affections of this
beautiful creature Fame asserted of this zealous retainer that he had
accommodated his lord in former love intrigues and it occurred to Wayland
Smith that Leicester himself might be the party chiefly interested Her
marriage with the Earl he could not suspect but even the discovery of such a
passing intrigue with a lady of Mistress Amy Robsarts rank was a secret of the
deepest importance to the stability of the favourites power over Elizabeth »If
Leicester himself should hesitate to stifle such a rumour by very strange
means« said he to himself »he has those about him who would do him that favour
without waiting for his consent If I would meddle in this business it must be
in such guise as my old master uses when he compounds his manna of Satan and
that is with a close mask on my face So I will quit Giles Gosling tomorrow
and change my course and place of residence as often as a hunted fox I should
like to see this little puritan too once more She looks both pretty and
intelligent to have come of such a caitiff as Anthony FiretheFagot«
Giles Gosling received the adieus of Wayland rather joyfully than otherwise
The honest publican saw so much peril in crossing the course of the Earl of
Leicesters favourite that his virtue was scarce able to support him in the
task and he was well pleased when it was likely to be removed from his
shoulders still however professing his goodwill and readiness in case of
need to do Mr Tressilian or his emissary any service in so far as consisted
with his character of a publican
Chapter TwentyFirst
Vaulting ambition that oerleaps itself
And falls on tother sid
Macbeth
The splendour of the approaching revels at Kenilworth was now the conversation
through all England and every thing was collected at home or from abroad
which could add to the gaiety or glory of the prepared reception of Elizabeth
at the house of her most distinguished favourite Meantime Leicester appeared
daily to advance in the Queens favour He was perpetually by her side in
council willingly listened to in the moments of courtly recreation favoured
with approaches even to familiar intimacy looked up to by all who had aught to
hope at court courted by foreign ministers with the most flattering
testimonies of respect from their sovereigns the Alter Ego as it seemed of
the stately Elizabeth who was now very generally supposed to be studying the
time and opportunity for associating him by marriage into her sovereign power
Amid such a tide of prosperity this minion of fortune and of the Queens
favour was probably the most unhappy man in the realm which seemed at his
devotion He had the Fairy Kings superiority over his friends and dependants
and saw much which they could not The character of his mistress was intimately
known to him it was his minute and studied acquaintance with her humours as
well as her noble faculties which joined to his powerful mental qualities and
his eminent external accomplishments had raised him so high in her favour and
it was that very knowledge of her disposition which led him to apprehend at
every turn some sudden and overwhelming disgrace Leicester was like a pilot
possessed of a chart which points out to him all the peculiarities of his
navigation but which exhibits so many shoals breakers and reefs of rocks
that his anxious eye reaps little more from observing them than to be convinced
that his final escape can be little else than miraculous
In fact Queen Elizabeth had a character strangely compounded of the
strongest masculine sense with those foibles which are chiefly supposed proper
to the female sex Her subjects had the full benefit of her virtues which far
predominated over her weaknesses but her courtiers and those about her person
had often to sustain sudden and embarrassing turns of caprice and the sallies
of a temper which was both jealous and despotic She was the nursingmother of
her people but she was also the true daughter of Henry VIII and though early
sufferings and an excellent education had repressed and modified they had not
altogether destroyed the hereditary temper of that »hardruled King« »Her
mind« says her witty godson Sir John Harrington who had experienced both the
smiles and the frowns which he describes »was ofttime like the gentle air that
cometh from the western point in a summers morn twas sweet and refreshing to
all around her Her speech did win all affections And again she could put
forth such alterations when obedience was lacking as left no doubting whose
daughter she was When she smiled it was a pure sunshine that every one did
choose to bask in if they could but anon came a storm from a sudden gathering
of clouds and the thunder fell in a wondrous manner on all alike«18
This variability of disposition as Leicester well knew was chiefly
formidable to those who had a share in the Queens affections and who depended
rather on her personal regard than on the indispensable services which they
could render to her councils and her crown The favour of Burleigh or of
Walsingham of a description far less striking than that by which he was himself
upheld was founded as Leicester was well aware on Elizabeths solid judgment
not on her partiality and was therefore free from all those principles of
change and decay necessarily incident to that which chiefly arose from personal
accomplishments and female predilection These great and sage statesmen were
judged of by the Queen only with reference to the measures they suggested and
the reasons by which they supported their opinions in council whereas the
success of Leicesters course depended on all those light and changeable gales
of caprice and humour which thwart or favour the progress of a lover in the
favour of his mistress and she too a mistress who was ever and anon becoming
fearful lest she should forget the dignity or compromise the authority of the
Queen while she indulged the affections of the woman Of the difficulties which
surrounded his power »too great to keep or to resign« Leicester was fully
sensible and as he looked anxiously round for the means of maintaining himself
in his precarious situation and sometimes contemplated those of descending from
it in safety he saw but little hope of either At such moments his thoughts
turned to dwell upon his secret marriage and its consequences and it was in
bitterness against himself if not against his unfortunate Countess that he
ascribed to that hasty measure adopted in the ardour of what he now called
inconsiderate passion at once the impossibility of placing his power on a solid
basis and the immediate prospect of its precipitate downfall
»Men say« thus ran his thoughts in these anxious and repentant moments
»that I might marry Elizabeth and become King of England All things suggest
this The match is carolled in ballads while the rabble throw their caps up
It has been touched upon in the schools whispered in the presencechamber
recommended from the pulpit prayed for in the Calvinistic churches abroad
touched on by statists in the very council at home These bold insinuations
have been rebutted by no rebuke no resentment no chiding scarce even by the
usual female protestation that she would live and die a virgin princess Her
words have been more courteous than ever though she knows such rumours are
abroad her actions more gracious her looks more kind nought seems wanting
to make me King of England and place me beyond the storms of courtfavour
excepting the putting forth of mine own hand to take that crown imperial which
is the glory of the universe And when I might stretch that hand out most
boldly it is fettered down by a secret and inextricable bond And here I have
letters from Amy« he would say catching them up with a movement of
peevishness »persecuting me to acknowledge her openly to do justice to her
and to myself and I wot not what Methinks I have done less than justice to
myself already And she speaks as if Elizabeth were to receive the knowledge of
this matter with the glee of a mother hearing of the happy marriage of a hopeful
son She the daughter of Henry who spared neither man in his anger nor
woman in his desire she to find herself tricked drawn on with toys of passion
to the verge of acknowledging her love to a subject and he discovered to be a
married man Elizabeth to learn that she had been dallied with in such
fashion as a gay courtier might trifle with a country wench We should then
see to our ruin furens quid fæmina«
He would then pause and call for Varney whose advice was now more
frequently resorted to than ever because the Earl remembered the remonstrances
which he had made against his secret contract And their consultation usually
terminated in anxious deliberation how or in what manner the Countess was to be
produced at Kenilworth These communings had for some time ended always in a
resolution to delay the Progress from day to day But at length a peremptory
decision became necessary
»Elizabeth will not be satisfied without her presence« said the Earl
»whether any suspicion hath entered her mind as my own apprehensions suggest
or whether the petition of Tressilian is kept in her memory by Sussex or some
other secret enemy I know not but amongst all the favourable expressions which
she uses to me she often recurs to the story of Amy Robsart I think that Amy
is the slave in the chariot who is placed there by my evil fortune to dash and
to confound my triumph even when at the highest Show me thy device Varney
for solving the inextricable difficulty I have thrown every such impediment in
the way of these accursed revels as I could propound even with a shade of
decency but todays interview has put all to a hazard She said to me kindly
but peremptorily We will give you no farther time for preparations my lord
lest you should altogether ruin yourself On Saturday the 9th of July we will
be with you at Kenilworth We pray you to forget none of our appointed guests
and suitors and in especial this lightolove Amy Robsart We would wish to
see the woman who could postpone yonder poetical gentleman Master Tressilian
to your man Richard Varney Now Varney ply thine invention whose forge
hath availed us so often for sure as my name is Dudley the danger menaced by
my horoscope is now darkening around me«
»Can my lady be by no means persuaded to bear for a brief space the obscure
character which circumstances impose on her« said Varney after some
hesitation
»How sirrah my Countess term herself thy wife that may neither stand
with my honour nor with hers«
»Alas my lord« answered Varney »and yet such is the quality in which
Elizabeth now holds her and to contradict this opinion is to discover all«
»Think of something else Varney« said the Earl in great agitation »this
invention is nought if I could give way to it she would not for I tell thee
Varney if thou knowst it not that not Elizabeth on the throne has more pride
than the daughter of this obscure gentleman of Devon She is flexible in many
things but where she holds her honour brought in question she hath a spirit
and temper as apprehensive as lightning and as swift in execution«
»We have experienced that my lord else had we not been thus
circumstanced« said Varney »But what else to suggest I know not Methinks she
whose good fortune in becoming your lordships bride and who gives rise to the
danger should do somewhat towards parrying it«
»It is impossible« said the Earl waving his hand »I know neither
authority nor entreaties would make her endure thy name for an hour«
»It is somewhat hard though« said Varney in a dry tone and without
pausing on that topic he added »Suppose some one were found to represent her
Such feats have been performed in the courts of as sharpeyed monarchs as Queen
Elizabeth«
»Utter madness Varney« answered the Earl »the counterfeit would be
confronted with Tressilian and discovery become inevitable«
»Tressilian might be removed from court« said the unhesitating Varney
»And by what means«
»There are many« said Varney »by which a statesman in your situation my
lord may remove from the scene one who pries into your affairs and places
himself in perilous opposition to you«
»Speak not to me of such policy Varney« said the Earl hastily »which
besides would avail nothing in the present case Many others there be at court
to whom Amy may be known and besides on the absence of Tressilian her father
or some of her friends would be instantly summoned hither Urge thine invention
once more«
»My lord I know not what to say« answered Varney »but were I myself in
such perplexity I would ride post down to Cumnor Place and compel my wife to
give her consent to such measures as her safety and mine required«
»Varney« said Leicester »I cannot urge her to aught so repugnant to her
noble nature as a share in this stratagem it would be a base requital to the
love she bears me«
»Well my lord« said Varney »your lordship is a wise and an honourable
man and skilled in those high points of romantic scruple which are current in
Arcadia perhaps as your nephew Philip Sidney writes I am your humble
servitor a man of this world and only happy that my knowledge of it and its
ways is such as your lordship has not scorned to avail yourself of Now I would
fain know whether the obligation lies on my lady or on you in this fortunate
union and which has most reason to show complaisance to the other and to
consider that others wishes conveniences and safety«
»I tell thee Varney« said the Earl »that all it was in my power to bestow
upon her was not merely deserved but a thousand times overpaid by her own
virtue and beauty for never did greatness descend upon a creature so formed by
nature to grace and adorn it«
»It is well my lord you are so satisfied« answered Varney with his usual
sardonic smile which even respect to his patron could not at all times subdue
»you will have time enough to enjoy undisturbed the society of one so gracious
and beautiful that is so soon as such confinement in the Tower be over as
may correspond to the crime of deceiving the affections of Elizabeth Tudor A
cheaper penalty I presume you do not expect«
»Malicious fiend« answered Leicester »do you mock me in my misfortune
Manage it as thou wilt«
»If you are serious my lord« said Varney »you must set forth instantly
and post for Cumnor Place«
»Do thou go thyself Varney the devil has given thee that sort of
eloquence which is most powerful in the worst cause I should stand
selfconvicted of villany were I to urge such a deceit Begone I tell thee
Must I entreat thee to mine own dishonour«
»No my lord« said Varney »but if you are serious in intrusting me with
the task of urging this most necessary measure you must give me a letter to my
lady as my credentials and trust to me for backing the advice it contains with
all the force in my power And such is my opinion of my ladys love for your
lordship and of her willingness to do that which is at once to contribute to
your pleasure and your safety that I am sure she will condescend to bear for a
few brief days the name of so humble a man as myself especially since it is not
inferior in antiquity to that of her own paternal house«
Leicester seized on writing materials and twice or thrice commenced a
letter to the Countess which he afterwards tore into fragments At length he
finished a few distracted lines in which he conjured her for reasons nearly
concerning his life and honour to consent to bear the name of Varney for a few
days during the revels at Kenilworth He added that Varney would communicate
all the reasons which rendered this deception indispensable and having signed
and sealed these credentials he flung them over the table to Varney with a
motion that he should depart which his adviser was not slow to comprehend and
to obey
Leicester remained like one stupified till he heard the trampling of the
horses as Varney who took no time even to change his dress threw himself into
the saddle and followed by a single servant set off for Berkshire At the
sound the Earl started from his seat and ran to the window with the momentary
purpose of recalling the unworthy commission with which he had intrusted one of
whom he used to say he knew no virtuous property save affection to his patron
But Varney was already beyond call and the bright starry firmament which the
age considered as the Book of Fate lying spread before Leicester when he opened
the casement diverted him from his better and more manly purpose
»There they roll on their silent but potential course« said the Earl
looking around him »without a voice which speaks to our ear but not without
influences which affect at every change the indwellers of this vile earthly
planet This if astrologers fable not is the very crisis of my fate The hour
approaches of which I was taught to beware the hour too which I was
encouraged to hope for A king was the word but how the crown matrimonial
all hopes of that are gone let them go The rich Netherlands have demanded
me for their leader and would Elizabeth consent would yield to me their
crown And have I not such a claim even in this kingdom That of York
descending from George of Clarence to the House of Huntingdon which this lady
failing may have a fair chance Huntingdon is of my house But I will plunge
no deeper in these high mysteries Let me hold my course in silence for a while
and in obscurity like a subterranean river the time shall come that I will
burst forth in my strength and bear all opposition before me«
While Leicester was thus stupifying the remonstrances of his own conscience
by appealing to political necessity for his apology or losing himself amidst
the wild dreams of ambition his agent left town and tower behind him on his
hasty journey to Berkshire He also nourished high hope He had brought Lord
Leicester to the point which he had desired of committing to him the most
intimate recesses of his breast and of using him as the channel of his most
confidential intercourse with his lady Henceforward it would he foresaw be
difficult for his patron either to dispense with his services or refuse his
requests however unreasonable And if this disdainful dame as he termed the
Countess should comply with the request of her husband Varney her pretended
husband must needs become so situated with respect to her that there was no
knowing where his audacity might be bounded perhaps not till circumstances
enabled him to obtain a triumph which he thought of with a mixture of fiendish
feelings in which revenge for her previous scorn was foremost and predominant
Again he contemplated the possibility of her being totally intractable and
refusing obstinately to play the part assigned to her in the drama at
Kenilworth
»Alasco must then do his part« he said »Sickness must serve her Majesty
as an excuse for not receiving the homage of Mrs Varney ay and a sore and
wasting sickness it may prove should Elizabeth continue to cast so favourable
an eye on my Lord of Leicester I will not forego the chance of being favourite
of a monarch for want of determined measures should these be necessary
Forward good horse forward ambition and haughty hope of power pleasure
and revenge strike their stings as deep through my bosom as I plunge the rowels
in thy flanks On good horse on the devil urges us both forward«
Chapter TwentySecond
Say that my beauty was but small
Among court ladies all despised
Why didst thou rend it from that hall
Where scornful Earl twas dearly prized
No more thou comst with wonted speed
Thy once beloved bride to see
But be she alive or be she dead
I fear stern Earl s the same to thee
Cumnor Hall by William Julius Mickle
The ladies of fashion of the present or of any other period must have allowed
that the young and lovely Countess of Leicester had besides her youth and
beauty two qualities which entitled her to a place amongst women of rank and
distinction She displayed as we have seen in her interview with the pedlar a
liberal promptitude to make unnecessary purchases solely for the pleasure of
acquiring useless and showy trifles which ceased to please as soon as they were
possessed and she was besides apt to spend a considerable space of time every
day in adorning her person although the varied splendour of her attire could
only attract the half satirical praise of the precise Janet or an approving
glance from the bright eyes which witnessed their own beams of triumph reflected
from the mirror
The Countess Amy had indeed to plead for indulgence in those frivolous
tastes that the education of the times had done little or nothing for a mind
naturally gay and averse to study If she had not loved to collect finery and to
wear it she might have woven tapestry or sewed embroidery till her labours
spread in gay profusion all over the walls and seats at Lidcote Hall or she
might have varied Minervas labours with the task of preparing a mighty pudding
against the time that Sir Hugh Robsart returned from the greenwood But Amy had
no natural genius either for the loom the needle or the receiptbook Her
mother had died in infancy her father contradicted her in nothing and
Tressilian the only one that approached her who was able or desirous to attend
to the cultivation of her mind had much hurt his interest with her by assuming
too eagerly the task of a preceptor so that he was regarded by the lively
indulged and idle girl with some fear and much respect but with little or
nothing of that softer emotion which it had been his hope and his ambition to
inspire And thus her heart lay readily open and her fancy became easily
captivated by the noble exterior and graceful deportment and complacent
flattery of Leicester even before he was known to her as the dazzling minion of
wealth and power
The frequent visits of Leicester at Cumnor during the earlier part of their
union had reconciled the Countess to the solitude and privacy to which she was
condemned but when these visits became rarer and more rare and when the void
was filled up with letters of excuse not always very warmly expressed and
generally extremely brief discontent and suspicion began to haunt those
splendid apartments which love had fitted up for beauty Her answers to
Leicester conveyed these feelings too bluntly and pressed more naturally than
prudently that she might be relieved from this obscure and secluded residence
by the Earls acknowledgment of their marriage and in arranging her arguments
with all the skill she was mistress of she trusted chiefly to the warmth of the
entreaties with which she urged them Sometimes she even ventured to mingle
reproaches of which Leicester conceived he had good reason to complain
»I have made her Countess« he said to Varney »surely she might wait till
it consisted with my pleasure that she should put on the coronet«
The Countess Amy viewed the subject in directly an opposite light
»What signifies« she said »that I have rank and honour in reality if I am
to live an obscure prisoner without either society or observance and suffering
in my character as one of dubious or disgraced reputation I care not for all
those strings of pearl which you fret me by warping into my tresses Janet I
tell you that at Lidcote Hall if I put but a fresh rosebud among my hair my
good father would call me to him that he might see it more closely and the
kind old curate would smile and Master Mumblazen would say something about
roses gules and now I sit here decked out like an image with gold and gems
and no one to see my finery but you Janet There was the poor Tressilian too
but it avails not speaking of him«
»It doth not indeed madam« said her prudent attendant »and verily you
make me sometimes wish you would not speak of him so often or so rashly«
»It signifies nothing to warn me Janet« said the impatient and
incorrigible Countess »I was born free though I am now mewed up like some fine
foreign slave rather than the wife of an English noble I bore it all with
pleasure while I was sure he loved me but now my tongue and heart shall be
free let them fetter these limbs as they will I tell thee Janet I love my
husband I will love him till my latest breath I cannot cease to love him
even if I would or if he which God knows may chance should cease to love
me But I will say and loudly I would have been happier than I now am to have
remained in Lidcote Hall even although I must have married poor Tressilian
with his melancholy look and his head full of learning which I cared not for
He said if I would read his favourite volumes there would come a time that I
should be glad of having done so I think it is come now«
»I bought you some books madam« said Janet »from a lame fellow who sold
them in the Marketplace and who stared something boldly at me I promise
you«
»Let me see them Janet« said the Countess »but let them not be of your
own precise cast How is this most righteous damsel A Pair of Snuffers for
the Golden Candlestick A Handful of Myrrh and Hyssop to put a Sick Soul to
Purgation A Draught of Water from the Valley of Baca Foxes and Firebrands
What gear call you this maiden«
»Nay madam« said Janet »it was but fitting and seemly to put grace in
your ladyships way but an you will none of it there are playbooks and
poetbooks I trow«
The Countess proceeded carelessly in her examination turning over such rare
volumes as would now make the fortune of twenty retail booksellers Here was a »
Boke of Cookery Imprinted by Richard Lant« and »Skeltons Books« »The
Passtime of the People« »The Castle of Knowledge« etc But neither to this
lore did the Countesss heart incline and joyfully did she start up from the
listless task of turning over the leaves of the pamphlets and hastily did she
scatter them through the floor when the hasty clatter of horses feet heard in
the courtyard called her to the window exclaiming »It is Leicester it is
my noble Earl it is my Dudley Every stroke of his horses hoof sounds like
a note of lordly music«
There was a brief bustle in the mansion and Foster with his downward look
and sullen manner entered the apartment to say »That Master Richard Varney was
arrived from my lord having ridden all night and craved to speak with her
ladyship instantly«
»Varney« said the disappointed Countess »and to speak with me pshaw
But he comes with news from Leicester so admit him instantly«
Varney entered the dressing apartment where she sat arrayed in her native
loveliness adorned with all that Janets art and a rich and tasteful undress
could bestow But the most beautiful part of her attire was her profuse and
luxuriant lightbrown locks which floated in such rich abundance around a neck
that resembled a swans and over a bosom heaving with anxious expectation
which communicated a hurried tinge of red to her whole countenance
Varney entered the room in the dress in which he had waited on his master
that morning to court the splendour of which made a strange contrast with the
disorder arising from hasty riding during a dark night and foul ways His brow
wore an anxious and hurried expression as one who has that to say of which he
doubts the reception and who hath yet posted on from the necessity of
communicating his tidings The Countesss anxious eye at once caught the alarm
as she exclaimed »You bring news from my lord Master Varney Gracious Heaven
is he ill«
»No madam thank Heaven« said Varney »Compose yourself and permit me to
take breath ere I communicate my tidings«
»No breath sir« replied the Lady impatiently »I know your theatrical
arts Since your breath hath sufficed to bring you hither it may suffice to
tell your tale at least briefly and in the gross«
»Madam« answered Varney »we are not alone and my lords message was for
your ear only«
»Leave us Janet and Master Foster« said the Lady »but remain in the next
apartment and within call«
Foster and his daughter retired agreeably to the Lady Leicesters commands
into the next apartment which was the withdrawingroom The door which led from
the sleepingchamber was then carefully shut and bolted and the father and
daughter remained both in a posture of anxious attention the first with a
stern suspicious anxious cast of countenance and Janet with folded hands and
looks which seemed divided betwixt her desire to know the fortunes of her
mistress and her prayers to heaven for her safety Anthony Foster seemed
himself to have some idea of what was passing through his daughters mind for
he crossed the apartment and took her anxiously by the hand saying »That is
right pray Janet pray we have all need of prayers and some of us more
than others Pray Janet I would pray myself but I must listen to what goes
on within evil has been brewing love evil has been brewing God forgive our
sins but Varneys sudden and strange arrival bodes us no good«
Janet had never before heard her father excite or even permit her attention
to anything which passed in their mysterious family and now that he did so his
voice sounded in her ear she knew not why like that of a screechowl
denouncing some deed of terror and of woe She turned her eyes fearfully towards
the door almost as if she expected some sounds of horror to be heard or some
sight of fear to display itself
All however was as still as death and the voices of those who spoke in
the inner chamber were if they spoke at all carefully subdued to a tone which
could not be heard in the next At once however they were heard to speak fast
thick and hastily and presently after the voice of the Countess was heard
exclaiming at the highest pitch to which indignation could raise it »Undo the
door sir I command you Undo the door I will have no other reply« she
continued drowning with her vehement accents the low and muttered sounds which
Varney was heard to utter betwixt whiles »What ho without there« she
persisted accompanying her words with shrieks »Janet alarm the house
Foster break open the door I am detained here by a traitor Use axe and
lever Master Foster I will be your warrant«
»It shall not need madam« Varney was at length distinctly heard to say
»If you please to expose my Lords important concerns and your own to the
general ear I will not be your hindrance«
The door was unlocked and thrown open and Janet and her father rushed in
anxious to learn the cause of these reiterated exclamations
When they entered the apartment Varney stood by the door grinding his
teeth with an expression in which rage and shame and fear had each their
share The Countess stood in the midst of her apartment like a juvenile
Pythoness under the influence of the prophetic fury The veins in her beautiful
forehead started into swoln blue lines through the hurried impulse of her
articulation her cheek and neck glowed like scarlet her eyes were like those
of an imprisoned eagle flashing red lightning on the foes whom it cannot reach
with its talons Were it possible for one of the Graces to have been animated by
a Fury the countenance could not have united such beauty with so much hatred
scorn defiance and resentment The gesture and attitude corresponded with the
voice and looks and altogether presented a spectacle which was at once
beautiful and fearful so much of the sublime had the energy of passion united
with the Countess Amys natural loveliness Janet as soon as the door was open
ran to her mistress and more slowly yet with more haste than he was wont
Anthony Foster went to Richard Varney
»In the Truths name what ails your ladyship« said the former
»What in the name of Satan have you done to her« said Foster to his
friend
»Who I nothing« answered Varney but with sunken head and sullen voice
»nothing but communicated to her her lords commands which if the lady list
not to obey she knows better how to answer it than I may pretend to do«
»Now by Heaven Janet« said the Countess »the false traitor lies in his
throat He must needs lie for he speaks to the dishonour of my noble lord he
must needs lie doubly for he speaks to gain ends of his own equally execrable
and unattainable«
»You have misapprehended me lady« said Varney with a sulky species of
submission and apology »let this matter rest till your passion be abated and I
will explain all«
»Thou shalt never have an opportunity to do so« said the Countess »Look
at him Janet He is fairly dressed hath the outside of a gentleman and hither
he came to persuade me it was my lords pleasure nay more my wedded lords
commands that I should go with him to Kenilworth and before the Queen and
nobles and in presence of my own wedded lord that I should acknowledge him
him there that very cloakbrushing shoecleaning fellow him there my
lords lackey for my liege lord and husband furnishing against myself great
God whenever I was to vindicate my right and my rank such weapons as would hew
my just claim from the root and destroy my character to be regarded as an
honourable matron of the English nobility«
»You hear her Foster and you young maiden hear this lady« answered
Varney taking advantage of the pause which the Countess had made in her charge
more for lack of breath than for lack of matter »You hear that her heat only
objects to me the course which our good lord for the purpose to keep certain
matters secret suggests in the very letter which she holds in her hands«
Foster here attempted to interfere with a face of authority which he
thought became the charge intrusted to him »Nay lady I must needs say you are
over hasty in this Such deceit is not utterly to be condemned when practised
for a righteous end and thus even the patriarch Abraham feigned Sarah to be his
sister when they went down to Egypt«
»Ay sir« answered the Countess »but God rebuked that deceit even in the
father of his chosen people by the mouth of the heathen Pharaoh Out upon you
that will read Scripture only to copy those things which are held out to us as
warnings not as examples«
»But Sarah disputed not the will of her husband an it be your pleasure«
said Foster in reply »but did as Abraham commanded calling herself his
sister that it might be well with her husband for her sake and that his soul
might live because of her beauty«
»Now so heaven pardon me my useless anger« answered the Countess »thou
art as daring a hypocrite as yonder fellow is an impudent deceiver Never will I
believe that the noble Dudley gave countenance to so dastardly so dishonourable
a plan Thus I tread on his infamy if indeed it be and thus destroy its
remembrance for ever«
So saying she tore in pieces Leicesters letter and stamped in the
extremity of impatience as if she would have annihilated the minute fragments
into which she had rent it
»Bear witness« said Varney collecting himself »she hath torn my lords
letter in order to burden me with the scheme of his devising and although it
promises nought but danger and trouble to me she would lay it to my charge as
if I had any purpose of mine own in it«
»Thou liest thou treacherous slave« said the Countess in spite of Janets
attempts to keep her silent in the sad foresight that her vehemence might only
furnish arms against herself »Thou liest« she continued »Let me go Janet
Were it the last word I have to speak he lies he had his own foul ends to
seek and broader he would have displayed them had my passion permitted me to
preserve the silence which at first encouraged him to unfold his vile projects«
»Madam« said Varney overwhelmed in spite of his effrontery »I entreat you
to believe yourself mistaken«
»As soon will I believe light darkness« said the enraged Countess »Have I
drank of oblivion Do I not remember former passages which known to Leicester
had given thee the preferment of a gallows instead of the honour of his
intimacy I would I were a man but for five minutes It were space enough to
make a craven like thee confess his villany But go begone Tell thy master
that when I take the foul course to which such scandalous deceits as thou hast
recommended on his behalf must necessarily lead me I will give him a rival
something worthy of the name He shall not be supplanted by an ignominious
lackey whose best fortune is to catch a gift of his masters last suit of
clothes ere it is threadbare and who is only fit to seduce a suburbwench by
the bravery of new roses in his masters old pantofles Go begone sir I
scorn thee so much that I am ashamed to have been angry with thee«
Varney left the room with a mute expression of rage and was followed by
Foster whose apprehension naturally slow was overpowered by the eager and
abundant discharge of indignation which for the first time he had heard burst
from the lips of a being who had seemed till that moment too languid and too
gentle to nurse an angry thought or utter an intemperate expression Foster
therefore pursued Varney from place to place persecuting him with
interrogatories to which the other replied not until they were in the opposite
side of the quadrangle and in the old library with which the reader has
already been made acquainted Here he turned round on his persevering follower
and thus addressed him in a tone tolerably equal that brief walk having been
sufficient to give one so habituated to command his temper time to rally and
recover his presence of mind
»Tony« he said with his usual sneering laugh »it avails not to deny it
The Woman and the Devil who as thine oracle Holdforth will confirm to thee
cheated man at the beginning have this day proved more powerful than my
discretion Yon termagant looked so tempting and had the art to preserve her
countenance so naturally while I communicated my lords message that by my
faith I thought I might say some little thing for myself She thinks she hath
my head under her girdle now but she is deceived Where is Doctor Alasco«
»In his laboratory« answered Foster »it is the hour he is spoken not
withal we must wait till noon is past or spoil his important What said I
important I would say interrupt his divine studies«
»Ay he studies the devils divinity« said Varney »but when I want him
one hour must suffice as well as another Lead the way to his pandemonium«
So spoke Varney and with hasty and perturbed steps followed Foster who
conducted him through private passages many of which were wellnigh ruinous to
the opposite side of the quadrangle where in a subterranean apartment now
occupied by the chemist Alasco one of the Abbots of Abingdon who had a turn
for the occult sciences had much to the scandal of his convent established a
laboratory in which like other fools of the period he spent much precious
time and money besides in the pursuit of the grand arcanum
Anthony Foster paused before the door which was scrupulously secured
within and again showed a marked hesitation to disturb the sage in his
operations But Varney less scrupulous roused him by knocking and voice
until at length slowly and reluctantly the inmate of the apartment undid the
door The chemist appeared with his eyes bleared with the heat and vapours of
the stove or alembic over which he brooded and the interior of his cell
displayed the confused assemblage of heterogeneous substances and extraordinary
implements belonging to his profession The old man was muttering with spiteful
impatience »Am I for ever to be recalled to the affairs of earth from those of
heaven«
»To the affairs of hell« answered Varney »for that is thy proper element
Foster we need thee at our conference«
Foster slowly entered the room Varney following barred the door and they
betook themselves to secret council
In the meanwhile the Countess traversed the apartment with shame and anger
contending on her lovely cheek
»The villain« she said »the coldblooded calculating slave But I
unmasked him Janet I made the snake uncoil all his folds before me and crawl
abroad in his naked deformity I suspended my resentment at the danger of
suffocating under the effort until he had let me see the very bottom of a heart
more foul than hells darkest corner And thou Leicester is it possible thou
couldst bid me for a moment deny my wedded right in thee or thyself yield it to
another But it is impossible the villain has lied in all Janet I will
not remain here longer I fear him I fear thy father I grieve to say it
Janet but I fear thy father and worst of all this odious Varney I will
escape from Cumnor«
»Alas madam whither would you fly or by what means will you escape from
these walls«
»I know not Janet« said the unfortunate young lady looking upwards and
clasping her hands together »I know not where I shall fly or by what means
but I am certain the God I have served will not abandon me in this dreadful
crisis for I am in the hands of wicked men«
»Do not think so dear lady« said Janet »my father is stern and strict in
his temper and severely true to his trust but yet«
At this moment Anthony Foster entered the apartment bearing in his hand a
glass cup and a small flask His manner was singular for while approaching
the Countess with the respect due to her rank he had till this time suffered to
become visible or had been unable to suppress the obdurate sulkiness of his
natural disposition which as is usual with those of his unhappy temper was
chiefly exerted towards those over whom circumstances gave him control But at
present he showed nothing of that sullen consciousness of authority which he was
wont to conceal under a clumsy affectation of civility and deference as a
ruffian hides his pistols and bludgeon under his illfashioned gaberdine And
yet it seemed as if his smile was more in fear than courtesy and as if while
he pressed the Countess to taste of the choice cordial which should refresh her
spirits after her late alarm he was conscious of meditating some farther
injury His hand trembled also his voice faltered and his whole outward
behaviour exhibited so much that was suspicious that his daughter Janet after
she had stood looking at him in astonishment for some seconds seemed at once to
collect herself to execute some hardy resolution raised her head assumed an
attitude and gait of determination and authority and walking slowly betwixt her
father and her mistress took the salver from the hand of the former and said
in a low but marked and decided tone »Father I will fill for my noble
mistress when such is her pleasure«
»Thou my child« said Foster eagerly and apprehensively »no my child
it is not thou shalt render the lady this service«
»And why I pray you« said Janet »if it be fitting that the noble lady
should partake of the cup at all«
»Why why« said the seneschal hesitating and then bursting into passion
as the readiest mode of supplying the lack of all other reason »Why because
it is my pleasure minion that you should not Get you gone to the evening
lecture«
»Now as I hope to hear lecture again« replied Janet »I will not go
thither this night unless I am better assured of my mistresss safety Give me
that flask father« and she took it from his reluctant hand while he
resigned it as if consciencestruck »And now« she said »father that which
shall benefit my mistress cannot do me prejudice Father I drink to you«
Foster without speaking a word rushed on his daughter and wrested the
flask from her hand then as if embarrassed by what he had done and totally
unable to resolve what he should do next he stood with it in his hand one foot
advanced and the other drawn back glaring on his daughter with a countenance
in which rage fear and convicted villany formed a hideous combination
»This is strange my father« said Janet keeping her eye fixed on his in
the manner in which those who have the charge of lunatics are said to overawe
their unhappy patients »will you neither let me serve my lady nor drink to her
myself«
The courage of the Countess sustained her through this dreadful scene of
which the import was not the less obvious that it was not even hinted at She
preserved even the rash carelessness of her temper and though her cheek had
grown pale at the first alarm her eye was calm and almost scornful »Will you
taste this rare cordial Master Foster Perhaps you will not yourself refuse to
pledge us though you permit not Janet to do so Drink sir I pray you«
»I will not« answered Foster
»And for whom then is the precious beverage reserved sir« said the
Countess
»For the devil who brewed it« answered Foster and turning on his heel
he left the chamber
Janet looked at her mistress with a countenance expressive in the highest
degree of shame dismay and sorrow
»Do not weep for me Janet« said the Countess kindly
»No madam« replied her attendant in a voice broken by sobs »it is not
for you I weep it is for myself it is for that unhappy man Those who are
dishonoured before man those who are condemned by God have cause to mourn
not those who are innocent Farewell madam« she said hastily assuming the
mantle in which she was wont to go abroad
»Do you leave me Janet« said her mistress »desert me in such an evil
strait«
»Desert you madam« exclaimed Janet and running back to her mistress she
imprinted a thousand kisses on her hand »desert you may the Hope of my
trust desert me when I do so No madam well you said the God you serve will
open you a path for deliverance There is a way of escape I have prayed night
and day for light that I might see how to act betwixt my duty to yonder unhappy
man and that which I owe to you Sternly and fearfully that light has now
dawned and I must not shut the door which God opens Ask me no more I will
return in brief space«
So speaking she wrapped herself in her mantle and saying to the old woman
whom she passed in the outer room that she was going to evening prayer she
left the house
Meanwhile her father had reached once more the laboratory where he found
the accomplices of his intended guilt
»Has the sweet bird sipped« said Varney with half a smile while the
astrologer put the same question with his eyes but spoke not a word
»She has not nor she shall not from my hands« replied Foster »would you
have me do murder in my daughters presence«
»Wert thou not told thou sullen and yet fainthearted slave« answered
Varney with bitterness »that no murder as thou callst it with that staring
look and stammering tone is designed in the matter Wert thou not told that a
brief illness such as woman puts on in very wantonness that she may wear her
nightgear at noon and lie on a settle when she should mind her domestic
business is all here aimed at Here is a learned man will swear it to thee by
the key of the Castle of Wisdom«
»I swear it« said Alasco »that the elixir thou hast there in the flask
will not prejudice life I swear it by that immortal and indestructible
quintessence of gold which pervades every substance in nature though its
secret existence can be traced by him only to whom Trismegistus renders the key
of the Cabala«
»An oath of force« said Varney »Foster thou wert worse than a Pagan to
disbelieve it Believe me moreover who swear by nothing but by my own word
that if you be not conformable there is no hope no not a glimpse of hope
that this thy leasehold may be transmuted into a copyhold Thus Alasco will
leave your pewter artillery untransmigrated and I honest Anthony will still
have thee for my tenant«
»I know not gentlemen« said Foster »where your designs tend to but in
one thing I am bound up that fall back fall edge I will have one in this
place that may pray for me and that one shall be my daughter I have lived ill
and the world has been too weighty with me but she is as innocent as ever she
was when on her mothers lap and she at least shall have her portion in that
happy City whose walls are of pure gold and the foundations garnished with all
manner of precious stones«
»Ay Tony« said Varney »that were a paradise to thy hearts content
Debate the matter with him Doctor Alasco I will be with you anon«
So speaking Varney arose and taking the flask from the table he left the
room
»I tell thee my son« said Alasco to Foster as soon as Varney had left
them »that whatever this bold and profligate railer may say of the mighty
science in which by Heavens blessing I have advanced so far that I would
not call the wisest of living artists my better or my teacher I say howsoever
yonder reprobate may scoff at things too holy to be apprehended by men merely of
carnal and evil thoughts yet believe that the city beheld by St John in that
bright vision of the Christian Apocalypse that New Jerusalem of which all
Christian men hope to partake sets forth typically the discovery of the GRAND
SECRET whereby the most precious and perfect of natures works are elicited out
of her basest and most crude productions just as the light and gaudy butterfly
the most beautiful child of the summers breeze breaks forth from the dungeon
of a sordid chrysalis«
»Master Holdforth said nought of this exposition« said Foster doubtfully
»and moreover Doctor Alasco the Holy Writ says that the gold and precious
stones of the Holy City are in no sort for those who work abomination or who
frame lies«
»Well my son« said the Doctor »and what is your inference from thence«
»That those« said Foster »who distil poisons and administer them in
secrecy can have no portion in those unspeakable riches«
»You are to distinguish my son« replied the alchemist »betwixt that which
is necessarily evil in its progress and in its end also and that which being
evil is nevertheless capable of working forth good If by the death of one
person the happy period shall be brought nearer to us in which all that is
good shall be attained by wishing its presence all that is evil escaped by
desiring its absence in which sickness and pain and sorrow shall be the
obedient servants of human wisdom and made to fly at the slightest signal of
a sage in which that which is now richest and rarest shall be within the
compass of every one who shall be obedient to the voice of wisdom when the
art of healing shall be lost and absorbed in the one universal medicine when
sages shall become monarchs of the earth and death itself retreat before their
frown if this blessed consummation of all things can be hastened by the
slight circumstance that a frail earthly body which must needs partake
corruption shall be consigned to the grave a short space earlier than in the
course of nature what is such a sacrifice to the advancement of the holy
Millennium«
»Millennium is the reign of the Saints« said Foster somewhat doubtfully
»Say it is the reign of the Sages my son« answered Alasco »or rather the
reign of Wisdom itself«
»I touched on the question with Master Holdforth last exercising night«
said Foster »but he says your doctrine is heterodox and a damnable and false
exposition«
»He is in the bonds of ignorance my son« answered Alasco »and as yet
burning bricks in Egypt or at best wandering in the dry desert of Sinai Thou
didst ill to speak to such a man of such matters I will however give thee
proof and that shortly which I will defy that peevish divine to confute
though he should strive with me as the magicians strove with Moses before King
Pharaoh I will do projection in thy presence my son in thy very presence
and thine eyes shall witness the truth«
»Stick to that learned sage« said Varney who at this moment entered the
apartment »if he refuse the testimony of thy tongue yet how shall he deny that
of his own eyes«
»Varney« said the adept »Varney already returned Hast thou« he
stopped short
»Have I done mine errand thou wouldst say« replied Varney »I have And
thou« he added showing more symptoms of interest than he had hitherto
exhibited »art thou sure thou hast poured forth neither more nor less than the
just measure«
»Ay« replied the alchemist »as sure as men can be in these nice
proportions for there is diversity of constitutions«
»Nay then« said Varney »I fear nothing I know thou wilt not go a step
farther to the devil than thou art justly considered for Thou wert paid to
create illness and wouldst esteem it thriftless prodigality to do murder at the
same price Come let us each to our chamber We shall see the event
tomorrow«
»What didst thou do to make her swallow it« said Foster shuddering
»Nothing« answered Varney »but looked on her with that aspect which
governs madmen women and children They told me in Saint Lukes Hospital
that I have the right look for overpowering a refractory patient The keepers
made me their compliments ont so I know how to win my bread when my
courtfavour fails me«
»And art thou not afraid« said Foster »lest the dose be disproportioned«
»If so« replied Varney »she will but sleep the sounder and the fear of
that shall not break my rest Good night my masters«
Anthony Foster groaned heavily and lifted up his hands and eyes The
alchemist intimated his purpose to continue some experiment of high import
during the greater part of the night and the others separated to their places
of repose
Chapter TwentyThird
Now God be good to me in this wild pilgrimage
All hope in human aid I cast behind me
Oh who would be a woman who that fool
A weeping pining faithful loving woman
She hath hard measure still where she hopes kindest
And all her bounties only make ingrates
Loves Pilgrimage
The summer evening was closed and Janet just when her longer stay might have
occasioned suspicion and inquiry in that jealous household returned to Cumnor
Place and hastened to the apartment in which she had left her lady She found
her with her head resting on her arms and these crossed upon a table which
stood before her As Janet came in she neither looked up nor stirred
Her faithful attendant ran to her mistress with the speed of lightning and
rousing her at the same time with her hand conjured the Countess in the most
earnest manner to look up and say what thus affected her The unhappy lady
raised her head accordingly and looking on her attendant with a ghastly eye
and cheek as pale as clay »Janet« she said »I have drunk it«
»God be praised« said Janet hastily »I mean God be praised that it is
no worse the potion will not harm you Rise shake this lethargy from your
limbs and this despair from your mind«
»Janet« repeated the Countess again »disturb me not leave me at peace
let life pass quietly I am poisoned«
»You are not my dearest lady« answered the maiden eagerly »What you
have swallowed cannot injure you for the antidote has been taken before it and
I hastened hither to tell you that the means of escape are open to you«
»Escape« exclaimed the lady as she raised herself hastily in her chair
while light returned to her eye and life to her cheek »but ah Janet it comes
too late«
»Not so dearest lady Rise take mine arm walk through the apartment
Let not fancy do the work of poison So feel you not now that you are
possessed of the full use of your limbs«
»The torpor seems to diminish« said the Countess as supported by Janet
she walked to and fro in the apartment »but is it then so and have I not
swallowed a deadly draught Varney was here since thou wert gone and commanded
me with eyes in which I read my fate to swallow yon horrible drug Oh Janet
it must be fatal never was harmless drug served by such a cupbearer«
»He did not deem it harmless I fear« replied the maiden »but God
confounds the devices of the wicked Believe me as I swear by the dear Gospel
in which we trust your life is safe from his practice Did you not debate with
him«
»The house was silent« answered the lady »thou gone no other but he in
the chamber and he capable of every crime I did but stipulate he would remove
his hateful presence and I drank whatever he offered But you spoke of
escape Janet can I be so happy«
»Are you strong enough to bear the tidings and make the effort« said the
maiden
»Strong« answered the Countess »Ask the hind when the fangs of the
deerhound are stretched to gripe her if she is strong enough to spring over a
chasm I am equal to every effort that may relieve me from this place«
»Hear me then« said Janet »One whom I deem an assured friend of yours
has shown himself to me in various disguises and sought speech of me which
for my mind was not clear on the matter until this evening I have ever
declined He was the pedlar who brought you goods the itinerant hawker who
sold me books whenever I stirred abroad I was sure to see him The event of
this night determined me to speak with him He waits even now at the
posterngate of the park with means for your flight But have you strength of
body Have you courage of mind Can you undertake the enterprise«
»She that flies from death« said the lady »finds strength of body she
that would escape from shame lacks no strength of mind The thoughts of leaving
behind me the villain who menaces both my life and honour would give me
strength to rise from my deathbed«
»In Gods name then lady« said Janet »I must bid you adieu and to Gods
charge I must commit you«
»Will you not fly with me then Janet« said the Countess anxiously »Am
I to lose thee Is this thy faithful service«
»Lady I would fly with you as willingly as bird ever fled from cage but my
doing so would occasion instant discovery and pursuit I must remain and use
means to disguise the truth for some time May Heaven pardon the falsehood
because of the necessity«
»And am I then to travel alone with this stranger« said the lady »Bethink
thee Janet may not this prove some deeper and darker scheme to separate me
perhaps from you who are my only friend«
»No madam do not suppose it« answered Janet readily »the youth is an
honest youth in his purpose to you and a friend to Mr Tressilian under whose
direction he has come hither«
»If he be a friend of Tressilian« said the Countess »I will commit myself
to his charge as to that of an angel sent from heaven for than Tressilian
never breathed mortal man more free of whatever was base false or selfish He
forgot himself whenever he could be of use to others Alas and how was he
requited«
With eager haste they collected the few necessaries which it was thought
proper the Countess should take with her and which Janet with speed and
dexterity formed into a small bundle not forgetting to add such ornaments of
intrinsic value as came most readily in her way and particularly a casket of
jewels which she wisely judged might prove of service in some future emergency
The Countess of Leicester next changed her dress for one which Janet usually
wore upon any brief journey for they judged it necessary to avoid every
external distinction which might attract attention Ere these preparations were
fully made the moon had arisen in the summer heaven and all in the mansion had
betaken themselves to rest or at least to the silence and retirement of their
chambers
There was no difficulty anticipated in escaping whether from the house or
garden provided only they could elude observation Anthony Foster had
accustomed himself to consider his daughter as a conscious sinner might regard a
visible guardian angel which notwithstanding his guilt continued to hover
around him and therefore his trust in her knew no bounds Janet commanded her
own motions during the daytime and had a masterkey which opened the
posterndoor of the park so that she could go to the village at pleasure
either upon the household affairs which were entirely confided to her
management or to attend her devotions at the meetinghouse of her sect It is
true the daughter of Foster was thus liberally entrusted under the solemn
condition that she should not avail herself of these privileges to do anything
inconsistent with the safekeeping of the Countess for so her residence at
Cumnor Place had been termed since she began of late to exhibit impatience of
the restrictions to which she was subjected Nor is there reason to suppose
that anything short of the dreadful suspicions which the scene of that evening
had excited could have induced Janet to violate her word or deceive her
fathers confidence But from what she had witnessed she now conceived herself
not only justified but imperatively called upon to make her ladys safety the
principal object of her care setting all other considerations aside
The fugitive Countess with her guide traversed with hasty steps the broken
and interrupted path which had once been an avenue now totally darkened by the
boughs of spreading trees which met above their head and now receiving a
doubtful and deceiving light from the beams of the moon which penetrated where
the axe had made openings in the wood Their path was repeatedly interrupted by
felled trees or the large boughs which had been left on the ground till time
served to make them into fagots and billets The inconvenience and difficulty
attending these interruptions the breathless haste of the first part of their
route the exhausting sensations of hope and fear so much affected the
Countesss strength that Janet was forced to propose that they should pause for
a few minutes to recover breath and spirits Both therefore stood still beneath
the shadow of a huge old gnarled oaktree and both naturally looked back to the
mansion which they had left behind them whose long dark front was seen in the
gloomy distance with its huge stacks of chimneys turrets and clockhouse
rising above the line of the roof and definedly visible against the pure azure
blue of the summer sky One light only twinkled from the extended and shadowy
mass and it was placed so low that it rather seemed to glimmer from the ground
in front of the mansion than from one of the windows The Countesss terror was
awakened »They follow us« she said pointing out to Janet the light which
thus alarmed her
Less agitated than her mistress Janet perceived that the gleam was
stationary and informed the Countess in a whisper that the light proceeded
from the solitary cell in which the alchemist pursued his occult experiments
»He is of those« she added »who sit up and watch by night that they may commit
iniquity Evil was the chance which sent hither a man whose mixed speech of
earthly wealth and unearthly or superhuman knowledge hath in it what doth so
especially captivate my poor father Well spoke the good Master Holdforth and
methought not without meaning that those of our household should find therein a
practical use There be those he said and their number is legion who will
rather like the wicked Ahab listen to the dreams of the false prophet
Zedechias than to the words of him by whom the Lord has spoken And he farther
insisted Ah my brethren there be many Zedechiases among you men that
promise you the light of their carnal knowledge so you will surrender to them
that of your heavenly understanding What are they better than the tyrant Naas
who demanded the right eye of those who were subjected to him And farther he
insisted«
It is uncertain how long the fair puritans memory might have supported her
in the recapitulation of Master Holdforths discourse but the Countess now
interrupted her and assured her she was so much recovered that she could now
reach the postern without the necessity of a second delay
They set out accordingly and performed the second part of their journey
with more deliberation and of course more easily than the first hasty
commencement This gave them leisure for reflection and Janet now for the
first time ventured to ask her lady which way she proposed to direct her
flight Receiving no immediate answer for perhaps in the confusion of her
mind this very obvious subject of deliberation had not occurred to the Countess
Janet ventured to add »Probably to your fathers house where you are sure of
safety and protection«
»No Janet« said the Lady mournfully »I left Lidcote Hall while my heart
was light and my name was honourable and I will not return thither till my
lords permission and public acknowledgment of our marriage restore me to my
native home with all the rank and honour which he has bestowed on me«
»And whither will you then madam« said Janet
»To Kenilworth girl« said the Countess boldly and freely »I will see
these revels these princely revels the preparation for which makes the land
ring from side to side Methinks when the Queen of England feasts within my
husbands halls the Countess of Leicester should be no unbeseeming guest«
»I pray God you may be a welcome one« said Janet hastily
»You abuse my situation Janet« said the Countess angrily »and you forget
your own«
»I do neither dearest madam« said the sorrowful maiden »but have you
forgotten that the noble Earl has given such strict charges to keep your
marriage secret that he may preserve his courtfavour and can you think that
your sudden appearance at his castle at such a juncture and in such a
presence will be acceptable to him«
»Thou thinkest I would disgrace him« said the Countess »nay let go my
arm I can walk without aid and work without counsel«
»Be not angry with me lady« said Janet meekly »and let me still support
you the road is rough and you are little accustomed to walk in darkness«
»If you deem me not so mean as may disgrace my husband« said the Countess
in the same resentful tone »you suppose my Lord of Leicester capable of
abetting perhaps of giving aim and authority to the base proceedings of your
father and Varney whose errand I will do to the good Earl«
»For Gods sake madam spare my father in your report« said Janet »let my
services however poor be some atonement for his errors«
»I were most unjust dearest Janet were it otherwise« said the Countess
resuming at once the fondness and confidence of her manner towards her faithful
attendant »No Janet not a word of mine shall do your father prejudice But
thou seest my love I have no desire but to throw myself on my husbands
protection I have left the abode he assigned for me because of the villany of
the persons by whom I was surrounded but I will disobey his commands in no
other particular I will appeal to him alone I will be protected by him alone
To no other than at his pleasure have I or will I communicate the secret
union which combines our hearts and our destinies I will see him and receive
from his own lips the directions for my future conduct Do not argue against my
resolution Janet you will only confirm me in it and to own the truth I am
resolved to know my fate at once and from my husbands own mouth and to seek
him at Kenilworth is the surest way to attain my purpose«
While Janet hastily revolved in her mind the difficulties and uncertainties
attendant on the unfortunate ladys situation she was inclined to alter her
first opinion and to think upon the whole that since the Countess had
withdrawn herself from the retreat in which she had been placed by her husband
it was her first duty to repair to his presence and possess him with the
reasons of such conduct She knew what importance the Earl attached to the
concealment of their marriage and could not but own that by taking any step to
make it public without his permission the Countess would incur in a high
degree the indignation of her husband If she retired to her fathers house
without an explicit avowal of her rank her situation was likely greatly to
prejudice her character and if she made such an avowal it might occasion an
irreconcilable breach with her husband At Kenilworth again she might plead
her cause with her husband himself whom Janet though distrusting him more than
the Countess did believed incapable of being accessary to the base and
desperate means which his dependants from whose power the lady was now
escaping might resort to in order to stifle her complaints of the treatment
she had received at their hands But at the worst and were the Earl himself to
deny her justice and protection still at Kenilworth if she chose to make her
wrongs public the Countess might have Tressilian for her advocate and the
Queen for her judge for so much Janet had learned in her short conference with
Wayland She was therefore on the whole reconciled to her ladys proposal of
going towards Kenilworth and so expressed herself recommending however to
the Countess the utmost caution in making her arrival known to her husband
»Hast thou thyself been cautious Janet« said the Countess »this guide in
whom I must put my confidence hast thou not intrusted to him the secret of my
condition«
»From me he has learned nothing« said Janet »nor do I think that he knows
more than what the public in general believe of your situation«
»And what is that« said the lady
»That you left your fathers house but I shall offend you again if I go
on« said Janet interrupting herself
»Nay go on« said the Countess »I must learn to endure the evil report
which my folly has brought upon me They think I suppose that I have left my
fathers house to follow lawless pleasure It is an error which will soon be
removed indeed it shall for I will live with spotless fame or I shall cease
to live I am accounted then the paramour of my Leicester«
»Most men say of Varney« said Janet »yet some call him only the convenient
cloak of his masters pleasures for reports of the profuse expense in
garnishing yonder apartments have secretly gone abroad and such doings far
surpass the means of Varney But this latter opinion is little prevalent for
men dare hardly even hint suspicion when so high a name is concerned lest the
Starchamber should punish them for scandal of the nobility«
»They do well to speak low« said the Countess »who would mention the
illustrious Dudley as the accomplice of such a wretch as Varney We have
reached the postern Ah Janet I must bid thee farewell Weep not my good
girl« said she endeavouring to cover her own reluctance to part with her
faithful attendant under an attempt at playfulness »and against we meet again
reform me Janet that precise ruff of thine for an open rabatine of lace and
cut work that will let men see thou hast a fair neck and that kirtle of
Philippine chency with that bugle lace which befits only a chambermaid into
threepiled velvet and cloth of gold thou wilt find plenty of stuffs in my
chamber and I freely bestow them on you Thou must be brave Janet for though
thou art now but the attendant of a distressed and errant lady who is both
nameless and fameless yet when we meet again thou must be dressed as becomes
the gentlewoman nearest in love and in service to the first Countess in
England«
»Now may God grant it dear lady« said Janet »not that I may go with
gayer apparel but that we may both wear our kirtles over lighter hearts«
By this time the lock of the posterndoor had after some hard wrenching
yielded to the masterkey and the Countess not without internal shuddering
saw herself beyond the walls which her husbands strict commands had assigned to
her as the boundary of her walks Waiting with much anxiety for their
appearance Wayland Smith stood at some distance shrouding himself behind a
hedge which bordered the highroad
»Is all safe« said Janet to him anxiously as he approached them with
caution
»All« he replied »but I have been unable to procure a horse for the lady
Giles Gosling the cowardly hilding refused me one on any terms whatever lest
forsooth he should suffer but no matter She must ride on my palfrey and I
must walk by her side until I come by another horse There will be no pursuit
if you pretty Mistress Janet forget not thy lesson«
»No more than the wise widow of Tekoa forgot the words which Joab put into
her mouth« answered Janet »Tomorrow I say that my lady is unable to rise«
»Ay and that she hath aching and heaviness of the head a throbbing at the
heart and lists not to be disturbed Fear not they will take the hint and
trouble thee with few questions they understand the disease«
»But« said the Lady »my absence must be soon discovered and they will
murder her in revenge I will rather return than expose her to such danger«
»Be at ease on my account madam« said Janet »I would you were as sure of
receiving the favour you desire from those to whom you must make appeal as I am
that my father however angry will suffer no harm to befall me«
The Countess was now placed by Wayland upon his horse around the saddle of
which he had placed his cloak so folded as to make her a commodious seat
»Adieu and may the blessing of God wend with you« said Janet again
kissing her mistresss hand who returned her benediction with a mute caress
They then tore themselves asunder and Janet addressing Wayland exclaimed
»May Heaven deal with you at your need as you are true or false to this most
injured and most helpless lady«
»Amen dearest Janet« replied Wayland »and believe me I will so acquit
myself of my trust as may tempt even your pretty eyes saintlike as they are
to look less scornfully on me when we next meet«
The latter part of this adieu was whispered into Janets ear and although
she made no reply to it directly yet her manner influenced no doubt by her
desire to leave every motive in force which could operate towards her mistresss
safety did not discourage the hope which Waylands words expressed She
reentered the posterndoor and locked it behind her while Wayland taking the
horses bridle in his hand and walking close by its head they began in silence
their dubious and moonlight journey
Although Wayland Smith used the utmost despatch which he could make yet
this mode of travelling was so slow that when morning began to dawn through the
eastern mist he found himself no farther than about ten miles distant from
Cumnor »Now a plague upon all smoothspoken hosts« said Wayland unable longer
to suppress his mortification and uneasiness »Had the false loon Giles
Gosling but told me plainly two days since that I was to reckon nought upon
him I had shifted better for myself But your hosts have such a custom of
promising whatever is called for that it is not till the steed is to be shod
you find they are out of iron Had I but known I could have made twenty shifts
nay for that matter and in so good a cause I would have thought little to
have prigged a prancer from the next common it had but been sending back the
brute to the head borough The farcy and the founders confound every horse in
the stables of the Black Bear«
The lady endeavoured to comfort her guide observing that the dawn would
enable him to make more speed
»True madam« he replied »but then it will enable other folk to take note
of us and that may prove an ill beginning of our journey I had not cared a
spark from anvil about the matter had we been farther advanced on our way But
this Berkshire has been notoriously haunted ever since I knew the country with
that sort of malicious elves who sit up late and rise early for no other
purpose than to pry into other folks affairs I have been endangered by them
ere now But do not fear« he added »good madam for wit meeting with
opportunity will not miss to find a salve for every sore«
The alarms of her guide made more impression on the Countesss mind than the
comfort which he judged fit to administer along with it She looked anxiously
around her and as the shadows withdrew from the landscape and the heightening
glow of the eastern sky promised the speedy rise of the sun expected at every
turn that the increasing light would expose them to the view of the vengeful
pursuers or present some dangerous and insurmountable obstacle to the
prosecution of their journey Wayland Smith perceived her uneasiness and
displeased with himself for having given her cause of alarm strode on with
affected alacrity now talking to the horse as one expert in the language of the
stable now whistling to himself low and interrupted snatches of tunes and now
assuring the lady there was no danger while at the same time he looked sharply
around to see that there was nothing in sight which might give the lie to his
words while they were issuing from his mouth Thus did they journey on until an
unexpected incident gave them the means of continuing their pilgrimage with more
speed and convenience
Chapter TwentyFourth
Richard A horse a horse my kingdom for a horse
Catesby My lord Ill help you to a horse
Richard III
Our travellers were in the act of passing a small thicket of trees dose by the
road side when the first living being presented himself whom they had seen
since their departure from Cumnor Place This was a stupid lout seemingly a
farmers boy in a grey jerkin with his head bare his hose about his heels
and huge startups upon his feet He held by the bridle what of all things they
most wanted a palfrey namely with a sidesaddle and all other garniture for
a womans mounting and he hailed Wayland Smith with »Zur be ye zure the
party«
»Ay that I be my lad« answered Wayland without an instants hesitation
and it must be owned that consciences trained in a stricter school of morality
might have given way to an occasion so tempting While he spoke he caught the
rein out of the boys hand and almost at the same time helped down the Countess
from his own horse and aided her to mount on that which chance had thus
presented for her acceptance Indeed so naturally did the whole take place that
the Countess as it afterwards appeared never suspected but that the horse had
been placed there to meet them by the precaution of the guide or some of his
friends
The lad however who was thus hastily dispossessed of his charge began to
stare hard and scratch his head as if seized with some qualms of conscience
for delivering up the animal on such brief explanation »I be right zure thou
best the party« said he muttering to himself »but thou shouldst ha zaid
Beans thou knawst«
»Ay ay« said Wayland speaking at a venture »and thou Bacon thou
knowst«
»Noa noa« said the lad »bide ye bide ye it was Peas a should ha
said«
»Well well« answered Wayland »peas be it a Gods name though bacon were
the better password«
And being by this time mounted on his own horse he caught the rein of the
palfrey from the uncertain hold of the hesitating young boor flung him a small
piece of money and made amends for lost time by riding briskly off without
farther parley The lad was still visible from the hill up which they were
riding and Wayland as he looked back beheld him standing with his fingers in
his hair as immovable as a guidepost and his head turned in the direction in
which they were escaping from him At length just as they topped the hill he
saw the clown stoop to lift up the silver groat which his benevolence had
imparted »Now this is what I call a Godsend« said Wayland »this is a bonny
wellridden bit of a going thing and it will carry us so far till we get you as
well mounted and then we will send it back time enough to satisfy the Hue and
Cry«
But he was deceived in his expectations and fate which seemed at first to
promise so fairly soon threatened to turn the incident which he thus gloried
in into the cause of their utter ruin
They had not ridden a short mile from the place where they left the lad
before they heard a mans voice shouting on the wind behind them »Robbery
robbery Stop thief« and similar exclamations which Waylands conscience
readily assured him must arise out of the transaction to which he had been just
accessary
»I had better have gone barefoot all my life« he said »it is the Hue and
Cry and I am a lost man Ah Wayland Wayland many a time thy father said
horseflesh would be the death of thee Were I once safe among the
horsecoursers in Smithfield or Turnball Street they should have leave to hang
me as high as St Pauls if I eer meddled more with nobles knights or
gentlewomen«
Amidst these dismal reflections he turned his head repeatedly to see by whom
he was chased and was much comforted when he could only discover a single
rider who was however well mounted and came after them at a speed which left
them no chance of escaping even had the ladys strength permitted her to ride
as fast as her palfrey might have been able to gallop
»There may be fair play betwixt us sure« thought Wayland »where there is
but one man on each side and yonder fellow sits on his horse more like a monkey
than a cavalier Pshaw if it come to the worst it will be easy unhorsing him
Nay snails I think his horse will take the matter in his own hand for he has
the bridle betwixt his teeth Oons what care I for him« said he as the
pursuer drew yet nearer »it is but the little animal of a mercer from Abingdon
when all is over«
Even so it was as the experienced eye of Wayland had descried at a
distance For the valiant mercers horse which was a beast of mettle feeling
himself put to his speed and discerning a couple of horses riding fast at some
hundred yards distance before him betook himself to the road with such
alacrity as totally deranged the seat of his rider who not only came up with
but passed at full gallop those whom he had been pursuing pulling the reins
with all his might and ejaculating »Stop stop« an interjection which seemed
rather to regard his own palfrey than what seamen call »the chase« With the
same involuntary speed he shot ahead to use another nautical phrase about a
furlong ere he was able to stop and turn his horse and then rode back towards
our travellers adjusting as well as he could his disordered dress resettling
himself in the saddle and endeavouring to substitute a bold and martial frown
for the confusion and dismay which sate upon his visage during his involuntary
career
Wayland had just time to caution the lady not to be alarmed adding »This
fellow is a gull and I will use him as such«
When the mercer had recovered breath and audacity enough to confront them
he ordered Wayland in a menacing tone to deliver up his palfrey
»How« said the smith in King Cambyses vein »are we commanded to stand
and deliver on the Kings highway Then out Excalibar and tell this knight of
prowess that dire blows must decide between us«
»Haro and help and hue and cry every true man« said the mercer »I am
withstood in seeking to recover mine own«
»Thou swearest thy gods in vain foul paynim« said Wayland »for I will
through with my purpose were death at the end ont Nevertheless know thou
false man of frail cambric and ferrateen that I am he even the pedlar whom
thou didst boast to meet on Maidencastle moor and despoil of his pack
wherefore betake thee to thy weapons presently«
»I spoke but in jest man« said Goldthred »I am an honest shopkeeper and
citizen who scorns to leap forth on any man from behind a hedge«
»Then by my faith most puissant mercer« answered Wayland »I am sorry for
my vow which was that wherever I met thee I would despoil thee of thy palfrey
and bestow it upon my leman unless thou couldst defend it by blows of force
But the vow is passed and registered and all that I can do for thee is to
leave the horse at Donnington in the nearest hostelry«
»But I tell thee friend« said the mercer »it is the very horse on which I
was this day to carry Jane Thackham of Shottesbrok as far as the parish church
yonder to become Dame Goldthred She hath jumped out of the shotwindow of old
Gaffer Thackhams grange and lo ye yonder she stands at the place where she
should have met the palfrey with her camlet ridingcloak and ivoryhandled
whip like a picture of Lots wife I pray you in good terms let me have back
the palfrey«
»Grieved am I« said Wayland »as much for the fair damsel as for thee most
noble imp of muslin But vows must have their course thou wilt find the
palfrey at the Angel yonder at Donnington It is all I may do for thee with a
safe conscience«
»To the devil with thy conscience« said the dismayed mercer »Wouldst thou
have a bride walk to church on foot«
»Thou mayest take her on thy crupper Sir Goldthred« answered Wayland »it
will take down thy steeds mettle«
»And how if you if you forget to leave my horse as you propose« said
Goldthred not without hesitation for his soul was afraid within him
»My pack shall be pledged for it yonder it lies with Giles Gosling in his
chamber with the damaskd leathern hangings stuffed full with velvet single
double treblepiled rashtaffeta and parapa shag damask and mocado
plush and grogram«
»Hold hold« exclaimed the mercer »nay if there be in truth and
sincerity but the half of these wares but if ever I trust bumpkin with bonny
Bayard again«
»As you list for that good Master Goldthred and so goodmorrow to you
and well parted« he added riding on cheerfully with the lady while the
discountenanced mercer rode back much slower than he came pondering what excuse
he should make to the disappointed bride who stood waiting for her gallant
groom in the midst of the kings highway
»Methought« said the lady as they rode on »yonder fool stared at me as if
he had some remembrance of me yet I kept my muffler as high as I might«
»If I thought so« said Wayland »I would ride back and cut him over the
pate there would be no fear of harming his brains for he never had so much as
would make pap to a sucking gosling We must now push on however and at
Donnington we will leave the oafs horse that he may have no farther temptation
to pursue us and endeavour to assume such a change of shape as may baffle his
pursuit if he should persevere in it«
The travellers reached Donnington without farther alarm where it became
matter of necessity that the Countess should enjoy two or three hours repose
during which Wayland disposed himself with equal address and alacrity to carry
through those measures on which the safety of their future journey seemed to
depend
Exchanging his pedlars gaberdine for a smockfrock he carried the palfrey
of Goldthred to the Angel Inn which was at the other end of the village from
that where our travellers had taken up their quarters In the progress of the
morning as he travelled about his other business he saw the steed brought
forth and delivered to the cutting mercer himself who at the head of a
valorous posse of the Hue and Cry came to rescue by force of arms what was
delivered to him without any other ransom than the price of a huge quantity of
ale drunk out by his assistants thirsty it would seem with their walk and
concerning the price of which Master Goldthred had a fierce dispute with the
head borough whom he had summoned to aid him in raising the country
Having made this act of prudent as well as just restitution Wayland
procured such change of apparel for the lady as well as himself as gave them
both the appearance of country people of the better class it being farther
resolved that in order to attract the less observation she should pass upon
the road for the sister of her guide A good but not a gay horse fit to keep
pace with his own and gentle enough for a ladys use completed the
preparations for the journey for making which and for other expenses he had
been furnished with sufficient funds by Tressilian And thus about noon after
the Countess had been refreshed by the sound repose of several hours they
resumed their journey with the purpose of making the best of their way to
Kenilworth by Coventry and Warwick They were not however destined to travel
far without meeting some cause of apprehension
It is necessary to premise that the landlord of the inn had informed them
that a jovial party intended as he understood to present some of the masques
or mummeries which made a part of the entertainment with which the Queen was
usually welcomed on the royal Progresses had left the village of Donnington an
hour or two before them in order to proceed to Kenilworth Now it had occurred
to Wayland that by attaching themselves in some sort to this group as soon as
they should overtake them on the road they would be less likely to attract
notice than if they continued to travel entirely by themselves He communicated
his idea to the Countess who only anxious to arrive at Kenilworth without
interruption left him free to choose the manner in which this was to be
accomplished They pressed forward their horses therefore with the purpose of
overtaking the party of intended revellers and making the journey in their
company and had just seen the little party consisting partly of riders partly
of people on foot crossing the summit of a gentle hill at about halfamiles
distance and disappearing on the other side when Wayland who maintained the
most circumspect observation of all that met his eye in every direction was
aware that a rider was coming up behind them on a horse of uncommon action
accompanied by a servingman whose utmost efforts were unable to keep up with
his masters trotting hackney and who therefore was fain to follow him at a
hand gallop Wayland looked anxiously back at these horsemen became
considerably disturbed in his manner looked back again and became pale as he
said to the lady »That is Richard Varneys trotting gelding I would know him
among a thousand nags this is a worse business than meeting the mercer«
»Draw your sword« answered the lady »and pierce my bosom with it rather
than I should fall into his hands«
»I would rather by a thousand times« answered Wayland »pass it through his
body or even mine own But to say truth fighting is not my best point though
I can look on cold iron like another when needs must be And indeed as for my
sword put on I pray you it is a poor provant rapier and I warrant you he
has a special Toledo He has a servingman too and I think it is the drunken
ruffian Lambourne upon the horse on which men say I pray you heartily to put
on he did the great robbery of the west country grazier It is not that I
fear either Varney or Lambourne in a good cause your palfrey will go yet
faster if you urge him But yet nay I pray you let him not break off into
the gallop lest they should see we fear them and give chase keep him only at
the full trot But yet though I fear them not I would we were well rid of
them and that rather by policy than by violence Could we once reach the party
before us we may herd among them and pass unobserved unless Varney be really
come in express pursuit of us and then happy man be his dole«
While he thus spoke he alternately urged and restrained his horse desirous
to maintain the fleetest pace that was consistent with the idea of an ordinary
journey on the road but to avoid such rapidity of movement as might give rise
to suspicion that they were flying
At such a pace they ascended the gentle hill we have mentioned and looking
from the top had the pleasure to see that the party which had left Donnington
before them were in the little valley or bottom on the other side where the
road was traversed by a rivulet beside which was a cottage or two In this
place they seemed to have made a pause which gave Wayland the hope of joining
them and becoming a part of their company ere Varney should overtake them He
was the more anxious as his companion though she made no complaints and
expressed no fear began to look so deadly pale that he was afraid she might
drop from her horse Notwithstanding this symptom of decaying strength she
pushed on her palfrey so briskly that they joined the party in the bottom of
the valley ere Varney appeared on the top of the gentle eminence which they
descended
They found the company to which they meant to associate themselves in great
disorder The women with dishevelled locks and looks of great importance ran
in and out of one of the cottages and the men stood around holding the horses
and looking silly enough as is usual in cases where their assistance is not
wanted
Wayland and his charge paused as if out of curiosity and then gradually
without making any inquiries or being asked any questions they mingled with
the group as if they had always made part of it
They had not stood there above five minutes anxiously keeping as much to
the side of the road as possible so as to place the other travellers betwixt
them and Varney when Lord Leicesters master of the horse followed by
Lambourne came riding fiercely down the hill their horses flanks and the
rowels of their spurs showing bloody tokens of the rate at which they travelled
The appearance of the stationary group around the cottages wearing their
buckram suits in order to protect their masquing dresses having their light
cart for transporting their scenery and carrying various fantastic properties
in their hands for the more easy conveyance let the riders at once into the
character and purpose of the company
»You are revellers« said Varney »designing for Kenilworth«
»Recte quidem Domine spectatissime« answered one of the party
»And why the devil stand you here« said Varney »when your utmost despatch
will but bring you to Kenilworth in time The Queen dines at Warwick tomorrow
and you loiter here ye knaves«
»In very truth sir« said a little diminutive urchin wearing a vizard with
a couple of sprouting horns of an elegant scarlet hue having moreover a black
serge jerkin drawn close to his body by lacing garnished with red stockings
and shoes so shaped as to resemble cloven feet »in very truth sir and you
are in the right ont It is my father the Devil who being taken in labour
has delayed our present purpose by increasing our company with an imp too
many«
»The devil he has« answered Varney whose laugh however never exceeded a
sarcastic smile
»It is even as the juvenal hath said« added the masquer who spoke first
»our major devil for this is but our minor one is even now at Lucina fer opem
within that very tugurium«
»By Saint George or rather by the Dragon who may be a kinsman of the fiend
in the straw a most comical chance« said Varney »How sayest thou Lambourne
wilt thou stand godfather for the nonce if the devil were to choose a gossip
I know no one more fit for the office«
»Saving always when my betters are in presence« said Lambourne with the
civil impudence of a servant who knows his services to be so indispensable that
his jest will be permitted to pass muster
»And what is the name of this devil or devils dam who has timed her turns
so strangely« said Varney »We can ill afford to spare any of our actors«
»Gaudet nomine Sibyllæ« said the first speaker »she is called Sibyl
Laneham wife of Master Richard Laneham«
»Clerk to the CouncilChamber door« said Varney »why she is inexcusable
having had experience how to have ordered her matters better But who were
those a man and a woman I think who rode so hastily up the hill before me
even now do they belong to your company«
Wayland was about to hazard a reply to this alarming inquiry when the
little diablotin again thrust in his oar
»So please you« he said coming close up to Varney and speaking so as not
to be overheard by his companions »the man was our devil major who has tricks
enough to supply the lack of a hundred such as Dame Laneham and the woman if
you please is the sage person whose assistance is most particularly necessary
to our distressed comrade«
»Oh what you have got the wise woman then« said Varney »Why truly
she rode like one bound to a place where she was needed And you have a spare
limb of Satan besides to supply the place of Mistress Laneham«
»Ay sir« said the boy »they are not so scarce in this world as your
honours virtuous eminence would suppose This masterfiend shall spit a few
flashes of fire and eruct a volume or two of smoke on the spot if it will do
you pleasure you would think he had Ætna in his abdomen«
»I lack time just now most hopeful imp of darkness to witness his
performance« said Varney »but here is something for you all to drink the lucky
hour and so as the play says God be with your labour«
Thus speaking he struck his horse with the spurs and rode on his way
Lambourne tarried a moment or two behind his master and rummaged his pouch
for a piece of silver which he bestowed on the communicative imp as he said
for his encouragement on his path to the infernal regions some sparks of whose
fire he said he could discover flashing from him already Then having received
the boys thanks for his generosity he also spurred his horse and rode after
his master as fast as the fire flashes from flint
»And now« said the wily imp sideling close up to Waylands horse and
cutting a gambol in the air which seemed to vindicate his title to relationship
with the prince of that element »I have told them who you are do you in return
tell me who I am«
»Either Flibbertigibbet« answered Wayland Smith »or else an imp of the
devil in good earnest«
»Thou hast hit it« answered Dickie Sludge »I am thine own Flibbertigibbet
man and I have broken forth of bounds along with my learned preceptor as I
told thee I would do whether he would or not But what lady hast thou got
with thee I saw thou wert at fault the first question was asked and so I drew
up for thy assistance But I must know all who she is dear Wayland«
»Thou shalt know fifty finer things my dear ingle« said Wayland »but a
truce to thine inquiries just now and since you are bound for Kenilworth
thither will I too even for the love of thy sweet face and waggish company«
»Thou shouldst have said my waggish face and sweet company« said Dickie
»but how wilt thou travel with us I mean in what character«
»Een in that thou hast assigned me to be sure as a juggler thou knowst
I am used to the craft« answered Wayland
»Ay but the lady« answered Flibbertigibbet »credit me I think she is
one and thou art in a sea of troubles about her at this moment as I can
perceive by thy fidgeting«
»O she man she is a poor sister of mine« said Wayland »she can sing
and play o the lute would win the fish out o the stream«
»Let me hear her instantly« said the boy »I love the lute rarely I love
it of all things though I never heard it«
»Then how canst thou love it Flibbertigibbet« said Wayland
»As knights love ladies in old tales« answered Dickie »on hearsay«
»Then love it on hearsay a little longer till my sister is recovered from
the fatigue of her journey« said Wayland muttering afterwards betwixt his
teeth »The devil take the imps curiosity I must keep fair weather with him
or we shall fare the worse«
He then proceeded to state to Master Holiday his own talents as a juggler
with those of his sister as a musician Some proof of his dexterity was
demanded which he gave in such a style of excellence that delighted at
obtaining such an accession to their party they readily acquiesced in the
apology which he offered when a display of his sisters talents was required
The newcomers were invited to partake of the refreshments with which the party
were provided and it was with some difficulty that Wayland Smith obtained an
opportunity of being apart with his supposed sister during the meal of which
interval he availed himself to entreat her to forget for the present both her
rank and her sorrows and condescend as the most probable chance of remaining
concealed to mix in the society of those with whom she was to travel
The Countess allowed the necessity of the case and when they resumed their
journey endeavoured to comply with her guides advice by addressing herself to
a female near her and expressing her concern for the woman whom they were thus
obliged to leave behind them
»Oh she is well attended madam« replied the dame whom she addressed who
from her jolly and laughterloving demeanour might have been the very emblem of
the Wife of Bath »and my gossip Laneham thinks as little of these matters as
any one By the ninth day an the revels last so long we shall have her with us
at Kenilworth even if she should travel with her bantling on her back«
There was something in this speech which took away all desire on the
Countess of Leicesters part to continue the conversation but having broken the
charm by speaking to her fellowtraveller first the good dame who was to play
Rare Gillian of Croydon in one of the interludes took care that silence did
not again settle on the journey but entertained her mute companion with a
thousand anecdotes of revels from the days of King Harry downwards with the
reception given them by the great folk and all the names of those who played
the principal characters but ever concluding with »they would be nothing to
the princely pleasures of Kenilworth«
»And when shall we reach Kenilworth« said the Countess with an agitation
which she in vain attempted to conceal
»We that have horses may with late riding get to Warwick tonight and
Kenilworth may be distant some four or five miles but then we must wait till
the footpeople come up although it is like my good Lord of Leicester will have
horses or light carriages to meet them and bring them up without being
traveltoiled which last is no good preparation as you may suppose for
dancing before your betters And yet Lord help me I have seen the day I would
have tramped five leagues of lealand and turned on my toe the whole evening
after as a juggler spins a pewter platter on the point of a needle But age has
clawed me somewhat in his clutch as the song says though if I like the tune
and like my partner Ill dance the heys yet with any merry lass in
Warwickshire that writes that unhappy figure four with a round O after it«
If the Countess was overwhelmed with the garrulity of this good dame
Wayland Smith on his part had enough to do to sustain and parry the constant
attacks made upon him by the indefatigable curiosity of his old acquaintance
Richard Sludge Nature had given that arch youngster a prying cast of
disposition which matched admirably with his sharp wit the former inducing him
to plant himself as a spy on other peoples affairs and the latter quality
leading him perpetually to interfere after he had made himself master of that
which concerned him not He spent the livelong day in attempting to peer under
the Countesss muffler and apparently what he could there discern greatly
sharpened his curiosity
»That sister of thine Wayland« he said »has a fair neck to have been born
in a smithy and a pretty taper hand to have been used for twirling a spindle
faith Ill believe in your relationship when the crows egg is hatched into a
cygnet«
»Go to« said Wayland »thou art a prating boy and should be breeched for
thine assurance«
»Well« said the imp drawing off »all I say is remember you have kept a
secret from me and if I give thee not a Rowland for thine Oliver my name is
not Dickon Sludge«
This threat and the distance at which Hobgoblin kept from him for the rest
of the way alarmed Wayland very much and he suggested to his pretended sister
that on pretext of weariness she should express a desire to stop two or three
miles short of the fair town of Warwick promising to rejoin the troop in the
morning A small village inn afforded them a restingplace and it was with
secret pleasure that Wayland saw the whole party including Dickon pass on
after a courteous farewell and leave them behind
»Tomorrow madam« he said to his charge »we will with your leave again
start early and reach Kenilworth before the rout which are to assemble there«
The Countess gave assent to the proposal of her faithful guide but
somewhat to his surprise said nothing farther on the subject which left
Wayland under the disagreeable uncertainty whether or no she had formed any plan
for her own future proceedings as he knew her situation demanded
circumspection although he was but imperfectly acquainted with all its
peculiarities Concluding however that she must have friends within the
castle whose advice and assistance she could safely trust he supposed his task
would be best accomplished by conducting her thither in safety agreeably to her
repeated commands
Chapter TwentyFifth
Hark the bells summon and the bugle calls
But she the fairest answers not the tide
Of nobles and of ladies throngs the halls
But she the loveliest must in secret hide
What eyes were thine proud Prince which in the gleam
Of yon gay meteors lost that better sense
That oer the glowworm doth the star esteem
And merits modest blush oer courtly insolence
The Glass Slipper
The unfortunate Countess of Leicester had from her infancy upwards been
treated by those around her with indulgence as unbounded as injudicious The
natural sweetness of her disposition had saved her from becoming insolent and
illhumoured but the caprice which preferred the handsome and insinuating
Leicester before Tressilian of whose high honour and unalterable affection she
herself entertained so firm an opinion that fatal error which ruined the
happiness of her life had its origin in the mistaken kindness that had spared
her childhood the painful but most necessary lesson of submission and
selfcommand From the same indulgence it followed that she had only been
accustomed to form and to express her wishes leaving to others the task of
fulfilling them and thus at the most momentous period of her life she was
alike destitute of presence of mind and of ability to form for herself any
reasonable or prudent plan of conduct
These difficulties pressed on the unfortunate lady with overwhelming force
on the morning which seemed to be the crisis of her fate Overlooking every
intermediate consideration she had only desired to be at Kenilworth and to
approach her husbands presence and now when she was in the vicinity of both
a thousand considerations arose at once upon her mind startling her with
accumulated doubts and dangers some real some imaginary and all exalted and
exaggerated by a situation alike helpless and destitute of aid and counsel
A sleepless night rendered her so weak in the morning that she was
altogether unable to attend Waylands early summons The trusty guide became
extremely distressed on the ladys account and somewhat alarmed on his own and
was on the point of going alone to Kenilworth in the hope of discovering
Tressilian and intimating to him this ladys approach when about nine in the
morning he was summoned to attend her He found her dressed and ready for
resuming her journey but with a paleness of countenance which alarmed him for
her health She intimated her desire that the horses might be got instantly
ready and resisted with impatience her guides request that she would take
some refreshment before setting forward »I have had« she said »a cup of water
the wretch who is dragged to execution needs no stronger cordial and that may
serve me which suffices for him do as I command you« Wayland Smith still
hesitated »What would you have« said she »Have I not spoken plainly«
»Yes madam« answered Wayland »but may I ask what is your farther purpose
I only wish to know that I may guide myself by your wishes The whole country
is afloat and streaming towards the Castle of Kenilworth It will be difficult
travelling thither even if we had the necessary passports for safeconduct and
free admittance Unknown and unfriended we may come by mishap Your ladyship
will forgive my speaking my poor mind Were we not better try to find out the
masquers and again join ourselves with them« The Countess shook her head
and her guide proceeded »Then I see but one other remedy«
»Speak out then« said the lady not displeased perhaps that he should
thus offer the advice which she was ashamed to ask »I believe thee faithful
what wouldst thou counsel«
»That I should warn Master Tressilian« said Wayland »that you are in this
place I am right certain he would get to horse with a few of Lord Sussexs
followers and ensure your personal safety«
»And is it to me you advise« said the Countess »to put myself under the
protection of Sussex the unworthy rival of the noble Leicester« Then seeing
the surprise with which Wayland stared upon her and afraid of having too
strongly intimated her interest in Leicester she added »And for Tressilian it
must not be mention not to him I charge you my unhappy name it would but
double my misfortunes and involve him in dangers beyond the power of rescue«
She paused but when she observed that Wayland continued to look on her with
that anxious and uncertain gaze which indicated a doubt whether her brain was
settled she assumed an air of composure and added »Do thou but guide me to
Kenilworth Castle good fellow and thy task is ended since I will then judge
what farther is to be done Thou hast yet been true to me here is something
that will make thee rich amends«
She offered the artist a ring containing a valuable stone Wayland looked
at it hesitated a moment and then returned it »Not« he said »that I am
above your kindness madam being but a poor fellow who have been forced God
help me to live by worse shifts than the bounty of such a person as you But
as my old master the farrier used to say to his customers No cure no pay We
are not yet in Kenilworth Castle and it is time enough to discharge your guide
as they say when you take your boots off I trust in God your ladyship is as
well assured of fitting reception when you arrive as you may hold yourself
certain of my best endeavours to conduct you thither safely I go to get the
horses meantime let me pray you once more as your poor physician as well as
guide to take some sustenance«
»I will I will« said the lady hastily »Begone begone instantly It
is in vain I assume audacity« said she when he left the room »even this poor
groom sees through my affectation of courage and fathoms the very ground of my
fears«
She then attempted to follow her guides advice by taking some food but was
compelled to desist as the effort to swallow even a single morsel gave her so
much uneasiness as amounted wellnigh to suffocation A moment afterwards the
horses appeared at the latticed window the lady mounted and found that relief
from the free air and change of place which is frequently experienced in similar
circumstances
It chanced well for the Countesss purpose that Wayland Smith whose
previous wandering and unsettled life had made him acquainted with almost all
England was intimate with all the byroads as well as direct communications
through the beautiful county of Warwick For such and so great was the throng
which flocked in all directions towards Kenilworth to see the entry of
Elizabeth into that splendid mansion of her prime favourite that the principal
roads were actually blocked up and interrupted and it was only by circuitous
bypaths that the travellers could proceed on their journey
The Queens purveyors had been abroad sweeping the farms and villages of
those articles usually exacted during a royal Progress and for which the owners
were afterwards to obtain a tardy payment from the Board of Green Cloth The
Earl of Leicesters household officers had been scouring the country for the
same purpose and many of his friends and allies both near and remote took
this opportunity of ingratiating themselves by sending large quantities of
provisions and delicacies of all kinds with game in huge numbers and whole
tuns of the best liquors foreign and domestic Thus the high roads were filled
with droves of bullocks sheep calves and hogs and choked with loaded wains
whose axletrees cracked under their burdens of winecasks and hogsheads of ale
and huge hampers of grocery goods and slaughtered game and salted provisions
and sacks of flour Perpetual stoppages took place as these wains became
entangled and their rude drivers swearing and brawling till their wild
passions were fully raised began to debate precedence with their waggonwhips
and quarterstaves which occasional riots were usually quieted by a purveyor
deputymarshals man or some other person in authority breaking the heads of
both parties
Here were besides players and mummers jugglers and showmen of every
description traversing in joyous bands the paths which led to the Palace of
Princely Pleasure for so the travelling minstrels had termed Kenilworth in the
songs which already had come forth in anticipation of the revels which were
there expected In the midst of this motley show mendicants were exhibiting
their real or pretended miseries forming a strange though common contrast
betwixt the vanities and the sorrows of human existence All these floated along
with the immense tide of population whom mere curiosity had drawn together and
where the mechanic in his leather apron elbowed the dink and dainty dame his
city mistress where clowns with hobnailed shoes were treading on the kibes of
substantial burghers and gentlemen of worship and where Joan of the dairy with
robust pace and red sturdy arms rowed her way onward amongst those prim and
pretty moppets whose sires were knights and squires
The throng and confusion was however of a gay and cheerful character All
came forth to see and to enjoy and all laughed at the trifling inconveniences
which at another time might have chafed their temper Excepting the occasional
brawls which we have mentioned among that irritable race the carmen the mingled
sounds which arose from the multitude were those of lighthearted mirth and
tiptoe jollity The musicians preluded on their instruments the minstrels
hummed their songs the licensed jester whooped betwixt mirth and madness as
he brandished his bauble the morricedancers jangled their bells the rustics
hallood and whistled men laughed loud and maidens giggled shrill while many
a broad jest flew like a shuttlecock from one party to be caught in the air and
returned from the opposite side of the road by another at which it was aimed
No infliction can be so distressing to a mind absorbed in melancholy as
being plunged into a scene of mirth and revelry forming an accompaniment so
dissonant from its own feelings Yet in the case of the Countess of Leicester
the noise and tumult of this giddy scene distracted her thoughts and rendered
her this sad service that it became impossible for her to brood on her own
misery or to form terrible anticipations of her approaching fate She travelled
on like one in a dream following implicitly the guidance of Wayland who with
great address now threaded his way through the general throng of passengers
now stood still until a favourable opportunity occurred of again moving forward
and frequently turning altogether out of the direct road followed some
circuitous bypath which brought them into the highway again after having
given them the opportunity of traversing a considerable way with greater ease
and rapidity
It was thus he avoided Warwick within whose Castle that fairest monument
of ancient and chivalrous splendour which yet remains uninjured by time
Elizabeth had passed the previous night and where she was to tarry until past
noon at that time the general hour of dinner throughout England after which
repast she was to proceed to Kenilworth In the meanwhile each passing group
had something to say in the Sovereigns praise though not absolutely without
the usual mixture of satire which qualifies more or less our estimate of our
neighbours especially if they chance to be also our betters
»Heard you« said one »how graciously she spoke to Master Bailiff and the
Recorder and to good Master Griffin the preacher as they kneeled down at her
coachwindow«
»Ay and how she said to little Aglionby Master Recorder men would have
persuaded me that you were afraid of me but truly I think so well did you
reckon up to me the virtues of a sovereign that I have more reason to be afraid
of you And then with what grace she took the fairwrought purse with the
twenty gold sovereigns seeming as though she would not willingly handle it and
yet taking it withal«
»Ay ay« said another »her fingers closed on it pretty willingly
methought when all was done and methought too she weighed them for a second
in her hand as she would say I hope they be avoirdupois«
»She needed not neighbour« said a third »it is only when the corporation
pay the accounts of a poor handicraft like me that they put him off with clipt
coin Well there is a God above all Little Master Recorder since that is
the word will be greater now than ever«
»Come good neighbour« said the first speaker »be not envious She is a
good Queen and a generous She gave the purse to the Earl of Leicester«
»I envious beshrew thy heart for the word« replied the handicraft »But
she will give all to the Earl of Leicester anon methinks«
»You are turning ill lady« said Wayland Smith to the Countess of
Leicester and proposed that she should draw off from the road and halt till
she recovered But subduing her feelings at this and different speeches to the
same purpose which caught her ear as they passed on she insisted that her guide
should proceed to Kenilworth with all the haste which the numerous impediments
of their journey permitted Meanwhile Waylands anxiety at her repeated fits of
indisposition and her obvious distraction of mind was hourly increasing and
he became extremely desirous that according to her reiterated requests she
should be safely introduced into the Castle where he doubted not she was
secure of a kind reception though she seemed unwilling to reveal on whom she
reposed her hopes
»An I were once rid of this peril« thought he »and if any man shall find
me playing squire of the body to a damoselerrant he shall have leave to beat
my brains out with my own sledgehammer«
At length the princely Castle appeared upon improving which and the
domains around the Earl of Leicester had it is said expended sixty thousand
pounds sterling a sum equal to half a million of our present money
The outer wall of this splendid and gigantic structure enclosed seven acres
a part of which was occupied by extensive stables and by a pleasuregarden
with its trim arbours and parterres and the rest formed the large basecourt
or outer yard of the noble Castle The lordly structure itself which rose near
the centre of this spacious enclosure was composed of a huge pile of
magnificent castellated buildings apparently of different ages surrounding an
inner court and bearing in the names attached to each portion of the
magnificent mass and in the armorial bearings which were there blazoned the
emblems of mighty chiefs who had long passed away and whose history could
Ambition have lent ear to it might have read a lesson to the haughty favourite
who had now acquired and was augmenting the fair domain A large and massive
Keep which formed the citadel of the Castle was of uncertain though great
antiquity It bore the name of Cæsar perhaps from its resemblance to that in
the Tower of London so called Some antiquaries ascribe its foundation to the
time of Kenelph from whom the Castle had its name a Saxon King of Mercia and
others to an early era after the Norman Conquest On the exterior walls frowned
the scutcheon of the Clintons by whom they were founded in the reign of Henry
I and of the yet more redoubted Simon de Montfort by whom during the Barons
wars Kenilworth was long held out against Henry III Here Mortimer Earl of
March famous alike for his rise and his fall had once gaily revelled in
Kenilworth while his dethroned sovereign Edward II languished in its
dungeons Old John of Gaunt »timehonoured Lancaster« had widely extended the
Castle erecting that noble and massive pile which yet bears the name of
Lancasters Buildings and Leicester himself had outdone the former possessors
princely and powerful as they were by erecting another immense structure which
now lies crushed under its own ruins the monument of its owners ambition The
external wall of this royal Castle was on the south and west sides adorned and
defended by a lake partly artificial across which Leicester had constructed a
stately bridge that Elizabeth might enter the Castle by a path hitherto
untrodden instead of the usual entrance to the northward over which he had
erected a gatehouse or barbican which still exists and is equal in extent
and superior in architecture to the baronial castle of many a northern chief
Beyond the lake lay an extensive chase full of reddeer fallowdeer roes
and every species of game and abounding with lofty trees from amongst which
the extended front and massive towers of the castle were seen to rise in majesty
and beauty We cannot but add that of this lordly palace where princes feasted
and heroes fought now in the bloody earnest of storm and siege and now in the
games of chivalry where beauty dealt the prize which valour won all is now
desolate The bed of the lake is but a rushy swamp and the massive ruins of the
Castle only serve to show what their splendour once was and to impress on the
musing visitor the transitory value of human possessions and the happiness of
those who enjoy a humble lot in virtuous contentment
It was with far different feelings that the unfortunate Countess of
Leicester viewed those grey and massive towers when she first beheld them rise
above the embowering and richly shaded woods over which they seemed to preside
She the undoubted wife of the great Earl of Elizabeths minion and Englands
mighty favourite was approaching the presence of her husband and that
husbands sovereign under the protection rather than the guidance of a poor
juggler and though unquestioned Mistress of that proud Castle whose lightest
word ought to have had force sufficient to make its gates leap from their
massive hinges to receive her yet she could not conceal from herself the
difficulty and peril which she must experience in gaining admission into her own
halls
The risk and difficulty indeed seemed to increase every moment and at
length threatened altogether to put a stop to her farther progress at the great
gate leading to a broad and fair road which traversing the breadth of the
chase for the space of two miles and commanding several most beautiful views of
the Castle and lake terminated at the newlyconstructed bridge to which it was
an appendage and which was destined to form the Queens approach to the Castle
on that memorable occasion
Here the Countess and Wayland found the gate at the end of this avenue
which opened on the Warwick road guarded by a body of the Queens mounted
yeomen of the guard armed in corselets richly carved and gilded and wearing
morions instead of bonnets having their carabines resting with the buttend on
their thighs These guards distinguished for strength and stature who did duty
wherever the Queen went in person were here stationed under the direction of a
pursuivant graced with the Bear and Ragged Staff on his arm as belonging to
the Earl of Leicester and peremptorily refused all admittance excepting to
such as were guests invited to the festival or persons who were to perform some
part in the mirthful exhibitions which were proposed
The press was of consequence great around the entrance and persons of all
kinds presented every sort of plea for admittance to which the guards turned an
inexorable ear pleading in return to fair words and even to fair offers the
strictness of their orders founded on the Queens wellknown dislike to the
rude pressing of a multitude With those whom such reasons did not serve they
dealt more rudely repelling them without ceremony by the pressure of their
powerful barbed horses and good round blows from the stock of their carabines
These last manoeuvres produced undulations amongst the crowd which rendered
Wayland much afraid that he might perforce be separated from his charge in the
throng Neither did he know what excuse to make in order to obtain admittance
and he was debating the matter in his head with great uncertainty when the
Earls pursuivant having cast an eye upon him exclaimed to his no small
surprise »Yeomen make room for the fellow in the orangetawny cloak Come
forward Sir Coxcomb and make haste What in the fiends name has kept you
waiting Come forward with your bale of womans gear«
While the pursuivant gave Wayland this pressing yet uncourteous invitation
which for a minute or two he could not imagine was applied to him the yeomen
speedily made a free passage for him while only cautioning his companion to
keep the muffler close around her face he entered the gate leading her palfrey
but with such a drooping crest and such a look of conscious fear and anxiety
that the crowd not greatly pleased at any rate with the preference bestowed
upon them accompanied their admission with hooting and a loud laugh of
derision
Admitted thus within the chase though with no very flattering notice or
distinction Wayland and his charge rode forward musing what difficulties it
would be next their lot to encounter through the broad avenue which was
sentinelled on either side by a long line of retainers armed with swords and
partisans richly dressed in the Earl of Leicesters liveries and bearing his
cognisance of the Bear and Ragged Staff each placed within three paces of each
other so as to line the whole road from the entrance into the park to the
bridge And indeed when the lady obtained the first commanding view of the
castle with its stately towers rising from within a long sweeping line of
outward walls ornamented with battlements and turrets and platforms at every
point of defence with many a banner streaming from its walls and such a bustle
of gay crests and waving plumes disposed on the terraces and battlements and
all the gay and gorgeous scene her heart unaccustomed to such splendour sank
as if it died within her and for a moment she asked herself what she had
offered up to Leicester to deserve to become the partner of this princely
splendour But her pride and generous spirit resisted the whisper which bade her
despair
»I have given him« she said »all that woman has to give Name and fame
heart and hand have I given the Lord of all this magnificence at the altar
and Englands Queen could give him no more He is my husband I am his wife
Whom God hath joined man cannot sunder I will be bold in claiming my right
even the bolder that I come thus unexpected and thus forlorn I know my noble
Dudley well He will be something impatient at my disobeying him but Amy will
weep and Dudley will forgive her«
These meditations were interrupted by a cry of surprise from her guide
Wayland who suddenly felt himself grasped firmly round the body by a pair of
long thin black arms belonging to some one who had dropped himself out of an
oaktree upon the croup of his horse amidst the shouts of laughter which burst
from the sentinels
»This must be the devil or Flibbertigibbet again« said Wayland after a
vain struggle to disengage himself and unhorse the urchin who clung to him »Do
Kenilworth oaks bear such acorns«
»In sooth do they Master Wayland« said his unexpected adjunct »and many
others too hard for you to crack for as old as you are without my teaching
you How would you have passed the pursuivant at the upper gate yonder had not
I warned him our principal juggler was to follow us and here have I waited for
you having clambered up into the tree from the top of the wain and I suppose
they are all mad for want of me by this time«
»Nay then thou art a limb of the devil in good earnest« said Wayland »I
give thee way good imp and will walk by thy counsel only as thou art
powerful be merciful«
As he spoke they approached a strong tower at the south extremity of the
long bridge we have mentioned which served to protect the outer gateway of the
Castle of Kenilworth
Under such disastrous circumstances and in such singular company did the
unfortunate Countess of Leicester approach for the first time the magnificent
abode of her almost princely husband
Chapter TwentySixth
Snug Have you the lions part written pray if it be give it
me for I am slow of study
Quince You may do it extempore for it is nothing but roaring
MidsummerNights Dream
When the Countess of Leicester arrived at the outer gate of the Castle of
Kenilworth she found the tower beneath which its ample portal arch opened
guarded in a singular manner Upon the battlements were placed gigantic warders
with clubs battleaxes and other implements of ancient warfare designed to
represent the soldiers of King Arthur those primitive Britons by whom
according to romantic tradition the Castle had been first tenanted though
history carried back its antiquity only to the times of the Heptarchy Some of
these tremendous figures were real men dressed up with vizards and buskins
others were mere pageants composed of pasteboard and buckram which viewed from
beneath and mingled with those that were real formed a sufficiently striking
representation of what was intended But the gigantic porter who waited at the
gate beneath and actually discharged the duties of warder owed none of his
terrors to fictitious means He was a man whose huge stature thewes sinews
and bulk in proportion would have enabled him to enact Colbrand Ascapart or
any other giant of romance without raising himself nearer to heaven even by the
altitude of a chopin The legs and knees of this son of Anak were bare as were
his arms from a span below the shoulder but his feet were defended with
sandals fastened with cross straps of scarlet leather studded with brazen
knobs A close jerkin of scarlet velvet looped with gold with short breeches
of the same covered his body and part of his limbs and he wore on his
shoulders instead of a cloak the skin of a black bear The head of this
formidable person was uncovered except by his shaggy black hair which
descended on either side around features of that huge lumpish and heavy cast
which are often annexed to men of very uncommon size and which notwithstanding
some distinguished exceptions have created a general prejudice against giants
as being a dull and sullen kind of persons This tremendous warder was
appropriately armed with a heavy club spiked with steel In fine he represented
excellently one of those giants of popular romance who figure in every fairy
tale or legend of knighterrantry
The demeanour of this modern Titan when Wayland Smith bent his attention to
him had in it something arguing much mental embarrassment and vexation for
sometimes he sat down for an instant on a massive stone bench which seemed
placed for his accommodation beside the gateway and then ever and anon he
started up scratching his huge head and striding to and fro on his post like
one under a fit of impatience and anxiety It was while the porter was pacing
before the gate in this agitated manner that Wayland modestly yet as a matter
of course not however without some mental misgiving was about to pass him
and enter the portal arch The porter however stopped his progress bidding
him in a thundering voice »Stand back« and enforcing his injunction by
heaving up his steelshod mace and dashing it on the ground before Waylands
horses nose with such vehemence that the pavement flashed fire and the
archway rang to the clamour Wayland availing himself of Dickies hints began
to state that he belonged to a band of performers to which his presence was
indispensable that he had been accidentally detained behind and much to
the same purpose But the warden was inexorable and kept muttering and
murmuring something betwixt his teeth which Wayland could make little of and
addressing betwixt whiles a refusal of admittance couched in language which was
but too intelligible A specimen of his speech might run thus »What how now
my masters« to himself »Heres a stir heres a coil« Then to Wayland
»You are a loitering knave and shall have no entrance« Again to himself
»Heres a throng heres a thrusting I shall never get through with it
Heres a humph ha« To Wayland »Back from the gate or Ill break the
pate of thee« Once more to himself »Heres a no I shall never get
through it«
»Stand still« whispered Flibbertigibbet into Waylands ear »I know where
the shoes pinches and will tame him in an instant«
He dropped down from the horse and skipping up to the porter plucked him
by the tail of the bearskin so as to induce him to decline his huge head and
whispered something in his ear Not at the command of the lord of some Eastern
talisman did ever Afrite change his horrid frown into a look of smooth
submission more suddenly than the gigantic porter of Kenilworth relaxed the
terrors of his looks at the instant Flibbertigibbets whisper reached his ears
He flung his club upon the ground and caught up Dickie Sludge raising him to
such a distance from the earth as might have proved perilous had he chanced to
let him slip
»It is even so« he said with a thundering sound of exultation »it is
even so my little dandieprat But who the devil could teach it thee«
»Do not thou care about that« said Flibbertigibbet »but« he looked at
Wayland and the lady and then sunk what he had to say in a whisper which
needed not be a loud one as the giant held him for his convenience close to his
ear The porter then gave Dickie a warm caress and set him on the ground with
the same care which a careful housewife uses in replacing a cracked chinacup
upon her mantelpiece calling out at the same time to Wayland and the lady »In
with you in with you and take heed how you come too late another day when I
chance to be porter«
»Ay ay in with you« added Flibbertigibbet »I must stay a short space
with my honest Philistine my Goliath of Gath here but I will be with you anon
and at the bottom of all your secrets were they as deep and dark as the castle
dungeon«
»I do believe thou wouldst« said Wayland »but I trust the secret will be
soon out of my keeping and then I shall care the less whether thou or any one
knows it«
They now crossed the entrancetower which obtained the name of the Gallery
Tower from the following circumstance The whole bridge extending from the
entrance to another tower on the opposite side of the lake called Mortimers
Tower was so disposed as to make a spacious tiltyard about one hundred and
thirty yards in length and ten in breadth strewed with the finest sand and
defended on either side by strong and high palisades The broad and fair
gallery destined for the ladies who were to witness the feats of chivalry
presented on this area was erected on the northern side of the outer tower to
which it gave name Our travellers passed slowly along the bridge or tiltyard
and arrived at Mortimers Tower at its farthest extremity through which the
approach led into the outer or base court of the Castle Mortimers Tower bore
on its front the scutcheon of the Earl of March whose daring ambition overthrew
the throne of Edward II and aspired to share his power with the »Shewolf of
France« to whom the unhappy monarch was wedded The gate which opened under
this ominous memorial was guarded by many warders in rich liveries but they
offered no opposition to the entrance of the Countess and her guide who having
passed by license of the principal porter at the Gallery Tower were not it may
be supposed liable to interruption from his deputies They entered accordingly
in silence the great outward court of the Castle having then full before them
that vast and lordly pile with all its stately towers each gate open as if in
sign of unlimited hospitality and the apartments filled with noble guests of
every degree besides dependants retainers domestics of every description and
all the appendages and promoters of mirth and revelry
Amid this stately and busy scene Wayland halted his horse and looked upon
the lady as if waiting her commands what was next to be done since they had
safely reached the place of destination As she remained silent Wayland after
waiting a minute or two ventured to ask her in direct terms what were her
next commands She raised her hand to her forehead as if in the act of
collecting her thoughts and resolution while she answered him in a low and
suppressed voice like the murmurs of one who speaks in a dream »Commands I
may indeed claim right to command but who is there will obey me«
Then suddenly raising her head like one who had formed a decisive
resolution she addressed a gaily dressed domestic who was crossing the court
with importance and bustle in his countenance »Stop sir« she said »I
desire to speak with the Earl of Leicester«
»With whom an it please you« said the man surprised at the demand and
then looking upon the mean equipage of her who used towards him such a tone of
authority he added with insolence »Why what Bess of Bedlam is this would
ask to see my lord on such a day as the present«
»Friend« said the Countess »be not insolent my business with the Earl is
most urgent«
»You must get some one else to do it were it thrice as urgent« said the
fellow »I should summon my lord from the Queens royal presence to do your
business should I I were liked to be thanked with a horsewhip I marvel our
old porter took not measure of such ware with his club instead of giving them
passage but his brain is addled with getting his speech by heart«
Two or three persons stopped attracted by the fleering way in which the
servingman expressed himself and Wayland alarmed both for himself and the
lady hastily addressed himself to one who appeared the most civil and
thrusting a piece of money into his hand held a moments counsel with him on
the subject of finding a place of temporary retreat for the lady The person to
whom he spoke being one in some authority rebuked the others for their
incivility and commanding one fellow to take care of the strangers horses he
desired them to follow him The Countess retained presence of mind sufficient to
see that it was absolutely necessary she should comply with his request and
leaving the rude lackeys and grooms to crack their brutal jests about light
heads light heels and so forth Wayland and she followed in silence the
deputyusher who undertook to be their conductor
They entered the inner court of the Castle by the great gateway which
extended betwixt the principal keep or Donjon called Cæsars Tower and a
stately building which passed by the name of King Henrys Lodging and were thus
placed in the centre of the noble pile which presented on its different fronts
magnificent specimens of every species of castellated architecture from the
Conquest to the reign of Elizabeth with the appropriate style and ornaments of
each
Across this inner court also they were conducted by their guide to a small
but strong tower occupying the northeast angle of the building adjacent to the
great hall and filling up a space betwixt the immense range of kitchens and the
end of the great hall itself The lower part of this tower was occupied by some
of the household officers of Leicester owing to its convenient vicinity to the
places where their duty lay but in the upper storey which was reached by a
narrow winding stair was a small octangular chamber which in the great demand
for lodgings had been on the present occasion fitted up for the reception of
guests though generally said to have been used as a place of confinement for
some unhappy person who had been there murdered Tradition called this prisoner
Mervyn and transferred his name to the tower That it had been used as a prison
was not improbable for the floor of each storey was arched the walls of
tremendous thickness while the space of the chamber did not exceed fifteen feet
in diameter The window however was pleasant though narrow and commanded a
delightful view of what was called the Pleasance a space of ground enclosed and
decorated with arches trophies statues fountains and other architectural
monuments which formed one access from the castle itself into the garden There
was a bed in the apartment and other preparations for the reception of a guest
to which the Countess paid but slight attention her notice being instantly
arrested by the sight of writing materials placed on the table not very
commonly to be found in the bedrooms of those days which instantly suggested
the idea of writing to Leicester and remaining private until she had received
his answer
The deputyusher having introduced them into this commodious apartment
courteously asked Wayland whose generosity he had experienced whether he could
do anything farther for his service Upon receiving a gentle hint that some
refreshment would not be unacceptable he presently conveyed the smith to the
butteryhatch where dressed provisions of all sorts were distributed with
hospitable profusion to all who asked for them Wayland was readily supplied
with some light provisions such as he thought would best suit the faded
appetite of the lady and did not omit the opportunity of himself making a hasty
but hearty meal on more substantial fare He then returned to the apartment in
the turret where he found the Countess who had finished her letter to
Leicester and in lieu of a seal and silken thread had secured it with a braid
of her own beautiful tresses fastened by what is called a truelove knot
»Good friend« said she to Wayland »whom God hath sent to aid me at my
utmost need I do beseech thee as the last trouble you shall take for an
unfortunate lady to deliver this letter to the noble Earl of Leicester Be it
received as it may« she said with features agitated betwixt hope and fear
»thou good fellow shalt have no more cumber with me But I hope the best and
if ever lady made a poor man rich thou hast surely deserved it at my hand
should my happy days ever come round again Give it I pray you into Lord
Leicesters own hand and mark how he looks on receiving it«
Wayland on his part readily undertook the commission but anxiously prayed
the lady in his turn to partake of some refreshment in which he at length
prevailed more through importunity and her desire to see him begone on his
errand than from any inclination the Countess felt to comply with his request
He then left her advising her to lock her door on the inside and not to stir
from her little apartment and went to seek an opportunity of discharging her
errand as well as of carrying into effect a purpose of his own which
circumstances had induced him to form
In fact from the conduct of the lady during the journey her long fits of
profound silence the irresolution and uncertainty which seemed to pervade all
her movements and the obvious incapacity of thinking and acting for herself
under which she seemed to labour Wayland had formed the not improbable opinion
that the difficulties of her situation had in some degree affected her
understanding
When she had escaped from the seclusion of Cumnor Place and the dangers to
which she was there exposed it would have seemed her most rational course to
retire to her fathers or elsewhere at a distance from the power of those by
whom these dangers had been created When instead of doing so she demanded to
be conveyed to Kenilworth Wayland had been only able to account for her
conduct by supposing that she meant to put herself under the tutelage of
Tressilian and to appeal to the protection of the Queen But now instead of
following this natural course she intrusted him with a letter to Leicester the
patron of Varney and within whose jurisdiction at least if not under his
express authority all the evils she had already suffered were inflicted upon
her This seemed an unsafe and even a desperate measure and Wayland felt
anxiety for his own safety as well as that of the lady should he execute her
commission before he had secured the advice and countenance of a protector He
therefore resolved before delivering the letter to Leicester that he would
seek out Tressilian and communicate to him the arrival of the lady at
Kenilworth and thus at once rid himself of all farther responsibility and
devolve the task of guiding and protecting this unfortunate lady upon the patron
who had at first employed him in her service
»He will be a better judge than I am« said Wayland »whether she is to be
gratified in this humour of appeal to my Lord of Leicester which seems like an
act of insanity and therefore I will turn the matter over on his hands
deliver him the letter receive what they list to give me by way of guerdon and
then show the Castle of Kenilworth a pair of light heels for after the work I
have been engaged in it will be I fear neither a safe nor wholesome place of
residence and I would rather shoe colts on the coldest common in England than
share in their gayest revels«
Chapter TwentySeventh
In my time I have seen a boy do wonders
Robin the red tinker had a boy
Would ha run through a cathole
The Coxcomb
Amid the universal bustle which filled the Castle and its environs it was no
easy matter to find out any individual and Wayland was still less likely to
light upon Tressilian whom he sought so anxiously because sensible of the
danger of attracting attention in the circumstances in which he was placed he
dared not make general inquiries among the retainers or domestics of Leicester
He learned however by indirect questions that in all probability Tressilian
must have been one of a large party of gentlemen in attendance on the Earl of
Sussex who had accompanied their patron that morning to Kenilworth when
Leicester had received them with marks of the most formal respect and
distinction He farther learned that both Earls with their followers and many
other nobles knights and gentlemen had taken horse and gone towards Warwick
several hours since for the purpose of escorting the Queen to Kenilworth
Her Majestys arrival like other great events was delayed from hour to
hour and it was now announced by a breathless post that her Majesty being
detained by her gracious desire to receive the homage of her lieges who had
thronged to wait upon her at Warwick it would be the hour of twilight ere she
entered the Castle The intelligence released for a time those who were upon
duty in the immediate expectation of the Queens appearance and ready to play
their part in the solemnities with which it was to be accompanied and Wayland
seeing several horsemen enter the Castle was not without hopes that Tressilian
might be of the number That he might not lose an opportunity of meeting his
patron in the event of this being the case Wayland placed himself in the
basecourt of the Castle near Mortimers Tower and watched every one who went
or came by the bridge the extremity of which was protected by that building
Thus stationed nobody could enter or leave the Castle without his observation
and most anxiously did he study the garb and countenance of every horseman as
passing from under the opposite Gallery Tower they paced slowly or curveted
along the tiltyard and approached the entrance of the basecourt
But while Wayland gazed thus eagerly to discover him whom he saw not he was
pulled by the sleeve by one by whom he himself would not willingly have been
seen
This was Dickie Sludge or Flibbertigibbet who like the imp whose name he
bore and whom he had been accoutred in order to resemble seemed to be ever at
the ear of those who thought least of him Whatever were Waylands internal
feelings he judged it necessary to express pleasure at their unexpected
meeting
»Ha is it thou my minikin my millers thumb my prince of Cacodemons
my little mouse«
»Ay« said Dickie »the mouse which gnawed asunder the toils just when the
lion who was caught in them began to look wonderfully like an ass«
»Why thou little hopthegutter thou art as sharp as vinegar this
afternoon But tell me how didst thou come off with yonder jolterheaded giant
whom I had left thee with I was afraid he would have stripped thy clothes
and so swallowed thee as men peel and eat a roasted chestnut«
»Had he done so« replied the boy »he would have had more brains in his
guts than ever he had in his noddle But the giant is a courteous monster and
more grateful than many other folk whom I have helped at a pinch Master Wayland
Smith«
»Beshrew me Flibbertigibbet« replied Wayland »but thou art sharper than a
Sheffield whittle I would I knew by what charm you muzzled yonder old bear«
»Ay that is in your own manner« answered Dickie »you think fine speeches
will pass muster instead of goodwill However as to this honest porter you
must know that when we presented ourselves at the gate yonder his brain was
overburdened with a speech that had been penned for him and which proved rather
an overmatch for his gigantic faculties Now this same pithy oration had been
indited like sundry others by my learned magister Erasmus Holiday so I had
heard it often enough to remember every line As soon as I heard him blundering
and floundering like a fish upon dry land through the first verse and
perceived him at a stand I knew where the shoe pinched and helped him to the
next word when he caught me up in an ecstasy even as you saw but now I
promised as the price of your admission to hide me under his bearish
gaberdine and prompt him in the hour of need I have just now been getting some
food in the Castle and am about to return to him«
»Thats right thats right my dear Dickie« replied Wayland »haste thee
for Heavens sake else the poor giant will be utterly disconsolate for want of
his dwarfish auxiliary Away with thee Dickie«
»Ay ay« answered the boy »Away with Dickie when we have got what good
of him we can You will not let me know the story of this lady then who is
as much sister of thine as I am«
»Why what good would it do thee thou silly elf« said Wayland
»Oh stand ye on these terms« said the boy »well I care not greatly about
the matter only I never smell out a secret but I try to be either at the
right or the wrong end of it and so good evening to ye«
»Nay but Dickie« said Wayland who knew the boys restless and intriguing
disposition too well not to fear his enmity »stay my dear Dickie part not
with old friends so shortly thou shalt know all I know of the lady one day«
»Ay« said Dickie »and that day may prove a nigh one Faretheewell
Wayland I will to my largelimbed friend who if he have not so sharp a wit
as some folk is at least more grateful for the service which other folk render
him And so again good evening to ye«
So saying he cast a somersault through the gateway and lighting on the
bridge ran with the extraordinary agility which was one of his distinguishing
attributes towards the Gallery Tower and was out of sight in an instant
»I would to God I were safe out of this Castle again« prayed Wayland
internally »for now that this mischievous imp has put his finger in the pie it
cannot but prove a mess fit for the devils eating I would to Heaven Master
Tressilian would appear«
Tressilian whom he was thus anxiously expecting in one direction had
returned to Kenilworth by another access It was indeed true as Wayland had
conjectured that in the earlier part of the day he had accompanied the Earls
on their cavalcade towards Warwick not without hope that he might in that town
hear some tidings of his emissary Being disappointed in this expectation and
observing Varney amongst Leicesters attendants seeming as if he had some
purpose of advancing to and addressing him he conceived in the present
circumstances it was wisest to avoid the interview He therefore left the
presencechamber when the HighSheriff of the county was in the very midst of
his dutiful address to her Majesty and mounting his horse rode back to
Kenilworth by a remote and circuitous road and entered the castle by a small
sallyport in the western wall at which he was readily admitted as one of the
followers of the Earl of Sussex towards whom Leicester had commanded the utmost
courtesy to be exercised It was thus that he met not Wayland who was
impatiently watching his arrival and whom he himself would have been at least
equally desirous to see
Having delivered his horse to the charge of his attendant he walked for a
space in the Pleasance and in the garden rather to indulge in comparative
solitude his own reflections than to admire those singular beauties of nature
and art which the magnificence of Leicester had there assembled The greater
part of the persons of condition had left the Castle for the present to form
part of the Earls cavalcade others who remained behind were on the
battlements outer walls and towers eager to view the splendid spectacle of
the royal entry The garden therefore while every other part of the Castle
resounded with the human voice was silent but for the whispering of the
leaves the emulous warbling of the tenants of a large aviary with their
happier companions who remained denizens of the free air and the plashing of
the fountains which forced into the air from sculptures of fantastic and
grotesque forms fell down with ceaseless sound into the great basins of Italian
marble
The melancholy thoughts of Tressilian cast a gloomy shade on all the objects
with which he was surrounded He compared the magnificent scenes which he here
traversed with the deep woodland and wild moorland which surrounded Lidcote
Hall and the image of Amy Robsart glided like a phantom through every landscape
which his imagination summoned up Nothing is perhaps more dangerous to the
future happiness of men of deep thought and retired habits than the
entertaining an early long and unfortunate attachment It frequently sinks so
deep into the mind that it becomes their dream by night and their vision by day
mixes itself with every source of interest and enjoyment and when blighted
and withered by final disappointment it seems as if the springs of the heart
were dried up along with it This aching of the heart this languishing after a
shadow which has lost all the gaiety of its colouring this dwelling on the
remembrance of a dream from which we have been long roughly awakened is the
weakness of a gentle and generous heart and it was that of Tressilian
He himself at length became sensible of the necessity of forcing other
objects upon his mind and for this purpose he left the Pleasance in order to
mingle with the noisy crowd upon the walls and view the preparation for the
pageants But as he left the garden and heard the busy hum mixed with music and
laughter which floated around him he felt an uncontrollable reluctance to mix
with society whose feelings were in a tone so different from his own and
resolved instead of doing so to retire to the chamber assigned him and employ
himself in study until the tolling of the great castlebell should announce the
arrival of Elizabeth
Tressilian crossed accordingly by the passage betwixt the immense range of
kitchens and the great hall and ascended to the third storey of Mervyns Tower
and applying himself to the door of the small apartment which had been allotted
to him was surprised to find it was locked He then recollected that the
deputychamberlain had given him a masterkey advising him in the present
confused state of the Castle to keep his door as much shut as possible He
applied this key to the lock the bolt revolved he entered and in the same
instant saw a female form seated in the apartment and recognised that form to
be Amy Robsart His first idea was that a heated imagination had raised the
image on which it doted into visible existence his second that he beheld an
apparition the third and abiding conviction that it was Amy herself paler
indeed and thinner than in the days of heedless happiness when she possessed
the form and hue of a woodnymph with the beauty of a sylph but still Amy
unequalled in loveliness by aught which had ever visited his eyes
The astonishment of the Countess was scarce less than that of Tressilian
although it was of shorter duration because she had heard from Wayland that he
was in the Castle She had started up on his first entrance and now stood
facing him the paleness of her cheeks having given way to a deep blush
»Tressilian« she said at length »why come you here«
»Nay why come you here Amy« returned Tressilian »unless it be at length
to claim that aid which as far as one mans heart and arm can extend shall
instantly be rendered to you«
She was silent a moment and then answered in a sorrowful rather than an
angry tone »I require no aid Tressilian and would rather be injured than
benefited by any which your kindness can offer me Believe me I am near one
whom law and love oblige to protect me«
»The villain then hath done you the poor justice which remained in his
power« said Tressilian »and I behold before me the wife of Varney«
»The wife of Varney« she replied with all the emphasis of scorn »with
what base name sir does your boldness stigmatise the the the« She
hesitated dropped her tone of scorn looked down and was confused and silent
for she recollected what fatal consequences might attend her completing the
sentence with »the Countess of Leicester« which were the words that had
naturally suggested themselves It would have been a betrayal of the secret on
which her husband had assured her that his fortunes depended to Tressilian to
Sussex to the Queen and to the whole assembled court »Never« she thought
»will I break my promised silence I will submit to every suspicion rather than
that«
The tears rose to her eyes as she stood silent before Tressilian while
looking on her with mingled grief and pity he said »Alas Amy your eyes
contradict your tongue That speaks of a protector willing and able to watch
over you but these tell me you are ruined and deserted by the wretch to whom
you have attached yourself«
She looked on him with eyes in which anger sparkled through her tears but
only repeated the word »wretch« with a scornful emphasis
»Yes wretch« said Tressilian »for were he aught better why are you here
and alone in my apartment why was not fitting provision made for your
honourable reception«
»In your apartment« repeated Amy »in your apartment It shall instantly be
relieved of my presence« She hastened towards the door but the sad
recollection of her deserted state at once pressed on her mind and pausing on
the threshold she added in a tone unutterably pathetic »Alas I had forgot
I know not where to go«
»I see I see it all« said Tressilian springing to her side and leading
her back to the seat on which she sunk down »You do need aid you do need
protection though you will not own it and you shall not need it long Leaning
on my arm as the representative of your excellent and brokenhearted father on
the very threshold of the Castlegate you shall meet Elizabeth and the first
deed she shall do in the halls of Kenilworth shall be an act of justice to her
sex and her subjects Strong in my good cause and in the Queens justice the
power of her minion shall not shake my resolution I will instantly seek
Sussex«
»Not for all that is under heaven« said the Countess much alarmed and
feeling the absolute necessity of obtaining time at least for consideration
»Tressilian you were wont to be generous Grant me one request and believe
if it be your wish to save me from misery and from madness you will do more by
making me the promise I ask of you than Elizabeth can do for me with all her
power«
»Ask me anything for which you can allege reason« said Tressilian »but
demand not of me«
»Oh limit not your boon dear Edmund« exclaimed the Countess »you once
loved that I should call you so Limit not your boon to reason for my case is
all madness and frenzy must guide the counsels which alone can aid me«
»If you speak thus wildly« said Tressilian astonishment again overpowering
both his grief and his resolution »I must believe you indeed incapable of
thinking or acting for yourself«
»Oh no« she exclaimed sinking on one knee before him »I am not mad I
am but a creature unutterably miserable and from circumstances the most
singular dragged on to a precipice by the arm of him who thinks he is keeping
me from it even by yours Tressilian by yours whom I have honoured
respected all but loved and yet loved too loved too Tressilian though
not as you wished to be«
There was an energy a selfpossession an abandonment in her voice and
manner a total resignation of herself to his generosity which together with
the kindness of her expressions to himself moved him deeply He raised her and
in broken accents entreated her to be comforted
»I cannot« she said »I will not be comforted till you grant me my
request I will speak as plainly as I dare I am now awaiting the commands of
one who has a right to issue them The interference of a third person of you
in especial Tressilian will be ruin utter ruin to me Wait but
fourandtwenty hours and it may be that the poor Amy may have the means to
show that she values and can reward your disinterested friendship that she
is happy herself and has the means to make you so It is surely worth your
patience for so short a space«
Tressilian paused and weighing in his mind the various probabilities which
might render a violent interference on his part more prejudicial than
advantageous both to the happiness and reputation of Amy considering also that
she was within the walls of Kenilworth and could suffer no injury in a castle
honoured with the Queens residence and filled with her guards and attendants
he conceived upon the whole that he might render her more evil than good
service by intruding upon her his appeal to Elizabeth in her behalf He
expressed his resolution cautiously however doubting naturally whether Amys
hopes of extricating herself from her difficulties rested on anything stronger
than a blinded attachment to Varney whom he supposed to be her seducer
»Amy« he said while he fixed his sad and expressive eyes on hers which
in her ecstasy of doubt terror and perplexity she cast up towards him »I
have ever remarked that when others called thee girlish and wilful there lay
under that external semblance of youthful and selfwilled folly deep feeling
and strong sense In this I will confide trusting your own fate in your own
hands for the space of twentyfour hours without my interference by word or
act«
»Do you promise me this Tressilian« said the Countess »Is it possible you
can yet repose so much confidence in me Do you promise as you are a gentleman
and a man of honour to intrude in my matters neither by speech nor action
whatever you may see or hear that seems to you to demand your interference
Will you so far trust me«
»I will upon my honour« said Tressilian »but when that space is expired«
»When that space is expired« she said interrupting him »you are free to
act as your judgment shall determine«
»Is there nought besides which I can do for you Amy« said Tressilian
»Nothing« said she »save to leave me that is if I blush to
acknowledge my helplessness by asking it if you can spare me the use of this
apartment for the next twentyfour hours«
»This is most wonderful« said Tressilian »what hope or interest can you
have in a castle where you cannot command even an apartment«
»Argue not but leave me« she said and added as he slowly and unwillingly
retired »Generous Edmund the time may come when Amy may show she deserved thy
noble attachment«
Chapter TwentyEighth
What man neer lack a draught when the full can
Stands at thine elbow and craves emptying
Nay fear not me for I have no delight
To watch mens vices since I have myself
Of virtue nought to boast of Im a striker
Would have the world strike with me pellmell all
Pandæmonium
Tressilian in strange agitation of mind had hardly stepped down the first two
or three steps of the winding staircase when greatly to his surprise and
displeasure he met Michael Lambourne wearing an impudent familiarity of
visage for which Tressilian felt much disposed to throw him down stairs until
he remembered the prejudice which Amy the only object of his solicitude was
likely to receive from his engaging in any act of violence at that time and in
that place
He therefore contented himself with looking sternly upon Lambourne as upon
one whom he deemed unworthy of notice and attempted to pass him in his way down
stairs without any symptom of recognition But Lambourne who amidst the
profusion of that days hospitality had not failed to take a deep though not
an overpowering cup of sack was not in the humour of humbling himself before
any mans looks He stopped Tressilian upon the staircase without the least
bashfulness or embarrassment and addressed him as if he had been on kind and
intimate terms »What no grudge between us I hope upon old scores Master
Tressilian nay I am one who remember former kindness rather than latter feud
Ill convince you that I meant honestly and kindly ay and comfortably by
you«
»I desire none of your intimacy« said Tressilian »keep company with your
mates«
»Now see how hasty he is« said Lambourne »and how these gentles that are
made questionless out of the porcelain clay of the earth look down upon poor
Michael Lambourne You would take Master Tressilian now for the most maidlike
modest simpering squire of dames that ever made love when candles were long i
the stuff snuff call you it Why you would play the saint on us Master
Tressilian and forget that even now thou hast commodity in thy very bedchamber
to the shame of my lords castle ha ha ha Have I touched you Master
Tressilian«
»I know not what you mean« said Tressilian inferring however too surely
that this licentious ruffian must have been sensible of Amys presence in his
apartment »but if« he continued »thou art varlet of the chambers and lackest
a fee there is one to leave mine unmolested«
Lambourne looked at the piece of gold and put it in his pocket saying
»Now I know not but you might have done more with me by a kind word than by
this chiming rogue But after all he pays well that pays with gold and Mike
Lambourne was never a makebate or a spoilsport or the like Een live and
let others live that is my motto only I would not let some folks cock their
beaver at me neither as if they were made of silver ore and I of Dutch pewter
So if I keep your secret Master Tressilian you may look sweet on me at least
and were I to want a little backing or countenance being caught as you see the
best of us may be in a sort of peccadillo why you owe it me and so een
make your chamber serve you and that same bird in bower beside its all one to
Mike Lambourne«
»Make way sir« said Tressilian unable to bridle his indignation »you
have had your fee«
»Um« said Lambourne giving place however while he sulkily muttered
between his teeth repeating Tressilians words »Make way and you have had
your fee but it matters not I will spoil no sport as I said before I am no
dog in the manger mind that«
He spoke louder and louder as Tressilian by whom he felt himself overawed
got farther and farther out of hearing
»I am no dog in the manger but I will not carry coals neither mind that
my Master Tressilian and I will have a peep at this wench whom you have
quartered so commodiously in your old haunted room afraid of ghosts belike
and not too willing to sleep alone If I had done this now in a strange lords
castle the word had been The porters lodge for the knave and Have him
flogged trundle him down stairs like a turnip Ay but your virtuous
gentlemen take strange privileges over us who are downright servants of our
senses Well I have my Master Tressilians head under my belt by this lucky
discovery that is one thing certain and I will try to get a sight of this
Lindabrides of his that is another«
Chapter TwentyNinth
Now faretheewell my master if true service
Be guerdond with hard looks een cut the towline
And let our barks across the pathless flood
Hold different courses
Shipwreck
Tressilian walked into the outer yard of the Castle scarce knowing what to
think of his late strange and most unexpected interview with Amy Robsart and
dubious if he had done well being intrusted with the delegated authority of her
father to pass his word so solemnly to leave her to her own guidance for so
many hours Yet how could he have denied her request dependent as she had too
probably rendered herself upon Varney Such was his natural reasoning The
happiness of her future life might depend upon his not driving her to
extremities and since no authority of Tressilians could extricate her from the
power of Varney supposing he was to acknowledge Amy to be his wife what title
had he to destroy the hope of domestic peace which might yet remain to her by
setting enmity betwixt them Tressilian resolved therefore scrupulously to
observe his word pledged to Amy both because it had been given and because as
he still thought while he considered and reconsidered that extraordinary
interview it could not with justice or propriety have been refused
In one respect he had gained much towards securing effectual protection for
this unhappy and still beloved object of his early affection Amy was no longer
mewed up in a distant and solitary retreat under the charge of persons of
doubtful reputation She was in the Castle of Kenilworth within the verge of
the Royal Court for the time free from all risk of violence and liable to be
produced before Elizabeth on the first summons These were circumstances which
could not but assist greatly the efforts which he might have occasion to use in
her behalf
While he was thus balancing the advantages and perils which attended her
unexpected presence in Kenilworth Tressilian was hastily and anxiously accosted
by Wayland who after ejaculating »Thank God your worship is found at last«
proceeded with breathless caution to pour into his ear the intelligence that
the lady had escaped from Cumnor Place
»And is at present in this Castle« said Tressilian »I know it and I have
seen her Was it by her own choice she found refuge in my apartment«
»No« answered Wayland »but I could think of no other way of safely
bestowing her and was but too happy to find a deputyusher who knew where you
were quartered in jolly society truly the hall on the one hand and the
kitchen on the other«
»Peace this is no time for jesting« answered Tressilian sternly
»I wot that but too well« said the artist »for I have felt these three
days as if I had a halter round my neck This lady knows not her own mind she
will have none of your aid commands you not to be named to her and is about
to put herself into the hands of my Lord Leicester I had never got her safe
into your chamber had she known the owner of it«
»Is it possible« said Tressilian »But she may have hopes the Earl will
exert his influence in her favour over his villanous dependant«
»I know nothing of that« said Wayland »but I believe if she is to
reconcile herself with either Leicester or Varney the side of the Castle of
Kenilworth which will be safest for us will be the outside from which we can
fastest fly away It is not my purpose to abide an instant after delivery of the
letter to Leicester which waits but your commands to find its way to him See
here it is but no a plague on it I must have left it in my doghole in
the hayloft yonder where I am to sleep«
»Death and fury« said Tressilian transported beyond his usual patience
»thou hast not lost that on which may depend a stake more important than a
thousand such lives as thine«
»Lost it« answered Wayland readily »that were a jest indeed No sir I
have it carefully put up with my nightsack and some matters I have occasion to
use I will fetch it in an instant«
»Do so« said Tressilian »be faithful and thou shalt be well rewarded But
if I have reason to suspect thee a dead dog were in better case than thou«
Wayland bowed and took his leave with seeming confidence and alacrity but
in fact filled with the utmost dread and confusion The letter was lost that
was certain notwithstanding the apology which he had made to appease the
impatient displeasure of Tressilian It was lost it might fall into wrong
hands it would then certainly occasion a discovery of the whole intrigue in
which he had been engaged nor indeed did Wayland see much prospect of its
remaining concealed in any event He felt much hurt besides at Tressilians
burst of impatience
»Nay if I am to be paid in this coin for services where my neck is
concerned it is time I should look to myself Here have I offended for aught I
know to the death the lord of this stately castle whose word were as powerful
to take away my life as the breath which speaks it to blow out a farthing
candle And all this for a mad lady and a melancholy gallant who on the loss
of a fournooked bit of paper has his hand on his poignado and swears death
and fury Then there is the Doctor and Varney I will save myself from the
whole mess of them Life is dearer than gold I will fly this instant though
I leave my reward behind me«
These reflections naturally enough occurred to a mind like Waylands who
found himself engaged far deeper than he had expected in a train of mysterious
and unintelligible intrigues in which the actors seemed hardly to know their
own course And yet to do him justice his personal fears were in some degree
counterbalanced by his compassion for the deserted state of the lady
»I care not a groat for Master Tressilian« he said »I have done more than
bargain by him and I have brought his errantdamozel within his reach so that
he may look after her himself but I fear the poor thing is in much danger
amongst these stormy spirits I will to her chamber and tell her the fate which
has befallen her letter that she may write another if she list She cannot lack
a messenger I trow where there are so many lackeys that can carry a letter to
their lord And I will tell her also that I leave the Castle trusting her to
God her own guidance and Master Tressilians care and looking after Perhaps
she may remember the ring she offered me it was well earned I trow but she
is a lovely creature and marry hang the ring I will not bear a base spirit
for the matter If I fare ill in this world for my good nature I shall have
better chance in the next So now for the lady and then for the road«
With the stealthy step and jealous eye of the cat that steals on her prey
Wayland resumed the way to the Countesss chamber sliding along by the side of
the courts and passages alike observant of all around him and studious himself
to escape observation In this manner he crossed the outward and inward
castleyard and the great arched passage which running betwixt the range of
kitchen offices and the hall led to the bottom of the little winding stair that
gave access to the chambers of Mervyns Tower
The artist congratulated himself on having escaped the various perils of his
journey and was in the act of ascending by two steps at once when he observed
that the shadow of a man thrown from a door which stood ajar darkened the
opposite wall of the staircase Wayland drew back cautiously went down to the
inner courtyard spent about a quarter of an hour which seemed at least
quadruple its usual duration in walking from place to place and then returned
to the tower in hopes to find that the lurker had disappeared He ascended as
high as the suspicious spot there was no shadow on the wall he ascended a
few yards farther the door was still ajar and he was doubtful whether to
advance or retreat when it was suddenly thrown wide open and Michael Lambourne
bolted out upon the astonished Wayland »Who the devil art thou and what
seekst thou in this part of the Castle March into that chamber and be hanged
to thee«
»I am no dog to go at every mans whistle« said the artist affecting a
confidence which was belied by a timid shake in his voice
»Sayst thou me so Come hither Lawrence Staples«
A huge illmade and illlooked fellow upwards of six feet high appeared at
the door and Lambourne proceeded »If thou best so fond of this tower my
friend thou shalt see its foundations good twelve feet below the bed of the
lake and tenanted by certain jolly toads snakes and so forth which thou wilt
find mighty good company Therefore once more I ask you in fair play who thou
art and what thou seekst here«
»If the dungeongrate once clashes behind me« thought Wayland »I am a gone
man« He therefore answered submissively »He was the poor juggler whom his
honour had met yesterday in Weatherlybottom«
»And what juggling trick art thou playing in this tower Thy gang« said
Lambourne »lie over against Clintons buildings«
»I came here to see my sister« said the juggler »who is in Master
Tressilians chamber just above«
»Aha« said Lambourne smiling »here be truths Upon my honour for a
stranger this same Master Tressilian makes himself at home among us and
furnishes out his cell handsomely with all sort of commodities This will be a
precious tale of the sainted Master Tressilian and will be welcome to some
folks as a purse of broad pieces to me Hark ye fellow« he continued
addressing Wayland »thou shalt not give Puss a hint to steal away we must
catch her in her form So back with that pitiful sheepbiting visage of thine
or I will fling thee from the window of the tower and try if your juggling
skill can save thy bones«
»Your worship will not be so hardhearted I trust« said Wayland »poor
folk must live I trust your honour will allow me to speak with my sister«
»Sister on Adams side I warrant« said Lambourne »or if otherwise the
more knave thou But sister or no sister thou diest on point of fox if thou
comest aprying to this tower once more And now I think of it uds daggers and
death I will see thee out of the Castle for this is a more main concern than
thy jugglery«
»But please your worship« said Wayland »I am to enact Arion in the
pageant upon the lake this very evening«
»I will act it myself by Saint Christopher« said Lambourne »Orion
callst thou him I will act Orion his belt and his seven stars to boot
Come along for a rascal knave as thou art follow me Or stay Lawrence do
thou bring him along«
Lawrence seized by the collar of the cloak the unresisting juggler while
Lambourne with hasty steps led the way to that same sallyport or secret
postern by which Tressilian had returned to the Castle and which opened in the
western wall at no great distance from Mervyns Tower
While traversing with a rapid foot the space betwixt the tower and the
sallyport Wayland in vain racked his brain for some device which might avail
the poor lady for whom notwithstanding his own imminent danger he felt deep
interest But when he was thrust out of the Castle and informed by Lambourne
with a tremendous oath that instant death would be the consequence of his again
approaching it he cast up his hands and eyes to heaven as if to call God to
witness he had stood to the uttermost in defence of the oppressed then turned
his back on the proud towers of Kenilworth and went his way to seek a humbler
and safer place of refuge
Lawrence and Lambourne gazed a little while after Wayland and then turned
to go back to their tower when the former thus addressed his companion »Never
credit me Master Lambourne if I can guess why thou hast driven this poor
caitiff from the Castle just when he was to bear a part in the show that was
beginning and all this about a wench«
»Ah Lawrence« replied Lambourne »thou art thinking of Black Joan Jugges
of Slingdon and hast sympathy with human frailty But couragio most noble Duke
of the Dungeon and Lord of Limbo for thou art as dark in this matter as thine
own dominions of Littleease My most reverend Signior of the Low Countries of
Kenilworth know that our most notable master Richard Varney would give as
much to have a hole in this same Tressilians coat as would make us some fifty
midnight carousals with the full leave of bidding the steward go snick up if
he came to startle us too soon from our goblets«
»Nay an that be the case thou hast right« said Lawrence Staples the
upperwarder or in common phrase the first jailor of Kenilworth Castle and
of the Liberty and Honour belonging thereto »but how will you manage when you
are absent at the Queens entrance Master Lambourne for methinks thou must
attend thy master there«
»Why thou mine honest prince of prisons must keep ward in my absence Let
Tressilian enter if he will but see thou let no one come out If the damsel
herself would make a break as tis not unlike she may scare her back with
rough words she is but a paltry players wench after all«
»Nay for that matter« said Lawrence »I might shut the iron wicket upon
her that stands without the double door and so force per force she will be
bound to her answer without more trouble«
»Then Tressilian will not get access to her« said Lambourne reflecting a
moment »But tis no matter she will be detected in his chamber and that is
all one But confess thou old batseyed dungeonkeeper that you fear to keep
awake by yourself in that Mervyns Tower of thine«
»Why as to fear Master Lambourne« said the fellow »I mind it not the
turning of a key but strange things have been heard and seen in that tower
You must have heard for as short a time as you have been in Kenilworth that it
is haunted by the spirit of Arthur ap Mervyn a wild chief taken by fierce Lord
Mortimer when he was one of the Lords Marchers of Wales and murdered as they
say in that same tower which bears his name«
»Oh I have heard the tale five hundred times« said Lambourne »and how the
ghost is always most vociferous when they boil leeks and stirabout or fry
toasted cheese in the culinary regions Santo Diavolo man hold thy tongue I
know all about it«
»Ay but thou dost not though« said the turnkey »for as wise as thou
wouldst make thyself Ah it is an awful thing to murder a prisoner in his ward
You that may have given a man a stab in a dark street know nothing of it To
give a mutinous fellow a knock on the head with the keys and bid him be quiet
thats what I call keeping order in the ward but to draw weapon and slay him
as was done to this Welsh lord that raises you a ghost that will render your
prisonhouse untenantable by any decent captive for some hundred years And I
have that regard for my prisoners poor things that I have put good squires and
men of worship that have taken a ride on the highway or slandered my Lord of
Leicester or the like fifty feet under ground rather than I would put them
into that upper chamber yonder that they call Mervyns Bower Indeed by good
Saint Peter of the Fetters I marvel my noble lord or Master Varney could
think of lodging guests there and if this Master Tressilian could get any one
to keep him company and in especial a pretty wench why truly I think he was
in the right ont«
»I tell thee« said Lambourne leading the way into the turnkeys apartment
»thou art an ass Go bolt the wicket on the stair and trouble not thy noddle
about ghosts Give me the winestoup man I am somewhat heated with chafing
with yonder rascal«
While Lambourne drew a long draught from a pitcher of claret which he made
use of without any cup the warder went on vindicating his own belief in the
supernatural
»Thou hast been few hours in this Castle and hast been for the whole space
so drunk Lambourne that thou art deaf dumb and blind But we should hear
less of your bragging were you to pass a night with us at full moon for then
the ghost is busiest and more especially when a rattling wind sets in from the
northwest with some sprinkling of rain and now and then a growl of thunder
Body o me what crackings and clashings what groanings and what howlings will
there be at such times in Mervyns Bower right as it were over our heads till
the matter of two quarts of distilled waters has not been enough to keep my lads
and me in some heart«
»Pshaw man« replied Lambourne on whom his last draught joined to
repeated visitations of the pitcher upon former occasions began to make some
innovation »thou speakst thou knowst not what about spirits No one knows
justly what to say about them and in short least said may in that matter be
soonest amended Some men believe in one thing some in another it is all
matter of fancy I have known them of all sorts my dear Lawrence Lockthedoor
and sensible men too Theres a great lord well pass his name Lawrence he
believes in the stars and the moon the planets and their courses and so forth
and that they twinkle exclusively for his benefit when in sober or rather in
drunken truth Lawrence they are only shining to keep honest fellows like me
out of the kennel Well sir let his humour pass he is great enough to indulge
it Then look ye there is another a very learned man I promise you and can
vent Greek and Hebrew as fast as I can ThievesLatin he has a humour of
sympathies and antipathies of changing lead into gold and the like why
via let that pass too and let him pay those in transmigrated coin who are
fools enough to let it be current with them Then here comest thou thyself
another great man though neither learned nor noble yet full six feet high and
thou like a purblind mole must needs believe in ghosts and goblins and such
like Now there is besides a great man that is a great little man or a
little great man my dear Lawrence and his name begins with V and what
believes he Why nothing honest Lawrence nothing in earth heaven or hell
and for my part if I believe there is a devil it is only because I think there
must be some one to catch our aforesaid friend by the back when soul and body
sever as the ballad says for your antecedent will have a consequent raro
antecedentem as Doctor Bircham was wont to say But this is Greek to you now
honest Lawrence and in sooth learning is dry work Hand me the pitcher once
more«
»In faith if you drink more Michael« said the warder »you will be in
sorry case either to play Arion or to wait on your master on such a solemn
night and I expect each moment to hear the great bell toll for the muster at
Mortimers Tower to receive the Queen«
While Staples remonstrated Lambourne drank and then setting down the
pitcher which vas nearly emptied with a deep sigh he said in an under tone
which soon rose to a high one as his speech proceeded »Never mind Lawrence
if I be drunk I know that shall make Varney uphold me sober But as I said
never mind I can carry my drink discreetly Moreover I am to go on the water
as Orion and shall take cold unless I take something comfortable beforehand
Not play Orion Let us see the best roarer that ever strained his lungs for
twelvepence outmouth me What if they see me a little disguised Wherefore
should any man be sober tonight answer me that It is matter of loyalty to be
merry and I tell thee there are those in the Castle who if they are not
merry when drunk have little chance to be merry when sober I name no names
Lawrence But your pottle of sack is a fine shoeing horn to pull on a loyal
humour and a merry one Huzza for Queen Elizabeth for the noble Leicester
for the worshipful Master Varney and for Michael Lambourne that can turn
them all round his finger«
So saying he walked down stairs and across the inner court
The warder looked after him shook his head and while he drew close and
locked a wicket which crossing the staircase rendered it impossible for any
one to ascend higher than the storey immediately beneath Mervyns Bower as
Tressilians chamber was named he thus soliloquised with himself »Its a good
thing to be a favourite I wellnigh lost mine office because one frosty
morning Master Varney thought I smelled of aquavitæ and this fellow can appear
before him drunk as a wineskin and yet meet no rebuke But then he is a
pestilent clever fellow withal and no one can understand above onehalf of what
he says«
Chapter Thirtieth
Now bid the steeple rock she comes she comes
Speak for us bells speak for us shrilltongued tuckets
Stand to thy linstock gunner let thy cannon
Play such a peal as if a paynim foe
Came stretchd in turband ranks to storm the ramparts
We will have pageants too but that craves wit
And Im a roughhewn soldier
The Virgin Queen a TragiComedy
Tressilian when Wayland had left him as mentioned in the last chapter
remained uncertain what he ought next to do when Raleigh and Blount came up to
him arm in arm yet according to their wont very eagerly disputing together
Tressilian had no great desire for their society in the present state of his
feelings but there was no possibility of avoiding them and indeed he felt
that bound by his promise not to approach Amy or take any step in her behalf
it would be his best course at once to mix with general society and to exhibit
on his brow as little as he could of the anguish and uncertainty which sat heavy
at his heart He therefore made a virtue of necessity and hailed his comrades
with »All mirth to you gentlemen Whence come ye«
»From Warwick to be sure« said Blount »we must needs home to change our
habits like poor players who are fain to multiply their persons to outward
appearance by change of suits and you had better do the like Tressilian«
»Blount is right« said Raleigh »the Queen loves such marks of deference
and notices as wanting in respect those who not arriving in her immediate
attendance may appear in their soiled and ruffled ridingdress But look at
Blount himself Tressilian for the love of laughter and see how his villanous
tailor hath apparelled him in blue green and crimson with carnation
ribbons and yellow roses in his shoes«
»Why what wouldst thou have« said Blount »I told the crossedlegged thief
to do his best and spare no cost and methinks these things are gay enough
gayer than thine own Ill be judged by Tressilian«
»I agree I agree« said Walter Raleigh »Judge betwixt us Tressilian for
the love of heaven«
Tressilian thus appealed to looked at them both and was immediately
sensible at a single glance that honest Blount had taken upon the tailors
warrant the pied garments which he had chosen to make and was as much
embarrassed by the quantity of points and ribbons which garnished his dress as
a clown is in his holiday clothes while the dress of Raleigh was a wellfancied
and rich suit which the wearer bore as a garb too well adapted to his elegant
person to attract particular attention Tressilian said therefore »That
Blounts dress was finest but Raleighs the best fancied«
Blount was satisfied with his decision »I knew mine was finest« he said
»if that knave Doublestitch had brought me home such a simple doublet as that
of Raleighs I would have beat his brains out with his own pressingiron Nay
if we must be fools ever let us be fools of the first head say I«
»But why gettest thou not on thy braveries Tressilian« said Raleigh
»I am excluded from my apartment by a silly mistake« said Tressilian »and
separated for the time from my baggage I was about to seek thee to beseech a
share of thy lodging«
»And welcome« said Raleigh »it is a noble one My Lord of Leicester has
done us that kindness and lodged us in princely fashion If his courtesy be
extorted reluctantly it is at least extended far I would advise you to tell
your strait to the Earls chamberlain you will have instant redress«
»Nay it is not worth while since you can spare me room« replied
Tressilian »I would not be troublesome Has any one come hither with you«
»Oh ay« said Blount »Varney and a whole tribe of Leicesterians besides
about a score of us honest Sussex folk We are all it seems to receive the
Queen at what they call the Gallery Tower and witness some fooleries there and
then were to remain in attendance upon the Queen in the Great Hall God bless
the mark while those who are now waiting upon her Grace get rid of their
slough and doff their ridingsuits Heaven help me if her Grace should speak
to me I shall never know what to answer«
»And what has detained them so long at Warwick« said Tressilian unwilling
that their conversation should return to his own affairs
»Such a succession of fooleries« said Blount »as were never seen at
Bartholomew fair We have had speeches and players and dogs and bears and men
making monkeys and women moppets of themselves I marvel the Queen could
endure it But ever and anon came in something of the lovely light of her
gracious countenance or some such trash Ah vanity makes a fool of the wisest
But come let us on to this same Gallery Tower though I see not what thou
Tressilian canst do with thy ridingdress and boots«
»I will take my station behind thee Blount« said Tressilian who saw that
his friends unusual finery had taken a strong hold of his imagination »thy
goodly size and gay dress will cover my defects«
»And so thou shalt Edmund« said Blount »In faith I am glad thou thinkst
my garb wellfancied for all Mr Wittypate here for when one does a foolish
thing it is right to do it handsomely«
So saying Blount cocked his beaver threw out his leg and marched manfully
forward as if at the head of his brigade of pikemen ever and anon looking with
complaisance on his crimson stockings and the huge yellow roses which blossomed
on his shoes Tressilian followed wrapt in his own sad thoughts and scarce
minding Raleigh whose quick fancy amused by the awkward vanity of his
respectable friend vented itself in jests which he whispered into Tressilians
ear
In this manner they crossed the long bridge or tiltyard and took their
station with other gentlemen of quality before the outer gate of the Gallery
or Entrance Tower The whole amounted to about forty persons all selected as of
the first rank under that of knighthood and were disposed in double rows on
either side of the gate like a guard of honour within the close hedge of pikes
and partisans which was formed by Leicesters retainers wearing his liveries
The gentlemen carried no arms save their swords and daggers These gallants were
as gaily dressed as imagination could devise and as the garb of the time
permitted a great display of expensive magnificence nought was to be seen but
velvet and cloth of gold and silver ribbons feathers gems and golden chains
In spite of his more serious subjects of distress Tressilian could not help
feeling that he with his ridingsuit however handsome it might be made rather
an unworthy figure among these »fierce vanities« and the rather because he saw
that his dishabille was the subject of wonder among his own friends and of
scorn among the partisans of Leicester
We could not suppress this fact though it may seem something at variance
with the gravity of Tressilians character but the truth is that a regard for
personal appearance is a species of selflove from which the wisest are not
exempt and to which the mind clings so instinctively that not only the soldier
advancing to almost inevitable death but even the doomed criminal who goes to
certain execution shows an anxiety to array his person to the best advantage
But this is a digression
It was the twilight of a summer night 9th July 1575 the sun having for
some time set and all were in anxious expectation of the Queens immediate
approach The multitude had remained assembled for many hours and their numbers
were still rather on the increase A profuse distribution of refreshments
together with roasted oxen and barrels of ale set abroach in different places
of the road had kept the populace in perfect love and loyalty towards the Queen
and her favourite which might have somewhat abated had fasting been added to
watching They passed away the time therefore with the usual popular
amusements of whooping hallooing shrieking and playing rude tricks upon each
other forming the chorus of discordant sounds usual on such occasions These
prevailed all through the crowded roads and fields and especially beyond the
gate of the Chase where the greater number of the common sort were stationed
when all of a sudden a single rocket was seen to shoot into the atmosphere
and at the instant far heard over flood and field the great bell of the Castle
tolled
Immediately there was a pause of dead silence succeeded by a deep hum of
expectation the united voice of many thousands none of whom spoke above their
breath or to use a singular expression the whisper of an immense multitude
»They come now for certain« said Raleigh »Tressilian that sound is grand
We hear it from this distance as mariners after a long voyage hear upon their
night watch the tide rush upon some distant and unknown shore«
»Mass« answered Blount »I hear it rather as I used to hear mine own kine
lowing from the close of Wittenswestlowe«
»He will assuredly graze presently« said Raleigh to Tressilian »his
thought is all of fat oxen and fertile meadows he grows little better than one
of his own beeves and only becomes grand when he is provoked to pushing and
goring«
»We shall have him at that presently« said Tressilian »if you spare not
your wit«
»Tush I care not« answered Raleigh »but thou too Tressilian hast turned
a kind of owl that flies only by night hast exchanged thy songs for
screechings and good company for an ivytod«
»But what manner of animal art thou thyself Raleigh« said Tressilian
»that thou holdest us all so lightly«
»Who I« replied Raleigh »An eagle am I that never will think of dull
earth while there is a heaven to soar in and a sun to gaze upon«
»Well bragged by Saint Barnaby« said Blount »but good Master Eagle
beware the cage and beware the fowler Many birds have flown as high that I
have seen stuffed with straw and hung up to scare kites But hark what a dead
silence hath fallen on them at once«
»The procession pauses« said Raleigh »at the gate of the Chase where a
sibyl one of the fatidicæ meets the Queen to tell her fortune I saw the
verses there is little savour in them and her Grace has been already crammed
full with such poetical compliments She whispered to me during the Recorders
speech yonder at Ford Mill as she entered the liberties of Warwick how she
was pertæsa barbaræ loquelæ«
»The Queen whispered to him« said Blount in a kind of soliloquy »Good
God to what will this world come«
His farther meditations were interrupted by a shout of applause from the
multitude so tremendously vociferous that the country echoed for miles round
The guards thickly stationed upon the road by which the Queen was to advance
caught up the acclamation which ran like wildfire to the Castle and announced
to all within that Queen Elizabeth had entered the Royal Chase of Kenilworth
The whole music of the Castle sounded at once and a round of artillery with a
salvo of small arms was discharged from the battlements but the noise of drums
and trumpets and even of the cannon themselves was but faintly heard amidst
the roaring and reiterated welcomes of the multitude
As the noise began to abate a broad glare of light was seen to appear from
the gate of the Park and broadening and brightening as it came nearer
advanced along the open and fair avenue that led towards the Gallery Tower and
which as we have already noticed was lined on either hand by the retainers of
the Earl of Leicester The word was passed along the line »The Queen The
Queen Silence and stand fast« Onward came the cavalcade illuminated by two
hundred thick waxen torches in the hands of as many horsemen which cast a
light like that of broad day all around the procession but especially on the
principal group of which the Queen herself arrayed in the most splendid
manner and blazing with jewels formed the central figure She was mounted on a
milkwhite horse which she reined with peculiar grace and dignity and in the
whole of her stately and noble carriage you saw the daughter of an hundred
kings
The ladies of the court who rode beside her Majesty had taken especial care
that their own external appearance should not be more glorious than their rank
and the occasion altogether demanded so that no inferior luminary might appear
to approach the orbit of royalty But their personal charms and the
magnificence by which under every prudential restraint they were necessarily
distinguished exhibited them as the very flower of a realm so far famed for
splendour and beauty The magnificence of the courtiers free from such
restraints as prudence imposed on the ladies was yet more unbounded
Leicester who glittered like a golden image with jewels and cloth of gold
rode on her Majestys right hand as well in quality of her host as of her
Master of the Horse The black steed which he mounted had not a single white
hair on his body and was one of the most renowned chargers in Europe having
been purchased by the Earl at large expense for this royal occasion As the
noble animal chafed at the slow pace of the procession and arching his stately
neck champed on the silver bits which restrained him the foam flew from his
mouth and specked his wellformed limbs as if with spots of snow The rider
well became the high place which he held and the proud steed which he bestrode
for no man in England or perhaps in Europe was more perfect than Dudley in
horsemanship and all other exercises belonging to his quality He was
bareheaded as were all the courtiers in the train and the red torchlight
shone upon his long curled tresses of dark hair and on his noble features to
the beauty of which even the severest criticism could only object the lordly
fault as it may be termed of a forehead somewhat too high On that proud
evening those features wore all the grateful solicitude of a subject to show
himself sensible of the high honour which the Queen was conferring on him and
all the pride and satisfaction which became so glorious a moment Yet though
neither eye nor feature betrayed aught but feelings which suited the occasion
some of the Earls personal attendants remarked that he was unusually pale and
they expressed to each other their fear that he was taking more fatigue than
consisted with his health
Varney followed close behind his master as the principal esquire in
waiting and had charge of his lordships black velvet bonnet garnished with a
clasp of diamonds and surmounted by a white plume He kept his eye constantly
on his master and for reasons with which the reader is not unacquainted was
among Leicesters numerous dependants the one who was most anxious that his
lords strength and resolution should carry him successfully through a day so
agitating For although Varney was one of the few the very few moral monsters
who contrive to lull to sleep the remorse of their own bosoms and are drugged
into moral insensibility by atheism as men in extreme agony are lulled by
opium yet he knew that in the breast of his patron there was already awakened
the fire that is never quenched and that his lord felt amid all the pomp and
magnificence we have described the gnawing of the worm that dieth not Still
however assured as Lord Leicester stood by Varneys own intelligence that his
Countess laboured under an indisposition which formed an unanswerable apology to
the Queen for her not appearing at Kenilworth there was little danger his wily
retainer thought that a man so ambitious would betray himself by giving way to
any external weakness
The train male and female who attended immediately upon the Queens
person were of course of the bravest and the fairest the highest born
nobles and the wisest counsellors of that distinguished reign to repeat whose
names were but to weary the reader Behind came a long crowd of knights and
gentlemen whose rank and birth however distinguished were thrown into shade
as their persons into the rear of a procession whose front was of such august
majesty
Thus marshalled the cavalcade approached the Gallery Tower which formed
as we have often observed the extreme barrier of the Castle
It was now the part of the huge porter to step forward but the lubbard was
so overwhelmed with confusion of spirit the contents of one immense black
jack of double ale which he had just drunk to quicken his memory having
treacherously confused the brain it was intended to clear that he only
groaned piteously and remained sitting on his stoneseat and the Queen would
have passed on without greeting had not the gigantic warders secret ally
Flibbertigibbet who lay perdue behind him thrust a pin into the rear of the
short femoral garment which we elsewhere described
The porter uttered a sort of yell which came not amiss into his part
started up with his club and dealt a sound douse or two on each side of him
and then like a coachhorse pricked by the spur started off at once into the
full career of his address and by dint of active prompting on the part of
Dickie Sludge delivered in sounds of gigantic intonation a speech which may
be thus abridged the reader being to suppose that the first lines were
addressed to the throng who approached the gateway the conclusion at the
approach of the Queen upon sight of whom as struck by some heavenly vision
the gigantic warder dropped his club resigned his keys and gave open way to
the Goddess of the night and all her magnificent train
»What stir what turmoil have we for the nones
Stand back my masters or beware your bones
Sirs Im a warder and no man of straw
My voice keeps order and my club gives law
Yet soft nay stay what vision have we here
What dainty darlings this what peerless peer
What loveliest face that loving ranks unfold
Like brightest diamond chased in purest gold
Dazzled and blind mine office I forsake
My club my key My knee my homage take
Bright paragon pass on in joy and bliss
Beshrew the gate that opes not wide at such a sight as this«19
Elizabeth received most graciously the homage of the Herculean porter and
bending her head to him in requital passed through his guarded tower from the
top of which was poured a clamorous blast of warlike music which was replied to
by other bands of minstrelsy placed at different points on the Castle walls and
by others again stationed in the Chase while the tones of the one as they yet
vibrated on the echoes were caught up and answered by new harmony from
different quarters
Amidst these bursts of music which as if the work of enchantment seemed
now close at hand now softened by distant space now wailing so low and sweet
as if that distance were gradually prolonged until only the last lingering
strains could reach the ear Queen Elizabeth crossed the Gallery Tower and came
upon the long bridge which extended from thence to Mortimers Tower and which
was already as light as day so many torches had been fastened to the palisades
on either side Most of the nobles here alighted and sent their horses to the
neighbouring village of Kenilworth following the Queen on foot as did the
gentlemen who had stood in array to receive her at the Gallery Tower
On this occasion as at different times during the evening Raleigh
addressed himself to Tressilian and was not a little surprised at his vague and
unsatisfactory answers which joined to his leaving his apartment without any
assigned reason appearing in an undress when it was likely to be offensive to
the Queen and some other symptoms of irregularity which he thought he
discovered led him to doubt whether his friend did not labour under some
temporary derangement
Meanwhile the Queen had no sooner stepped on the bridge than a new
spectacle was provided for as soon as the music gave signal that she was so far
advanced a raft so disposed as to resemble a small floating island
illuminated by a great variety of torches and surrounded by floating pageants
formed to represent seahorses on which sat Tritons Nereids and other
fabulous deities of the seas and rivers made its appearance upon the lake and
issuing from behind a small heronry where it had been concealed floated gently
towards the farther end of the bridge
On the islet appeared a beautiful woman clad in a watchetcoloured silken
mantle bound with a broad girdle inscribed with characters like the
phylacteries of the Hebrews Her feet and arms were bare but her wrists and
ankles were adorned with gold bracelets of uncommon size Amidst her long silky
black hair she wore a crown or chaplet of artificial mistleto and bore in her
hand a rod of ebony tipped with silver Two Nymphs attended on her dressed in
the same antique and mystical guise
The pageant was so well managed that this Lady of the Floating Island
having performed her voyage with much picturesque effect landed at Mortimers
Tower with her two attendants just as Elizabeth presented herself before that
outwork The stranger then in a wellpenned speech announced herself as that
famous Lady of the Lake renowned in the stories of King Arthur who had nursed
the youth of the redoubted Sir Lancelot and whose beauty had proved too
powerful both for the wisdom and the spells of the mighty Merlin Since that
early period she had remained possessed of her crystal dominions she said
despite the various men of fame and might by whom Kenilworth had been
successively tenanted The Saxons the Danes the Normans the Saintlowes the
Clintons the Mountforts the Mortimers the Plantagenets great though they
were in arms and magnificence had never she said caused her to raise her head
from the waters which hid her crystal palace But a greater than all these great
names had now appeared and she came in homage and duty to welcome the peerless
Elizabeth to all sport which the Castle and its environs which lake or land
could afford
The Queen received this address also with great courtesy and made answer in
raillery »We thought this lake had belonged to our own dominions fair dame
but since so famed a lady claims it for hers we will be glad at some other time
to have farther communing with you touching our joint interests«
With this gracious answer the Lady of the Lake vanished and Arion who was
amongst the maritime deities appeared upon his dolphin But Lambourne who had
taken upon him the part in the absence of Wayland being chilled with remaining
immersed in an element to which he was not friendly having never got his speech
by heart and not having like the porter the advantage of a prompter paid it
off with impudence tearing off his vizard and swearing »Cogs bones he was
none of Arion or Orion either but honest Mike Lambourne that had been drinking
her Majestys health from morning till midnight and was come to bid her
heartily welcome to Kenilworth Castle«
This unpremeditated buffoonery answered the purpose probably better than the
set speech would have done The Queen laughed heartily and swore in her turn
that he had made the best speech she had heard that day Lambourne who
instantly saw his jest had saved his bones jumped on shore gave his dolphin a
kick and declared he would never meddle with fish again except at dinner
At the same time that the Queen was about to enter the Castle that
memorable discharge of fireworks by water and land took place which Master
Laneham formerly introduced to the reader has strained all his eloquence to
describe
»Such« says the Clerk of the Councilchamber door »was the blaze of
burning darts the gleams of stars coruscant the streams and hail of fiery
sparks lightnings of wildfire and flightshot of thunderbolts with
continuance terror and vehemency that the heavens thundered the waters
surged and the earth shook and for my part hardy as I am it made me very
vengeably afraid«20
Chapter ThirtyFirst
Nay this is matter for the month of March
When hares are maddest Either speak in reason
Giving cold argument the wall of passion
Or I break up the court
Beaumont and Fletcher
It is by no means our purpose to detail minutely all the princely festivities of
Kenilworth after the fashion of Master Robert Laneham whom we quoted in the
conclusion of the last chapter It is sufficient to say that under discharge
of the splendid fireworks which we have borrowed Lanehams eloquence to
describe the Queen entered the basecourt of Kenilworth through Mortimers
Tower and moving on through pageants of heathen gods and heroes of antiquity
who offered gifts and compliments on the bended knee at length found her way to
the great hall of the Castle gorgeously hung for her reception with the richest
silken tapestry misty with perfumes and sounding to strains of soft and
delicious music From the highlycarved oaken roof hung a superb chandelier of
gilt bronze formed like a spread eagle whose outstretched wings supported
three male and three female figures grasping a pair of branches in each hand
The hall was thus illuminated by twentyfour torches of wax At the upper end of
the splendid apartment was a state canopy overshadowing a royal throne and
beside was a door which opened to a long suite of apartments decorated with
the utmost magnificence for the Queen and her ladies whenever it should be her
pleasure to be private
The Earl of Leicester having handed the Queen up to her throne and seated
her there knelt down before her and kissing the hand which she held out with
an air in which romantic and respectful gallantry was happily mingled with the
air of loyal devotion he thanked her in terms of the deepest gratitude for
the highest honour which a sovereign could render to a subject So handsome did
he look when kneeling before her that Elizabeth was tempted to prolong the
scene a little longer than there was strictly speaking necessity for and ere
she raised him she passed her hand over his head so near as almost to touch
his long curled and perfumed hair and with a movement of fondness that seemed
to intimate she would if she dared have made the motion a slight caress21
She at length raised him and standing beside the throne he explained to
her the various preparations which had been made for her amusement and
accommodation all of which received her prompt and gracious approbation The
Earl then prayed her Majesty for permission that he himself and the nobles who
had been in attendance upon her during the journey might retire for a few
minutes and put themselves into a guise more fitting for dutiful attendance
during which space those gentlemen of worship pointing to Varney Blount
Tressilian and others who had already put themselves into fresh attire would
have the honour of keeping her presencechamber
»Be it so my lord« answered the Queen »you could manage a theatre well
who can thus command a double set of actors For ourselves we will receive your
courtesies this evening but clownishly since it is not our purpose to change
our riding attire being in effect something fatigued with a journey which the
concourse of our good people hath rendered slow though the love they have shown
our person hath at the same time made it delightful«
Leicester having received this permission retired accordingly and was
followed by those nobles who had attended the Queen to Kenilworth in person The
gentlemen who had preceded them and were of course dressed for the solemnity
remained in attendance But being most of them of rather inferior rank they
remained at an awful distance from the throne which Elizabeth occupied The
Queens sharp eye soon distinguished Raleigh amongst them with one or two
others who were personally known to her and she instantly made them a sign to
approach and accosted them very graciously Raleigh in particular the
adventure of whose cloak as well as the incident of the verses remained on her
mind was very graciously received and to him she most frequently applied for
information concerning the names and rank of those who were in presence These
he communicated concisely and not without some traits of humorous satire by
which Elizabeth seemed much amused »And who is yonder clownish fellow« she
said looking at Tressilian whose soiled dress on this occasion greatly
obscured his good mien
»A poet if it please your Grace« replied Raleigh
»I might have guessed that from his careless garb« said Elizabeth »I have
known some poets so thoughtless as to throw their cloaks into gutters«
»It must have been when the sun dazzled both their eyes and their judgment«
answered Raleigh
Elizabeth smiled and proceeded »I asked that slovenly fellows name and
you only told me his profession«
»Tressilian is his name« said Raleigh with internal reluctance for he
foresaw nothing favourable to his friend from the manner in which she took
notice of him
»Tressilian« answered Elizabeth »Oh the Menelaus of our romance Why he
has dressed himself in a guise that will go far to exculpate his fair and false
Helen And where is Farnham or whatever his name is my Lord of Leicesters
man I mean the Paris of this Devonshire tale«
With still greater reluctance Raleigh named and pointed out to her Varney
for whom the tailor had done all that art could perform in making his exterior
agreeable and who if he had not grace had a sort of tact and habitual
knowledge of breeding which came in place of it
The Queen turned her eyes from the one to the other »I doubt« she said
»this same poetical Master Tressilian who is too learned I warrant me to
remember what presence he was to appear in may be one of those of whom Geoffrey
Chaucer says wittily the wisest clerks are not the wisest men I remember that
Varney is a smoothtongued varlet I doubt this fair runaway hath had reasons
for breaking her faith«
To this Raleigh durst make no answer aware how little he should benefit
Tressilian by contradicting the Queens sentiments and not at all certain on
the whole whether the best thing that could befall him would not be that she
should put an end at once by her authority to this affair upon which it seemed
to him Tressilians thoughts were fixed with unavailing and distressing
pertinacity As these reflections passed through his active brain the lower
door of the hall opened and Leicester accompanied by several of his kinsmen
and of the nobles who had embraced his faction reentered the Castlehall
The favourite Earl was now apparelled all in white his shoes being of white
velvet his understocks or stockings of knit silk his upper stocks of white
velvet lined with cloth of silver which was shown at the slashed part of the
middle thigh his doublet of cloth of silver the close jerkin of white velvet
embroidered with silver and seedpearl his girdle and the scabbard of his sword
of white velvet with golden buckles his poniard and sword hilted and mounted
with gold and over all a rich loose robe of white satin with a border of
golden embroidery a foot in breadth The collar of the Garter and the azure
Garter itself around his knee completed the appointments of the Earl of
Leicester which were so well matched by his fair stature graceful gesture
fine proportion of body and handsome countenance that at that moment he was
admitted by all who saw him as the goodliest person whom they had ever looked
upon Sussex and the other nobles were also richly attired but in point of
splendour and gracefulness of mien Leicester far exceeded them all
Elizabeth received him with great complacency »We have one piece of royal
justice« she said »to attend to It is a piece of justice too which
interests us as a woman as well in the character of mother and guardian of the
English people«
An involuntary shudder came over Leicester as he bowed low expressive of
his readiness to receive her royal commands and a similar cold fit came over
Varney whose eyes seldom during that evening removed from his patron
instantly perceived from the change in his looks slight as that was of what
the Queen was speaking But Leicester had wrought his resolution up to the point
which in his crooked policy he judged necessary and when Elizabeth added
»It is of the matter of Varney and Tressilian we speak is the lady here my
lord« his answer was ready »Gracious madam she is not«
Elizabeth bent her brows and compressed her lips »Our orders were strict
and positive my lord« was her answer
»And should have been obeyed good my liege« replied Leicester »had they
been expressed in the form of the lightest wish But Varney step forward
this gentleman will inform your Grace of the cause why the lady« he could not
force his rebellious tongue to utter the words his wife »cannot attend on
your royal presence«
Varney advanced and pleaded with readiness what indeed he firmly believed
the absolute incapacity of the party for neither did he dare in Leicesters
presence term her his wife to wait on her Grace
»Here« said he »are attestations from a most learned physician whose
skill and honour are well known to my good Lord of Leicester and from an honest
and devout Protestant a man of credit and substance one Anthony Foster the
gentleman in whose house she is at present bestowed that she now labours under
an illness which altogether unfits her for such a journey as betwixt this Castle
and the neighbourhood of Oxford«
»This alters the matter« said the Queen taking the certificates in her
hand and glancing at their contents »Let Tressilian come forward Master
Tressilian we have much sympathy for your situation the rather that you seem
to have set your heart deeply on this Amy Robsart or Varney Our power thanks
to God and the willing obedience of a loving people is worth much but there
are some things which it cannot compass We cannot for example command the
affections of a giddy young girl or make her love sense and learning better
than a courtiers fine doublet and we cannot control sickness with which it
seems this lady is afflicted who may not by reason of such infirmity attend
our court here as we had required her to do Here are the testimonials of the
physician who hath her under his charge and the gentleman in whose house she
resides so setting forth«
»Under your Majestys favour« said Tressilian hastily and in his alarm
for the consequence of the imposition practised on the Queen forgetting in
part at least his own promise to Amy »these certificates speak not the truth«
»How sir« said the Queen »Impeach my Lord of Leicesters veracity But
you shall have a fair hearing In our presence the meanest of our subjects shall
be heard against the proudest and the least known against the most favoured
therefore you shall be heard fairly but beware you speak not without a warrant
Take these certificates in your own hand look at them carefully and say
manfully if you impugn the truth of them and upon what evidence«
As the Queen spoke his promise and all its consequences rushed on the mind
of the unfortunate Tressilian and while it controlled his natural inclination
to pronounce that a falsehood which he knew from the evidence of his senses to
be untrue gave an indecision and irresolution to his appearance and utterance
which made strongly against him in the mind of Elizabeth as well as of all who
beheld him He turned the papers over and over as if he had been an idiot
incapable of comprehending their contents The Queens impatience began to
become visible »You are a scholar sir« she said »and of some note as I
have heard yet you seem wondrous slow in reading text hand How say you are
these certificates true or no«
»Madam« said Tressilian with obvious embarrassment and hesitation anxious
to avoid admitting evidence which he might afterwards have reason to confute
yet equally desirous to keep his word to Amy and to give her as he had
promised space to plead her own cause in her own way »Madam Madam your
Grace calls on me to admit evidence which ought to be proved valid by those who
found their defence upon them«
»Why Tressilian thou art critical as well as poetical« said the Queen
bending on him a brow of displeasure »methinks these writings being produced
in the presence of the noble Earl to whom this Castle pertains and his honour
being appealed to as the guarantee of their authenticity might be evidence
enough for thee But since thou lists to be so formal Varney or rather my
Lord of Leicester for the affair becomes yours« these words though spoken at
random thrilled through the Earls marrow and bones »what evidence have you
as touching these certificates«
Varney hastened to reply preventing Leicester »So please your Majesty
my young Lord of Oxford who is here in presence knows Master Anthony Fosters
hand and his character«
The Earl of Oxford a young unthrift whom Foster had more than once
accommodated with loans on usurious interest acknowledged on this appeal that
he knew him as a wealthy and independent franklin supposed to be worth much
money and verified the certificate produced to be his handwriting
»And who speaks to the Doctors certificate« said the Queen »Alasco
methinks is his name«
Masters her Majestys physician not the less willingly that he remembered
his repulse from Says Court and thought that his present testimony might
gratify Leicester and mortify the Earl of Sussex and his faction acknowledged
he had more than once consulted with Doctor Alasco and spoke of him as a man of
extraordinary learning and hidden acquirements though not altogether in the
regular course of practice The Earl of Huntingdon Lord Leicesters
brotherinlaw and the old Countess of Rutland next sang his praises and both
remembered the thin beautiful Italian hand in which he was wont to write his
recipes and which corresponded to the certificate produced as his
»And now I trust Master Tressilian this matter is ended« said the Queen
»We will do something ere the night is older to reconcile old Sir Hugh Robsart
to the match You have done your duty something more than boldly but we were no
woman had we not compassion for the wounds which true love deals so we forgive
your audacity and your uncleansed boots withal which have wellnigh
overpowered my Lord of Leicesters perfumes«
So spoke Elizabeth whose nicety of scent was one of the characteristics of
her organisation as appeared long afterwards when she expelled Essex from her
presence on a charge against his boots similar to that which she now expressed
against those of Tressilian
But Tressilian had by this time collected himself astonished as he had at
first been by the audacity of the falsehood so feasibly supported and placed in
array against the evidence of his own eyes He rushed forward kneeled down and
caught the Queen by the skirt of the robe »As you are Christian woman« he
said »madam as you are crowned Queen to do equal justice among your subjects
as you hope yourself to have fair hearing which God grant you at that last
bar at which we must all plead grant me one small request Decide not this
matter so hastily Give me but twentyfour hours interval and I will at the
end of that brief space produce evidence which will show to demonstration that
these certificates which state this unhappy lady to be now ill at ease in
Oxfordshire are false as hell«
»Let go my train sir« said Elizabeth who was startled at his vehemence
though she had too much of the lion in her to fear »the fellow must be
distraught that witty knave my godson Harrington must have him into his
rhymes of Orlando Furioso And yet by this light there is something strange
in the vehemence of his demand Speak Tressilian what wilt thou do if at
the end of these fourandtwenty hours thou canst not confute a fact so
solemnly proved as this ladys illness«
»I will lay down my head on the block« answered Tressilian
»Pshaw« replied the Queen »Gods light thou speakst like a fool What
head falls in England but by just sentence of English law I ask thee man
if thou hast sense to understand me wilt thou if thou shall fail in this
improbable attempt of thine render me a good and sufficient reason why thou
dost undertake it«
Tressilian paused and again hesitated because he felt convinced that if
within the interval demanded Amy should become reconciled to her husband he
would in that case do her the worst offices by again ripping up the whole
circumstances before Elizabeth and showing how that wise and jealous princess
had been imposed upon by false testimonials The consciousness of this dilemma
renewed his extreme embarrassment of look voice and manner he hesitated
looked down and on the Queen repeating her question with a stern voice and
flashing eye he admitted with faltering words »That it might be he could not
positively that is in certain events explain the reasons and grounds on
which he acted«
»Now by the soul of King Henry« said the Queen »this is either moonstruck
madness or very knavery Seest thou Raleigh thy friend is far too Pindaric
for this presence Have him away and make us quit of him or it shall be the
worse for him for his flights are too unbridled for any place but Parnassus or
Saint Lukes Hospital But come back instantly thyself when he is placed under
fitting restraint We wish we had seen the beauty which could make such havoc
in a wise mans brain«
Tressilian was again endeavouring to address the Queen when Raleigh in
obedience to the orders he had received interfered and with Blounts
assistance half led half forced him out of the presence chamber where he
himself indeed began to think his appearance did his cause more harm than good
When they had attained the antechamber Raleigh entreated Blount to see
Tressilian safely conducted into the apartments allotted to the Earl of Sussexs
followers and if necessary recommended that a guard should be mounted on him
»This extravagant passion« he said »and as it would seem the news of the
ladys illness has utterly wrecked his excellent judgment But it will pass
away if he be kept quiet Only let him break forth again at no rate for he is
already far in her Highnesss displeasure and should she be again provoked she
will find for him a worse place of confinement and sterner keepers«
»I judged as much as that he was mad« said Nicholas Blount looking down
upon his own crimson stockings and yellow roses »whenever I saw him wearing
yonder damned boots which stunk so in her nostrils I will but see him
stowed and be back with you presently But Walter did the Queen ask who I
was methought she glanced an eye at me«
»Twenty twenty eyeglances she sent and I told her all how thou wert a
brave soldier and a But for Gods sake get off Tressilian«
»I will I will« said Blount »but methinks this courthaunting is no such
bad pastime after all We shall rise by it Walter my brave lad Thou saidst I
was a good soldier and a What besides dearest Walter«
»An all unutterable codshead For Gods sake begone«
Tressilian without farther resistance or expostulation followed or rather
suffered himself to be conducted by Blount to Raleighs lodging where he was
formally installed into a small trucklebed placed in a wardrobe and designed
for a domestic He saw but too plainly that no remonstrances would avail to
procure the help or sympathy of his friends until the lapse of the time for
which he had pledged himself to remain inactive should enable him either to
explain the whole circumstances to them or remove from him every pretext or
desire of farther interference with the fortunes of Amy by her having found
means to place herself in a state of reconciliation with her husband
With great difficulty and only by the most patient and mild remonstrances
with Blount he escaped the disgrace and mortification of having two of Sussexs
stoutest yeomen quartered in his apartment At last however when Nicholas had
seen him fairly deposited in his trucklebed and had bestowed one or two hearty
kicks and as hearty curses on the boots which in his lately acquired spirit
of foppery he considered as a strong symptom if not the cause of his friends
malady he contented himself with the modified measure of locking the door on
the unfortunate Tressilian whose gallant and disinterested efforts to save a
female who had treated him with ingratitude thus terminated for the present in
the displeasure of his Sovereign and the conviction of his friends that he was
little better than a madman
Chapter ThirtySecond
The wisest Sovereigns err like private men
And royal hand has sometimes laid the sword
Of chivalry upon a worthless shoulder
Which better had been branded by the hangman
What then Kings do their best and they and we
Must answer for the intent and not the event
Old Play
»It is a melancholy matter« said the Queen when Tressilian was withdrawn »to
see a wise and learned mans wit thus pitifully unsettled Yet this public
display of his imperfection of brain plainly shows us that his supposed injury
and accusation were fruitless and therefore my lord of Leicester we remember
your suit formerly made to us in behalf of your faithful servant Varney whose
good gifts and fidelity as they are useful to you ought to have due reward
from us knowing well that your lordship and all you have are so earnestly
devoted to our service And we render Varney the honour more especially that we
are a guest and we fear a chargeable and troublesome one under your lordships
roof and also for the satisfaction of the good old Knight of Devon Sir Hugh
Robsart whose daughter he hath married and we trust the especial mark of grace
which we are about to confer may reconcile him to his soninlaw Your sword
my Lord of Leicester«
The Earl unbuckled his sword and taking it by the point presented on
bending knee the hilt to Elizabeth
She took it slowly drew it from the scabbard and while the ladies who
stood around turned away their eyes with real or affected shuddering she noted
with a curious eye the high polish and rich damasked ornaments upon the
glittering blade
»Had I been a man« she said »methinks none of my ancestors would have
loved a good sword better As it is with me I like to look on one and could
like the fairy of whom I have read in some Italian rhymes were my godson
Harrington here he could tell me the passage22 even trim my hair and arrange
my headgear in such a steel mirror as this is Richard Varney come forth
and kneel down In the name of God and Saint George we dub thee knight Be
Faithful Brave and Fortunate Arise Sir Richard Varney«
Varney arose and retired making a deep obeisance to the Sovereign who had
done him so much honour
»The buckling of the spur and what other rites remain« said the Queen
»may be finished tomorrow in the chapel for we intend Sir Richard Varney a
companion in his honours And as we must not be partial in conferring such
distinction we mean on this matter to confer with our cousin of Sussex«
That noble Earl who since his arrival at Kenilworth and indeed since the
commencement of this Progress had found himself in a subordinate situation to
Leicester was now wearing a heavy cloud on his brow a circumstance which had
not escaped the Queen who hoped to appease his discontent and to follow out
her system of balancing policy by a mark of peculiar favour the more gratifying
as it was tendered at a moment when his rivals triumph appeared to be complete
At the summons of Queen Elizabeth Sussex hastily approached her person and
being asked on which of his followers being a gentleman and of merit he would
wish the honour of knighthood to be conferred he answered with more sincerity
than policy that he would have ventured to speak for Tressilian to whom he
conceived he owed his own life and who was a distinguished soldier and scholar
besides a man of unstained lineage »only« he said »he feared the events of
that night« And then he stopped
»I am glad your lordship is thus considerate« said Elizabeth »the events
of this night would make us in the eyes of our subjects as mad as this poor
brainsick gentleman himself for we ascribe his conduct to no malice should
we choose this moment to do him grace«
»In that case« said the Earl of Sussex somewhat discountenanced »your
Majesty will allow me to name my master of the horse Master Nicholas Blount a
gentleman of fair estate and ancient name who has served your Majesty both in
Scotland and Ireland and brought away bloody marks on his person all
honourably taken and requited«
The Queen could not help shrugging her shoulders slightly even at this
second suggestion and the Duchess of Rutland who read in the Queens manner
that she had expected Sussex would have named Raleigh and thus would have
enabled her to gratify her own wish while she honoured his recommendation only
waited the Queens assent to what he had proposed and then said that she
hoped since these two high nobles had been each permitted to suggest a
candidate for the honours of chivalry she in behalf of the ladies in presence
might have a similar indulgence
»I were no woman to refuse you such a boon« said the Queen smiling
»Then« pursued the Duchess »in the name of these fair ladies present I
request your Majesty to confer the rank of knighthood on Walter Raleigh whose
birth deeds of arms and promptitude to serve our sex with sword or pen
deserve such distinction from us all«
»Gramercy fair ladies« said Elizabeth smiling »your boon is granted and
the gentle squire LackCloak shall become the good knight LackCloak at your
desire Let the two aspirants for the honour of chivalry step forward«
Blount was not as yet returned from seeing Tressilian as he conceived
safely disposed of but Raleigh came forth and kneeling down received at the
hand of the Virgin Queen that title of honour which was never conferred on a
more distinguished or more illustrious object
Shortly afterwards Nicholas Blount entered and hastily apprised by Sussex
who met him at the door of the hall of the Queens gracious purpose regarding
him he was desired to advance towards the throne It is a sight sometimes seen
and it is both ludicrous and pitiable when an honest man of plain common sense
is surprised by the coquetry of a pretty woman or any other cause into those
frivolous fopperies which only sit well upon the youthful the gay and those to
whom long practice has rendered them a second nature Poor Blount was in this
situation His head was already giddy from a consciousness of unusual finery
and the supposed necessity of suiting his manners to the gaiety of his dress
and now this sudden view of promotion altogether completed the conquest of the
newly inhaled spirit of foppery over his natural disposition and converted a
plain honest awkward man into a coxcomb of a new and most ridiculous kind
The knightexpectant advanced up the hall the whole length of which he had
unfortunately to traverse turning out his toes with so much zeal that he
presented his leg at every step with its broad side foremost so that he greatly
resembled an oldfashioned tableknife with a curved point when seen sideways
The rest of his gait was in proportion to this unhappy amble and the implied
mixture of bashful fear and selfsatisfaction was so unutterably ridiculous
that Leicesters friends did not suppress a titter in which many of Sussexs
partisans were unable to resist joining though ready to eat their nails with
mortification Sussex himself lost all patience and could not forbear
whispering into the ear of his friend »Curse thee canst thou not walk like a
man and a soldier« an interjection which only made honest Blount start and
stop until a glance at his yellow roses and crimson stockings restored his
selfconfidence when on he went at the same pace as before
The Queen conferred on poor Blount the honour of knighthood with a marked
sense of reluctance That wise Princess was fully aware of the propriety of
using great circumspection and economy in bestowing those titles of honour
which the Stewarts who succeeded to her throne distributed with an imprudent
liberality which greatly diminished their value Blount had no sooner arisen
and retired than she turned to the Duchess of Rutland »Our woman wit« she
said »dear Rutland is sharper than that of those proud things in doublet and
hose Seest thou out of these three knights thine is the only true metal to
stamp chivalrys imprint upon«
»Sir Richard Varney surely the friend of my Lord of Leicester surely he
has merit« replied the Duchess
»Varney has a sly countenance and a smooth tongue« replied the Queen »I
fear me he will prove a knave but the promise was of ancient standing My Lord
of Sussex must have lost his own wits I think to recommend to us first a
madman like Tressilian and then a clownish fool like this other fellow I
protest Rutland that while he sat on his knees before me mopping and mowing
as if he had scalding porridge in his mouth I had much ado to forbear cutting
him over the pate instead of striking his shoulder«
»Your Majesty gave him a smart accolade« said the Duchess »we who stood
behind heard the blade clatter on his collarbone and the poor man fidgeted too
as if he felt it«
»I could not help it wench« said the Queen laughing »but we will have
this same Sir Nicholas sent to Ireland or Scotland or somewhere to rid our
court of so antic a chevalier he may be a good soldier in the field though a
preposterous ass in a banqueting hall«
The discourse became then more general and soon after there was a summons
to the banquet
In order to obey this signal the company were under the necessity of
crossing the inner court of the Castle that they might reach the new buildings
containing the large banqueting room in which preparations for supper were made
upon a scale of profuse magnificence corresponding to the occasion
The livery cupboards were loaded with plate of the richest description and
the most varied some articles tasteful some perhaps grotesque in the
invention and decoration but all gorgeously magnificent both from the richness
of the work and value of the materials Thus the chief table was adorned by a
salt shipfashion made of mother of pearl garnished with silver and divers
warlike ensigns and other ornaments anchors sails and sixteen pieces of
ordnance It bore a figure of Fortune placed on a globe with a flag in her
hand Another salt was fashioned of silver in form of a swan in full sail That
chivalry might not be omitted amid this splendour a silver Saint George was
presented mounted and equipped in the usual fashion in which he bestrides the
dragon The figures were moulded to be in some sort useful The horses tail was
managed to hold a case of knives while the breast of the dragon presented a
similar accommodation for oyster knives
In the course of the passage from the hall of reception to the banqueting
room and especially in the courtyard the newmade knights were assailed by the
heralds pursuivants minstrels etc with the usual cry of Largesse largesse
chevaliers très hardis an ancient invocation intended to awaken the bounty of
the acolytes of chivalry towards those whose business it was to register their
armorial bearings and celebrate the deeds by which they were illustrated The
call was of course liberally and courteously answered by those to whom it was
addressed Varney gave his largesse with an affectation of complaisance and
humility Raleigh bestowed his with the graceful ease peculiar to one who has
attained his own place and is familiar with its dignity Honest Blount gave
what his tailor had left him of his halfyears rent dropping some pieces in
his hurry then stooping down to look for them and then distributing them
amongst the various claimants with the anxious face and mien of the parish
beadle dividing a dole among paupers
These donations were accepted with the usual clamour and vivats of applause
common on such occasions but as the parties gratified were chiefly dependants
of Lord Leicester it was Varney whose name was repeated with the loudest
acclamations Lambourne especially distinguished himself by his vociferations
of »Long life to Sir Richard Varney Health and honour to Sir Richard Never
was a more worthy knight dubbed« then suddenly sinking his voice he added
»since the valiant Sir Pandarus of Troy« a windingup of his clamorous
applause which set all men alaughing who were within hearing of it
It is unnecessary to say anything farther of the festivities of the evening
which were so brilliant in themselves and received with such obvious and
willing satisfaction by the Queen that Leicester retired to his own apartment
with all the giddy raptures of successful ambition Varney who had changed his
splendid attire and now waited on his patron in a very modest and plain
undress attended to do the honours of the Earls coucher
»How Sir Richard« said Leicester smiling »your new rank scarce suits the
humility of this attendance«
»I would disown that rank my lord« said Varney »could I think it was to
remove me to a distance from your lordships person«
»Thou art a grateful fellow« said Leicester »but I must not allow you to
do what would abate you in the opinion of others«
While thus speaking he still accepted without hesitation the offices about
his person which the newmade knight seemed to render as eagerly as if he had
really felt in discharging the task that pleasure which his words expressed
»I am not afraid of mens misconstruction« he said in answer to
Leicesters remark »since there is not permit me to undo the collar a man
within the Castle who does not expect very soon to see persons of a rank far
superior to that which by your goodness I now hold rendering the duties of
the bedchamber to you and accounting it an honour«
»It might indeed so have been« said the Earl with an involuntary sigh
and then presently added »My gown Varney I will look out on the night Is
not the moon near to the full«
»I think so my lord according to the calendar« answered Varney
There was an abutting window which opened on a small projecting balcony of
stone battlemented as is usual in Gothic castles The Earl undid the lattice
and stepped out into the open air The station he had chosen commanded an
extensive view of the lake and woodlands beyond where the bright moonlight
rested on the clear blue waters and the distant masses of oak and elm trees
The moon rode high in the heavens attended by thousands and thousands of
inferior luminaries All seemed already to be hushed in the nether world
excepting occasionally the voice of the watch for the yeomen of the guard
performed that duty wherever the Queen was present in person and the distant
baying of the hounds disturbed by the preparations amongst the grooms and
prickers for a magnificent hunt which was to be the amusement of the next day
Leicester looked out on the blue arch of heaven with gestures and a
countenance expressive of anxious exultation while Varney who remained within
the darkened apartment could himself unnoticed with a secret satisfaction
see his patron stretch his hands with earnest gesticulation towards the heavenly
bodies
»Ye distant orbs of living fire« so ran the muttered invocation of the
ambitious Earl »ye are silent while you wheel your mystic rounds but Wisdom
has given to you a voice Tell me then to what end is my high course destined
Shall the greatness to which I have aspired be bright preeminent and stable
as your own or am I but doomed to draw a brief and glittering train along the
nightly darkness and then to sink down to earth like the base refuse of those
artificial fires with which men emulate your rays«
He looked on the heavens in profound silence for a minute or two longer and
then again stepped into the apartment where Varney seemed to have been engaged
in putting the Earls jewels into a casket
»What said Alasco of my horoscope« demanded Leicester »You already told
me but it has escaped me for I think but lightly of that art«
»Many learned and great men have thought otherwise« said Varney »and not
to flatter your lordship my own opinion leans that way«
»Ay Saul among the prophets« said Leicester »I thought thou wert
sceptical in all such matters as thou couldst neither see hear smell taste
or touch and that thy belief was limited by thy senses«
»Perhaps my Lord« said Varney »I may be misled on the present occasion by
my wish to find the predictions of astrology true Alasco says that your
favourite planet is culminating and that the adverse influence he would not
use a plainer term though not overcome was evidently combust I think he
said or retrograde«
»It is even so« said Leicester looking at an abstract of astrological
calculations which he had in his hand »the stronger influence will prevail
and as I think the evil hour pass away Lend me your hand Sir Richard to
doff my gown and remain an instant if it is not too burdensome to your
knighthood while I compose myself to sleep I believe the bustle of this day
has fevered my blood for it streams through my veins like a current of molten
lead remain an instant I pray you I would fain feel my eyes heavy ere I
closed them«
Varney officiously assisted his lord to bed and placed a massive silver
nightlamp with a short sword on a marble table which stood close by the head
of the couch Either in order to avoid the light of the lamp or to hide his
countenance from Varney Leicester drew the curtain heavy with entwined silk
and gold so as completely to shade his face Varney took a seat near the bed
but with his back towards his master as if to intimate that he was not watching
him and quietly waited till Leicester himself led the way to the topic by which
his mind was engrossed
»And so Varney« said the Earl after waiting in vain till his dependant
should commence the conversation »men talk of the Queens favour towards me«
»Ay my good lord« said Varney »of what can they else since it is so
strongly manifested«
»She is indeed my good and gracious mistress« said Leicester after another
pause »but it is written Put not thy trust in Princes«
»A good sentence and a true« said Varney »unless you can unite their
interest with yours so absolutely that they must needs sit on your wrist like
hooded hawks«
»I know what thou meanest« said Leicester impatiently »though thou art
tonight so prudentially careful of what thou sayest to me Thou wouldst
intimate I might marry the Queen if I would«
»It is your speech my lord not mine« answered Varney »but whose soever
be the speech it is the thought of ninetynine out of an hundred men throughout
broad England«
»Ay but« said Leicester turning himself in his bed »the hundredth man
knows better Thou for example knowest the obstacle that cannot be
overleaped«
»It must my lord if the stars speak true« said Varney composedly
»What talkst thou of them« said Leicester »that believest not in them or
in aught else«
»You mistake my lord under your gracious pardon« said Varney »I believe
in many things that predict the future I believe if showers fall in April
that we shall have flowers in May that if the sun shines grain will ripen and
I believe in much natural philosophy to the same effect which if the stars
swear to me I will say the stars speak the truth And in like manner I will
not disbelieve that which I see wished for and expected on earth solely because
the astrologers have read it in the heavens«
»Thou art right« said Leicester again tossing himself on his couch
»Earth does wish for it I have had advices from the reformed churches of
Germany from the Low Countries from Switzerland urging this as a point on
which Europes safety depends France will not oppose it The ruling party in
Scotland look to it as their best security Spain fears it but cannot prevent
it and yet thou knowest it is impossible«
»I know not that my lord« said Varney »the Countess is indisposed«
»Villain« said Leicester starting up on his couch and seizing the sword
which lay on the table beside him »go thy thoughts that way thou wouldst not
do murder«
»For whom or what do you hold me my lord« said Varney assuming the
superiority of an innocent man subjected to unjust suspicion »I said nothing to
deserve such a horrid imputation as your violence infers I said but that the
Countess was ill And Countess though she be lovely and beloved as she is
surely your lordship must hold her to be mortal She may die and your
lordships hand become once more your own«
»Away away« said Leicester »let me have no more of this«
»Goodnight my lord« said Varney seeming to understand this as a command
to depart but Leicesters voice interrupted his purpose
»Thou scapest me not thus Sir Fool« said he »I think thy knighthood has
addled thy brains Confess thou hast talked of impossibilities as of things
which may come to pass«
»My lord long live your fair Countess« said Varney »but neither your love
nor my good wishes can make her immortal But God grant she live long to be
happy herself and to render you so I see not but you may be King of England
notwithstanding«
»Nay now Varney thou art stark mad« said Leicester
»I would I were myself within the same nearness to a good estate of
freehold« said Varney »Have we not known in other countries how a lefthanded
marriage might subsist betwixt persons of differing degree ay and be no
hindrance to prevent the husband from conjoining himself afterwards with a more
suitable partner«
»I have heard of such things in Germany« said Leicester
»Ay and the most learned doctors in foreign universities justify the
practice from the Old Testament« said Varney »And after all where is the
harm The beautiful partner whom you have chosen for true love has your secret
hours of relaxation and affection Her fame is safe her conscience may slumber
securely You have wealth to provide royally for your issue should heaven
bless you with offspring Meanwhile you may give to Elizabeth ten times the
leisure and ten thousand times the affection that ever Don Philip of Spain
spared to her sister Mary yet you know how she doated on him though so cold and
neglectful It requires but a close mouth and an open brow and you keep your
Eleanor and your fair Rosamond far enough separate Leave me to build you a
bower to which no jealous Queen shall find a clue«
Leicester was silent for a moment then sighed and said »It is impossible
Goodnight Sir Richard Varney yet stay Can you guess what meant
Tressilian by showing himself in such careless guise before the Queen today
to strike her tender heart I should guess with all the sympathies due to a
lover abandoned by his mistress and abandoning himself«
Varney smothering a sneering laugh answered »He believed Master
Tressilian had no such matter in his head«
»How« said Leicester »what meanst thou There is ever knavery in that
laugh of thine Varney«
»I only meant my lord« said Varney »that Tressilian has taken the sure
way to avoid heart He hath had a companion a female companion a mistress
a sort of players wife or sister as I believe with him in Mervyns Bower
where I quartered him for certain reasons of my own«
»A mistress meanst thou a paramour«
»Ay my lord what female else waits for hours in a gentlemans chamber«
»By my faith time and space fitting this were a good tale to tell« said
Leicester »I ever distrusted those bookish hypocritical seemingvirtuous
scholars Well Master Tressilian makes somewhat familiar with my house if I
look it over he is indebted to it for certain recollections I would not harm
him more than I can help Keep eye on him however Varney«
»I lodged him for that reason« said Varney »in Mervyns Tower where he is
under the eye of my very vigilant if he were not also my very drunken servant
Michael Lambourne whom I have told your Grace of«
»Grace« said Leicester »what meanst thou by that epithet«
»It came unawares my lord and yet it sounds so very natural that I cannot
recall it«
»It is thine own preferment that hath turned thy brain« said Leicester
laughing »new honours are as heady as new wine«
»May your lordship soon have cause to say so from experience« said Varney
and wishing his patron goodnight he withdrew23
Chapter ThirtyThird
Here stands the victim there the proud betrayer
Een as the hind pulld down by strangling dogs
Lies at the hunters feet who courteous proffers
To some high dame the Dian of the chase
To whom he looks for guerdon his sharp blade
To gash the sobbing throat
The Woodsman
We are now to return to Mervyns Bower the apartment or rather the prison of
the unfortunate Countess of Leicester who for some time kept within bounds her
uncertainty and her impatience She was aware that in the tumult of the day
there might be some delay ere her letter could be safely conveyed to the hands
of Leicester and that some time more might elapse ere he could extricate
himself from the necessary attendance on Elizabeth to come and visit her in her
secret bower »I will not expect him« she said »till night he cannot be
absent from his royal guest even to see me He will I know come earlier if
it be possible but I will not expect him before night« And yet all the while
she did expect him and while she tried to argue herself into a contrary
belief each hasty noise of the hundred which she heard sounded like the
hurried step of Leicester on the staircase hasting to fold her in his arms
The fatigue of body which Amy had lately undergone with the agitation of
mind natural to so cruel a state of uncertainty began by degrees strongly to
affect her nerves and she almost feared her total inability to maintain the
necessary selfcommand through the scenes which might lie before her But
although spoiled by an overindulgent system of education Amy had naturally a
mind of great power united with a frame which her share in her fathers
woodland exercises had rendered uncommonly healthy She summoned to her aid such
mental and bodily resources and not unconscious how much the issue of her fate
might depend on her own selfpossession she prayed internally for strength of
body and for mental fortitude and resolved at the same time to yield to no
nervous impulse which might weaken either
Yet when the great bell of the Castle which was placed in Cæsars Tower at
no great distance from that called Mervyns began to send its pealing clamour
abroad in signal of the arrival of the royal procession the din was so
painfully acute to ears rendered nervously sensitive by anxiety that she could
hardly forbear shrieking with anguish in answer to every stunning clash of the
relentless peal
Shortly afterwards when the small apartment was at once enlightened by the
shower of artificial fires with which the air was suddenly filled and which
crossed each other like fiery spirits each bent on his own separate mission or
like salamanders executing a frolic dance in the region of the sylphs the
Countess felt at first as if each rocket shot close by her eyes and discharged
its sparks and flashes so nigh that she could feel a sense of the heat But she
struggled against these fantastic terrors and compelled herself to arise stand
by the window look out and gaze upon a sight which at another time would have
appeared to her at once captivating and fearful The magnificent towers of the
Castle were enveloped in garlands of artificial fire or shrouded with tiaras of
pale smoke The surface of the lake glowed like molten iron while many
fireworks then thought extremely wonderful though now common whose flame
continued to exist in the opposing element dived and rose hissed and roared
and spouted fire like so many dragons of enchantment sporting upon a burning
lake
Even Amy was for a moment interested by what was to her so new a scene »I
had thought it magical art« she said »but poor Tressilian taught me to judge
of such things as they are Great God and may not these idle splendours
resemble my own hoped for happiness a single spark which is instantly
swallowed up by surrounding darkness a precarious glow which rises but for a
brief space into the air that its fall may be the lower Oh Leicester after
all all that thou hast said hast sworn that Amy was thy love thy life
can it be that thou art the magician at whose nod these enchantments arise and
that she sees them as an outcast if not a captive«
The sustained prolonged and repeated bursts of music from so many
different quarters and at so many varying points of distance which sounded as
if not the Castle of Kenilworth only but the whole country around had been at
once the scene of solemnising some high national festival carried the same
oppressive thought still closer to her heart while some notes would melt in
distant and falling tones as if in compassion for her sorrows and some burst
close and near upon her as if mocking her misery with all the insolence of
unlimited mirth »Those sounds« she said »are mine mine because they are
HIS but I cannot say Be still these loud strains suit me not and the
voice of the meanest peasant that mingles in the dance would have more power to
modulate the music than the command of her who is mistress of all«
By degrees the sounds of revelry died away and the Countess withdrew from
the window at which she had sate listening to them It was night but the moon
afforded considerable light in the room so that Amy was able to make the
arrangement which she judged necessary There was hope that Leicester might come
to her apartment as soon as the revel in the Castle had subsided but there was
also risk she might be disturbed by some unauthorised intruder She had lost
confidence in the key since Tressilian had entered so easily though the door
was locked on the inside yet all the additional security she could think of
was to place the table across the door that she might be warned by the noise
should any one attempt to enter Having taken these necessary precautions the
unfortunate lady withdrew to her couch stretched herself down on it mused in
anxious expectation and counted more than one hour after midnight till
exhausted nature proved too strong for love for grief for fear nay even for
uncertainty and she slept
Yes she slept The Indian sleeps at the stake in the intervals between his
tortures and mental torments in like manner exhaust by long continuance the
sensibility of the sufferer so that an interval of lethargic repose must
necessarily ensue ere the pangs which they inflict can again be renewed
The Countess slept then for several hours and dreamed that she was in the
ancient house at Cumnor Place listening for the low whistle with which
Leicester often used to announce his presence in the courtyard when arriving
suddenly on one of his stolen visits But on this occasion instead of a
whistle she heard the peculiar blast of a buglehorn such as her father used
to wind on the fall of the stag and which huntsmen then called a mort She ran
as she thought to a window that looked into the courtyard which she saw filled
with men in mourning garments The old Curate seemed about to read the funeral
service Mumblazen tricked out in an antique dress like an ancient herald
held aloft a scutcheon with its usual decorations of skulls crossbones and
hourglasses surrounding a coatofarms of which she could only distinguish
that it was surmounted with an Earls coronet The old man looked at her with a
ghastly smile and said »Amy are they not rightly quartered« Just as he
spoke the horns again poured on her ear the melancholy yet wild strain of the
mort or deathnote and she awoke
The Countess awoke to hear a real buglenote or rather the combined breath
of many bugles sounding not the mort but the jolly réveillée to remind the
inmates of the Castle of Kenilworth that the pleasures of the day were to
commence with a magnificent staghunting in the neighbouring Chase Amy started
up from her couch listened to the sound saw the first beams of the summer
morning already twinkle through the lattice of her window and recollected with
feelings of giddy agony where she was and how circumstanced
»He thinks not of me« she said »he will not come nigh me A Queen is his
guest and what cares he in what corner of his huge Castle a wretch like me
pines in doubt which is fast fading into despair« At once a sound at the door
as of some one attempting to open it softly filled her with an ineffable
mixture of joy and fear and hastening to remove the obstacle she had placed
against the door and to unlock it she had the precaution to ask »Is it thou
my love«
»Yes my Countess« murmured a whisper in reply
She threw open the door and exclaiming »Leicester« flung her arms around
the neck of the man who stood without muffled in his cloak
»No not quite Leicester« answered Michael Lambourne for he it was
returning the caress with vehemence »not quite Leicester my lovely and most
loving duchess but as good a man«
With an exertion of force of which she would at another time have thought
herself incapable the Countess freed herself from the profane and profaning
grasp of the drunken debauchee and retreated into the midst of her apartment
where despair gave her courage to make a stand
As Lambourne on entering dropped the lap of his cloak from his face she
knew Varneys profligate servant the very last person excepting his detested
master by whom she would have wished to be discovered But she was still
closely muffled in her travelling dress and as Lambourne had scarce ever been
admitted to her presence at Cumnor Place her person she hoped might not be so
well known to him as his was to her owing to Janets pointing him frequently
out as he crossed the court and telling stories of his wickedness She might
have had still greater confidence in her disguise had her experience enabled
her to discover that he was much intoxicated but this could scarce have
consoled her for the risk which she might incur from such a character in such
a time place and circumstances
Lambourne flung the door behind him as he entered and folding his arms as
if in mockery of the attitude of distraction into which Amy had thrown herself
he proceeded thus »Hark ye most fair Callipolis or most lovely Countess of
clouts and divine Duchess of dark corners if thou takest all that trouble of
skewering thyself together like a trussed fowl that there may be more pleasure
in the carving even save thyself the labour I love thy first frank manner the
best like thy present as little« he made a step towards her and staggered
»as little as such a damned uneven floor as this where a gentleman may
break his neck if he does not walk as upright as a posture master on the
tightrope«
»Stand back« said the Countess »do not approach nearer to me on thy
peril«
»My peril and stand back Why how now madam Must you have a better
mate than honest Mike Lambourne I have been in America girl where the gold
grows and have brought off such a load ont«
»Good friend« said the Countess in great terror at the ruffians
determined and audacious manner »I prithee begone and leave me«
»And so I will pretty one when we are tired of each others company not
a jot sooner« He seized her by the arm while incapable of farther defence
she uttered shriek upon shriek »Nay scream away if you like it« said he
still holding her fast »I have heard the sea at the loudest and I mind a
squalling woman no more than a miauling kitten Damn me I have heard fifty
or a hundred screaming at once when there was a town stormed«
The cries of the Countess however brought unexpected aid in the person of
Lawrence Staples who had heard her exclamations from his apartment below and
entered in good time to save her from being discovered if not from more
atrocious violence Lawrence was drunk also from the debauch of the preceding
night but fortunately his intoxication had taken a different turn from that of
Lambourne
»What the devils noise is this in the ward« he said »What man and woman
together in the same cell that is against rule I will have decency under my
rule by Saint Peter of the Fetters«
»Get thee down stairs thou drunken beast« said Lambourne » seest thou not
the lady and I would be private«
»Good sir worthy sir« said the Countess addressing the jailor »do but
save me from him for the sake of mercy«
»She speaks fairly« said the jailor »and I will take her part I love my
prisoners and I have had as good prisoners under my key as they have had in
Newgate or the Compter And so being one of my lambkins as I say no one shall
disturb her in her penfold So let go the woman or Ill knock your brains out
with my keys«
»Ill make a bloodpudding of thy midriff first« answered Lambourne laying
his left hand on his dagger but still detaining the Countess by the arm with
his right »So have at thee thou old ostrich whose only living is upon a
bunch of iron keys«
Lawrence raised the arm of Michael and prevented him from drawing his
dagger and as Lambourne struggled and strove to shake him off the Countess
made a sudden exertion on her side and slipping her hand out of the glove on
which the ruffian still kept hold she gained her liberty and escaping from the
apartment ran down stairs while at the same moment she heard the two
combatants fall on the floor with a noise which increased her terror The outer
wicket offered no impediment to her flight having been opened for Lambournes
admittance so that she succeeded in escaping down the stair and fled into the
Pleasance which seemed to her hasty glance the direction in which she was most
likely to avoid pursuit
Meanwhile Lawrence and Lambourne rolled on the floor of the apartment
closely grappled together Neither had happily opportunity to draw their
daggers but Lawrence found space enough to dash his heavy keys across Michaels
face and Michael in return grasped the turnkey so felly by the throat that
the blood gushed from nose and mouth so that they were both gory and filthy
spectacles when one of the other officers of the household attracted by the
noise of the fray entered the room and with some difficulty effected the
separation of the combatants
»A murrain on you both« said the charitable mediator »and especially on
you Master Lambourne What the fiend lie you here for fighting on the floor
like two butchers curs in the kennel of the shambles«
Lambourne arose and somewhat sobered by the interposition of a third party
looked with something less than his usual brazen impudence of visage »We fought
for a wench an thou must know« was his reply
»A wench Where is she« said the officer
»Why vanished I think« said Lambourne looking around him »unless
Lawrence hath swallowed her That filthy paunch of his devours as many
distressed damsels and oppressed orphans as eer a giant in King Arthurs
history they are his prime food he worries them body soul and substance«
»Ay ay Its no matter« said Lawrence gathering up his huge ungainly form
from the floor »but I have had your betters Master Michael Lambourne under
the little turn of my forefinger and thumb and I shall have thee before alls
done under my hatches The impudence of thy brow will not always save thy
shinbones from iron and thy foul thirsty gullet from a hempen cord« The
words were no sooner out of his mouth than Lambourne again made at him
»Nay go not to it again« said the sever »or I will call for him shall
tame you both and that is Master Varney Sir Richard I mean he is stirring
I promise you I saw him cross the court just now«
»Didst thou by G« said Lambourne seizing on the basin and ewer which
stood in the apartment »nay then element do thy work I thought I had
enough of thee last night when I floated about for Orion like a cork on a
fermenting cask of ale«
So saying he fell to work to cleanse from his face and hands the signs of
the fray and get his apparel into some order
»What hast thou done to him« said the sewer speaking aside to the jailor
»his face is fearfully swelled«
»It is but the imprint of the key of my cabinet too good a mark for his
gallowsface No man shall abuse or insult my prisoners they are my jewels and
I lock them in safe casket accordingly And so mistress leave off your
wailing Hey why surely there was a woman here«
»I think you are all mad this morning« said the sewer »I saw no woman
here nor no man neither in a proper sense but only two beasts rolling on the
floor«
»Nay then I am undone« said the jailor » the prisons broken that is
all Kenilworth prison is broken« he continued in a tone of maudlin
lamentation »which was the strongest jail betwixt this and the Welsh marches
ay and a house that has had knights and earls and kings sleeping in it as
secure as if they had been in the Tower of London It is broken the prisoners
fled and the jailor in much danger of being hanged«
So saying he retreated down to his own den to conclude his lamentations
or to sleep himself sober Lambourne and the sewer followed him close and it
was well for them since the jailor out of mere habit was about to lock the
wicket after him and had they not been within the reach of interfering they
would have had the pleasure of being shut up in the turretchamber from which
the Countess had been just delivered
That unhappy lady as soon as she found herself at liberty fled as we have
already mentioned into the Pleasance She had seen this richly ornamented space
of ground from the window of Mervyns Tower and it occurred to her at the
moment of her escape that among its numerous arbours bowers fountains
statues and grottoes she might find some recess in which she could lie
concealed until she had an opportunity of addressing herself to a protector to
whom she might communicate as much as she dared of her forlorn situation and
through whose means she might supplicate an interview with her husband
»If I could see my guide« she thought »I would learn if he had delivered
my letter Even did I but see Tressilian it were better to risk Dudleys anger
by confiding my whole situation to one who is the very soul of honour than to
run the hazard of farther insult among the insolent menials of this illruled
place I will not again venture into an enclosed apartment I will wait I will
watch amidst so many human beings there must be some kind heart which can
judge and compassionate what mine endures«
In truth more than one party entered and traversed the Pleasance But they
were in joyous groups of four or five persons together laughing and jesting in
their own fulness of mirth and lightness of heart
The retreat which she had chosen gave her the easy alternative of avoiding
observation It was but stepping back to the farthest recess of a grotto
ornamented with rustic work and mossseats and terminated by a fountain and
she might easily remain concealed or at her pleasure discover herself to any
solitary wanderer whose curiosity might lead him to that romantic retirement
Anticipating such an opportunity she looked into the clear basin which the
silent fountain held up to her like a mirror and felt shocked at her own
appearance and doubtful at the same time muffled and disfigured as her
disguise made her seem to herself whether any female and it was from the
compassion of her own sex that she chiefly expected sympathy would engage in
conference with so suspicious an object Reasoning thus like a woman to whom
external appearance is scarcely in any circumstances a matter of unimportance
and like a beauty who had some confidence in the power of her own charms she
laid aside her travelling cloak and capotaine hat and placed them beside her
so that she could assume them in an instant ere one could penetrate from the
entrance of the grotto to its extremity in case the intrusion of Varney or of
Lambourne should render such disguise necessary The dress which she wore under
these vestments was somewhat of a theatrical cast so as to suit the assumed
personage of one of the females who was to act in the pageant Wayland had found
the means of arranging it thus upon the second day of their journey having
experienced the service arising from the assumption of such a character on the
preceding day The fountain acting both as a mirror and ewer afforded Amy the
means of a brief toilette of which she availed herself as hastily as possible
then took in her hand her small casket of jewels in case she might find them
useful intercessors and retiring to the darkest and most sequestered nook sat
down on a seat of moss and awaited till fate should give her some chance of
rescue or of propitiating an intercessor
Chapter ThirtyFourth
Have you not seen the partridge quake
Viewing the hawk approaching nigh
She cuddles close beneath the brake
Afraid to sit afraid to fly
Prior
It chanced upon that memorable morning that one of the earliest of the huntress
train who appeared from her chamber in full array for the Chase was the
Princess for whom all these pleasures were instituted Englands Maiden Queen
I know not if it were by chance or out of the befitting courtesy due to a
mistress by whom he was so much honoured that she had scarcely made one step
beyond the threshold of her chamber ere Leicester was by her side and proposed
to her until the preparations for the Chase had been completed to view the
Pleasance and the gardens which it connected with the Castleyard
To this new scene of pleasures they walked the Earls arm affording his
Sovereign the occasional support which she required where flights of steps
then a favourite ornament in a garden conducted them from terrace to terrace
and from parterre to parterre The ladies in attendance gifted with prudence
or endowed perhaps with the amiable desire of acting as they would be done by
did not conceive their duty to the Queens person required them though they lost
not sight of her to approach so near as to share or perhaps disturb the
conversation betwixt the Queen and the Earl who was not only her host but also
her most trusted esteemed and favoured servant They contented themselves with
admiring the grace of this illustrious couple whose robes of state were now
exchanged for hunting suits almost equally magnificent
Elizabeths silvan dress which was of a pale blue silk with silver lace
and aiguillettes approached in form to that of the ancient amazons and was
therefore well suited at once to her height and to the dignity of her mien
which her conscious rank and long habits of authority had rendered in some
degree too masculine to be seen to the best advantage in ordinary female weeds
Leicesters huntingsuit of Lincolngreen richly embroidered with gold and
crossed by the gay baldric which sustained a buglehorn and a woodknife
instead of a sword became its master as did his other vestments of court or of
war For such were the perfections of his form and mien that Leicester was
always supposed to be seen to the greatest advantage in the character and dress
which for the time he represented or wore
The conversation of Elizabeth and the favourite Earl has not reached us in
detail But those who watched at some distance and the eyes of courtiers and
court ladies are right sharp were of opinion that on no occasion did the
dignity of Elizabeth in gesture and motion seem so decidedly to soften away
into a mien expressive of indecision and tenderness Her step was not only slow
but even unequal a thing most unwonted in her carriage her looks seemed bent
on the ground and there was a timid disposition to withdraw from her companion
which external gesture in females often indicates exactly the opposite tendency
in the secret mind The Duchess of Rutland who ventured nearest was even heard
to aver that she discerned a tear in Elizabeths eye and a blush on the cheek
and still farther »She bent her looks on the ground to avoid mine« said the
Duchess »she who in her ordinary mood could look down a lion« To what
conclusion these symptoms led is sufficiently evident nor were they probably
entirely groundless The progress of private conversation betwixt two persons
of different sexes is often decisive of their fate and gives it a turn very
different perhaps from what they themselves anticipated Gallantry becomes
mingled with conversation and affection and passion come gradually to mix with
gallantry Nobles as well as shepherd swains will in such a trying moment
say more than they intended and Queens like village maidens will listen
longer than they should
Horses in the meanwhile neighed and champed the bits with impatience in the
basecourt hounds yelled in their couples and yeomen rangers and prickers
lamented the exhaling of the dew which would prevent the scent from lying But
Leicester had another chase in view or to speak more justly towards him had
become engaged in it without premeditation as the highspirited hunter which
follows the cry of the hounds that have crossed his path by accident The Queen
an accomplished and handsome woman the pride of England the hope of France
and Holland and the dread of Spain had probably listened with more than usual
favour to that mixture of romantic gallantry with which she always loved to be
addressed and the Earl had in vanity in ambition or in both thrown in more
and more of that delicious ingredient until his importunity became the language
of love itself
»No Dudley« said Elizabeth yet it was with broken accents »No I must
be the mother of my people Other ties that make the lowly maiden happy are
denied to her Sovereign No Leicester urge it no more Were I as others
free to seek my own happiness then indeed but it cannot cannot be
Delay the chase delay it for halfanhour and leave me my lord«
»How leave you madam« said Leicester »Has my madness offended you«
»No Leicester not so« answered the Queen hastily »but it is madness and
must not be repeated Go but go not far from hence and meantime let no one
intrude on my privacy«
While she spoke thus Dudley bowed deeply and retired with a slow and
melancholy air The Queen stood gazing after him and murmured to herself
»Were it possible were it but possible but no no Elizabeth must be the
wife and mother of England alone«
As she spoke thus and in order to avoid some one whose step she heard
approaching the Queen turned into the grotto in which her hapless and vet but
too successful rival lay concealed
The mind of Englands Elizabeth if somewhat shaken by the agitating
interview to which she had just put a period was of that firm and decided
character which soon recovers its natural tone It was like one of those ancient
druidical monuments called Rockingstones The finger of Cupid boy as he is
painted could put her feelings in motion but the power of Hercules could not
have destroyed their equilibrium As she advanced with a slow pace towards the
inmost extremity of the grotto her countenance ere she had proceeded half the
length had recovered its dignity of look and her mien its air of command
It was then the Queen became aware that a female figure was placed beside
or rather partly behind an alabaster column at the foot of which arose the
pellucid fountain which occupied the inmost recess of the twilight grotto The
classical mind of Elizabeth suggested the story of Numa and Egeria and she
doubted not that some Italian sculptor had here represented the Naiad whose
inspirations gave laws to Rome As she advanced she became doubtful whether she
beheld a statue or a form of flesh and blood The unfortunate Amy indeed
remained motionless betwixt the desire which she had to make her condition
known to one of her own sex and her awe for the stately form which approached
her and which though her eyes had never before beheld her fears instantly
suspected to be the personage she really was Amy had arisen from her seat with
the purpose of addressing the lady who entered the grotto alone and as she at
first thought so opportunely But when she recollected the alarm which
Leicester had expressed at the Queens knowing aught of their union and became
more and more satisfied that the person whom she now beheld was Elizabeth
herself she stood with one foot advanced and one withdrawn her arms head and
hands perfectly motionless and her cheek as pallid as the alabaster pedestal
against which she leaned Her dress was of pale seagreen silk little
distinguished in that imperfect light and somewhat resembled the drapery of a
Grecian Nymph such an antique disguise having been thought the most secure
where so many masquers and revellers were assembled so that the Queens doubt
of her being a living form was well justified by all contingent circumstances
as well as by the bloodless cheek and fixed eye
Elizabeth remained in doubt even after she had approached within a few
paces whether she did not gaze on a statue so cunningly fashioned that by the
doubtful light it could not be distinguished from reality She stopped
therefore and fixed upon this interesting object her princely look with so much
keenness that the astonishment which had kept Amy immovable gave way to awe
and she gradually cast down her eyes and drooped her head under the commanding
gaze of the Sovereign Still however she remained in all respects saving this
slow and profound inclination of the head motionless and silent
From her dress and the casket which she instinctively held in her hand
Elizabeth naturally conjectured that the beautiful but mute figure which she
beheld was a performer in one of the various theatrical pageants which had been
placed in different situations to surprise her with their homage and that the
poor player overcome with awe at her presence had either forgot the part
assigned her or lacked courage to go through it It was natural and courteous
to give her some encouragement and Elizabeth accordingly said in a tone of
condescending kindness »How now fair Nymph of this lovely grotto art thou
spellbound and struck with dumbness by the wicked enchanter whom men term Fear
We are his sworn enemy maiden and can reverse his charm Speak we command
thee«
Instead of answering her by speech the unfortunate Countess dropped on her
knee before the Queen let her casket fall from her hand and clasping her palms
together looked up in the Queens face with such a mixed agony of fear and
supplication that Elizabeth was considerably affected
»What may this mean« she said »this is a stronger passion than befits the
occasion Stand up damsel what wouldst thou have with us«
»Your protection madam« faltered forth the unhappy petitioner
»Each daughter of England has it while she is worthy of it« replied the
Queen »but your distress seems to have a deeper root than a forgotten task
Why and in what do you crave our protection«
Amy hastily endeavoured to recall what she were best to say which might
secure herself from the imminent dangers that surrounded her without
endangering her husband and plunging from one thought to another amidst the
chaos which filled her mind she could at length in answer to the Queens
repeated inquiries in what she sought protection only falter out »Alas I know
not«
»This is folly maiden« said Elizabeth impatiently for there was
something in the extreme confusion of the suppliant which irritated her
curiosity as well as interested her feelings »The sick man must tell his
malady to the physician nor are WE accustomed to ask questions so oft without
receiving an answer«
»I request I implore« stammered forth the unfortunate Countess »I
beseech your gracious protection against against one Varney« She choked
wellnigh as she uttered the fatal word which was instantly caught up by the
Queen
»What Varney Sir Richard Varney the servant of Lord Leicester What
damsel are you to him or he to you«
»I I was his prisoner and he practised on my life and I broke forth
to to«
»To throw thyself on my protection doubtless« said Elizabeth »Thou shalt
have it that is if thou art worthy for we will sift this matter to the
uttermost Thou art« she said bending on the Countess an eye which seemed
designed to pierce her very inmost soul »Thou art Amy daughter of Sir Hugh
Robsart of Lidcote Hall«
»Forgive me forgive me most gracious princess« said Amy dropping once
more on her knee from which she had arisen
»For what should I forgive thee silly wench« said Elizabeth »for being
the daughter of thine own father Thou art brainsick surely Well I see I
must wring the story from thee by inches Thou didst deceive thine old and
honoured father thy look confesses it cheated Master Tressilian thy blush
avouches it and married this same Varney«
Amy sprung on her feet and interrupted the Queen eagerly with »No madam
no as there is a God above us I am not the sordid wretch you would make me I
am not the wife of that contemptible slave of that most deliberate villain I
am not the wife of Varney I would rather be the bride of Destruction«
The Queen overwhelmed in her turn by Amys vehemence stood silent for an
instant and then replied »Why God ha mercy woman I see thou canst talk
fast enough when the theme likes thee Nay tell me woman« she continued for
to the impulse of curiosity was now added that of an undefined jealousy that
some deception had been practised on her »tell me woman for by Gods day
I WILL know whose wife or whose paramour art thou Speak out and be speedy
Thou wert better dally with a lioness than with Elizabeth«
Urged to this extremity dragged as it were by irresistible force to the
verge of a precipice which she saw but could not avoid permitted not a
moments respite by the eager words and menacing gestures of the offended Queen
Amy at length uttered in despair »The Earl of Leicester knows it all«
»The Earl of Leicester« said Elizabeth in utter astonishment »The Earl
of Leicester« she repeated with kindling anger »Woman thou art set on to
this thou dost belie him he takes no keep of such things as thou art Thou
art suborned to slander the noblest lord and the truesthearted gentleman in
England But were he the right hand of our trust or something yet dearer to us
thou shalt have thy hearing and that in his presence Come with me come with
me instantly«
As Amy shrunk back with terror which the incensed Queen interpreted as that
of conscious guilt Elizabeth rapidly advanced seized on her arm and hastened
with swift and long steps out of the grotto and along the principal alley of
the Pleasance dragging with her the terrified Countess whom she still held by
the arm and whose utmost exertions could but just keep pace with those of the
indignant Queen
Leicester was at this moment the centre of a splendid group of lords and
ladies assembled together under an arcade or portico which closed the alley
The company had drawn together in that place to attend the commands of her
Majesty when the hunting party should go forward and their astonishment may be
imagined when instead of seeing Elizabeth advance towards them with her usual
measured dignity of motion they beheld her walking so rapidly that she was in
the midst of them ere they were aware and then observed with fear and
surprise that her features were flushed betwixt anger and agitation that her
hair was loosened by her haste of motion and that her eyes sparkled as they
were wont when the spirit of Henry VIII mounted highest in his daughter Nor
were they less astonished at the appearance of the pale attenuated half dead
yet still lovely female whom the Queen upheld by main strength with one hand
while with the other she waved aside the ladies and nobles who pressed towards
her under the idea that she was taken suddenly ill »Where is my Lord of
Leicester« she said in a tone that thrilled with astonishment all the
courtiers who stood around »Stand forth my Lord of Leicester«
If in the midst of the most serene day of summer when all is light and
laughing around a thunderbolt were to fall from the clear blue vault of heaven
and rend the earth at the very feet of some careless traveller he could not
gaze upon the smouldering chasm which so unexpectedly yawned before him with
half the astonishment and fear which Leicester felt at the sight that so
suddenly presented itself He had that instant been receiving with a political
affectation of disavowing and misunderstanding their meaning the half uttered
half intimated congratulations of the courtiers upon the favour of the Queen
carried apparently to its highest pitch during the interview of that morning
from which most of them seemed to augur that he might soon arise from their
equal in rank to become their master And now while the subdued yet proud smile
with which he disclaimed those inferences was yet curling his cheek the Queen
shot into the circle her passions excited to the uttermost and supporting
with one hand and apparently without an effort the pale and sinking form of
his almost expiring wife and pointing with the finger of the other to her
halfdead features demanded in a voice that sounded to the ear of the astounded
statesman like the last dread trumpetcall that is to summon body and spirit to
the judgmentseat »Knowest thou this woman«
As at the blast of that last trumpet the guilty shall call upon the
mountains to cover them Leicesters inward thoughts invoked the stately arch
which he had built in his pride to burst its strong conjunction and overwhelm
them in its ruins But the cemented stones architrave and battlement stood
fast and it was the proud master himself who as if some actual pressure had
bent him to the earth kneeled down before Elizabeth and prostrated his brow to
the marble flagstones on which she stood
»Leicester« said Elizabeth in a voice which trembled with passion »could
I think thou hast practised on me on me thy Sovereign on me thy confiding
thy too partial mistress the base and ungrateful deception which thy present
confusion surmises by all that is holy false lord that head of thine were in
as great peril as ever was thy fathers«
Leicester had not conscious innocence but he had pride to support him He
raised slowly his brow and features which were black and swoln with contending
emotions and only replied »My head cannot fall but by the sentence of my peers
to them I will plead and not to a princess who thus requites my faithful
service«
»What my lords« said Elizabeth looking around »we are defied I think
defied in the Castle we have ourselves bestowed on this proud man My Lord
Shrewsbury you are marshal of England attach him of high treason«
»Whom does your Grace mean« said Shrewsbury much surprised for he had
that instant joined the astonished circle
»Whom should I mean but that traitor Dudley Earl of Leicester Cousin of
Hunsdon order out your band of gentlemen pensioners and take him into instant
custody I say villain make haste«
Hunsdon a rough old noble who from his relationship to the Boleyns was
accustomed to use more freedom with the Queen than almost any other dared to do
replied bluntly »And it is like your Grace might order me to the Tower
tomorrow for making too much haste I do beseech you to be patient«
»Patient Gods life« exclaimed the Queen »name not the word to me thou
knowst not of what he is guilty«
Amy who had by this time in some degree recovered herself and who saw her
husband as she conceived in the utmost danger from the rage of an offended
Sovereign instantly and alas how many women have done the same forgot her
own wrongs and her own danger in her apprehensions for him and throwing
herself before the Queen embraced her knees while she exclaimed »He is
guiltless madam he is guiltless no one can lay aught to the charge of the
noble Leicester«
»Why minion« answered the Queen »didst not thou thyself say that the
Earl of Leicester was privy to thy whole history«
»Did I say so« repeated the unhappy Amy laying aside every consideration
of consistency and of selfinterest »Oh if I did I foully belied him May
God so judge me as I believe he was never privy to a thought that would harm
me«
»Woman« said Elizabeth »I will know who has moved thee to this or my
wrath and the wrath of kings is a flaming fire shall wither and consume thee
like a weed in the furnace«
As the Queen uttered this threat Leicesters better angel called his pride
to his aid and reproached him with the utter extremity of meanness which would
overwhelm him for ever if he stooped to take shelter under the generous
interposition of his wife and abandoned her in return for her kindness to the
resentment of the Queen He had already raised his head with the dignity of a
man of honour to avow his marriage and proclaim himself the protector of his
Countess when Varney born as it appeared to be his masters evil genius
rushed into the presence with every mark of disorder on his face and apparel
»What means this saucy intrusion« said Elizabeth
Varney with the air of a man overwhelmed with grief and confusion
prostrated himself before her feet exclaiming »Pardon my Liege pardon or
at least let your justice avenge itself on me where it is due but spare my
noble my generous my innocent patron and master«
Amy who was yet kneeling started up as she saw the man whom she deemed
most odious place himself so near her and was about to fly towards Leicester
when checked at once by the uncertainty and even timidity which his looks had
reassumed as soon as the appearance of his confidant seemed to open a new
scene she hung back and uttering a faint scream besought of her Majesty to
cause her to be imprisoned in the lowest dungeon of the Castle to deal with
her as the worst of criminals »But spare« she exclaimed »my sight and
hearing what will destroy the little judgment I have left the sight of that
unutterable and most shameless villain«
»And why sweetheart« said the Queen moved by a new impulse »what hath
he this false knight since such thou accountest him done to thee«
»Oh worse than sorrow madam and worse than injury he has sown
dissension where most there should be peace I shall go mad if I look longer on
him«
»Beshrew me but I think thou art distraught already« answered the Queen
»My Lord Hunsdon look to this poor distressed young woman and let her be
safely bestowed and in honest keeping till we require her to be forthcoming«
Two or three of the ladies in attendance either moved by compassion for a
creature so interesting or by some other motive offered their service to look
after her but the Queen briefly answered »Ladies under favour no You have
all give God thanks sharp ears and nimble tongues our kinsman Hunsdon has
ears of the dullest and a tongue somewhat rough but yet of the slowest
Hunsdon look to it that none have speech of her«
»By Our Lady« said Hunsdon taking in his strong sinewy arms the fading and
almost swooning form of Amy »she is a lovely child and though a rough nurse
your Grace hath given her a kind one She is safe with me as one of my own
ladybirds of daughters«
So saying he carried her off unresistingly and almost unconsciously his
warworn locks and long grey beard mingling with her lightbrown tresses as her
head reclined on his strong square shoulder The Queen followed him with her eye
she had already with that selfcommand which forms so necessary a part of a
Sovereigns accomplishments suppressed every appearance of agitation and
seemed as if she desired to banish all traces of her burst of passion from the
recollection of those who had witnessed it »My Lord of Hunsdon says well« she
observed »he is indeed but a rough nurse for so tender a babe«
»My Lord of Hunsdon« said the Dean of Saint Asaph »I speak it not in
defamation of his more noble qualities hath a broad license in speech and
garnishes his discourse somewhat too freely with the cruel and superstitious
oaths which savour both of profaneness and of old papistrie«
»If is the fault of his blood Mr Dean« said the Queen turning sharply
round upon the reverend dignitary as she spoke »and you may blame mine for the
same distemperature The Boleyns were ever a hot and plainspoken race more
hasty to speak their mind than careful to choose their expressions And by my
word I hope there is no sin in that affirmation I question if it were much
cooled by mixing with that of Tudor«
As she made this last observation she smiled graciously and stole her eyes
almost insensibly round to seek those of the Earl of Leicester to whom she now
began to think she had spoken with hasty harshness upon the unfounded suspicion
of a moment
The Queens eye found the Earl in no mood to accept the implied offer of
conciliation His own looks had followed with late and rueful repentance the
faded form which Hunsdon had just borne from the presence they now reposed
gloomily on the ground but more so at least it seemed to Elizabeth with the
expression of one who has received an unjust affront than of him who is
conscious of guilt She turned her face angrily from him and said to Varney
»Speak Sir Richard and explain these riddles thou hast sense and the use of
speech at least which elsewhere we look for in vain«
As she said this she darted another resentful glance towards Leicester
while the wily Varney hastened to tell his own story
»Your Majestys piercing eye« he said »has already detected the cruel
malady of my beloved lady which unhappy that I am I would not suffer to be
expressed in the certificate of her physician seeking to conceal what has now
broken out with so much the more scandal«
»She is then distraught« said the Queen »indeed we doubted not of it
her whole demeanour bears it out I found her moping in a corner of yonder
grotto and every word she spoke which indeed I dragged from her as by the
rack she instantly recalled and forswore But how came she hither Why had you
her not in safekeeping«
»My gracious Liege« said Varney »the worthy gentleman under whose charge I
left her Master Anthony Foster has come hither but now as fast as man and
horse can travel to show me of her escape which she managed with the art
peculiar to many who are afflicted with this malady He is at hand for
examination«
»Let it be for another time« said the Queen »But Sir Richard we envy you
not your domestic felicity your lady railed on you bitterly and seemed ready
to swoon at beholding you«
»It is the nature of persons in her disorder so please your Grace«
answered Varney »to be ever most inveterate in their spleen against those whom
in their better moments they hold nearest and dearest«
»We have heard so indeed« said Elizabeth »and give faith to the saying«
»May your Grace then be pleased« said Varney »to command my unfortunate
wife to be delivered into the custody of her friends«
Leicester partly started but making a strong effort he subdued his
emotion while Elizabeth answered sharply »You are something too hasty Master
Varney we will have first a report of the ladys health and state of mind from
Masters our own physician and then determine what shall be thought just You
shall have license however to see her that if there be any matrimonial
quarrel betwixt you such things we have heard do occur even betwixt a loving
couple you may make it up without farther scandal to our court or trouble to
ourselves«
Varney bowed low and made no other answer
Elizabeth again looked towards Leicester and said with a degree of
condescension which could only arise out of the most heartfelt interest
»Discord as the Italian poet says will find her way into peaceful convents as
well as into the privacy of families and we fear our own guards and ushers will
hardly exclude her from courts My Lord of Leicester you are offended with us
and we have right to be offended with you We will take the lions part upon us
and be the first to forgive«
Leicester smoothed his brow as if by an effort but the trouble was too
deepseated that its placidity should at once return He said however that
which fitted the occasion »that he could not have the happiness of forgiving
because she who commanded him to do so could commit no injury towards him«
Elizabeth seemed content with this reply and intimated her pleasure that
the sports of the morning should proceed The bugles sounded the hounds bayed
the horses pranced but the courtiers and ladies sought the amusements to
which they were summoned with hearts very different from those which had leaped
to the mornings réveil There was doubt and fear and expectation on every
brow and surmise and intrigue in every whisper
Blount took an opportunity to whisper into Raleighs ear »This storm came
like a levanter in the Mediterranean«
»Varium et mutabile« answered Raleigh in a similar tone
»Nay I know nought of your Latin« said Blount »but I thank God Tressilian
took not the sea during that hurricane He could scarce have missed shipwreck
knowing as he does so little how to trim his sails to a court gale«
»Thou wouldst have instructed him« said Raleigh
»Why I have profited by my time as well as thou Sir Walter« replied
honest Blount »I am knight as well as thou and of the earlier creation«
»Now God farther thy wit« said Raleigh »but for Tressilian I would I
knew what were the matter with him He told me this morning he would not leave
his chamber for the space of twelve hours or thereby being bound by a promise
This ladys madness when he shall learn it will not I fear cure his
infirmity The moon is at the fullest and mens brains are working like yeast
But hark they sound to mount Let us to horse Blount we young knights must
deserve our spurs«
Chapter ThirtyFifth
Sincerity
Thou first of virtues let no mortal leave
Thy onward path although the earth should gape
And from the gulf of hell destruction cry
To take dissimulations winding way
Douglas
It was not till after a long and successful mornings sport and a prolonged
repast which followed the return of the Queen to the Castle that Leicester at
length found himself alone with Varney from whom he now learned the whole
particulars of the Countesss escape as they had been brought to Kenilworth by
Foster who in his terror for the consequences had himself posted thither with
the tidings As Varney in his narrative took especial care to be silent
concerning those practices on the Countesss health which had driven her to so
desperate a resolution Leicester who could only suppose that she had adopted
it out of jealous impatience to attain the avowed state and appearance
belonging to her rank was not a little offended at the levity with which his
wife had broken his strict commands and exposed him to the resentment of
Elizabeth
»I have given« he said »to this daughter of an obscure Devonshire
gentleman the proudest name in England I have made her sharer of my bed and of
my fortunes I ask but of her a little patience ere she launches forth upon the
full current of her grandeur and the infatuated woman will rather hazard her
own shipwreck and mine will rather involve me in a thousand whirlpools shoals
and quicksands and compel me to a thousand devices which shame me in mine own
eyes than tarry for a little space longer in the obscurity to which she was
born So lovely so delicate so fond so faithful yet to lack in so grave a
matter the prudence which one might hope from the veriest fool it puts me
beyond my patience«
»We may post it over yet well enough« said Varney »if my lady will be but
ruled and take on her the character which the time commands«
»It is but too true Sir Richard« said Leicester »there is indeed no other
remedy I have heard her termed thy wife in my presence without contradiction
She must bear the title until she is far from Kenilworth«
»And long afterwards I trust« said Varney then instantly added »For I
cannot but hope it will be long after ere she bear the title of Lady Leicester
I fear me it may scarce be with safety during the life of this Queen But your
lordship is best judge you alone knowing what passages have taken place betwixt
Elizabeth and you«
»You are right Varney« said Leicester »I have this morning been both fool
and villain and when Elizabeth hears of my unhappy marriage she cannot but
think herself treated with that premeditated slight which women never forgive
We have once this day stood upon terms little short of defiance and to those I
fear we must again return«
»Is her resentment then so implacable« said Varney
»Far from it« replied the Earl »for being what she is in spirit and in
station she has even this day been but too condescending in giving me
opportunities to repair what she thinks my faulty heat of temper«
»Ay« answered Varney »the Italians say right in lovers quarrels the
party that loves most is always most willing to acknowledge the greater fault
So then my lord if this union with the lady could be concealed you stand with
Elizabeth as you did«
Leicester sighed and was silent for a moment ere he replied
»Varney I think thou art true to me and I will tell thee all I do not
stand where I did I have spoken to Elizabeth under what mad impulse I know
not on a theme which cannot be abandoned without touching every female feeling
to the quick and which yet I dare not and cannot prosecute She can never
never forgive me for having caused and witnessed those yieldings to human
passion«
»We must do something my lord« said Varney »and that speedily«
»There is nought to be done« answered Leicester despondingly »I am like
one that has long toiled up a dangerous precipice and when he is within one
perilous stride of the top finds his progress arrested when retreat has become
impossible I see above me the pinnacle which I cannot reach beneath me the
abyss into which I must fall as soon as my relaxing grasp and dizzy brain join
to hurl me from my present precarious stance«
»Think better of your situation my lord« said Varney »let us try the
experiment in which you have but now acquiesced Keep we your marriage from
Elizabeths knowledge and all may yet be well I will instantly go to the lady
myself She hates me because I have been earnest with your lordship as she
truly suspects in opposition to what she terms her rights I care not for her
prejudices She shall listen to me and I will show her such reasons for
yielding to the pressure of the times that I doubt not to bring back her
consent to whatever measures these exigencies may require«
»No Varney« said Leicester »I have thought upon what is to be done and I
will myself speak with Amy«
It was now Varneys turn to feel upon his own account the terrors which he
affected to participate solely on account of his patron »Your lordship will not
yourself speak with the lady«
»It is my fixed purpose« said Leicester »fetch me one of the livery
cloaks I will pass the sentinel as thy servant Thou art to have free access to
her«
»But my lord«
»I will have no buts« replied Leicester »it shall be even thus and not
otherwise Hunsdon sleeps I think in Saintlowes Tower We can go thither
from these apartments by the private passage without risk of meeting any one
Or what if I do meet Hunsdon he is more my friend than enemy and thickwitted
enough to adopt any belief that is thrust on him Fetch me the cloak instantly«
Varney had no alternative save obedience In a few minutes Leicester was
muffled in the mantle pulled his bonnet over his brows and followed Varney
along the secret passage of the Castle which communicated with Hunsdons
apartments in which there was scarce a chance of meeting any inquisitive
person and hardly light enough for any such to have satisfied their curiosity
They emerged at a door where Lord Hunsdon had with military precaution placed
a sentinel one of his own northern retainers as it fortuned who readily
admitted Sir Richard Varney and his attendant saying only in his northern
dialect »I would man thou couldst make the mad lady be still yonder for her
moans do sae dirl through my head that I would rather keep watch on a
snowdrift in the wastes of Catlowdie«
They hastily entered and shut the door behind them
»Now good devil if there be one« said Varney within himself »for once
help a votary at a dead pinch for my boat is among the breakers«
The Countess Amy with her hair and her garments dishevelled was seated
upon a sort of couch in an attitude of the deepest affliction out of which she
was startled by the opening of the door She turned hastily round and fixing
her eye on Varney exclaimed »Wretch art thou come to frame some new plan of
villany«
Leicester cut short her reproaches by stepping forward and dropping his
cloak while he said in a voice rather of authority than of affection »It is
with me madam you have to commune not with Sir Richard Varney«
The change effected on the Countesss look and manner was like magic
»Dudley« she exclaimed »Dudley and art thou come at last« And with the speed
of lightning she flew to her husband clung around his neck and unheeding the
presence of Varney overwhelmed him with caresses while she bathed his face in
a flood of tears muttering at the same time but in broken and disjointed
monosyllables the fondest expressions which love teaches his votaries
Leicester as it seemed to him had reason to be angry with his lady for
transgressing his commands and thus placing him in the perilous situation in
which he had that morning stood But what displeasure could keep its ground
before these testimonies of affection from a being so lovely that even the
negligence of dress and the withering effects of fear grief and fatigue
which would have impaired the beauty of others rendered hers but the more
interesting He received and repaid her caresses with fondness mingled with
melancholy the last of which she seemed scarcely to observe until the first
transport of her own joy was over when looking anxiously in his face she
asked if he was ill
»Not in my body Amy« was his answer
»Then I will be well too O Dudley I have been ill very ill since we
last met for I call not this mornings horrible vision a meeting I have been
in sickness in grief and in danger But thou art come and all is joy and
health and safety«
»Alas Amy« said Leicester »thou hast undone me«
»I my lord« said Amy her cheek at once losing its transient flush of joy
»how could I injure that which I love better than myself«
»I would not upbraid you Amy« replied the Earl »but are you not here
contrary to my express commands and does not your presence here endanger both
yourself and me«
»Does it does it indeed« she exclaimed eagerly »then why am I here a
moment longer Oh if you knew by what fears I was urged to quit Cumnor Place
But I will say nothing of myself only that if it might be otherwise I would
not willingly return thither yet if it concern your safety«
»We will think Amy of some other retreat« said Leicester »and you shall
go to one of my Northern Castles under the personage it will be but needful
I trust for a very few days of Varneys wife«
»How my Lord of Leicester« said the lady disengaging herself from his
embraces »is it to your wife you give the dishonourable counsel to acknowledge
herself the bride of another and of all men the bride of that Varney«
»Madam I speak it in earnest Varney is my true and faithful servant
trusted in my deepest secrets I had better lose my right hand than his service
at this moment You have no cause to scorn him as you do«
»I could assign one my lord« replied the Countess »and I see he shakes
even under that assured look of his But he that is necessary as your right hand
to your safety is free from any accusation of mine May he be true to you and
that he may be true trust him not too much or too far But it is enough to say
that I will not go with him unless by violence nor would I acknowledge him as
my husband were all«
»It is a temporary deception madam« said Leicester irritated by her
opposition »necessary for both our safeties endangered by you through female
caprice or the premature desire to seize on a rank to which I gave you title
only under condition that our marriage for a time should continue secret If
my proposal disgust you it is yourself has brought it on both of us There is
no other remedy you must do what your own impatient folly hath rendered
necessary I command you«
»I cannot put your commands my lord« said Amy »in balance with those of
honour and conscience I will NOT in this instance obey you You may achieve
your own dishonour to which these crooked policies naturally tend but I will
do nought that can blemish mine How could you again my lord acknowledge me as
a pure and chaste matron worthy to share your fortunes when holding that high
character I had strolled the country the acknowledged wife of such a profligate
fellow as your servant Varney«
»My lord« said Varney interposing »my lady is too much prejudiced against
me unhappily to listen to what I can offer yet it may please her better than
what she proposes She has good interest with Master Edmund Tressilian and
could doubtless prevail on him to consent to be her companion to Lidcote Hall
and there she might remain in safety until time permitted the development of
this mystery«
Leicester was silent but stood looking eagerly on Amy with eyes which
seemed suddenly to glow as much with suspicion as with pleasure
The Countess only said »Would to God I were in my fathers house When I
left it I little thought I was leaving peace of mind and honour behind me«
Varney proceeded with a tone of deliberation »Doubtless this will make it
necessary to take strangers into my lords counsels but surely the Countess
will be warrant for the honour of Master Tressilian and such of her fathers
family«
»Peace Varney« said Leicester »by Heaven I will strike my dagger into
thee if again thou namest Tressilian as a partner of my counsels«
»And wherefore not« said the Countess »unless they be counsels fitter for
such as Varney than for a man of stainless honour and integrity My lord my
lord bend no angry brows on me it is the truth and it is I who speak it I
once did Tressilian wrong for your sake I will not do him the farther
injustice of being silent when his honour is brought in question I can
forbear« she said looking at Varney »to pull the mask off hypocrisy but I
will not permit virtue to be slandered in my hearing«
There was a dead pause Leicester stood displeased yet undetermined and
too conscious of the weakness of his cause while Varney with a deep and
hypocritical affectation of sorrow mingled with humility bent his eyes on the
ground
It was then that the Countess Amy displayed in the midst of distress and
difficulty the natural energy of character which would have rendered her had
fate allowed a distinguished ornament of the rank which she held She walked up
to Leicester with a composed step a dignified air and looks in which strong
affection essayed in vain to shake the firmness of conscious truth and rectitude
of principle »You have spoke your mind my lord« she said »in these
difficulties with which unhappily I have found myself unable to comply This
gentleman this person I would say has hinted at another scheme to which I
object not but as it displeases you Will your lordship be pleased to hear what
a young and timid woman but your most affectionate wife can suggest in the
present extremity«
Leicester was silent but bent his head towards the Countess as an
intimation that she was at liberty to proceed
»There hath been but one cause for all these evils my lord« she proceeded
»and it resolves itself into the mysterious duplicity with which you have been
induced to surround yourself Extricate yourself at once my lord from the
tyranny of these disgraceful trammels Be like a true English gentleman knight
and earl who holds that truth is the foundation of honour and that honour is
dear to him as the breath of his nostrils Take your illfated wife by the hand
lead her to the footstool of Elizabeths throne Say that in a moment of
infatuation moved by supposed beauty of which none perhaps can now trace even
the remains I gave my hand to this Amy Robsart You will then have done
justice to me my lord and to your own honour and should law or power require
you to part from me I will oppose no objection since I may then with honour
hide a grieved and broken heart in those shades from which your love withdrew
me Then have but a little patience and Amys life will not long darken your
brighter prospects«
There was so much of dignity so much of tenderness in the Countesss
remonstrance that it moved all that was noble and generous in the soul of her
husband The scales seemed to fall from his eyes and the duplicity and
tergiversation of which he had been guilty stung him at once with remorse and
shame
»I am not worthy of you Amy« he said »that could weigh aught which
ambition has to give against such a heart as thine I have a bitter penance to
perform in disentangling before sneering foes and astounded friends all the
meshes of my own deceitful policy And the Queen but let her take my head
as she has threatened«
»Your head my lord« said the Countess »because you used the freedom and
liberty of an English subject in choosing a wife For shame it is this distrust
of the Queens justice this apprehension of danger which cannot but be
imaginary that like scarecrows have induced you to forsake the
straightforward path which as it is the best is also the safest«
»Ah Amy thou little knowest« said Dudley but instantly checking
himself he added »Yet she shall not find in me a safe or easy victim of
arbitrary vengeance I have friends I have allies I will not like
Norfolk be dragged to the block as a victim to sacrifice Fear not Amy thou
shalt see Dudley bear himself worthy of his name I must instantly communicate
with some of those friends on whom I can best rely for as things stand I may
be made prisoner in my own Castle«
»Oh my good lord« said Amy »make no faction in a peaceful state There is
no friend can help us so well as our own candid truth and honour Bring but
these to our assistance and you are safe amidst a whole army of the envious and
malignant Leave these behind you and all other defence will be fruitless
Truth my noble lord is well painted unarmed«
»But Wisdom Amy« answered Leicester »is arrayed in panoply of proof
Argue not with me on the means I shall use to render my confession since it
must be called so as safe as may be it will be fraught with enough of danger
do what we will Varney we must hence Farewell Amy whom I am to vindicate
as mine own at an expense and risk of which thou alone couldst be worthy You
shall soon hear farther from me«
He embraced her fervently muffled himself as before and accompanied Varney
from the apartment The latter as he left the room bowed low and as he
raised his body regarded Amy with a peculiar expression as if he desired to
know how far his own pardon was included in the reconciliation which had taken
place betwixt her and her lord The Countess looked upon him with a fixed eye
but seemed no more conscious of his presence than if there had been nothing but
vacant air on the spot where he stood
»She has brought me to the crisis« he muttered »She or I are lost
There was something I wot not if it was fear or pity that prompted me to
avoid this fatal crisis It is now decided She or I must perish«
While he thus spoke he observed with surprise that a boy repulsed by the
sentinel made up to Leicester and spoke with him Varney was one of those
politicians whom not the slightest appearances escape without inquiry He asked
the sentinel what the lad wanted with him and received for answer that the boy
had wished him to transmit a parcel to the mad lady but that he cared not to
take charge of it such communication being beyond his commission His curiosity
satisfied in that particular he approached his patron and heard him say
»Well boy the packet shall be delivered«
»Thanks good Master Servingman« said the boy and was out of sight in an
instant
Leicester and Varney returned with hasty steps to the Earls private
apartment by the same passage which had conducted them to Saintlowes Tower
Chapter ThirtySixth
I have said
This is an adulteress I have said with whom
More shes a traitor and Camillo is
A federary with her and one that knows
What she should shame to know herself
Winters Tale
They were no sooner in the Earls cabinet than taking his tablets from his
pocket he began to write speaking partly to Varney and partly to himself
»There are many of them close bounden to me and especially those in good estate
and high office many who if they look back towards my benefits or forward
towards the perils which may befall themselves will not I think be disposed
to see me stagger unsupported Let me see Knollis is sure and through his
means Guernsey and Jersey Horsey commands in the Isle of Wight My
brotherinlaw Huntingdon and Pembroke have authority in Wales Through
Bedford I lead the Puritans with their interest so powerful in all the
boroughs My brother of Warwick is equal wellnigh to myself in wealth
followers and dependencies Sir Owen Hopton is at my devotion he commands the
Tower of London and the national treasure deposited there My father and
grandfather needed never to have stooped their heads to the block had they thus
forecast their enterprises Why look you so sad Varney I tell thee a tree
so deep rooted is not easily to be torn up by the tempest«
»Alas my lord« said Varney with wellacted passion and then resumed the
same look of despondency which Leicester had before noted
»Alas« repeated Leicester »and wherefore alas Sir Richard Doth your new
spirit of chivalry supply no more vigorous ejaculation when a noble struggle is
impending Or if alas means thou wilt flinch from the conflict thou mayest
leave the Castle or go join mine enemies whichever thou thinkest best«
»Not so my lord« answered his confidant »Varney will be found fighting or
dying by your side Forgive me if in love to you I see more fully than your
noble heart permits you to do the inextricable difficulties with which you are
surrounded You are strong my lord and powerful yet let me say it without
offence you are so only by the reflected light of the Queens favour While you
are Elizabeths favourite you are all save in name like an actual sovereign
But let her call back the honours she has bestowed and the Prophets gourd did
not wither more suddenly Declare against the Queen and I do not say that in
the wide nation or in this province alone you would find yourself instantly
deserted and outnumbered but I will say that even in this very Castle and in
the midst of your vassals kinsmen and dependants you would be a captive nay
a sentenced captive should she please to say the word Think upon Norfolk my
lord upon the powerful Northumberland the splendid Westmoreland think on
all who have made head against this sage Princess They are dead captive or
fugitive This is not like other thrones which can be overturned by a
combination of powerful nobles the broad foundations which support it are in
the extended love and affections of the people You might share it with
Elizabeth if you would but neither yours nor any other power foreign or
domestic will avail to overthrow or even to shake it«
He paused and Leicester threw his tablets from him with an air of reckless
despite »It may be as thou sayest« he said »and in sooth I care not whether
truth or cowardice dictate thy forebodings But it shall not be said I fell
without a struggle Give orders that those of my retainers who served under
me in Ireland be gradually drawn into the main Keep and let our gentlemen and
friends stand on their guard and go armed as if they expected an onset from
the followers of Sussex Possess the townspeople with some apprehension let
them take arms and be ready at a given signal to overpower the Pensioners and
Yeomen of the Guard«
»Let me remind you my lord« said Varney with the same appearance of deep
and melancholy interest »that you have given me orders to prepare for disarming
the Queens guard It is an act of high treason but you shall nevertheless be
obeyed«
»I care not« said Leicester desperately »I care not Shame is behind
me Ruin before me I must on«
Here there was another pause which Varney at length broke with the
following words »It is come to the point I have long dreaded I must either
witness like an ungrateful beast the downfall of the best and kindest of
masters or I must speak what I would have buried in the deepest oblivion or
told by any other mouth than mine«
»What is that thou sayest or wouldst say« replied the Earl »we have no
time to waste on words when the times call us to action«
»My speech is soon made my lord would to God it were as soon answered
Your marriage is the sole cause of the threatened breach with your sovereign my
lord is it not«
»Thou knowest it is« replied Leicester »What needs so fruitless a
question«
»Pardon me my lord« said Varney »the use lies here Men will wager their
lands and lives in defence of a rich diamond my lord but were it not first
prudent to look if there is no flaw in it«
»What means this« said Leicester with eyes sternly fixed on his dependant
»of whom dost thou dare to speak«
»It is of the Countess Amy my lord of whom I am unhappily bound to
speak and of whom I will speak were your lordship to kill me for my zeal«
»Thou mayest happen to deserve it at my hand« said the Earl »but speak on
I will hear thee«
»Nay then my lord I will be bold I speak for my own life as well as for
your lordships I like not this ladys tampering and trickstering with this
same Edmund Tressilian You know him my lord You know he had formerly an
interest in her which it cost your lordship some pains to supersede You know
the eagerness with which he has pressed on the suit against me in behalf of this
lady the open object of which is to drive your lordship to an avowal of what I
must ever call your most unhappy marriage the point to which my lady also is
willing at any risk to urge you«
Leicester smiled constrainedly »Thou meanest well good Sir Richard and
wouldst I think sacrifice thine own honour as well as that of any other
person to save me from what thou thinkst a step so terrible But remember«
he spoke these words with the most stern decision »you speak of the Countess
of Leicester«
»I do my lord« said Varney »but it is for the welfare of the Earl of
Leicester My tale is but begun I do most strongly believe that this Tressilian
has from the beginning of his moving in her cause been in connivance with her
ladyship the Countess«
»Thou speakst wild madness Varney with the sober face of a preacher
Where or how could they communicate together«
»My lord« said Varney »unfortunately I can show that but too well It was
just before the supplication was presented to the Queen in Tressilians name
that I met him to my utter astonishment at the posterngate which leads from
the demesne at Cumnor Place«
»Thou metst him villain and why didst thou not strike him dead«
exclaimed Leicester
»I drew on him my lord and he on me and had not my foot slipped he would
not perhaps have been again a stumblingblock in your lordships path«
Leicester seemed struck dumb with surprise At length he answered »What
other evidence hast thou of this Varney save thine own assertion for as I
will punish deeply I will examine coolly and warily Sacred Heaven but no I
will examine coldly and warily coldly and warily« He repeated these words
more than once to himself as if in the very sound there was a sedative quality
and again compressing his lips as if he feared some violent expression might
escape from them he asked again »What farther proof«
»Enough my lord« said Varney »and to spare I would it rested with me
alone for with me it might have been silenced for ever But my servant Michael
Lambourne witnessed the whole and was indeed the means of first introducing
Tressilian into Cumnor Place and therefore I took him into my service and
retained him in it though something of a debauched fellow that I might have
his tongue always under my own command« He then acquainted Lord Leicester how
easy it was to prove the circumstance of their interview true by evidence of
Anthony Foster with the corroborative testimonies of the various persons at
Cumnor who had heard the wager laid and had seen Lambourne and Tressilian set
off together In the whole narrative Varney hazarded nothing fabulous
excepting that not indeed by direct assertion but by inference he led his
patron to suppose that the interview betwixt Amy and Tressilian at Cumnor Place
had been longer than the few minutes to which it was in reality limited
»And wherefore was I not told of all this« said Leicester sternly »Why
did all of ye and in particular thou Varney keep back from me such material
information«
»Because my lord« replied Varney »the Countess pretended to Foster and to
me that Tressilian had intruded himself upon her and I concluded their
interview had been in all honour and that she would at her own time tell it to
your lordship Your lordship knows with what unwilling ears we listen to evil
surmises against those whom we love and I thank Heaven I am no makebate or
informer to be the first to sow them«
»You are but too ready to receive them however Sir Richard« replied his
patron »How knowest thou that this interview was not in all honour as thou
hast said Methinks the wife of the Earl of Leicester might speak for a short
time with such a person as Tressilian without injury to me or suspicion to
herself«
»Questionless my lord« answered Varney »had I thought otherwise I had
been no keeper of the secret But here lies the rub Tressilian leaves not the
place without establishing a correspondence with a poor man the landlord of an
inn in Cumnor for the purpose of carrying off the lady He sent down an
emissary of his whom I trust soon to have in right sure keeping under Mervyns
Tower Killigrew and Lambsbey are scouring the country in quest of him The host
is rewarded with a ring for keeping counsel your lordship may have noted it on
Tressilians hand here it is This fellow this agent makes his way to the
Place as a pedlar holds conferences with the lady and they make their escape
together by night rob a poor fellow of a horse by the way such was their
guilty haste and at length reach this castle where the Countess of Leicester
finds refuge I dare not say in what place«
»Speak I command thee« said Leicester »speak while I retain sense enough
to hear thee«
»Since it must be so« answered Varney »the lady resorted immediately to
the apartment of Tressilian where she remained many hours partly in company
with him and partly alone I told you Tressilian had a paramour in his chamber
I little dreamed that paramour was«
»Amy thou wouldst say« answered Leicester »but it is false false as the
smoke of hell Ambitious she may be fickle and impatient tis a womans
fault but false to me never never The proof the proof of this« he
exclaimed hastily
»Carrol the Deputy Marshal ushered her thither by her own desire on
yesterday afternoon Lambourne and the Warder both found her there at an early
hour this morning«
»Was Tressilian there with her« said Leicester in the same hurried tone
»No my lord You may remember« answered Varney »that he was that night
placed with Sir Nicholas Blount under a species of arrest«
»Did Carrol or the other fellows know who she was« demanded Leicester
»No my lord« replied Varney »Carrol and the Warder had never seen the
Countess and Lambourne knew her not in her disguise but in seeking to prevent
her leaving the cell he obtained possession of one of her gloves which I
think your lordship may know«
He gave the glove which had the Bear and Ragged Staff the Earls impress
embroidered upon it in seed pearls
»I do I do recognise it« said Leicester »They were my own gift The
fellow of it was on the arm which she threw this very day around my neck« He
spoke this with violent agitation
»Your lordship« said Varney »might yet farther inquire of the lady
herself respecting the truth of these passages«
»It needs not it needs not« said the tortured Earl »it is written in
characters of burning light as if they were branded on my very eyeballs I see
her infamy I can see nought else and gracious Heaven for this vile woman
was I about to commit to danger the lives of so many noble friends shake the
foundation of a lawful throne carry the sword and torch through the bosom of a
peaceful land wrong the kind mistress who made me what I am and would but
for that hellframed marriage have made me all that man can be All this I was
ready to do for a woman who trinkets and traffics with my worst foes And
thou villain why didst thou not speak sooner«
»My lord« said Varney »a tear from my lady would have blotted out all I
could have said Besides I had not these proofs until this very morning when
Anthony Fosters sudden arrival with the examinations and declarations which
he had extorted from the innkeeper Gosling and others explained the manner of
her flight from Cumnor Place and my own researches discovered the steps which
she had taken here«
»Now may God be praised for the light he has given so full so
satisfactory that there breathes not a man in England who shall call my
proceeding rash or my revenge unjust And yet Varney so young so fair so
fawning and so false Hence then her hatred to thee my trusty my
wellbeloved servant because you withstood her plots and endangered her
paramours life«
»I never gave her any other cause of dislike my lord« replied Varney »but
she knew that my counsels went directly to diminish her influence with your
lordship and that I was and have been ever ready to peril my life against
your enemies«
»It is too too apparent« replied Leicester »yet with what an air of
magnanimity she exhorted me to commit my head to the Queens mercy rather than
wear the veil of falsehood a moment longer Methinks the angel of truth himself
can have no such tones of highsouled impulse Can it be so Varney Can
falsehood use thus boldly the language of truth Can infamy thus assume the
guise of purity Varney thou hast been my servant from a child I have
raised thee high can raise thee higher Think think for me Thy brain was
ever shrewd and piercing May she not be innocent Prove her so and all I have
yet done for thee shall be as nothing nothing in comparison of thy
recompense«
The agony with which his master spoke had some effect even on the hardened
Varney who in the midst of his own wicked and ambitious designs really loved
his patron as well as such a wretch was capable of loving anything but he
comforted himself and subdued his selfreproaches with the reflection that if
he inflicted upon the Earl some immediate and transitory pain it was in order
to pave his way to the throne which were this marriage dissolved by death or
otherwise he deemed Elizabeth would willingly share with his benefactor He
therefore persevered in his diabolical policy and after a moments
consideration answered the anxious queries of the Earl with a melancholy look
as if he had in vain sought some exculpation for the Countess then suddenly
raising his head he said with an expression of hope which instantly
communicated itself to the countenance of his patron »Yet wherefore if
guilty should she have perilled herself by coming hither Why not rather have
fled to her fathers or elsewhere though that indeed might have interfered
with her desire to be acknowledged as Countess of Leicester«
»True true true« exclaimed Leicester his transient gleam of hope giving
way to the utmost bitterness of feeling and expression »thou art not fit to
fathom a womans depth of wit Varney I see it all She would not quit the
estate and title of the wittol who had wedded her Ay and if in my madness I
had started into rebellion or if the angry Queen had taken my head as she this
morning threatened the wealthy dower which law would have assigned to the
Countess Dowager of Leicester had been no bad windfall to the beggarly
Tressilian Well might she goad me on to danger which could not end otherwise
than profitably to her Speak not for her Varney I will have her blood«
»My lord« replied Varney »the wildness of your distress breaks forth in
the wildness of your language«
»I say speak not for her« replied Leicester »she has dishonoured me she
would have murdered me all ties are burst between us She shall die the death
of a traitress and adulteress well merited both by the laws of God and man And
what is this casket« he said »which was even now thrust into my hand by a
boy with the desire I would convey it to Tressilian as he could not give it to
the Countess By Heaven the words surprised me as he spoke them though other
matters chased them from my brain but now they return with double force It
is her casket of jewels Force it open Varney force the hinges open with thy
poniard«
»She refused the aid of my dagger once« thought Varney as he unsheathed
the weapon to cut the string which bound a letter »but now it shall work a
mightier ministry in her fortunes«
With this reflection by using the threecornered stilettoblade as a wedge
he forced open the slender silver hinges of the casket The Earl no sooner saw
them give way than he snatched the casket from Sir Richards hand wrenched off
the cover and tearing out the splendid contents flung them on the floor in a
transport of rage while he eagerly searched for some letter or billet which
should make the fancied guilt of his innocent Countess yet more apparent Then
stamping furiously on the gems he exclaimed »Thus I annihilate the miserable
toys for which thou hast sold thyself body and soul consigned thyself to an
early and timeless death and me to misery and remorse for ever Tell me not
of forgiveness Varney She is doomed«
So saying he left the room and rushed into an adjacent closet the door of
which he locked and bolted
Varney looked after him while something of a more human feeling seemed to
contend with his habitual sneer »I am sorry for his weakness« he said »but
love has made him a child He throws down and treads on these costly toys with
the same vehemence would he dash to pieces this frailest toy of all of which he
used to rave so fondly But that taste also will be forgotten when its object is
no more Well he has no eye to value things as they deserve and that nature
has given to Varney When Leicester shall be a sovereign he will think as
little of the gales of passion through which he gained that royal port as ever
did sailor in harbour of the perils of a voyage But these telltale articles
must not remain here they are rather too rich vails for the drudges who dress
the chamber«
While Varney was employed in gathering together and putting them into a
secret drawer of a cabinet that chanced to be open he saw the door of
Leicesters closet open the tapestry pushed aside and the Earls face thrust
out but with eyes so dead and lips and cheeks so bloodless and pale that he
started at the sudden change No sooner did his eyes encounter the Earls than
the latter withdrew his head and shut the door of the closet This manoeuvre
Leicester repeated twice without speaking a word so that Varney began to doubt
whether his brain was not actually affected by his mental agony The third time
however he beckoned and Varney obeyed the signal When he entered he soon
found his patrons perturbation was not caused by insanity but by the fellness
of purpose which he entertained contending with various contrary passions They
passed a full hour in close consultation after which the Earl of Leicester
with an incredible exertion dressed himself and went to attend his royal
guest
Chapter ThirtySeventh
You have displaced the mirth broke the good meeting
With most admired disorder
Macbeth
It was afterwards remembered that during the banquets and revels which occupied
the remainder of this eventful day the bearing of Leicester and Varney was
totally different from their usual demeanour Sir Richard Varney had been held
rather a man of counsel and of action than a votary of pleasure Business
whether civil or military seemed always to be his proper sphere and while in
festivals and revels although he well understood how to trick them up and
present them his own part was that of a mere spectator or if he exercised his
wit it was in a rough caustic and severe manner rather as if he scoffed at
the exhibition and the guests than shared the common pleasure
But upon the present day his character seemed changed He mixed among the
younger courtiers and ladies and appeared for the moment to be actuated by a
spirit of lighthearted gaiety which rendered him a match for the liveliest
Those who had looked upon him as a man given up to graver and more ambitious
pursuits a bitter sneerer and passer of sarcasms at the expense of those who
taking life as they find it were disposed to snatch at each pastime it
presents now perceived with astonishment that his wit could carry as smooth an
edge as their own his laugh be as lively and his brow as unclouded By what
art of damnable hypocrisy he could draw this veil of gaiety over the black
thoughts of one of the worst of human bosoms must remain unintelligible to all
but his compeers if any such ever existed but he was a man of extraordinary
powers and those powers were unhappily dedicated in all their energy to the
very worst of purposes
It was entirely different with Leicester However habituated his mind
usually was to play the part of a good courtier and appear gay assiduous and
free from all care but that of enhancing the pleasure of the moment while his
bosom internally throbbed with the pangs of unsatisfied ambition jealousy or
resentment his heart had now a yet more dreadful guest whose workings could
not be overshadowed or suppressed and you might read in his vacant eye and
troubled brow that his thoughts were far absent from the scenes in which he was
compelling himself to play a part He looked moved and spoke as if by a
succession of continued efforts and it seemed as if his will had in some degree
lost the promptitude of command over the acute mind and goodly form of which it
was the regent His actions and gestures instead of appearing the consequence
of simple volition seemed like those of an automaton to wait the revolution
of some internal machinery ere they could be performed and his words fell from
him piecemeal interrupted as if he had first to think what he was to say then
how it was to be said and as if after all it was only by an effort of
continued attention that he completed a sentence without forgetting both the one
and the other
The singular effects which these distractions of mind produced upon the
behaviour and conversation of the most accomplished courtier of England as they
were visible to the lowest and dullest menial who approached his person could
not escape the notice of the most intelligent princess of the age Nor is there
the least doubt that the alternate negligence and irregularity of his manner
would have called down Elizabeths severe displeasure on the Earl of Leicester
had it not occurred to her to account for it by supposing that the apprehension
of that displeasure which she had expressed towards him with such vivacity that
very morning was dwelling upon the spirits of her favourite and spite of his
efforts to the contrary distracted the usual graceful tenor of his mien and
the charms of his conversation When this idea so flattering to female vanity
had once obtained possession of her mind it proved a full and satisfactory
apology for the numerous errors and mistakes of the Earl of Leicester and the
watchful circle around observed with astonishment that instead of resenting
his repeated negligence and want of even ordinary attention although these
were points on which she was usually extremely punctilious the Queen sought
on the contrary to afford him time and means to recollect himself and deigned
to assist him in doing so with an indulgence which seemed altogether
inconsistent with her usual character It was clear however that this could
not last much longer and that Elizabeth must finally put another and more
severe construction on Leicesters uncourteous conduct when the Earl was
summoned by Varney to speak with him in a different apartment
After having had the message twice delivered to him he rose and was about
to withdraw as it were by instinct then stopped and turning round entreated
permission of the Queen to absent himself for a brief space upon matters of
pressing importance
»Go my lord« said the Queen »we are aware our presence must occasion
sudden and unexpected occurrences which require to be provided for on the
instant Yet my lord as you would have us believe ourself your welcome and
honoured guest we entreat you to think less of our good cheer and favour us
with more of your good countenance than we have this day enjoyed for whether
prince or peasant be the guest the welcome of the host will always be the
better part of the entertainment Go my lord and we trust to see you return
with an unwrinkled brow and those free thoughts which you are wont to have at
the disposal of your friends«
Leicester only bowed low in answer to this rebuke and retired At the door
of the apartment he was met by Varney who eagerly drew him apart and whispered
in his ear »All is well«
»Has Masters seen her« said the Earl
»He has my lord and as she would neither answer his queries nor allege
any reason for her refusal he will give full testimony that she labours under a
mental disorder and may be best committed to the charge of her friends The
opportunity is therefore free to remove her as we proposed«
»But Tressilian« said Leicester
»He will not know of her departure for some time« replied Varney »it shall
take place this very evening and tomorrow he shall be cared for«
»No by my soul« answered Leicester »I will take vengeance on him with
mine own hand«
»You my lord and on so inconsiderable a man as Tressilian No my lord he
hath long wished to visit foreign parts Trust him to me I will take care he
returns not hither to tell tales«
»Not so by Heaven Varney« exclaimed Leicester »Inconsiderable do you
call an enemy that hath had power to wound me so deeply that my whole after
life must be one scene of remorse and misery No rather than forego the right
of doing myself justice with my hand on that accursed villain I will unfold the
whole truth at Elizabeths footstool and let her vengeance descend at once on
them and on myself«
Varney saw with great alarm that his lord was wrought up to such a pitch of
agitation that if he gave not way to him he was perfectly capable of adopting
the desperate resolution which he had announced and which was instant ruin to
all the schemes of ambition which Varney had formed for his patron and for
himself But the Earls rage seemed at once uncontrollable and deeply
concentrated and while he spoke his eyes shot fire his voice trembled with
excess of passion and the light foam stood on his lip
His confidant made a bold and successful effort to obtain the mastery of him
even in this hour of emotion »My lord« he said leading him to a mirror
»behold your reflection in that glass and think if these agitated features
belong to one who in a condition so extreme is capable of forming a resolution
for himself«
»What then wouldst thou make me« said Leicester struck at the change in
his own physiognomy though offended at the freedom with which Varney made the
appeal »Am I to be thy ward thy vassal the property and subject of my
servant«
»No my lord« said Varney firmly »but be master of yourself and of your
own passion My lord I your born servant am shamed to see how poorly you bear
yourself in the storm of fury Go to Elizabeths feet confess your marriage
impeach your wife and her paramour of adultery and avow yourself amongst all
your peers the wittol who married a country girl and was cozened by her and
her booklearned gallant Go my lord but first take farewell of Richard
Varney with all the benefits you ever conferred on him He served the noble
the lofty the highminded Leicester and was more proud of depending on him
than he would be of commanding thousands But the abject lord who stoops to
every adverse circumstance whose judicious resolves are scattered like chaff
before every wind of passion him Richard Varney serves not He is as much above
him in constancy of mind as beneath him in rank and fortune«
Varney spoke thus without hypocrisy for though the firmness of mind which
he boasted was hardness and impenetrability yet he really felt the ascendency
which he vaunted while the interest which he actually felt in the fortunes of
Leicester gave unusual emotion to his voice and manner
Leicester was overpowered by his assumed superiority it seemed to the
unfortunate Earl as if his last friend was about to abandon him He stretched
his hand towards Varney as he uttered the words »Do not leave me What
wouldst thou have me do«
»Be thyself my noble master« said Varney touching the Earls hand with
his lips after having respectfully grasped it in his own »be yourself
superior to those storms of passion which wreck inferior minds Are you the
first who has been cozened in love The first whom a vain and licentious woman
has cheated into an affection which she has afterwards scorned and misused And
will you suffer yourself to be driven frantic because you have not been wiser
than the wisest men whom the world has seen Let her be as if she had not been
let her pass from your memory as unworthy of ever having held a place there
Let your strong resolve of this morning which I have both courage zeal and
means enough to execute be like the fiat of a superior being a passionless act
of justice She hath deserved death let her die«
While he was speaking the Earl held his hand fast compressed his lips
hard and frowned as if he laboured to catch from Varney a portion of the cold
ruthless and dispassionate firmness which he recommended When he was silent
the Earl still continued to grasp his hand until with an effort at calm
decision he was able to articulate »Be it so she dies But one tear might
be permitted«
»Not one my lord« interrupted Varney who saw by the quivering eye and
convulsed cheek of his patron that he was about to give way to a burst of
emotion »Not a tear the time permits it not Tressilian must be thought
of«
»That indeed is a name« said the Earl »to convert tears into blood
Varney I have thought on this and I have determined neither entreaty nor
argument shall move me Tressilian shall be my own victim«
»It is madness my lord but you are too mighty for me to bar your way to
your revenge Yet resolve at least to choose fitting time and opportunity and
to forbear him until these shall be found«
»Thou shalt order me in what thou wilt« said Leicester »only thwart me not
in this«
»Then my lord« said Varney »I first request of you to lay aside the wild
suspected and halffrenzied demeanour which hath this day drawn the eyes of
all the court upon you and which but for the Queens partial indulgence which
she hath extended towards you in a degree far beyond her nature she had never
given you the opportunity to atone for«
»Have I indeed been so negligent« said Leicester as one who awakes from a
dream »I thought I had coloured it well but fear nothing my mind is now eased
I am calm My horoscope shall be fulfilled and that it may be fulfilled I
will tax to the highest every faculty of my mind Fear me not I say I will
to the Queen instantly not thine own looks and language shall be more
impenetrable than mine Hast thou aught else to say«
»I must crave your signetring« said Varney gravely »in token to those of
your servants whom I must employ that I possess your full authority in
commanding their aid«
Leicester drew off the signetring which he commonly used and gave it to
Varney with a haggard and stern expression of countenance adding only in a low
halfwhispered tone but with terrific emphasis the words »What thou dost do
quickly«
Some anxiety and wonder took place meanwhile in the Presence hall at the
prolonged absence of the noble Lord of the Castle and great was the delight of
his friends when they saw him enter as a man from whose bosom to all human
seeming a weight of care had been just removed Amply did Leicester that day
redeem the pledge he had given to Varney who soon saw himself no longer under
the necessity of maintaining a character so different from his own as that
which he had assumed in the earlier part of the day and gradually relapsed into
the same grave shrewd caustic observer of conversation and incident which
constituted his usual part in society
With Elizabeth Leicester played his game as one to whom her natural
strength of talent and her weakness in one or two particular points were well
known He was too wary to exchange on a sudden the sullen personage which he had
played before he retired with Varney but on approaching her it seemed
softened into a melancholy which had a touch of tenderness in it and which in
the course of conversing with Elizabeth and as she dropped in compassion one
mark of favour after another to console him passed into a flow of affectionate
gallantry the most assiduous the most delicate the most insinuating yet at
the same time the most respectful with which a Queen was ever addressed by a
subject Elizabeth listened as in a sort of enchantment her jealousy of power
was lulled asleep her resolution to forsake all social or domestic ties and
dedicate herself exclusively to the care of her people began to be shaken and
once more the star of Dudley culminated in the court horizon
But Leicester did not enjoy this triumph over nature and over conscience
without its being imbittered to him not only by the internal rebellion of his
feelings against the violence which he exercised over them but by many
accidental circumstances which in the course of the banquet and during the
subsequent amusements of the evening jarred upon that nerve the least
vibration of which was agony
The courtiers were for example in the great hall after having left the
banquetingroom awaiting the appearance of a splendid masque which was the
expected entertaniment of this evening when the Queen interrupted a wild career
of wit which the Earl of Leicester was running against Lord Willoughby
Raleigh and some other courtiers by saying »We will impeach you of high
treason my lord if you proceed in this attempt to slay us with laughter And
here comes a thing may make us all grave at his pleasure our learned physician
Masters with news belike of our poor suppliant Lady Varney nay my lord we
will not have you leave us for this being a dispute betwixt married persons we
do not hold our own experience deep enough to decide thereon without good
counsel How now Masters what thinkst thou of the runaway bride«
The smile with which Leicester had been speaking when the Queen interrupted
him remained arrested on his lips as if it had been carved there by the chisel
of Michael Angelo or of Chantrey and he listened to the speech of the
physician with the same immovable cast of countenance
»The Lady Varney gracious Sovereign« said the court physician Masters »is
sullen and would hold little conference with me touching the state of her
health talking wildly of being soon to plead her own cause before your own
presence and of answering no meaner persons inquiries«
»Now the heavens forefend« said the Queen »we have already suffered from
the misconstructions and broils which seem to follow this poor brainsick lady
wherever she comes Think you not so my lord« she added appealing to
Leicester with something in her look that indicated regret even tenderly
expressed for their disagreement of that morning Leicester compelled himself
to bow low The utmost force he could exert was inadequate to the farther effort
of expressing in words his acquiescence in the Queens sentiment
»You are vindictive« she said »my lord but we will find time and place to
punish you But once more to this same troublemirth this Lady Varney What of
her health Masters«
»She is sullen madam as I already said« replied Masters »and refuses to
answer interrogatories or be amenable to the authority of the mediciner I
conceive her to be possessed with a delirium which I incline to term rather
hypochondria than phrenesis and I think she were best cared for by her husband
in his own house and removed from all this bustle of pageants which disturbs
her weak brain with the most fantastic phantoms She drops hints as if she were
some great person in disguise some Countess or Princess perchance God help
them such are often the hallucinations of these infirm persons«
»Nay then« said the Queen »away with her with all speed Let Varney care
for her with fitting humanity but let them rid the Castle of her forthwith She
will think herself lady of all I warrant you It is pity so fair a form
however should have an infirm understanding What think you my lord«
»It is pity indeed« said the Earl repeating the words like a task which
was set him
»But perhaps« said Elizabeth »you do not join with us in our opinion of
her beauty and indeed we have known men prefer a statelier and more Junolike
form to that drooping fragile one that hung its head like a broken lily Ay
men are tyrants my lord who esteem the animation of the strife above the
triumph of an unresisting conquest and like sturdy champions love best those
women who can wage contest with them I could think with you Rutland that
give my lord of Leicester such a piece of painted wax for a bride he would have
wished her dead ere the end of the honeymoon«
As she said this she looked on Leicester so expressively that while his
heart revolted against the egregious falsehood he did himself so much violence
as to reply in a whisper that Leicesters love was more lowly than her majesty
deemed since it was settled where he could never command but must ever obey
The Queen blushed and bid him be silent yet looked as if she expected that
he would not obey her commands But at that moment the flourish of trumpets and
kettledrums from a high balcony which overlooked the hall announced the
entrance of the masquers and relieved Leicester from the horrible state of
constraint and dissimulation in which the result of his own duplicity had placed
him
The masque which entered consisted of four separate bands which followed
each other at brief intervals each consisting of six principal persons and as
many torchbearers and each representing one of the various nations by which
England had at different times been occupied
The aboriginal Britons who first entered were ushered in by two ancient
Druids whose hoary hair was crowned with a chaplet of oak and who bore in
their hands branches of mistleto The masquers who followed these venerable
figures were succeeded by two Bards arrayed in white and bearing harps which
they occasionally touched singing at the same time certain stanzas of an
ancient hymn to Belus or the Sun The aboriginal Britons had been selected from
amongst the tallest and most robust young gentlemen in attendance on the court
Their masks were accommodated with long shaggy beards and hair their vestments
were of the hides of wolves and bears while their legs arms and the upper
parts of their bodies being sheathed in fleshcoloured silk on which were
traced in grotesque lines representations of the heavenly bodies and of animals
and other terrestrial objects gave them the lively appearance of our painted
ancestors whose freedom was first trenched upon by the Romans
The sons of Rome who came to civilise as well as to conquer were next
produced before the princely assembly and the manager of the revels had
correctly imitated the high crest and military habits of that celebrated people
accommodating them with the light yet strong buckler and the short twoedged
sword the use of which had made them victors of the world The Roman eagles
were borne before them by two standardbearers who recited a hymn to Mars and
the classical warriors followed with the grave and haughty step of men who
aspired at universal conquest
The third quadrille represented the Saxons clad in the bearskins which they
had brought with them from the German forests and bearing in their hands the
redoubtable battleaxes which made such havoc among the natives of Britain They
were preceded by two Scalds who chanted the praises of Odin
Last came the knightly Normans in their mailshirts and hoods of steel
with all the panoply of chivalry and marshalled by two Minstrels who sung of
war and ladies love
These four bands entered the spacious hall with the utmost order a short
pause being made that the spectators might satisfy their curiosity as to each
quadrille before the appearance of the next They then marched completely round
the hall in order the more fully to display themselves regulating their steps
to organs shalms hautboys and virginals the music of the Lord Leicesters
household At length the four quadrilles of masquers ranging their
torchbearers behind them drew up in their several ranks on the two opposite
sides of the hall so that the Romans confronting the Britons and the Saxons
the Normans seemed to look on each other with eyes of wonder which presently
appeared to kindle into anger expressed by menacing gestures At the burst of a
strain of martial music from the gallery the masquers drew their swords on all
sides and advanced against each other in the measured steps of a sort of
Pyrrhic or military dance clashing their swords against their adversaries
shields and clattering them against their blades as they passed each other in
the progress of the dance It was a very pleasant spectacle to see how the
various bands preserving regularity amid motions which seemed to be totally
irregular mixed together and then disengaging themselves resumed each their
own original rank as the music varied
In this symbolical dance were represented the conflicts which had taken
place among the various nations which had anciently inhabited Britain
At length after many mazy evolutions which afforded great pleasure to the
spectators the sound of a loudvoiced trumpet was heard as if it blew for
instant battle or for victory won The masquers instantly ceased their mimic
strife and collecting themselves under their original leaders or presenters
for such was the appropriate phrase seemed to share the anxious expectation
which the spectators experienced concerning what was next to appear
The doors of the hall were thrown wide and no less a person entered than
the fiendborn Merlin dressed in a strange and mystical attire suited to his
ambiguous birth and magical power About him and behind him fluttered or
gambolled many extraordinary forms intended to represent the spirits who waited
to do his powerful bidding and so much did this part of the pageant interest
the menials and others of the lower class then in the Castle that many of them
forgot even the reverence due to the Queens presence so far as to thrust
themselves into the lower part of the hall
The Earl of Leicester seeing his officers had some difficulty to repel
these intruders without more disturbance than was fitting where the Queen was in
presence arose and went himself to the bottom of the hall Elizabeth at the
same time with her usual feeling for the common people requesting that they
might be permitted to remain undisturbed to witness the pageant Leicester went
under this pretext but his real motive was to gain a moment to himself and to
relieve his mind were it but for one instant from the dreadful task of hiding
under the guise of gaiety and gallantry the lacerating pangs of shame anger
remorse and thirst for vengeance He imposed silence by his look and sign upon
the vulgar crowd at the lower end of the apartment but instead of instantly
returning to wait on her Majesty he wrapped his cloak around him and mixing
with the crowd stood in some degree an undistinguished spectator of the
progress of the masque
Merlin having entered and advanced into the midst of the hall summoned the
presenters of the contending bands around him by a wave of his magical rod and
announced to them in a poetical speech that the isle of Britain was now
commanded by a Royal Maiden to whom it was the will of fate that they should
all do homage and request of her to pronounce on the various pretensions which
each set forth to be esteemed the preeminent stock from which the present
natives the happy subjects of that angelical Princess derived their lineage
In obedience to this mandate the bands each moving to solemn music passed
in succession before Elizabeth doing her as they passed each after the fashion
of the people whom they represented the lowest and most devotional homage
which she returned with the same gracious courtesy that had marked her whole
conduct since she came to Kenilworth
The presenters of the several masques or quadrilles then alleged each in
behalf of his own troop the reasons which they had for claiming preeminence
over the rest and when they had been all heard in turn she returned them this
gracious answer »That she was sorry she was not better qualified to decide upon
the doubtful question which had been propounded to her by the direction of the
famous Merlin but that it seemed to her that no single one of these celebrated
nations could claim preeminence over the others as having most contributed to
form the Englishman of her own time who unquestionably derived from each of
them some worthy attribute of his character Thus« she said »the Englishman
had from the ancient Briton his bold and tameless spirit of freedom from the
Roman his disciplined courage in war with his love of letters and civilisation
in time of peace from the Saxon his wise and equitable laws and from the
chivalrous Norman his love of honour and courtesy with his generous desire for
glory«
Merlin answered with readiness that it did indeed require that so many
choice qualities should meet in the English as might render them in some
measure the muster of the perfections of other nations since that alone could
render them in some degree deserving of the blessings they enjoyed under the
reign of Englands Elizabeth
The music then sounded and the quadrilles together with Merlin and his
assistants had begun to remove from the crowded hall when Leicester who was
as we have mentioned stationed for the moment near the bottom of the hall and
consequently engaged in some degree in the crowd felt himself pulled by the
cloak while a voice whispered in his ear »My lord I do desire some instant
conference with you«
Chapter ThirtyEighth
How is t with me when every noise appals me
Macbeth
»I desire some conference with you« The words were simple in themselves but
Lord Leicester was in that alarmed and feverish state of mind when the most
ordinary occurrences seem fraught with alarming import and he turned hastily
round to survey the person by whom they had been spoken There was nothing
remarkable in the speakers appearance which consisted of a black silk doublet
and short mantle with a black vizard on his face for it appeared he had been
among the crowd of masks who had thronged into the hall in the retinue of
Merlin though he did not wear any of the extravagant disguises by which most of
them were distinguished
»Who are you or what do you want with me« said Leicester not without
betraying by his accents the hurried state of his spirits
»No evil my lord« answered the mask »but much good and honour if you
will rightly understand my purpose But I must speak with you more privately«
»I can speak with no nameless stranger« answered Leicester dreading he
knew not precisely what from the request of the stranger »and those who are
known to me must seek another and a fitter time to ask an interview«
He would have hurried away but the mask still detained him
»Those who talk to your lordship of what your own honour demands have a
right over your time whatever occupations you may lay aside in order to indulge
them«
»How my honour Who dare impeach it« said Leicester
»Your own conduct alone can furnish grounds for accusing it my lord and it
is that topic on which I would speak with you«
»You are insolent« said Leicester »and abuse the hospitable license of the
time which prevents me from having you punished I demand your name«
»Edmund Tressilian of Cornwall« answered the mask »My tongue has been
bound by a promise for fourandtwenty hours the space is passed I now
speak and do your lord ship the justice to address myself first to you«
The thrill of astonishment which had penetrated to Leicesters very heart at
hearing that name pronounced by the voice of the man he most detested and by
whom he conceived himself so deeply injured at first rendered him immovable
but instantly gave way to such a thirst for revenge as the pilgrim in the desert
feels for the waterbrooks He had but sense and selfgovernment enough left to
prevent his stabbing to the heart the audacious villain who after the ruin he
had brought upon him dared with such unmoved assurance thus to practise upon
him farther Determined to suppress for the moment every symptom of agitation
in order to perceive the full scope of Tressilians purpose as well as to
secure his own vengeance he answered in a tone so altered by restrained passion
as scarce to be intelligible »And what does Master Edmund Tressilian require
at my hand«
»Justice my lord« answered Tressilian calmly but firmly
»Justice« said Leicester »all men are entitled to YOU Master
Tressilian are peculiarly so and be assured you shall have it«
»I expect nothing less from your nobleness« answered Tressilian »but time
presses and I must speak with you tonight May I wait on you in your
chamber«
»No« answered Leicester sternly »not under a roof and that roof mine own
We will meet under the free cope of heaven«
»You are discomposed or displeased my lord« replied Tressilian »yet there
is no occasion for distemperature The place is equal to me so you allow me one
half hour of your time uninterrupted«
»A shorter time will I trust suffice« answered Leicester »Meet me in
the Pleasance when the Queen has retired to her chamber«
»Enough« said Tressilian and withdrew while a sort of rapture seemed for
the moment to occupy the mind of Leicester
»Heaven« he said »is at last favourable to me and has put within my reach
the wretch who has branded me with this deep ignominy who has inflicted on me
this cruel agony I will blame fate no more since I am afforded the means of
tracing the wiles by which he means still farther to practise on me and then of
at once convicting and punishing his villany To my task to my task I will
not sink under it now since midnight at farthest will bring me vengeance«
While these reflections thronged through Leicesters mind he again made his
way amid the obsequious crowd which divided to give him passage and resumed
his place envied and admired beside the person of his Sovereign But could
the bosom of him thus admired and envied have been laid open before the
inhabitants of that crowded hall with all its dark thoughts of guilty ambition
blighted affection deep vengeance and conscious sense of meditated cruelty
crossing each other like spectres in the circle of some foul enchantress which
of them from the most ambitious noble in the courtly circle down to the most
wretched menial who lived by shifting of trenchers would have desired to
change characters with the favourite of Elizabeth and the Lord of Kenilworth
New tortures awaited him as soon as he had rejoined Elizabeth
»You come in time my lord« she said »to decide a dispute between us
ladies Here has Sir Richard Varney asked our permission to depart from the
castle with his infirm lady having as he tells us your lordships consent to
his absence so he can obtain ours Certes we have no will to withhold him from
the affectionate charge of this poor young person but you are to know that Sir
Richard Varney hath this day shown himself so much captivated with these ladies
of ours that here is our Duchess of Rutland says he will carry his poor insane
wife no farther than the lake plunge her in to tenant the crystal palaces that
the enchanted nymph told us of and return a jolly widower to dry his tears
and to make up the loss among our train How say you my lord We have seen
Varney under two or three different guises you know what are his proper
attributes think you he is capable of playing his lady such a knaves trick«
Leicester was confounded but the danger was urgent and a reply absolutely
necessary »The ladies« he said »think too lightly of one of their own sex in
supposing she could deserve such a fate or too ill of ours to think it could
be inflicted upon an innocent female«
»Hear him my ladies« said Elizabeth »like all his sex he would excuse
their cruelty by imputing fickleness to us«
»Say not us madam« replied the Earl »we say that meaner women like the
lesser lights of heaven have revolutions and phases but who shall impute
mutability to the sun or to Elizabeth«
The discourse presently afterwards assumed a less perilous tendency and
Leicester continued to support his part in it with spirit at whatever expense
of mental agony So pleasing did it seem to Elizabeth that the Castle bell had
sounded midnight ere she retired from the company a circumstance unusual in her
quiet and regular habits of disposing of time Her departure was of course the
signal for breaking up the company who dispersed to their several places of
repose to dream over the pastimes of the day or to anticipate those of the
morrow
The unfortunate Lord of the Castle and founder of the proud festival
retired to far different thoughts His direction to the valet who attended him
was to send Varney instantly to his apartment The messenger returned after some
delay and informed him that an hour had elapsed since Sir Richard Varney had
left the Castle by the posterngate with three other persons one of whom was
transported in a horselitter
»How came he to leave the castle after the watch was set« said Leicester
»I thought he went not till daybreak«
»He gave satisfactory reasons as I understand« said the domestic »to the
guard and as I hear showed your lordships signet«
»True true« said the Earl »yet he has been hasty Do any of his
attendants remain behind«
»Michael Lambourne my lord« said the valet »was not to be found when Sir
Richard Varney departed and his master was much incensed at his absence I saw
him but now saddling his horse to gallop after his master«
»Bid him come hither instantly« said Leicester »I have a message to his
master«
The servant left the apartment and Leicester traversed it for some time in
deep meditation »Varney is overzealous« he said »overpressing He loves
me I think but he hath his own ends to serve and he is inexorable in pursuit
of them If I rise he rises and he hath shown himself already but too eager to
rid me of this obstacle which seems to stand betwixt me and sovereignty Yet I
will not stoop to bear this disgrace She shall be punished but it shall be
more advisedly I already feel even in anticipation that overhaste would
light the flames of hell in my bosom No one victim is enough at once and
that victim already waits me«
He seized upon writing materials and hastily traced these words »Sir
Richard Varney we have resolved to defer the matter intrusted to your care and
strictly command you to proceed no farther in relation to our Countess until
our farther order We also command your instant return to Kenilworth as soon as
you have safely bestowed that with which you are intrusted But if the safe
placing of your present charge shall detain you longer than we think for we
command you in that case to send back our signetring by a trusty and speedy
messenger we having present need of the same And requiring your strict
obedience in these things and commending you to Gods keeping we rest your
assured good friend and master
R LEICESTER
Given at our Castle of Kenilworth the tenth of July in the year of Salvation
one thousand five hundred and seventyfive«
As Leicester had finished and sealed this mandate Michael Lambourne booted
up to midthigh having his riding cloak girthed around him with a broad belt
and a feltcap on his head like that of a courier entered his apartment
ushered in by the valet
»What is thy capacity of service« said the Earl
»Equerry to your lordships master of the horse« answered Lambourne with
his customary assurance
»Tie up thy saucy tongue sir« said Leicester »the jests that may suit Sir
Richard Varneys presence suit not mine How soon wilt thou overtake thy
master«
»In one hours riding my lord if man and horse hold good« said Lambourne
with an instant alteration of demeanour from an approach to familiarity to the
deepest respect The Earl measured him with his eye from top to toe
»I have heard of thee« he said »men say thou art a prompt fellow in thy
service but too much given to brawling and to wassail to be trusted with things
of moment«
»My lord« said Lambourne »I have been soldier sailor traveller and
adventurer and these are all trades in which men enjoy today because they
have no surety of tomorrow But though I may misuse mine own leisure I have
never neglected the duty I owe my master«
»See that it be so in this instance« said Leicester »and it shall do thee
good Deliver this letter speedily and carefully into Sir Richard Varneys
hands«
»Does my commission reach no farther« said Lambourne
»No« answered Leicester »but it deeply concerns me that it be carefully as
well as hastily executed«
»I will spare neither care nor horseflesh« answered Lambourne and
immediately took his leave
»So this is the end of my private audience from which I hoped so much« he
muttered to himself as he went through the long gallery and down the back
staircase »Cogs bones I thought the Earl had wanted a cast of mine office in
some secret intrigue and it all ends in carrying a letter Well his pleasure
shall be done however and as his lordship well says it may do me good another
time The child must creep ere he walk and so must your infant courtier I will
have a look into this letter however which he hath sealed so slovenlike«
Having accomplished this he clapped his hands together in ecstasy exclaiming
»The Countess the Countess I have the secret that shall make or mar me
But come forth Bayard« he added leading his horse into the courtyard »for
your flanks and my spurs must be presently acquainted«
Lambourne mounted accordingly and left the Castle by the posterngate
where his free passage was permitted in consequence of a message to that effect
left by Sir Richard Varney
As soon as Lambourne and the valet had left the apartment Leicester
proceeded to change his dress for a very plain one threw his mantle around him
and taking a lamp in his hand went by the private passage of communication to a
small secret posterndoor which opened into the courtyard near to the entrance
of the Pleasance His reflections were of a more calm and determined character
than they had been at any late period and he endeavoured to claim even in his
own eyes the character of a man more sinned against than sinning
»I have suffered the deepest injury« such was the tenor of his meditations
»yet I have restricted the instant revenge which was in my power and have
limited it to that which is manly and noble But shall the union which this
false woman has this day disgraced remain an abiding fetter on me to check me
in the noble career to which my destinies invite me No there are other means
of disengaging such ties without unloosing the cords of life In the sight of
God I am no longer bound by the union she has broken Kingdoms shall divide us
oceans roll betwixt us and their waves whose abysses have swallowed whole
navies shall be the sole depositories of the deadly mystery«
By such a train of argument did Leicester labour to reconcile his conscience
to the prosecution of plans of vengeance so hastily adopted and of schemes of
ambition which had become so woven in with every purpose and action of his
life that he was incapable of the effort of relinquishing them until his
revenge appeared to him to wear a face of justice and even of generous
moderation
In this mood the vindictive and ambitious Earl entered the superb precincts
of the Pleasance then illumined by the full moon The broad yellow light was
reflected on all sides from the white freestone of which the pavement
balustrades and architectural ornaments of the place were constructed and not
a single fleecy cloud was visible in the azure sky so that the scene was nearly
as light as if the sun had but just left the horizon The numerous statues of
white marble glimmered in the pale light like so many sheeted ghosts just
arisen from their sepulchres and the fountains threw their jets into the air
as if they sought that their waters should be brightened by the moonbeams ere
they fell down again upon their basins in showers of sparkling silver The day
had been sultry and the gentle nightbreeze which sighed along the terrace of
the Pleasance raised not a deeper breath than the fan in the hand of youthful
beauty The bird of summer night had built many a nest in the bowers of the
adjacent garden and the tenants now indemnified themselves for silence during
the day by a full chorus of their own unrivalled warblings now joyous now
pathetic now united now responsive to each other as if to express their
delight in the placid and delicious scene to which they poured their melody
Musing on matters far different from the fall of waters the gleam of
moonlight or the song of the nightingale the stately Leicester walked slowly
from the one end of the terrace to the other his cloak wrapped around him and
his sword under his arm without seeing any thing resembling the human form
»I have been fooled by my own generosity« he said »if I have suffered the
villain to escape me ay and perhaps to go to the rescue of the Adulteress
who is so poorly guarded«
These were his thoughts which were instantly dispelled when turning to
look back towards the entrance he saw a human form advancing slowly from the
portico and darkening the various objects with its shadow as passing them
successively in its approach towards him
»Shall I strike ere I again hear his detested voice« was Leicesters
thought as he grasped the hilt of the sword »But no I will see which way his
vile practice tends I will watch disgusting as it is the coils and mazes of
the loathsome snake ere I put forth my strength and crush him«
His hand quitted the swordhilt and he advanced slowly towards Tressilian
collecting for their meeting all the selfpossession he could command until
they came front to front with each other
Tressilian made a profound reverence to which the Earl replied with a
haughty inclination of the head and the words »You sought secret conference
with me sir I am here and attentive«
»My lord« said Tressilian »I am so earnest in that which I have to say
and so desirous to find a patient nay a favourable hearing that I will stoop
to exculpate myself from whatever might prejudice your lordship against me You
think me your enemy«
»Have I not some apparent cause« answered Leicester perceiving that
Tressilian paused for a reply
»You do me wrong my lord I am a friend but neither a dependant nor
partisan of the Earl of Sussex whom courtiers call your rival and it is some
considerable time since I ceased to consider either courts or courtintrigues
as suited to my temper or genius«
»No doubt sir« answered Leicester »there are other occupations more
worthy a scholar and for such the world holds Master Tressilian Love has his
intrigues as well as ambition«
»I perceive my lord« replied Tressilian »you give much weight to my early
attachment for the unfortunate young person of whom I am about to speak and
perhaps think I am prosecuting her cause out of rivalry more than a sense of
justice«
»No matter for my thoughts sir« said the Earl »proceed You have as yet
spoken of yourself only an important and worthy subject doubtless but which
perhaps does not altogether so deeply concern me that I should postpone my
repose to hear it Spare me farther prelude sir and speak to the purpose if
indeed you have aught to say that concerns me When you have done I in my
turn have something to communicate«
»I will speak then without farther prelude my lord« answered Tressilian
»having to say that which as it concerns your lordships honour I am confident
you will not think your time wasted in listening to I have to request an
account from your lordship of the unhappy Amy Robsart whose history is too well
known to you I regret deeply that I did not at once take this course and make
yourself judge between me and the villain by whom she is injured My lord she
extricated herself from an unlawful and most perilous state of confinement
trusting to the effects of her own remonstrance upon her unworthy husband and
extorted from me a promise that I would not interfere in her behalf until she
had used her own efforts to have her rights acknowledged by him«
»Ha« said Leicester »remember you to whom you speak«
»I speak of her unworthy husband my lord« repeated Tressilian »and my
respect can find no softer language The unhappy young woman is withdrawn from
my knowledge and sequestered in some secret place of this Castle if she be
not transferred to some place of seclusion better fitted for bad designs This
must be reformed my lord I speak it as authorised by her father and this
illfated marriage must be avouched and proved in the Queens presence and the
lady placed without restraint and at her own free disposal And permit me to
say it concerns no ones honour that these most just demands of mine should be
complied with so much as it does that of your lordship«
The Earl stood as if he had been petrified at the extreme coolness with
which the man whom he considered as having injured him so deeply pleaded the
cause of his criminal paramour as if she had been an innocent woman and he a
disinterested advocate nor was his wonder lessened by the warmth with which
Tressilian seemed to demand for her the rank and situation which she had
disgraced and the advantages of which she was doubtless to share with the lover
who advocated her cause with such effrontery Tressilian had been silent for
more than a minute ere the Earl recovered from the excess of his astonishment
and considering the prepossessions with which his mind was occupied there is
little wonder that his passion gained the mastery of every other consideration
»I have heard you Master Tressilian« said he »without interruption and I
bless God that my ears were never before made to tingle by the words of so
frontless a villain The task of chastising you is fitter for the hangmans
scourge than the sword of a nobleman but yet Villain draw and defend
thyself«
As he spoke the last words he dropped his mantle on the ground struck
Tressilian smartly with his sheathed sword and instantly drawing his rapier
put himself into a posture of assault The vehement fury of his language at
first filled Tressilian in his turn with surprise equal to what Leicester had
felt when he addressed him But astonishment gave place to resentment when the
unmerited insults of his language were followed by a blow which immediately put
to flight every thought save that of instant combat Tressilians sword was
instantly drawn and though perhaps somewhat inferior to Leicester in the use of
the weapon he understood it well enough to maintain the contest with great
spirit the rather that of the two he was for the time the more cool since he
could not help imputing Leicesters conduct either to actual frenzy or to the
influence of some strong delusion
The rencontre had continued for several minutes without either party
receiving a wound when of a sudden voices were heard beneath the portico
which formed the entrance of the terrace mingled with the steps of men
advancing hastily »We are interrupted« said Leicester to his antagonist
»follow me«
At the same time a voice from the portico said »The jackanape is right
they are tilting here«
Leicester meanwhile drew off Tressilian into a sort of recess behind one
of the fountains which served to conceal them while six of the yeomen of the
Queens guard passed along the middle walk of the Pleasance and they could hear
one say to the rest »We shall never find them tonight among all these
squirting funnels squirrelcages and rabbitholes but if we light not on
them before we reach the farther end we will return and mount a guard at the
entrance and so secure them till morning«
»A proper matter« said another »the drawing of swords so near the Queens
presence ay and in her very palace as twere Hang it they must be some
poor drunken gamecocks fallen to sparring twere pity almost we should find
them the penalty is chopping off a hand is it not twere hard to lose hand
for handling a bit of steel that comes so natural to ones gripe«
»Thou art a brawler thyself George« said another »but take heed for the
law stands as thou sayest«
»Ay« said the first »an the act be not mildly construed for thou knowst
tis not the Queens Palace but my Lord of Leicesters«
»Why for that matter the penalty may be as severe« said another »for an
our Gracious Mistress be Queen as she is God save her my lord of Leicester is
as good as King«
»Hush thou knave« said a third »how knowest thou who may be within
hearing«
They passed on making a kind of careless search but seemingly more intent
on their own conversation than bent on discovering the persons who had created
the nocturnal disturbance
They had no sooner passed forward along the terrace than Leicester making
a sign to Tressilian to follow him glided away in an opposite direction and
escaped through the portico undiscovered He conducted Tressilian to Mervyns
Tower in which he was now again lodged and then ere parting with him said
these words »If thou hast courage to continue and bring to an end what is thus
broken off be near me when the court goes forth tomorrow we shall find a
time and I will give you a signal when it is fitting«
»My lord« said Tressilian »at another time I might have inquired the
meaning of this strange and furious inveteracy against me But you have laid
that on my shoulder which only blood can wash away and were you as high as
your proudest wishes ever carried you I would have from you satisfaction for my
wounded honour«
On these terms they parted but the adventures of the night were not yet
ended with Leicester He was compelled to pass by Saintlowes Tower in order to
gain the private passage which led to his own chamber and in the entrance
thereof he met Lord Hunsdon half clothed and with a naked sword under his arm
»Are you awakened too with this larum my Lord of Leicester« said the
old soldier »Tis well By gogs nails the nights are as noisy as the day in
this Castle of yours Some two hours since I was awakened by the screams of that
poor brainsick Lady Varney whom her husband was forcing away I promise you
it required both your warrant and the Queens to keep me from entering into the
game and cutting that Varney of yours over the head and now there is a brawl
down in the Pleasance or what call you the stone terracewalk where all yonder
gimcracks stand«
The first part of the old mans speech went through the Earls heart like a
knife to the last he answered that he himself had heard the clash of swords
and had come down to take order with those who had been so insolent so near the
Queens presence
»Nay then« said Hunsdon »I will be glad of your lordships company«
Leicester was thus compelled to turn back with the rough old Lord to the
Pleasance where Hunsdon heard from the yeomen of the guard who were under his
immediate command the unsuccessful search they had made for the authors of the
disturbance and bestowed for their pains some round dozen of curses on them as
lazy knaves and blind whoresons Leicester also thought it necessary to seem
angry that no discovery had been effected but at length suggested to Lord
Hunsdon that after all it could only be some foolish young men who had been
drinking healths pottledeep and who would be sufficiently scared by the search
which had taken place after them Hunsdon who was himself attached to his cup
allowed that a pintflagon might cover many of the follies which it had caused
»But« added he »unless your lordship will be less liberal in your
housekeeping and restrain the overflow of ale and wine and wassail I foresee
it will end in my having some of these good fellows into the guardhouse and
treating them to a dose of the strappado And with this warning goodnight to
you«
Joyful at being rid of his company Leicester took leave of him at the
entrance of his lodging where they had first met and entering the private
passage took up the lamp which he had left there and by its expiring light
found the way to his own apartment
Chapter ThirtyNinth
Room room for my horse will wince
If he comes within so many yards of a prince
For to tell you true and in rhyme
He was foald in Queen Elizabeths time
When the great Earl of Lester
In his castle did feast her
Masque of Owls Ben Jonson
The amusement with which Elizabeth and her court were next day to be regaled
was an exhibition by the truehearted men of Coventry who were to represent the
strife between the English and the Danes agreeably to a custom long preserved
in their ancient borough and warranted for truth by old histories and
chronicles In this pageant one party of the townsfolk presented the Saxons and
the other the Danes and set forth both in rude rhymes and with hard blows the
contentions of these two fierce nations and the Amazonian courage of the
English women who according to the story were the principal agents in the
general massacre of the Danes which took place at Hocktide in the year of God
1012 This sport which had been long a favourite pastime with the men of
Coventry had it seems been put down by the influence of some zealous
clergyman of the more precise cast who chanced to have considerable influence
with the magistrates But the generality of the inhabitants had petitioned the
Queen that they might have their play again and be honoured with permission to
represent it before her Highness And when the matter was canvassed in the
little council which usually attended the Queen for despatch of business the
proposal although opposed by some of the stricter sort found favour in the
eyes of Elizabeth who said that such toys occupied without offence the minds
of many who lacking them might find worse subjects of pastime and that their
pastors however commendable for learning and godliness were somewhat too sour
in preaching against the pastimes of their flocks and so the pageant was
permitted to proceed
Accordingly after a morning repast which Master Laneham calls an ambrosial
breakfast the principal persons of the court in attendance upon her Majesty
pressed to the Gallery Tower to witness the approach of the two contending
parties of English and Danes and after a signal had been given the gate which
opened in the circuit of the Chase was thrown wide to admit them On they came
foot and horse for some of the more ambitious burghers and yeomen had put
themselves into fantastic dresses imitating knights in order to resemble the
chivalry of the two different nations However to prevent fatal accidents they
were not permitted to appear on real horses but had only license to accoutre
themselves with those hobbyhorses as they are called which anciently formed
the chief delight of a morricedance and which still are exhibited on the
stage in the grand battle fought at the conclusion of Mr Bayess tragedy The
infantry followed in similar disguises The whole exhibition was to be
considered as a sort of antimasque or burlesque of the more stately pageants
in which the nobility and gentry bore part in the show and to the best of
their knowledge imitated with accuracy the personages whom they represented
The Hocktide play was of a different character the actors being persons of
inferior degree and their habits the better fitted for the occasion the more
incongruous and ridiculous that they were in themselves Accordingly their
array which the progress of our tale allows us no time to describe was
ludicrous enough and their weapons though sufficiently formidable to deal
sound blows were long alderpoles instead of lances and sound cudgels for
swords and for fence both cavalry and infantry were well equipped with stout
headpieces and targets both made of thick leather
Captain Coxe that celebrated humorist of Coventry whose library of
ballads almanacs and penny histories fairly wrapped up in parchment and tied
round for security with a piece of whipcord remains still the envy of
antiquaries being himself the ingenious person under whose direction the
pageant had been set forth rode valiantly on his hobbyhorse before the bands of
English high trussed saith Laneham and brandishing his long sword as became
an experienced man of war who had fought under the Queens father bluff King
Henry at the siege of Boulogne This chieftain was as right and reason craved
the first to enter the lists and passing the Gallery at the head of his
myrmidons kissed the hilt of his sword to the Queen and executed at the same
time a gambade the like whereof had never been practised by twolegged
hobbyhorse Then passing on with all his followers of cavaliers and infantry he
drew them up with martial skill at the opposite extremity of the bridge or
tiltyard until his antagonists should be fairly prepared for the onset
This was no long interval for the Danish cavalry and infantry no way
inferior to the English in number valour and equipment instantly arrived
with the northern bagpipe blowing before them in token of their country and
headed by a cunning master of defence only inferior to the renowned Captain
Coxe if to him in the discipline of war The Danes as invaders took their
station under the Gallery Tower and opposite to that of Mortimer and when
their arrangements were completely made a signal was given for the encounter
Their first charge upon each other was rather moderate for either party
had some dread of being forced into the lake But as reinforcements came up on
either side the encounter grew from a skirmish into a blazing battle They
rushed upon one another as Master Laneham testifies like rams inflamed by
jealousy with such furious encounter that both parties were often overthrown
and the clubs and targets made a most horrible clatter In many instances that
happened which had been dreaded by the more experienced warriors who began the
day of strife The rails which defended the ledges of the bridge had been
perhaps on purpose left but slightly fastened and gave way under the pressure
of those who thronged to the combat so that the hot courage of many of the
combatants received a sufficient cooling These incidents might have occasioned
more serious damage than became such an affray for many of the champions who
met with this mischance could not swim and those who could were encumbered with
their suits of leathern and paper armour but the case had been provided for
and there were several boats in readiness to pick up the unfortunate warriors
and convey them to the dry land where dripping and dejected they comforted
themselves with the hot ale and strong waters which were liberally allowed to
them without showing any desire to reenter so desperate a conflict
Captain Coxe alone that paragon of BlackLetter Antiquaries after twice
experiencing horse and man the perilous leap from the bridge into the lake
equal to any extremity to which the favourite heroes of chivalry whose exploits
he studied in an abridged form whether Amadis Belianis Bevis or his own Guy
of Warwick had ever been subjected to Captain Coxe we repeat did alone
after two such mischances rush again into the heat of conflict his bases and
the footcloth of his hobbyhorse dropping water and twice reanimated by voice
and example the drooping spirits of the English so that at last their victory
over the Danish invaders became as was just and reasonable complete and
decisive Worthy he was to be rendered immortal by the pen of Ben Jonson who
fifty years afterwards deemed that a masque exhibited at Kenilworth could be
ushered in by none with so much propriety as by the ghost of Captain Coxe
mounted upon his redoubted hobbyhorse
These rough rural gambols may not altogether agree with the readers
preconceived idea of an entertainment presented before Elizabeth in whose reign
letters revived with such brilliancy and whose court governed by a female
whose sense of propriety was equal to her strength of mind was no less
distinguished for delicacy and refinement than her councils for wisdom and
fortitude But whether from the political wish to seem interested in popular
sports or whether from a spark of old Henrys rough masculine spirit which
Elizabeth sometimes displayed it is certain the Queen laughed heartily at the
imitation or rather burlesque of chivalry which was presented in the Coventry
play She called near her person the Earl of Sussex and Lord Hunsdon partly
perhaps to make amends to the former for the long and private audiences with
which she had indulged the Earl of Leicester by engaging him in conversation
upon a pastime which better suited his taste than those pageants that were
furnished forth from the stores of antiquity The disposition which the Queen
showed to laugh and jest with her military leaders gave the Earl of Leicester
the opportunity he had been watching for withdrawing from the royal presence
which to the court around so well had he chosen his time had the graceful
appearance of leaving his rival free access to the Queens person instead of
availing himself of his right as her landlord to stand perpetually betwixt
others and the light of her countenance
Leicesters thoughts however had a far different object from mere
courtesy for no sooner did he see the Queen fairly engaged in conversation with
Sussex and Hunsdon behind whose back stood Sir Nicholas Blount grinning from
ear to ear at each word which was spoken than making a sign to Tressilian
who according to appointment watched his motions at a little distance he
extricated himself from the press and walking towards the Chase made his way
through the crowds of ordinary spectators who with open mouth stood gazing on
the battle of the English and the Danes When he had accomplished this which
was a work of some difficulty he shot another glance behind him to see that
Tressilian had been equally successful and as soon as he saw him also free from
the crowd he led the way to a small thicket behind which stood a lackey with
two horses ready saddled He flung himself on the one and made signs to
Tressilian to mount the other who obeyed without speaking a single word
Leicester then spurred his horse and galloped without stopping until he
reached a sequestered spot environed by lofty oaks about a miles distance
from the Castle and in an opposite direction from the scene to which curiosity
was drawing every spectator He there dismounted bound his horse to a tree and
only pronouncing the words »Here there is no risk of interruption« laid his
cloak across his saddle and drew his sword
Tressilian imitated his example punctually yet could not forbear saying as
he drew his weapon »My lord as I have been known to many as one who does not
fear death when placed in balance with honour methinks I may without
derogation ask wherefore in the name of all that is honourable your lordship
has dared to offer me such a mark of disgrace as places us on these terms with
respect to each other«
»If you like not such marks of my scorn« replied the Earl »betake yourself
instantly to your weapon lest I repeat the usage you complain of«
»It shall not need my lord« said Tressilian »God judge betwixt us and
your blood if you fall be on your own head«
He had scarce completed the sentence when they instantly closed in combat
But Leicester who was a perfect master of defence among all other exterior
accomplishments of the time had seen on the preceding night enough of
Tressilians strength and skill to make him fight with more caution than
heretofore and prefer a secure revenge to a hasty one For some minutes they
fought with equal skill and fortune till in a desperate lounge which Leicester
successfully put aside Tressilian exposed himself at disadvantage and in a
subsequent attempt to close the Earl forced his sword from his hand and
stretched him on the ground With a grim smile he held the point of his rapier
within two inches of the throat of his fallen adversary and placing his foot at
the same time upon his breast bid him confess his villanous wrongs towards him
and prepare for death
»I have no villany nor wrong towards thee to confess« answered Tressilian
»and am better prepared for death than thou Use thine advantage as thou wilt
and may God forgive you I have given you no cause for this«
»No cause« exclaimed the Earl »no cause but why parley with such a
slave Die a liar as thou hast lived«
He had withdrawn his arm for the purpose of striking the fatal blow when it
was suddenly seized from behind
The Earl turned in wrath to shake off the unexpected obstacle but was
surprised to find that a strangelooking boy had hold of his swordarm and
clung to it with such tenacity of grasp that he could not shake him off without
a considerable struggle in the course of which Tressilian had opportunity to
rise and possess himself once more of his weapon Leicester again turned towards
him with looks of unabated ferocity and the combat would have recommenced with
still more desperation on both sides had not the boy clung to Lord Leicesters
knees and in a shrill tone implored him to listen one moment ere he prosecuted
this quarrel
»Stand up and let me go« said Leicester »or by Heaven I will pierce thee
with my rapier What hast thou to do to bar my way to revenge«
»Much much« exclaimed the undaunted boy »since my folly has been the
cause of these bloody quarrels between you and perchance of worse evils Oh if
you would ever again enjoy the peace of an innocent mind if you hope again to
sleep in peace and unhaunted by remorse take so much leisure as to peruse this
letter and then do as you list«
While he spoke in this eager and earnest manner to which his singular
features and voice gave a goblinlike effect he held up to Leicester a packet
secured with a long tress of womans hair of a beautiful light brown colour
Enraged as he was nay almost blinded with fury to see his destined revenge so
strangely frustrated the Earl of Leicester could not resist this extraordinary
supplicant He snatched the letter from his hand changed colour as he looked
on the superscription undid with faltering hand the knot which secured it
glanced over the contents and staggering back would have fallen had he not
rested against the trunk of a tree where he stood for an instant his eyes bent
on the letter and his swordpoint turned to the ground without seeming to be
conscious of the presence of an antagonist towards whom he had shown little
mercy and who might in turn have taken him at advantage But for such revenge
Tressilian was too nobleminded he also stood still in surprise waiting the
issue of this strange fit of passion but holding his weapon ready to defend
himself in case of need against some new and sudden attack on the part of
Leicester whom he again suspected to be under the influence of actual frenzy
The boy indeed he easily recognised as his old acquaintance Dickon whose
face once seen was scarcely to be forgotten but how he came hither at so
critical a moment why his interference was so energetic and above all how it
came to produce so powerful an effect upon Leicester were questions which he
could not solve
But the letter was of itself powerful enough to work effects yet more
wonderful It was that which the unfortunate Amy had written to her husband in
which she alleged the reasons and manner of her flight from Cumnor Place
informed him of her having made her way to Kenilworth to enjoy his protection
and mentioned the circumstances which had compelled her to take refuge in
Tressilians apartment earnestly requesting he would without delay assign her
a more suitable asylum The letter concluded with the most earnest expressions
of devoted attachment and submission to his will in all things and
particularly respecting her situation and place of residence conjuring him only
that she might not be placed under the guardianship or restraint of Varney
The letter dropped from Leicesters hand when he had perused it »Take my
sword« he said »Tressilian and pierce my heart as I would but now have
pierced yours«
»My lord« said Tressilian »you have done me great wrong but something
within my breast ever whispered that it was by egregious error«
»Error indeed« said Leicester and handed him the letter »I have been
made to believe a man of honour a villain and the best and purest of creatures
a false profligate Wretched boy why comes this letter now and where has the
bearer lingered«
»I dare not tell you my lord« said the boy withdrawing as if to keep
beyond his reach »but here comes one who was the messenger«
Wayland at the same moment came up and interrogated by Leicester hastily
detailed all the circumstances of his escape with Amy the fatal practices
which had driven her to flight and her anxious desire to throw herself under
the instant protection of her husband pointing out the evidence of the
domestics of Kenilworth »who could not« he observed »but remember her eager
inquiries after the Earl of Leicester on her first arrival«
»The villains« exclaimed Leicester »but oh that worst of villains
Varney and she is even now in his power«
»But not I trust in God« said Tressilian »with any commands of fatal
import«
»No no no« exclaimed the Earl hastily »I said something in madness
but it was recalled fully recalled by a hasty messenger and she is now she
must now be safe«
»Yes« said Tressilian »she must be safe and I must be assured of her
safety My own quarrel with you is ended my lord but there is another to begin
with the seducer of Amy Robsart who has screened his guilt under the cloak of
the infamous Varney«
»The seducer of Amy« replied Leicester with a voice like thunder »say her
husband her misguided blinded most unworthy husband She is as surely
Countess of Leicester as I am belted Earl Nor can you sir point out that
manner of justice which I will not render her at my own free will I need scarce
say I fear not your compulsion«
The generous nature of Tressilian was instantly turned from consideration of
anything personal to himself and centred at once upon Amys welfare He had by
no means undoubting confidence in the fluctuating resolutions of Leicester
whose mind seemed to him agitated beyond the government of calm reason neither
did he notwithstanding the assurances he had received think Amy safe in the
hands of his dependants »My lord« he said calmly »I mean you no offence and
am far from seeking a quarrel But my duty to Sir Hugh Robsart compels me to
carry this matter instantly to the Queen that the Countesss rank may be
acknowledged in her person«
»You shall not need sir« replied the Earl haughtily »do not dare to
interfere No voice but Dudleys shall proclaim Dudleys infamy to Elizabeth
herself will I tell it and then for Cumnor Place with the speed of life and
death«
So saying he unbound his horse from the tree threw himself into the
saddle and rode at full gallop towards the Castle
»Take me before you Master Tressilian« said the boy seeing Tressilian
mount in the same haste »my tale is not all told out and I need your
protection«
Tressilian complied and followed the Earl though at a less furious rate
By the way the boy confessed with much contrition that in resentment at
Waylands evading all his inquiries concerning the lady after Dickon conceived
he had in various ways merited his confidence he had purloined from him in
revenge the letter with which Amy had intrusted him for the Earl of Leicester
His purpose was to have restored it to him that evening as he reckoned himself
sure of meeting with him in consequence of Waylands having to perform the part
of Arion in the pageant He was indeed something alarmed when he saw to whom the
letter was addressed but he argued that as Leicester did not return to
Kenilworth until that evening it would be again in the possession of the proper
messenger as soon as in the nature of things it could possibly be delivered
But Wayland came not to the pageant having been in the interim expelled by
Lambourne from the Castle and the boy not being able to find him or to get
speech of Tressilian and finding himself in possession of a letter addressed to
no less a person than the Earl of Leicester became much afraid of the
consequences of his frolic The caution and indeed the alarm which Wayland had
expressed respecting Varney and Lambourne led him to judge that the letter
must be designed for the Earls own hand and that he might prejudice the lady
by giving it to any of the domestics He made an attempt or two to obtain an
audience of Leicester but the singularity of his features and the meanness of
his appearance occasioned his being always repulsed by the insolent menials
whom he applied to for that purpose Once indeed he had nearly succeeded
when in prowling about he found in the grotto the casket which he knew to
belong to the unlucky Countess having seen it on her journey for nothing
escaped his prying eye Having strove in vain to restore it either to Tressilian
or the Countess he put it into the hands as we have seen of Leicester
himself but unfortunately he did not recognise him in his disguise
At length the boy thought he was on the point of succeeding when the Earl
came down to the lower part of the hall but just as he was about to accost him
he was prevented by Tressilian As sharp in ear as in wit the boy heard the
appointment settled betwixt them to take place in the Pleasance and resolved
to add a third to the party in hopes that either in coming or in returning he
might find an opportunity of delivering the letter to Leicester for strange
stories began to flit among the domestics which alarmed him for the ladys
safety Accident however detained Dickon a little behind the Earl and as he
reached the arcade he saw them engaged in combat in consequence of which he
hastened to alarm the guard having little doubt that what bloodshed took place
betwixt them might arise out of his own frolic Continuing to lurk in the
portico he heard the second appointment which Leicester at parting assigned
to Tressilian and was keeping them in view during the encounter of the Coventry
men when to his surprise he recognised Wayland in the crowd much disguised
indeed but not sufficiently so to escape the prying glance of his old comrade
They drew aside out of the crowd to explain their situation to each other The
boy confessed to Wayland what we have above told and the artist in return
informed him that his deep anxiety for the fate of the unfortunate lady had
brought him back to the neighbourhood of the Castle upon his learning that
morning at a village about ten miles distant that Varney and Lambourne whose
violence he dreaded had both left Kenilworth overnight
While they spoke they saw Leicester and Tressilian separate themselves from
the crowd dogged them until they mounted their horses when the boy whose
speed of foot has been before mentioned though he could not possibly keep up
with them yet arrived as we have seen soon enough to save Tressilians life
The boy had just finished his tale when they arrived at the Gallery Tower
Chapter Fortieth
High oer the eastern steep the sun is beaming
And darkness flies with her deceitful shadows
So truth prevails oer falsehood
Old Play
As Tressilian rode along the bridge lately the scene of so much riotous sport
he could not but observe that mens countenances had singularly changed during
the space of his brief absence The mock fight was over but the men still
habited in their masquing suits stood together in groups like the inhabitants
of a city who have been just startled by some strange and alarming news
When he reached the basecourt appearances were the same domestics
retainers and under officers stood together and whispered bending their eyes
towards the windows of the great hall with looks which seemed at once alarmed
and mysterious
Sir Nicholas Blount was the first person of his own particular acquaintance
Tressilian saw who left him no time to make inquiries but greeted him with
»God help thy heart Tressilian thou art fitter for a clown than a courtier
thou canst not attend as becomes one who follows her Majesty Here you are
called for wished for waited for no man but you will serve the turn and
thither you come with a misbegotten brat on thy horses neck as if thou wert
dry nurse to some sucking devil and wert just returned from airing«
»Why what is the matter« said Tressilian letting go the boy who sprung
to ground like a feather and himself dismounting at the same time
»Why no one knows the matter« replied Blount »I cannot smell it out
myself though I have a nose like other courtiers Only my Lord of Leicester has
galloped along the bridge as if he would have rode over all in his passage
demanding an audience of the Queen and is closeted even now with her and
Burleigh and Walsingham and you are called for but whether the matter be
treason or worse no one knows«
»He speaks true by Heaven« said Raleigh who that instant appeared »you
must immediately to the Queens presence«
»Be not rash Raleigh« said Blount »remember his boots For Heavens
sake go to my chamber dear Tressilian and don my new bloomcoloured silken
hose I have worn them but twice«
»Pshaw« answered Tressilian »do thou take care of this boy Blount be
kind to him and look he escapes you not much depends on him«
So saying he followed Raleigh hastily leaving honest Blount with the
bridle of his horse in one hand and the boy in the other Blount gave a long
look after him
»Nobody« he said »calls me to these mysteries and he leaves me here to
play horsekeeper and childkeeper at once I could excuse the one for I love a
good horse naturally but to be plagued with a bratchet whelp Whence come ye
my fairfavoured little gossip«
»From the Fens« answered the boy
»And what didst thou learn there forward imp«
»To catch gulls with their webbed feet and yellow stockings« said the boy
»Umph« said Blount looking down on his own immense roses »Nay then the
devil take him asks thee more questions«
Meantime Tressilian traversed the full length of the great hall in which
the astonished courtiers formed various groups and were whispering mysteriously
together while all kept their eyes fixed on the door which led from the upper
end of the hall into the Queens withdrawing apartment Raleigh pointed to the
door Tressilian knocked and was instantly admitted Many a neck was stretched
to gain a view into the interior of the apartment but the tapestry which
covered the door on the inside was dropped too suddenly to admit the slightest
gratification of curiosity
Upon entrance Tressilian found himself not without a strong palpitation of
heart in the presence of Elizabeth who was walking to and fro in a violent
agitation which she seemed to scorn to conceal while two or three of her most
sage and confidential counsellors exchanged anxious looks with each other but
delayed speaking till her wrath had abated Before the empty chair of state in
which she had been seated and which was half pushed aside by the violence with
which she had started from it knelt Leicester his arms crossed and his brows
bent on the ground still and motionless as the effigies upon a sepulchre
Beside him stood the Lord Shrewsbury then Earl Marshal of England holding his
baton of office the Earls sword was unbuckled and lay before him on the
floor
»Ho sir« said the Queen coming close up to Tressilian and stamping on
the floor with the action and manner of Henry himself »you knew of this fair
work you are an accomplice in this deception which has been practised on us
you have been a main cause of our doing injustice« Tressilian dropped on his
knee before the Queen his sense showing him the risk of attempting any defence
at that moment of irritation »Art dumb sirrah« she continued »thou knowst
of this affair dost thou not«
»Not gracious madam that this poor lady was Countess of Leicester«
»Nor shall any one know her for such« said Elizabeth »Death of my life
Countess of Leicester I say Dame Amy Dudley and well if she hath not cause
to write herself widow of the traitor Robert Dudley«
»Madam« said Leicester »do with me what it may be your will to do but
work no injury on this gentleman he hath in no way deserved it«
»And will he be the better for thy intercession« said the Queen leaving
Tressilian who slowly arose and rushing to Leicester who continued kneeling
»the better for thy intercession thou doubly false thou doubly forsworn of
thy intercession whose villany hath made me ridiculous to my subjects and
odious to myself I could tear out mine eyes for their blindness«
Burleigh here ventured to interpose
»Madam« he said »remember that you are a Queen Queen of England mother
of your people Give not way to this wild storm of passion«
Elizabeth turned round to him while a tear actually twinkled in her proud
and angry eye »Burleigh« she said »thou art a statesman thou dost not thou
canst not comprehend half the scorn half the misery that man has poured on
me«
With the utmost caution with the deepest reverence Burleigh took her hand
at the moment he saw her heart was at the fullest and led her aside to an oriel
window apart from the others
»Madam« he said »I am a statesman but I am also a man a man already
grown old in your councils who have not and cannot have a wish on earth but
your glory and happiness I pray you to be composed«
»Ah Burleigh« said Elizabeth »thou little knowest« here her tears fell
over her cheeks in despite of her
»I do I do know my honoured sovereign Oh beware that you lead not
others to guess that which they know not«
»Ha« said Elizabeth pausing as if a new train of thought had suddenly shot
across her brain »Burleigh thou art right thou art right anything but
disgrace anything but a confession of weakness anything rather than seem the
cheated slighted Sdeath to think on it is distraction«
»Be but yourself my Queen« said Burleigh »and soar far above a weakness
which no Englishman will ever believe his Elizabeth could have entertained
unless the violence of her disappointment carries a sad conviction to his
bosom«
»What weakness my lord« said Elizabeth haughtily »would you too
insinuate that the favour in which I held yonder proud traitor derived its
source from aught« But here she could no longer sustain the proud tone which
she had assumed and again softened as she said »But why should I strive to
deceive even thee my good and wise servant«
Burleigh stooped to kiss her hand with affection and rare in the annals
of courts a tear of true sympathy dropped from the eye of the minister on the
hand of his Sovereign
It is probable that the consciousness of possessing this sympathy aided
Elizabeth in supporting her mortification and suppressing her extreme
resentment but she was still more moved by fear that her passion should betray
to the public the affront and the disappointment which alike as a woman and a
Queen she was so anxious to conceal She turned from Burleigh and sternly
paced the hall till her features had recovered their usual dignity and her mien
its wonted stateliness of regular motion
»Our Sovereign is her noble self once more« whispered Burleigh to
Walsingham »mark what she does and take heed you thwart her not«
She then approached Leicester and said with calmness »My Lord Shrewsbury
we discharge you of your prisoner My Lord of Leicester rise and take up your
sword a quarter of an hours restraint under the custody of our Marshal my
lord is we think no high penance for months of falsehood practised upon us
We will now hear the progress of this affair« She then seated herself in her
chair and said »You Tressilian step forward and say what you know«
Tressilian told his story generously suppressing as much as he could what
affected Leicester and saying nothing of their having twice actually fought
together It is very probable that in doing so he did the Earl good service
for had the Queen at that instant found anything on account of which she could
vent her wrath upon him without laying open sentiments of which she was ashamed
it might have fared hard with him She paused when Tressilian had finished his
tale
»We will take that Wayland« she said »into our own service and place the
boy in our Secretaryoffice for instruction that he may in future use
discretion towards letters For you Tressilian you did wrong in not
communicating the whole truth to us and your promise not to do so was both
imprudent and undutiful Yet having given your word to this unhappy lady it
was the part of a man and a gentleman to keep it and on the whole we esteem
you for the character you have sustained in this matter My Lord of Leicester
it is now your turn to tell us the truth an exercise to which you seem of late
to have been too much a stranger«
Accordingly she extorted by successive questions the whole history of his
first acquaintance with Amy Robsart their marriage his jealousy the causes
on which it was founded and many particulars besides Leicesters confession
for such it might be called was wrenched from him piecemeal yet was upon the
whole accurate excepting that he totally omitted to mention that he had by
implication or otherwise assented to Varneys designs upon the life of his
Countess Yet the consciousness of this was what at that moment lay nearest to
his heart and although he trusted in great measure to the very positive
counterorders which he had sent by Lambourne it was his purpose to set out for
Cumnor Place in person as soon as he should be dismissed from the presence of
the Queen who he concluded would presently leave Kenilworth
But the Earl reckoned without his host It is true his presence and his
communications were gall and wormwood to his once partial mistress But barred
from every other and more direct mode of revenge the Queen perceived that she
gave her false suitor torture by these inquiries and dwelt on them for that
reason no more regarding the pain which she herself experienced than the
savage cares for the searing of his own hands by grasping the hot pincers with
which he tears the flesh of his captive enemy
At length however the haughty lord like a deer that turns to bay gave
intimation that his patience was failing »Madam« he said »I have been much to
blame more than even your just resentment has expressed Yet madam let me
say that my guilt if it be unpardonable was not unprovoked and that if
beauty and condescending dignity could seduce the frail heart of a human being
I might plead both as the causes of my concealing this secret from your
Majesty«
The Queen was so much struck with this reply which Leicester took care
should be heard by no one but herself that she was for the moment silenced and
the Earl had the temerity to pursue his advantage »Your Grace who has pardoned
so much will excuse my throwing myself on your royal mercy for those
expressions which were yestermorning accounted but a light offence«
The Queen fixed her eyes on him while she replied »Now by Heaven my lord
thy effrontery passes the bounds of belief as well as patience But it shall
avail thee nothing What ho my lords come all and hear the news My Lord
of Leicesters stolen marriage has cost me a husband and England a King His
lordship is patriarchal in his tastes one wife at a time was insufficient and
he designed us the honour of his left hand Now is not this too insolent
that I could not grace him with a few marks of courtfavour but he must presume
to think my hand and crown at his disposal You however think better of me
and I can pity this ambitious man as I could a child whose bubble of soap has
burst between his hands We go to the presencechamber My Lord of Leicester
we command your close attendance on us«
All was eager expectation in the hall and what was the universal
astonishment when the Queen said to those next her »The revels of Kenilworth
are not yet exhausted my lords and ladies we are to solemnise the noble
owners marriage«
There was a universal expression of surprise
»It is true on our royal word« said the Queen »he hath kept this a secret
even from us that he might surprise us with it at this very place and time I
see you are dying of curiosity to know the happy bride It is Amy Robsart the
same who to make up the Maygame yesterday figured in the pageant as the wife
of his servant Varney«
»For Gods sake madam« said the Earl approaching her with a mixture of
humility vexation and shame in his countenance and speaking so low as to be
heard by no one else »take my head as you threatened in your anger and spare
me these taunts Urge not a falling man tread not on a crushed worm«
»A worm my lord« said the Queen in the same tone »nay a snake is the
nobler reptile and the more exact similitude the frozen snake you wot of
which was warmed in a certain bosom«
»For your own sake for mine madam« said the Earl »while there is yet
some reason left in me«
»Speak aloud my lord« said Elizabeth »and at farther distance so please
you your breath thaws our ruff What have you to ask of us«
»Permission« said the unfortunate Earl humbly »to travel to Cumnor
Place«
»To fetch home your bride belike Why ay that is but right for as
we have heard she is indifferently cared for there But my lord you go not in
person we have counted upon passing certain days in this Castle of Kenilworth
and it were slight courtesy to leave us without a landlord during our residence
here Under your favour we cannot think to incur such disgrace in the eyes of
our subjects Tressilian shall go to Cumnor Place instead of you and with him
some gentleman who hath been sworn of our chamber lest my Lord of Leicester
should be again jealous of his old rival Whom wouldst thou have to be in
commission with thee Tressilian«
Tressilian with humble deference suggested the name of Raleigh
»Why ay« said the Queen »so God ha me thou hast made a good choice He
is a young knight besides and to deliver a lady from prison is an appropriate
first adventure Cumnor Place is little better than a prison you are to know
my lords and ladies Besides there are certain faitours there whom we would
willingly have in fast keeping You will furnish them Master Secretary with
the warrant necessary to secure the bodies of Richard Varney and the foreign
Alasco dead or alive Take a sufficient force with you gentlemen bring the
lady here in all honour lose no time and God be with you«
They bowed and left the presence
Who shall describe how the rest of that day was spent at Kenilworth The
Queen who seemed to have remained there for the sole purpose of mortifying and
taunting the Earl of Leicester showed herself as skilful in that female art of
vengeance as she was in the science of wisely governing her people The train
of state soon caught the signal and as he walked among his own splendid
preparations the Lord of Kenilworth in his own Castle already experienced the
lot of a disgraced courtier in the slight regard and cold manners of alienated
friends and the illconcealed triumph of avowed and open enemies Sussex from
his natural military frankness of disposition Burleigh and Walsingham from
their penetrating and prospective sagacity and some of the ladies from the
compassion of their sex were the only persons in the crowded court who retained
towards him the countenance they had borne in the morning
So much had Leicester been accustomed to consider courtfavour as the
principal object of his life that all other sensations were for the time lost
in the agony which his haughty spirit felt at the succession of petty insults
and studied neglects to which he had been subjected but when he retired to his
own chamber for the night that long fair tress of hair which had once secured
Amys letter fell under his observation and with the influence of a
countercharm awakened his heart to nobler and more natural feelings He kissed
it a thousand times and while he recollected that he had it always in his power
to shun the mortifications which he had that day undergone by retiring into a
dignified and even princelike seclusion with the beautiful and beloved partner
of his future life he felt that he could rise above the revenge which Elizabeth
had condescended to take
Accordingly on the following day the whole conduct of the Earl displayed
so much dignified equanimity he seemed so solicitous about the accommodations
and amusements of his guests yet so indifferent to their personal demeanour
towards him so respectfully distant to the Queen yet so patient of her
harassing displeasure that Elizabeth changed her manner to him and though
cold and distant ceased to offer him any direct affront She intimated also
with some sharpness to others around her who thought they were consulting her
pleasure in showing a neglectful conduct to the Earl that while they remained
at Kenilworth they ought to show the civility due from guests to the Lord of
the Castle In short matters were so far changed in twentyfour hours that
some of the more experienced and sagacious courtiers foresaw a strong
possibility of Leicesters restoration to favour and regulated their demeanour
towards him as those who might one day claim merit for not having deserted him
in adversity It is time however to leave these intrigues and follow
Tressilian and Raleigh on their journey
The troop consisted of six persons for besides Wayland they had in
company a royal pursuivant and two stout servingmen All were well armed and
travelled as fast as it was possible with justice to their horses which had a
long journey before them They endeavoured to procure some tidings as they rode
along of Varney and his party but could hear none as they had travelled in the
dark At a small village about twelve miles from Kenilworth where they gave
some refreshment to their horses a poor clergyman the curate of the place
came out of a small cottage and entreated any of the company who might know
aught of surgery to look in for an instant on a dying man
The empiric Wayland undertook to do his best and as the curate conducted
him to the spot he learned that the man had been found on the high road about a
mile from the village by labourers as they were going to their work on the
preceding morning and the curate had given him shelter in his house He had
received a gunshot wound which seemed to be obviously mortal but whether in a
broil or from robbers they could not learn as he was in a fever and spoke
nothing connectedly Wayland entered the dark and lowly apartment and no sooner
had the curate drawn aside the curtain than he knew in the distorted features
of the patient the countenance of Michael Lambourne Under pretence of seeking
something which he wanted Wayland hastily apprised his fellowtravellers of
this extraordinary circumstance and both Tressilian and Raleigh full of boding
apprehensions hastened to the curates house to see the dying man
The wretch was by this time in the agonies of death from which a much
better surgeon than Wayland could not have rescued him for the bullet had
passed clear through his body He was sensible however at least in part for
he knew Tressilian and made signs that he wished him to stoop over his bed
Tressilian did so and after some inarticulate murmurs in which the names of
Varney and Lady Leicester were alone distinguishable Lambourne bade him »make
haste or he would come too late« It was in vain Tressilian urged the patient
for farther information he seemed to become in some degree delirious and when
he again made a signal to attract Tressilians attention it was only for the
purpose of desiring him to inform his uncle Giles Gosling of the Black Bear
that »he had died without his shoes after all« A convulsion verified his words
a few minutes after and the travellers derived nothing from having met with
him saving the obscure fears concerning the fate of the Countess which his
dying words were calculated to convey and which induced them to urge their
journey with their utmost speed pressing horses in the Queens name when those
which they rode became unfit for service
Chapter FortyFirst
The deathbell thrice was heard to ring
An aerial voice was heard to call
And thrice the raven flappd its wing
Around the towers of Cumnor Hall
Mickle
We are now to return to that part of our story where we intimated that Varney
possessed of the authority of the Earl of Leicester and of the Queens
permission to the same effect hastened to secure himself against discovery of
his perfidy by removing the Countess from Kenilworth Castle He had proposed to
set forth early in the morning but reflecting that the Earl might relent in the
interim and seek another interview with the Countess he resolved to prevent by
immediate departure all chance of what would probably have ended in his
detection and ruin For this purpose he called for Lambourne and was
exceedingly incensed to find that his trusty attendant was abroad on some ramble
in the neighbouring village or elsewhere As his return was expected Sir
Richard commanded that he should prepare himself for attending him on an
immediate journey and follow him in case he returned after his departure
In the meanwhile Varney used the ministry of a servant called Robin Tider
one to whom the mysteries of Cumnor Place were already in some degree known as
he had been there more than once in attendance on the Earl To this man whose
character resembled that of Lambourne though he was neither quite so prompt nor
altogether so profligate Varney gave command to have three horses saddled and
to prepare a horselitter and have them in readiness at the posterngate The
natural enough excuse of his ladys insanity which was now universally
believed accounted for the secrecy with which she was to be removed from the
Castle and he reckoned on the same apology in case the unfortunate Amys
resistance or screams should render such necessary The agency of Anthony Foster
was indispensable and that Varney now went to secure
This person naturally of a sour unsocial disposition and somewhat tired
besides with his journey from Cumnor to Warwickshire in order to bring the
news of the Countesss escape had early extricated himself from the crowd of
wassailers and betaken himself to his chamber where he lay asleep when
Varney completely equipped for travelling and with a dark lantern in his hand
entered his apartment He paused an instant to listen to what his associate was
murmuring in his sleep and could plainly distinguish the words »Ave Maria
ora pro nobis No it runs not so deliver us from evil Ay so it goes«
»Praying in his sleep« said Varney »and confounding his old and new
devotions He must have more need of prayer ere I am done with him What ho
holy man most blessed penitent Awake awake The devil has not
discharged you from service yet«
As Varney at the same time shook the sleeper by the arm it changed the
current of his ideas and he roared out »Thieves thieves I will die in
defence of my gold my hardwon gold that has cost me so dear Where is
Janet Is Janet safe«
»Safe enough thou bellowing fool« said Varney »art thou not ashamed of
thy clamour«
Foster by this time was broad awake and sitting up in his bed asked
Varney the meaning of so untimely a visit »It augurs nothing good« he added
»A false prophecy most sainted Anthony« returned Varney »it augurs that
the hour is come for converting thy leasehold into copyhold What sayest thou
to that«
»Hadst thou told me this in broad day« said Foster »I had rejoiced but
at this dead hour and by this dim light and looking on thy pale face which is
a ghastly contradiction to thy light words I cannot but rather think of the
work that is to be done than the guerdon to be gained by it«
»Why thou fool it is but to escort thy charge back to Cumnor Place«
»Is that indeed all« said Foster »thou lookst deadly pale and thou art
not moved by trifles is that indeed all«
»Ay that and maybe a trifle more« said Varney
»Ah that trifle more« said Foster »still thou lookst paler and paler«
»Heed not my countenance« said Varney »you see it by this wretched light
Up and be doing man Think of Cumnor Place thine own proper copyhold Why
thou mayest found a weekly lectureship besides endowing Janet like a barons
daughter Seventy pounds and odd«
»Seventynine pounds five shillings and fivepence halfpenny besides the
value of the wood« said Foster »and I am to have it all as copyhold«
»All man squirrels and all no gipsy shall cut the value of a broom no
boy so much as take a birds nest without paying thee a quittance Ay that is
right don thy matters as fast as possible horses and every thing are ready
all save that accursed villain Lambourne who is out on some infernal gambol«
»Ay Sir Richard« said Foster »you would take no advice I ever told you
that drunken profligate would fail you at need Now I could have helped you to a
sober young man«
»What some slowspoken longbreathed brother of the congregation Why
we shall have use for such also man Heaven be praised we shall lack
labourers of every kind Ay that is right forget not your pistols Come
now and let us away«
»Whither« said Anthony
»To my ladys chamber and mind she must along with us Thou art not a
fellow to be startled by a shriek«
»Not if Scripture reason can be rendered for it and it is written wives
obey your husbands But will my lords commands bear us out if we use violence«
»Tush man here is his signet« answered Varney and having thus silenced
the objections of his associate they went together to Lord Hunsdons
apartments and acquainting the sentinel with their purpose as a matter
sanctioned by the Queen and the Earl of Leicester they entered the chamber of
the unfortunate Countess
The horror of Amy may be conceived when starting from a broken slumber
she saw at her bedside Varney the man on earth she most feared and hated It
was even a consolation to see that he was not alone though she had so much
reason to dread his sullen companion
»Madam« said Varney »there is no time for ceremony My Lord of Leicester
having fully considered the exigencies of the time sends you his orders
immediately to accompany us on our return to Cumnor Place See here is his
signet in token of his instant and pressing commands«
»It is false« said the Countess »thou hast stolen the warrant thou who
art capable of every villany from the blackest to the basest«
»It is TRUE madam« replied Varney »so true that if you do not instantly
arise and prepare to attend us we must compel you to obey our orders«
»Compel thou darest not put it to that issue base as thou art«
exclaimed the unhappy Countess
»That remains to be proved madam« said Varney who had determined on
intimidation as the only means of subduing her high spirit »if you put me to it
you will find me a rough groom of the chambers«
It was at this threat that Amy screamed so fearfully that had it not been
for the received opinion of her insanity she would quickly have had Lord
Hunsdon and others to her aid Perceiving however that her cries were vain
she appealed to Foster in the most affecting terms conjuring him as his
daughter Janets honour and purity were dear to him not to permit her to be
treated with unwomanly violence
»Why madam wives must obey their husbands theres Scripture warrant for
it« said Foster »and if you will dress yourself and come with us patiently
theres no one shall lay finger on you while I can draw a pistoltrigger«
Seeing no help arrive and comforted even by the dogged language of Foster
the Countess promised to rise and dress herself if they would agree to retire
from the room Varney at the same time assured her of all safety and honour
while in their hands and promised that he himself would not approach her
since his presence was so displeasing Her husband he added would be at Cumnor
Place within twentyfour hours after they had reached it
Somewhat comforted by this assurance upon which however she saw little
reason to rely the unhappy Amy made her toilette by the assistance of the
lantern which they left with her when they quitted the apartment
Weeping trembling and praying the unfortunate lady dressed herself with
sensations how different from the days in which she was wont to decorate herself
in all the pride of conscious beauty She endeavoured to delay the completing
her dress as long as she could until terrified by the impatience of Varney
she was obliged to declare herself ready to attend them
When they were about to move the Countess clung to Foster with such an
appearance of terror at Varneys approach that the latter protested to her
with a deep oath that he had no intention whatever of even coming near her »If
you do but consent to execute your husbands will in quietness you shall« he
said »see but little of me I will leave you undisturbed to the care of the
usher whom your good taste prefers«
»My husbands will« she exclaimed »But it is the will of God and let that
be sufficient to me I will go with Master Foster as unresistingly as ever did
a literal sacrifice He is a father at least and will have decency if not
humanity For thee Varney were it my latest word thou art an equal stranger
to both«
Varney replied only she was at liberty to choose and walked some paces
before them to show the way while half leaning on Foster and half carried by
him the Countess was transported from Saintlowes Tower to the posterngate
where Tider waited with the litter and horses
The Countess was placed in the former without resistance She saw with some
satisfaction that while Foster and Tider rode close by the litter which the
latter conducted the dreaded Varney lingered behind and was soon lost in
darkness A little while she strove as the road winded round the verge of the
lake to keep sight of those stately towers which called her husband lord and
which still in some places sparkled with lights where wassailers were yet
revelling But when the direction of the road rendered this no longer possible
she drew back her head and sinking down in the litter recommended herself to
the care of Providence
Besides the desire of inducing the Countess to proceed quietly on her
journey Varney had it also in view to have an interview with Lambourne by whom
he every moment expected to be joined without the presence of any witnesses He
knew the character of this man prompt bloody resolute and greedy and
judged him the most fit agent he could employ in his farther designs But ten
miles of their journey had been measured ere he heard the hasty clatter of
horses hoofs behind him and was overtaken by Michael Lambourne
Fretted as he was with his absence Varney received his profligate servant
with a rebuke of unusual bitterness »Drunken villain« he said »thy idleness
and debauched folly will stretch a halter ere it be long and for me I care not
how soon«
This style of objurgation Lambourne who was elated to an unusual degree
not only by an extraordinary cup of wine but by the sort of confidential
interview he had just had with the Earl and the secret of which he had made
himself master did not receive with his wonted humility »He would take no
insolence of language« he said »from the best knight that ever wore spurs
Lord Leicester had detained him on some business of import and that was enough
for Varney who was but a servant like himself«
Varney was not a little surprised at his unusual tone of insolence but
ascribing it to liquor suffered it to pass as if unnoticed and then began to
tamper with Lambourne touching his willingness to aid in removing out of the
Earl of Leicesters way an obstacle to a rise which would put it in his power
to reward his trusty followers to their utmost wish And upon Michael
Lambournes seeming ignorant what was meant he plainly indicated »the
litterload yonder« as the impediment which he desired should be removed
»Look you Sir Richard and so forth« said Michael »some are wiser than
some that is one thing and some are worse than some thats another I know my
lords mind on this matter better than thou for he hath trusted me fully in the
matter Here are his mandates and his last words were Michael Lambourne for
his lordship speaks to me as a gentleman of the sword and useth not the words
drunken villain or such like phrases of those who know not how to bear new
dignities Varney says he must pay the utmost respect to my Countess I
trust to you for looking to it Lambourne says his lordship and you must bring
back my signet from him peremptorily«
»Ay« replied Varney »said he so indeed You know all then«
»All all and you were as wise to make a friend of me while the weather
is fair betwixt us«
»And was there no one present« said Varney »when my lord so spoke«
»Not a breathing creature« replied Lambourne »Think you my lord would
trust any one with such matters save an approved man of action like myself«
»Most true« said Varney and making a pause he looked forward on the
moonlight road They were traversing a wide and open heath The litter being at
least a mile before them was both out of sight and hearing He looked behind
and there was an expanse lighted by the moonbeams without one human being in
sight He resumed his speech to Lambourne »And will you turn upon your master
who has introduced you to this career of courtlike favour whose apprentice
you have been Michael who has taught you the depths and shallows of court
intrigue«
»Michael not me« said Lambourne »I have a name will brook a master before
it as well as another and as to the rest if I have been an apprentice my
indenture is out and I am resolute to set up for myself«
»Take thy quittance first thou fool« said Varney and with a pistol which
he had for some time held in his hand shot Lambourne through the body
The wretch fell from his horse without a single groan and Varney
dismounting rifled his pockets turning out the lining that it might appear he
had fallen by robbers He secured the Earls packet which was his chief object
but he also took Lambournes purse containing some gold pieces the relics of
what his debauchery had left him and from a singular combination of feelings
carried it in his hand only the length of a small river which crossed the road
into which he threw it as far as he could fling Such are the strange remnants
of conscience which remain after she seems totally subdued that this cruel and
remorseless man would have felt himself degraded had he pocketed the few pieces
belonging to the wretch whom he had thus ruthlessly slain
The murderer reloaded his pistol after cleansing the lock and barrel from
the appearances of late explosion and rode calmly after the litter satisfying
himself that he had so adroitly removed a troublesome witness to many of his
intrigues and the bearer of mandates which he had no intentions to obey and
which therefore he was desirous it should be thought had never reached his
hand
The remainder of the journey was made with a degree of speed which showed
the little care they had for the health of the unhappy Countess They paused
only at places where all was under their command and where the tale they were
prepared to tell of the insane Lady Varney would have obtained ready credit had
she made an attempt to appeal to the compassion of the few persons admitted to
see her But Amy saw no chance of obtaining a hearing from any to whom she had
an opportunity of addressing herself and besides was too terrified for the
presence of Varney to violate the implied condition under which she was to
travel free from his company The authority of Varney often so used during the
Earls private journeys to Cumnor readily procured relays of horses where
wanted so that they approached Cumnor Place upon the night after they left
Kenilworth
At this period of the journey Varney came up to the rear of the litter as
he had done before repeatedly during their progress and asked »What does she«
»She sleeps« said Foster »I would we were home her strength is
exhausted«
»Rest will restore her« answered Varney »She shall soon sleep sound and
long we must consider how to lodge her in safety«
»In her own apartments to be sure« said Foster »I have sent Janet to her
aunts with a proper rebuke and the old women are truth itself for they hate
this lady cordially«
»We will not trust them however friend Anthony« said Varney »we must
secure her in that stronghold where you keep your gold«
»My gold« said Anthony much alarmed »why what gold have I God help
me I have no gold I would I had«
»Now marry hang thee thou stupid brute who thinks of or cares for thy
gold If I did could I not find an hundred better ways to come at it In
one word thy bedchamber which thou hast fenced so curiously must be her
place of seclusion and thou thou hind shalt press her pillows of down I
dare to say the Earl will never ask after the rich furniture of these four
rooms«
This last consideration rendered Foster tractable he only asked permission
to ride before to make matters ready and spurring his horse he posted before
the litter while Varney falling about threescore paces behind it it remained
only attended by Tider
When they had arrived at Cumnor Place the Countess asked eagerly for Janet
and showed much alarm when informed that she was no longer to have the
attendance of that amiable girl
»My daughter is dear to me madam« said Foster gruffly »and I desire not
that she should get the courttricks of lying and scaping somewhat too much
of that has she learned already an it please your ladyship«
The Countess much fatigued and greatly terrified by the circumstances of
her journey made no answer to this insolence but mildly expressed a wish to
retire to her chamber
»Ay ay« muttered Foster »tis but reasonable but under favour you go
not to your gewgaw toyhouse yonder you will sleep tonight in better
security«
»I would it were in my grave« said the Countess »but that mortal feelings
shiver at the idea of soul and body parting«
»You I guess have no chance to shiver at that« replied Foster »My lord
comes hither tomorrow and doubtless you will make your own ways good with
him«
»But does he come hither does he indeed good Foster«
»Oh ay good Foster« replied the other »But what Foster shall I be
tomorrow when you speak of me to my lord though all I have done was to obey
his own orders«
»You shall be my protector a rough one indeed but still a protector«
answered the Countess »Oh that Janet were but here«
»She is better where she is« answered Foster »one of you is enough to
perplex a plain head but will you taste any refreshment«
»Oh no no my chamber my chamber I trust« she said apprehensively
»I may secure it on the inside«
»With all my heart« answered Foster »so I may secure it on the outside«
and taking a light he led the way to a part of the building where Amy had never
been and conducted her up a stair of great height preceded by one of the old
women with a lamp At the head of the stair which seemed of almost immeasurable
height they crossed a short wooden gallery formed of black oak and very
narrow at the farther end of which was a strong oaken door which opened and
admitted them into the misers apartment homely in its accommodations in the
very last degree and except in name little different from a prisonroom
Foster stopped at the door and gave the lamp to the Countess without
either offering or permitting the attendance of the old woman who had carried
it The lady stood not on ceremony but taking it hastily barred the door and
secured it with the ample means provided on the inside for that purpose
Varney meanwhile had lurked behind on the stairs but hearing the door
barred he now came up on tiptoe and Foster winking to him pointed with
selfcomplacence to a piece of concealed machinery in the wall which playing
with much ease and little noise dropped a part of the wooden gallery after the
manner of a drawbridge so as to cut off all communication between the door of
the bedroom which he usually inhabited and the landingplace of the high
windingstair which ascended to it The rope by which this machinery was wrought
was generally carried within the bedchamber it being Fosters object to
provide against invasion from without but now that it was intended to secure
the prisoner within the cord had been brought over to the landingplace and
was there made fast when Foster with much complacency had dropped the
unsuspected trapdoor
Varney looked with great attention at the machinery and peeped more than
once down the abyss which was opened by the fall of the trapdoor It was dark
as pitch and seemed profoundly deep going as Foster informed his confederate
in a whisper nigh to the lowest vault of the Castle Varney cast once more a
fixed and long look down into this sable gulf and then followed Foster to the
part of the manorhouse most usually inhabited
When they arrived in the parlour which we have mentioned Varney requested
Foster to get them supper and some of the choicest wine »I will seek Alasco«
he added »we have work for him to do and we must put him in good heart«
Foster groaned at this intimation but made no remonstrance The old woman
assured Varney that Alasco had scarce eaten or drunken since her masters
departure living perpetually shut up in the laboratory and talking as if the
worlds continuance depended on what he was doing there
»I will teach him that the world hath other claims on him« said Varney
seizing a light and going in quest of the alchemist He returned after a
considerable absence very pale but yet with his habitual sneer on his cheek
and nostril »Our friend« he said »has exhaled«
»How what mean you« said Foster »Run away fled with my forty pounds
that should have been multiplied a thousand fold I will have Hue and Cry«
»I will tell thee a surer way« said Varney
»How which way« exclaimed Foster »I will have back my forty pounds I
deemed them as surely a thousand times multiplied I will have back my input
at the least«
»Go hang thyself then and sue Alasco in the devils Court of Chancery for
thither he has carried the cause«
»How what dost thou mean is he dead«
»Ay truly is he« said Varney »and properly swoln already in the face and
body He had been mixing some of his devils medicines and the glass mask
which he used constantly had fallen from his face so that the subtle poison
entered the brain and did its work«
»Sancta Maria« said Foster »I mean God in his mercy preserve us from
covetousness and deadly sin Had he not had projection think you Saw you no
ingots in the crucibles«
»Nay I looked not but at the dead carrion« answered Varney »an ugly
spectacle he was swoln like a corpse three days exposed on the wheel Pah
give me a cup of wine«
»I will go« said Foster »I will examine myself« He took the lamp and
hastened to the door but there hesitated and paused »Will you not go with me«
said he to Varney
»To what purpose« said Varney »I have seen and smelled enough to spoil my
appetite I broke the window however and let in the air it reeked of
sulphur and such like suffocating steams as if the very devil had been there«
»And might it not be the act of the demon himself« said Foster still
hesitating »I have heard he is powerful at such times and with such people«
»Still if it were that Satan of thine« answered Varney »who thus jades
thy imagination thou art in perfect safety unless he is a most unconscionable
devil indeed He hath had two good sops of late«
»How two sops what mean you« said Foster »what mean you«
»You will know in time« said Varney »and then this other banquet but
thou wilt esteem Her too choice a morsel for the fiends tooth she must have
her psalms and harps and seraphs«
Anthony Foster heard and came slowly back to the table »God Sir Richard
and must that then be done«
»Ay in very truth Anthony or there comes no copyhold in thy way« replied
his inflexible associate
»I always foresaw it would land there« said Foster »but how Sir Richard
how for not to win the world would I put hands on her«
»I cannot blame thee« said Varney »I should be reluctant to do that myself
we miss Alasco and his manna sorely ay and the dog Lambourne«
»Why where tarries Lambourne« said Anthony
»Ask no questions« said Varney »thou wilt see him one day if thy creed be
true But to our graver matter I will teach thee a springe Tony to catch
a pewit yonder trapdoor yonder gimcrack of thine will remain secure in
appearance will it not though the supports are withdrawn beneath«
»Ay marry will it« said Foster »so long as it is not trodden on«
»But were the lady to attempt an escape over it« replied Varney »her
weight would carry it down«
»A mouses weight would do it« said Foster
»Why then she dies in attempting her escape and what could you or I help
it honest Tony Let us to bed we will adjust our project tomorrow«
On the next day when evening approached Varney summoned Foster to the
execution of their plan Tider and Fosters old manservant were sent on a
feigned errand down to the village and Anthony himself as if anxious to see
that the Countess suffered no want of accommodation visited her place of
confinement He was so much staggered at the mildness and patience with which
she seemed to endure her confinement that he could not help earnestly
recommending to her not to cross the threshold of her room on any account
whatever until Lord Leicester should come »Which« he added »I trust in God
will be very soon« Amy patiently promised that she would resign herself to her
fate and Foster returned to his hardened companion with his conscience
halfeased of the perilous load that weighed on it »I have warned her« he
said »surely in vain is the snare set in sight of any bird«
He left therefore the Countesss door unsecured on the outside and under
the eye of Varney withdrew the supports which sustained the falling trap
which therefore kept its level position merely by a slight adhesion They
withdrew to wait the issue on the groundfloor adjoining but they waited long
in vain At length Varney after walking long to and fro with his face muffled
in his cloak threw it suddenly back and exclaimed »Surely never was a woman
fool enough to neglect so fair an opportunity of escape«
»Perhaps she is resolved« said Foster »to await her husbands return«
»True most true« said Varney rushing out »I had not thought of that
before«
In less than two minutes Foster who remained behind heard the tread of a
horse in the courtyard and then a whistle similar to that which was the Earls
usual signal the instant after the door of the Countesss chamber opened
and in the same moment the trapdoor gave way There was a rushing sound a
heavy fall a faint groan and all was over
At the same instant Varney called in at the window in an accent and tone
which was an indescribable mixture betwixt horror and raillery »Is the bird
caught is the deed done«
»O God forgive us« replied Anthony Foster
»Why thou fool« said Varney »thy toil is ended and thy reward secure
Look down into the vault what seest thou«
»I see only a heap of white clothes like a snow said Foster »O God she
moves her arm«
»Hurl something down on her Thy gold chest Tony it is an heavy one«
»Varney thou art an incarnate fiend« replied Foster »There needs
nothing more she is gone«
»So pass our troubles« said Varney entering the room »I dreamed not I
could have mimicked the Earls call so well«
»Oh if there be judgment in Heaven thou hast deserved it« said Foster
»and wilt meet it Thou hast destroyed her by means of her best affections
It is a seething of the kid in the mothers milk«
»Thou art a fanatical ass« replied Varney »let us now think how the alarm
should be given the body is to remain where it is«
But their wickedness was to be permitted no longer for even while they
were at this consultation Tressilian and Raleigh broke in upon them having
obtained admittance by means of Tider and Fosters servant whom they had
secured at the village
Anthony Foster fled on their entrance and knowing each corner and pass of
the intricate old house escaped all search But Varney was taken on the spot
and instead of expressing compunction for what he had done seemed to take a
fiendish pleasure in pointing out to them the remains of the murdered Countess
while at the same time he defied them to show that he had any share in her
death The despairing grief of Tressilian on viewing the mangled and yet warm
remains of what had lately been so lovely and so beloved was such that Raleigh
was compelled to have him removed from the place by force while he himself
assumed the direction of what was to be done
Varney upon a second examination made very little mystery either of the
crime or of its motives alleging as a reason for his frankness that though
much of what he confessed could only have attached to him by suspicion yet such
suspicion would have been sufficient to deprive him of Leicesters confidence
and to destroy all his towering plans of ambition »I was not born« he said
»to drag on the remainder of life a degraded outcast nor will I so die that
my fate shall make a holiday to the vulgar herd«
From these words it was apprehended he had some design upon himself and he
was carefully deprived of all means by which such could be carried into
execution But like some of the heroes of antiquity he carried about his person
a small quantity of strong poison prepared probably by the celebrated Demetrius
Alasco Having swallowed this potion overnight he was found next morning dead
in his cell nor did he appear to have suffered much agony his countenance
presenting even in death the habitual expression of sneering sarcasm which
was predominant while he lived »The wicked man« saith Scripture »hath no
bonds in his death«
The fate of his colleague in wickedness was long unknown Cumnor Place was
deserted immediately after the murder for in the vicinity of what was called
the Lady Dudleys Chamber the domestics pretended to hear groans and screams
and other supernatural noises After a certain length of time Janet hearing no
tidings of her father became the uncontrolled mistress of his property and
conferred it with her hand upon Wayland now a man of settled character and
holding a place in Elizabeths household But it was after they had been both
dead for some years that their eldest son and heir in making some researches
about Cumnor Hall discovered a secret passage closed by an iron door which
opening from behind the bed in the Lady Dudleys Chamber descended to a sort of
cell in which they found an iron chest containing a quantity of gold and a
human skeleton stretched above it The fate of Anthony Foster was now manifest
He had fled to this place of concealment forgetting the key of the springlock
and being barred from escape by the means he had used for preservation of that
gold for which he had sold his salvation he had there perished miserably
Unquestionably the groans and screams heard by the domestics were not entirely
imaginary but were those of this wretch who in his agony was crying for
relief and succour
The news of the Countesss dreadful fate put a sudden period to the
pleasures of Kenilworth Leicester retired from court and for a considerable
time abandoned himself to his remorse But as Varney in his last declaration had
been studious to spare the character of his patron the Earl was the object
rather of compassion than resentment The Queen at length recalled him to court
he was once more distinguished as a statesman and favourite and the rest of his
career is well known to history But there was something retributive in his
death if according to an account very generally received it took place from
his swallowing a draught of poison which was designed by him for another person
24
Sir Hugh Robsart died very soon after his daughter having settled his
estate on Tressilian But neither the prospect of rural independence nor the
promises of favour which Elizabeth held out to induce him to follow the court
could remove his profound melancholy Wherever he went he seemed to see before
him the disfigured corpse of the early and only object of his affection At
length having made provision for the maintenance of the old friends and old
servants who formed Sir Hughs family at Lidcote Hall he himself embarked with
his friend Raleigh for the Virginia expedition and young in years but old in
grief died before his day in that foreign land
Of inferior persons it is only necessary to say that Blounts wit grew
brighter as his yellow roses faded that doing his part as a brave commander in
the wars he was much more in his element than during the short period of his
following the court and that Flibbertigibbets acute genius raised him to
favour and distinction in the employment both of Burleigh and Walsingham
Notes
1 Ashmoles Antiquities of Berkshire vol i p 149 The tradition as to
Leicesters death was thus communicated by Ben Jonson to Drummond of
Hawthornden »The Earl of Leicester gave a bottle of liquor to his Lady which
he willed her to use in any faintness which she after his returne from court
not knowing it was poison gave him and so he died«
2 If faith is to be put in epitaphs Anthony Foster was something the very
reverse of the character represented in the novel Ashmole gives this
description of his tomb I copy from the Antiquities of Berkshire vol i p
143
»In the north wall of the chancel at Cumnor Church is a monument of grey marble
whereon in brass plates are engraved a man in armour and his wife in the
habit of her times both kneeling before a faldstoole together with the
figures of three sons kneeling behind their mother Under the figure of the man
is this inscription
Antonius Forster generis generosa propago
Cumneræ Dominus Bercheriensis erat
Armiger Armigero prognatus patre Ricardo
Qui quondam Iphlethæ Salopiensis erat
Quatuor ex isto fluxerunt stemmate nati
Ex isto Antonius stemmate quartus erat
Mente sagax animo precellens corpore promptus
Eloquii dulcis ore disertus erat
In factis probitas fuit in sermone venustas
In vultu gravitas relligione fides
In patriam pietas in egenos grata voluntas
Accedunt reliquis annumeranda bonis
Si quod cuncta rapit rapuit non omnia Lethum
Si quod Mors rapuit vivida fama dedit
These verses following are writ at length two by two in praise of him
Argute resonas Cithare pretendere chordas
Novit et Aonia concrepuisse Lyra
Gaudebat terre teneras defigere plantas
Et mira pulchras construere arte domos
Composita varias lingua formare loquelas
Doctus et edocta scribere multa manu
The arms over it thus
Quart
I 3 Hunters Horns stringed
II 3 Pinions with their points upwards
The crest is a Stag couchant vulnerated through the neck by a broad arrow on
his side is a Martlett for a difference«
From this monumental inscription it appears that Anthony Foster instead of
being a vulgar lowbred puritanical churl was in fact a gentleman of birth and
consideration distinguished for his skill in the arts of music and
horticulture as also in languages In so far therefore the Anthony Foster of
the romance has nothing but the name in common with the real individual But
notwithstanding the charity benevolence and religious faith imputed by the
monument of grey marble to its tenant tradition as well as secret history
name him as the active agent in the death of the Countess and it is added that
from being a jovial and convivial gallant as we may infer from some expressions
in the epitaph he sunk after the fatal deed into a man of gloomy and retired
habits whose looks and manners indicated that he suffered under the pressure of
some atrocious secret
The name of Lambourne is still known in the vicinity and it is said some of the
clan partake the habits as well as name of the Michael Lambourne of the
romance A man of this name lately murdered his wife outdoing Michael in this
respect who only was concerned in the murder of the wife of another man
I have only to add that the jolly Black Bear has been restored to his
predominance over bowl and bottle in the village of Cumnor
3 Two headlands on the Cornish coast The expressions are proverbial
4 This verse is the commencement of the ballad already quoted as what suggested
the novel
5 The Leicester cognisance was the ancient device adopted by his father when
Earl of Warwick the bear and ragged staff
6 Sir Francis Drake Morgan and many a bold Buccanier of those days were in
fact little better than pirates
7 This verse or something similar occurs in a long ballad or poem on Flodden
Field reprinted by the late Henry Weber
8 This verse of an old song actually occurs in an old play where the singer
boasts
»Courteously I can both counter and knack
Of Martin Swart and all his merry men«
9 »Give good words« Slang dialect
10 The great defeat given by Alfred to the Danish invaders is said by Mr
Gough to have taken place near Ashdown in Berkshire »The burial place of
Baereg the Danish chief who was slain in this fight is distinguished by a
parcel of stones less than a mile from the hill set on edge enclosing a piece
of ground somewhat raised On the east side of the southern extremity stand
three squarish flat stones of about four or five feet over either way
supporting a fourth and now called by the vulgar WAYLAND SMITH from an idle
tradition about an invisible smith replacing lost horseshoes there« GOUGHS
Edition of Camdens Britannia vol i p 221
The popular belief still retains memory of this wild legend which connected as
it is with the site of a Danish sepulchre may have arisen from some legend
concerning the northern Duergar who resided in the rocks and were cunning
workers in steel and iron It was believed that Wayland Smiths fee was
sixpence and that unlike other workmen he was offended if more was offered
Of late his offices have been again called to memory but fiction has in this
as in other cases taken the liberty to pillage the stores of oral tradition
This monument must be very ancient for it has been kindly pointed out to me
that it is referred to in an ancient Saxon charter as a landmark The monument
has been of late cleared out and made considerably more conspicuous
11 Orvietan or Venice treacle as it was sometimes called was understood to be
a sovereign remedy against poison and the reader must be contented for the
time he peruses these pages to hold the same opinion which was once universally
received by the learned as well as the vulgar
12 Naunton gives us numerous and curious particulars of the jealous struggle
which took place between Ratcliffe Earl of Sussex and the rising favourite
Leicester The former when on his deathbed predicted to his followers
that after his death the gipsy so he called Leicester from his dark
complexion would prove too many for them
13 Among the attendants and adherents of Sussex we have ventured to introduce
the celebrated Raleigh in the dawn of his court favour
In Aubreys Correspondence there are some curious particulars of Sir Walter
Raleigh »He was a tall handsome bold man but his næve was that he was
damnably proud Old Sir Robert Harley of Brampton Brian Castle who knew him
would say it was a great question who was the proudest Sir Walter or Sir
Thomas Overbury but the difference that was was judged in Sir Thomass side In
the great parlour at Downton at Mr Raleighs is a good piece an original of
Sir Walter in a white satin doublet all embroidered with rich pearls and a
mighty rich chain of great pearls about his neck The old servants have told me
that the pearls were near as big as the painted ones He had a most remarkable
aspect an exceeding high forehead longfaced and soureyelidded« A rebus is
added to this purpose
The enemy to the stomach and the word of disgrace
Is the name of the gentleman with the bold face
Sir Walter Raleighs beard turned up naturally which gave him an advantage over
the gallants of the time whose mustaches received a touch of the barbers art
to give them the air then most admired See Aubreys Correspondence vol ii
part ii p 500
14 The gallant incident of the cloak is the traditional account of this
celebrated statesmans rise at court None of Elizabeths courtiers knew better
than he how to make his court to her personal vanity or could more justly
estimate the quantity of flattery which she could condescend to swallow Being
confined in the Tower for some offence and understanding the Queen was about to
pass to Greenwich in her barge he insisted on approaching the window that he
might see at whatever distance the Queen of his Affections the most beautiful
object which the earth bore on its surface The Lieutenant of the Tower his own
particular friend threw himself between his prisoner and the window while Sir
Walter apparently influenced by a fit of unrestrainable passion swore he would
not be debarred from seeing his light his life his goddess A scuffle ensued
got up for effects sake in which the Lieutenant and his captive grappled and
struggled with fury tore each others hair and at length drew daggers and
were only separated by force The Queen being informed of this scene exhibited
by her frantic adorer it wrought as was to be expected much in favour of the
captive Paladin There is little doubt that his quarrel with the Lieutenant was
entirely contrived for the purpose which it produced
15 Little is known of Robert Laneham save in his curious letter to a friend in
London giving an account of Queen Elizabeths entertainments at Kenilworth
writen in a style of the most intolerable affectation both in point of
composition and orthography He describes himself as a bon vivant who was wont
to be jolly and dry in the morning and by his goodwill would be chiefly in the
company of the ladies He was by the interest of Lord Leicester Clerk of the
Council Chamber door and also keeper of the same »When Council sits« says he
»I am at hand If any makes a babbling Peace say I If I see a listener or a
pryer in at the chinks or lockhole I am presently on the bones of him If a
friend comes I make him sit down by me on a form or chest The rest may walk a
Gods name« There has been seldom a better portrait of the pragmatic conceit
and selfimportance of a small man in office
16 A remnant of the wild cattle of Scotland are preserved at Chillingham Castle
near Wooler in Northumberland the seat of Lord Tankerville They fly before
strangers but if disturbed and followed they turn with fury on those who
persist in annoying them
17 The Earl of Leicesters Italian physician Julio was affirmed by his
contemporaries to be a skilful compounder of poisons which he applied with such
frequency that the Jesuit Parsons extols ironically the marvellous good luck of
this great favourite in the opportune deaths of those who stood in the way of
his wishes There is a curious passage on the subject
»Long after this he fell in love with the Lady Sheffield whom I signified
before and then also had he the same fortune to have her husband dye quickly
with an extreame rheume in his head as it was given out but as others say of
an artificiall catarre that stopped his breath
The like good chance had he in the death of my Lord of Essex as I have said
before and that at a time most fortunate for his purpose for when he was
coming home from Ireland with intent to revenge himselfe upon my Lord of
Leicester for begetting his wife with childe in his absence the childe was a
daughter and brought up by the Lady Shandoes W Knooles his wife my Lord of
Leicester hearing thereof wanted not a friend or two to accompany the deputy
as among other a couple of the Earles own servants Crompton if I misse not his
name yeoman of his bottles and Lloid his secretary entertained afterward by
my Lord of Leicester and so he dyed in the way of an extreame flux caused by
an Italian receipe as all his friends are well assured the maker whereof was a
chyrurgeon as it is beleeved that then was newly come to my Lord from Italy
a cunning man and sure in operation with whom if the good Lady had been sooner
acquainted and used his help she should not have needed to sitten so pensive
at home and fearfull of her husbands former returne out of the same country
Neither must you marvaile though all these died in divers manners of outward
diseases for this is the excellency of the Italian art for which this
chyrurgeon and Dr Julio were entertained so carefully who can make a man dye
in what manner or show of sickness you will by whose instructions no doubt
but his lordship is now cunning especially adding also to these the counsell of
his Doctor Bayly a man also not a little studied as he seemeth in his art
for I heard him once myselfe in a publique act in Oxford and that in presence
of my Lord of Leicester if I be not deceived maintain that poyson might be so
tempered and given as it should not appear presently and yet should kill the
party afterward at what time should be appointed which argument belike pleased
well his lordship and therefore was chosen to be discussed in his audience if
I be not deceived of his being that day present So though one dye of a flux
and another of a catarre yet this importeth little to the matter but showeth
rather the great cunning and skill of the artificer« PARSONS Leicesters
Commonwealth p 23
It is unnecessary to state the numerous reasons why the Earl is stated in the
tale to be rather the dupe of villains than the unprincipled author of their
atrocities In the latter capacity which a part at least of his contemporaries
imputed to him he would have made a character too disgustingly wicked to be
useful for the purposes of fiction
I have only to add that the union of the poisoner the quacksalver the
alchymist and the astrologer in the same person was familiar to the
pretenders to the mystic sciences
18 Nugæ Antiquæ vol i pp 356362
19 This is an imitation of Gascoignes verses spoken by the Herculean porter as
mentioned in the text The original may be found in the republication of the
Princely Pleasures of Kenilworth by the same author in the History of
Kenilworth Chiswick 1821
20 See Lanehams Account of the Queens Entertainment at Kenilworth Castle in
1575 a very diverting tract written by as great a coxcomb as ever blotted
paper See Note F The original is extremely rare but it has been twice
reprinted once in Mr Nicholss very curious and interesting collection of the
Progresses and Public Processions of Queen Elizabeth vol i and more lately
in a beautiful antiquarian publication termed Kenilworth Illustrated printed at
Chiswick for Henry Merridew of Coventry and Radcliffe of Birmingham It
contains reprints of Lanehams Letter Gascoignes Princely Progress and other
scarce pieces annotated with accuracy and ability The Author takes the liberty
to refer to this work as his authority for the account of the festivities
I am indebted for a curious groundplan of the Castle of Kenilworth as it
existed in Queen Elizabeths time to the voluntary kindness of Richard Badnall
Esq of Olivebank near Liverpool From his obliging communication I learn that
the original sketch was found among the manuscripts of the celebrated J J
Rousseau when he left England These were intrusted by the philosopher to the
care of his friend Mr Davenport and passed from his legatee into the
possession of Mr Badnall
21 To justify what may be considered as a highcoloured picture the author
quotes the original of the courtly and shrewd Sir James Melville being then
Queen Marys envoy at the court of London
»I was required« says Sir James »to stay till I had seen him made Earle of
Leicester and Baron of Denbigh with great solemnity herself Elizabeth
helping to put on his ceremonial he sitting on his knees before her keeping a
great gravity and a discreet behaviour but she could not refrain from putting
her hand to his neck to kittle ie tickle him smilingly the French
Ambassador and I standing beside her« MELVILLES Memoirs Bannatyne Edition
p 120
22 The incident alluded to occurs in the poem of Orlando Innamorato of Boiardo
libro ii canto 4 stanza 25
»Non era per ventura« etc
It may be rendered thus
As then perchance unguarded was the tower
So enterd free Anglantés dauntless knight
No monster and no giant guard the bower
In whose recess reclined the fairy light
Robed in a loose cymar of lily white
And on her lap a sword of breadth and might
In whose broad blade as in a mirror bright
Like maid that trims her for a festal night
The fairy deckd her hair and placed her coronet aright
Elizabeths attachment to the Italian school of poetry was singularly manifested
on a wellknown occasion Her godson Sir John Harrington having offended her
delicacy by translating some of the licentious passages of the Orlando Furioso
she imposed on him as a penance the task of rendering the whole poem into
English
23 In revising this work I have had the means of making some accurate additions
to my attempt to describe the princely pleasures of Kenilworth by the kindness
of my friend William Hamper Esq who had the goodness to communicate to me an
inventory of the furniture of Kenilworth in the days of the magnificent Earl of
Leicester I have adorned the text with some of the splendid articles mentioned
in the inventory but antiquaries especially will be desirous to see a more
full specimen than the story leaves room for
Extracts from Kenilworth Inventory A D 1584
A Salte shipfashion of the mother of perle garnished with silver and divers
workes warlike ensignes and ornaments with xyj peeces of ordinance whereof
ij on wheles two anckers on the foreparte and on the stearne the image of Dame
Fortune standing on a globe with a flag in her hand Pois xxxij oz
A gilte salte like a swann mother of perle Pois xxx oz iij quarters
A George on horseback of wood painted and gilt with a case for knives in the
tayle of the horse and a case for oyster knives in the brest of the Dragon
A green bargecloth embroiderd with white lions and beares
A perfuming pann of silver Pois xix oz
In the halle Tabells long and short vj Formes long and short xiiij
Hangings
These are minutely specified and consisted of the
following subjects in tapestry and gilt and red leather
Flowers beasts and pillars arched Forest worke Historie Storie of Susanna
the Prodigall Childe Saule Tobie Hercules Lady Fame Hawking and Hunting
Jezabell Judith and Holofernes David Abraham Sampson Hippolitus Alexander
the Great Naaman the Assyrian Jacob etc
Bedsteds with their Furniture
These are magnificent and numerous I shall copy verbatim the description of
what appears to have been one of the best
A bedsted of wallnuttree toppe fashion the pillers redd and varnished the
ceelor tester and single vallance of crimson sattin paned with a broad border
of bone lace of golde and silver The tester richlie embrothered with my Lo
armes in a garland of hoppes roses and pomegranetts and lyned with buckerom
Fyve curteins of crimson sattin to the same bedsted striped downe with a bone
lace of gold and silver garnished with buttons and loops of crimson silk and
golde containing xiiij bredths of sattin and one yarde iij quarters deepe The
celor vallance and curteins lyned with crymson taffata sarsenet
A crymson sattin counterpointe quilted and embr with a golde twiste and lyned
with redd sarsenet being in length iij yards good and in breadth iij scant
A chaise of crymson sattin suteable
A fayre quilte of crymson sattin vj breadths iij yardes 3 quarters naile
deepe all lozenged over with silver twiste in the midst a cinquefoile within a
garland of tragged staves fringed rounde aboute with a small fringe of crymson
silke lyned throughe with white fustian
Fyve plumes of coolered feathers garnished with bone lace and spangells of
goulde and silver standing in cups knitt all over with goulde silver and
crymson silk
A carpett for a cupboarde of crymson sattin embrothered with a border of goulde
twiste about iij parts of it fringed with silk and goulde lyned with bridges
sattin in length ij yards and ij bredths of sattin
There were eleven down beds and ninety feather beds besides thirtyseven
mattresses
Chayres Stooles and Cushens
These were equally splendid with the beds etc I shall here copy that which
stands at the head of the
list
A chaier of crimson velvet the seate and backe partlie embrothered with R L
in cloth of goulde the beare and ragged staffe in clothe of silver garnished
with lace and fringe of goulde silver and crimson silck The frame covered
with velvet bounde about the edge with goulde lace and studded with gilte
nailes
A square stoole and a foote stoole of crimson velvet fringed and garnished
suteable
A long cushen of crimson velvet embr with the ragged staffe in a wreathe of
goulde with my Lo posie »Droyte et Loyall« written in the same and the
letters R L in clothe of goulde being garnished with lace fringe buttons
and tassels of gold silver and crimson silck lyned with crimson taff being
in length 1 yard quarter
A square cushen of the like velvet embr suteable to the long cushen
Carpets
There were 10 velvet carpets for tables and windows 49 Turkey carpets for
floors and 32 cloth carpets One of each I will now specify
A carpett of crimson velvet richly embr with my Lo posie beares and ragged
staves etc of clothe of goulde and silver garnished upon the seames and
aboute with golde lace fringed accordinglie lyned with crimson taffata
sarsenett being 3 breadths of velvet one yard 3 quarters long
A great Turquoy carpett the grounde blew with a list of yelloe at each end
being in length x yards in bredthe iiij yards and quarter
A long carpett of blew clothe lyned with bridges sattin fringed with blew
silck and goulde in length vj yards lack a quarter the whole bredth of the
clothe
Pictures
Chiefly described as having curtains
The Queenes Majestie 2 great tables 3 of my Lord St Jerome Lo of
Arundell Lord Mathevers Lord of Pembroke Counte Egmondt The Queene of
Scotts King Philip The Bakers Daughters The Duke of Feria Alexander Magnus
Two Yonge Ladies Pompæa Sabina Fred D of Saxony Emp Charles K Philips
Wife Prince of Orange and his Wife Marq of Berges and his Wife Counte de
Horne Count Holstrate Monsr Brederode Duke Alva Cardinal Grandville Duches
of Parma Henriè E of Pembrooke and his young Countess Conntis of Essex
Occacion and Repentance Lord Mowntacute S Jas Crofts Sir Wr Mildmay Sr
Wm Pickering Edwin Abp of York
A tabell of an historie of men women and children molden in wax
A little foulding table of ebanie garnished with white bone wherein are
written verses with Ires of goulde
A table of my Lords armes
Fyve of the plannetts painted in frames
Twentiethree cardes or maps of countries
Instruments
I shall give two specimens
An instrument of organs regalls and virginalls covered with crimson velvet
and garnished with goulde lace
A fair pair of double virginalls
Cabonetts
A cabonett of crimson sattin richlie embr with a device of hunting the stagg
in goulde silver and silck with iiij glasses in the topp thereof xvj cupps
of flowers made of goulde silver and silck in a case of leather lyned with
greene sattin of bridges
Another of purple velvet A desk of red leather
A CHESS BOARDE of ebanie with checkars of christall and other stones layed
with silver garnished with beares and ragged staves and cinquefoiles of
silver The xxxij men likewyse of christall and other stones sett the one sort
in silver white the other gilte in a case gilded and lyned with green cotton
Another of bone and ebanie A pair of tabells of bone
A GREAT BRASON CANDLESTICK to hang in the roofe of the howse verie fayer and
curiously wrought with xxiiij branches xij greate and xij of lesser size 6
rowlers and ij wings for the spread eagle xxiiij socketts for candells xij
greater and xij of a lesser sorte xxiiij sawcers or candlecupps of like
proporcion to put under the socketts iij images of men and iij of weomen of
brass verie finely and artificiallie done
These specimens of Leicesters magnificence may serve to assure the reader that
it scarce lay in the power of a modern author to exaggerate the lavish style of
expense displayed in the princely pleasures of Kenilworth
24 In a curious manuscript copy of the information given by Ben Jonson to
Drummond of Hawthornden as transcribed by Sir Robert Sibbald Leicesters death
is ascribed to poison administered as a cordial by his countess to whom he had
given it representing it to be a restorative in any faintness in the hope that
she herself might be cut off by using it We have already quoted Jonsons
account of this merited stroke of retribution in a note p 4 of Introduction to
the present work It may be here added that the following satirical epitaph on
Leicester occurs in Drummonds Collection but is evidently not of his
composition
Epitaph on the Erle of Leister
Here lies a valiant warriour
Who never drew a sword
Here lies a noble courtier
Who never kept his word
Here lies the Erle of Leister
Who governd the Estates
Whom the earth could never living love
And the just Heaven now hates