The Knights of the Cross, or, Krzyzacy: Historical Romance

  CHAPTER VI.

  An event now happened, compared with which all other affairs lost theirimportance. Toward evening of the twenty-first of June, the news of thequeen's sudden illness spread throughout the castle. Bishop Wysz and theother doctors remained in her room the whole night. It was known that thequeen was threatened with premature confinement. The castellan of Krakow,Jasko Topor of Tenczyn, sent a messenger to the absent king that samenight. The next day the news spread throughout the entire city and itsenvirons. It was Sunday, therefore the churches were crowded. All doubtceased. After mass the guests and the knights, who had come to be presentat the festivals, the nobles and the burghers, went to the castle; theguilds and the fraternities came out with their banners. From noontidenumberless crowds of people surrounded Wawel, but order was kept by theking's archers. The city was almost deserted; crowds of peasants movedtoward the castle to learn some news about the health of their belovedqueen. Finally there appeared in the principal gate, the bishops and thecastellan, and with them other canons, king's counselors and knights.They mingled with the people telling them the news, but forbidding anyloud manifestation of joy, because it would be injurious to the sickqueen. They announced to all, that the queen was delivered of a daughter.This news filled the hearts of all with joy, especially when theylearned, that, although the confinement was premature, there was now nodanger, neither for the mother nor for the child. The people began todisperse because it was forbidden to shout near the castle and everybodywished to manifest his joy. Therefore, the streets of the city werefilled immediately, and exulting songs and exclamations resounded inevery corner. They were not disappointed because a girl had been born."Was it unfortunate that King Louis had no sons and that Jadwiga becameour queen? By her marriage with Jagiello, the strength of the kingdom wasdoubled. The same will happen again. Where can one find a richer heiressthan our queen. Neither the Roman emperor nor any king possesses suchdominion, nor so numerous a knighthood! There will be great competitionamong the monarchs for her hand; the most powerful of them will bow toour king and queen; they will come to Krakow, and we merchants willprofit by it; perhaps some new domains, Bohemian or Hungarian, will beadded to our kingdom."

  Thus spoke the merchants among themselves, and their joy increased everymoment. They feasted in the private houses and in the inns. The marketplace was filled with lanterns and torches. Almost till daybreak, therewas great life and animation throughout the city.

  During the morning, they heard more news from the castle.

  They heard that the _ksiondz_ Bishop Peter, had baptized the child duringthe night. On account of this, they feared that the little girl was notvery strong. But the experienced townswomen quoted some similar cases, inwhich the infants had grown stronger immediately after baptism. Thereforethey comforted themselves with this hope; their confidence was greatlyincreased by the name given to the princess.

  "Neither Bonifacius nor Bonifacia can die immediately after baptism; thechild so named is destined to accomplish something great," they said."During the first years, especially during the first weeks, the childcannot do anything good or bad."

  The next day, however, there came bad news from the castle concerning theinfant and the mother, and the city was excited. During the whole day,the churches were as crowded as they were during the time of absolution.Votive offerings were very numerous for the queen's and princess' health.One could see poor peasants offering some grain, lambs, chickens, ropesof dried mushrooms or baskets of nuts. There came rich offerings from theknights, from the merchants and from the artisans. They sent messengersto the places where miracles were performed. Astrologers consulted thestars. In Krakow itself, they ordered numerous processions. All guildsand fraternities took part in them. There was also a children'sprocession because the people thought that these innocent beings would bemore apt to obtain God's favor. Through the gates new crowds were coming.

  Thus day after day passed, with continual ringing of bells, with thenoise of the crowds in the churches, with processions and with prayers.But when at the end of a week, the beloved queen and the child were stillliving, hope began to enter the hearts of the people. It seemed to themimpossible, that God would take from the kingdom the queen who, havingdone so much for it, would thus be obliged to leave so much unfinished.The scholars told how much she had done for the schools; the clergy, howmuch for God's glory; the statesmen, how much for peace among Christianmonarchs; the jurisconsults, how much for justice; the poor people, howmuch for poverty. None of them could believe that the life so necessaryto the kingdom and to the whole world, would be ended prematurely.

  In the meanwhile on July thirteenth, the tolling bells announced thedeath of the child. The people again swarmed through the streets of thecity, and uneasiness seized them. The crowd surrounded Wawel again,inquiring about the queen's health. But now nobody came out with goodnews. On the contrary, the faces of the lords entering the castle, orreturning to the city, were gloomy, and every day became sadder. Theysaid that the _ksiondz_ Stanislaw of Skarbimierz, the master of liberalsciences in Krakow, did not leave the queen, who every day received holycommunion. They said also, that after every communion, her room wasfilled with celestial light. Some had seen it through the windows; butsuch a sight frightened the hearts devoted to the lady; they feared thatit was a sign that celestial life had already begun for her.

  But everybody did not believe that such a dreadful thing could happen;they reassured themselves with the hope that the justice of heaven wouldbe satisfied with one victim. But on Friday morning, July seventeenth,the news spread among the people that the queen was in agony. Everybodyrushed toward Wawel. The city was deserted; even mothers with theirinfants rushed toward the gates of the castle. The stores were closed;they did not cook any food. All business was suspended; but around Wawel,there was a sea of uneasy, frightened but silent people.

  At last at the thirteenth hour from noontime, the bell on the tower ofthe cathedral resounded. They did not immediately understand what itmeant; but the people became uneasy. All heads and all eyes turned towardthe tower in which was hung the tolling bell; its mournful tones weresoon repeated by other bells in the city: by those at Franciscans, atTrinity, and at Panna Marya. Finally the people understood; then theirsouls were filled with dread and with great grief. At last a large blackflag embroidered with a death's head, appeared on the tower. Then alldoubt vanished: the queen had rendered her soul to God.

  Beneath the castle walls resounded the roar and the cries of a hundredthousand people and mingled with the gloomy voices of the bells. Some ofthe people threw themselves on the ground; others tore their clothing orlacerated their faces; while others looked at the walls with silentstupefaction. Some of them were moaning; some, stretching their handstoward the church and toward the queen's room, asked for a miracle andGod's mercy. But there were also heard some angry voices, which onaccount of despair were verging toward blasphemy:

  "Why have they taken our dear queen? For what then were our processions,our prayers and our entreaties? Our gold and silver offerings wereaccepted and we have nothing in return for them! They took but they gaveus nothing in return!" Many others weeping, repeated: "Jesus! Jesus!Jesus!" The crowds wanted to enter the castle, to look once more on theface of their queen.

  This they were not permitted to do; but were promised that the body wouldsoon be placed in the church where everyone would be allowed to view itand to pray beside it. Consequently toward evening, the sorrowing peoplebegan to return to the city, talking about the queen's last moments,about the future funeral and the miracles, which would be performed nearher body and around her tomb. Some also said that immediately after herburial, the queen would be canonized, and when others said that theydoubted if it could be done, many began to be angry and to threaten to goto the pope in Avignon.

  A gloomy sorrow fell upon the city, and upon the whole country, not onlyon the common people, but on everybody; the lucky star of the kingdom wasextinguished. Even to many among the lords, everything
looked black. Theybegan to ask themselves and others, what would happen now? whether theking had the right to remain after the queen's death and rule over thecountry; or whether he would return to Lithuania and be satisfied withthe throne of the viceroy? Some of them supposed--and the future provedthat they thought correctly--that the king himself would be willing towithdraw; and that, in such an event the large provinces would separatefrom the crown, and the Lithuanians would again begin their attacksagainst the inhabitants of the kingdom. The Knights of the Cross wouldbecome stronger; mightier would become the Roman emperor and theHungarian king; and the Polish kingdom, one of the mightiest untilyesterday, would be ruined and disgraced.

  The merchants, for whom waste territories in Lithuania and in Russia hadbeen opened, forseeing great losses, made pious vows, hoping thatJagiello might remain on the throne. But in that event, they predicted awar with the Order. It was known that the queen only could restrain hisanger. The people recollected a previous occasion, when being indignantat the avidity and rapacity of the Knights of the Cross, she spoke tothem in a prophetic vision: "As long as I live, I will restrain myhusband's hand and his righteous anger; but remember that after my death,there will fall upon you the punishment for your sins."

  In their pride and folly, they were not afraid of a war, calculating,that after the queen's death, the charm of her piety would no longerrestrain the wish for affluence of volunteers from eastern countries, andthat then thousands of warriors from Germany, Burgundia, France and othercountries, would join the Knights of the Cross.

  The death of Jadwiga was an event of such importance, that the envoyLichtenstein, could wait no longer for the answer of the absent king; butstarted immediately for Marienburg, in order to communicate as soon aspossible to the grand master and to the chapter the important, and insome ways, threatening news.

  The Hungarian, the Austrian and the Bohemian envoys followed him or sentmessengers to their monarchs. Jagiello returned to Krakow in greatdespair. At first he declared to the lords, that he did not wish to rulewithout the queen and that he would return to Litwa. Afterward, onaccount of his grief, he fell into such a stupor, that he could notattend to any affairs of state, and could not answer any questions.Sometimes he was very angry with himself, because he had gone away, andhad not been present at the queen's death to bid her farewell and to hearher last words and wishes. In vain Stanislaw of Skarbimierz and BishopWysz explained to him that the queen's illness came suddenly, and thataccording to human calculations he would have had plenty of time to goand return if the confinement had occurred at the expected time. Thesewords did not bring him any consolation; did not assuage his grief. "I amno king without her," he answered the bishop; "only a repentant sinner,who can receive no consolation!" After that he looked at the ground andno one could induce him to speak even one word.

  Meanwhile preparations for the queen's funeral occupied all minds. Fromall over the country, great crowds of lords, nobles and peasants weregoing to Krakow. The body of the queen was placed in the cathedral on anelevation, so arranged that the end of the coffin in which the queen'shead rested, was much higher than the other end. It was so arrangedpurposely, to enable the people to see the queen's face. In the cathedralcontinual prayers were offered; around the catafalque thousands of waxcandles were burning. In the glare of the candles and among the flowers,she lay quiet and smiling, looking like a mystic rose. The people saw inher a saint; they brought to her those possessed with devils, thecrippled and the sick children. From time to time there was heard in thechurch, the exclamation of some mother who perceived the color return tothe face of her sick child; or the joyful voice of some paralytic man whoat once was cured. Then human hearts trembled and the news spreadthroughout the church, the castle, and the city, and attracted more andmore of such human wretchedness as only from a miracle could expect help.