CHAPTER VII.
Thus said the Duke--thus did the Duke infer. _Richard III._
The eyes of the elder traveller were well accustomed to sights ofmartial splendour, yet even he was dazzled with the rich and gloriousdisplay of the Burgundian camp, in which, near the walls of Dijon,Charles, the wealthiest prince in Europe, had displayed his ownextravagance, and encouraged his followers to similar profusion. Thepavilions of the meanest officers were of silk and samite, while thoseof the nobility and great leaders glittered with cloth of silver,cloth of gold, variegated tapestry, and other precious materials,which in no other situation would have been employed as a cover fromthe weather, but would themselves have been thought worthy of the mostcareful protection. The horsemen and infantry who mounted guard werearrayed in the richest and most gorgeous armour. A beautiful and verynumerous train of artillery was drawn up near the entrance of thecamp, and in its commander Philipson (to give the Earl the travellingname to which our readers are accustomed) recognised HenryColvin(_c_), an Englishman of inferior birth, but distinguished forhis skill in conducting these terrible engines, which had of late comeinto general use in war. The banners and pennons which were displayedby every knight, baron, and man of rank floated before their tents,and the owners of these transitory dwellings sat at the doorhalf-armed, and enjoyed the military contests of the soldiers, inwrestling, pitching the bar, and other athletic exercises.
Long rows of the noblest horses were seen at picket, prancing andtossing their heads, as impatient of the inactivity to which they wereconfined, or were heard neighing over the provender which was spreadplentifully before them. The soldiers formed joyous groups around theminstrels and strolling jugglers, or were engaged in drinking-partiesat the sutlers' tents; others strolled about with folded arms, castingtheir eyes now and then to the sinking sun, as if desirous that thehour should arrive which should put an end to a day unoccupied, andtherefore tedious.
At length the travellers reached, amidst the dazzling varieties ofthis military display, the pavilion of the Duke himself, before whichfloated heavily in the evening breeze the broad and rich banner, inwhich glowed the armorial bearings and quarterings of a prince, Dukeof six provinces, and Count of fifteen counties, who was, from hispower, his disposition, and the success which seemed to attend hisenterprises, the general dread of Europe. The pursuivant made himselfknown to some of the household, and the Englishmen were immediatelyreceived with courtesy, though not such as to draw attention uponthem, and conveyed to a neighbouring tent, the residence of a generalofficer, which they were given to understand was destined for theiraccommodation, and where their packages accordingly were deposited,and refreshments offered them.
"As the camp is filled," said the domestic who waited upon them, "withsoldiers of different nations and uncertain dispositions, the Duke ofBurgundy, for the safety of your merchandise, has ordered you theprotection of a regular sentinel. In the meantime, be in readiness towait on his Highness, seeing you may look to be presently sent for."
Accordingly, the elder Philipson was shortly after summoned to theDuke's presence, introduced by a back entrance into the ducalpavilion, and into that part of it which, screened by close curtainsand wooden barricades, formed Charles's own separate apartment. Theplainness of the furniture, and the coarse apparatus of the Duke'stoilette, formed a strong contrast to the appearance of the exteriorof the pavilion; for Charles, whose character was, in that as in otherthings, far from consistent, exhibited in his own person during war anausterity, or rather coarseness of dress, and sometimes of mannersalso, which was more like the rudeness of a German lanzknecht, thanthe bearing of a prince of exalted rank; while, at the same time, heencouraged and enjoined a great splendour of expense and displayamongst his vassals and courtiers, as if to be rudely attired, and todespise every restraint, even of ordinary ceremony, were a privilegeof the sovereign alone. Yet when it pleased him to assume state inperson and manners, none knew better than Charles of Burgundy how heought to adorn and demean himself.
Upon his toilette appeared brushes and combs, which might have claimeddismissal as past the term of service, over-worn hats and doublets,dog-leashes, leather-belts, and other such paltry articles; amongstwhich lay at random, as it seemed, the great diamond calledSanci,--the three rubies termed the Three Brothers of Antwerp,--anothergreat diamond called the Lamp of Flanders, and other precious stonesof scarcely inferior value and rarity. This extraordinary displaysomewhat resembled the character of the Duke himself, who mixedcruelty with justice, magnanimity with meanness of spirit, economywith extravagance, and liberality with avarice; being, in fact,consistent in nothing excepting in his obstinate determination tofollow the opinion he had once formed, in every situation of things,and through all variety of risks.
In the midst of the valueless and inestimable articles of his wardrobeand toilette, the Duke of Burgundy called out to the Englishtraveller, "Welcome, Herr Philipson--welcome, you of a nation whosetraders are princes, and their merchants the mighty ones of the earth.What new commodities have you brought to gull us with? You merchants,by St. George, are a wily generation."
"Faith, no new merchandise I, my lord," answered the elder Englishman;"I bring but the commodities which I showed your Highness the lasttime I communicated with you, in the hope of a poor trader, that yourGrace may find them more acceptable upon a review, than when you firstsaw them."
"It is well, Sir--Philipville, I think they call you?--you are asimple trader, or you take me for a silly purchaser, that you think togull me with the same wares which I fancied not formerly. Change offashion, man--novelty--is the motto of commerce; your Lancaster wareshave had their day, and I have bought of them like others, and waslike enough to have paid dear for them too. York is all the voguenow."
"It may be so among the vulgar," said the Earl of Oxford; "but forsouls like your Highness, faith, honour, and loyalty are jewels whichchange of fancy, or mutability of taste, cannot put out of fashion."
"Why, it may be, noble Oxford," said the Duke, "that I preserve in mysecret mind some veneration for these old-fashioned qualities, elsewhy should I have such regard for your person, in which they have everbeen distinguished? But my situation is painfully urgent, and should Imake a false step at this crisis, I might break the purposes of mywhole life. Observe me, Sir Merchant. Here has come over your oldcompetitor, Blackburn, whom some call Edward of York and of London,with a commodity of bows and bills such as never entered France sinceKing Arthur's time; and he offers to enter into joint adventure withme, or, in plain speech, to make common cause with Burgundy, till wesmoke out of his earths the old fox Louis, and nail his hide to thestable-door. In a word, England invites me to take part with himagainst my most wily and inveterate enemy, the King of France; to ridmyself of the chain of vassalage, and to ascend into the rank ofindependent princes;--how think you, noble Earl, can I forego thisseducing temptation?"
"You must ask this of some of your counsellors of Burgundy," saidOxford; "it is a question fraught too deeply with ruin to my cause,for me to give a fair opinion on it."
"Nevertheless," said Charles, "I ask thee, as an honourable man, whatobjections you see to the course proposed to me? Speak your mind, andspeak it freely."
"My lord, I know it is in your Highness's nature to entertain nodoubts of the facility of executing anything which you have oncedetermined shall be done. Yet, though this prince-like disposition mayin some cases prepare for its own success, and has often done so,there are others, in which, persisting in our purpose, merely becausewe have once willed it, leads not to success, but to ruin. Look,therefore, at this English army;--winter is approaching, where arethey to be lodged? how are they to be victualled? by whom are they tobe paid? Is your Highness to take all the expense and labour offitting them for the summer campaign? for, rely on it, an English armynever was, nor will be, fit for service, till they have been out oftheir own island long enough to accustom them to military duty. Theyare men, I grant, the fi
ttest for soldiers in the world; but they arenot soldiers as yet, and must be trained to become such at yourHighness's expense."
"Be it so," said Charles; "I think the Low Countries can find food forthe beef-consuming knaves for a few weeks, and villages for them tolie in, and officers to train their sturdy limbs to war, andprovost-marshals enough to reduce their refractory spirit todiscipline."
"What happens next?" said Oxford. "You march to Paris, add to Edward'susurped power another kingdom; restore to him all the possessionswhich England ever had in France, Normandy, Maine, Anjou, Gascony, andall besides--Can you trust this Edward when you shall have thusfostered his strength, and made him far stronger than this Louis whomyou have united to pull down?"
"By St. George, I will not dissemble with you! It is in that verypoint that my doubts trouble me. Edward is indeed my brother-in-law,but I am a man little inclined to put my head under my wife's girdle."
"And the times," said Philipson, "have too often shown theinefficiency of family alliances, to prevent the most gross breachesof faith."
"You say well, Earl. Clarence betrayed his father-in-law; Louispoisoned his brother--Domestic affections, pshaw! they sit warm enoughby a private man's fireside, but they cannot come into fields ofbattle, or princes' halls, where the wind blows cold. No, my alliancewith Edward by marriage were little succour to me in time of need. Iwould as soon ride an unbroken horse, with no better bridle than alady's garter. But what then is the result? He wars on Louis;whichever gains the better, I, who must be strengthened in theirmutual weakness, receive the advantage--The Englishmen slay the Frenchwith their cloth-yard shafts, and the Frenchmen, by skirmishes, waste,weaken, and destroy the English. With spring I take the field with anarmy superior to both, and then, St. George for Burgundy!"
"And if, in the meanwhile, your Highness will deign to assist, even inthe most trifling degree, a cause the most honourable that ever knightlaid lance in rest for,--a moderate sum of money, and a small body ofHainault lances, who may gain both fame and fortune by the service,may replace the injured heir of Lancaster in the possession of hisnative and rightful dominion."
"Ay, marry, Sir Earl," said the Duke, "you come roundly to the point;but we have seen, and indeed partly assisted, at so many turns betwixtYork and Lancaster, that we have some doubt which is the side to whichHeaven has given the right, and the inclinations of the people theeffectual power; we are surprised into absolute giddiness by so manyextraordinary revolutions of fortune as England has exhibited."
"A proof, my lord, that these mutations are not yet ended, and thatyour generous aid may give to the better side an effectual turn ofadvantage."
"And lend my cousin, Margaret of Anjou, my arm to dethrone my wife'sbrother? Perhaps he deserves small good-will at my hands, since he andhis insolent nobles have been urging me with remonstrances, and eventhreats, to lay aside all my own important affairs, and join Edward,forsooth, in his knight-errant expedition against Louis. I will marchagainst Louis at my own time, and not sooner; and, by St. George!neither island king, nor island noble, shall dictate to Charles ofBurgundy. You are fine conceited companions, you English of bothsides, that think the matters of your own bedlam island are asinteresting to all the world as to yourselves. But neither York norLancaster, neither brother Blackburn nor cousin Margaret of Anjou, notwith John de Vere to back her, shall gull me. Men lure no hawks withempty hands."
Oxford, familiar with the Duke's disposition, suffered him to exhausthimself in chafing, that any one should pretend to dictate his courseof conduct, and, when he was at length silent, replied withcalmness--"Do I live to hear the noble Duke of Burgundy, the mirror ofEuropean chivalry, say, that no reason has been shown to him for anadventure where a helpless queen is to be redressed--a royal houseraised from the dust? Is there not immortal _los_ and honour--thetrumpet of fame to proclaim the sovereign, who, alone in a degenerateage, has united the duties of a generous knight with those of aprincely sovereign"----
The Duke interrupted him, striking him at the same time on theshoulder--"And King Rene's five hundred fiddlers to tune their crackedviolins in my praise? and King Rene himself to listen to them, andsay, 'Well fought, Duke--well played, fiddler!' I tell thee, John ofOxford, when thou and I wore maiden armour, such words as fame,honour, _los_, knightly glory, lady's love, and so forth, were goodmottoes for our snow-white shields, and a fair enough argument forsplintering lances--Ay, and in tilt-yard, though somewhat old forthese fierce follies, I would jeopard my person in such a quarrel yet,as becomes a knight of the order. But when we come to paying down ofcrowns, and embarking of large squadrons, we must have to propose toour subjects some substantial excuse for plunging them in war; someproposal for the public good--or, by St. George! for our own privateadvantage, which is the same thing. This is the course the world runs,and, Oxford, to tell the plain truth, I mean to hold the same bias."
"Heaven forbid that I should expect your Highness to act otherwisethan with a view to your subjects' welfare--the increase, that is, asyour Grace happily expresses it, of your own power and dominion. Themoney we require is not in benevolence, but in loan; and Margaret iswilling to deposit these jewels, of which I think your Grace knows thevalue, till she shall repay the sum which your friendship may advancein her necessity."
"Ha, ha!" said the Duke, "would our cousin make a pawnbroker of us,and have us deal with her like a Jewish usurer with his debtor?--Yet,in faith, Oxford, we may need the diamonds, for if this business wereotherwise feasible, it is possible that I myself must become aborrower to aid my cousin's necessities. I have applied to the Statesof the Duchy, who are now sitting, and expect, as is reasonable, alarge supply. But there are restless heads and close hands among them,and they may be niggardly--So place the jewels on the table in themeanwhile.--Well, say I am to be no sufferer in purse by this feat ofknight-errantry which you propose to me, still princes enter not intowar without some view of advantage?"
"Listen to me, noble sovereign. You are naturally bent to unite thegreat estates of your father, and those you have acquired by your ownarms, into a compact and firm dukedom"----
"Call it kingdom," said Charles; "it is the worthier word."
"Into a kingdom, of which the crown shall sit as fair and even on yourGrace's brow as that of France on your present suzerain, Louis."
"It need not such shrewdness as yours to descry that such is mypurpose," said the Duke; "else, wherefore am I here with helm on myhead, and sword by my side? And wherefore are my troops seizing on thestrong places in Lorraine, and chasing before them the beggarly DeVaudemont, who has the insolence to claim it as his inheritance? Yes,my friend, the aggrandisement of Burgundy is a theme for which theduke of that fair province is bound to fight, while he can put foot instirrup."
"But think you not," said the English Earl, "since you allow me tospeak freely with your Grace, on the footing of old acquaintanceship,think you not that in this chart of your dominions, otherwise sofairly bounded, there is something on the southern frontier whichmight be arranged more advantageously for a King of Burgundy?"
"I cannot guess whither you would lead me," said the Duke, looking ata map of the Duchy and his other possessions, to which the Englishmanhad pointed his attention, and then turning his broad keen eye uponthe face of the banished Earl.
"I would say," replied the latter, "that, to so powerful a prince asyour Grace, there is no safe neighbour but the sea. Here is Provence,which interferes betwixt you and the Mediterranean; Provence, with itsprincely harbours, and fertile cornfields and vineyards. Were it notwell to include it in your map of sovereignty, and thus touch themiddle sea with one hand, while the other rested on the sea-coast ofFlanders?"
"Provence, said you?" replied the Duke, eagerly. "Why, man, my verydreams are of Provence. I cannot smell an orange but it reminds me ofits perfumed woods and bowers, its olives, citrons, and pomegranates.But how to frame pretensions to it? Shame it were to disturb Rene, theharmless old man, nor would it become a near relation. Then he is theuncle
of Louis; and most probably, failing his daughter Margaret, orperhaps in preference to her, he hath named the French King his heir."
"A better claim might be raised up in your Grace's own person," saidthe Earl of Oxford, "if you will afford Margaret of Anjou the succourshe requires by me."
"Take the aid thou requirest," replied the Duke; "take double theamount of it in men and money! Let me but have a claim upon Provence,though thin as a single thread of thy Queen Margaret's hair, and letme alone for twisting it into the tough texture of a quadruplecable.--But I am a fool to listen to the dreams of one who, ruinedhimself, can lose little by holding forth to others the mostextravagant hopes."
Charles breathed high, and changed complexion as he spoke.
"I am not such a person, my Lord Duke," said the Earl. "Listen tome--Rene is broken with years, fond of repose, and too poor tomaintain his rank with the necessary dignity; too good-natured, or toofeeble-minded, to lay further imposts on his subjects; weary ofcontending with bad fortune, and desirous to resign histerritories"----
"His territories!" said Charles.
"Yes, all he actually possesses; and the much more extensive dominionswhich he has claim to, but which have passed from his sway."
"You take away my breath!" said the Duke. "Rene resign Provence! andwhat says Margaret--the proud, the high-minded Margaret--will shesubscribe to so humiliating a proceeding?"
"For the chance of seeing Lancaster triumph in England, she wouldresign, not only dominion, but life itself. And, in truth, thesacrifice is less than it may seem to be. It is certain that, whenRene dies, the King of France will claim the old man's county ofProvence as a male fief, and there is no one strong enough to backMargaret's claim of inheritance, however just it may be."
"It is just," said Charles; "it is undeniable! I will not hear of itsbeing denied or challenged--that is, when once it is established inour own person. It is the true principle of the war for the publicgood, that none of the great fiefs be suffered to revert again to thecrown of France, least of all while it stands on a brow so astuciousand unprincipled as that of Louis. Burgundy joined to Provence--adominion from the German Ocean to the Mediterranean! Oxford--thou artmy better angel!"
"Your Grace must, however, reflect," said Oxford, "that honourableprovision must be made for King Rene."
"Certainly, man, certainly; he shall have a score of fiddlers andjugglers to play, roar, and recite to him from morning till night. Heshall have a court of troubadours, who shall do nothing but drink,flute, and fiddle to him, and pronounce _arrests_ of _love_, to beconfirmed or reversed by an appeal to himself, the supreme _Roid'Amour_. And Margaret shall also be honourably sustained, in themanner you may point out."
"That will be easily settled," answered the English Earl. "If ourattempts on England succeed, she will need no aid from Burgundy. Ifshe fails, she retires into a cloister, and it will not be long thatshe will need the honourable maintenance which, I am sure, yourGrace's generosity will willingly assign her."
"Unquestionably," answered Charles; "and on a scale which will becomeus both;--but, by my halidome, John of Vere, the abbess into whosecloister Margaret of Anjou shall retire will have an ungovernablepenitent under her charge. Well do I know her; and, Sir Earl, I willnot clog our discourse by expressing any doubts, that, if she pleases,she can compel her father to resign his estates to whomsoever shewill. She is like my brache, Gorgon, who compels whatsoever hound iscoupled with her to go the way she chooses, or she strangles him if heresists. So has Margaret acted with her simple-minded husband, and Iam aware that her father, a fool of a different cast, must ofnecessity be equally tractable. I think _I_ could have matchedher,--though my very neck aches at the thought of the struggles weshould have had for mastery.--But you look grave, because I jest withthe pertinacious temper of my unhappy cousin."
"My lord," said Oxford, "whatever are or have been the defects of mymistress, she is in distress, and almost in desolation. She is mysovereign, and your Highness's cousin not the less."
"Enough said, Sir Earl," answered the Duke. "Let us speak seriously.Whatever we may think of the abdication of King Rene, I fear we shallfind it difficult to make Louis XI. see the matter as favourably as wedo. He will hold that the county of Provence is a male fief, and thatneither the resignation of Rene nor the consent of his daughter canprevent its reverting to the crown of France, as the King of Sicily,as they call him, hath no male issue."
"That, may it please your Grace, is a question for battle to decide;and your Highness has successfully braved Louis for a less importantstake. All I can say is, that, if your Grace's active assistanceenables the young Earl of Richmond to succeed in his enterprise, youshall have the aid of three thousand English archers, if old John ofOxford, for want of a better leader, were to bring them over himself."
"A noble aid," said the Duke; "graced still more by him who promisesto lead them. Thy succour, noble Oxford, were precious to me, did youbut come with your sword by your side, and a single page at your back.I know you well, both heart and head. But let us to this gear; exiles,even the wisest, are privileged in promises, and sometimes--excuse me,noble Oxford--impose on themselves as well as on their friends. Whatare the hopes on which you desire me again to embark on so troubledand uncertain an ocean as these civil contests of yours?"
The Earl of Oxford produced a schedule, and explained to the Duke theplan of his expedition, to be backed by an insurrection of the friendsof Lancaster, of which it is enough to say, that it was bold to theverge of temerity; but yet so well compacted and put together, as tobear, in those times of rapid revolution, and under a leader ofOxford's approved military skill and political sagacity, a strongappearance of probable success.
While Duke Charles mused over the particulars of an enterpriseattractive and congenial to his own disposition,--while he countedover the affronts which he had received from his brother-in-law,Edward IV., the present opportunity for taking a signal revenge, andthe rich acquisition which he hoped to make in Provence by the cessionin his favour of Rene of Anjou and his daughter, the Englishman failednot to press on his consideration the urgent necessity of suffering notime to escape.
"The accomplishment of this scheme," he said, "demands the utmostpromptitude. To have a chance of success, I must be in England, withyour Grace's auxiliary forces, before Edward of York can return fromFrance with his army."
"And having come hither," said the Duke, "our worthy brother will bein no hurry to return again. He will meet with black-eyed French womenand ruby-coloured French wine, and brother Blackburn is no man toleave such commodities in a hurry."
"My Lord Duke, I will speak truth of my enemy. Edward is indolent andluxurious when things are easy around him, but let him feel the spurof necessity, and he becomes as eager as a pampered steed. Louis, too,who seldom fails in finding means to accomplish his ends, is bent upondetermining the English King to recross the sea--therefore, speed,noble Prince--speed is the soul of your enterprise."
"Speed!" said the Duke of Burgundy,--"Why, I will go with you, and seethe embarkation myself; and tried, approved soldiers you shall have,such as are nowhere to be found save in Artois and Hainault."
"But pardon yet, noble Duke, the impatience of a drowning wretchurgently pressing for assistance.--When shall we to the coast ofFlanders, to order this important measure?"
"Why, in a fortnight, or perchance a week, or, in a word, so soon as Ishall have chastised to purpose a certain gang of thieves and robbers,who, as the scum of the caldron will always be uppermost, have got upinto the fastnesses of the Alps, and from thence annoy our frontiersby contraband traffic, pillage, and robbery."
"Your Highness means the Swiss confederates?"
"Ay, the peasant churls give themselves such a name. They are a sortof manumitted slaves of Austria, and, like a ban-dog, whose chain isbroken, they avail themselves of their liberty to annoy and rendwhatever comes in their way."
"I travelled through their country from Italy," said the exiled Earl,"and I hear
d it was the purpose of the Cantons to send envoys tosolicit peace of your Highness."
"Peace!" exclaimed Charles.--"A proper sort of peaceful proceedingsthose of their embassy have been! Availing themselves of a mutiny ofthe burghers of La Ferette, the first garrison town which theyentered, they stormed the walls, seized on Archibald de Hagenbach, whocommanded the place on my part, and put him to death in themarket-place. Such an insult must be punished, Sir John de Vere; andif you do not see me in the storm of passion which it well deserves,it is because I have already given orders to hang up the baserunagates who call themselves ambassadors."
"For God's sake, noble Duke," said the Englishman, throwing himself atCharles's feet--"for your own character, for the sake of the peace ofChristendom, revoke such an order if it is really given!"
"What means this passion?" said Duke Charles.--"What are these men'slives to thee, excepting that the consequences of a war may delay yourexpedition for a few days?"
"May render it altogether abortive," said the Earl; "nay, _must_ needsdo so.--Hear me, Lord Duke. I was with these men on a part of theirjourney."
"You!" said the Duke--"you a companion of the paltry Swiss peasants?Misfortune has sunk the pride of English nobility to a low ebb, whenyou selected such associates."
"I was thrown amongst them by accident," said the Earl. "Some of themare of noble blood, and are, besides, men for whose peaceableintentions I ventured to constitute myself their warrant."
"On my honour, my Lord of Oxford, you graced them highly, and me noless, in interfering between the Swiss and myself! Allow me to saythat I condescend, when, in deference to past friendship, I permit youto speak to me of your own English affairs. Methinks you might wellspare me your opinion upon topics with which you have no naturalconcern."
"My Lord of Burgundy," replied Oxford, "I followed your banner toParis, and had the good luck to rescue you in the fight at MontL'Hery, when you were beset by the French men-at-arms"----
"We have not forgot it," said Duke Charles; "and it is a sign that wekeep the action in remembrance, that you have been suffered to standbefore us so long, pleading the cause of a set of rascals, whom we arerequired to spare from the gallows that groans for them, becauseforsooth they have been the fellow-travellers of the Earl of Oxford!"
"Not so, my lord. I ask their lives, only because they are upon apeaceful errand, and the leaders amongst them, at least, have noaccession to the crime of which you complain."
The Duke traversed the apartment with unequal steps in much agitation,his large eyebrows drawn down over his eyes, his hands clenched, andhis teeth set, until at length he seemed to take a resolution. He runga handbell of silver, which stood upon his table.
"Here, Contay," he said to the gentleman of his chamber who entered,"are these mountain fellows yet executed?"
"No, may it please your Highness; but the executioner waits them sosoon as the priest hath confessed them."
"Let them live," said the Duke. "We will hear to-morrow in what mannerthey propose to justify their proceedings towards us."
Contay bowed and left the apartment; then turning to the Englishman,the Duke said, with an indescribable mixture of haughtiness withfamiliarity and even kindness, but having his brows cleared, and hislooks composed,--"We are now clear of obligation, my Lord ofOxford--you have obtained life for life--nay, to make up someinequality which there may be betwixt the value of the commoditiesbestowed, you have obtained six lives for one. I will, therefore, payno more attention to you, should you again upbraid me with thestumbling horse at Mont L'Hery, or your own achievements on thatoccasion. Most princes are contented with privately hating such men ashave rendered them extraordinary services--I feel no suchdisposition--I only detest being reminded of having had occasion forthem.--Pshaw! I am half choked with the effort of foregoing my ownfixed resolution.--So ho! who waits there? Bring me to drink."
An usher entered, bearing a large silver flagon, which, instead ofwine, was filled with ptisan slightly flavoured by aromatic herbs.
"I am so hot and choleric by nature," said the Duke, "that our leechesprohibit me from drinking wine. But you, Oxford, are bound by no suchregimen. Get thee to thy countryman, Colvin, the general of ourartillery. We commend thee to his custody and hospitality tillto-morrow, which must be a busy day, since I expect to receive theanswer of these wiseacres of the Dijon assembly of estates; and havealso to hear (thanks to your lordship's interference) these miserableSwiss envoys, as they call themselves. Well, no more on't.--Good-night.You may communicate freely with Colvin, who is, like yourself, an oldLancastrian.--But hark ye, not a word respecting Provence--not even inyour sleep.--Contay, conduct this English gentleman to Colvin's tent.He knows my pleasure respecting him."
"So please your Grace," answered Contay, "I left the Englishgentleman's son with Monsieur de Colvin."
"What! thine own son, Oxford? And with thee here? Why did you not tellme of him? Is he a true scion of the ancient tree?"
"It is my pride to believe so, my lord. He has been the faithfulcompanion of all my dangers and wanderings."
"Happy man!" said the Duke, with a sigh. "You, Oxford, have a son toshare your poverty and distress--I have none to be partner andsuccessor to my greatness."
"You have a daughter, my lord," said the noble De Vere, "and it is tobe hoped she will one day wed some powerful prince, who may be thestay of your Highness's house."
"Never! By St. George, never!" answered the Duke, sharply and shortly."I will have no son-in-law, who may make the daughter's bed astepping-stone to reach the father's crown. Oxford, I have spoken morefreely than I am wont, perhaps more freely than I ought--but I holdsome men trustworthy, and believe you, Sir John de Vere, to be one ofthem."
The English nobleman bowed, and was about to leave his presence, butthe Duke presently recalled him.
"There is one thing more, Oxford.--The cession of Provence is notquite enough. Rene and Margaret must disavow this hot-brained Ferrandde Vaudemont, who is making some foolish stir in Lorraine, in right ofhis mother Yolande."
"My lord," said Oxford, "Ferrand is the grandson of King Rene, thenephew of Queen Margaret; but yet"----
"But yet, by St. George, his rights, as he calls them, on Lorrainemust positively be disowned. You talk of their family feelings, whileyou are urging me to make war on my own brother-in-law!"
"Rene's best apology for deserting his grandson," answered Oxford,"will be his total inability to support and assist him. I willcommunicate your Grace's condition, though it is a hard one."
So saying, he left the pavilion.