CHAPTER IX
So pitiful a thing is suitor's state! Most miserable man, whom wicked fate Hath brought to Court to sue, for _had I wist_, That few have found, and many a one hath miss'd! Full little knowest thou, that hast not tried, What hell it is, in sueing long to bide: To lose good days that might be better spent; To waste long nights in pensive discontent; To speed to-day, to be put back to-morrow; To feed on hope, to pine with fear and sorrow; To have thy Prince's grace, yet want her Peers'; To have thy asking, yet wait many years; To fret thy soul with crosses and with cares-- To eat thy heart through comfortless despairs. To fawn, to crouch, to wait, to ride, to run, To spend, to give, to want, to be undone. _Mother Hubbard's Tale._
On the morning of the day on which George Heriot had prepared to escortthe young Lord of Glenvarloch to the Court at Whitehall, it may bereasonably supposed, that the young man, whose fortunes were likely todepend on this cast, felt himself more than usually anxious. He roseearly, made his toilette with uncommon care, and, being enabled, by thegenerosity of his more plebeian countryman, to set out a very handsomeperson to the best advantage, he obtained a momentary approbation fromhimself as he glanced at the mirror, and a loud and distinct plauditfrom his landlady, who declared at once, that, in her judgment, he wouldtake the wind out of the sail of every gallant in the presence--so muchhad she been able to enrich her discourse with the metaphors of thosewith whom her husband dealt.
At the appointed hour, the barge of Master George Heriot arrived,handsomely manned and appointed, having a tilt, with his own cipher, andthe arms of his company, painted thereupon.
The young Lord of Glenvarloch received the friend, who had evinced suchdisinterested attachment, with the kind courtesy which well became him.
Master Heriot then made him acquainted with the bounty of his sovereign;which he paid over to his young friend, declining what he had himselfformerly advanced to him. Nigel felt all the gratitude which thecitizen's disinterested friendship had deserved, and was not wanting inexpressing it suitably.
Yet, as the young and high-born nobleman embarked to go to thepresence of his prince, under the patronage of one whose best, or mostdistinguished qualification, was his being an eminent member of theGoldsmiths' Incorporation, he felt a little surprised, if not abashed,at his own situation; and Richie Moniplies, as he stepped overthe gangway to take his place forward in the boat, could not helpmuttering,--"It was a changed day betwixt Master Heriot and his honestfather in the Kraemes;--but, doubtless, there was a difference betweenclinking on gold and silver, and clattering upon pewter."
On they glided, by the assistance of the oars of four stout watermen,along the Thames, which then served for the principal high-road betwixtLondon and Westminster; for few ventured on horseback through the narrowand crowded streets of the city, and coaches were then a luxury reservedonly for the higher nobility, and to which no citizen, whatever was hiswealth, presumed to aspire. The beauty of the banks, especially on thenorthern side, where the gardens of the nobility descended from theirhotels, in many places, down to the water's edge, was pointed out toNigel by his kind conductor, and was pointed out in vain. The mind ofthe young Lord of Glenvarloch was filled with anticipations, not themost pleasant, concerning the manner in which he was likely to bereceived by that monarch, in whose behalf his family had been nearlyreduced to ruin; and he was, with the usual mental anxiety of thosein such a situation, framing imaginary questions from the king, andover-toiling his spirit in devising answers to them.
His conductor saw the labour of Nigel's mind, and avoided increasing itby farther conversation; so that, when he had explained to him brieflythe ceremonies observed at Court on such occasions of presentation, therest of their voyage was performed in silence.
They landed at Whitehall Stairs, and entered the Palace after announcingtheir names,--the guards paying to Lord Glenvarloch the respect andhonours due to his rank.
The young man's heart beat high and thick within him as he came into theroyal apartments. His education abroad, conducted, as it had been, ona narrow and limited scale, had given him but imperfect ideas of thegrandeur of a Court; and the philosophical reflections which taught himto set ceremonial and exterior splendour at defiance, proved, like othermaxims of mere philosophy, ineffectual, at the moment they were weighedagainst the impression naturally made on the mind of an inexperiencedyouth, by the unusual magnificence of the scene. The splendid apartmentsthrough which they passed, the rich apparel of the grooms, guards, and apartments, had something in it, trifling and commonplace as it mightappear to practised courtiers, embarrassing, and even alarming, to one,who went through these forms for the first time, and who was doubtfulwhat sort of reception was to accompany his first appearance before hissovereign.
Heriot, in anxious attention to save his young friend from any momentaryawkwardness, had taken care to give the necessary password to thewarders, grooms of the chambers, ushers, or by whatever name they weredesignated; so they passed on without interruption.
In this manner they passed several ante-rooms, filled chiefly withguards, attendants of the Court, and their acquaintances, male andfemale, who, dressed in their best apparel, and with eyes rounded byeager curiosity to make the most of their opportunity, stood, withbeseeming modesty, ranked against the wall, in a manner which indicatedthat they were spectators, not performers, in the courtly exhibition.
Through these exterior apartments Lord Glenvarloch and his city friendadvanced into a large and splendid withdrawing-room, communicating withthe presence-chamber, into which ante-room were admitted those only who,from birth, their posts in the state or household, or by the particulargrant of the kings, had right to attend the Court, as men entitled topay their respects to their sovereign.
Amid this favoured and selected company, Nigel observed Sir MungoMalagrowther, who, avoided and discountenanced by those who knew howlow he stood in Court interest and favour, was but too happy in theopportunity of hooking himself upon a person of Lord Glenvarloch's rank,who was, as yet, so inexperienced as to feel it difficult to shake offan intruder.
The knight forthwith framed his grim features to a ghastly smile, and,after a preliminary and patronising nod to George Heriot, accompaniedwith an aristocratic wave of the hand, which intimated at oncesuperiority and protection, he laid aside altogether the honest citizen,to whom he owed many a dinner, to attach himself exclusively to theyoung lord, although he suspected he might be occasionally in thepredicament of needing one as much as himself. And even the noticeof this original, singular and unamiable as he was, was not entirelyindifferent to Lord Glenvarloch, since the absolute and somewhatconstrained silence of his good friend Heriot, which left him at libertyto retire painfully to his own agitating reflections, was now relieved;while, on the other hand, he could not help feeling interest in thesharp and sarcastic information poured upon him by an observant, thoughdiscontented courtier, to whom a patient auditor, and he a man oftitle and rank, was as much a prize, as his acute and communicativedisposition rendered him an entertaining companion to Nigel Olifaunt.Heriot, in the meantime, neglected by Sir Mungo, and avoiding everyattempt by which the grateful politeness of Lord Glenvarloch strove tobring him into the conversation, stood by, with a kind of half smile onhis countenance; but whether excited by Sir Mungo's wit, or arising athis expense, did not exactly appear.
In the meantime, the trio occupied a nook of the ante-room, next tothe door of the presence-chamber, which was not yet thrown open, whenMaxwell, with his rod of office, came bustling into the apartment, wheremost men, excepting those of high rank, made way for him. He stoppedbeside the party in which we are interested, looked for a moment atthe young Scots nobleman, then made a slight obeisance to Heriot, andlastly, addressing Sir Mungo Malagrowther, began a hurried complaintto him of the misbehaviour of the gentlemen-pensioners and warders, whosuffered all sort of citizens, suitors, and scriveners, to sneak intothe outer apartments, without either respect or decency.--"The English,"
he said, "were scandalised, for such a thing durst not be attempted inthe queen's days. In her time, there was then the court-yard for themobility, and the apartments for the nobility; and it reflects on yourplace, Sir Mungo," he added, "belonging to the household as you do, thatsuch things should not be better ordered."
Here Sir Mungo, afflicted, as was frequently the case on such occasions,with one of his usual fits of deafness, answered, "It was no wonderthe mobility used freedoms, when those whom they saw in office were solittle better in blood and havings than themselves."
"You are right, sir--quite right," said Maxwell, putting his hand on thetarnished embroidery on the old knight's sleeve,--"when such fellows seemen in office dressed in cast-off suits, like paltry stage-players, itis no wonder the Court is thronged with intruders."
"Were you lauding the taste of my embroidery, Maister Maxwell?" answeredthe knight, who apparently interpreted the deputy-chamberlain's meaningrather from his action than his words;--"it is of an ancient and liberalpattern, having been made by your mother's father, auld James Stitchell,a master-fashioner of honest repute, in Merlin's Wynd, whom I madea point to employ, as I am now happy to remember, seeing your fatherthought fit to intermarry with sic a person's daughter."
Maxwell looked stern; but, conscious there was nothing to be got of SirMungo in the way of amends, and that prosecuting the quarrel withsuch an adversary would only render him ridiculous, and make publica mis-alliance of which he had no reason to be proud, he covered hisresentment with a sneer; and, expressing his regret that Sir Mungo wasbecome too deaf to understand or attend to what was said to him,walked on, and planted himself beside the folding-doors ofthe presence-chamber, at which he was to perform the duty ofdeputy-chamberlain, or usher, so soon as they should be opened.
"The door of the presence is about to open," said the goldsmith, in awhisper, to his young friend; "my condition permits me to go no fartherwith you. Fail not to present yourself boldly, according to your birth,and offer your Supplication; which the king will not refuse to accept,and, as I hope, to consider favourably."
As he spoke, the door of the presence-chamber opened accordingly, and,as is usual on such occasions, the courtiers began to advance towardsit, and to enter in a slow, but continuous and uninterrupted stream.
As Nigel presented himself in his turn at the entrance, and mentionedhis name and title, Maxwell seemed to hesitate. "You are not knownto any one," he said. "It is my duty to suffer no one to pass to thepresence, my lord, whose face is unknown to me, unless upon the word ofa responsible person."
"I came with Master George Heriot," said Nigel, in some embarrassment atthis unexpected interruption.
"Master Heriot's name will pass current for much gold and silver, mylord," replied Maxwell, with a civil sneer, "but not for birth andrank. I am compelled by my office to be peremptory.--The entrance isimpeded--I am much concerned to say it--your lordship must stand back."
"What is the matter?" said an old Scottish nobleman, who had beenspeaking with George Heriot, after he had separated from Nigel, andwho now came forward, observing the altercation betwixt the latter andMaxwell.
"It is only Master Deputy-Chamberlain Maxwell," said Sir MungoMalagrowther, "expressing his joy to see Lord Glenvarloch at Court,whose father gave him his office--at least I think he is speaking tothat purport--for your lordship kens my imperfection." A subdued laugh,such as the situation permitted, passed round amongst those who heardthis specimen of Sir Mungo's sarcastic temper. But the old noblemanstepped still more forward, saying,--"What!--the son of my gallantold opponent, Ochtred Olifaunt--I will introduce him to the presencemyself."
So saying, he took Nigel by the arm, without farther ceremony, and wasabout to lead him forward, when Maxwell, still keeping his rod acrossthe door, said, but with hesitation and embarrassment--"My lord, thisgentleman is not known, and I have orders to be scrupulous."
"Tutti--taiti, man," said the old lord, "I will be answerable he is hisfather's son, from the cut of his eyebrow--and thou, Maxwell, knewesthis father well enough to have spared thy scruples. Let us pass, man."So saying, he put aside the deputy-chamberlain's rod, and entered thepresence-room, still holding the young nobleman by the arm.
"Why, I must know you, man," he said; "I must know you. I knew yourfather well, man, and I have broke a lance and crossed a blade with him;and it is to my credit that I am living to brag of it. He was king's-manand I was queen's-man during the Douglas wars--young fellows both,that feared neither fire nor steel; and we had some old feudal quarrelsbesides, that had come down from father to son, with our seal-rings,two-harided broad-swords, and plate-coats, and the crests on ourburgonets."
"Too loud, my Lord of Huntinglen," whispered a gentleman of thechamber,--"The King!--the King!"
The old earl (for such he proved) took the hint, and was silent;and James, advancing from a side-door, received in succession thecompliments of strangers, while a little group of favourite courtiers,or officers of the household, stood around him, to whom he addressedhimself from time to time. Some more pains had been bestowed on histoilette than upon the occasion when we first presented the monarch toour readers; but there was a natural awkwardness about his figure whichprevented his clothes from sitting handsomely, and the prudence ortimidity of his disposition had made him adopt the custom alreadynoticed, of wearing a dress so thickly quilted as might withstand thestroke of a dagger, which added an ungainly stiffness to his wholeappearance, contrasting oddly with the frivolous, ungraceful, andfidgeting motions with which he accompanied his conversation. And yet,though the king's deportment was very undignified, he had a manner sokind, familiar, and good-humoured, was so little apt to veil over orconceal his own foibles, and had so much indulgence and sympathy forthose of others, that his address, joined to his learning, and acertain proportion of shrewd mother-wit, failed not to make a favourableimpression on those who approached his person.
When the Earl of Huntinglen had presented Nigel to his sovereign, aceremony which the good peer took upon himself, the king received theyoung lord very graciously, and observed to his introducer, that he"was fain to see them twa stand side by side; for I trow, my LordHuntinglen," continued he, "your ancestors, ay, and e'en your lordship'sself and this lad's father, have stood front to front at the sword'spoint, and that is a worse posture."
"Until your Majesty," said Lord Huntinglen, "made Lord Ochtred and mecross palms, upon the memorable day when your Majesty feasted all thenobles that were at feud together, and made them join hands in yourpresence--"
"I mind it weel," said the king; "I mind it weel--it was a blessed day,being the nineteen of September, of all days in the year--and it was ablithe sport to see how some of the carles girned as they clapped loofstogether. By my saul, I thought some of them, mair special the Hielandchiels, wad have broken out in our own presence; but we caused them tomarch hand in hand to the Cross, ourselves leading the way, and theredrink a blithe cup of kindness with ilk other, to the stanching of feud,and perpetuation of amity. Auld John Anderson was Provost that year--thecarle grat for joy, and the bailies and councillors danced bare-headedin our presence like five-year-auld colts, for very triumph."
"It was indeed a happy day," said Lord Huntinglen, "and will not beforgotten in the history of your Majesty's reign."
"I would not that it were, my lord," replied the monarch--"I would notthat it were pretermitted in our annals. Ay, ay--BEATI PACIFICI. MyEnglish lieges here may weel make much of me, for I would have themto know, they have gotten the only peaceable man that ever came of myfamily. If James with the Fiery Face had come amongst you," he said,looking round him, "or my great grandsire, of Flodden memory!"
"We should have sent him back to the north again," whispered one Englishnobleman.
"At least," said another, in the same inaudible tone, "we should havehad a MAN to our sovereign, though he were but a Scotsman."
"And now, my young springald," said the king to Lord Glenvarloch, "wherehave you been spending your calf-time?"
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"At Leyden, of late, may it please your Majesty," answered Lord Nigel.
"Aha! a scholar," said the king; "and, by my saul, a modest andingenuous youth, that hath not forgotten how to blush, like most of ourtravelled Monsieurs. We will treat him conformably."
Then drawing himself up, coughing slightly, and looking around him withthe conscious importance of superior learning, while all the courtierswho understood, or understood not, Latin, pressed eagerly forward tolisten, the sapient monarch prosecuted his inquiries as follows:--
"Hem! hem! _salve bis, quaterque salve, glenvarlochides noster!Nuperumne ab lugduno batavorum britanniam rediisti?_"
The young nobleman replied, bowing low--
"_Imo, rex augustissime--biennium fere apud lugdunenses Moratus sum._"
James proceeded--
"_Biennium dicis? Bene, bene, optume factum est--non uno Die, quoddicunt,--intelligisti, domine glenvarlochiensis?_ Aha!"
Nigel replied by a reverent bow, and the king, turning to those behindhim, said--
"_Adolescens quidem ingenui vultus ingenuique pudoris._" Then resumedhis learned queries. "_Et quid hodie lugdunenses loquuntur--vossiusvester nihilne novi scripsit?--nihil certe, quod doleo, typis recentereditit_."
"_Valet quidem vossius, rex benevole._" replied Nigel, "_ast senexveneratissimus annum agit, ni fallor, septuagesimum._"
"_Virum, mehercle, vix tam grandaevum crediderim_," replied themonarch. "_et vorstius iste?--arminii improbi successor aeque acsectator--herosne adhuc, ut cum homero loquar_, [ZOOS ESTI KAI EPI THONIDERKOV]?" text in Greek
Nigel, by good fortune, remembered that Vorstius, the divine lastmentioned in his Majesty's queries about the state of Dutch literature,had been engaged in a personal controversy with James, in which theking had taken so deep an interest, as at length to hint in his publiccorrespondence with the United States, that they would do well to applythe secular arm to stop the progress of heresy by violent measuresagainst the Professor's person--a demand which their MightyMightinesses' principles of universal toleration induced them to elude,though with some difficulty. Knowing all this, Lord Glenvarloch, thougha courtier of only five minutes' standing, had address enough to reply--
"_Vivum quidem, haud diu est, hominem videbam--vigere autem quis dicatqui sub fulminibus eloquentiae tuae, rex magne, jamdudum pronus jacet,et prostratus?_"
[Footnote: Lest any lady or gentleman should suspect there is aught ofmystery concealed under the sentences printed in Italics, they will bepleased to understand that they contain only a few commonplace Latinphrases, relating to the state of letters in Holland, which neitherdeserve, nor would endure, a literal translation.]
This last tribute to his polemical powers completed James's happiness,which the triumph of exhibiting his erudition had already raised to aconsiderable height.
He rubbed his hands, snapped his fingers, fidgeted, chuckled,exclaimed--"_Euge! Belle! Optime!_" and turning to the Bishops of Exeterand Oxford, who stood behind him, he said.--"Ye see, my lords, no badspecimen of our Scottish Latinity, with which language we would all oursubjects of England were as well embued as this, and other youths ofhonourable birth, in our auld kingdom; also, we keep the genuine andRoman pronunciation, like other learned nations on the continent, saethat we hold communing with any scholar in the universe, who can butspeak the Latin tongue; whereas ye, our learned subjects of England,have introduced into your universities, otherwise most learned, afashion of pronouncing like unto the 'nippit foot and clippit foot' ofthe bride in the fairy tale, whilk manner of speech, (take it not amissthat I be round with you) can be understood by no nation on earth savingyourselves; whereby Latin, _quoad anglos_, ceaseth to be _communislingua_, the general dragoman, or interpreter, between all the wise menof the earth."
The Bishop of Exeter bowed, as in acquiescence to the royal censure;but he of Oxford stood upright, as mindful over what subjects his seeextended, and as being equally willing to become food for fagots indefence of the Latinity of the university, as for any article of hisreligious creed.
The king, without awaiting an answer from either prelate, proceeded toquestion Lord Nigel, but in the vernacular tongue,--"Weel, my likelyAlumnus of the Muses, and what make you so far from the north?"
"To pay my homage to your Majesty," said the young nobleman, kneeling onone knee, "and to lay before you," he added, "this my humble and dutifulSupplication."
The presenting of a pistol would certainly have startled King Jamesmore, but could (setting apart the fright) hardly have been moreunpleasing to his indolent disposition.
"And is it even so, man?" said he; "and can no single man, were it butfor the rarity of the case, ever come up frae Scotland, excepting EXPROPOSITO--on set purpose, to see what he can make out of his lovingsovereign? It is but three days syne that we had weel nigh lost ourlife, and put three kingdoms into dule-weeds, from the over haste of aclumsy-handed peasant, to thrust a packet into our hand, and now we arebeset by the like impediment in our very Court. To our Secretary withthat gear, my lord--to our Secretary with that gear."
"I have already offered my humble Supplication to your Majesty'sSecretary of State," said Lord Glenvarloch--"but it seems----"
"That he would not receive it, I warrant?" said the king, interruptinghim; "bu my saul, our Secretary kens that point of king-craft, calledrefusing, better than we do, and will look at nothing but what helikes himsell--I think I wad make a better Secretary to him than he tome.--Weel, my lord, you are welcome to London; and, as ye seem an acuteand learned youth, I advise ye to turn your neb northward as soon as yelike, and settle yoursell for a while at Saint Andrews, and we will beright glad to hear that you prosper in your studies.--_Incumbite RemisFortiter._"
While the king spoke thus, he held the petition of the young lordcarelessly, like one who only delayed till the supplicant's back wasturned, to throw it away, or at least lay it aside to be no more lookedat. The petitioner, who read this in his cold and indifferent looks, andin the manner in which he twisted and crumpled together the paper,arose with a bitter sense of anger and disappointment, made a profoundobeisance, and was about to retire hastily. But Lord Huntinglen, whostood by him, checked his intention by an almost imperceptible touchupon the skirt of his cloak, and Nigel, taking the hint, retreatedonly a few steps from the royal presence, and then made a pause. Inthe meantime, Lord Huntinglen kneeled before James, in his turn, andsaid--"May it please your Majesty to remember, that upon one certainoccasion you did promise to grant me a boon every year of your sacredlife?"
"I mind it weel, man," answered James, "I mind it weel, and good reasonwhy--it was when you unclasped the fause traitor Ruthven's fangsfrom about our royal throat, and drove your dirk into him like a truesubject. We did then, as you remind us, (whilk was unnecessary,) beingpartly beside ourselves with joy at our liberation, promise we wouldgrant you a free boon every year; whilk promise, on our comingto menseful possession of our royal faculties, we did confirm,_restrictive_ always and _conditionaliter_, that your lordship's demandshould be such as we, in our royal discretion, should think reasonable."
"Even so, gracious sovereign," said the old earl, "and may I yetfarther crave to know if I have ever exceeded the bounds of your royalbenevolence?"
"By my word, man, no!'" said the king; "I cannot remember you have askedmuch for yourself, if it be not a dog or a hawk, or a buck out of ourpark at Theobald's, or such like. But to what serves this preface?"
"To the boon to which I am now to ask of your Grace," said LordHuntinglen; "which is, that your Majesty would be pleased, on theinstant, to look at the placet of Lord Glenvarloch, and do upon itwhat your own just and royal nature shall think meet and just, withoutreference to your Secretary or any other of your Council."
"By my saul, my lord, this is strange," said the king; "ye are pleadingfor the son of your enemy!"
"Of one who WAS my enemy till your Majesty made him my friend," answeredLord Huntinglen.
"Weel spoken, my lord!" said the king; "and with, a tru
e Christianspirit. And, respecting the Supplication of this young man, I partlyguess where the matter lies; and in plain troth I had promised to GeorgeHeriot to be good to the lad--But then, here the shoe pinches. Steenieand Babie Charles cannot abide him--neither can your own son, my lord;and so, methinks, he had better go down to Scotland before he comestoill luck by them."
"My son, an it please your Majesty, so far as he is concerned, shall notdirect my doings," said the earl, "nor any wild-headed young man of themall."
"Why, neither shall they mine," replied the monarch; "by my father'ssaul, none of them all shall play Rex with me--I will do what I will,and what I ought, like a free king."
"Your Majesty will then grant me my boon?" said the Lord Huntinglen.
"Ay, marry will I--marry will I," said the king; "but follow me thisway, man, where we may be more private."
He led Lord Huntinglen with rather a hurried step through the courtiers,all of whom gazed earnestly on this unwonted scene, as is the fashion ofall Courts on similar occasions. The king passed into a little cabinet,and bade, in the first moment, Lord Huntinglen lock or bar the door; butcountermanded his direction in the next, saying,--"No, no, no--bread o'life, man, I am a free king--will do what I will and what I should--I am_justus et tenax propositi_, man--nevertheless, keep by the door, LordHuntinglen, in case Steenie should come in with his mad humour."
"O my poor master!" groaned the Earl of Huntinglen. "When you were inyour own cold country, you had warmer blood in your veins."
The king hastily looked over the petition or memorial, every now andthen glancing his eye towards the door, and then sinking it hastilyon the paper, ashamed that Lord Huntinglen, whom he respected, shouldsuspect him of timidity.
"To grant the truth," he said, after he had finished his hasty perusal,"this is a hard case; and harder than it was represented to me, though Ihad some inkling of it before. And so the lad only wants payment of thesiller due from us, in order to reclaim his paternal estate? But then,Huntinglen, the lad will have other debts--and why burden himsell withsae mony acres of barren woodland? let the land gang, man, let the landgang; Steenie has the promise of it from our Scottish Chancellor--it isthe best hunting-ground in Scotland--and Babie Charles and Steenie wantto kill a buck there this next year--they maun hae the land--they maunhae the land; and our debt shall be paid to the young man plack andbawbee, and he may have the spending of it at our Court; or if he hassuch an eard hunger, wouns! man, we'll stuff his stomach with Englishland, which is worth twice as much, ay, ten times as much, as theseaccursed hills and heughs, and mosses and muirs, that he is sae keenafter."
All this while the poor king ambled up and down the apartment in apiteous state of uncertainty, which was made more ridiculous by hisshambling circular mode of managing his legs, and his ungainly fashionon such occasions of fiddling with the bunches of ribbons which fastenedthe lower part of his dress.
Lord Huntinglen listened with great composure, and answered, "An itplease your Majesty, there was an answer yielded by Naboth whenAhab coveted his vineyard--' The Lord forbid that I should give theinheritance of my fathers unto thee.'"
"Ey, my lord--ey, my lord!" ejaculated James, while all the colourmounted both to his cheek and nose; "I hope ye mean not to teach medivinity? Ye need not fear, my lord, that I will shun to do justice toevery man; and, since your lordship will give me no help to take upthis in a more peaceful manner--whilk, methinks, would be better for theyoung man, as I said before,--why--since it maun be so--'sdeath, I ama free king, man, and he shall have his money and redeem his land, andmake a kirk and a miln of it, an he will." So saying, he hastily wrotean order on the Scottish Exchequer for the sum in question, and thenadded, "How they are to pay it, I see not; but I warrant he will findmoney on the order among the goldsmiths, who can find it for every onebut me.--And now you see, my Lord of Huntinglen, that I am neither anuntrue man, to deny you the boon whilk I became bound for, nor an Ahab,to covet Naboth's vineyard; nor a mere nose-of-wax, to be twisted thisway and that, by favourites and counsellors at their pleasure. I thinkyou will grant now that I am none of those?"
"You are my own native and noble prince," said Huntinglen, as he kneltto kiss the royal hand--"just and generous, whenever you listen to theworkings of your own heart."
"Ay, ay," said the king, laughing good-naturedly, as he raised hisfaithful servant from the ground, "that is what ye all say when I do anything to please ye. There--there, take the sign-manual, and away withyou and this young fellow. I wonder Steenie and Babie Charles have notbroken in on us before now."
Lord Huntinglen hastened from the cabinet, foreseeing a scene at whichhe was unwilling to be present, but which sometimes occurred when Jamesroused himself so far as to exert his own free will, of which he boastedso much, in spite of that of his imperious favourite Steenie, as hecalled the Duke of Buckingham, from a supposed resemblance betwixthis very handsome countenance, and that with which the Italian artistsrepresented the protomartyr Stephen. In fact, the haughty favourite,who had the unusual good fortune to stand as high in the opinion of theheir-apparent as of the existing monarch, had considerably diminished inhis respect towards the latter; and it was apparent, to the moreshrewd courtiers, that James endured his domination rather from habit,timidity, and a dread of encountering his stormy passions, than from anyheartfelt continuation of regard towards him, whose greatness had beenthe work of his own hands. To save himself the pain of seeing what waslikely to take place on the duke's return, and to preserve the king fromthe additional humiliation which the presence of such a witness musthave occasioned, the earl left the cabinet as speedily as possible,having first carefully pocketed the important sign-manual.
No sooner had he entered the presence-room, than he hastily sought LordGlenvarloch, who had withdrawn into the embrasure of one of the windows,from the general gaze of men who seemed disposed only to afford him thenotice which arises from surprise and curiosity, and, taking him bythe arm, without speaking, led him out of the presence-chamber into thefirst ante-room. Here they found the worthy goldsmith, who approachedthem with looks of curiosity, which were checked by the old lord, whosaid hastily, "All is well.--Is your barge in waiting?" Heriot answeredin the affirmative. "Then," said Lord Huntinglen, "you shall give me acast in it, as the watermen say; and I, in requital, will give you bothyour dinner; for we must have some conversation together."
They both followed the earl without speaking, and were in the secondante-room when the important annunciation of the ushers, and the hastymurmur with which all made ample way as the company repeated to eachother,--"The Duke--the Duke!" made them aware of the approach of theomnipotent favourite.
He entered, that unhappy minion of Court favour, sumptuously dressedin the picturesque attire which will live for ever on the canvas ofVandyke, and which marks so well the proud age, when aristocracy, thoughundermined and nodding to its fall, still, by external show and profuseexpense, endeavoured to assert its paramount superiority over theinferior orders. The handsome and commanding countenance, stately form,and graceful action and manners of the Duke of Buckingham, made himbecome that picturesque dress beyond any man of his time. At present,however, his countenance seemed discomposed, his dress a littlemore disordered than became the place, his step hasty, and his voiceimperative.
All marked the angry spot upon his brow, and bore back so suddenlyto make way for him, that the Earl of Huntinglen, who affected noextraordinary haste on the occasion, with his companions, who could not,if they would, have decently left him, remained as it were by themselvesin the middle of the room, and in the very path of the angry favourite.He touched his cap sternly as he looked on Huntinglen, but unbonnetedto Heriot, and sunk his beaver, with its shadowy plume, as low as thefloor, with a profound air of mock respect. In returning his greeting,which he did simply and unaffectedly, the citizen only said,--"Too muchcourtesy, my lord duke, is often the reverse of kindness."
"I grieve you should think so, Master Heriot," answered the duke; "Ionly meant,
by my homage, to claim your protection, sir--your patronage.You are become, I understand, a solicitor of suits--a promoter--anundertaker--a fautor of court suitors of merit and quality, who chanceto be pennyless. I trust your bags will bear you out in your new boast."
"They will bear me the farther, my lord duke," answered the goldsmith,"that my boast is but small."
"O, you do yourself less than justice, my good Master Heriot,"continued the duke, in the same tone of irony; "you have a marvellouscourt-faction, to be the son of an Edinburgh tinker. Have the goodnessto prefer me to the knowledge of the high-born nobleman who is honouredand advantaged by your patronage."
"That shall be my task," said Lord Huntinglen, with emphasis. "Mylord duke, I desire you to know Nigel Olifaunt, Lord Glenvarloch,representative of one of the most ancient and powerful baronial housesin Scotland.--Lord Glenvarloch, I present you to his Grace the Duke ofBuckingham, representative of Sir George Villiers, Knight of Brookesby,in the county of Leicester."
The duke coloured still more high as he bowed to Lord Glenvarlochscornfully, a courtesy which the other returned haughtily, and withrestrained indignation. "We know each other, then," said the duke, aftera moment's pause; and as if he had seen something in the young noblemanwhich merited more serious notice than the bitter raillery with which hehad commenced--"we know each other--and you know me, my lord, for yourenemy."
"I thank you for your plainness, my lord duke," replied Nigel; "an openenemy is better than a hollow friend."
"For you, my Lord Huntinglen," said the duke, "methinks you have but nowoverstepped the limits of the indulgence permitted to you, as the fatherof the prince's friend, and my own."
"By my word, my lord duke," replied the earl, "it is easy for any oneto outstep boundaries, of the existence of which he was not aware. It isneither to secure my protection nor approbation, that my son keeps suchexalted company."
"O, my lord, we know you, and indulge you," said the duke; "you are oneof those who presume for a life-long upon the merit of one good action."
"In faith, my lord, and if it be so," said the old earl, "I have atleast the advantage of such as presume more than I do, without havingdone any action of merit whatever. But I mean not to quarrel with you,my lord--we can neither be friends nor enemies--you have your path, andI have mine."
Buckingham only replied by throwing on his bonnet, and shaking its loftyplume with a careless and scornful toss of the head. They parted thus;the duke walking onwards through the apartments, and the others leavingthe Palace and repairing to Whitehall Stairs, where they embarked onboard the barge of the citizen.