How one came to Master Priest: how Master Priest came to the King'sBedchamber: and of what he heard of the name of Jesus
_Dum anxiaretur cor meum: in petra exaltasti me._
When my heart was in anguish: Thou hast exalted me on a rock.--_Ps. lx. 3._
XIII
This was the letter that I read in my parlour that night, as the man inhis livery stood beside me, dusty with riding. I have it still (it is inthe mass-book that stands beside my desk; you can find it there after Iam gone to give my account.)....
"REVEREND AND RIGHT WORSHIPFUL SIR JOHN CHALDFIELD,--
"There is a young man here named Master Richard Raynal, who tells usthat you are his friend. He desires to see you before his death, for hehas been set upon and will not live many days. His grace has orderedthat you shall be brought with speed, for he loves this young man andcounts him a servant of God. He is with Master Raynal as I write. I fearthis may be heavy news for you, Sir John, so I will write no more, but Irecommend myself to you, and pray that you may be comforted and speededhere by the grace of God, which ever have you in His keeping.
"Written at Westminster, the Wednesday after Corpus Xti.
"Yours,
"......."
I asked the fellow who brought the letter whether he could tell me anymore, but all that he could say was that he was in the court outside mylord cardinal's privy stairs--where the people were assembled to seeMaster Richard come out, and that he had seen a confusion, and blowsstruck, and the glaivemen run in to help him. Then he had seen no more,but he thought Master Richard had been taken back again to the palace,and heard that he had been sore wounded and beaten, and was not like tolive.
* * * * *
I will not tell you, my children, of my ride to London that night, savethat I do not think I ceased praying from the instant that I set out tothe instant when I came up as the dawn began behind Lambeth House, andwe went over in the ferry. I cried in my heart with David, _Fili mi,Fili mi; quis mihi tribuat ut ego moriar pro te, fili mi, fili mi?_["My son, my son! Who would grant that I might die for thee, my son, myson?"--2 Kings xviii. 33.] And I prayed two things--that God mightforgive me for having allowed the lad to go, and that I might find himalive. More than that I dared not pray, and I know not even now if Ishould have prayed the first.
It was a wonderful dawn that I saw as I crossed over, with a mist comingup from the water as a promise of great heat, and above it the highroofs and towers like the lovely city of God, and over all the sky wasof a golden colour with lines of pearl across it. It comforted me alittle that I should come to Master Richard so.
Even at that hour there were many awake. There was one great fellow bythe ferry, that was looking across towards the palace; and I think itmust have been he who had taken Master Richard over for love of saintGiles and saint Denis, but I did not know that part of the tale at thattime, and I never saw him again.
In the court and passages, too, that we went along there were personsgoing to and fro. One told me afterwards that never had he seen such amovement at that hour since the night that the King's mother died. Theywere all waiting for tidings of the lad, and they eyed me very narrowly,and I heard my name run before me as I went.
At the last we came to a great door, and we were let through, and I wasin the King's bed-chamber.
It was a quiet room, and I will describe it to you now, although I sawlittle of it at that time.
* * * * *
In the centre, with its head against the wall, stood a tall bed, with acanopy over it, and four posts of twisted wood, carved very cunninglywith little shields that bore the instruments of our Saviour's passion.On the tapestry beneath the canopy, above the pillow, were the arms ofthe King, wrought in blue and red and gold. The hangings on the wallswere all of a dark blue, wrought with devices of all kinds, and theywere hanged from a ledge of wood beneath the ceiling such as I havenever seen before or since. The ceiling was of painted wood, dividedinto deep squares, and in the centre of each was a coat. The floor wasall over rushes, the cleanest and the most fragrant that I have eversmelled. I think that there must have been herbs and bay leaves mixedwith them.
I saw all this afterwards, for when I came in the curtains were alldrawn against the windows, save against one that let in the cool airfrom the river and a little pale light of morning, and two candlesburned on a table beside the bed. The room was very dark, but I couldsee that a dozen persons stood against the walls, and one by every door.
But I had no eyes for them, and went quickly across the rushes, and as Icame round the foot of the bed, I heard my name whispered again, and theKing stood up from where he had been kneeling.
I have already described to you his appearance at that time, so I willsay no more here than that he was in all his clothes which were a littledisordered, and that his head was bare. He had been weeping, too, forhis eyes were red and swollen, and his lips shook as he put out hishand. But he could not speak.
I kneeled down and kissed his hand quickly and stood up immediately.Master Richard who was lying on his left side, turned away from me, sothat I could not see his face, but I knew he was not yet dead, else hewould have been laid upon his back, but he was as still as death. Hishead was all in a bandage, except on this side where his long hair hungacross his cheek, and his bare arm lay across the rich coverlet, brownto the elbow with his digging, and white as milk at the shoulder.
When I saw that I kneeled down too, and hid my face in my hands, andalthough I felt the King lay his fingers on my shoulder I could not lookup. But it was not all for sorrow that I wept; I was thanking GodAlmighty who permitted me to see Master Richard alive once more.
I do not know how long it was before I looked up, but all the folkswere gone from the room save the King, and Master Blytchett, thephysician, who sat on the other side of the bed.
I went round presently to the other side, the King going with me, andthere I saw Master Richard's face. I cannot tell you all that I saw init, for there are no words that can tell of its peace; his eyes wereclosed below the little healed scar that he had taken in the monastery,and his lips were open and smiling; they moved two or three times as Ilooked, as if he were talking with some man, and then they ceased andsmiled again. But all was very little, as if the soul were far down insome secret chamber with company that it loved.
I asked presently if he had received his Maker, and the King told meYes, and shrift too, and anointing--all the night before when he hadcome to himself for a while and called for a priest. He had spoken myname, too, at that time and they had told him that one was gone tobring me and at that he seemed content.
Master Blytchett told me soon that I could be gone for a while, to takesome meat, and that he would send for me if Master Richard awoke. But Isaid No to that; until the King bade me go, saying that he, too, wouldremain, and pledging his word that I should be called.
So I went away into a parlour, and washed myself, and took some food,and after a while the old clerk that had written the letter to me, camein and saluted me.
I was desirous to know how all had come about, so we sat there a greatwhile in the window seat, with the door a little open into thebed-chamber, and he told me the tale. I did not speak one word till hehad done.
This was how it came about.
* * * * *
Master Richard was sent for from his cell to the parlour of my lordcardinal, but my lord was not ready for him, and he had to stand agreat while in the court to wait his pleasure. The rumour ran about asto who it was, and a great number of persons assembled from all parts,some from the palace, and some from the streets. These had so cried outagainst the young man, that the billmen were sent for from theguard-room to keep him from their violence. This priest had looked outfrom a window at the noise, and seeing the crowd, had entreated my lordto have the prisoner in without any more delay. So he was brought in,and one was
left to keep the little door that led to the privy stairs upwhich he came.
It was then that this priest had seen him face to face, and I will tryto write down his words as he told them me.
"I came into the parlour," he said, "through the door behind my lord'schair, as Master Raynal was brought in by the other door.
"I have never seen such a sight, Sir John, as I saw then. He was in hiswhite kirtle only, with the five wounds upon his breast, and he had onhis sandals. But his face was as that of a dead man: his eyelids weresunk upon his cheek, and his lips hung open so that I could see his bareteeth.
"There were two men who led him by the arms, and he would have fallenbut for their assistance, and I immediately whispered to my lord to lethim sit down. But my lord was busy and anxious at that time, for he hadbut just come from the King, who was no better and would take no meatnor speak at all. So he paid no heed to me, and presently began to askquestions of Master Raynal, urging him to confess what it was that hehad done, and threatening him with this and that if he would not speak.
"But Master Raynal did not speak or lift his eyes; it seemed as if hedid not hear one word.
"My lord told him presently that if temporal pains did not move him,perhaps, it was that he desired spiritual--for my lord was very angry,and scarce knew what he was saying. But Master Richard made no answer.I will tell you, Sir John, plainly, that I thought he was but a fool toanger my lord so by his silence, for it could not be that he did nothear: my lord bawled loud enough to awaken the dead, and I saw the folkbehind, some laughing and some grave.
"It would be full half an hour after noon before my lord had done hisquestions, and lay back in his chair wrathful at getting no answer,though the men that held Master Raynal shook him from side to side.
"Then it was that the end came.
"I was observing Master Raynal very closely, wondering whether he weremad or deaf, and on a sudden he lifted his eyes, and his lips closed. Heappeared to be looking at my lord, but it was another that he saw.
"I cannot describe to you, Sir John, what that change was that came tohim, save by saying that I think Lazarus must have looked like that, ashe heard our Saviour Christ's voice calling to him as he lay in thetomb. It was no longer the face of a dead man, but of a living one, andas that change came, I perceived that my lord cardinal had raisedhimself in his chair, and was staring, I suppose, at the young man too.But I could not take my eyes off Master Raynal's face.
"Then on a sudden Master Raynal smiled and drew a great breath and criedout. It was but one word; it was the holy Name of JESUS.
"I perceived immediately that my lord cardinal had stood up at that cry,but then he sat down again, and he made a motion with his hand, and themen that held Master Raynal wheeled him about, and they went through thecrowd towards the door.
"My lord cardinal turned to me, and I have never seen him so moved, butstill he could not speak, and while we looked upon one another there wasa great uproar everywhere--in the court and in the palace.
"I stood there, not knowing what to do, and my lord pushed past to thewindow. He, too, cried out as he looked down, and then ran from theroom, and as I was following there broke in one by the door behind thechair.
"'Where is my lord cardinal?' he cried; 'The King has sent for him.'
"Well, the end of the matter was that they brought Master Raynal backagain, wounded and battered near to death. The crowd that had beenattendant for him had set on him as he came out--they should have sentmore bill-men before to keep the road, and the King met him in the way(for he had come to his senses again), and turned as white as ashes oncemore, crying out that his own craven heart had slain one more [If thisking was Henry VI, the reference may be to Joan of Arc. But Henry wasonly a child at the time of her death. At the best this can be onlyconjecture.] servant of God, but I know not what he meant by that.Master Raynal was taken to the King's bed-chamber, and my lord cameafter. And the King has been with him, praying and moaning ever since."
Then I put one question to the priest.
"My lord cardinal?" I said.
"No man but the King has seen my lord cardinal since yesterday."
* * * * *
We sat a while longer in silence, and then Master Blytchett came in tosee me.