CHAPTER XLIII.
THE CONQUEROR CONQUERED.
"Proceed my son! this youthful shame expel: An honest business never blush to tell."
Homer.
Not many days were permitted to elapse after the marriage of Oswald andAlice, ere De Montfort, accompanied by his Saxon son-in-law, proceededto London. The Count knew well that, if the resentment of William wasonce aroused, it would be a difficult matter to appease him. He was wellaware also of the fact that there were Norman neighbours, who wereexasperated at his conduct in bestowing his daughter upon a Saxon rebel;even though that rebel had but maintained a defensive attitude, and usedhis influence to calm the fierce passions which had been aroused in thisstrife of races. They knew he had effectually barred them in thebarbarous policy on which they were bent; for which they gave him nothanks. If these malcontents but got the ear of the Conqueror, grievouscomplications might possibly ensue.
When De Montfort reached London the king was at Winchester; so to thatplace he and Oswald at once repaired. They proceeded to the castletogether, but De Montfort alone sought an audience of the king.
It should here be stated that Northumbria, as the north of Englandgenerally was termed, was a grievous thorn in the side of William. Tokeep in check this people, and to suppress the ferocious outbursts ofthe downtrodden Saxons which were constantly taking place, was a mostharassing and costly business; so he was keenly anxious to have reliableinformation and advice, with regard to the turbulent north. Thus DeMontfort was welcomed heartily. As fortune would have it, Odo, who wasDe Montfort's chief enemy, was away in Normandy, and there was nothing,consequently, but the jealousy of Fitz-Osborne, that was likely tointerfere with the success of his suit; and this nobleman alone waspresent at the audience which De Montfort had with the king.
The Count was ushered into the audience chamber without delay. There,the king occupied a chair of state in the centre of the wall opposite tothe entrance, with a richly embroidered canopy above his head, and sidehangings drooping to the wall and floor on either side.
As De Montfort prostrated himself to the floor, the king rose from hisseat and, bidding him rise, shook him by the hand.
"Ye did well for our cause at Hastings, De Montfort, and should not beforgotten by us; but how comes it we have had so little of your presenceat court since then? I trow ye have been over busy scaring Saxon rooksfrom their nests, and preparing yourself a roost in them. 'Tis anoccupation my valiants knights have much busied themselves in since thatday. Natheless, I mind me I have set my scribes to make a _book_, so Imay know where all the fat manors lie; my liegemen and barons know theirbusiness well enough, and are going scot free of taxes; whilst the kinghas got nothing yet but hard blows and a beggar's dole. Howsomever, Iwill hear thy plaint. Thou would'st have more lands, or royal warrantfor what thou hast already grabbed, I suppose; for that is the usualthing."
"I crave your pardon, sire, but it is not for lands I ask, for I foughtmy way into savage Northumbria, and ventured to lay hold of a tolerabledemesne there, and----"
"'Twill be passing fair, I warrant, De Montfort, if thou think ittolerable. Fat, fertile, and ample. Well, proceed! proceed! I make anote of it thou didst not deem it necessary to say to thy king, May I?But no matter, that has come to be a mere formality."
"My purpose, sire, if your majesty will hear me, is to report the stateof the land and its prospects; as well as to acquaint your majesty withan alliance which I have formed with one of the ablest of the Saxonchieftains of the north."
"By my halidame, De Montfort! hast thou ventured to form an alliance_too_, with the Saxon dogs? Truly thou art over bold. Much too bold. Ithink also thou hast forgotten the example of the countryman who warmedthe snake by the fire. I'll none of this setting at nought of myauthority, De Montfort, mark me!"
"Hear me patiently, your majesty," said De Montfort, alarmed atWilliam's testiness. "I have brought this Saxon to court, and he will,if permitted, make oath of fealty to your majesty, and there is no Saxonleader north of the Humber whose influence is so great as his."
"Aye, aye! make oath of fealty readily enough! like the rest of them,and with as much honesty also. Truly, he matches thy boldness, DeMontfort, in venturing hither after the tumult which has taken place atDurham. Natheless, we will see him, we will see him nevertheless; forsuch boldness is catching. But if he be advised, he will be somewhatcareful how he deport himself, for he ventures into the jaws of thelion; and some of these Saxon boors are too loud of the mouth, and thinkit fine to 'beard' me, as they call it. Thou hast brought him hitherthou sayest?"
"Yes, sire, he awaits your majesty's pleasure."
"Let him be ready, and we will call him presently, when we haveconsidered the matter for a little while."
So De Montfort vanished from the presence chamber, and the king graspedFitz-Osborne's arm, and together they paced the room in earnestconversation.
"What thinkest thou Fitz-Osborne, of this conduct of De Montfort? Iwould our brother Odo, who is now in Normandy, were here; for he hathsomewhat against the Count, though I know not of a certainty what it is.I have myself heard some whisper of his playing fast and loose in hisloyalty to me, but nothing of it has ever come to head. Knowest thouought of this?"
"H--m!" said Fitz-Osborne warily, and craftily, "there are whispersabout, as your majesty says, but I would advise your majesty to hear himand his Saxon ally, as he calls him. Northumbria is a wild part, and ifhe can, through this Saxon caitiff, exercise any substantial influenceover that part of the country, it may be worth while to use him for thepurpose; but I would not trust overmuch to either."
As a matter of fact, Fitz-Osborne was pleased at the prospect of havingDe Montfort removed so far from the councils of the king; for he wasjealous of the ascendency he had acquired, and feared greatly anydivision of the royal favour.
"Thou sayest right. Tis best to hear the whole matter; though 'tischaracterised by too much boldness to be to my liking. However, if therebe a fox in the bag he cannot help but stink; and thou hast a sharpnose, Fitz-Osborne, and will smell him out promptly, I warrant."
So the king ordered the suppliants to be brought in.
William still clung to the arm of Fitz-Osborne when De Montfort wasushered in, followed by Oswald; and together they stood at the entrance,awaiting the king's command to advance. But no sooner did William seteyes on Oswald than he convulsively clutched the arm he held, andhoarsely whispered, "_Notre Dame!_ What is this, Fitz-Osborne? 'TisHarold come to life again! Did we not find his corpse at Hastings?"
"Be calm, Your Majesty. This is a much younger man than Harold, thoughhe belikes him wonderfully."
The king calmly surveyed Oswald for a minute or two, and his composurereturned. Then he motioned De Montfort to draw near, and the Count andOswald advanced together, and bent their knees before the conqueror, DeMontfort saying,--
"If it please Your Majesty, this loyal subject of yours is Oswald, SaxonEaldorman, son of Ealdorman Ulfson, chieftains of Northumbria underSaxon rule."
"Rise, De Montfort," said William.
Then he motioned them to a seat opposite to his chair of state, which heresumed.
"Saxon," said he, addressing Oswald, "thou hast come, I understand, tomake oath of fealty to me, and to swear in presence of myself and mychamberlain to be my faithful liegeman unto death."
"I have come with that purpose, sire, if it be your royal pleasure."
"If thou art minded to be both hypocrite and knave, first swearingfealty to me, and then proceeding straightway to stir up my subjects torebellion, thou wilt have many illustrious examples before thee, truly.How long hast thou been of thy present mind? 'Tis a late-foundrepentance, I warrant me! Didst thou oppose me at Hastings?"
"I did oppose Your Majesty at Hastings, I confess."
"At York, also, I doubt not, if thou art minded to confess it, Saxon!"
"I opposed Your Majesty at York, too," said Oswald fearlessly.
"Tut, tut, dog!" said William, grindi
ng his teeth vehemently, andgrasping the hilt of his sword. "A very promising liegeman, truly, DeMontfort!" turning savagely to the Count. Then addressing Oswald, hesaid, "Thou art to the fore, I perceive, when half a chance offers tooverthrow my authority, and to kill my men, Saxon dog! How comes thiswhining for peace now? Thou hast had the Norman grip upon thy throat, Iopine. 'Tis that has changed thy mind."
"I fear not the Norman, sire, for, if needs be, I am prepared to die formy country; but I have duly weighed the whole matter, and I recognisethe futility of further resistance. I have also steadily, and for sometime, counselled peace in our witan. If Your Majesty is pleased toextend your royal clemency to me, you will find me a loyal subject."
The frank and fearless tone and bearing of the Saxon chieftain evidentlyimpressed the king, for he surveyed Oswald steadily for a minute or two,measuring him from head to foot, and studying his face as though hewould read him through and through. Then addressing De Montfort, said,--
"Wait in the ante-room; we will consider this."
No sooner had the pair retired, than William started from his seat, andgrasping Fitz-Osborne's arm, he exclaimed,--
"By the splendour of God![16] this Saxon is a pretty fellow,Fitz-Osborne! Got character in him! A demon, I warrant me, as an enemy,but to be sought after as a friend. Didst thou mark how he stood up likea man to me? By the holy rood! he looked me in the face without wincing,and there was none of that hypocritical whine in his tone, which I hateabove all. Didst notice also how he out with the truth boldly, in aplease God and dare the devil sort of way that I like? If he be reallyfriendly disposed, we will conciliate him by all that lies in our power.How sayest thou, Fitz-Osborne?"
[Footnote 16: William's favourite oath.]
"He looks like a man who could be of service if he be minded to do so.Though, I confess it, there is an independence about him, which would bebetter if it were taken out of him. He looks as though he could makemischief. But I would question De Montfort further about this alliancehe speaks of. It would be better if we had further light."
"Gramercy! Fitz-Osborne, I forgot about this alliance altogether. CallDe Montfort alone!" said he, addressing one of the attendants.
When the Count again entered the room the king said,--
"What is this alliance thou hast formed with this Saxon, De Montfort?"
"I drove him, sire, in the first instance from his castle; but he builthimself a stronghold on one of our mountains, from which the force I hadat hand utterly failed to dislodge him; it is a wild and mountainouspart, sire."
"Then thou shouldest have applied to me for help, and not have permitteda nest of vermin to thrive under thy nose."
"I crave Your Majesty's pardon; but, if you can call it to mind, Icommunicated with you at York the last time you came north, and then setforth fully the position of this Saxon and his followers."
"But thou asked no help! I remember it well; thou didst say howpeaceably disposed this man was; and that he might safely be leftalone."
"I think Your Majesty slightly mistakes the tenor of my message.Nevertheless, friendly intercourse was opened between us. He visited meat the castle with overtures of peace, which he has loyally kept. He isalso at this present time at deadly feud with another Saxon chieftain,one Sigurd; because he refused to join an organised insurrection. Alsoin a secret assembly of the Saxon witan, which was summoned and presidedover by the Atheling, he boldly advocated peace."
"Hold there! Thou saidst the Atheling summoned an assembly of the Saxonwitan? My despatches say that the Prince gave secret information to myforces of this traitorous assembly, and protested his loyalty; and he isnow at Rouen at my charges."
"True, Your Majesty, he did; but not until this Oswald denounced him asa coward to his face, and declared that he was unfit to reign inEngland. Many others then, following this Oswald's lead, declared theywould not follow such a prince. Then, in the darkness, he sneaked awayto a neighbouring encampment of Normans and gave information."
"Hearest thou this, Fitz-Osborne? By the splendour of God! But we mustknow more of this. But no matter," said he with an impatient gesture."Proceed. What further about this alliance which thou hast formed withthe Saxon?"
"We have dwelt together in a neighbourly way, having little trouble withthe numerous bands of outlaws ranging the bruneswald; for his authorityis acknowledged as far south as Sherwood Forest. If it please YourMajesty, I have likewise given him my daughter in marriage."
"Gramercy! De Montfort; but thou shouldst be king! Thou dost act rightroyally! I lose my breath discoursing with thee! Is this the lovelyAlice we admired so much, now years agone, thou hast given him then?"
"My only daughter, Alice, Your Majesty."
"Were there none of my barons thou couldst have bestowed the hand of thydaughter upon? Dost thou not know I claim to be consulted in suchmatters?"
"'Twas a love match, Your Majesty. These two plighted their troth intrue romance fashion, without consulting me. I was satisfied, however,that it would greatly strengthen Your Majesty's authority in the northof England."
"Tut, tut! Ha! that was deftly put, De Montfort; but I have too many ofmy knights, who make loud professions of strengthening my authority,whilst all the while they deliberately set it at naught. A preciousloyalty it is. Now wait a little while, till thou hearest our commands."
"Now Fitz-Osborne, the cat is out of the bag! what thinkest thou? DeMontfort is a wily dog, and has not told the whole story, I warrant me.I like not this setting me at naught in my own kingdom; 'tis passingstrange, but I like this Oswald, Saxon though he be, better than my owncountryman. I like the look of him, and I think good will come out ofhim. What sayest thou?"
"If this Saxon can be depended upon, it will do good doubtless, sire.His Norman wife, too, should influence him aright."
"So think I, Fitz-Osborne. Call De Montfort and the Saxon."
On the entrance of the pair, William said,--
"De Montfort, thy conduct has been most irregular, but, I condone it onconditions, which I will name presently." "Saxon," said he, addressingOswald, "I congratulate thee on winning one of our most accomplishedNorman maidens. I am further, upon a consideration of the whole matter,disposed to trust thee; and upon thy taking the oath of fealty, I willconfer upon thee lands ample for thy needs. De Montfort, I create theeEarl of Northumberland; upon thee and thy Saxon son-in-law, I lay mycharges for the welfare of that province. If ye do well, well will comeof it; but I will have you beware, for if I find you unfaithful, I willroot you out of the land, root and branch." So saying, with an imperiouswave of his hand he dismissed them from his presence.