Chapter 15: Another Mission To Ludlow.
While Oswald was talking with his father, Roger had taken the fourhorses round to the long shed, that ran along one side of the wall; andhad there been telling the moss troopers the same story Oswald had beenrelating to his father, whom he now joined.
"Well, friend Roger," John Forster said as he came up, shaking himheartily by the hand; "by my faith, my son is fortunate in having sostout a fellow as his henchman."
"'Tis rather that I am fortunate in having him as a master," Rogerreplied. "I have but to strike as he bids me, and there is no need forme to think, for my brain bears no proportion to my bulk; and indeed,even in the matter of strength he bids fair to equal me, for he seemsto me to grow taller and stronger every month; which is not surprising,seeing that you are, yourself, much beyond the common. In all thismatter there is no credit due to me, save that I have, as faithfully asI could, carried out his orders."
"All men can try to carry out orders, Roger, but it is not all who cando it with intelligence. Doubtless, it has something to do with thebook learning that you have, and in which you were his instructor."
"I think not that it is so, in any way, Master Forster," Roger repliedquickly, for he liked not the thought that he had gained any advantage,whatever, from his stay in the convent. "It might likely be useful to aman of small stature, whose thoughts would naturally turn to being ascribe, and to making his living by such finicking ways instead of bybearing himself as a man should; but for one like myself, 'tis but timethrown away. Yet I say not that it may not be useful to Master Oswald,who will some day be a knight, and go to court, and have occasion towrite letters, when he has no scribe at hand to do it for him; but agood downright blow is more advantage, to the man that strikes it, thanall the book learning that he can get."
"I have done well enough without it, Roger; but I think that it must beof some use, else why is it that Oswald is so good at devising plans?Had I been in his place, when he heard the news of the harrying ofHiniltie, and the carrying off of Armstrong's daughters, I should neverhave thought of starting on such an adventure as he did."
"It may be that it may improve the mind, Master Forster, just aswielding a mace strengthens the muscles of the arm. I only speak frommy own experience; and, so far as I can see, all the hours I spent onthese matters have been as good as wasted."
"Nay, Roger," Oswald, who had been an amused listener to theconversation, broke in, "you have had evidence, but lately, that it isnot so. Had you not been able to read the priest's missal, he wouldhave seen, at once, that you were not a monk; but the fact that you didso, and that much better and more fluently than he could, himself, haveread a strange manuscript, was to him a confirmation of your story;which not only enabled us to rescue my cousins, but probably saved yourown skin, to say nothing of mine; for had Baird learned that you weredeceiving him, he would as likely as not have hung us both over thegateway of his hold, as spies."
Roger scratched his head, in some embarrassment.
"I cannot gainsay it, Master Oswald, though I did not think of itbefore; and it is certainly a proof that the time I spent in learningwas not thrown away; for, as you say, had I not been able to read thatmissal, doubtless it would have gone hard with both of us. I am notashamed to own when I am wrong. It would not be English, or honest, notto do so. Reading certainly came in mightily useful, there."
"And you must also remember, Roger," Oswald said with a smile, "that ifit had not been that you read and wrote, better than most of the othermonks, the abbot would not have picked you out as my instructor, Ishould not have asked for you to come with me to Scotland, and SirHenry Percy would never have begged the abbot to allow you to go forthinto the world."
"Say no more, Master Oswald--never again will I say a word againstreading and writing--I see that they are excellent things, and it neverentered my thick head how greatly I have benefited by acquiringthem--but will maintain, against all who say the contrary, that theyare of great value; and that they in no way tend to soften a man, as Ican prove in my own person, and also in yours."
At this moment, Mary Forster appeared at the top of the steps.
"Supper is ready," she said. "I have broken the news to the girls. Theyare quite broken hearted, poor things, and I have sent them to bed.
"I suppose you are not leaving us, tomorrow morning, Oswald?"
"No, I shall be off at daybreak, the next day. I must not stay longer,for I ought to have been back three days ago, and Sir Henry will bewondering what has befallen me."
Talking the matter over, that evening, as to what had best be done withthe girls, Mary Forster said that they had expressed great anxiety toget back, as soon as they could, in order that they might try andcomfort their father, and nurse Allan; and John Forster said that hewould ride with them, with four of his men, to Hiniltie, in a day ortwo. The next evening, however, there was a knock at the outside gate;and on its being opened, Adam Armstrong himself entered.
"I could not rest, for thinking of the girls," he said, as he enteredthe house. "The man arrived safely, yesterday morning, after having,with great difficulty, made his way unobserved through the Bairds, whohad some fifty or sixty men scattered, all over the hills."
"Do you go to them, Wife, and tell them that their father has arrived.
"They have been terribly upset," John went on, as his wife left theroom. "They were only told of the loss of their mother after theyarrived, yesterday. Oswald thought that they would need all theirstrength for the journey, and that it were better that Mary shouldbreak the news to them, when they got here. We have all felt for yousorely, Adam, since your messenger brought the news."
Armstrong pressed his hand, silently.
"She was a good wife to me, John, a right good wife. We buried whatseemed to be her remains, yesterday morning. It was that, that kept mefrom starting the moment the man came in with the news that Oswald hadgot the girls out of the hands of the Bairds."
"And how is Allan?"
"I trust he will get right, now. He has come partly to his senses,though he is still dazed. We had him carried, in a litter, to themonastery where I obtained the monk's robe for your man; for I fearedto leave him in the village, lest the Bairds, furious at the escape ofthe girls, might return to finish their work."
He was about to speak to Oswald, when the door opened, and the girlsran in, and it was some time before Adam Armstrong again turned to him.
"Now, lad," he said, "do not think, because I am a long time coming tothe point, that I think lightly of the service you have rendered me.Ah, lad! I could scarce believe my ears, when Fergus told me that youand your henchman had got the lasses out of the Bairds' hands, and hadgone off on horseback with them. I had to put the question, again andagain, as to whether he was sure that it was really the girls you hadwith you. It seemed to me to be altogether impossible; but I had tobelieve him, at last, though how it came about he could not tell me."
"We had no time for talking," Oswald said. "Every moment was ofimportance. But the matter was simple enough, and worth but a fewwords' telling."
And he then related the manner in which he and Roger had obtainedentrance to the hold, and had succeeded in getting the girls away.
"It sounds simple enough, in the telling," Armstrong said; "but itneeded stout hearts, and good nerves, to enter the Bairds' den on suchan errand. You carried your lives in your hands, and well must you haveborne out your story, to have passed without suspicion. It was wellthought of, indeed, and well carried out, and would have done credit tothe boldest and craftiest leader on the border.
"What say you, John?"
"I am proud of him, Adam. As for myself, I should never have thought ofsuch a plan. If I had had the matter in hand, I might have taken twentystout fellows, and tried to scale the walls unseen, and to fall uponthem with spear and sword, and in the confusion carry the girls off;but it would have been a desperate plan, with but small hope ofsuccess."
"Small indeed, John, small indeed," Armstro
ng said, shaking his head."With prisoners in the hold, the Bairds were not likely to be caughtsleeping; and had they been, accustomed to surprises as they are, thewhole garrison would have been afoot in a minute, and not a man of yewould have lived to tell the story. Some such mad thought passedthrough my brain, when I first heard the news, but it was not for long.Even with your spears, and others you might gather, and all my friendsin Tweeddale, we should have had but a small chance of capturing theBairds' hold. We should have had all Annandale and Nithsdale down onus, before we could have done it. At any rate, we should have had tobide our time, and wait until the Bairds were away to England with alltheir dalesmen; and by that time, none could say what would have becomeof the girls. In fact, there was but one way of doing it, and that isthe way Oswald hit upon.
"Well, lad, I fear I shall never have an opportunity of repaying thedebt I owe you; but after this, there is not an Armstrong on theborder, on our side or yours--for we are half English and halfScotch--but will hold you as among our closest of kin, and will giveyou welcome and aid, whensoever you may need it. And where is your manRoger?"
"I will call him," Oswald said and, stepping to the door, he shouted tohis follower; who came out, at once, from one of the outhouses occupiedby the retainers of the hold.
"Come up, Roger!" Oswald said; "Master Armstrong wishes to see you."
Roger came up and, as he entered, Adam grasped him by the hand.
"Whenever your time for fighting is over, my brave fellow, rememberthat there is a home for you at Hiniltie, so long as an Armstrongdwells there. I thought, when I fetched that monk's gown for you, thatyou and my nephew Oswald might be able to gather some news; and let meknow, possibly, how the girls were faring; but little did I think that,alone and unaided, you would rescue them from the hands of the Bairds."
"It was a merry business, Master Armstrong, and pleased me hugely, savethat it went against my heart to have this bald patch on my head again,just when the hair had so well grown and covered it; but it was wellnigh as good as fighting, to trick the Bairds in their own hold, whenthey, as they thought, were so mightily sure that I was but a harmlessbrother of a monastery. For the rest, it was an easy business, andscarce worth talking of."
"It was done easily because it was done well, Roger. It was wellplanned, and well carried out."
"I had nought to do with the planning, and the carrying out was simpleenough. There were those there who tested me, as to my knowledge ofDunbar, and of the monastery I came from, and who further tested myknowledge of reading. Once assured that my story was true, they paid nofurther attention to me, believing that I should stay but a day or two,to rest myself on my way south."
"You had occasion, however, to use that heavy staff you carried."
"Some slight occasion, but I would that I had had the chance to haveused it on the heads of some of the Bairds. For what little I did,master Armstrong, your daughters thanked me very prettily, and morethan enough; and therefore, I pray thee, say no more of it.
"And how is your son?"
"He is going on well, and both Meg Margetson and the monks, in whosehands I have put him, say that they hope he is out of danger."
The next morning Oswald and Roger mounted, soon after daybreak, androde to Alnwick. It had, the night before, been arranged that the girlsshould, for the present, remain at Yardhope; until the hold at Hiniltiewas repaired, and put in a state of stronger defence. It was agreed,too, that it was as well that no word should be said by Armstrong, onhis return, as to the whereabouts of his daughters, as the Bairds mightthen, in their anger, make an attack on Yardhope; whereas, at present,they could have no reason whatever for suspecting that they were there,and, if they obtained news that they were not with their father atHiniltie, would suppose that they had been lodged with some of thefamily elsewhere, or perhaps placed for safety in Jedburgh.
"I had wondered what had become of you," Hotspur said, when Oswaldentered his apartments, to report his return. "I expected you two orthree days since, and I indeed wanted you, for other business."
"I am sorry, my lord; but after having fulfilled the orders you gaveme, to the governors of Roxburgh and Jedburgh, I became engaged in anaffair of my uncle, Adam Armstrong, of so pressing a character that Ideemed you would excuse me, when you heard its nature."
And he then briefly related how he had been occupied, since leavingJedburgh.
"'Tis a good excuse, indeed," Hotspur said, "and you must tell me moreof it this evening, when the earl and my wife can also hear it. As tothe business I spoke of, it is of no consequence at all; it was but tocarry a message to the Earl of Westmoreland. This I have now sent, byanother hand."
The winter passed quietly. Oswald's work was light. He more than oncerode home for a few days, and once paid a visit to Hiniltie.
Here a number of men were at work. The exterior walls had in no waysuffered, and the shell of the central building had so far resisted thefire, that it was not necessary to rebuild it. The roof and floors hadbeen replaced, and the defences considerably strengthened. A portcullishad been placed above the door; so that, in case of the outer wallbeing carried, or the gate forced, it could at once be lowered. Aprojecting battlement had been thrown out over this, with openingsbelow, through which boiling lead and pitch could be poured on an enemytrying to break in. Flanking turrets, for archers, had been built ateach corner of the house; and the exterior walls had been strengthenedby towers, in the centre of each face, and on either side of thegateway.
"We shall be safe now, I think, Oswald," said Allan, who had almostrecovered. "The place can hardly be taken by a sudden attack, even byall the forces the Bairds could bring against it; and we could get helpfrom Jedburgh, long before they could gain even the outside wall. Myfather and I are going, in a fortnight, to fetch the girls. I rode overthere a week or two since, and found them looking very well and happy,with your people; but of course they are anxious to get back again,especially as you are so seldom at home."
"If you will fix the day before I go, I will try to be there to meetyou. I suppose, as soon as spring sets in fairly, we shall be havingtroubles again, and it is certainly as well that Janet and Jessieshould be at home again before they begin; for although Yardhope isstrong enough to resist any attack by the Bairds, or any other borderrangers, it can scarcely hold out against a regular invasion."
Four days after his return to Alnwick, Oswald was sent for by Percy.
"The Scots do not seem to be moving yet," the latter said, "butGlendower is ever increasing in strength, and boldness. I have receivedstartling news this morning. A party of Welshmen were seen near Ruthyn,and Earl Grey, with a body of mounted men, rode out against them. Theyretired at once, and he, briskly pursuing, fell into an ambush and wascaptured.
"'Twould have been thought that Glendower would have put his chiefenemy to death, at once, but it was not so, and it is said he holds theearl to ransom. Glendower has plenty of men, but no doubt needs moneysorely. He can draw no revenue from his estates in Denbigh, and thosein South Wales cannot suffice for the expenses of feeding the body ofmen, always under arms. Doubtless he will ask for a great sum, and 'tislike that he will get it. Grey is a favourite of the king, and thelatter will doubtless aid him, for he needs his services to hold Flintand Denbighshire against the Welsh.
"Moreover, methinks that the king would, for another reason, make everyeffort to buy Lord Grey's freedom; for it is no secret that he has nogreat love for Mortimer; for although he holds the young Earl of Marcha prisoner, at Windsor, he cannot forget that the lad is the rightfulheir to the throne, and that the friends of Richard would place himthere, had they the opportunity. Mortimer is the boy's uncle and, notonly from his own estates, but as guardian of the young earl's widepossessions in Hereford and in Shropshire, is a very powerful noble.
"The king has no real reason for doubting him, for I know that Mortimerhas no thought of supporting the Earl of March's claim to the throne;having held, with the rest of the kingdom, that Henry, who is wise andpolitic,
is a far fitter ruler than the lad could be. Doubtless, Henryis well aware of this, but he sees that when the young earl grows tomanhood he might become dangerous; and might supplant him, as hesupplanted Richard. Thus, then, I have no doubt the king will use everyeffort to obtain the release of Lord Grey, in order that he may act asa counterpoise, in the Welsh marches, to the influence of Mortimer.
"However, that is not now the question. It is evident, by this daringdeed of Glendower, that he will be busy this year; and the success ofhis first attempt will assuredly add to his following. Therefore, asthe Scots are, at present, quiet, I would that you ride again toLudlow, and sojourn there a while.
"Sir Edmund sends me but scant news, and I would fain know more closelyhow matters are going there, and how great this insurrection is like togrow. It may well be that the Scots, seeing how powerful Glendower isbecoming, will enter into agreement with him, that while he invades thewest country, they shall pour across the border with all their forces;in which case we should be hard pressed, for the king's power in thesouth might be fully engaged against the Welsh, and we should have tobattle with the whole strength of Scotland, alone. Therefore, write atlength, giving me full reports of the talk of the country as to thebearing of the Welsh, not only beyond the border, but those settled inthe west counties.
"You will, of course, take the fighting monk with you; and he can aidyou in this matter, being a good scholar, though a bad monk; so, whenyou are weary of holding the pen, you can dictate the matter to him. Iwill send two well-mounted couriers with you, and will have relays ofhorses placed on the road, so that you can despatch me a letter once aweek; and they will also, of course, carry any letters Sir EdmundMortimer may wish to send."
"Very well, Sir Henry. Shall I start today?"
"Nay, the matter is not so urgent as all that."
"Then I will ride tomorrow morning."
"Good.
"I am well pleased with you, Oswald. That affair, in which you rescuedyour cousins, showed that you have discretion and ability, as well asskill and courage; and you see, the knowledge that you gained at themonastery is coming in useful to you, now. As a mark of my approbation,I will order that one of my warhorses shall be saddled, and be inreadiness for you, in the morning. The steed that Mortimer gave you isa good one, but you have need of another; for one may fall lame, or bekilled or wounded, and 'tis well to have a second string to the bow.Moreover, riding as you do in my service, 'tis but meet that I shouldprovide you with horseflesh.
"I marked you on your horse today, the one you rode when you came here;and in truth, you have outgrown it altogether; and though I doubt notthat the sturdy little beast would, even yet, carry you for a longday's journey, 'tis scarce in accordance with your position as ourrepresentative."
Oswald thanked Hotspur heartily for the gift, for he, himself, had feltthat he needed a second charger, but had been reluctant to ask hisfather for the money required to buy one; for the expenses of repairingthe hold, after the last Scotch invasion, had been heavy, and gold wasa scarce commodity at Yardhope.
He started at daybreak the next morning, riding the fine horse Hotspurhad given him. Roger rode behind him, and was followed by the twolightly-armed men, who were to act as messengers. One of these ledOswald's second horse. As soon as they had left the castle, Oswaldcalled Roger up to his side.
"Well, Roger, I dare say you are as pleased as I am, that we are on themove again. 'Tis nigh five months since we returned from Ludlow and,save for our adventure with the Bairds, we have had a quiet time,since."
"Think you there will be work with the Welsh again, master?"
"I think so, indeed, Roger. They say that Glendower's forces aregreatly increasing, and he has captured Lord Grey, and holds him toransom. The king must regret, now, that Parliament refused to listen toGlendower's complaints, because he had been one of Richard's men, andhad perhaps spoken more hotly than was prudent, touching the king'smurder."
"But they say that Richard is still alive, and that he is with theScots."
"They may say so, Roger, but think you that it is likely? The king'sfigure was well known to hundreds of men. Why does he not show himself?Even in Scotland there are many nobles who, during the truces betweenthe kingdoms, have been to London, and have known King Richard; and hadthis man been he, they would have recognized him, at once. Besides,think you that when the king had Richard caged, in Pomfret, there wasany chance of his getting free again? It may suit Albany, at present,to set up some puppet or other, in order to cause uneasiness to Henry,and to render Richard's friends here unwilling to obey the orders ofthe king, and to take the field against the Scots; but had he beenRichard, 'tis not in Scotland that he would have shown himself, but inFrance, where he would gladly have been received, as Anne of Bohemia'shusband, and would have had aid and support to urge his claims."
"Well, master, I care not what takes us to Wales. At any rate, I amglad to journey thither; for it seems, at present, as if there, only,is there a chance of giving and taking hard knocks. How is it that youdo not take a party of men-at-arms, as you did last time?"
"Mortimer has plenty of men, without them, and the handful that Percycan spare would be of little use. I am going principally becauseHotspur is anxious to be kept well informed of what happens in thewest, for he feels sure that, if Glendower's power increases, it willbe needful to send a strong English army there. The Scots will make agreat invasion, and it will behove all the northern counties, andlords, to hold themselves in readiness."
They travelled fast and, in five days after leaving Alnwick, arrived atLudlow.
"Welcome back again, Master Oswald!" Sir Edmund said, when he arrived."I thought that maybe Sir Henry Percy would send you hither. Mattershere are becoming serious, and 'tis said that there have been Scotchemissaries with Glendower, though for the truth of this I cannotanswer; but Percy will certainly wish to know, well, what passes in thewest; and I am but a poor hand with the pen, and moreover, too muchbusied to write often. He knows that right well, and I doubt not youare instructed to inform him of all that passes."
"You are right, Sir Edmund. It is for that purpose that he has sent mehither, charging me to write to him, frequently, as to the situationand the power of Glendower; which must needs be on the increase, sincenought has been done to bring him to reason. And I have also hiscommands, to place myself at your service, and to obey you, in allrespects, as if I had been your squire."
"I shall be glad for you to ride with my knights," Sir Edmund replied,courteously. "I have not forgotten that you did good service, lastyear, and trust that you may find opportunity for winning your spurs."
"I shall be glad, indeed, to do so, Sir Edmund. May I ask whereGlendower is supposed to be, at present?"
"He has his headquarters on the summit of Plinlimmon, a great hill onthe borders of Montgomery; and thence ravages and plunders all thecountry round him, slaying all who are supposed to be attached to theEnglish cause. Unfortunately, he meets with but little resistance, forthe castles have, for the most part, been suffered to get into a badstate; since, for a hundred years, it has seemed that they would nolonger be required against the Welsh, who appeared to have become aspeaceful as the people in our own counties. Many of the knights havebuilt themselves more convenient houses, and have let the castlesbecome almost ruins.
"Then, too, the garrisons, where garrisons are kept, are for the mostpart composed of Welshmen. These can be no longer trusted, and it is noeasy matter to obtain Englishmen in their places, for so great is theterror caused by the slaughter, by Glendower, of those who fall intohis hands, that few even of adventurous spirit would, at present, careto leave their homes beyond the Severn, to take up such desperateservice. Glendower's movements are so rapid that there is no notice ofhis coming, and it is not until he and his band suddenly appear,burning and slaughtering, that any know of his approach."
"Surely it must be difficult to victual so large a force, on the summitof a mountain?"
"It would assuredly be so, onl
y he keeps but a hundred and fifty chosenmen with him. But, were his beacon fires to be lighted, there would ina few hours be ten thousand men on the mountain. Then again, as thewhole population are with him, were I to start with five hundred menfrom here, the news would reach him, by means of smokes on the hills,before I had marched five miles away. 'Tis a warfare in which there isno credit to be gained, and much loss to be sustained; and I see notthat, with anything less than an army large enough to march throughWales from end to end, burning the towns and villages, and putting tothe sword all who resist, the affair can be brought to an end.
"It was only thus that Harold brought Wales to reason, and that sostrongly that it was two generations ere they ventured again to crossthe border. It was so that Edward finally stamped out their rebellions,and methinks that the work will have to be done again, in the samemanner. So far from doing good, the king's invasion last autumn has butencouraged them; for, though so numerous, his army effected nothing,and showed the Welsh how powerless the troops were to enter themountains, or to take the offensive anywhere save on level ground."
Oswald's life, at Ludlow, differed in no way from that at Alnwick. Hetook his meals at the high table, sitting below the knights, with SirEdmund's squires. He practised arms with them; tilted in the courtyardof the castle; occasionally rode out, hunting and hawking, with a partyof knights and ladies; helped to drill the bodies of tenants who, ahundred at a time, came in to swell the garrison. Sometimes he carriedMortimer's orders to the governors of the castles, or rode with astrong party into Hereford or Radnor.
A short time after his arrival, Montgomery was taken by storm byGlendower; and all Englishmen, and Welshmen suspected of friendship forthe English, slain. Shortly afterwards, the suburbs of Welshpool wereburnt by him, to the great loss of the Earl of Powys; whose annoyancewas all the greater, since most of his own tenants were under arms,with Glendower. Following hard upon these pieces of bad news came wordthat he had fallen upon the Abbey of Cwmhir, six miles from Rhayader,in Radnorshire, which he entirely destroyed. The news caused greatindignation, and the reason for this sacrilegious act was warmlydiscussed at the castle.
"The reason, methinks," Sir Edmund said, after he had listened to theknights for some time, "is twofold. In the first place theecclesiastics, for the most part, and the monks of all the orders savethe Franciscans, favoured King Henry against Richard; but the chiefreason is the long animosity between the Church and the Bards, of whomGlendower is a great patron; and who have done him great service, bystirring up the people with their songs. The bards have ever beenforemost in instigating insurrections in Wales. Edward the Firstattempted to suppress them altogether, and his edict for executingthem, by martial law, is still unrepealed; and they dare not venture toshow themselves, in any castle or town held by us. But they have, to aman, rallied round Glendower. His house was always open to them, and hewas even distinguished by some Welsh name, meaning the protector of thebards. Now, after being hunted fugitives for so many years, they have,no doubt, used their influence with him to stir him up against thereligious houses."
But a heavier blow still was struck by Glendower, and the feeling atLudlow was nothing short of consternation, when a fugitive arrived fromthe town of New Radnor, saying that the strong castle there had beencarried by assault, the garrison of three-score men all beheaded, andthe town laid in ashes. This was the heaviest blow yet struck byGlendower. The castle was of great strength, and the town had beenwalled by the Lords of the Marches. That such a place should have beencarried by Welsh kerns seemed well-nigh incredible, and the executionof the whole of the garrison aroused the most lively indignation.
"This is war to the knife, indeed," Sir Edmund Mortimer said; "and yet,abhorrent as is this wholesale murder of the garrison, I cannot but ownthat it is a politic step, on the part of Glendower. The news willspread throughout Wales, and if so strong a place as New Radnor couldnot defend itself, how can lesser castles hope to do so? Nor, indeed,will garrisons care to man the walls, since resistance means death.Doubtless there were many Welsh among these men who were murdered, andyou may be sure that their compatriots, in other castles, will hastento desert and join Glendower."
This, indeed, proved to be the case, the garrisons of the castlesdwindled away, and hold after hold fell without resistance. Even inLudlow, every precaution was taken; all Welshmen were expelled from thetown, and the garrison was also purged of them, although some of themen-at-arms had served for many years. These men were told that, afterthe troubles were over, they should again be taken into the service ifthey chose; but that, in the present state of things, one traitor mightendanger the safety of the castle and town; and that, as it wasimpossible to tell who were true men and who had been corrupted byGlendower's agents, it was necessary that all should suffer, even ifinnocent.
Among the tenants of Mortimer's estate, and those of the young earl,were many Welsh. Against them no measures were taken. They and theirfathers, sometimes indeed three generations of them, had livedpeaceably; and had rendered military service, when required, in thetroubles of England; and Mortimer was reluctant to treat them harshly,especially as all declared their readiness to serve, and prove theirdevotion to their English lord.
"They are not sufficiently numerous," he said, "to be a source of anydanger. Were Glendower to invade England in great force doubtless theywould join him, to save their lives and those of their families; butbeing but one to four or five of the English tenants, I see not thatthey can be a source of danger to us."