CHAPTER XXI
Alas, how many hours and years have past, Since human forms have round this table sate, Or lamp, or taper, on its surface gleam'd! Methinks, I hear the sound of time long pass'd Still murmuring o'er us, in the lofty void Of these dark arches, like the ling'ring voices Of those who long within their graves have slept. Orra, a Tragedy
While these measures were taking in behalf of Cedric and his companions,the armed men by whom the latter had been seized, hurried their captivesalong towards the place of security, where they intended to imprisonthem. But darkness came on fast, and the paths of the wood seemed butimperfectly known to the marauders. They were compelled to make severallong halts, and once or twice to return on their road to resume thedirection which they wished to pursue. The summer morn had dawned uponthem ere they could travel in full assurance that they held the rightpath. But confidence returned with light, and the cavalcade now movedrapidly forward. Meanwhile, the following dialogue took place betweenthe two leaders of the banditti.
It is time thou shouldst leave us, Sir Maurice, said the Templar toDe Bracy, in order to prepare the second part of thy mystery. Thou artnext, thou knowest, to act the Knight Deliverer.
I have thought better of it, said De Bracy; I will not leave theetill the prize is fairly deposited in Front-de-Boeuf's castle. Therewill I appear before the Lady Rowena in mine own shape, and trust thatshe will set down to the vehemence of my passion the violence of which Ihave been guilty.
And what has made thee change thy plan, De Bracy? replied the KnightTemplar.
That concerns thee nothing, answered his companion.
I would hope, however, Sir Knight, said the Templar, that thisalteration of measures arises from no suspicion of my honourablemeaning, such as Fitzurse endeavoured to instil into thee?
My thoughts are my own, answered De Bracy; the fiend laughs, theysay, when one thief robs another; and we know, that were he to spit fireand brimstone instead, it would never prevent a Templar from followinghis bent.
Or the leader of a Free Company, answered the Templar, from dreadingat the hands of a comrade and friend, the injustice he does to allmankind.
This is unprofitable and perilous recrimination, answered De Bracy;suffice it to say, I know the morals of the Temple-Order, and I willnot give thee the power of cheating me out of the fair prey for which Ihave run such risks.
Psha, replied the Templar, what hast thou to fear?--Thou knowest thevows of our order.
Right well, said De Bracy, and also how they are kept. Come,Sir Templar, the laws of gallantry have a liberal interpretation inPalestine, and this is a case in which I will trust nothing to yourconscience.
Hear the truth, then, said the Templar; I care not for your blue-eyedbeauty. There is in that train one who will make me a better mate.
What! wouldst thou stoop to the waiting damsel? said De Bracy.
No, Sir Knight, said the Templar, haughtily. To the waiting-womanwill I not stoop. I have a prize among the captives as lovely as thineown.
By the mass, thou meanest the fair Jewess! said De Bracy.
And if I do, said Bois-Guilbert, who shall gainsay me?
No one that I know, said De Bracy, unless it be your vow of celibacy,or a check of conscience for an intrigue with a Jewess.
For my vow, said the Templar, our Grand Master hath granted me adispensation. And for my conscience, a man that has slain three hundredSaracens, need not reckon up every little failing, like a village girlat her first confession upon Good Friday eve.
Thou knowest best thine own privileges, said De Bracy. Yet, I wouldhave sworn thy thought had been more on the old usurer's money bags,than on the black eyes of the daughter.
I can admire both, answered the Templar; besides, the old Jew is buthalf-prize. I must share his spoils with Front-de-Boeuf, who will notlend us the use of his castle for nothing. I must have something that Ican term exclusively my own by this foray of ours, and I have fixed onthe lovely Jewess as my peculiar prize. But, now thou knowest my drift,thou wilt resume thine own original plan, wilt thou not?--Thou hastnothing, thou seest, to fear from my interference.
No, replied De Bracy, I will remain beside my prize. What thousayst is passing true, but I like not the privileges acquired bythe dispensation of the Grand Master, and the merit acquired by theslaughter of three hundred Saracens. You have too good a right to a freepardon, to render you very scrupulous about peccadilloes.
While this dialogue was proceeding, Cedric was endeavouring to wring outof those who guarded him an avowal of their character and purpose. Youshould be Englishmen, said he; and yet, sacred Heaven! you preyupon your countrymen as if you were very Normans. You should be myneighbours, and, if so, my friends; for which of my English neighbourshave reason to be otherwise? I tell ye, yeomen, that even those among yewho have been branded with outlawry have had from me protection; for Ihave pitied their miseries, and curst the oppression of their tyrannicnobles. What, then, would you have of me? or in what can this violenceserve ye?--Ye are worse than brute beasts in your actions, and will youimitate them in their very dumbness?
It was in vain that Cedric expostulated with his guards, who had toomany good reasons for their silence to be induced to break it eitherby his wrath or his expostulations. They continued to hurry him along,travelling at a very rapid rate, until, at the end of an avenue of hugetrees, arose Torquilstone, now the hoary and ancient castle of ReginaldFront-de-Boeuf. It was a fortress of no great size, consisting of adonjon, or large and high square tower, surrounded by buildings ofinferior height, which were encircled by an inner court-yard. Around theexterior wall was a deep moat, supplied with water from a neighbouringrivulet. Front-de-Boeuf, whose character placed him often at feud withhis enemies, had made considerable additions to the strength of hiscastle, by building towers upon the outward wall, so as to flank it atevery angle. The access, as usual in castles of the period, lay throughan arched barbican, or outwork, which was terminated and defended by asmall turret at each corner.
Cedric no sooner saw the turrets of Front-de-Boeuf's castle raise theirgrey and moss-grown battlements, glimmering in the morning sun above thewood by which they were surrounded, than he instantly augured more trulyconcerning the cause of his misfortune.
I did injustice, he said, to the thieves and outlaws of these woods,when I supposed such banditti to belong to their bands; I might asjustly have confounded the foxes of these brakes with the raveningwolves of France. Tell me, dogs--is it my life or my wealth that yourmaster aims at? Is it too much that two Saxons, myself and the nobleAthelstane, should hold land in the country which was once the patrimonyof our race?--Put us then to death, and complete your tyranny by takingour lives, as you began with our liberties. If the Saxon Cedric cannotrescue England, he is willing to die for her. Tell your tyrannicalmaster, I do only beseech him to dismiss the Lady Rowena in honour andsafety. She is a woman, and he need not dread her; and with us will dieall who dare fight in her cause.
The attendants remained as mute to this address as to the former, andthey now stood before the gate of the castle. De Bracy winded his hornthree times, and the archers and cross-bow men, who had manned the wallupon seeing their approach, hastened to lower the drawbridge, and admitthem. The prisoners were compelled by their guards to alight, and wereconducted to an apartment where a hasty repast was offered them, ofwhich none but Athelstane felt any inclination to partake. Neither hadthe descendant of the Confessor much time to do justice to the goodcheer placed before them, for their guards gave him and Cedric tounderstand that they were to be imprisoned in a chamber apart fromRowena. Resistance was vain; and they were compelled to follow to alarge room, which, rising on clumsy Saxon pillars, resembled thoserefectories and chapter-houses which may be still seen in the mostancient parts of our most ancient monasteries.
The Lady Rowena was next separated from her train, and conducted, withcourtesy, indeed, but still without consulting her inclination, toa distant apartment. The same alarming distinction was conferred onRebecca, in spite of her father's entreaties, who offered even money,in this extremity of distress, that she might be permitted to abide withhim. Base unbeliever, answered one of his guards, when thou hast seenthy lair, thou wilt not wish thy daughter to partake it. And, withoutfarther discussion, the old Jew was forcibly dragged off in a differentdirection from the other prisoners. The domestics, after being carefullysearched and disarmed, were confined in another part of the castle;and Rowena was refused even the comfort she might have derived from theattendance of her handmaiden Elgitha.
The apartment in which the Saxon chiefs were confined, for to themwe turn our first attention, although at present used as a sort ofguard-room, had formerly been the great hall of the castle. It was nowabandoned to meaner purposes, because the present lord, among otheradditions to the convenience, security, and beauty of his baronialresidence, had erected a new and noble hall, whose vaulted roof wassupported by lighter and more elegant pillars, and fitted up with thathigher degree of ornament, which the Normans had already introduced intoarchitecture.
Cedric paced the apartment, filled with indignant reflections on thepast and on the present, while the apathy of his companion served,instead of patience and philosophy, to defend him against every thingsave the inconvenience of the present moment; and so little did he feeleven this last, that he was only from time to time roused to a reply byCedric's animated and impassioned appeal to him.
Yes, said Cedric, half speaking to himself, and half addressinghimself to Athelstane, it was in this very hall that my father feastedwith Torquil Wolfganger, when he entertained the valiant and unfortunateHarold, then advancing against the Norwegians, who had united themselvesto the rebel Tosti. It was in this hall that Harold returned themagnanimous answer to the ambassador of his rebel brother. Oft haveI heard my father kindle as he told the tale. The envoy of Tosti wasadmitted, when this ample room could scarce contain the crowd ofnoble Saxon leaders, who were quaffing the blood-red wine around theirmonarch.
I hope, said Athelstane, somewhat moved by this part of his friend'sdiscourse, they will not forget to send us some wine and refactions atnoon--we had scarce a breathing-space allowed to break our fast, andI never have the benefit of my food when I eat immediately afterdismounting from horseback, though the leeches recommend that practice.
Cedric went on with his story without noticing this interjectionalobservation of his friend.
The envoy of Tosti, he said, moved up the hall, undismayed by thefrowning countenances of all around him, until he made his obeisancebefore the throne of King Harold.
'What terms,' he said, 'Lord King, hath thy brother Tosti to hope, ifhe should lay down his arms, and crave peace at thy hands?'
'A brother's love,' cried the generous Harold, 'and the fair earldom ofNorthumberland.'
'But should Tosti accept these terms,' continued the envoy, 'what landsshall be assigned to his faithful ally, Hardrada, King of Norway?'
'Seven feet of English ground,' answered Harold, fiercely, 'or, asHardrada is said to be a giant, perhaps we may allow him twelve inchesmore.'
The hall rung with acclamations, and cup and horn was filled tothe Norwegian, who should be speedily in possession of his Englishterritory.
I could have pledged him with all my soul, said Athelstane, for mytongue cleaves to my palate.
The baffled envoy, continued Cedric, pursuing with animation his tale,though it interested not the listener, retreated, to carry to Tosti andhis ally the ominous answer of his injured brother. It was then thatthe distant towers of York, and the bloody streams of the Derwent,[26] beheld that direful conflict, in which, after displaying the mostundaunted valour, the King of Norway, and Tosti, both fell, with tenthousand of their bravest followers. Who would have thought that uponthe proud day when this battle was won, the very gale which waved theSaxon banners in triumph, was filling the Norman sails, and impellingthem to the fatal shores of Sussex?--Who would have thought that Harold,within a few brief days, would himself possess no more of his kingdom,than the share which he allotted in his wrath to the Norwegianinvader?--Who would have thought that you, noble Athelstane--that you,descended of Harold's blood, and that I, whose father was not the worstdefender of the Saxon crown, should be prisoners to a vile Norman, inthe very hall in which our ancestors held such high festival?
It is sad enough, replied Athelstane; but I trust they will hold usto a moderate ransom--At any rate it cannot be their purpose to starveus outright; and yet, although it is high noon, I see no preparationsfor serving dinner. Look up at the window, noble Cedric, and judge bythe sunbeams if it is not on the verge of noon.
It may be so, answered Cedric; but I cannot look on that stainedlattice without its awakening other reflections than those which concernthe passing moment, or its privations. When that window was wrought, mynoble friend, our hardy fathers knew not the art of making glass, orof staining it--The pride of Wolfganger's father brought an artist fromNormandy to adorn his hall with this new species of emblazonment, thatbreaks the golden light of God's blessed day into so many fantastichues. The foreigner came here poor, beggarly, cringing, and subservient,ready to doff his cap to the meanest native of the household. Hereturned pampered and proud, to tell his rapacious countrymen of thewealth and the simplicity of the Saxon nobles--a folly, oh, Athelstane,foreboded of old, as well as foreseen, by those descendants of Hengistand his hardy tribes, who retained the simplicity of their manners. Wemade these strangers our bosom friends, our confidential servants;we borrowed their artists and their arts, and despised the honestsimplicity and hardihood with which our brave ancestors supportedthemselves, and we became enervated by Norman arts long ere we fellunder Norman arms. Far better was our homely diet, eaten in peace andliberty, than the luxurious dainties, the love of which hath deliveredus as bondsmen to the foreign conqueror!
I should, replied Athelstane, hold very humble diet a luxury atpresent; and it astonishes me, noble Cedric, that you can bear so trulyin mind the memory of past deeds, when it appeareth you forget the veryhour of dinner.
It is time lost, muttered Cedric apart and impatiently, to speakto him of aught else but that which concerns his appetite! The soul ofHardicanute hath taken possession of him, and he hath no pleasure saveto fill, to swill, and to call for more.--Alas! said he, looking atAthelstane with compassion, that so dull a spirit should be lodged inso goodly a form! Alas! that such an enterprise as the regeneration ofEngland should turn on a hinge so imperfect! Wedded to Rowena, indeed,her nobler and more generous soul may yet awake the better nature whichis torpid within him. Yet how should this be, while Rowena, Athelstane,and I myself, remain the prisoners of this brutal marauder and havebeen made so perhaps from a sense of the dangers which our liberty mightbring to the usurped power of his nation?
While the Saxon was plunged in these painful reflections, the door oftheir prison opened, and gave entrance to a sewer, holding his white rodof office. This important person advanced into the chamber with a gravepace, followed by four attendants, bearing in a table coveredwith dishes, the sight and smell of which seemed to be an instantcompensation to Athelstane for all the inconvenience he had undergone.The persons who attended on the feast were masked and cloaked.
What mummery is this? said Cedric; think you that we are ignorantwhose prisoners we are, when we are in the castle of your master?Tell him, he continued, willing to use this opportunity to opena negotiation for his freedom,--Tell your master, ReginaldFront-de-Boeuf, that we know no reason he can have for withholding ourliberty, excepting his unlawful desire to enrich himself at our expense.Tell him that we yield to his rapacity, as in similar circumstances weshould do to that of a literal robber. Let him name the ransom at whichhe rates our liberty, and it shall be paid, providing the exaction issuited to our means. The sewer made no answer, but bowed his head.
And tell Sir Reginald Front-de-Boeuf, said Athelstane, that I sendhim my mortal defiance, and challenge him to combat with me, on foot orhorseback, at any secure place, within eight days after our liberation;which, if he be a true knight, he will not, under these circumstances,venture to refuse or to delay.
I shall deliver to the knight your defiance, answered the sewer;meanwhile I leave you to your food.
The challenge of Athelstane was delivered with no good grace; for alarge mouthful, which required the exercise of both jaws at once, addedto a natural hesitation, considerably damped the effect of the bolddefiance it contained. Still, however, his speech was hailed by Cedricas an incontestible token of reviving spirit in his companion, whoseprevious indifference had begun, notwithstanding his respect forAthelstane's descent, to wear out his patience. But he now cordiallyshook hands with him in token of his approbation, and was somewhatgrieved when Athelstane observed, that he would fight a dozen such menas Front-de-Boeuf, if, by so doing, he could hasten his departure froma dungeon where they put so much garlic into their pottage.Notwithstanding this intimation of a relapse into the apathy ofsensuality, Cedric placed himself opposite to Athelstane, and soonshowed, that if the distresses of his country could banish therecollection of food while the table was uncovered, yet no sooner werethe victuals put there, than he proved that the appetite of his Saxonancestors had descended to him along with their other qualities.
The captives had not long enjoyed their refreshment, however, ere theirattention was disturbed even from this most serious occupation by theblast of a horn winded before the gate. It was repeated three times,with as much violence as if it had been blown before an enchanted castleby the destined knight, at whose summons halls and towers, barbican andbattlement, were to roll off like a morning vapour. The Saxons startedfrom the table, and hastened to the window. But their curiosity wasdisappointed; for these outlets only looked upon the court of thecastle, and the sound came from beyond its precincts. The summons,however, seemed of importance, for a considerable degree of bustleinstantly took place in the castle.