Ivanhoe: A Medieval Romance of Chivalry, Honor, and Forbidden Love ⚔️🛡️❤️‍🔥

Journey back to 12th-century England 🏰 and immerse yourself in the epic tale of “Ivanhoe: A Romance” by Sir Walter Scott. 📖✨

Meet Wilfred of Ivanhoe, a noble Saxon knight who returns from the Crusades, only to find his homeland under Norman rule. ⚔️🛡️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Disinherited and disgraced by his father for his loyalty to the rightful king, Richard the Lionheart, Ivanhoe must reclaim his honor and fight for his love, the fair Lady Rowena. 💔👑❤️

Amidst jousting tournaments, daring rescues, and treacherous plots, Ivanhoe faces formidable foes, including the villainous Templar knight, Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert, who also desires Rowena. 🏹🤺

But Ivanhoe finds unexpected allies in the mysterious Black Knight and the enigmatic outlaw, Locksley, who hides a secret identity. 🥷🏹

As political tensions rise and the conflict between Saxons and Normans intensifies, Ivanhoe’s courage and chivalry are put to the ultimate test. 🛡️💪

Will he triumph over his enemies, win the heart of his beloved Rowena, and restore justice to his homeland? 🤔⚔️

“Ivanhoe” is a thrilling historical romance filled with adventure, intrigue, and the clash of cultures. 🏰⚔️

Join us as we delve into the themes of honor, loyalty, love, and the struggle for identity in a divided nation. 🛡️❤️📖

Subscribe to our channel and hit the notification bell to be notified when we upload our next video analysis of “Ivanhoe: A Romance”! 🔔

**Embark on this epic adventure!** Click the link below to subscribe to our channel and explore more captivating stories from the past: [https://bit.ly/3JQDMwP](https://bit.ly/3JQDMwP)

#Ivanhoe #WalterScott #ClassicLiterature #HistoricalFiction #MedievalRomance #Chivalry #Honor #Love #Saxons #Normans #RichardTheLionheart #RobinHood #KnightsTemplar #Adventure #Intrigue #Tournament #MedievalEngland #HistoricalNovel #BookReview #LiteraryAnalysis #BookTube #BookLovers #Bookish #Bibliophile #Reading

**Navigate by Chapters:**
00:00:00 Welcome!
00:00:40 Chapter 1
00:22:05 Chapter 2
00:51:30 Chapter 3
01:09:58 Chapter 4
01:27:48 Chapter 5
01:48:13 Chapter 6
02:20:12 Chapter 7
02:50:14 Chapter 8
03:16:39 Chapter 9
03:38:41 Chapter 10
04:03:00 Chapter 11
04:20:52 Chapter 12
04:47:43 Chapter 13
05:08:55 Chapter 14
05:29:40 Chapter 15

welcome to Storytime Haven dear listeners tonight we embark on a journey back in time to 12th century England the land divided by the Norman Conquest in Sir Walter Scott’s ivanho we follow the noble Saxon Knight Wilfred of ivanho as he returns from the Crusades to a Homeland he barely recognizes disgraced and disinherited by his father Ivan home must reclaim his honor and Fight For the Love of the beautiful lady Rowena along the way he will encounter to Brave Knights cunning Outlaws and treacherous enemies join us as we delve into the first part of this epic tale of shivalry Adventure and Forbidden Love chapter 1 the full-fed swine returned with evening home compelled reluctant to the several sty with d obstreperous and ungrateful cries Pope’s Odyssey in that Pleasant District of Mary England which is watered by the river Dawn there extended in ancient times a large Forest covering the greater part of the beautiful Hills and Valleys which lie between Sheffield and the pleasant town of Doncaster the remains of this extensive wood are still to be seen at the noble seats of Wentworth of War Cliff Park and around rotheram here haunted of your The Fabulous Dragon of wantley here were fought many of the most desperate battles during the Civil Wars of the roses and here also flourished in ancient times those bands of Gallant Outlaws who whose Deeds have been rendered so popular in English song such being our chief scene the date of our story refers to a period towards the end of the reign of Richard the first when his return from his long captivity had become an event rather wished than hoped for By His despairing subjects who were in the meantime subjected to every species of subordinate oppression the Nobles whose power had become exorbitant during the reign of Steven and whom the Prudence of Henry II had scarce reduced to some degree of subjection to the crown had now resumed their ancient license in its utmost extent despising the feeble interference of the English Council of State fortifying their castles increasing the number of their dependence reducing all around them to a state of vassalage and striving by every means in their power to place themselves each at the head of such forces as might enable him to make a figure in the National convulsions which appeared to be pending the situation of the inferior Gentry or Franklin as they were called who by the law and spirit of the English Constitution were entitled to hold themselves independent of feudal tyranny became now unusually precarious if as was most generally the case they placed themselves under the protection of any of the petty Kings in their vicinity accepted a feudal offices in his household or bound themselves by Mutual treaties of Alliance and protection to support him in his Enterprises they might indeed purchase temporary Repose but it must be with the sacrifice of that Independence which was so dear to every English bosom and at the certain Hazard of being involved as a party in whatever rash Expedition the ambition of their protector might lead him to undertake on the other hand such and so multiplied with the means of vexation and oppression possessed by the great Barons that they never wanted the pretext and seldom the will to harass and pursue even to the very edge of Destruction any of their less powerful neighbors who attempted to separate themselves from their Authority and to trust for their protection during the dangers of the times to their own inoffensive conduct and to the laws of the land a circumstance which greatly tended to enhance the tyranny of the nobility and the sufferings of the inferior classes arose from the consequences of the conquest by Duke William of Normandy four generations had not sufficed to blend the Hostile blood of the Normans and Anglo-Saxons or to unite by Common Language and mutual interests two hostile races one of which still felt the Elation of Triumph while the other groaned under all the consequences of defeat the power had been completely placed in the hands of the Norman nobility by the event of the Battle of Hastings and it had been used as our histories assure us with no moderate hand the whole race of Saxon princes and Nobles have been extrated or disinherited with few or no exceptions nor were the numbers great who possessed land in the country of their fathers even as Proprietors of the second or of yet inferior classes the Royal policy had long been to weaken by every means legal or illegal the strength of a part of the population which was justly considered as nourishing the most inveterate antipathy to their Victor all the monarchs of the Norman race had shown the most marked predilection for their Norman subjects the laws of the Chase and many others equally unknown to the milder and more free spirit of the Saxon Constitution had been fixed upon the necks of the subjugated inhabitants to add weight as it were to the feudal chains with which they were loaded at court and in the castles of the great Nobles where the Pomp and state of a court was emulated Norman French was the only language employed in courts of law the pleadings and judgments were delivered in the same tongue in short French was the language of honor of chivalry and even of Justice while the far more manly and expressive Anglo-Saxon was abandoned to the use of rustics and Hinds who knew no other still however the necessary intercourse between the Lords of the soil and those oppressed inferior beings by whom that soil was cultivated occasioned the gradual formation of a dialect compounded betx the French and the Anglo-Saxon in which they could render themselves mutually intelligible to each other and from this necessity arose by degrees the structure of our present English language in which the speech of the victors and the vanquished have been so happily Blended together and which has since been so richly improved by importations from The Classical Languages and from those spoken by the southern nations of Europe this state of things I have thought it necessary to premise for the information of the general reader who might be apt to forget that although no great historical events such as war or Insurrection Mark the existence of the Anglo-Saxons as a separate people subsequent to the reign of William II yet the great National distinctions between them and their conquerors the recollection of what they had formerly been and to what they were now reduced continued down to the reign of Edward iiii to keep open the wounds which the conquest had inflicted and to maintain a line of Separation betx the descendants of the Victor Normans and the vanquished Saxons the sun was setting upon one of the rich grassy Glades of that Forest which we have mentioned in the beginning of the chapter hundreds of broad-headed short stemmed wide branched Oaks which had witnessed perhaps the stately March of the Roman soldiery flung their gnarled arms over a thick carpet of the most delicious green sword in in some places they were intermingled with beaches holies and cops wood of various descriptions so closely as totally to intercept the level beams of the sinking sun in others they receded from each other forming those long sweeping Vistas in the intricacy of which the eye Delights to lose itself while imagination considers them as the paths to yet Wilder scenes of Silvan Solitude here the red rays of the sun shot a broken and discolored light that partially hung upon the shattered boughs and mossy trunks of the trees and there they illuminated in brilliant patches the portions of turf to which they made their way a considerable open space in the midst of this Glade seemed formerly to have been dedicated to the rights of druidical superstition for on the summit of a hilic so regular as to seem artificial there still remained part of a circle of rough UNH stones of large dimensions seven stood upright the rest had been dislodged from their places probably by the Zeal of some convert to Christianity and lay some prostrate near their former sight and others on the side of the Hill one large Stone only had found its way to the bottom and in stopping the course of a small brook which glided smoothly round the foot of the Eminence gave by its opposition a feeble voice of murmur to the Placid and elsewhere silent streamlet the human figures which completed this landscape were in number two part taking in their dress and appearance of that wild and rustic character which belonged to the Woodlands of the West riding of Yorkshire at that early period the eldest of these men had a Stern Savage and wild aspect His Garment was of the simplest form imaginable being a close jacket with sleeves composed of the tanned skin of some animal on which the hair had been originally left but which had been worn off in so many places that it would have been difficult to distinguish from the patches that remained to what creature the fur had belonged this primeval vestment reached from the throat to the knees and served at once all the usual purposes of body clothing there was no wider opening at the collar than was necessary to admit the passage of the head from which it may be inferred that it was put on by slipping it over the head and shoulders in the manner of a modern shirt or ancient huk sandals bound with thongs made of B’s hide protected the feet and a roll of thin leather was twined artificially round the legs and ascending above the calf left the knees bare like those of a Scottish Highlander to make the jacket sit yet more close to the body it was gathered at the middle by a broad leathern belt secured by a Brass Buckle to one side of which was attached a sort of scrip and to the other a Ram’s Horn a countered with the mouthpiece for the purpose of blowing in the same belt was stuck one of those long broad Shar sharp pointed and two-edged knives with a Buck’s horn handle which were fabricated in the neighborhood and bore even at this early period the name of a Sheffield Whittle the man had no covering upon his head which was only defended by his own thick hair matted and twisted together and scorched by the influence of the sun into a rusty dark red color forming a contrast with the overgrown beard upon his cheeks which was rather of a yellow or Amber Hue one part of his dress only remains but it is too remarkable to be suppressed it was a brass ring resembling a dog’s collar but without any opening and soldered fast round his neck so loose as to form no impediment to his breathing yet so tight as to be incapable of being removed excepting by the use of the file on this singular gorget was engraved in Saxon characters an inscription of the following purport girth the son of bolf is the born thall of Cedric of rotherwood beside the swine herd for such was girth’s occupation was seated upon one of the four and druidical monuments a person about 10 years younger in appearance and whose dress though resembling his companions in form was of better materials and of a more fantastic appearance his jacket had been stained of a bright purple Hue upon which there had been some attempt to paint grotesque ornaments in different colors to the jack jacket he added a short cloak which scarcely reached halfway down his thigh it was of crimson cloth though a good deal soiled lined with bright yellow and as he could transfer it from one shoulder to the other or at his pleasure draw it all around him its width contrasted with its want of longitude formed a fantastic piece of drapery he had thin silver bracelets upon his arms and on his neck a collar of the same metal bearing the inscription one the son of witless is the thra of Cedric of rotherwood this personage had the same sort of sandals with his companion but instead of the roll of leather thong his legs were cased in a sort of gators of which one was red and the other yellow he was provided also with a cap having around it more than one Bell about the size of those attached to Hawks which jingled as he turned his head to one side or other and as he seldom remained a minute in the same posture the sound might be considered as incessant around the edge of this cap was a stiff band of leather cut at the top into open work resembling a Coronet while a prolonged bag arose from within it and fell down on one shoulder like an old-fashioned night cap or a jelly bag or the headgear of a modern harar it was to this part of the cap that the bells were attached which circumstance as well as the shape of his headdress and his own half crazed half cunning expression of countenance sufficiently pointed him out as belonging to the race of domestic clowns or Jesters maintained in the houses of the wealthy to help away the tedium of those lingering hours which they were obliged to spend within doors he bore like His companion a scrip attached to his belt but had neither horn nor knife being probably considered as belonging to a class whom it is esteemed dangerous to entrust with Edge tools in place of these he was equipped with a sword of lath resembling that with which Harlequin operates his wonders upon the modern stage the outward appearance of these two men forms scarce a stronger contrast than their look and demeanor that of the surf or bondsman was sad and Sullen his aspect was bent on the ground with an appearance of deep dejection which might be almost construed into apathy had not the fire which occasionally sparkled in his red eye manifested that there slumbered under the appearance of sullen despondency a sense of Oppression and a disposition to resistance the looks of wber on the other hand indicated as usual with his class a sort of vacant curiosity and fidgety impatience of any posture of repose together with the utmost self-satisfaction respecting his own situation and the appearance which he made the dialogue which they maintained between them was carried on in Anglo-Saxon which as we said before was was universally spoken by the inferior classes excepting the Norman soldiers and the immediate personal dependence of the great feudal Nobles but to give their conversation in the original would convey but little information to the modern reader for whose benefit we beg to offer the following translation the curse of Saint withold upon these infernal porkers said the swin herd after blowing his horn obstreperously to collect together the scattered herd of swine which answering his call with notes equally melodious made however no haste to remove themselves from the luxurious banquet of beach Mast and acorns on which they had fattened or to forsake the marshy banks of the rivulet were several of them half plunged in mud lay stretched at their ease altogether regardless of the voice of their keeper the curse of Saint withold upon them and upon me said girth if the two-legged wolf snap not up some of them men Nightfall I am no true man here fangs fangs he ejaculated at the top of his voice to a ragged wolfish looking dog a sort of lurcher half Mastiff half Greyhound which ran limping about as if with the purpose of seconding his master in collecting the refractory grunters but which in fact from misapprehension of the swine herd’s signals ignorance of his own Duty or malice prepense only drove them hither and thither and increase the evil which he seemed to design to remedy a devil draw the teeth of him said girth and the mother of Mischief can found the ranger of the forest that cuts the foreclaws off our dogs and makes them unfit for their trade at wber up and help me and thou Beast a man take a turn around the back of the hill to gain the wind on them and when thou got the weather gauge thou may drive them before thee as gently as so many innocent Lambs truly said said wber without stirring from the spot I have consulted my legs upon this matter and they are altogether of opinion that to carry my gay garments through these slows would be an act of unfriend to my sovereign person and Royal wardrobe where for girth I advise thee to call off fangs and leave the herd to their Destiny which whether they meet with bands of traveling soldiers or of Outlaws or of wandering pilgrims can be little else than to be converted into Normans before mourning to thy no small ease and comfort the swine turned Normans to my comfort quo gir expound that to me WBA for my brain is too dull and my mind too vexed to read riddles why how call you those grunting brutes running about on their four legs demanded wber swine fool swine said the herd every fool knows that and Swine is good Saxon said the jester but how call you the s when she is Fayed and drawn and quartered and hung up by the heels like a traitor pork answered the swin herd I am very glad every fool knows that too said wber and pork I think is good Norman French and so when the brute lives and is in the charge of a Saxon slave she goes by her Saxon name but becomes a Norman and is called pork when she’s carried to the castle Hall to Feast among the Nobles what Dost thou think of this friend girth ha it is but to True Doctrine friend wber however it got into thy Fool’s pay nay I can tell you more said wber in the same tone there is old Alder monarchs continues to hold his Saxon epithet while he is under the charge of surfs and bondsmen such as thou but becomes beef a fiery French Gallant when he arrives before the worshipful Jaws that are destined to consume him Min here C too becomes devau in the like manner he is Saxon when he requires tendance and takes a Norman name when he becomes matter of enjoyment by St Dunston answered girth thou speakest but sad truths little is left to us but the air we breathe and that appears to have been reserved with much hesitation solely for the purpose of enabling us to endure the tasks they lay Upon Our shoulders the finest and the fattest is for their board the loveliest is for their couch the best best and bravest Supply their foreign masters with soldiers and whiten distant lands with their bones leaving few here who have either will or the power to protect the unfortunate Saxon God’s blessing on our Master Cedric Heath done the work of a man in standing in the Gap but Reginald from De is coming down to this country in person and we shall soon see how little Cedric’s trouble will Avail him here here he exclaimed again raising his voice soo soo well done fangs thou Hast them all before thee now and brings them on Bravely lad girth said the jester I know thou thinkest me a fool or thou would not be so rash in putting thy head into my mouth one word to Reginald FR Deo or Philip de malvoisin that thou Hast spoken treason against the Norman and thou art but a Castaway swin herd thou would waver on one of these trees as a terror to all evil speakers against dignities dog thou woulds not betray me said girth after having led me on to speak so much a disadvantage betray thee answered the jester no that were the trick of a wise man a fool cannot half so well help himself but soft whom have we here he said listening to the trampling of several horses which became then audible never mind whom answered girth who had now got his her before him and with the aid of fangs was driving them down one of the long dim Vistas which we have endeavored to describe nay but I must see the Riders answered wber perhaps they come from Fairy Land with a message from King Oberon a Marin take thee rejoined the swin herd wilt thou talk of such things while a terrible storm of thunder and lightning is Raging within a few miles of us hark how the Thunder rumbles and for Summer Rain I never saw such broad downright flat drops for out of the clouds The Oaks too not withstanding the calm weather sob and Creek with their great bows as if announcing a tempest thou can play the rational if thou Wilt credit me for once and let us home where the storm begins to rage for the night will be fearful womber seemed to feel the force of this appeal and accompanied His companion who began his journey after catching up a long Quarter Staff which lay upon the grass beside him this second you Maya stroe Hast down the Forest Glade driving before him with the assistance of fangs the whole herd of his inharmonious charge chapter 2 an outrider that loved vener a manly man to be an Abbot able full many a dainty horse had he in stable and when he rode men might his Bridal hear gingering in a whistling wind as clear and eek as loud as doth the chapel Bell there is this Lord was Keeper of the cell cha notwithstanding the occasional exaltation and chiding of His companion the noise of the Horseman’s feet continuing to approach wber could not be prevented from lingering occasionally on the road upon every pretense which occurred now catching from the Hazel cluster of half-ripe nuts and now turning his head to Lear after a cottage Maiden who crossed their path the horsemen therefore soon overtook them on the road their numbers amounted to 10 men of whom the two who rode foremost seemed to be person of considerable importance and the others their attendance it was not difficult to ascertain the condition and character of one of these personages he was obviously an ecclesiastic of high rank his dress was that of a cian monk but composed of materials much finer than those which the rule of that order admitted his mantle and Hood were of the best Flanders cloth and fell in ample and not ungraceful folds around a handsome though somewhat corpulent person his countenance bore as little the marks of self-denial as his habit indicated contempt of worldly Splendor his features might have been called good had there not lurked under the penthouse of his eye that Sly epicurian twinkle which indicates the cautious voluptuary in other respects his profession and situation had taught him a ready command over his countenance which he could contract at pleasure into solemnity although its natural expression was that of goodh humored social Indulgence in defiance of conventual rules and the edicts of popes and councils the sleeves of this dignitary were lined and turned up with Rich Furs his mantle secured at the throat with a golden clasp and the whole dress proper to his order as much refined upon and ornamented as that of a Quaker beauty of the present day who while she retains the Garb and costume of her SE continues to give to its Simplicity by the choice of materials and the mode of disposing them a certain air of coquettish attraction savoring but too much of the vanities of the world this worthy Churchman rode upon a wellfed ambling mule whose Furniture was highly decorated and whose Bridal according to the fashion of the day was ornamented with silver bells in his seat he had nothing of the awkwardness of the convent but displayed the easy and Habitual Grace of a well-trained Horseman indeed it seemed that so humble a conveyance as a mule in however good case and however well broke into a pleasant and accommodating amble was only used by the Gallant monk for traveling on the road a lay brother one of those who followed in the train had for his use on other occasions one of the most handsome Spanish genets ever bred at Andalusia which Merchants used at that time to import with great trouble and risk for the use of persons of wealth and distinction the saddle and housings of this superb palfry were covered by a long foot cloth which reached reached nearly to the ground and on which were richly embroidered miters crosses and other ecclesiastical emblems another lay brother led a sumpto mule loaded probably with his superior’s baggage and two monks of his own order of inferior station rode together in the rear laughing and conversing with each other without taking much notice of the other members of the cavalcade the companion of the church dignitary was a man past 40 thin strong tall and MUSC an athletic figure which long fatigue and constant exercise seemed to have left none of the softer part of the human form having reduced the hole to Brawn bones and Senus which had sustained a thousand toils and were ready to DARE a thousand more his head was covered with a Scarlet cap faced with fur of that kind which the French call mortier from its resemblance to the shape of an inverted mortar his countenance was therefore fully displayed and its expression was calculated to impress a degree of awe if not of fear upon strangers High features naturally strong and powerfully expressive had been burnt almost into negro Blackness by constant exposure to the Tropical Sun and might in their ordinary State be said to Slumber after the storm of passion had passed away but the projection of the veins of the forehead the Readiness with which the upper lip and its thick black mustaches quivered upon the slightest emotion plainly intimated that the Tempest might be again and easily awakened his Keen piercing dark eyes told in every glance a history of difficulty subdued and dangers dared and seemed to challenge opposition to his wishes for the pleasure of sweeping it from his road by a determined exertion of courage and of will a deep scar on his brow gave additional sternness to his countenance and a Sinister expression to one of his eyes which had been slightly injured on the same occasion and of which the vision though perfect was in a slight and partial degree distorted the upper dress of this personage resembled that of His companion in shape being a long monastic mantle but the color being Scarlet showed that he did not belong to any of the four regular orders of monks on the right shoulder of the mantle there was cut in white cloth a cross of a peculiar form this upper robe concealed what at first view seemed rather inconsistent with its form a shirt namely of linked male with sleeves and gloves of the same curiously plated and interwoven as flexible to the body as those which are now wrought in the stocking loom out of less obate materials the four part of his thighs where the folds of his mantle permitted them to be seen were also covered with linked maale the knees and feet were defended by splints or thin plates of Steel ingeniously jointed upon each other and male hose reaching from the ankle to the knee effectually protected the legs and completed the rider’s defensive armor in his girdle he wore a long and double-edged Dagger which was the only offensive weapon about his person he rode not a mule like His companion but a strong Hackney for the road to save his Gallant warhorse which a squire LED behind fully accounted for battle with a chamfron or planted headpiece upon on his head having a short spike projecting from the front on one side of the saddle hung a short battle axe richly inlaid with damine carving on the other the rider’s plumed headpiece and hood of male with a long two-handed sword used by the shivalry of the period a second Squire held Aloft his master’s Lance from the extremity of which fluted a small Bandero or streamer bearing a cross of the same form with that embroidered upon his cloak he also Carri carried his small triangular Shield broad enough at the top to protect the breast and from then diminishing to a point it was covered with a Scarlet cloth which prevented the device from being seen these two Squires were followed by two attendants whose dark visages White turbin and the Oriental form of their garments showed them to be natives of some distant Eastern country the whole appearance of this Warrior and his retinue was wild and outlandish the dress of his Squires was gorgeous and his Eastern attendants wore silver collars round their throats and bracelets of the same metal upon their sthy arms and legs of which the former were naked from the elbow and the latter from mid- leg to ankle silk and embroidery distinguished their dresses and marked the wealth and importance of their Master forming at the same time a striking contrast with the Marshall Simplicity of his own attire they were armed with crooked Sabers having the hilt and Baldrick inlaid with gold and matched with Turkish daggers of yet more costly workmanship each of them bore at his saddle bow a bundle of darts or javelins about 4T in length having sharp steel heads a weapon much in use among the sarens and of which the memories yet preserved in the Marshall exercise called el Jared still practiced in the Eastern countries the steeds of these attendants were in appearance as foreign as their Riders they were of sarason origin and consequently of Arabian descent and their fine slender limbs small fet loocks thin mans and Easy springy Motion formed a marked contrast with the large jointed heavy horses of which the race was cultivated in Flanders and in Normandy for mounting the men at Arms of the period in all the panoply of plate and maale and which placed by the side of those Eastern courses might have passed for a personification of substance and of shadow the singular appearance of this cavalcade not only attracted the Curiosity of womba but excited even that of his less volatile companion the monk he instantly knew to be the prior of yval Abbey well known for many miles around as a lover of the chase of the banquet and if Fame did him not wrong of other worldly pleasures still more inconsistent with his monastic vows yet so loose were the ideas of the times respecting the conduct of the clergy whether secular or regular that the prior IMA maintained a fair character in the neighborhood of his Abbey his free and jovial temper and the Readiness with which he granted Absolution from all ordinary delinquencies rendered him a favorite among the nobility and principal Gentry to several of whom he was Allied by birth being of a distinguished Norman Family the ladies in particular were not disposed to scan too nicely the morals of a man who was a professed admirer of their sex and who possessed many means of dispelling the unwe which was too apt to intrude upon the halls and Bowers of an ancient feudal Castle the prior mingled in the sports of the field with more than due eagerness and was allowed to possess the best trained Hawks and the fleetest Greyhounds in the north riding circumstances which strongly recommended him to the youthful Gentry with the old he had another part to play which when needful he could sustain with great decorum his knowledge knowled of books however superficial was sufficient to impress upon their ignorance respect for his supposed learning and the gravity of his deportment and language with the high tone which he exerted in setting forth the authority of the church and of the priesthood impressed them no less with an opinion of his sanctity even the Common People the severest critics of the conduct of their betters had commiseration with the Foles of Prior IMA he was generous and charity as it is well known coverthe of sins in another sense than that in which it is said to do so in scripture the revenues of the monastery of which a large part was at his disposal while they gave him the means of supplying his own very considerable expenses afforded also those largesses which he bestowed among the peasantry and with which he frequently relieved the distresses of the oppressed if prior Amer wrote hard in the chase or remained long at the banquet if prior IMA was seen at the early peep of dawn to enter the Poston of the Abbey as he glided home from some rendevu which had occupied the hours of Darkness men only Shrugged up their shoulders and reconciled themselves to his irregularities by recollecting that the same were practiced by many of his Brethren who had no redeeming qualities whatsoever to atone for them prior imer therefore and his character were well known to our Saxon surfs who made their rude obas and received his benedit M Phils in return but the singular appearance of His companion and his attendance arrested their attention and excited their wonder and they could scarcely attend to the prior of javal’s question when he demanded if they knew of any place of harborage in the vicinity so much were they surprised at the half monastic half military appearance of the sthy stranger and at the UNC dress and arms of his Eastern attendants it is probable too that the language in which the benediction was conferred and the information asked sounded ungracious though not probably unintelligible in the ears of the Saxon peasants I asked you my children said the prior raising his voice and using the lingua franka or mixed language in which the Norman and Saxon races conversed with each other if there be in this neighborhood any good man who for the love of God and Devotion to Mother church will give two of her humblest servants with their train a night’s hospitality and refreshment this he spoke with a tone of conscious importance which formed a strong contrast to the modest terms which he thought it proper to employ two of the humblest Servants of mother Church repeated wber to himself but fool as he was taking care not to make his observation audible I should like to see her Cals her Chief Butlers and other principal domestics after this internal commentary on the prior speech he raised his eyes and replied to the question which had been put if the Reverend fathers he said loved good cheer and soft lodging few miles of riding would carry them to the prior of brinkworth where their quality could not but secure them the most honorable reception or if they preferred spending a penitential evening they might turn down yonder wild Glade which would bring them to the Hermitage of kenhurst where a Pious anchoret would make them sharers for the night of the shelter of his roof and the benefit of his prayers the prior shook his head at both proposals mine honest friend said he if the jangling of thy Bells had not dizzied thine understanding thou might know clericus cleric nesat that is to say we churchmen do not exhaust each other’s Hospitality but rather require that of the Ley giving them thus an opportunity to serve God in honoring and relieving his appointed servants it is true replied wber that I being but an ass am nevertheless honored to hear the bells as well as your reverence his mule not withstanding I did conceive that the charity of mother church and her servants might be said with other charity to begin at home at truce to thine insolence fellow said the armed Rider breaking in on his prattle with a high and Stern voice and tell us if thou can’t the road to how called you your Franklin prior imer Cedric answered the prior Cedric the Saxon tell me good fellow are we near his dwelling and can you show us the road the road will be uneasy to find answered girth who broke silence for the first time and the family of Cedric retire early to rest tush tell not me fellow said the military Rider it is easy for them to arise and Supply the wants of Travelers such as we are who will not stoop to beg the hospitality which we have a right to command I know not said girth sullenly if I should show the way to my Master’s house to those who demand as a right the shelter which most are Fain to ask is a favor do you dispute with me slave said the soldier and setting Spurs to his horse he caused him make a deol across the path raising at the same time the riding Rod which he held in his hand with the purpose of chastising what he considered as the insolence of the peasant girth darted at him a Savage and revengeful scowl and with a fierce yet hesitating motion laid his hand on the half of his knife but the interference of Prior IMA who pushed his mule betwix His companion and the swin herd prevented the meditated violence Nay by St Mary brother Brian you must not think you are now in Palestine predominating over Heathen Turks and Infidel sarens we Islanders love not blows save those of holy church who chasteneth whom she loveth tell me good fellow said he to wber and seconded his speech by a small piece of silver coin the way to Cedric the Saxons you cannot be ignorant of it and it is your duty to direct The Wanderer even when his character is less Sanctified than ours in truth venerable father answered the jester the Saron head of your right Reverend companion has frightened out of mind the way home I am not sure I shall get there tonight myself tou said the Abbott thou CST tell us if thou Wilt this Reverend brother has been all his life engaged in fighting among the sarasin for the recovery of the Holy Sepulcher he is of the order of Knights Templars whom you may have heard of he is half a monk half a soldier if he is but half a monk said the jester he should not be wholly unreasonable with those whom he meets upon the road even if they should be in no hurry to answer questions that no way can concern them I forgive thy wit replied the Abbott on condition thou Wilt show me the way to Cedric’s Mansion well then answered wber your reverences must hold on this path till you come to a sunken Cross of which scarce a cubit’s length remains above ground then take the path to the left for there are four which meet at sunken cross and I trust your reverences will obtain shelter before the storm comes on the Abbot thanked his Sage advisor and the cavalcade setting Spurs to their horses rode on as men do who wish to reach therein before the bursting of a nightstorm as their horses hoofs died away girth said to His companion if they follow thy wise Direction the Reverend fathers will hardly Reach rotherwood This Night no said the jester grinning but they may reach Sheffield if they have good luck and that is as fit a place for them I am not so bad a Woodsman as to show the dog where the deer lies if I have no mind he should face him Thou Art Right Said girth it were ill that IMA saw the lady Rowena and it were worse it may be for Cedric to quarrel as is most likely he would with this military monk but like good servants let us hear and see and say nothing we returned to the Riders who had soon left The Bondsmen far behind them and who maintained the following conversation in the Norman French language usually employed by the superior classes with the exception of the few who were still inclined to boast their Saxon descent what mean these fellows by their capricious insolence said the Templar to the Benedictine and why did you prevent me from chastising it marry brother Brian replied the prior touching the one of them it were hard for me to render a reason for a fool speaking according to his folly and the other CH is of that Savage Fierce intractable race some of whom as I’ve often told you are still to be found among the descendants of the conquered Saxons and whose Supreme pleasure it is to testify by all means in their power their aversion to their conquerors I would soon have beat him into courtesy observed Brian I am accustomed to deal with such Spirits our Turkish captives are as Fierce and intractable as Odin himself could have been yet two months in my household under the management of my master of the slaves has made them humble submissive serviceable and observant of your will Mary ser you must be aware of the poison and the dagger for they use either with free will when you give them the slightest opportunity a but answered prior IMA every land has its own manners and Fashions and besides that beating this fellow could procure us no information respecting the road to Cedric’s house it would have been sure to have established a quarrel betx you and him had we found our way thither remember what I told you this wealthy Franklin is proud fierce jealous and irritable a withstand of the nobility and even of his neighbors Reginald front Deo and Philip malvoisin who are no babies to strive with he stands up sternly for the Privileges of his race and is so proud of his uninterrupted descend from herwood a renowned champion of the hepari that he is universally called Cedric the Saxon and makes a boast of his belonging to a people from whom many others endea to hide their descent lest they should encounter a share of of the V victus or severities imposed upon the vanquished prior IMA said the Templar you are a man of gallantry learned in the study of beauty and as expert as a Troubador in all matters concerning the arits of love but I shall expect much Beauty in this celebrated Rowena to counterbalance the self-denial and forbearance which I must exert if I am to court the favor of such a seditious chur as you have described her father Cedric Cedric is not her father replied the prior and is but of remote relation she is descended from higher blood than even he pretends to and is but distantly connected with him by birth her guardian however he is self-constituted as I believe but his Ward is as dear to him as if she were his own child of her beauty you shall soon be judge and if the purity of her complexion and the Majestic yet soft expression of a mild blue eye do not Chase from your memory the black tressed girls of Palestine a or the Aus of old mahon’s Paradise I am an Infidel and no true son of the church should your boasted beauty said the Templar be weighed in the balance and found wanting you know our wager my gold collar answered the prior against 10 butts of chi and wine they are mine as securely as if they were already in the convent vaults under the key of old Dennis the cerer and I am myself to be judge said the Templar and am only to be convicted on my own admission that I have seen no Maiden so beautiful since Pentecost was a 12mon ran it not so prior Your Collar is in danger I will wear it over my gorget in the lists of ashb deaz win it fairly said the prior and wear it as ye will I will trust your giving true response on your word as a knight and as a Churchman Yet brother take my advice and file your tongue to a little more courtesy than your habits of predominating over Infidel captives and Eastern bondsmen have accustomed you Cedric the Saxon if offended and he is now a slack in taking offense is a man who without respect to your Knighthood my high office or the sanctity of either would clear his house of us and send us to Lodge with the Lars though the hour were midnight and be careful how you look on Rowena whom he cherishes with the most jealous care and he take the least alarm in that quarter we are but lost men it is said he banished his only son from his family for lifting his eyes in the way of affection towards this beauty who may be worshiped it seems at a distance but is not to be approached with other thoughts than such as we bring to the Shrine of the Blessed Virgin well you have said enough answered the Templar I will for a night put on the needful restraint and Deport me as meekly as a maiden but as for the fear of his expelling Us by violence myself and S Squires with Hammet and abdalah will warrant you against that disgrace doubt not that we shall be strong enough to make good our quarters we must not let it come so far answered the prior but here is the clown’s sunken cross and the night is so dark that we can hardly see which of the roads we are to follow he bid us turn I think to the left to the right said Brian to the best of my remembrance to the left certainly the left I remember his pointing with wooden sword a but he held his sword in his left hand and so pointed across his body with it said the Templar each maintained his opinion with sufficient obstinacy as is usual in all such cases the attendants were appealed to but they had not been near enough to hear W’s directions at length Brian remarked what had at first escaped him in the Twilight here is someone either asleep or lying dead at the foot of this cross Hugo stir him with the butt end of thy Lance this was no sooner done than the figure arose exclaiming in good french whosoever Thou Art it is discourteous in you to disturb my thoughts we did but wish to ask you said the prior the road to rutherwood the Abode of Cedric the Saxon I myself am bound thither replied The Stranger and if I had a horse I would be your guide for the way is somewhat intricate though perfectly well known to me Thou shalt have both thanks and reward my friend said the prior if thou Wilt bring us to Cedric’s in safety and he caused one of his attendants to mount his own LED horse and give that upon which he had hitherto ridden to the stranger who was to serve for a guide their conductor pursued an opposite Road from that which wber had recommended for the purpose of misleading them the path soon led deeper into the Woodland and crossed more than one Brook the approach to which was rendered perilous by the marshes through which it flowed but the stranger seemed to know as if by Instinct the soundest ground and the safest points of Passage and by Dent of caution and attention brought the party safely into a Wilder Avenue than any they had yet seen and pointing to a large low irregular building at the upper extremity he said to the prior Yonder is rotherwood the dwelling of Cedric the Saxon this was a joyful intimation to Ima whose nerves were none of the strongest and who had suffered such agitation and alarm in the course of passing through the dangerous bogs that he had not yet had the Curiosity to ask his guide a single question finding himself now at his ease and near shelter his curiosity began to awake and he demanded of the guide who and what he was a Palmer just returned from the holy land was the answer you had better have tarried there to fight for the recovery of the Holy Seiler said the Templar true Reverend sight answered the Palmer to whom the appearance of the Templar seemed perfectly familiar but when those who are under oath to recover the holy city are found traveling at such a distance from the scene of their duties can you wonder that a peaceful peasant like me should decline the task which they have abandoned the Templer would have made an Angry reply but was interrupted by the prior who again expressed his astonishment that their guide after such long absence should be so perfectly acquainted with the passes of the forest I was born a native of these parts answered their guide and as he made the reply they stood before the Mansion of Cedric a low irregular building containing several Courtyards or enclosures extending over a considerable space of ground and which though its size argued the inhabitant to be a person of wealth differed entirely from the tall toured and cast ol ated buildings in which the Norman nobility resided and which had become the universal style of architecture throughout England rotherwood was not however without defenses no habitation in that Disturbed period could have been so without the risk of being plundered and burnt before the next morning a deep fossy or ditch was drawn round the whole building and filled with water from a neighboring stream a double Stockade or Palisade composed of pointed beams which the adjacent Forest supplied defended the outer and inner Bank of the trench there was an entrance from the west through the outer Stockade which communicated by a drawbridge with a similar opening in the interior defenses some precautions had been taken to place those entrances under the protection of projecting angles by which they might be flanked in case of need by archers or Slingers before this entrance the Templar wound his horn loudly for the rain which had long threatened began now to descend with great violence chapter 3 the German ocean Roar deep blooming strong and yellow haired the blue-eyed Saxon came Thompson’s Liberty in a hall the height of which was greatly disproportion to its extreme length and width a long Oaken table formed of planks rough hee from the forest and which had scarcely received any polish stood ready prepared for the evening meal of Cedric the Saxon the roof composed of beams and rafters had nothing to divide the apartment from the sky excepting the planking and thatch there was a huge fireplace at either end of the hall but as the chimneys were constructed in a very clumsy manner at least as much of the smoke found its way into the apartment as escaped by the proper vent the constant Vapor which this occasioned had polished the rafters and beams of the low brow Hall by encrusting them with a black varnish of soot on the sides of the apartment hung Implements of war and of the Chase and there were at Each corner folding doors which gave access to other parts of the extensive building the other appointments of the Mansion partook of the rude Simplicity of the Saxon period which Cedric peaked himself upon maintaining the floor was composed of Earth mixed with lime trodden into a hard substance such as is often employed in flooring our modern barns for about one quar of the length of the apartment the floor was raised by a step and this space which was called deis was occupied only by the principal members of the family and visitors of Distinction for this purpose a table richly covered with Scarlet cloth was placed transversely across the platform from the middle of which ran the longer and lower board at which the domestics and inferior persons fed down towards the bottom of the hall the hole resembled the form of the letter t or some of those ancient dinner tables which arranged on the same principles may be still seen in the antique colleges of Oxford or Cambridge massive chairs and settles of carved Oak were placed upon the dis and over these seats in the more elevated table was fastened a canopy of cloth which served in some degree to protect the dignitaries who occupied that distinguished station from the weather and especially from the rain which in some places found its way through the ill constructed roof the walls of this upper end of the hall as as far as the deis extended were covered with hangings or curtains and upon the floor there was a carpet both of which were adorned with some attempts at tapestry or embroidery executed with brilliant or rather gy coloring over the lower range of table the roof as we’ve noticed had no covering the rough plastered walls were left bare and the rude earn floor was uncarpeted the board was uncovered by a cloth and rude massive benches supplied the place of chairs in the center of the upper table were placed two chairs more elevated than the rest for the master and Mistress of the family who presided over the scene of hospitality and from doing so derived their Saxon title of Honor which signifies the dividers of bread to each of these chairs was added a foot stol curiously carved and inlaid with Ivory which Mark of Distinction was peculiar to them one of these seats was at present occupied by Cedric the Saxon who though but in rank of TH or as the Normans called him a Franklin felt at the delay of his evening meal an irritable impatience which might have become an alderman whether of ancient or of modern times it appeared indeed from the countenance of this proprietor that he was of a Frank but Hasty and choric temper he was not above the middle stature but broad shouldered long armed and powerfully made like one accustomed to endure the fatigue of war or of the chase his face was broad with large blue eyes open and Frank features fine teeth and a well-formed head altogether expressive of that sort of good humor which often lodges with a sudden and Hasty temper pride and jealousy there was in his eye for his life had been spent in asserting rights which were constantly liable to Invasion and the prompt fiery and Resolute disposition of the man had been kept constantly upon the alert by the circumstances of his situation his long yellow hair was equally divided on the top of his head and upon his brow and combed down on each side to the length of his shoulders it had but little tendency to gray although Cedric was approaching to his 60th year his dress was a tunic of forest green furred at the throat in cuffs with what was called mver a kind of fur inferior in quality to hermine and formed It is believed of the skin of the gray squirrel this dublet hung unbuttoned over a close dress of scarlet which sat tight to his body he had breaches of the same but they did not reach below the lower part of the thigh leaving the knee exposed his feet had sandals of the same fashion with the peasants but of finer materials and secured in the front with golden clasps he had bracelets of gold upon his arms and a broad collar of the same precious metal around his neck about his waist he wore a richly studded belt in which was stuck a short straight tube two-edged sword with a sharp point so disposed as to hang almost perpendicularly by his side behind his seat was hung a Scarlet cloth cloak lined with fur and a cap of the same materials richly embroidered which completed the dress of the opulent landholder when he chose to go forth a short bore spear with a broad and bright steel head also reclined against the back of his chair which served him when he walked abroad for the purposes of a staff or of a weapon as chance might require several domestics whose dress held various proportions betwix the richness of their masters and the co and simple attire of girth the swin herd watched the looks and waited the commands of the Saxon dignitary two or three Servants of a superior order stood behind their Master upon the deas the rest occupied the lower part of the hall other attendants there were of a different description two or three large and Shaggy Greyhounds such as were then employed in hunting the Stag and wolf as many slow hounds of a large bony breed with thick necks large heads and long ears and one or two of the smaller dogs now called Terriers which waited with impatience the arrival of the supper but with the sagacious knowledge of physiognomy peculiar to their race forbore to intrude upon the Moody Silence of their Master apprehensive probably of a small white trunin which lay by Cedric’s trencher for the purpose of repelling the advances of his four-legged dependants one Grizzly old wolf dog alone with the liberty of an indulged favorite had planted himself close by the chair of state and occasionally ventured to solicit notice by putting his large hairy head upon his master’s knee or pushing his nose into his hand even he was repelled by the stern command down Boulder down I am not in the humor for Foolery in fact Cedric as we have observed was in no very Placid State of Mind the lady Rowena who had been absent to attend an evening mass at a distant church had but just returned and was changing her garments which had been wetted by the storm there were as yet no Tidings of girth and his charge which should long since have been driven home from the forest and such was the insecurity of the period as to render it probable that the delay might be explained by some depreciation of the Outlaws with whom the adjacent Forest abounded or by the violence of some neighboring Baron whose consciousness of strength made him equally negligent of the laws of property the matter was of consequence for great part of the domestic wealth of the Saxon Proprietors consisted in numerous herds of swine especially in Forest land where those animals easily found their food besides these subjects of anxiety the Saxon th was impatient for the presence of his favorite clown wber whose gests such as they were served for a sort of seasoning to his evening meal and to the Deep drafts of a and wine with which he was in the habit of accompanying it add to all this Cedric had fasted since noon and his usual supper hour was long past a cause of irritation common to Country Squires both in ancient and modern times his displeasure was expressed in broken sentences partly muttered to himself partly addressed to the domestics who stood around and particularly to his cup Bearer who offered him from time to time as a sedative a silver goblet filled with wine why carries the lady ruena she but changing her head gear replied a female attendant with as much confidence as the favorite lady’s maid usually answers the master of a modern family you would not wish her to sit down to the banquet in her hood and curtle and no lady within the Shire can be quicker in arraying herself than my mistress this undeniable argument produced a sort of acquiescent umph on the part of the Saxon with the addition I wish her devotion may choose fair weather for the next visit to St johnk Kirk but what in the name of 10 Devils continued he turning to the cup Bearer and raising his voice as if happy to have found a channel into which he might divert his indignation without fear or control what in the name of 10 Devils keeps girth so long a field I suppose we shall have an evil account of of the herd he was want to be a faithful and cautious drudge and I had destined him for something better per chance I might even have made him one of my Waters Oswald the cup Bearer modestly suggested that it was scarce an hour since the tolling of the curfew an ill-chosen apology since it turned upon a topic so harsh to Saxon ears the foul fiend exclaimed Cedric take the curfew Bell and the tyrannical bastard by whom it was devised and the the heartless slave who names it with a Saxon tongue to a Saxon ear the curfew he added pausing a the curfew which compels true men to extinguish their lights that thieves and robbers may work their deeds in darkness I the curfew Reginald frond deou and Philip de malvoisin know the use of the curfew as well as William the bastard himself or Heir a Norman Adventurer that fought at Hastings I shall hear I guess that my property has been swept off to save from starving the hungry banditi whom they cannot support but by theft and robbery my faithful slave is murdered and my goods are taken for a prey and wber where is wber said not someone he had gone forth with girth Oswald replied in the affirmative I why this is better and better he is carried off too the Saxon fool to serve the Norman Lord fools are we all indeed that serve them and fitter subjects for their scorn and laughter than if we were born with but half our wits but I will be Avenged he added starting from his chair in impatience at the supposed injury and catching hold of his bore spear I will go with my complain to the great Council I have friends I have followers manto man will I appeal the Norman to the lists let him come in his plate and his mail and all that can render cowardice bold I have sent such a Javelin as this through a stronger fence than three of their War Shields happily they think me old but they shall find alone and childless as I am the blood of herwood is in the veins of Cedric ah Wilfred Wilfred he exclaimed in a lower tone couldst thou have ruled thine unreasonable passion thy father had not been left in his age like the solitary Oak that throws out its shattered and unprotected branches against the full sweep of the Tempest the reflection seemed to conjure into sadness his irritated feelings replacing his Javelin he resumed his seat bent his looks downward and appeared to be absorbed in Melancholy Reflection from his musing Cedric was suddenly awakened by the blast of a horn which was replied to by the clamorous yells and barking of all the dogs in the hall and some 20 or 30 which were quarted in other parts of the building it cost some exercise of the white trunin well seconded by the the exertions of the domestics to silence this canine clamor to the gate naves said the Saxon hastily as soon as the tumult was so much appeased that the dependants could hear his voice see what Tidings that horn tells us of to announce I wean some herp and robbery which has been done upon my lands returning in less than 3 minutes a wer announced that the prior imer of jvo and the good night Brian De gilar commander of the Valiant and venerable order of Knights Templars with a small retinue requested hospitality and lodging for the night being on their way to a tournament which was to be held not far from Ashby de laush on the second day from the present IMA the prior imer Brian De gilber muttered Cedric Normans both but Norman or Saxon the hospitality of rwood must not be impeached they are welcome since they have chosen to Halt more welcome would they have been to have ridden further on their way but it were unworthy to murmur for a knight’s lodging and a knight’s food in the quality of guests at least even Normans must suppress their insolence go hundt he added to a sort of major Domo who stood behind him with a white wand take six of the attendants and introduce the strangers to the guests lodging look after their horses and mules and see their train lack nothing let them have change of vestments if they require it and fire and water to wash and wine and Ale and bid the cooks add what they hastily can to our evening meal and let it be put on the board when those strangers are ready to share it say to them Hirt that Cedric would himself bid them welcome but he is under a vow never to step more than three steps from the days of his own Hall to meet any who shares not the blood of Saxon royalty be gone see them carefully tend did let them not say in their pride the Saxon chur has shown at once his poverty and his avarice the major Domo departed with several attendants to execute his master’s commands the prior AER repeated Cedric looking to Oswald the brother if I mistake not of Giles deola now Lord of midlum Oswald made a respectful sign of ascent his brother sits in the seat and usurps the patrimony of of a better race the race of olgar of middleham but what Norman Lord doth not the same this prior is they say a free and jovial priest who loves the wine cup and the bugle horn better than Bell and book good let him come he shall be welcome how named you the Templar Brian De gilber boss Gilbert said Cedric still in the musing half arguing tone which the habit of living among dependants had accustomed him to employ and which resembled a man who talks to himself rather than to those around him Bo Gil that name has been spread wide both for good and evil they say he is Valiant as the bravest of his order but stained with their usual vices Pride arrogance cruelty and voluptuousness a hard-hearted man who knows neither fear of Earth nor all of heaven so say the few Warriors who have returned from Palestine well it is is but for one night he shall be welcome too Oswald broached the oldest wine cask placed the best Mead the mightiest ale the richest morat the most sparkling cider the most odoriferous pigments upon the board fill the largest horns Templars and Abbotts love good wines and good measure El Gea let thy lady Rowena know we shall not this night expect her in the hall unless such be her ESP special pleasure but it will be her special pleasure answered Ela with great Readiness for she is ever desirous to hear the latest news from Palestine Cedric darted at the forward damsel a glance of hasty resentment but Rowena and whatever belonged to her were privileged and secure from his anger he only replied silence Maiden thy tongue outruns thy discretion say my message to thy mistress and let her do her pleasure here at least the descendant of Alfred still Reigns a princess alitha left the apartment Palestine repeated the Saxon Palestine how many ears are turned to the tales which dissolute Crusaders or hypocritical pilgrims bring from that fatal land I too might ask I too might inquire I too might listen with a beating heart to fables which the Wy strollers devised to cheat us into Hospitality but no the son who has disobeyed me is no longer mine nor will I concern myself more for his fate than for that of the most worthless among the millions that ever shaped the cross on their shoulder rushed into excess and blood guiltiness and called it an accomplishment of the will of God he knit his brows and fixed his eyes for an instant on the ground as he raised them the folding doors at the bottom of the hall were cast wide and preceded by the major Domo with his wand and four domestics bearing blazing torches the guests of the evening entered the apartment chapter 4 and the proud steer was on the marble spread with fire prepared they deal the morels round wine Rosy bright the brimming goblets crowned disposed apart ulyses shares the treat a trivet table and igno a seat the prince assigns Odyssey book XA the prior Amer had taken the opportunity afforded him of changing his riding robe for one of yet more costly materials over which he wore a cope curiously embroidered besides the massive Golden signant Ring which marked his ecclesiastical dignity his fingers though contrary to the cannon were loaded with precious gems his sandals were of the finest leather which was imported from Spain his beard trimmed to as small Dimensions as his order would possibly permit and his shaven crown concealed by a Scarlet cap richly embroidered the appearance of the night Templar was also changed and though less studiously beded with ornament his dress was as rich and his appearance far more commanding than that of His companion he had exchanged his shirt of mail for an undertunic of dark purple silk garnished with Furs over which flowed his long robe of spotless white in ample folds the eight pointed Cross of his order was cut on the shoulder of his mantle in Black Velvet the high cap no longer invested his brows which were only shaded by short and thick curled hair of a raven Blackness corresponding to his unusually swart complexion nothing could be more gracefully Majestic than his step and manner had they not been marked by a predominant air of Hess easily acquired by the exercise of unresisted authority these two dignified persons were followed by their respective attendants and at a more humble Distance by their guide whose figure had nothing more remarkable than it derived from the usual we weeds of a pilgrim a cloak or mantle of coarse black surge enveloped his whole body it was in shape something like the cloak of a modern husar having similar flaps for covering the arms and was called aavan or slavonian Co sandals bound with thongs on his bare feet a broad and shadowy hat with cockal shells stitched on its brim and a long staf shod with iron to the upper end of which was attached a branch of palm completed the Palmer attire he followed modestly the last of the train which entered the hall and observing that the lower table scarce afforded room sufficient for the domestics of Cedric and the retinue of his guests he withdrew to a settle placed beside and almost under one of the large chimneys and seemed to employ himself in drying his garments until the retreat of someone should make room at the board or the hospitality of the steward should Supply him with Refreshments in the place he had chosen apart Cedric Rose to re receive his guests with an air of dignified hospitality and descending from the dis or elevated part of his Hall made three steps towards them and then awaited their approach I grieve he said Reverend prior that My Vow binds me to Advance no farther upon this floor of my fathers even to receive such guests as you and this Valiant Knight of the Holy Temple but my Steward has expounded to you the cause of my seeming discourtesy let me also pray that you will excuse my speaking to you in my native language and that you will reply in the same if your knowledge of it permits if not I sufficiently understand Norman to follow your meaning vows said the Abbott must be unloosed worthy Franklin or permit me rather to say worthy th though the title is Antiquated vows are the knots which tie us to Heaven they are the cords which bind the sacrifice to the horns of the Altar and are therefore as I said before to be unloosened and discharged unless our holy mother Church shall pronounce the contrary and respecting language I willingly hold Communication in that spoken by my respected grandmother Hilda of midlum who died in odor of sanctity little short if we may presume to say so of her glorious namesake the Blessed St Hilda of Whitby God be gracious to her soul when the prior had ceased what he meant as a conciliatory Harang His companion said briefly and emphatically I speak ever French the language of King Richard and his Nobles but I understand English sufficiently to communicate with the natives of the country Cedric darted at the speaker one of those Hasty and impatient glances which comparisons between the two rival Nations seldom failed to call forth but recollecting the duties of hospitality he suppressed further show of resentment and motioning with his hand called caused his guests to assume two seats a little lower than his own but placed close beside him and gave a signal that the evening meal should be placed upon the board while the attendants hastened to obey Cedric’s commands his eye distinguished girth the swin herd who With His companion wber had just entered the hall send these loitering naves up hither said the Saxon impatiently and when the culprits came before the Das how comes it villains that you have loitered abroad so late as this hast thou brought home thy charge sirth or hast thou left them to robbers and Marauders the herd is safe so please ye said girth but it does not please me thou Nave said Cedric that I should be made to suppose otherwise for 2 hours and sit here devising Vengeance against my neighbors for wrongs they have not done me I tell thee shackles and the prison house shall punish the next offense of this kind girth knowing his master’s irritable temper attempted no exculpation but the jester who could presume upon Cedric’s tolerance by virtue of his privileges as a fool replied for them both in trro Uncle Cedric you are neither wise nor reasonable tonight how sir said his master you shall to the Porter’s Lodge and taste of the discipline there if you give your Foolery such license first let your wisdom tell me said wber is it just and reasonable to punish one person for the fault of another another certainly not fool answered Cedric then why should you shackle poor girth Uncle for the fault of his dog Fangs for I dare be sworn we lost not a minute by the way when we had got our herd together which fangs did not manage until we heard the vasper Bell then hang up fangs said Cedric turning hastily towards the swin herd if the fault is his and get thee another dog under favor uncle said the jester that was still some somewhat on the Bow hand of fair Justice for it was no fault of fangs that he was lame and could not gather the herd but the fault of those that struck off two of his foreclaws an operation for which if the poor fellow had been consulted he would scarce have given his voice and who dared to lame an animal which belonged to my bondsman said the Saxon kindling in Wrath Mary that did old Hubert said wber sir Philip de malvo’s keeper of of the Chase he caught fangs strolling in the forest and said he chased the deer contrary to his master’s right as Warden of the walk the foul fiend take Malvo in answered the Saxon and his keeper both I will teach them that the wood was disfor rested in terms of the great Forest Charter but enough of this go to Nave go to thy place and thou girth get thee another dog and should the keeper dare to touch it I will Mar his archery the curse of a coward on my head if I strike not off the forefinger of his right hand he shall draw bowring no more I crave your pardon my worthy guests I am beset here with neighbors that match your infidels sight in Holy Land but your homely fair is before you feed and let welcome make amends for hard Fair the feast however which was spread upon the board needed no apologies from The Lord of The Mansion swine’s flesh dressed in several modes appeared on the lower part of the board as also that of fowls deer goats and hairs and various kinds of fish together with huge Loaves and cakes of bread and Sury Confections made of fruits and honey the smaller sorts of wild fowl of which there was abundance were not served up in platters but brought in upon small wooden spits or broches and offered by the pages and domestics Who Bore them to each guest in succession who cut from them such a portion as he pleased beside each person of rank was placed a goblet of silver the lower board was accommodated with large drinking horns when the repass was about to commence the major Domo or Steward suddenly raising his wand said aloud forbear place for the lady Rowena a side door at the upper end of the hall now opened behind the banquet table and Rowena followed by four female attendants entered the apartment Cedric those surprised and perhaps not altogether agreeably so at his Ward appearing in public on this occasion hastened to meet her and to conduct her with respectful ceremony to the elevated seat at his own right hand appropriated to the lady of the Mansion all stood up to receive her and replying to their courtesy by a mute gesture of salutation she moved gracefully forward to assume her place at the board a she had time to do so the Templar whispered to the the prior I shall wear no colar of gold of yours at the tournament the chi and wine is your own said I not so answered the prior but check your raptures the Franklin observes you unheeding this remonstrance and accustomed only to act upon the immediate impulse of his own wishes brand boy gilet kept his eyes riveted on the Saxon Beauty more striking perhaps to his imagination because differing widely from those of the Eastern Sultana formed in the best proportions of her sex Rowena was tall in stature yet not so much so as to attract observation on account of superior height her complexion was exquisitely fair but the noble cast of her head and features prevented the insipidity which sometimes attaches to Fair Beauties her clear blue eye which sat enshrined beneath a graceful eyebrow of brown sufficiently marked to give expression to the forehead seemed capable to Kindle as well as melt to command as well as to beseech if mildness were the more natural expression of such a combination of features it was plain that in the present instance the exercise of Habitual superiority and the reception of General homage had given to the Saxon lady a loftier character which mingled with and qualified that bestowed by Nature her profuse hair of a color betwix brown and flaxon was arranged in a fanciful and graceful manner in numerous ringlets to form which art had probably aided nature these locks were braided with gems and being worn at full length intimated the noble birth and Freeborn condition of the maiden a Golden Chain to which was attached a small requery of the same metal hung around her neck she wore bracelets on her arms which were bare her dress was an under gown and curtle of pale sea green silk over which hung a long loose robe which reached to the ground having very wide sleeves which came down however very little below the elbow this robe was crimson and manufactured out of the very finest wool a veil of silk interwoven with gold was attached to the upper part of it which could be at the we’s pleasure either drawn over the face and bosom after the Spanish fashion or disposed as a sort of drapery around the shoulders when Rena perceived the Night templar’s Eyes bent on her with an ardor that compared with the dark Caverns under which they moved gave them the effect of lighted charcoal she Drew with dignity the veil around her face as an intimation that the determined freedom of his glance was disagreeable Cedric saw the motion and its cause sir Templar said he the cheeks of our Saxon maidens have seen too little of the sun to enable them to Bear the fixed glance of a crusader if I have offended replied sban I crave your pardon that is I crave the lady Rowena pardon for my humility will carry me no lower the lady Rowena said the prior has punished us all in chastising the boldness of my friend let me hope she will be less cruel to The Splendid train which are to meet at the tournament our going thither said Cedric is uncertain I love not these vanities which were unknown to my fathers when England was free let us hope nevertheless said the prior our company May determine you to travel thitherward when the roads are so unsafe the escort of Sir Brian deor Gilbert is not to be despised s PRI answered the Saxon wheresoever I have traveled in this land I have hitherto found myself with the assistance of my good sword and faithful followers in no respect needful of other Aid at present if we indeed journey to Ash deou we do so with my Noble neighbor and Countryman athlin of coningsburgh and with such a train as would set Outlaws and feudal enemies at Defiance I drink to you sir prior in this cup of wine which I trust your taste will approve and I thank you for your courtesy should you be so rigid in adhering to monastic rule he added as to prefer your acid preparation of milk I hope you will not strain courtesy to do me reason nay said the priest laughing it is only in our Abby that we confine ourselves to the Lac Dulce or the Lac acidum either conversing with the world we use the world’s Fashions and therefore I answer your pledge in this honest wine and leave the weaker liquor to my lay brother and I said the Templar filling his goblet drink wasel to the fair Rowena for since her namesake introduced the word into England has never been one more worthy of such a tribute by my faith I could paron the unhappy vtiger had he half the cause that we now witness for making shipwreck of his honor and his kingdom I will spare your courtesy sir Knight said Rena with dignity and without unveiling herself or rather I will tax it so far as to require of you the latest news from Palestine a theme more agreeable to our English ears than the compliments which your French breeding teaches I have little of importance to say lady answered s bran de gilber excepting the confirmed Tidings of a truce with Saladin he was interrupted by wber who had taken in his appropriated seat upon a chair the back of which was decorated with two ass’s ears and which was placed about two steps behind that of his master who from time to time supplied him with victuals from his own trencher a favor however which the jester shared with the favorite dogs of whom as we have already noticed there were several in attendance here sat wber with a small table before him his heels tucked up against the bar of the chair his cheeks sucked up so as to make his Jaws resemble a pair of Nutcrackers and his eyes half shut yet watching with alertness every opportunity to exercise his licensed Foolery these trues with the infidels he exclaimed without caring how suddenly he interrupted the stately Templar make an old man of me go to Nave how so said Cedric his features prepared to receive favorably the expected Gest because answered wber I remember three of them in my day Each of which was to endure for the course of 50 years so that by computation I must be at least 150 years old I will warrant you against dying of old age however said the Templar who now recognized his friend of the forest I will assure you from all deaths but a violent one if you give such directions to Wayfarers as you did this night to the prior and me how Sirah said Cedric MISD direct Traveler we must have you whipped you are at least as much Rogue as fool I pray the uncle answered the jester let my Folly for once protect my rogery I did but make a mistake between my right hand and my left and he might have pardoned a greater who took a fool for his counselor and guide conversation was here interrupted by the entrance of the Porter’s page who announced that there was a stranger at the gate imploring admittance and Hospitality admit him said Cedric be he who or what he may a knight like that which Roars without compels even wild animals to herd with tame and to seek the protection of man their mortal foe rather than perish by the elements let his once be ministered to with all care look to it Oswald and the steward left the banqueting hall to see the commands of his Patron obeyed chapter 5 affections passions fed with the same food hurt with the same weapons subject to the same diseases healed by the same means warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as a Christian is Merchant of Venice Oswald returning whispered into the ear of his master it is a Jew who calls himself Isaac of York is it fit I should Marshall him into the Hall let girth do thine office Oswald said wber with his usual eony the swin herd will be a fit Usher to the Jew St Mary said the Abbot Crossing himself an unbelieving Jew and admitted into this presence a dog Jew echoed the Templar to approach a defender of the Holy Seiler by my faith said wber it would seem the Templars love the Jews inheritance better than they do their company peace my worthy guests said Cedric my Hospitality must not be bounded by your dislikes If Heaven bore with the whole nation of stiff necked unbelievers for more years than a Layman can number we may endure the presence of one Jew for a few hours but I constrain no man to converse or to feed with him let him have a board and a morel apart unless he said smiling these turban strangers will admit his Society sir Franklin answered the Templar my sarason slaves are true Muslims and Scorn as much as any Christian to hold intercourse with the Jew now in faith said wber I cannot see that the worshippers of mahound and termagant have so greatly the advantage over the people once chosen of Heaven he shall sit with thee wber said Cedric the fool and the Nave will be well met the fool answered wber raising the relics of a gamon of bacon will take care to erect a bullwark against the Nave hush said Cedric for here he comes introduced with little ceremony and advancing with fear and hesitation and many a bow of Deep humil a tall thin old man who however had lost by the habit of stooping much of his actual height approached the lower end of the board his features keen and regular with an aqualine nose and piercing black eyes his high and wrinkled forehead and long gray hair and beard would have been considered as handsome had they not been the marks of a physiognomy peculiar to erase which during those Dark Ages was a light detested by the credulous and Prejudice vulgar and persecuted by the greedy and rapacious nobility and who perhaps owing to that very hatred and persecution had adopted a national character in which there was much to say the least mean and unamiable the Jews dress which appeared to have suffered considerably from the storm was a plain russed cloak of many folds covering a dark purple tunic he had large boots lined with fur and a belt around his waist which sustained a small knife together with a case for writing materials but no weapon he wore a high Square Yellow Cap of a peculiar fashion assigned to his Nation to distinguish them from Christians and which he doed with great humility at the door of the hall the reception of this person in the Hall of Cedric the Saxon was such as might have satisfied the most prejudiced enemy of the tribes of Israel Cedric himself coldly nodded in answer to the Jews repeated salutations and signed to him to take place at the lower end of the table where however no one offered to make room for him on the contrary as he passed along the file casting a timid supplicating glance and turning towards each of those who occupied the lower end of the board the Saxon domestics squared their shoulders and continued to devour their supper with great perseverance paying not the least attention to the wants of the new guest the attendants of the Abbot crossed themselves with looks of Pious horror and the Very Heathen sarens as Isaac Drew near them curled up their whiskers with indignation and laid their hands on their poniards as if ready to rid themselves by the most desperate means from the apprehended contamination of his nearer approach probably the same motives which induced Cedric to open his Hall to this son of a rejected people would have made him insist on his attendance receiving Isaac with more courtesy but the Abbot had at this moment engaged him in a most interesting discussion on the breed and character of his favorite hounds which he would not have interrupted for matters of much greater importance than that of a Jew going to bed supperless while Isaac thus stood an outcast in the present Society like his people among the Nations looking in vain for welcome or resting place the pilgrim Who Sat by the chimney took compassion upon him and resigned his seat saying briefly old man my garments are dried my Hunger is appeased Thou Art both wet and fasting so saying he gathered together and brought to a flame the decaying Brands which lay scattered on the ample Hearth took from the larger board a mess of pottage and seeed kid placed it upon the small table at which he had himself SED and without waiting the Jews thanks went to the other side of the hall whether from unwillingness to hold more close communication with the object of his benevolence or from a wish to draw near to the upper end of the table seemed uncertain had there been painters in the those days capable to execute such a subject the Jew as he bent his withered form and expanded his chilled and Trembling Hands over the fire would have formed no bad emblematical personification of the winter season having dispelled the cold he turned eagerly to the smoking mess which was placed before him and ate with a haste and an apparent relish that seemed to be token long abstinence from food meanwhile the Abbott and Cedric continued their discourse upon hunting the lady Rowena seemed engaged in conversation with one of her attendant females and the hay Templar whose eye wandered from the Jew to the Saxon Beauty revolved in his mind thoughts which appeared deeply to interest him I Marvel worthy Cedric said the Abbot as their discourse preceded that great as your predilection is for your own manly language you do not receive the Norman French into your favor so far at least as the mystery of Woodcraft and hunting is concerned surely no tongue is so rich in the various phrases which the field sports demand or furnishes means to the experienced Woodman so well to express his jovial art good father Amer said the Saxon be it known to you I care not for those oversea refinements without which I can well enough take my pleasure in the woods I can wind my horn though I call not the blast either a rich heat or a morte I can cheer my dogs on the PR and I can fle and quarter the animal when it is brought down without using the new fangle jargon of curri Arbor numbles and all the Babble Of The Fabulous Sir Tristram the French said the Templar raising his voice with the presumptuous and authoritative tone which he used upon All Occasions is not only the natural language of the chase but that of love and of war in which ladies should be one and enemies defied pledge me in a cup of wine sir Templar said Cedric and fill another to the Abbot while I look back some 30 years to tell you another tale as Cedric the Saxon then was his plain English tale needed no garnish from French trador when it was told in the ear of Beauty and the field of North alaton upon the day of the Holy standard could tell whether the Saxon war cry was not heard as far within the ranks of the Scottish host as the Creed deare of the boldest Norman Baron to the memory of the Brave who fought there pledge me my guests he drank deep and went on with increasing warmth a that was a day of cleaving of shields when a h hundred banners were bent forwards over the heads of the Valiant and blood flowed round like water and death was held better than flight a Saxon Bard had called it a feast of the swords a gathering of the Eagles to the prey the Clashing of bills upon shield and helmet the shouting of battle more joyful than the clamor of a bridal but our bards are no more he said our Deeds are lost in those of another race our language our very name is hastening to Decay and none Mourns for it save one solitary old man cup Bearer Nave fill the goblets to the strong in arms sir Templar be their race or language what it will who now bear them best in Palestine among the champions of the cross it becomes not one wearing this badge to answer said sban to by Gilbert yet to whom besides the sworn champions of the Holy Seiler can the Palm be assigned among the champions of the Cross to the knights hospitallers said the abot I have a brother of their order I impeach not their Fame said the Templar nevertheless I think friend Cedric said wber interfering that had Richard of the Lion’s Heart been wise enough to have taken a Fool’s advice he might have stayed at home with his merry Englishmen and left the recovery of Jerusalem to those same Knights Who had most to do with the loss of it were there then none in the English army said the lady Rena whose names are worthy to be mentioned with the Knights of the temple and of St John forgive me lady replied de gilber the English Monarch did indeed bring to Palestine a host of Gallant Warriors second only to those whose breasts have been the unceasing bullwark of that blessed land Second To None said the pilgrim who had stood near enough to hear and had listened to this conversation with marked impatience all turned toward the spot from whence this unexpected asseveration was heard I say repeated the pilgrim in a firm and strong voice that the English chivalry was Second To None who ever Drew sword in defense of the Holy Land I say besides for I saw it that King Richard himself and five of his Knights held a tournament after the taking of St John de acre as Challengers against all comers I say that on that day each Knight ran three courses and cast to The Ground Three antagonists I add that seven of these asants were Knights of the temple and sban deor Gilbert well knows the truth of what I tell you it is impossible for language to describe the bitter scowl of Rage which rendered yet darker the swarthy countenance of the Templar in the extremity of his resentment and confusion his quivering fingers griped towards the handle of his sword and perhaps only withdrew from the Consciousness that no act of violence could be safely executed in that place and presence Cedric whose feelings were all of a right onward and simple kind and were seldom occupied by more than one object at once omitted in the joyous Glee with which he heard of the glory of his countrymen to remark the angry confusion of his guest I would give thee this golden bracelet Pilgrim he said could thou tell me the names of those Knights who upheld so gallantly the Renown of Mary England that will I do blindly replied the pilgrim and without giran my oath for a Time prohibits me from touching gold I will wear the bracelet for you if you will friend Palmer said wber the first in honor as in arms in Renown as in place said the pilgrim was the brave Richard King of England I forgive him said Cedric I forgive him his descent from the Tyrant Duke William the Earl of Lester was the second continued the pilgrim Sir Thomas Molton of gilsland was the third of Saxon descent he at least said Cedric with exultation sir FAL doy IV preceded the pilgrim Saxon also at least by the mother’s side continued Cedric who listened with the utmost eagerness and forgot in part at least his hatred to the Normans in the common Triumph of the king of England and his Islanders and who was the fifth he demanded the fifth was Sir Edwin turnham genuine Saxon by the soul of hangist shouted Cedric and the sixth he continued with eagerness how name you the sixth the sixth said the Palmer after a pause in which he seemed to recollect himself was a young Knight of lesser Renown and lower rank assumed into that honorable company less to Aid their Enterprise than to make up their number his name dwells not in my memory s Palmer said s Brian Deo Gilbert scornfully this assumed forgetfulness after so much has been remembered comes too late to serve your purpose I will myself tell the name of the Knight before whose Lance fortune and my horse’s fault occasioned my falling it was the Knight of ivanho nor was there one of the six that for his years had more Renown in arms yet this will I say and loudly that were he in England and Durst repeat in this week’s tournament the challenge of St John de acre I mounted and armed as I now am would give him every advantage of weapons and abide the result your challenge would soon be answered replied the Palmer were your antagonist near you as the matter is disturb not the peaceful Hall with vaunts of the issue of the conflict which you well know cannot take place if ivanho ever returns from Palestine I will be his shity that he meets you a goodly security said the night Templar and what do you profer as a pledge this reliquary said the Palmer taking a small Ivory box from his bosom and Crossing himself containing a portion of the True Cross brought from the monastery of Mount Carmel the prior of yorvo crossed himself and repeated a ponster in which all devoutly joined excepting the Jew the madans and the Templar the latter of whom whom without veiling his Bonnet or testifying any reverence for the alleged sanctity of The Relic took from his neck a gold chain which he flung on the board saying let PRI IMA hold my pledge and that of this nameless vagrant in token that when the Knight of ivanho comes within the four seas of Britain he underlies the challenge of Brian dear gilber which if he answer not I will Proclaim him as a coward on the walls of every Temple Court in Europe it will not need said the lady Rowena breaking silence my voice shall be heard if no other in this Hall is raised in behalf of the absent ivanho I affirm he will meet fairly every honorable challenge could my weak warrant add security to the inestimable pledge of this holy Pilgrim I would pledge name and fame that ivanho gives this proud knight the meeting he desires a crowd of conflicting emotions seemed to have occupied Cedric and kept him silent during this discussion gratified Pride resentment embarrassment chased each other over his broad and open brow like the shadow of clouds drifting over a harvest field while his attendants on whom the name of the sixth Knight seemed to produce an effect almost electrical hung in suspense upon their Master’s looks but when Rowena spoke the sound of her voice seemed to startle him from his silence lady said Cedric this Bes seems not wither the pledge necess NE AR I myself offended and justly offended as I am would yet gauge my honor for the honor of ivanho but the wager of battle is complete even according to the Fantastic Fashions of Norman chivalry is it not father Amer it is replied the prior and the Blessed Relic and Rich chain will I bestow safely in the treasury of our Convent until the decision of this warlike challenge having thus spoken he crossed himself again and again and after many genu flections and muttered prayers he delivered the requery to brother Ambrose his attendant monk while he himself swept up with less ceremony but perhaps with no less internal satisfaction the golden chain and bestowed it in a pouch lined with perfumed leather which opened under his arm and now sir Cedric he said my ears are chiming Vespers with the strength of your good wine permit us another pledge to the welfare of the lady Rowena and indulge us with Liberty to pass to our Repose by the roote of Brom Holm said the Saxon you do but small credit to your Fame sir prior report speaks you a bonny monk that would hear the matin Chim M he quitted his bowl and old as I am I feared to have shame in encountering you but by my faith a Saxon boy of 12 in my time would not so soon have relinquished his goblet the prior had his own reasons however for persevering in the course of temperance which he had adopted he was not only a professional Peacemaker but from practice a hater of all feuds and brawls it was not altogether from a love to his neighbor or to himself or from a mixture of both on the present occasion he had an instinctive apprehension of the fiery temper of the Saxon and saw the danger that The Reckless and presumptuous Spirit of which His companion had already given so many proofs might at length produce some disagreeable explosion he therefore gently insinuated the incapacity of the Native of any other country to engage in the genial conflict of the bow with the Hardy and strong-headed Saxons something he mentioned but slightly about his own holy character and ended by pressing his proposal to depart to Repose the grace cup was accordingly served round and the guests after making deep obas to their landlord and to the lady Rowena arose and mingled in the hall while the heads of the family by separate doors retired with their attendance unbelieving dog said the Templar to Isaac the Jew as he passed him in the throng Dost thou Bend thy course to the tournament I do so propose replied Isaac Bowing in all humility if it please your Reverend Valor I said the Knight to gore the bowels of our nobles with Usery and to Gull women and boys with gourds and toys I warrant thee store of shekels in thy Jewish script not a she not a silver penny not a halfling so help me the god of Abraham said the Jew clasping his hands I go but to seek the assistance of some brethren of My Tribe to Aid me to pay the fine which the echeer of the Jews have imposed upon me Father Jacob be my speed I am an impoverished wretch the very gabardine I wear is borrowed from Rubin of tadcaster the Templar smiled sourly as he replied besue thee for a false-hearted love fire and passing onward as if disdaining far the conference he communed with his Muslim slaves in a language unknown to the banders the poor Israelites seemed so staggered by the address of the military monk that the Templar had passed on to the extremity of the hall where he raised his head from The Humble posture which he had assumed so far as to be sensible of his departure and when he did look around it was with the astonished air of one at whose feet a thunderbolt has just burst and who hears still the astounding report ringing in his ears the Templar and prior were shortly after Marshall to their sleeping apartments by the steward and the cup Bearer each attended by two torchbearers and two servants carrying Refreshments while Servants of inferior condition indicated to their retinue and to the other guests their respective places of repose chapter 6 if he will take it so if not ad do and for my love I pray you wrong me not Merchant into Venice as the Palmer lighted by a domestic with a torch passed through the intricate combination of Apartments of this large and irregular Mansion the cup Bearer coming behind him whispered in his ear that if he had no objection to a cup of good meat in his apartment there were many domestics in that family who would gladly hear the news he had brought from the holy land and particularly that which concerned the Knight of ivanho womber presently appeared to urge the same request observing that a cup after midnight was worth three after curfew without disputing a maxim urged by such grave Authority the Palmer thanked them for their courtesy but observed that he had included in his religious vow an obligation never to speak in the kitchen on matters which were prohibited in the hall that vow said wber to the cup Bearer would scarce suit a serving man the cup Bearer Shrugged up his shoulders in displeasure I thought to have lodged him in the CIA chamber said he but since he is so unsocial to Christians in let him take the next St to Isaac the Jews anwal said he to the torch Bearer carry the pilgrim to the southern cell I give you good night he added sir Palmer with small thanks for short courtesy good night and our ladies bennison said the Palmer with composure and his guide moved forward in a small antichamber into which several doors opened and which was was lighted by a small iron lamp they met a second Interruption from The Waiting Maid of Rowena who saying in a tone of authority that her mistress desired to speak with the Palmer took the torch from the hand of anald and bidding him await her return made a sign to the Palmer to follow apparently he did not think it proper to decline this invitation as he had done the former for though his gesture indicated some surprise at the summons he obeyed it without answer or remonstrance a short passage and an Ascent of seven steps Each of which was composed of a solid beam of Oak led him to the apartment of the lady Rina the rude magnificence of which corresponded to the respect which was paid to her by the lord of the Mansion the walls were covered with embroidered hangings on which different colored silks interwoven with gold and silver threads had been employed with all the art of which the age was capable to represent the sports of hunting and Hawking the bed was adorned warned with the same Rich tapestry and surrounded with curtains dyed with purple the seats had also their stained coverings and one which was higher than the rest was accommodated with a foot stool of ivory curiously carved no fewer than four silver candelabras holding great wax and torches serve to illuminate this apartment yet let not modern Beauty Envy the magnificence of a Saxon princess the walls of the apartment were so ill finished and so full of crevices that the rich hangings shook in the night blast and in despite of a sort of screen intended to protect them from the wind the flame of the Torches streamed sideways into the air like the unfolded pennon of a Chieftain magnificence there was with some rude attempt at Taste but of comfort there was little and being unknown it was unmissed the lady ruena with three of her attendants standing at her back and arranging her hair as she lay down to rest was seated in the sort of Throne already mentioned and looked as if born to exact General homage the pilgrim acknowledged her claim to it by a low genu flection rise Palmer said she graciously the defender of the absent has a right to favorable reception from all who value truth and honor manhood she then said to her train retire excepting only Elitha I would speak with this holy Pilgrim the maidens without leaving the apartment retired to its further extremity and sat down on a small bench against the wall where they remained mute as statues though at such a distance that their Whispers could not have interrupted the conversation of their mistress Pilgrim said the lady after a moment’s pause during which she seemed uncertain how to address him you this night mentioned a name I mean she said with a degree of effort the name of Ivan in the Halls where by nature and Kindred it should have sounded most acceptably and yet such is the perverse course of Fate that of many whose Hearts must have throbbed at the sound I only dare ask you where and in what condition you left him of whom you spoke we heard that having remained in Palestine on account of his impaired Health after the departure of the English army he had experienced the persecution of the French faction to whom the Templars are known to be attached I know little of the Knight of ivanho answered the Palmer with a troubled voice I would I knew him better since you lady are interested in his fate he hath I believe surmounted the persecution of his enemies in Palestine and is on the eve of returning to England where you lady must know better than I what is his chance of Happiness the lady Rowena sighed deeply and asked more particularly when the Knight of ivanho might be expected in his native country and whether he would not be exposed to Great dangers by the road on the first point the Palmer professed ignorance on the second he said that the voyage might be safely made by the way of Venice and Genoa and from then through France to England ivanho he said was so well acquainted with the language and manners of the French that there was no fear of his incurring any Hazard during that part of his travels would to God said the lady Rowena he were here safely arrived and able to bear arms in the approaching tney in which the chivalry of this land are expected to display their address and Valor should athlin of Kingsburg obtain the prise ivanho is like to hear evil Tidings when he reaches England how looked he stranger when you last saw him had disease laid her hand heavy upon his strength and comeliness he was darker said the Palmer and thinner than when he came from Cypress in the train of K de Leon and Care seemed to sit heavy on his brow but I approached not his presence because he is unknown to me he will said the lady I fear find little in his native land to clear those clouds from his countenance thanks good Pilgrim for your information concerning the companion of my childhood maidens she said draw near offer the sleeping cup to this holy man whom I will no longer detain from Repose one of the maidens presented a silver cup containing a rich mixture of wine and spice which Rowena barely put to her lips it was then offered to the Palmer who after a low oance tasted a few drops accept this arms friend continued the lady offering a piece of gold in acknowledgment of thy painful travail and of the shrines thou Hast visited the Palmer received the Boon with another low reverence and followed edua out of the apartment in the an room he found his attendant anwal who taking the torch from the hand of the waiting maid conducted him with more haste than ceremony to an exterior and ignoble part of the building where a number of small apartments or rather cells served for sleeping places to the lower order of domestics and to strangers of mean degree in which of these sleeps the Jew said the pilgrim the unbelieving dog answered anwal kennels in the cell next your Holiness St Dunston how it must be scraped and cleansed there it be again fit for a Christian and where sleeps girth the swin herd said the stranger girth replied the bondsman sleeps in the cell on your right as the Jew on that to your left you serve to keep the child of circumcision separate from the abomination of his tribe you might have occupied a more honorable Place had you accepted of Oswald’s invitation it is as well as it is said the Palmer the company even of a Jew can hardly spread contamination through an oak partition so saying he entered the cabin allotted to him and and taking the torch from the domestic’s hand thanked him and wished him good night having shut the door of his cell he placed the torch in a Candlestick made of wood and looked around his sleeping apartment the furniture of which was of the most simple kind it consisted of a rude wooden stool and still Rudder Hutch or bed frame stuffed with clean straw and accommodated with two or three sheep skins by way of bed clothes the Palmer having extinguished his torch threw himself without taking off any part of his clothes on this rude couch and slept or at least retained his recumbent posture till the earliest sunbeams found their way through the little grated window which served at once to admit both air and light to his uncomfortable cell he then started up and after repeating his mattins and adjusting his dress he left it and entered that of Isaac the Jew lifting the latch as gently as he could the inmate was lying in troubled Slumber upon a couch similar to that on which the Palmer himself had passed the night such parts of his dress as the Jew had laid aside on the preceding evening were disposed carefully around his person as if to prevent the hazard of their being carried off during his Slumbers there was a trouble on his brow amounting almost to Agony his hands and arms moved convulsively as if struggling with the Nightmare and besides several ejaculations in Hebrew the following were distinctly heard in the Norman English or mixed language of the country for the sake of the god of Abraham spare an unhappy old man I am poor I am penniless should your irons wrench my limbs aunder I could not gratify you the Palmer awaited not the end of the Jew’s Vision but stirred him with his Pilgrim staff the touch probably Associated as is usual with some of the apprehensions excited by his dream for the old man started up his gray hair standing almost erect upon his head and huddling some part of his garments about him while he held the detached pieces with the tenacious grasp of a falcon he fixed upon the Palmer his Keen black eyes expressive of wild surprise and of bodily apprehension fear nothing from me Isaac said the Palmer I come as your friend the god of Israel requite you said the Jew greatly relieved I dreamed but father Abra be praised it was but a dream then collecting himself he added in his usual tone and what may it be your pleasure to want at so early an hour with the poor Jew it is to tell you said the Palmer that if you leave not this Mansion instantly and travel not with some haste your journey may prove a dangerous one Holy Father said the Jew whom could it interest to endanger so poor a wretch as I am the purpose you can best guess said the pilgrim but rely on this that when the Templar crossed the hall yester night he spoke to his musan slaves in the sarason language which I well understand and charged them this morning to watch the Journey of the Jew to seize upon him when at a convenient distance from the mansion and to conduct him to the castle of Philip de malisan or to that of Reginald front Deb it is impossible to describe the extremity of Terror which seized upon the Jew at this information and seemed at once to overpower his whole faculties his arms fell down to his sides and his head drooped on his breast his knees bent under his weight every nerve and muscle of his frame seemed to collapse and lose its energy and he sunk at the foot of the Palmer not in the fashion of one who intentionally Stoops kneels or prostrates himself to excite compassion but like a man borne down on all sides by the pressure of some invisible force which crushes him to the Earth without the power of resistance holy God of Abraham was his first exclamation folding and elevating his wrinkled hands but without raising his gray head from the pavement oh holy Moses oh blessed Aaron the dream is not dreamed for not and the vision cometh not in vain I feel their irons already tear my senu I feel the rack pass over my body like the swords and Harrows and axes of iron over the men of rabar and of the cities of the children of Ammon stand up Isaac and hearken to me said the Palmer who viewed the extremity of his distress with a compassion in which contempt was largely mingled you have cause for your Terror considering how your brethren have been used in order to extort from them their hordes both by princes and Nobles but stand up I say and I will point out to you the of Escape leave this Mansion instantly while its inmates sleep sound after the last night’s Revel I will guide you by the secret Paths of the forest known as well to me as to any Forester that ranges it and I will not leave you till you are under safe conduct of some Chief or Baron going to the tournament whose Goodwill you have probably the means of securing as the ears of Isaac received the hopes of Escape which this speech intimated he began gradually and inch by inch as it were to raise himself up from the ground until he fairly rested upon his knees throwing back his long gray hair and beard Ed and fixing his Keen black eyes upon the Palmer’s face with a look expressive at once of Hope and fear not unmingled with suspicion but when he heard the concluding part of the sentence his original Terror appeared to revive in full force and he dropped once more on his face exclaiming I possess the means of securing Good Will alas there is but one road to the favor of a Christian and how can the poor Jew find it whom extortions have already reduced to the misery of Lazarus then as if suspicion had overpowered his other feelings he suddenly exclaimed for the love of God young man betray me not for the sake of the great father who made us all Jew as well as Gentile Israelite and ishmaelite do me no treason I have not means to secure the Good Will of a Christian beggar were he rating it at a single penny as he spoke these last words he raised himself and grasped the Palmer’s mantle with a look of the most Earnest entreaty the pilgrim extricated himself as if there were contamination in the touch were thou loaded with all the wealth of thy tribe he said what interest have I to injure thee in this dress I am vowed to Poverty nor do I change it for ought save a horse and a coat of mail yet think not that I care for thy company or propose myself Advantage by it remain here if thou Wilt Cedric the Saxon may protect thee alas said the Jew he will not let me travel in his train Saxon or Norman will be equally ashamed of the poor Israelite and to travel by myself through the domains of Philip de malvoisin and Reginald front Deo good youth I will go with you let us haste let us gird up our loins let us flee here is thy staff why wilt thou t i t not said the pilgrim giving way to the urgency of His companion but I must secure the means of leaving this place follow me he led the way to the adjoining cell which as the reader is apprised was occupied by girth the swin herd arise girth said the pilgrim arise quickly undo the postern gate and let out the Jew and me girth whose occupation though now held so mean gave him as much consequence in Saxon England as that of umus in itha was offended at the familiar and commanding tone assumed by the Palmer the Jew leaving rotherwood said he raising himself on his elbow and looking superciliously at him without quitting his pallet and traveling in company with the Palmer to boot I should as soon have dreamt said wber who entered the apartment at the instant of his stealing away with a gam of bacon nevertheless said girth again laying down his head on the wooden log which served him for a pillow both Jew and Gentile must be content to abide the open opening of The Great Gate we suffer no visitors to depart by Stealth at these unseasonable hours nevertheless said the pilgrim in a commanding tone you will not I think refuse me that favor so saying he stooped over the bed of the recumbent swin herd and whispered something in his ear in Saxon girth started up as if electrified the pilgrim raising his finger in an attitude as if to express caution added girth beware thou are want to be prudent I say undo the poson Thou shalt know more Anon with Hasty alacrity girth oyed him while wber and the Jew followed both wondering at the sudden change in the swin head’s demeanor my mule my mule said the Jew as soon as they stood without the Poston fetch him his mule said the pilgrim and heest thou let me have another that I may bear him company till he is beyond these parts I will return it safely to some of Cedric’s train at Ashby and do thou he whispered the rest in girth’s ear willingly most willingly shall it be done said girth and instantly departed to execute the commission I wish I knew said wber when his comrade’s back was turned what you Palmer learn in the Holy Land to say our orison fool answered the pilgrim to repent our sins and to mortify ourselves with fastings vigils and long prayers something more potent than that answered the jester for when would repentance or prayer make girth do a courtesy or fasting or vigil persuade him to lend you a mule I TR you might as well have told his favorite Black Boar of thy vigils and Penance and wouldst have gotten as civil an answer go to said the pilgrim Thou Art but a Saxon fool thou sayest well said the jester had I been born a Norman as I think Thou Art I would have had luck on my side and been next door to a wise man at this moment girth appeared on the opposite side of the moat with the mules The Travelers crossed the ditch Upon A drawbridge of only two planks breadth the narrowness of which was matched with the straightness of the Poston and with a little Wicket in the exterior Palisade which gave access to the forest no sooner had they reached the mules than the Jew with Hasty and trembling hands secured behind the saddle a small bag of blue buckram which he took from under his cloak containing as he muttered a change of rment only a change of rment then getting upon the animal with more alacrity and haste than could have been anticipated from his years he lost no time in so disposing of the skirts of his gabardine as to conceal completely from observation the burden which he had thus deposited anr the pilgrim mounted with more deliberation reaching as he departed his hand to girth who kissed it with the utmost possible veneration the swin herd stood gazing after The Travelers until they were lost under the boughs of the forest path when he was Disturbed from his revery by the voice of wber knowest thou said the jester my good friend girth that thou art strangely courteous and most unwantedly Pious on this summer morning I would I were a black prior or a Barefoot Palmer to Avail myself of thy unwanted Zeal and courtesy sirti I would make more out of it than a kiss of the hand Thou Art no fool thus far wber answered girth though thou argues from appearances and the wisest of us can do no more but it is time to look after my charge so saying he turned back to the mansion attended by the jester meanwhile The Travelers continued to press on their Journey with a dispatch which argued the extremity of the Jews fears since persons at his age are seldom fond of Rapid motion the Palmer to whom every path and Outlet in the wood appeared to be familiar led the way through the most devious paths and more than once excited and knew the suspicion of the Israelite that he intended to betray him into some ambuscade of his enemies his doubts might have been indeed pardoned for except perhaps the Flying Fish there was no race existing on the earth in the air or the waters who were the object of such an uninter mitting General and Relentless persecution as the Jews of this period upon the slightest and most unreasonable pretenses as well as upon accusations the most absurd and groundless their persons and property were exposed to every turn of popular Fury for Norman Saxon danne and Britain however adverse these races were to each other contended which should look with greatest detestation Upon A people whom it was accounted a point of religion to hate to revile to despise to plunder and to persecute the kings of the Norman race and the independent Nobles who followed their example in all acts of tyranny maintained against this devoted people a persecution of a more regular calculated and self-interested kind is a well-known story of King John that he confined a wealthy Jew in one of the royal castles and daily caused one of his teeth to be torn out until when the jaw of the unhappy Israelite was half durn he consented to pay a large sum which it was the tyrant’s object to extort from him the little ready money which was in the country was chiefly in possession of this persecuted people and the nobility hesitated not to follow the example of their Sovereign in ringing it from them by every species of Oppression and even personal torture yet the passive courage inspired by the love of gain induced the Jews to DARE the various evils to which they were subjected in consideration of the immense profits which they were enable to realize in a country naturally so wealthy as England in spite of every kind of discouragement and even of the special Court of taxations already mentioned called the Jews ex cheer erected for the very purpose of despoiling and distressing them the Jews increased multiplied and accumulated huge sums which they transferred from one hand to another by means of bills of Exchange an invention for which Commerce is said to be indebted to them and which enabled them to transfer their wealth from land to land that when threatened with oppression in one country their treasure might be secured in another the obstinacy and avarice of the Jews being thus in a measure placed in opposition to the fanaticism the tyranny of those under whom they lived seemed to increase in proportion to the persecution with which they were visited and the immense wealth they usually acquired in Commerce while it frequently placed them in danger was at other times used to extend their influence and to secure to them a certain degree of protection on these terms they lived and their character influenced accordingly was watchful suspicious and timid yet obstinate uncoming and skillful in evading the dangers to which they were exposed when The Travelers had pushed on at a rapid rate through many devious paths the Palmer at length broke silence that large decayed Oak he said marks the boundaries over which front Deo claims Authority we are long since far from those of maloon there is now no fear of pursuit May the wheels of their chariots be taken off said the Jew like those of the host of pharaoh that they may drive heavily but leave me not good Pilgrim think but of that Fierce and Savage Templar with his sarason slaves they will regard neither territory nor manner nor lordship our road said the Palmer should hear separate for it beseems not men of my character and thine to travel together longer than needs must be besides what sucker couldst thou have from me a peaceful Pilgrim against two armed heathens oh good youth answered the Jew thou can defend me and I know thou wouldst poor as I am I will requite it not with money for money so help me my father Abraham I have none but money and recompense said the Palmer interrupting him I have already said I require not of thee guide Thee I can and it may be even in some sort defend thee since to protect a Jew against a sarason can scarce be accounted Unworthy of a Christian therefore Jew I will see thee safe under some fitting escort we are now not far from the town of Sheffield where thou mayest easily find any of thy tribe with whom to take refuge the blessing of Jacob be upon the good youth said the Jew in Sheffield I can Harbor with My Kinsman zarth and find some means of traveling forth with safety be it so said the Palmer at Sheffield then we part and half an hour’s riding will bring us in sight of that town the half hour was spent in perfect silence on both parts the pilgrim perhaps disdaining to address the Jew except in case of absolute necessity and the Jew not presuming to force a conversation with a person whose Journey to the holy Seiler gave a sort of sanctity to his character they paused on the top of a gently Rising bank and the pilgrim pointing to the town of Sheffield which lay beneath them repeated the words here then we part not till you have had the poor Jews thanks said Isaac for I presume not to ask you to go with me to My Kinsman zarth who might Aid me with some means of repaying your good offices I have already said answered the pilgrim that I desire no recompense if among the huge list of thy debtors thou Wilt for my sake spare the gues and the dungeon to some unhappy Christian who stands in thy danger I shall hold this morning’s service to thee well bestowed Stay Stay said the Jew laying hold of His Garment something would I do more than this something for thyself God knows the Jew is poor yes Isaac is the beggar of his tribe but forgive me should I guess what thou most lackest at this moment if thou were to guess truly said the Palmer it is what thou c not supply W thou as wealthy as thou sest Thou Art poor as I say echoed the Jew oh believe it I say but the truth I am a plundered indebted distressed man hard hands have rung from me my goods my money my ships and all that I Poss possessed yet I can tell theee what thou lackest and it may be Supply it to thy wish even now is for a horse and armor the Palmer started and turned suddenly towards the Jew what fiend prompted that guess said he hastily no matter said the Jew smiling so that it be a true one and as I can guess thy want so I can supply it but consider said the Palmer my character my dress My Vow I know you Christians replied the Jew and that the noblest of you will take the staff and sandal in superstitious Penance and walk a foot to visit the graves of dead men blaspheme not Jew said the pilgrim sternly forgive me said the Jew I spoke rashly but there dropped words from you last night and this morning that like Sparks from Flint showed the metal within and in the bosom of that Palmer’s gown is hidden a knight’s chain and Spurs of gold they glanced as you stooped over my bed in the morning the pilgrim could not forbear smiling were thy garment searched by as curious an eye Isaac said he what discoveries might not be made no more of that said the Jew changing color and drawing forth his writing materials in haste as if to stop the conversation he began to write upon a piece of paper which he supported on the top of his Yellow Cap without dismounting from his mule when he had finished he delivered the scroll which was in the Hebrew character to the pilgrim saying in the town of Lester all men know the rich Jew Kath jyam of lomber give him the scroll he hath on sale six Milan harnesses the worst would suit a crowned head 10 goodly steeds the worst might mount a king were he to do battle for his throne of these he will give thee thy Choice with everything else that can furnish thee forth for the tournament when it is over thou wil return them safely unless thou shouldst have wherewith to pay their value to the owner but Isaac said the pilgrim smiling Dost thou know that in these Sports the arms and Steed of the Knight who is unhorsed are forfeit to his Victor now I may be unfortunate and so lose what I cannot replace or repay the Jew looked somewhat astounded at this possibility but collecting his courage he replied hastily no no no it is impossible I will not think so the blessing of our father will be upon thee thy Lance will be powerful as the rod of Moses so saying he was turning his mu’s head away when the Palmer in his turn took hold of his gabardine nay but Isaac thou knowest not all the risk the Steed may be slain the armor injured for I will spare neither horse nor man besides those of thy tribe give nothing for nothing something there must be paid for their use the Jew Twisted himself in the saddle like a man in a fit of the colic but his better feelings predominated over those which were most familiar to him I care not he said I care not let me go if there is damage it will cost you nothing if there is usage money Kath jaram will forgive it for the sake of his Kinsman Isaac fare thee well yet hark thee good youth said he turning about thrust thyself not too forward into this Veil hurly Burly I speak not for endangering the Steed and coat of armor but for the sake of thine own life and limbs gramy for thy caution said the Palmer again smiling I will use thy courtesy frankly and it will go hard with me but I will requite it they parted and took different roads for the town of Sheffield chapter 7 in gy liveries March and quaint attires one laced the helm another held the Lance a third The Shining buckler did Advance the corser poured the ground with Restless feet and snorting foamed and champed the golden bit The Smiths and armorers on Pal’s ride files in their hands and hammers at their side and nails for loosened Spears and thongs for Shields provide the yman guard the streets in seamly bands and clowns come crowding on with cudgels in their hands palamon and our site the condition of the English nation was at this time time sufficiently miserable King Richard was absent a prisoner and in the power of the perfidious and cruel dukee of Austria even the very place of his captivity was uncertain and his fate but very imperfectly known to the generality of his subjects who were in the meantime a prey to every species of subaltern Oppression Prince John in League with Philip of France cordon’s mortal enemy was using every species of influence with the Duke of Austria to prolong the Captivity of his Brother Richard to whom he stood indebted for so many favors in the meantime he was strengthening his own faction in the Kingdom of which he proposed to dispute the succession in case of the King’s death with the legitimate Heir Arthur Duke of Britany son of Jeffrey plantagenet the elder brother of John this usurpation it is well known he afterwards affected his own character being light proplate and perfidious Jon easily attached to his person and faction not only all who had reason to dread the resentment of Richard for criminal proceedings during his absence but also the numerous class of Lawless resolutesupportmedia who driven to despair by the oppression of the feudal nobility and the severe exercise of the forest laws banded together in large gangs and keeping possession of the forests and the wastes set at Defiance the justice and magistracy of the country the Nobles themselves each fortified within his own castle and playing the petty Sovereign over his own dominions were the leaders of bands scarce less Lawless and oppressive than those of the avowed depredators to maintain retain these retainers and to support the extravagance and magnificence which their pride induced them to affect the nobility borrowed sums of money from the Jews of the most usurious interest which gwed into their Estates like consuming caners scarce to be cured unless when circumstances gave them an opportunity of getting free by exercising upon their creditors some Act of unprincipled violence under the various burdens imposed by this unhappy State of Affairs the people of England land suffered deeply for the present and had yet more Dreadful cause to fear for the future to augment their misery a contagious disorder of a dangerous nature spread through the land and rendered more virulent by the uncleanness the indifferent food and The Wretched lodging of the lower classes swept off many whose fate the survivors were tempted to Envy as exempting them from the evils which were to come yet amid these accumulated distresses the poor as well as the Rich the vulgar as well as the Noble in the event of a tournament which was the Grand spectacle of that age felt as much interested as the half- starved citizen of Madrid who is not a real left to buy Provisions for his family feels in the issue of a bull Feast neither Duty nor infirmity could keep youth or age from such exhibitions the passage of arms as it was called which was to take place at Ashby in the county of Lester as champions of the first Renown were to take the Feld in the presence of Prince John himself who was expected to Grace the lists had attracted Universal attention and an immense Confluence of persons of all ranks hastened upon the appointed morning to the place of combat the scene was singularly romantic on the verge of a wood which approached to within a mile of the town of Ashby was an extensive Meadow of the finest and most beautiful Green Turf surrounded on one side by the forest and fringed on the other by straggling oak trees some of which had grown to an immense size the ground as if fashioned on purpose for the Marshall display which was intended sloped gradually down on all sides to a level bottom which was enclosed for the lists with strong Palisades forming a space of a quarter of a mile in length and about half as broad the form of the enclosure was an oblong Square save that the corners were considerably rounded off in order to afford more convenience I for The Spectators the openings for the entry of the combatants were at the northern and southern extremities of the lists accessible by strong wooden gates each wide enough to admit two Horsemen riding AB breast at each of these portals were stationed two Heralds attended by six trumpets as many pursuant and a strong body of men at arms for maintaining order and ascertaining the quality of the knights who proposed to engage in this Marshall game on a platform beyond the southern entrance formed by a natural elevation of the ground were pitched five magnificent Pavilions adorned with pennons of russet and black The Chosen colors of the Five Knights challenges the cords of the tents were of the same color before each Pavilion was suspended The Shield of the Knight by whom it was occupied and beside it stood his Squire quaintly disguised as a salvage or silveren man or in some other fantastic dress according to the taste of his master and the character he was pleased to assume during the game the central Pavilion as the place of honor had been assigned to Brian B Bo gilbe whose Renown in all games of chivalry no less than his connections with the Knights who had undertaken this passage of arms had occasioned him to be eagerly received into the company of the Challengers and even adopted as their Chief and leader though he had so recently joined them on one side of his tent were pitched those of Reginald front deou and Richard De Malvo son and on the other was the Pavilion of hudig Grant mesel a noble Baron in the vicinity whose ancestor had been Lord High Steward of England in the time of the Conqueror and his son William Rufus Ralph de vipont a knight of St John of Jerusalem who had some ancient possessions at a place called Heather near ashb De laush occupied the fifth Pavilion from the entrance into the lists a gently sloping passage 10 yards in breadth led up to the platform on which the tents were pitched it was strongly secured by a palisade on each side as was the Esplanade in front of The Pavilions and the hole was guarded by Men At arms the northern access to the lists terminated in a similar entrance of 30 ft in breadth at the extremity of which was a large enclosed space for such Knights as might be disposed to enter the lists with the challengers behind which were placed tents containing Refreshments of every kind for their accommodation with armorers Terriers and other attendants in Readiness to give their services wherever they might be necessary the exterior of the lists was in part occupied by temporary galleries spread with tapestry and carpets and accommodated with cushions for the convenience of those ladies and Nobles who were expected to attend the tournament a narrow space betwix these Galleries and the lists gave accommodation for yry and Spectators of a better degree than the mere vulgar and might be compared to the pit of a theater the promiscuous multitude arranged themselves upon large Banks of turf prepared for the purpose which aided by the natural elevation of the ground enabled them to overlook the Galleries and obtain a Fair View into the lists besides the accommodation which these stations afforded many hundreds had perched themselves on the branches of the trees which surrounded the meadow and even the steeple of a country church at some distance was crowded with Spectators it only remains to notice respecting the general Arrangement that one Gallery in the very center of the Eastern side of the lists and consequently exactly opposite to the spot where the shock of the combat was to take place was raised higher than the others more richly decorated and graced by a sort of throne and canopy on which the Royal Arms were emblazened Squires pages and yman in Rich liveries waited around this place of honor which was designed for Prince John and his attendance opposite to this Royal Gallery was another elevated to the same height on the western side of the lists and more gay if less sumptuously decorated than that destined for the prince himself a train of pages and of young maidens the most beautiful who could be selected gay dressed in fancy habits of green and pink surrounded a throne decorated in the same colors among penin and flags bearing wound wed Hearts burning Hearts bleeding hearts bows and quivers and all the commonplace emblems of the triumphs of cupid a blazed inscription informed The Spectators that this seat of Honor was designed for Loro deas Bol desamor but who was to represent the queen of beauty and of Love on the present occasion no one was prepared to guess meanwhile Spectators of every description thronged forward to occupy their respective stations and not without many quarrels concerning those which they were entitled to hold some of these were settled by the men at- arms with brief ceremony the shafts of their battle axes and pummels of their swords being readily employed as arguments to convince the more refractory others which involve the Rival claims of more elevated persons were determined by the Heralds or by the two Marshals of the field William dwel and Steven de marival who armed at all points rode up and down the lists to enforce and preserve good order Among The Spectators gradually the galleries became filled with knights and Nobles in their robes of Peace whose long and Rich tinted mantel were contrasted with the gayer and more Splendid habits of the ladies who in a greater proportion than even the men themselves thronged to witness a sport which one would have thought too bloody and dangerous to afford their sex much pleasure the lower and interior space was soon filled by substantial yman and burgers and such of the Lesser Gentry as from modesty poverty or dubious title Durst not assume any higher place it was of course amongst these that the most frequent disputes for precedence occurred dog of an unbeliever said an old man whose threadbear tunic bore witness to his poverty as his sword and Dagger and golden chain intimated his pretensions to rank welp of a shewolf darest thou press upon a Christian and a Norman gentleman of the blood of moner this rough expostulation was addressed to no other than our acquaintance Isaac who richly and even magnificently dressed in a gabardine ornamented with lace and lined with fur was endeavoring to make place in the foremost row beneath the gallery for his daughter the beautiful Rebecca who had joined him at Ashby and who was now hanging on her father’s arm not a little terrified by the popular displeasure which seemed generally excited by her parents presumption but Isaac though we have seen him sufficiently timid on other occasions knew well that at present he had nothing to fear it was not in places of General Resort or where their equals were assembled that any avaricious or malevolent Noble Durst offer him injury at such meetings the Jews were under the protection of the general law and if that proved a weak Assurance it usually happened that there were among the persons assembled some Barons who for their own interested motives were ready to act as their protectors on the present occasion Isaac felt more than usually confident being aware that Prince John was even then in the very Act of negotiating a large loan from the Jews of York to be secured upon certain jewels and lands Isaac’s own share in this transaction was considerable and he well knew that the prince’s eager desire to bring it to a conclusion would ensure him his protection in the Dilemma in which he stood emboldened by these considerations the Jew pursued his point and jostled the Norman Christian without respect either to his descent quality or religion the complaints of the old man however excited the indignation of the bystanders one of these a stout well set yman arrayed in Lincoln Green having 12 arrows stuck in his belt with a ball dricken Badge of silver and a bow of 6 feet length in his hand turned Short Round And while his countenance which is constant exposure to the weather had rendered Brown as a hazelnut grew darker with anger he advised the Jew to remember that all the wealth he had acquired by sucking the blood of his miserable victims had but swelled him like a bloated spider which might be overlooked while he kept in a corner but would be crushed if it ventured into the light this intimation delivered in Norman English with a firm voice and a Stern aspect made the Jew shrink back and he would have probably withdrawn himself altogether from a vicinity so dangerous had not the attention of everyone been called to the sudden entrance of Prince John who at that moment entered the lists attended by a numerous and gay train consisting partly of layman partly of churchmen as light in their dress and as gay in their demeanor as their companions among the latter was the prior of JAL in the most Gallant trim which a dignitary of the church could venture to exhibit fur and gold were not spared in his garments and the points of his boots out hering the Preposterous fashion of the time turned up so very far as to be attached not to his knees merely but to his very girdle and effectually prevented him from putting his foot into the Stirrup this however was a slight inconvenience to the Gallant Abbot who perhaps even rejoicing in the opportunity to display his accomplished horsemanship before so many Spectators especially of the fair sex Des Ed with the use of these supports to a timid Rider the rest of Prince John’s retinue consisted of the favorite leaders of his mercenary troops some marauding Barons and proplate attendants upon the court with several Knights Templars and Knights of St John it may be here remarked that the Knights of these two orders were accounted hostile to King Richard having adopted the side of Philip of France in the long train of disputes which took place in Palestine betx that Monarch and the lion h parted King of England it was the well-known consequence of this Discord that Richard’s repeated victories had been rendered fruitless his romantic attempts to besiege Jerusalem disappointed and the fruit of all the glory which he had acquired had dwindled into an uncertain truce with the sultan Saladin with the same policy which had dictated the conduct of their brethren in the Holy Land the Templars and hospitallers in England and Normandy attached themselves to the faction of Prince John having little reason to desire the return of Richard to England or the succession of Arthur his legitimate Heir for the opposite reason Prince John hated and contemned the few Saxon families of consequence which subsisted in England and omitted no opportunity of mortifying and affronting them being conscious that his person and pretensions were disliked by them as well as by the greater part of the English Commons who feared farther Innovation upon their rights and liberties from a sovereign of John’s like sensous and tyrannical disposition attended by this Gallant equipage himself well-mounted and splendidly dressed in crimson and in gold bearing upon his hand a falcon and having his head covered by a rich fur Bonnet adorned with a circle of precious stones from which his long curled hair escaped and overspread his shoulders Prince John upon a gray and high metal pfy Caracol within the lists at the head of his jovial party laughing loud with his train and eyeing with all the boldness of Royal criticism the Beauties who adorned the lofty galleries those who remarked in the physiognomy of the prince a dissolute audacity mingled with extreme haughtiness and indifference to the feelings of others could not yet deny to his countenance that sort of cless which belongs to an open set of features well formed by Nature modeled by Art to the usual rules of courtesy yet so far Frank and honest that they seemed as if they disclaimed to conceal the natural workings of the Soul such an expression is often mistaken for manly frankness when in truth it arises from The Reckless indifference of a libertine disposition conscious of superiority of birth of wealth or of some other adventitious Advantage totally unconnected with personal Merit to those who did not think so deeply and they were the greater number by 100 to one the Splendor of Prince John’s Reno that is fur tippet the richness of his cloak lined with the most costly Sables his maroquin boots and golden Spurs together with the grace with which he managed his palfry were sufficient to Merit clamorous Applause in his joyous caracle round the lists the attention of the prince was called by the commotion not yet subsided which had attended the ambitious movement of Isaac towards the higher places of the assembly the quick eye of Prince John instantly recognized the Jew but was much more agreeably attracted by the Beautiful beautiful daughter of Zion who terrified by the chimal clung close to the arm of her aged father the figure of Rebecca might indeed have compared with the proudest beauties of England even though it had been judged by as shrewd a connoisseur as Prince John her form was exquisitly symmetrical and was shown to Advantage by a sort of Eastern dress which she wore according to the fashion of the females of her Nation her turban of yellow silk suited well with the darkness of her complexion the Bri brancy of her eyes the superb arch of her eyebrows her well-formed aqualine nose her teeth as white as Pearl and the profusion of her Sable Tresses which each arranged in its own little spiral of Twisted curls fell down upon as much of a lovely neck and bosom as a simar of the richest Persian silk exhibiting flowers in their natural colors embossed upon a purple ground permitted to be visible all these constituted a combination of love less which yielded not to the most beautiful of the maidens who surrounded her it is true that of the golden and pearl studded clasps which closed her vest from the throat to the waist the three uppermost were left unfastened on account of the heat which somewhat enlarged the prospect to which we allude a diamond necklace with pendants of inestimable value were by this means also made more conspicuous the feather of an ostrich fastened in her turban by an AG Raph set with Brilliance was another distinction of the beautiful Jewish scoffed and sneered at by the proud Dames who sat above her but secretly envied by those who affected to deride them by the bald scalp of Abraham said Prince John Yonder Jewish must be the very model of that Perfection whose charms drove frantic the wisest King that ever lived what sayest thou prior IMA by the Temple of that wise King which our wiser Brother Richard proved able to recover she is the very Bride of the canticles the rose of Sharon and the lily of the valley answered the prior in a sort of snuffling tone but your grace must remember she is still but a Jewish a added Prince John without heeding him and there is my Mammon of unrighteousness too the Maris of Marx the baron of bants contesting for place with penniless dogs whose threadbear cloaks have not a single cross in their pouches to keep the devil from dancing there by the body of St Mark my prince of supplies with his lovely Jewish shall have a place in the gallery what is she Isaac thy wife or thy daughter that Eastern hurry that thou lock under thy arm as thou woulds thy treasure casket my daughter Rebecca so please your grace answered Isaac with a low coni nothing embarrassed by the prince’s salutation in which however there was at least as much mockery as courtesy the wiser man thou said Jon with a peel of laughter in which his gay followers obsequiously joined but daughter or wife she should be preferred according to her beauty and thy merits who sits above there he continued bending his eye on the gallery Saxon churs lulling at their lazy length out upon them Let Them Sit Close and make room for my prince of usurers and his lovely daughter I’ll make the Hinds know they must share the places of the synagogue with those whom the synagogue properly belongs to those who occupied the gallery to whom this injurious and unpolite speech was addressed were the family of Cedric the Saxon with that of his Ally and Kinsman athl stain of Kingsburg a personage who on account of his descent from the last Saxon monarchs of England was held in the highest Respect by all the Saxon natives of the north of England but with the blood of this ancient Royal race many of their infirmities had descended to athlin he was comely in countenance bulky and strong in person and in the flower of his age yet inanimate in expression dull eyed heavy brow inactive and sluggish in all his motions and so slow in resolution that the suricate of one of his ancestors was conferred upon him and he was very generally called athl stain the unready his friends and he had many who as well as Cedric were passionately attached to him contended that this sluggish temper arose not from want of Courage but from Mere want of decision others alleged that his hereditary Vice of drunkenness had obscured his faculties never of a very acute order and that the passive courage and meek good nature which remained behind were merely the dregs of a character that might have been deserving of Praise but of which all the valuable Parts had flown off in the progress of a long course of brutal debauchery it was to this person such as we have described him that the prince addressed his imperious command to make place for Isaac and Rebecca athlin utterly confounded at an order which the manners and feelings of the times rendered so injuriously insulting unwilling to obey yet undetermined how to resist opposed only the vi Ina to the will of JN and without stirring or making any motion whatever of obedience opened his large gray eyes and stared at the prince with an astonishment which had in it something extremely ludicrous but the impatient John regarded it in no such light the Saxon porker he said is either asleep or Minds me not prick him with your Lance to bracie speaking to a knight who rode near him the leader of a band of free companions or condottieri that is of mercenaries belonging to no particular Nation but attached for the time to any Prince by whom they were paid there was a murmur even among the attendants of Prince John but de brai whose profession freed him from all Scruples extended his long Lance over the space which separated the gallery from the lists and would have executed the commands of the prince before athlin the unready had recovered presence of Mind sufficient even to draw back his person from the weapon had not Cedric as prompt as His companion was tardy unshed with the speed of lightning the short sword which he wore and at a single blow severed the point of the Lance from the handle the blood rushed into the countenance of Prince John he swore one of his deepest Oaths and was about to utter some threat corresponding in violence when he was diverted from his purpose partly by his own attendants who gathered around him Conjuring him to be patient partly by a general exclamation of the crowd uttered in loud Applause of the spirited conduct of Cedric the prince rolled his eyes in indignation as if to collect some safe and easy victim and chancing to encounter The Firm glance of the same Archer whom we have already noticed and who seemed to persist in his gesture of Applause in spite of the frowning aspect which the prince bent upon him he demanded his reason for clamoring thus I always add my Hollow said the yman when I see a good shot or a gallon blow sayest thou answered the prince then thou CST hit the white thyself F warrant a woodsman’s mark and at woodsman’s distance I can hit answered the yman and what T’s Mark at 100 yards said a voice from behind but by whom uttered could not be discerned this illusion to the fate of William Rufus his relative at once incensed and alarmed Prince John he satisfied himself however with commanding the men at Arms who surrounded the lists to keep an eye on the braggot pointing to the yman by St Grizzle he added we will try his own skill who is so ready to give his voice to the Feats of others I shall not fly the trial said the yman with the composure which marked his whole deportment meanwhile stand up ye Saxon churs said the fiery Prince for By the Light Of Heaven since I have said it the Jew shall have his seat amongst ye by no means and it please your grace it is not fit for such as we to sit with the rulers of the land said the Jew whose ambition for precedence though it had led him to dispute place with the extenuated and impoverished descendant of the line of montier by no means stimulated him to an intrusion upon the Privileges of the wealthy Saxons up Infidel dog when I command you said Prince John or I will have thy swarthy hide stripped off and tanned for horse Furniture thus urged the Jew began to ascend the Steep and narrow steps which led up to the gallery let me see said the prince who dare stop him fixing his eye on Cedric whose attitude intimated his intention to Hur the Jew down headlong the catastrophe was prevented by the clown WBA who springing betwix his master and Isaac and exclaiming in answer to the prince’s Defiance Mary that will I opposeed to the beard of the Jew a shield of Brawn which he plucked from beneath his cloak and with which doubtless he had furnished himself lest the tournament should have proved longer than his appetite could endure abstinence finding the abomination of his tribe opposed to his very nose while the jester at the same time flourished his wooden sword above his head the Jew recoiled missed his footing and rolled down the steps an excellent Gest to The Spectators who set up a loud laughter in which Prince John and his attendants heartily joined deal me the prize cousin Prince said wber I have vanquished my foe in fair fight with sword and shield he added brandishing the brawn in one hand and the wooden sword in the other who and what art thou Noble Champion said Prince John still laughing a Fool by right of descent answered the jester I am WBA the son of witless who was the son of weather brain who is the son of an alderman make room for the Jew in front of the lower ring said Prince John not unwilling perhaps to to seize an apology to desist from his original purpose to place the vanquished beside the Victor were false heraldry Nave upon fool were worse answered the jester and Jew upon bacon worst of all gramy good fellow cried Prince John thou pleasest me here Isaac lend me a handful of bance as the Jew stunned by the request afraid to refuse and unwilling to comply fumbled in the furred bag which hung by his girdle and was perhaps endeavoring to ascertain how few coins might pass for a handful the prince stooped from his Genet and settled Isaac’s doubts by snatching the pouch itself from his side and flinging to womber a couple of the gold pieces which it contained he pursued his career around the lists leaving the Jew to the derision of those around him and himself receiving as much Applause from The Spectators as if he had done some honest and honorable action chapter 8 his trumpet sounds the challenged makes reply high with clanger rings the field resounds the vaulted Sky their visors closed their lances in the rest or at the helmet pointed or the crest they vanish from the barrier speed the race and spurring see decrease the middle space palamon on our sight in the midst of Prince John’s cavalcade he suddenly stopped and appealing to the prior of y v declared the principal business of the day had been forgotten by my ham said he we have forgotten surp prior to name the fair Sovereign of love and of beauty by whose White Hand the Palm is to be distributed for my part I am liberal in my ideas and I care not if I give my vote for the blackeyed Rebecca holy virgin answered the prior turning up his eyes in horror a Jewish we should deserve to be stoned out of the lists and I am not yet old enough to be a martyr besides I swear by my patron saint that she is far inferior to the lovely sac Rowena Saxon or Jew answered the prince Saxon or Jew dog or hog what matters it I say name Rebecca were it only to mortify the Saxon churs a murmur arose even among his own immediate attendance this passes a Gest my lord said de Brae no Knight here will lay Lance in rest if such an insult is attempted it is the mere wantonness of insult said one of the oldest and most important of Prince John’s followers waldemar fitur and if your grace attempt it cannot but prove ruinous to your projects I entertained you sir said John reing up his palfrey haughtily for my follower but not for my counselor those who follow your grace in the paths which you tread said waldemar but speaking in a low voice acquire the right of counselors for your interest and safety are not more deeply gauged than their own from the tone in which this was spoken JN saw the necessity of acquiescence I did but justest he said and you turn upon me like so many adders name whom you will in the fiend’s name and please yourselves n n said de brai let the fair sovereign’s Throne remain unoccupied until the Conqueror shall be named and then let him choose the lady by whom it shall be filled it will add another Grace to his Triumph and teach Fair ladies to prize the lover Valiant Knights who can exalt them to such distinction if Brian De gilber gain the prize said the prior I will gauge my rosary that I name the Sovereign of love and beauty Bazil be answered de brai is a good Lance but there are others around these lists a prior who will not fear to encounter him silence sir said waldemar and let the prince assume his seat the knights and Spectators are alike impatient the time advances and highly fit it is that the sport should commence Prince John though not yet a monarch had in waldemar fitzers all the inconveniences of a favorite Minister who in serving his Sovereign must always do so in his own way the prince acquiesced however although his disposition was precisely of that kind which is apt to be obstinate upon Trifles and assuming his throne and being surrounded by his followers gave signal to the Heralds to proclaim the laws of the tournament which were briefly as follows first the five challeng ERS were to undertake all cers secondly any Knight proposing to combat might if he pleased select a special antagonist from Among The Challengers by touching his shield if he did so with the reverse of his Lance the trial of skill was made with what were called the arms of courtesy that is with lances at whose extremity a piece of round flat board was fixed so that no danger was encountered save from the shock of the horses and Riders but if the shield was touched with the sharp end of the Lance the combat was understood to be at outrance that is the knights were to fight with sharp weapons as in actual battle thirdly when the knights present had accomplished their vow by each of them breaking five lances the prince was to declare the Victor in the first day’s torny who should receive as prize a warhorse of exquisite beauty and matchless strength and in addition to this reward of Valor it was now declared he should have the peculiar honor of naming the queen of love and beauty by whom the prize should be given on the ensuing day fourthly it was announced that on the second day there should be a general tournament in which all the knights present who were desirous to win praise might take part and being divided into two bands of equal numbers might fight it out manfully until the signal was given by Prince John to Cease the combat the elected queen of love and beauty was then to Crown the Knight whom the prince should adjudged to have borne himself best in this second day with a Coronet composed of thin gold plate cut into the shape of a laurel crown on this second day the nightly games ceased but on that which was to follow Feats of archery of bull baiting and other popular amusements were to be practiced for the more immediate Amusement of the populace in this manner did Prince John Endeavor to lay the foundation of a popularity which he was perpetually throwing down by some inconsiderate Act of want and aggression upon the feelings and prejudices of the people the lists now presented a most Splendid spectacle the sloping galleries were crowded with all that was Noble great wealthy and beautiful in the Northern and Midland parts of England and the contrast of the various dresses of these dignified Spectators rendered The View as gay as it was rich while the interior and lower space filled with the substantial Burgesses and yman of marry England formed in their more plain attire a dark Fringe or border around this circle of brilliant embroidery relieving and at the same time setting off its Splendor the Heralds finished their Proclamation with their usual Cry of lares lares Gallant Knights and gold and silver pieces were showered on them from the galleries it being a high point of chivalry to exhibit liberality towards Those whom the age accounted at once the secretaries and the historians of honor the Bounty of the spectators was acknowledged by the customary shouts of Love of ladies death of Champions honor to the generous glory to the brave to which the more humble Spectators added their acclamations and a numerous band of trumpeters the flourish of their Marshal instruments when these sounds had ceased the Heralds withdrew from the lists in gay and glittering procession and none remained within them save the marshals of the field who armed kaapa sat on Horseback motionless as statues at the opposite ends of the lists meantime the enclosed space at the northern extremity of the lists large as it was was now completely crowded with knights desirous to prove their skill Against The Challengers and when viewed from the galleries presented the appearance of a sea of waving plumage intermixed with glistening helmets and Tall lances to the extremities of which were in many cases attached small pennant of about a span’s breadth which fluttering in the air as the breeze caught them joined with the Restless motion of the feathers to add liveliness to the scene at length the barriers were opened and Five Knights chosen by lot Advanced slowly into the area a single Champion riding in front and the other four following in pairs all were splendidly armed and my Saxon Authority in the warden manuscript records at Great length their devices their colors and the embroidery of their horse trappings it is unnecessary to be particular on these subjects to borrow lines from a contemporary poet who has written but too little the knights are dust and their good swords are rust their souls are with the Saints we trust their escut have long molded from the walls of their castles their castles themselves are but green mounds and shattered ruins the place that once knew them knows them no more nay many a race since theirs has died out and been forgotten in the very land which they occupied with all the authority of feudal Proprietors and feudal Lords what then would it Avail the reader to know their names or the evanescent symbols of their Marshal rank now however no wit anticipating the Oblivion which awaited their names and Feats the Champions Advanced through the lists restraining their fiery steeds and compelling them to move slowly while at the same time they exhibited their Paces together with the grace and dexterity of the Riders as the procession entered the lists the sound of a wild barbaric music was heard from behind the tents of the challengers where the performers were concealed it was of Eastern origin having been brought from the holy land and the mixture of the symbols and bells seemed to bid welcome at once and Defiance to the knights as they Advanced with the eyes of an immense Concourse of spectators fixed upon them the Five Knights Advanced up the platform upon which the tents of the challengers stood and there separating themselves each touched slightly and with the reverse of his Lance The Shield of the antagonist to whom he wished to oppose himself the lower orders of Spectators in general nay many of the higher class and it is even said several of the ladies were rather disappointed at the Champions choosing the arms of courtesy for the same sort of persons who in the present day applaud most highly the deepest tragedies were then interested in a tournament exactly in proportion to the danger incurred by the Champions engaged having intimated their more pacific purpose the Champions retreated to the extremity of the lists where they remained drawn up in a line while the challengers sallying each from his Pavilion mounted their horses and headed by Brian debar gilet descended from the platform and opposed themselves individually to the knights who had touched their respective Shields at the flourish of clarans and trumpets they started out against each other at full gallop and such was the superior dexterity or Good Fortune of the Challengers that those opposed to Bo gilber malisi and front de rolled on the ground the antagonist of grant mesnil instead of bearing his Lance Point Fair against the crest or the shield of his enemy swerved so much from the direct line as to break the weapon awart the person of his opponent a circumstance which was accounted more disgraceful than that of being actually unhorsed because the latter might happen from accident whereas the former evinced awkwardness and want of management of the weapon and of the horse the fifth Knight alone maintained the honor of his party and parted fairly with the Knight of St John both splintering their lances without advantage on either side the shouts of the multitude together with the acclamations of the Heralds and the clanger of the trumpets announced the Triumph of the victors and the defeat of the vanquished the former retreated to their Pavilion and the latter Gathering themselves up as they could withdrew from the lists in disgrace and dejection to agree with their Victors concerning the Redemption of their arms and their horses which according to the laws of the tournament they had forfeited the fifth of their number alone tarried in the lists long enough to be greeted by the applauses of the spectators among whom he retreated to the aggravation doubtless of his companions mortification a second and a third party of knights took the field and although they had various success yet upon the whole the advantage decidedly remained with the challenges not one of whom lost his seat or swerved from his charge misfortunes which befell one or two of their antagonists in each encounter the spirits therefore of those opposed to them seem to be considerably d amped by their continued success three Knights only appeared on the fourth entry who avoiding the shields of Bo Gil and frond both contented themselves with touching those of the three other Knights who had not altogether manifested the same strength and dexterity this politic selection did not alter the fortune of the field the challenges were still successful one of their antagonists was overthrown and both the others failed in the attaint 18 that is in Striking the helmet and shield of their antagonist firmly and strongly with the Lance held in a direct line so that the weapon might break unless the champion was overthrown after this fourth encounter there was a considerable pause nor did it appear that anyone was very desirous of renewing the contest The Spectators murmured among themselves for among the challenges malisan and front deou were unpopular from their characters and the others except GR mesnil were disliked as strangers and foreigners but none shared the general feeling of dissatisfaction so keenly as Cedric the Saxon who saw in each Advantage gained by the Norman Challengers a repeated triumph over the honor of England his own education had taught him no skill in the games of chivalry although with the arms of his Saxon ancestors he had manifested himself on many occasions a brave and determined Soldier he looked anxiously to athlin who had learned the accomplishments of the age as if Desiring that he should make some personal effort to recover the victory which was passing into the hands of the Templar and his associates but though both Stout of heart and strong of person athlin had a disposition too inert and unambitious to make the exertions which Cedric seemed to expect from him the day is against England my lord said Cedric in a marked tone are you not tempted to take the Lance I shall tilt tomorrow answered athlin in the melee it is not worthwhile for me to arm myself today two things displeased Cedric in this speech it contained the Norman word melee to express the general conflict and it evinced some indifference to the honor of the country but it was spoken by athlin whom he held in such profound respect that he would not trust himself to Canvas his motives or his foibles moreover he had no time to make any remarks Mark for wber thrust in his word observing it was better though scarce easier to be the best man among a hundred than the best man of two athlin took the observation as a serious compliment but Cedric who better understood the Jester’s meaning darted at him a severe and menacing look and lucky it was for wber perhaps that the time and place prevented his receiving notwithstanding his place and service more sensible marks of his master’s resentment the pause in the tournament was still uninterrupted accepting by the voices of the Heralds exclaiming love of ladies splintering of lances stand forth Gallant Knights Fair eyes look upon your Deeds the music also of the challenges breathed from time to time wild bursts expressive of Triumph or Defiance while the clowns grudged a holiday which seemed to pass away in inactivity and old Knights and Nobles lamented in Whispers The decay of Marshall spirit spoke of the triumphs of their younger days but agreed that the land did not now Supply Dames of such Transcendent Beauty as had animated the jousts of former times Prince John began to talk to his attendants about making ready the banquet and the necessity of a judging the prize to Brian De Bo gilber who had with a single spear overthrown two knights and foiled a third at length as the saracenic music of the challenges concluded one of those long and high flourish with which they had broken The Silence of the lists it was answered by a solitary trumpet which breathed a note of defiance from the northern extremity all eyes were turned to see the new Champion which these sounds announced and no sooner were the barriers opened than he paced into the lists as far as could be judged of a man sheathed in armor the new Adventurer did not greatly exceed the middle size and seemed to be rather slender than strongly made his suit of armor was formed of Steel richly inlaid with gold and the device on his shield was a young oak tree pulled up by the roots with the Spanish word Des dadoo signifying disinherited he was mounted on a gallant Black Horse and as he passed through the lists he gracefully saluted The Prince and the ladies by lowering his Lance the dexterity with which he managed his Steed and something of youthful Grace which he displayed in his manner won him the favor of the multitude which some of the lower classes EXP ressed by calling out touch Ralph deon’s Shield touch the hospital Shield he has the least sure seat he is your cheapest bargain the champion moving onward amid these well- me hints ascended the platform by the sloping alley which led to it from the lists and to the astonishment of all present riding straight up to the central Pavilion struck with the sharp end of his spear The Shield of Bri de gilber until it rung again all stood astonished at his presumption but none more than the routed Knight whom he had thus defied to Mortal Combat and who little expecting so rude a challenge was standing carelessly at the door of the Pavilion have you confessed yourself brother said the Templar and have you heard Mass this morning that you Peril your life so frankly I am fitter to meet death than thou art answered the disinherited night for by this name the stranger had recorded himself in the books of the Tony then take your place in the lists said boce Gilbert and look your last upon the Sun for this night Thou shalt sleep in Paradise gramy for thy courtesy replied the disinherited Knight and to requite it I advise thee to take a fresh horse and a new Lance for by my honor you will need both having expressed himself thus confidently he reigned his horse backward down the slope which he had ascended and compelled him in the same manner to move backward through the lists till he reached the northern extremity where he remained stationary in expectation of his antagonist this feat of horsemanship again attracted the Applause of the multitude however incensed at his adversary for the precautions which he recommended Brian De gilber did not neglect his advice for his honor was too nearly concerned to permit his neglecting any means which might ensure victory over his presumptuous opponent he changed his horse for AED and fresh one of great strength and spirit he chose a new and a tough spear lest the wood of the former might have been strained in the previous encounters he had sustained lastly he laid aside his shield which had received some little damage and received another from his Squires his first had only borne the general device of his rider representing two knights riding upon one horse an emblem expressive of the original humility and Poverty of the Templars qualities which they had since exchanged for the arrogance and wealth that finally occasioned their suppression boss Gilbert’s new Shield bore a raven in full flight holding in its claws a skull and bearing The Motto garlic Coro when the two Champions stood opposed to each other at the two extremities of the lists the public expectation was strained to the highest pitch few aured the possibility that the encounter could terminate well for the disinherited Knight yet his courage and gallantry secured the general good wishes of the spectators the trumpets had no sooner given the signal then the Champions vanished from their posts with the speed of lightning and closed in the center of the lists with the shock of a thunderbolt the lanes burst into Shivers up to the very grasp and it seemed at the moment that both Knights had fallen for the shock had made each horse recoil backwards upon its hunches the address of the Riders recovered their steeds by use of the Bridle and spur and having glared on each other for an instant with eyes which seemed to flash fire through the bars of their visors each made a demi Volta and retiring to the extremity of the lists received a fresh Lance from the attendants a loud shout from The Spectators waving of scarfs and handkerchiefs and general acclamations attested the interest taken by The Spectators in this encounter the most equal as well as the best performed which had graced the day but no sooner had the knights resumed their station then the clamor of applause was hushed into a silence so deep and so dead that it seemed the multitude were afraid even to breathe a few minutes pause having been allowed that the combatants and their horses might recover breath Prince John with his truncheon signed to the trumpets to sound the onset the Champions a second time sprung from their stations and closed in the center of the lists with the same speed the same dexterity the same violence but not the same equal Fortune as before in this second encounter the Templar aimed at the center of his antagonists shield and struck it so fair and forcibly that his spear went to Shivers and the disinherited Knight reeled in his saddle on the other hand that champion had in the beginning of his career directed the point of his Lance towards boys gilber Shield but changing his aim almost in the moment of encounter he addressed it to the helmet a mark more difficult to hit but which if attained rendered the shock more irresistible Fair and true he hit the Norman on the visor where his Lance’s Point kept hold of the bars yet even at this disadvantage the Templar sustained his high reputation and had not the girth of his saddle burst he might not have been unhorsed as it chanced however saddle horse and man rolled on the ground under a cloud of dust to extricate himself from the stups and Fallen Steed was to the Templar scarce the work of a moment and stung with Madness both at his disgrace and and at the acclamations with which it was hailed by The Spectators he drew his sword and waved it in defiance of his conqueror the disinherited Knight sprung from his Steed and also un sheathed his sword the marshals of the field however spurred their horses between them and reminded them that the laws of the tournament did not on the present occasion permit this species of encounter we shall meet again I trust said the Templar casting a resentful glance at his an Agonist and where there are none to separate us if we do not said the disinherited Knight The Fault shall not be mine on foot or horseback with spear with axe or with sword I am alike ready to encounter thee more and angrier words would have been exchanged but the marshals crossing their lances betwix them compelled them to separate the disinherited Knight returned to his first station and Bo gilar to his tent where he remained for the rest of the day in an Agony of Despair without a lighting from his horse the Conqueror called for a bowl of wine and opening the beaver or lower part of his helmet announced that he quaffed it to all true English hearts and to the confusion of foreign tyrants he then commanded his trumpet to sound a Defiance to The Challengers and desired a Herald to announce to them that he should make no election but was willing to encounter them in the order in which they pleased to advance against him the gigantic front de armed in Sable armor was the first who took the field he bore on a white Shield a black Bull’s Head half defaced by the numerous encounters which he had undergone and bearing The Arrogant motto cave adsum over this Champion the disinherited Knight obtained a slight but decisive Advantage both Knights broke their lances fairly but front deou who lost a stirrup in the encounter was a judge to have the disadvantage in the stranger’s third encounter with s Philip malvoisin he was equally successful striking that Baron so forcibly on the CK that the laces of the helmet broke and malvoisin only saved from falling by being unhelmeted was declared vanquished like his companions in his fourth combat with deg Grant msil the disinherited Knight showed as much courtesy as he had hitherto evinced courage and dexterity de Grant mesnil horse which was was young and violent reared and plunged in the course of the career so as to disturb the rider’s aim and the stranger declining to take the advantage which this accident afforded him raised his Lance and passing his antagonist without touching him wielded his horse and rode back again to his own end of the lists offering his antagonist by a Herald the chance of a second encounter this de Grant mesnil declined avowing himself vanquished as much by the courtesy as by the address of his opponent Ralph deont summed up the list of the strangers triumphs being hurled to the ground with such force that the blood gushed from his nose and his mouth and he was born senseless from the lists the acclamations of thousands applauded the unanimous Award of The Prince and Marshals announcing that day’s honors to the disinherited Knight chapter N A Lady of a more Majestic Manan by stature and by Beauty marked their Sovereign Queen and as in Beauty she surpassed the choir so nobler than the rest was her attire a crown of Ruddy gold enclosed her brow plain without Pomp and rich without a show a branch of Agnes castas in her hand she bore a loft her symbol of command the flower and the leaf William dwel and Steven de Marval the marshals of the field were the first to offer their congratulations to the Victor praying him at the same time to suffer his helmet to be unlaced or at least that he would raise his visor a they conducted him to receive the prize of the day’s torney from the hands of Prince John the disinherited Knight with all nightly courtesy declined their request alleging that he could not at this time suffer his face to be seen for reasons which he had assigned to the Heralds when he entered the lists the marshals were perfectly Satisfied by this reply for amidst the frequent and capricious vows by which kn were accustomed to bind themselves in the days of chivalry there were none more common than those by which they engaged to remain Incognito for a certain space or until some particular Adventure was achieved the marshals therefore pressed no farther into the mystery of the disinherited Knight but announcing to Prince John the conqueror’s desire to remain unknown they requested permission to bring him before his grace in order that he might receive the reward of his Valor Jon’s curiosity was excited by the mystery observed by The Stranger and being already displeased with the issue of the tournament in which the challengers whom he favored had been successively defeated by one Knight he answered haughtily to the marshals by the light of our lady’s brow this same Knight hath been disinherited as well of his courtesy as of his lands since he desires to appear before us without uncovering his face what ye my lords he said turning round to his train who this Gallant can be that bears himself thus proudly I cannot guess answered deci nor did I think there had been within the four seas that girth Britain a champion that could bear down these five nights in one day’s jousting by my faith I shall never forget the force with which he shocked a vpon the poor hospitala was hurled from his saddle Like a Stone from a sling boast not of that said a night of St John who was present your temple Champion had no better luck I saw your Brave Lance boy Gilbert roll thce over grasping his hands full of sand at every turn de brai being attached to the Templars would have replied but was prevented by Prince John silence sir he said what unprofitable debate have we here the Victor said dval still Waits the pleasure of your highness it is our pleasure answered JN that he do so wait until we learn whether there is not someone who can at least guess at his name and quality should he remain there till Nightfall he has had work enough to keep him warm your Grace said waldemar fitzers will do less than due honor to the Victor if you compel him to wait till we tell your highness that which we cannot know at least I can form no guess unless he be one of the good lances who accompanied King Richard to Palestine and who are now struggling Homeward from the Holy Land it may be the Earl of Salsbury said de brai he is about the same pitch Sir Thomas de Molton the Knight of gilland rather said fitzers soulsbury is bigger in the bones a whisper arose among the train but by whom first suggested could not be ascertained it might be the king it might be Richard Kur Deon himself over God’s forbode said Prince John involuntarily turning at the same time as pale as death and shrinking as if blighted by a flash of lightning waldemar deasi Brave Knights and gentlemen remember your promises and stand truly by me here is no danger impending said waldemar fitzers are you so little acquainted with the gigantic limbs of your Father’s son as to think they can be held within the circumference of Yonder suit of armor dval and martal you will best serve the prince by bringing forward the Victor to the throne and ending an error that has conjured all the blood from his cheeks look at him more closely he continued your highness will see that he wants three inches of King Richard’s height and twice as much of his shoulder breadth the very Horse He backs could not have carried the ponderous weight of King Richard through a single course while he was yet speaking the marshals brought forward the disinherited Knight to the foot of a wooden flight of steps which formed the ascent from the lists to Prince John’s Throne still discomposed with the idea that his brother so much injured and to whom he was so much indebted had suddenly arrived in his native Kingdom even even the distinctions pointed out by fitzers did not altogether remove the prince’s apprehensions and while with a short and embarrassed eulogy upon his Valor he caused to be delivered to him the warhorse assigned as the prize he trembled lest from the barred visor of the mailed form before him an answer might be returned in the deep and awful accents of Richard the lionhearted but the disinherited Knight spoke not a word in reply to the compliment of the prince which he only acknowledged with a profound Basin the horse was led into the lists by two Grooms richly dressed the animal itself being fully enountered with the richest War Furniture which however scarcely added to the value of the noble creature in the eyes of those who were judges laying one hand upon the pommel of the saddle the disinherited Knight vaulted at once upon the back of the Steed without making use of the sturup and brandishing Aloft his Lance rode twice around the lists exhibiting the points and paces of the horse with the skill of a perfect Horseman the appearance of vanity which might otherwise have been attributed to this display was removed by the propriety shown in exhibiting to the best Advantage the princely reward with which he had been just honored and the night was again greeted by the acclamations of all present in the meanwhile the bustling prior of yal had reminded Prince John in a whisper that the Victor must Now display his good judgment instead of his Valor by selecting from among the Beauties who graced the galleries a lady who should fill the Throne of the queen of beauty and of love and deliver the prize of the toury upon the ensuing day the prince accordingly made a sign with his trunion as the night passed him in his second career around the lists the Knight turned towards the throne and sinking his Lance until the point was within a foot of the ground remained motionless as if expecting John’s commands while all admired the sudden dexterity with which he instantly reduced his fiery Steed from a state of violent emotion and high excitation to the Stillness of an equestrian statue so disinherited Knight said Prince John since that is the only title by which we can address you it is now your duty as well as privilege to name the fair lady who was Queen of honor and of love is to preside over next day’s Festival if as a Strang in our land you should require the aid of other judgment to guide your own we can only say that Alicia the daughter of our Gallant Knight wemar fitzers has at our court been long held the first in Beauty as in place nevertheless it is your undoubted prerogative to confer on whom you please this Crown by the delivery of which to the lady of your choice the election of tomorrow’s Queen will be formal and complete raise your LS the Knight obeyed and Prince John placed upon its point a coronette of green satin having around its Edge a circlet of gold the upper edge of which was relieved by Arrow points and hearts placed interchangeably like the strawberry leaves and balls Upon A Jal Crown in the broad hint which he dropped respecting the daughter of waldemar fitzers Jon had more than one motive each The Offspring of a mind which was a strange mixture of carelessness and presumption with low artifice and cunning he wished to banish from the minds of the the chivalry around him his own indecent and unacceptable Gest respecting the Jewish Rebecca he was desirous of conciliating Alicia’s father waldemar of whom he stood in awe and who had more than once shown himself dissatisfied during the course of the day’s proceedings he had also a wish to establish himself in the good graces of the lady for John was at least as lenus in his Pleasures as proplate in his ambition but besides all these reasons he was desirous to raise up against the inherited Knight towards whom he already entertained a strong dislike a powerful enemy in the person of waldemar fitzers who was likely he thought highly to resent the injury done to his daughter in case as was not unlikely the Victor should make another choice and so indeed it proved for the disinherited Knight passed the Gallery close to that of the prince in which the lady Elicia was seated in the full pride of triumphant Beauty and pacing forwards as slowly as he had hitherto rode swiftly around the lists he seemed to exercise his right of examining the numerous Fair faces which adorned that Splendid Circle it was worthwhile to see the different conduct of the Beauties who underwent this examination during the time it was preceding some blushed some assumed an air of Pride and dignity some looked straight forward and essayed to seem utterly unconscious of what was going on some Drew back in alarm which was perhaps affected some endeavored to for bear smiling and there were two or three who laughed outright there were also some who dropped their veils over their charms but as the water manuscript says these were Fair ones of 10 years standing it may be supposed that having had their full share of such vanities they were willing to withdraw their claim in order to give a fair chance to the rising beauties of the age at length the champion paused beneath the balcony in which the lady Rowena was placed and the expectation of the Spectators was excited to the utmost it must be owned that if an interest displayed in his success could have bribed the disinherited Knight the part of the lists before which he paused had merited his predilection Cedric the Saxon Overjoyed at the discomfort of the Templar and still more so at the miscarriage of his two malevolent neighbors frond Deo and malvine had with his body half stretched over the balcony accompanied the Victor in each course not with his eyes only but with his whole heart and soul the lady Rowena had watched the progress of the day with equal attention though without openly betraying the same intense interest even the unmoved athl stain had shown symptoms of shaking off his apathy when calling for a huge Goblet of muscadine he quaffed it to the health of the disinherited Knight another group stationed under the gallery occupied by the Saxons had shown no less interest in the fate of the day father Abraham said Isaac of York when the first course was run betwix the Templar and the disinherited Knight how fiercely that Gentile rides ah the good horse that was brought all the long way from barbery he takes no more care of him than if he were a wild House’s cult and the noble armor that was worth so many zins to Joseph Pereira the armorer of Milan besides 70% in the hundred of prophets he cares for it as little as if he had found in the highways if he risks his own person and limbs father said Rebecca in doing such a dreadful battle he can scarce be expected to spare his horse and armor child replied Isaac somewhat heated thou knowest not what thou speakest his neck and limbs are his own but his horse and armor belong to Holy Jacob what was I about to say nevertheless it is a good youth see Rebecca see he is again about to go up to battle against the Philistine pray child pray for the safety of the good Youth and of the Speedy horse and the rich armor God of my fathers he again exclaimed he hath conquered and the uncircumcised Philistine hath Fallen before his Lance even as OG the king of Bashan and sihon King of the amorites fell before the sword of our fathers surely he shall take their gold and their silver and their war horses and their armor of of brass and of Steel for a prey and for a spoil the same anxiety did the worthy Jew display during every course that was run seldom failing to Hazard a hasty calculation concerning the value of the horse and armor which was forfeited to the champion upon each new success there had been therefore no small interest taken in the success of the disinherited Knight by those who occupied the part of the lists before which he now paused whether from indecision or some other motive of hesit ation the champion of the day remained stationary for more than a minute while the eyes of the silent audience were riveted upon his motions and then gradually and gracefully sinking the point of his Lance he deposited the Coronet which it supported at the feet of the fair Rowena the trumpets instantly sounded while the Heralds proclaimed the lady Rowena the queen of beauty and of love for the ensuing day menacing with suitable penalties those who should be disobedient to her Authority ity they then repeated their Cry of laress to which Cedric in the height of his Joy replied by an ample donative and to which athl stain though less promptly added one equally large there was some murmuring among the damsels of Norman descent who were as much unused to see the preference given to a Saxon Beauty as the Norman nobles were to sustain defeat in the games of chivalry which they themselves had introduced but these sounds of disaffection were drowned by the popular shout of long live the lady Rowena The Chosen and lawful queen of love and of beauty to which many in the lower area added long live the Saxon princess long live the race of the immortal Alfred however unacceptable these sounds might be to Prince John and to those around him he saw himself nevertheless obliged to confirm the nomination of the Victor and accordingly calling to horse he left his throne and mounting his Janet accompanied by his train he again entered the lists the prince paused a moment beneath the gallery of the lady Alicia to whom he paid his compliments observing at the same time to those around him by my halidom S if the knights Feats in arms have shown that he hath Limbs and senu his choice hath no less proved that his eyes are none of the clearest it was on this occasion as during his whole life John’s Misfortune not perfectly to understand the characters of Those whom he wished to conciliate waldemar fitzers was rather offended than pleased at the prince stating thus broadly an opinion that his daughter had been slighted I know no right of chivalry he said more precious or inalienable than that of each free Knight to choose his lady love by his own judgment my daughter courts distinction from no one and in her own character and in her own sphere will never fail to receive the full proportion of that which is her du Prince John replied not but spurring his horse as if to give vent to his vexation he made the animal bound forward to the gallery where Rowena was seated with the crown still at her feet assume he said Fair Lady the mark of your sovereignty to which none vows homage more sincerely than ourself John of anju and if it please you today with your Noble sire and friends to Grace our banquet in the castle of Ashby we shall learn to know the empress to whose service we devote tomorrow Rowena remained silent and Cedric answered for her in his native Saxon the LA lady Rena he said possesses not the language in which to reply to your courtesy or to sustain her part in your Festival I also and the noble affin of coningsburgh speak only the language and practice only the manners of our fathers we therefore decline with thanks your highness courteous invitation to the banquet tomorrow the lady Rowena will take upon her the state to which she has been called by the free election of the Victor Knight confirmed by the acclamations of the people so saying he lifted the Coronet and placed it upon Rowena’s head in token of her acceptance of the temporary Authority assigned to her what says he said Prince John affecting not to understand the Saxon language in which however he was well skilled the purport of Cedric’s speech was repeated to him in French It is Well he said tomorrow we will our s conduct this mute Sovereign to her seat of dignity you at least S Knight he added turning to the Victor who had remained near the gallery will this day share our banquet the Knight speaking for the first time in a low and hurried voice excused himself by pleading fatigue and the necessity of preparing for tomorrow’s encounter it is well said Prince John haughtily although unused to such refusals we will endeavor to digest our banquet as we may though UNG graced by the most successful in arms and his elected queen of beauty so saying he prepared to leave the lists with his glittering train and his turning his Steed for that purpose was the signal for the breaking up and dispersion of the spectators yet with a vindictive memory proper to offended Pride especially when combined with conscious want of desert John had hardly preceded three Paces air again turning around he fixed an eye of stern resentment upon the yman who had displeased him in the early part of the day and issued his commands to the men at Arms who stood near on your life suffer not that fell to escape the yman stood the angry glance of the prince with the same unvaried steadiness which had marked his former deportment saying with a smile I have no intention to leave Ashby until the day after tomorrow I must see how Staffordshire and lerer can draw their bows the forests of Needwood and chanwood must rear good archers I said Prince John to his attendance but not in direct reply I will see how he can draw his own and woe beti him unless his skill should prove some apology for his insolence it is full time said de Brae that the out trudence 19 of these peasants should be restrained by some striking example waldemar fitzers who probably thought his Patron was not taking the readiest road to popularity Shrugged up his shoulders and was silent Prince John resumed his Retreat from the lists and the dispersion of the multitude became General in various routs according to the different quarters from which they came and in groups of various numbers The Spectators were seen retiring over the plane by far the most numerous Parts streamed towards the town of Ashby where many of the distinguished persons were lodged in the castle and where others found accommodation in the town itself among these were most of the knights who had already appeared in the tournament or who proposed to fight there the ensuing day and who as they rode slowly along talking over the events of the day were greeted with loud shouts by the populace the same acclamations were bestowed upon Prince John although he was indebted for them rather to the Splendor of his appearance and train than to the popularity of his character a more sincere and more General as well as as a better merited acclamation attended the victor of the day until anxious to withdraw himself from popular notice he accepted the accommodation of one of those Pavilions pitched at the extremities of the lists the use of which was courteously tendered him by the marshals of the field on his retiring to his tent many who had lingered in the lists to look upon and form conjectures concerning him also dispersed the signs and sounds of a tumultuous Concourse of men lately crowded together in one place and agitated by the same passing events were now exchanged for the distant hum of voices of different groups retreating in all directions and these speedily died away in silence no other sounds were heard save the voices of the menials who stripped the galleries of their cushions and tapestry in order to put them in safety for the night and wrangled among themselves for the half-used bottles of wine and Relics of the refreshment which had been served round to the spectators beyond the precincts of the lists more than one Forge was erected and these now began to glimmer through the Twilight announcing the toil of the armorers which was to continue through the whole night in order to repair or alter the suits of armor to be used again on the morrow a strong guard of men at Arms renewed at intervals from 2 hours to 2 hours surrounded the lists and kept watch during the Night chapter 10 the sick man’s passport in her Hollow beak and in the shadow of the Silent Night doth Shake contagion from her Sable Wings vexed and tormented runs poor Barabas with fatal curses towards these Christians Jew of Malta the disinherited Knight had no sooner reached his Pavilion than Squires and pages in abundance tendered their services to disarm him to bring fresh attire and to offer him the refreshment of the bath their Zeal on this occasion was perhaps sharpened by curiosity since everyone desired to know who the Knight was that had gained so many Laurels yet had refused even at the command of Prince John to lift his visor or to name his name but their officious inquisitiveness was not gratified the disinherited Knight refused all other assistance save that of his own Squire or rather yman a clownish looking man who wrapped in a cloak of dark colored felt and having his head and face half buried in a Norman Bonnet made of black fur seemed to affect the Incognito as much as his master all others being excluded from the tent this attendant relieved his master from the more burdensome parts of his armor and placed food and wine before him which the exertions of the day rendered very acceptable the Knight had scarcely finished a hasty meal a his menial announced to him that five men each leading a Barb Steed desired to speak with him the disinherited Knight had exchanged his armor for the long robe usually worn by those of his condition which being furnished with a hood concealed the features when such was the pleasure of the wearer almost as completely as the visor of the helmet itself but the Twilight which was now fast darkening would have itself have rendered a disguise unnecessary unless to persons to whom the face of an individual Chan to be particularly well known the disinherited Knight therefore stepped boldly forth to the front of his tent and found in attendance the squires of the challengers whom he easily Knew by their russet and black dresses each of whom LED his master’s charger loaded with the armor in which he had that day fought according to the laws of chivalry said the foremost of these men I Baldwin de oili Squire to the routed Knight Brian Deb gilber make offer to you styling yourself for the present the disinherited Knight of the horse and armor used by the said Brian dear Gilbert in this day’s passage of arms leaving it with your nobleness to retain or to Ransom the same according to your pleasure for such is the lore of arms the other Squires repeated nearly the same formula and then stood to await the decision of the disinherited Knight to you for S replied the Knight addressing those who had last spoken and to your honorable and Valiant Masters I have one common reply commend me to the the noble knights your Masters and say I should do ill to deprive them of steeds and arms which can never be used by braver Cavaliers I would I could he end my message to these Gallant Knights but being as I term myself in truth and Earnest the disinherited I must be thus far bound to your masters that they will of their courtesy be pleased to Ransom their steeds and armor since that which I wear I can hardly term my own We Stand Commission each of us answered the Squire of Reginald frond both to offer a 100 zekin in Ransom of these horses and suits of armor it is sufficient said the disinherited Knight half the sum my present Necessities compel me to accept of the remaining half distribute one Moy among yourselves s Squires and divide the other half betwix the Heralds and the perceivant and minstrels and attendants the squires with cap in hand and low reverences expressed their deep sense of a courtesy and generosity not often practiced at least upon a scale so extensive the disinherited Knight then addressed his discourse to Baldwin The Squire of Brian deor gilber from your master said he I will accept neither arms nor Ransom say to him in my name that our Strife is not ended no not till we have fought as well with swords as with lances as well on foot as on Horseback to this Mortal quarrel he has himself defied me and I shall not forget the challenge meantime let him be assured that I hold him not as one of his companions with whom I can with pleasure exchange courtesies but rather as one with whom I stand upon terms of mortal Defiance my master answered Baldwin knows how to requite scorn with scorn and blows with blows as well as courtesy with courtesy since you disdain to accept from him any share of the ransom at which you have rated the arms of the other Knights I must leave his armor and his horse here being well assured that he will never Dain to mount the one nor wear the other you have spoken well good Squire said the disinherited Knight well and boldly as it besth him to speak who answers for an absent Master leave not however the horse and armor here restore them to thy master or if he scorns to accept them retain them good friend for thine own use so far as they are mine I bestow them upon you freely Baldwin made a deep OAS and retired with his companions and the disinherited Knight entered the Pavilion thus far girth said he addressing his attendant the reputation of English chivalry hath not suffered in my hands and I said girth for a Saxon swine her have not ill played the personage of a Norman Squire at Arms yay but answered the disinherited Knight thou Hast ever kept me in anxiety lest thy clownish bearing should discover thee tush said girth I fear Discovery from none saving my playfellow wber the jester of whom I could never discover whether he were most Nave or fool yet I could scarce choose but laugh when my old Master passed so near to me dreaming all the while that girth was keeping his porkers many a mile off in the thickets and swamps of rotherwood if I am discovered enough said the disinherited Knight thou knowest my promise nay for that matter said girth I will never fail my friend for fear of my skin cutting I have a tough hide that will bear knife or Scourge as well as any boss hide in my herd trust me I will requite the risk you run for my love girth said the Knight meanwhile I pray you to accept these 10 pieces pie of gold I am richer said girth putting them into his pouch than ever was swin herd or bondsman take this bag of gold to Ashby continued his master and find out Isaac the Jew of York and let him pay himself for the horse and arms with which his credit supplied Me Nay by St dunon replied girth that I will not do how Nave replied his master wilt thou not obey my commands so they be honest reasonable and Christian commands replied girth but this is none of these to suffer the Jew to pay himself would be dishonest for it would be cheating my master and unreasonable for it were the part of a fool and unchristian since it would be plundering a Believer to enrich an Infidel see him contented however thou stubborn varlet said the disinherited Knight I will do so said girth taking the bag of under his cloak and leaving the apartment and it will go hard he muttered but I content him with one half of his own asking so saying he departed and left the disinherited Knight to his own perplexed ruminations which upon more accounts than it is now possible to communicate to the reader were of a nature peculiarly agitating and painful we must now change the scene to the Village of Ashby or rather to a country house in its vicinity belonging to a wealthy Israelite with whom Isaac his daughter and retinue had taken up their quarters the Jews it is well known being as liberal in exercising the duties of hospitality and charity among their own people as they were alleged to be reluctant and cherish in extending them to Those whom they term Gentiles and whose treatment of them certainly merited little Hospitality at their hand in an apartment small indeed but richly furnished with decorations of an oriental taste Rebecca was was Seated on a heap of embroidered cushions which piled along a low platform that surrounded the chamber served like the Estrada of the Spaniards instead of chairs and stools she was watching the Motions of her father with a look of anxious and filial affection while he paced the apartment with a dejected mean and disordered step sometimes clasping his hands together sometimes casting his eyes to the roof of the apartment as one who labored under great mental tribulation oh Jacob he exclaimed oh all ye 12 holy fathers of our tribe what a losing Venture is this for one who hath duly kept every jot and tit of the law of Moses 50 zins wrenched from me at one clutch and by the talons of a tyrant but father said Rebecca you seem to give the gold to Prince John willingly willingly the blotch of Egypt upon Him willingly said thou a as willingly as when in the Gulf of Lions I flung over my merchandise to lighten the ship while she labored in the Tempest robed the seething Billows in my choice silks perfumed their Briny foam with myrr and allows enriched their Caverns with gold and silver work and was not that an hour of unutterable misery though my own hands made the sacrifice but it was a sacrifice which heaven exacted to save our lives answered Rebecca and the god of our fathers has since blessed your store and your gettings a answered Isaac but if the Tyrant lays hold on them as he did today and compels me to smile while he is robbing me oh daughter disinherited and wandering as we are the worst evil which befalls our race is that when we are wronged and plundered all the world laughs around and we are compelled to suppress our sense of injury and to smile tamely when we would Revenge bravely think not thus of it my father said Rebecca we also have advantages these Gentiles cruel and oppressive as they are are in some sort dependent on the dispersed children of Zion whom they despise and persecute without the aid of our wealth they could neither furnish forth their hosts in war nor their triumphs in peace and the gold which we lend them returns with increase to our coffers we are like the herb which flourisheth most when it is most trampled on even this day’s pageant had not proceeded without the consent of the despised Jew who furnished the means daughter said Isaac thou Hast harped upon another string of Sorrow the goodly Steed and the rich armor equal to the full profit of my adventure with our Kath jyam of Lester there is a dead loss too I a loss which swallows up the gains of a weak a of the space between two sabbaths and yet it may end better than I now think for it is a good youth assuredly said Rebecca you shall not repent you of requiting the good deed received of the stranger Knight I trust so daughter said Isaac and I trust too in the rebuilding of Zion but as well do I hope with my own bodily eyes to see the walls and battlements of the new Temple as to see a Christian yay the very best of Christians repay a debt to a Jew unless under the a of the judge and jailer so saying he resumed his discontented walk through the apartment and Rebecca perceiving that her attempts at Consolation only served to awaken new subjects of complaint wisely desisted from her unavailing efforts a Prudential line of conduct and we recommend to all who set up for comforters and advisers to follow it in the like circumstances the evening was now becoming dark when a Jewish servant entered the apartment and placed upon the table two silver lamps fed with perfumed oil the richest wines and the most delicate Refreshments were at the same time displayed by another israelitish domestic on a small ebony table inlaid with silver for in the interior of their houses the Jews refused themselves no expensive indulgences at the same time the servant informed Isaac that a Nazarene so they termed Christians while conversing among themselves desired to speak speak with him he that would live by traffic must hold himself at the disposal of everyone claiming business with him Isaac at once replaced on the table the untasted glass of Greek wine which he had just raised to his lips and saying hastily to his daughter Rebecca Veil thyself commanded the stranger to be admitted just as Rebecca had dropped over her fine features a screen of silver GW which reached to her feet the door opened and girth entered wrapped in the ample folds of his Norman mantle his appearance was rather suspicious than prepossessing especially as instead of doing his Bonnet he pulled it still deeper over his rugged Brow Art Thou Isaac the Jew of York said girth in Saxon I am replied Isaac in the same language for his traffic had rendered every tongue spoken in Britain familiar to him and who art thou that is not to the purpose answered girth as much as my name is to thee replied Isaac for without knowing thine how can I hold intercourse with thee easily answered girth I being to pay money must know that I deliver it to the right person thou who are to receive it will not I think care very greatly by whose hands it is delivered oh said the Jew you are come to pay monies Holy Father Abraham that alterthe from from the disinherited Knight said girth Victor in this day’s tournament it is the price of the armor supplied to him by kirjath jyim of Lester on thy recommendation the Steed is restored to thy stable I desire to know the amount of the sum which I am to pay for the armor I said he was a good youth exclaimed Isaac with joyful exaltation a cup of wine will do thee no harm he added filling and handing to the swin herd a richer drought than girth had ever before po tasted and how much money continued Isaac has thou brought with thee holy virgin said girth setting down the cup what nectar these unbelieving dogs drink while true Christians are Fain to quaff ale as muddy and thick as the draff we give to Hogs what money have I brought with me continued the Saxon when he had finished this uncivil ejaculation even but a small sum something in hand the whilst what Isaac thou must must bear a conscience though it be a Jewish one nay but said Isaac thy master has won goodly steeds and Rich armors with the strength of his Lance and of his right hand but is a good youth the Jew will take these in present payment and render him back the Surplus my master has disposed of them already said girth ah that was wrong said the Jew that was the part of a fool no Christians here could buy so many horses and armor no Jew except myself would give him half the values but thou Hast a 100 zins with thee in that bag said Isaac prying under girth’s cloak it is a heavy one I have heads for crossbow bolts in it said girth readily well then said Isaac panting and hesitating between habitual love of gain and a newborn desire to be liberal in the present instance if I should say that I would take 80 zins for the good Steed and the Rich armor which leaves me not a gilder’s profit have you money to pay me barely said girth though the sum demanded was more reasonable than he expected and it will leave my master nigh penniless nevertheless if such be your least offer I must be content fill thyself another Goblet of wine said the Jew ah 80 zein is too little it leaveth no profit for the usages of the monies and besides the good horse May have suffered wrong in this day’s encounter oh it was a hard and a dangerous meeting man and Steed rushing on each other like wild bulls of Bashan the horse cannot but have had wrong and I say replied girth he is sound wind and limb and you may see him now in your stable and I say over and above that 70 zans is enough for the armor and I hope a Christian’s word is as good as a Jews if you will not take 70 I will carry this bag and he shook it till the contents jingled back to my master nay nay said Isaac lay down the talents the shekels the 80 zein and thou shalt see I will consider thee liberally girth at length complied and telling out 80 zein upon the table the Jew delivered out to him an acquittance for the horse and suit of armor the Jew’s hand trembled for joy as he wrapped up the first 70 pieces of gold the last 10 then he told over with much deliberation pausing and saying something as he took each piece from the table and dropped it into his purse it seemed as if his avarice were struggling with his better nature and compelling him to pouch zekin after zekin while his generosity urged him to restore some part at least to his benefactor or as a donation to his agent his whole speech ran nearly thus 71 72 thy Master is a good youth 73 and an excellent youth 74 that piece hath been clipped within the ring 75 and that lookth light of weight 76 when thy Master wants money let him come to Isaac of York 77 that is with reasonable security here he made a considerable pause and girth had good hope that the last three pieces might Escape the Fate of their comrades but the enumeration proceeded thou art a good fellow and deserves something for thyself here the Jew paused again and looked at the last zekin intending doubtless to bestow it upon girth he waited upon the tip of his finger and made it ring by dropping it upon the table had it rung too flat or had it felt a hair’s breadth too light generosity had carried the day but unhappily for girth the ch was fall and true the Zin plump newly coined and a grain above weight Isaac could not find in his heart to part with it so dropped it into his purse as if in absence of mind with the words 80 completes the tale and I trust thy Master will reward thee handsomely surely he added looking earnestly at the bag thou Hast more coins in that pouch girth grinned which was his nearest approach to a laugh as he replied about the same quantity which thou Hast just told over so carefully he then folded the quittance and put it under his cap adding Peril of thy beard Jew see that this be full and ample he filled himself unbidden a third Goblet of wine and left the apartment without ceremony Rebecca said the Jew that ishmaelite hath gone somewhat Beyond me nevertheless his master is a good youth a and I am well pleased that he hath gained shekels of gold and shekels of silver even by the speed of his horse and by the strength of his Lance which like that of Goliath the Philistine might Vie with a Weaver’s beam as he turned to receive Rebecca’s answer he observed that during his chattering with girth she had left the apartment unperceived in the meanwhile girth had descended the stair and having reached the dark antichamber or Hall was puzzling about to discover the entrance when a figure in white shown by a small silver lamp which she held in her hand beckoned him into a side apartment girth had some reluctance to obey the summons rough and impetuous as a wild boar where only Earthly force was to be apprehended he had all the characteristic Terrors of a Saxon respecting fors Forest fiends white women and the whole of the superstitions which his ancestors had brought with them from the Wilds of Germany he remembered moreover that he was in the house of a Jew a people who besides the other unamiable qualities which popular report ascribed to them were supposed to be profound necromancers and cabalists nevertheless after a moment’s pause he obeyed the beckoning Summons of The Apparition and followed her into the apartment which she indicated where he found to his joyful surprise that his fair guide was the beautiful Jewish whom he had seen at the tournament and a short time in her father’s apartment she asked him the particulars of his transaction with Isaac which he detailed accurately my father did but justest with thee good fellow said Rebecca he owes thy Master deeper kindness than these arms and Steed could pay were their value tenfold what some did thou pay my father even now 80 zins said girth surprised to the question in this purse said Rebecca thou Wilt find a 100 restore to thy master that which is his due and enrich thyself with the remainder haste be gone stay not to render thanks and beware how you pass through this crowded town where thou May easily lose both thy burden and thy life Reuben she added clapping her hands together light forth this stranger and fail not to draw lock and bar behind him Reuben a dark brow and black bearded Israelite obeyed her summons with a torch in his hand undid the outward door of the house and conducting girth across a paved court let him out through a wicket in the entrance gate which he closed behind him with such bolts and chains as would well have become that of a prison by St dunon said girth as he stumbled up the Dark Avenue this is no Jewish but an angel from heaven 10 zins from my Brave Young Master 20 from this pearl of Zion Oh Happy Day such another girth will redeem thy bondage and make thee a brother as free of thy Guild as the best and then do I lay down my swin her’s horn and staff and take the Freeman’s sword and Buckler and follow my young Master to the death without hiding either my face or my name chapter 11 if not we make you sit and rifle you speed sir we are undone these are the villains that all the Travelers do fear so much V my friends first out that’s not so sir we are your enemies 2D out peace we’ll hear him 3D out I by my beard will we for he’s a proper Man Two Gentlemen of Verona the nocturnal Adventures of girth were not yet concluded indeed he himself became partly of that mind when after passing one or two straggling houses which stood in the outskirts of the village he found himself in a deep Lane running between two Banks overgrown with hazel and Holly while here and there a dwarf Oak flung its arms all together across the path the lane was more over much rutted and broken up by the carriages which had recently transported articles of various kinds to the torment and it was dark for the banks and bushes intercepted the light of the Harvest Moon from the village were heard the distant sounds of rry mixed occasionally with loud laughter sometimes broken by screams and sometimes by wild Str brains of distant music all these sounds intimating the disorderly state of the Town crowded with military Nobles and their dissolute attendant gave girth some uneasiness the Jewish was right he said to himself by heaven and St dunon I would I was safe at my Journey’s End with all this treasure here are such numbers I will not say of arant Thieves but of erant knights and erant Squires erant monks and erant minstrels erant jugglers erent gestur that a man with a single MK would be in danger much more a poor swi herd with a whole bag full of zins would I were out of the shade of these infernal bushes that I might at least see any of St Nicholas’s clerks before they spring on my shoulders girth accordingly hastened his Pace in order to gain the open common to which the lane LED but was not so fortunate as to accomplish his object just as he had attained the upper end of the lane where the Underwood was thickest four sprung upon him even as his fears anticipated two from each side of the road and seized him so fast that resistance if at first practicable would have been now too late Surrender Your charge said one of them we are the deliverers of the Commonwealth who ease every man of his burden you should not ease me of mine so lightly muttered girth who Surly honesty could not be tamed even by the pressure of immediate violence had I it but in my power to give three Strokes in its defense we shall see that presently said the robber and speaking to his companions he added bring along the Nave I see he would have his head broken as well as his purse cut and so be let blood in two veins at once girth was hurried along agreeably to this mandate and having been dragged somewhat roughly over the bank on the left hand side of the lane found himself in a straggling Thicket which lay betwix it and the open common he was compelled to follow his rough conductors into the very depth of this cover where they stopped unexpectedly in an irregular open space free in a great measure from trees and on which therefore the beams of the Moon fell without much Interruption from bows and leaves here his captors were joined by two other persons apparently belonging to the gang they had short swords by their sides and quarter staves in their hands and girth could now observe that all six War V which rendered their occupation a matter of no question even had their former proceedings left it in doubt what money hast thou CHL said one of the thieves 30 Zin of my own property answered girth doggedly a forfeit a forfeit shouted the robbers a Saxon have 30 zins and returns sober from a village an undeniable and unredeemable Forfeit of all he hath about him I hoarded it to purchase my freedom said girth Thou Art an ass replied one of the thieves three quarts of double ale had rendered thee as free as thy Master a and Freer too if he be a Saxon like thyself a sad truth replied girth but if these same 30 Zin will buy my freedom from you un loose my hands and I will pay them to you hold said one who seemed to exercise some authority over the others this bag which thou bear as I can feel through thy cloak contains more coin than thou Hast told us of it is the good night my masters answered girth of which assuredly I would not have spoken a word had you been satisfied with working your will upon mine own property Thou Art an honest fellow replied the robber I warrant thee and we worship not St Nicholas so devoutly but what thy 30 zekin May yet Escape if thou deal uprightly with us meantime render up thy trust for a time so saying he took from girth’s breast the large leathern pouch in which the purse given him by Rebecca was enclosed as well as the rest of the Zin and then continued his interrogation who is thy Master the disinherited Knight said girth who good Lance replied the robber won the prize in today Tony what is his name and lineage it is his pleasure answered girth that they concealed and from me assuredly you will learn not of them what is thine own name and lineage to tell that said girth might reveal my masters thou art a soury groom said the robber but of that Anon how comes thy Master by this gold is it of his inheritance or by what means hath it accred to him by his good Lance answered girth these bags contain The Ransom of four good horses and four good suits of armor how much is there demanded the robber 200 zins only 200 zins said the Bandit your master hath dealt liberally by the vanquished and put them to a cheap Ransom name those who paid the gold girth did so the armor and horse of the Templar Brian deor gilbe at what Ransom were they held thou ceas thou can not deceive me my master replied girth will take not from the Templar save his life blood they are on terms of mortal Defiance and cannot hold courteous intercourse together indeed repeated the robber and paused after he had said the word and what w thou now doing at Ashby with such a charge in thy custody I went thither to render to Isaac the Jew of York replied girth the price of a suit of armor with which he fitted my master for this tournament and how much did thou pay to Isaac myth thinks to judge by weight there is still 200 Zin in this pouch I paid to Isaac said the Saxon 80 zein and He restored me 100 in Le thereof how what exclaimed all the robbers at once darest thou trifle with us that thou tellest such improbable lies what I tell you said girth is as true as the Moon is in heaven you will find the just sum in a silken purse within the leaven pouch and separate from the rest of the gold bethink thee man said the captain thou speakest of a Jew of an Israelite as unapt to restore gold as the dry sand of his deserts to return the cup of water which the pilgrim spills upon them there is no more Mercy in them said another of the banditi then in an unbribable examine this said purse and if it be as this fellow says the Jew’s Bounty is little less miraculous than the stream which relieved his fathers in the wilderness a light was procured accordingly and the robber proceeded to examine the purse the others crowded around him and even two who had hold of girth relaxed their grasp while they stretched their necks to see the issue of the search availing himself of their negligence by a sudden exertion of strength and activity girth shook himself free of their hold and might have escaped could he have resolved to leave his master’s property behind him but such was no part of his intention he wrenched a quarter staff from one of the fellows struck down the captain who was altogether unaware of his purpose and had well nigh repossessed himself of the pouch and treasure the thieves however were too Nimble for him and again secured both the bag and the trusty girth Nave said the captain getting up thou Hast broken my head and with other men of our sort thou would feare the worse for thy insolence but Thou shalt Know Thy fate instantly first let us speak of thy Master the knights matters must go before the squires according to the due order of chivalry stand thou fast in the meantime if thou stir again Thou shalt have that will make thee quiet for thy life comrades he then said addressing his Gang This purse is embroidered with Hebrew characters and I well believe the Yan’s tale is true the erant Knight his master must needs pass us tollfree he is too like ourselves for us to make booty of him since dogs should not worry dogs where wolves and foxes are to be found in abundance like us answered one of the gang I should like to hear how that is made good why thou fool answered the captain is he not poor and disinherited as we are doth he not win his substance at the swords Point as we do hath he not beaten front de and Malvo even as we would beat them if we could is he not the enemy to life and death of Brian Dey gilber whom we have so much reason to fear and were all this otherwise wouldst thou have a show a worse conscience than an unbeliever a Hebrew Jew nay that were a shame muttered the other fellow And yet when I served in the band of stout old gandalin we had no such Scruples of conscience and this insolent peasant he too I warrant me is to be dismissed scatheless not if thou C scathe him replied the captain here fellow continued he addressing girth canst thou use the staff that thou starts to it so readily I think said girth thou should be best able to reply to that question Nay by my troth thou gavest me around around knock replied the captain do as much for this fellow and thou shalt pass Scot free and if thou Dost not why by my faith as Thou Art such a sturdy Nave I think I must pay thy Ransom myself take thy staff Miller he added and keep thy head and do you others let the fellow go and give him a staff there is light enough to lay on load by the two Champions being alike armed with quarter staves stepped forward into the center of the open space in order to have the full benefit of the Moonlight the thieves in the meantime laugh in and crying to their comrade Miller beware thy toll dish the Miller on the other hand holding his Quarter Staff by the middle and making it flourish round his head after the fashion which the French call Fair moini exclaimed boastfully come on chur and thou darest Thou shalt feel the strength of a Miller’s thumb if thou Beast a Miller answered girth undauntedly making his weapon play around his head with equal dexterity Thou Art doubly a thief and I as a true man bid thee Defiance so saying the two Champions closed together and for a few minutes they displayed great equality in strength courage and skill intercepting and returning the blows of their adversary with the most rapid dexterity while from the continued clatter of their weapons a person at a distance might have supposed that there were at least six persons engaged on each side less obstinate and even less dangerous combats have been described in good heroic verse but that of girth and the Miller must remain unsung for want of a sacred poet to do justice to its eventful progress yet though Quarter Staff play be out ofd what we can in Pros we will do for these bold Champions long they fought equally until the Miller began to lose temper at finding himself so stoutly opposed and at hearing the laughter of his companions who as usual in such cases enjoyed his vexation this was not a state of mind favorable to the noble game of Quarter Staff in which as in ordinary cudgel playing the utmost coolness is requisite and it gave girth whose temper was steady though Surly the opportunity of acquiring a decided advantage in availing himself of which he displayed great Mastery the Miller pressed furiously forward dealing blows with either end of his weapon alternately and striving to come to half staff distance while girth defended himself against the attack keeping his hands about a yard aunder and covering himself by shifting his weapon with great Solarity so as to protect his head and body thus did he maintain the defensive making his eye foot and hand keep true time until observing his antagonist to lose wind he darted the staff at his face with his left hand and as the Miller endeavored to Parry the thrust he slid his right hand down to his left and with the full swing of the weapon struck his opponent on the left side of the head who instantly measured his length upon the green sword well and humanly done shouted the robbers fair play and old England forever the Saxon hath saved both his purse and his hide and the Miller has met his match thou may go thy ways my friend said the captain addressing girth in special confirmation of the general voice and I will cause two of my comrades to guide thee by the best way to thy Master’s Pavilion and to guard thee from night Walkers that might have less tender consciences than ours for there is many one of them upon the amble in such a night as this take heed however he added sternly remember thou Hast refused to tell thy name ask not after ours nor Endeavor to discover who or what we are for if thou makest such an attempt thou Wilt come by worse Fortune than has yet befallen thee girth thanked the captain for his courtesy and promised to attend to his recommendation two of The Outlaws taking up their quarter staves and Desiring girth to follow close in the rear walked roundly forward along a by path which traversed the thicket and the Broken Ground adjacent to it on the very verge of the thicket two men spoke to his conductors and receiving an answer in a whisper withdrew into the wood and suffered them to pass unmolested this circumstance St induced girth to believe both that the gang was strong in numbers and that they kept regular guards around their place of rendevu when they arrived on the open Heath where girth might have had some trouble in finding his Road the thieves guided him straight forward to the top of a little Eminence whence he could see spread beneath him in the Moonlight the Palisades of the lists The glimmering Pavilions pitched at either end with the pennons which adorned them fluttering in the moon beams and from which could be we heard the hum of the song with which the Sentinels were beguiling their night watch here the thieves stopped we go with you no farther said they it were not safe that we should do so remember the warning you have received keep secret what has this night befallen you and you will have no room to repent it neglect what is now told you and the Tower of London shall not protect you against our revenge good night to you kind s said girth I shall remember your orders and trust that there is no offense in wishing you a safer and an honester trade thus they parted the Outlaws returning in the direction from whence they had come and girth proceeding to the tent of his master to whom not withstanding the injunction he had received he communicated the whole Adventures of the evening the disinherited night was filled with astonishment no less at the generosity of Rebecca by which however he resolved he would not profit than that of the robbers to whose profession such a quality seemed totally foreign his course of Reflections upon these singular circumstances was however interrupted by the necessity for taking Repose which the fatigue of the preceding day and the propriety of refreshing himself for the Morrow’s encounter rendered alike indispensable the Knight therefore stretched himself for repose upon a rich couch with which the tent was provided and the faithful girth extending his hearty limbs upon a bare skin which formed a sort of carpet to the Pavilion laid himself across the opening of the tent so that no one could enter without Awakening him chapter 12 now ring and trumpets loud and Clarion there is no more to say but east and west Ino the spears sadly in the rest in Goth the sharp spur into the side they see men who can just and who can ride their shiver shafts upon Shield is thick he Feth through the hearts bone the prick upspring and Spears 20 ft in height out go the swords to the silver bright the Helms they to Hune and to shred Outburst the blood with Stern streams red cha morning arose in unclouded splendor and a the sun was much above the Horizon the idlest or the most eager of the spectators appeared on the common moving to the lists as to a general Center in order to secure a favorable situation for viewing the continuation of the expected games the marshals and their attendants appeared next on the field together with the Heralds for the purpose of receiving the names of the knights who intended to joust with the side which each chose to espouse this was a necessary precaution in order to secure equality betwix the two bodies who should be opposed to each other according to Due formality the disinherited Knight was to be considered as leader of the one body while Brian dear gilber who had been rated as having done second best in the preceding day was named first champion of the other band those who had concurred in the challenge adhered to his party of course excepting only Ralph dvy Pont whom his fall had rendered unfit so soon to put on his armor there was no want of distinguished and Noble candidates to fill up the ranks on either side in fact although the general tournament in which all Knights fought at once was more dangerous than single encounters they were nevertheless more frequented and practiced by the chivalry of the age many Knights who had not sufficient confidence in their own skill to defy a single adversary of high reputation were nevertheless desirous of displaying their Valor in the general combat where they might meet others with whom they were more upon unequality on the present occasion about 50 Knights were inscribed as desirous of combating upon each side when the marshals declared that no more could be admitted to the disappointment of several who were too late in preferring their claim to be included about the hour of 10:00 the whole plane was crowded with Horsemen horse women and foot passengers hastening to the tournament and shortly after a grand flourish of trumpets announced Prince John and his retinue attended by many of those Knights who meant to take share in the game as well as others who had no such intention about the same time arrived Cedric the Saxon with the lady Rowena unattended however by athlone this Saxon Lord had arrayed his tall and strong person in armor in order to take his place among the combatants and considerably to the surprise of Cedric had chosen to enlist himself on the part of the night Templar the Saxon indeed had remonstrated strongly with his friend upon the injudicious choice he had made of his party but he had only received that sort of answer usually given by those who are more obstinate in following their own course than strong in justif trying it his best if not his only reason for adhering to the party of Brian dear gilber athlin had the Prudence to keep to himself though his apathy of disposition prevented his taking any means to recommend himself to the lady Rowena he was nevertheless by no means insensible to her charms and considered his Union with her as a matter already fixed Beyond doubt by the ascent of Cedric and her other friends it had therefore been with displeasure that the proud though indolent lord of coningsburgh beheld the victor of the preceding day select Rowena as the object of that honor which it became his privilege to confer in order to punish him for a preference which seemed to interfere with his own suit athlin confident of his strength and to whom his flatterers at least ascribed great skill in arms had determined not only to deprive the disinherited Knight of his powerful sucker but if an opportunity should occur to make him feel the weight of his battle axe de brai and other Knights attached to Prince John in obedience to a hint from him had joined the party of the challengers JN being desirous to secure if possible the victory to that side on the other hand many other Knights both English and Norman Natives and strangers took part against the challenges the more readily that the opposite band was to be led by so distinguished a champion as the disinherited Knight had approved himself as soon as Prince John observed that the destined Queen of the day had arrived upon the field assuming that air of courtesy which sat well upon him when he was pleased to exhibit it he rode forward to meet her doed his Bonnet and a lighting from his horse assisted the lady Rowena from her saddle while his followers uncovered at the same time and one of the most distinguished dismounted to hold her palfrey it is thus said Prince John that we set the dutiful example of loyal y to the queen of love and beauty and are ourselves her Guide to the throne which she must this day occupy ladies he said attend your queen as you wish in your turn to be distinguished by like honors so saying the prince Marshal Arena to the seat of Honor opposite his own while the fairest and most distinguished ladies present crowded after her to obtain places as near as possible to their temporary Sovereign no sooner was Rowena seated than a burst of Music half drowned by the shout of the multitude greeted her new dignity meantime the sun Shone Fierce and bright upon the polished arms of the Knights of either side who crowded the opposite extremities of the lists and held eager conference together concerning the best mode of arranging their line of battle and supporting the conflict the Heralds then proclaimed silence until the laws of the torney should be rehearsed these were calculated in some degree to Abate the dangers of the day a precaution the more necessary as the conflict was to be maintained with sharp swords and pointed lances the Champions were therefore prohibited to thrust with the sword and were confined to striking a knight it was announced might use a mace or battle axe at pleasure but the dagger was a prohibited weapon a knight unhorsed might renew the fight on foot with any other on the opposite side in the same predicament but mounted Horsemen were in that case forbidden to assail him when any Knight could force his ant anist to the extremity of the lists so as to touch the Palisade with his personal arms such opponent was obliged to yield himself vanquished and his armor and horse were placed at the disposal of the Conqueror a knight thus overcome was not permitted to take farther share in the combat if any combatant was struck down and unable to recover his feet his Squire or page might enter the lists and drag his master out of the press but in that case the Knight was a judged vanquished and his arms and horse declared forfeited the combat was to cease as soon as Prince John should throw down his leading staff or trunin another precaution usually taken to prevent the unnecessary affusion of Blood by the too long endurance of a sport so desperate any night breaking the rules of the tournament or otherwise transgressing the rules of honorable chivalry was liable to be stripped of his arms and having his shield reversed to be placed in that posture a stride upon the bars of the Palisade and exposed to public derision in punishment of his unknightly conduct having announced these precautions the Heralds concluded with an exhortation to each good knight to do his duty and to Merit favor from the queen of beauty and of love this Proclamation having been made the Heralds withdrew to their stations the knights entering at either end of the lists in Long procession arranged themselves in a double file precisely opposite to each other the leader of each party being in the center of the foremost rank a post which he did not occupy until each had carefully marshaled the ranks of his party and stationed everyone in his place it was a goodly and at the same time an anxious sight to behold so many Gallant Champions mounted bravely and armed richly stand ready prepared for an encounter so formidable Seated on their War Saddles like so many pillars of iron and awaiting the signal of encounter with the same ardor as their generous steeds which by nighing and pouring the ground gave signal of their impatience as yet the knights held their long lances upright their bright points glancing to the sun and the streamers with which they were decorated fluttering over the plumage of the helmets thus they remained while the marshals of the field surveyed their ranks with the utmost exactness lest either party had more or fewer than the appointed number the T was found exactly complete the marshals then withdrew from the lists and William dval with a voice of Thunder pronounced the signal words Lea the trumpet sounded as he spoke the spears of the Champions were at once lowered and placed in the rests the Spurs were dashed into the flanks of the horses and the two foremost ranks of either party rushed upon each other in full gallop and met in the middle of the lists with a shock the sound of which was heard at a Mile’s distance the rear rank of each party Advanced at a slower Pace to sustain the defeated and follow up the success of the victors of their party the consequences of the encounter were not instantly seen for the dust raised by the trampling of so many steeds darkened the air and it was a minute a the anxious spectator could see the fate of the encounter when the fight became visible half the knights on each side were dismounted some by the dexterity of their adversaries Lance some by the superior weight and strength of opponents which had borne down both horse and man some lay stretched on Earth as if never more to rise some had already gained their feet and were closing hand to hand with those of their antagonists who were in the same predicament and several on both sides who had received wounds by which they were disabled were stopping their blood by their scarfs and endeavoring to extricate themselves from the chimal the mounted Knights whose lances had been almost all broken by the fury of the encounter were now closely engaged with their swords shouting their war cries and exchanging buffets as if honor and life depended on the issue of the combat the tumult was presently increased by the advance of the second rank on either side which acting as a reserve now rushed on to Aid their companions the followers of Brian deor gilber shouted ha bant bant for the temple for the temple the opposite party shouted in answer Des dado dado which watch word they took from The Motto upon their Leader’s Shield the Champions thus encountering each other with the utmost Fury and with alternate success the tide of battle seemed to flow now toward the southern now toward the northern extremity of the lists as the one or the other party prevailed meantime the clang of the blows and the shouts of the combatants mixed fearfully with the sound of the trumpets and drowned the groans of those who fell and lay rolling defenseless beneath the feet of the horses the splendid armor of the combatants was now defaced with dust and blood and gave way at every stroke of the sword and battle axe the gay plumage Shor from the crests drifted upon the breeze like snowflakes all that was beautiful and graceful in the martial array had disappeared and what was now visible was only calculated to awake Terror or compassion yet some such is the force of habit that not only the vulgar Spectators who are naturally attracted by sights of horror but even the ladies of Distinction who crowded the galleries saw the conflict with a thrilling interest certainly but without a wish to withdraw their eyes from a sight so terrible here and there indeed a fair cheek might turn pale or a faint scream might be heard as a lover a brother or a husband was struck from his horse but in general the ladies round encouraged the combatants not only by clapping their hands and waving their veils and cchs but even by exclaiming Brave Lance good sword when any successful thrust or blow took place under their observation such being the interest taken by the fair sex in this bloody game that of the men is the more easily understood it showed itself in loud acclamations upon every change of Fortune while all eyes were so riveted on the lists that the spectators seemed as if they themselves had dealt and received the blows which were there so freely bestowed and between every pause was heard the voice of the Heralds exclaiming fight on Brave Knights man dies but Glory lives fight on death is better than defeat fight on Brave Knights for Bright Eyes behold your Deeds amid the varied fortunes of the combat the eyes of all endeavored to discover the leaders of each band who mingling in the thick of the fight encouraged their companions both by voice and example both displayed great feats of gallantry nor did either Boyce gilber or the disinherited Knight find in the ranks opposed to them a champion who could be termed their unquestioned match they repeatedly endeavored to single out each other spurred by Mutual animosity and aware that the fall of either leader might be considered as decisive of victory such however was the crowd and confusion that during the the earlier part of the conflict their efforts to meet were unavailing and they were repeatedly separated by the eagerness of their followers each of whom was anxious to win Honor by measuring his strength against the leader of the opposite party but when the field became thin by the numbers on either side who had yielded themselves vanquished had been compelled to the extremity of the lists or been otherwise rendered incapable of continuing The Strife the Templar and the disinherited Knight at length encountered hand to hand with all the fury that mortal animosity joined to rivalry of Honor could Inspire such was the address of each in parrying and striking that the spectators broke forth into a unanimous and involuntary shout expressive of their delight and admiration but at this moment the party of the disinherited Knight had the worst the gigantic arm of frub both on the one flank and the ponderous strength of affin on the other bearing down and dispersing those immediately exposed to them finding themselves freed from their immediate antagonists it seems to have occurred to both these Knights at the same instant that they would render the most decisive advantage to their party by aiding the Templar in his contest with his rival turning their horses therefore at the same moment the Norman spurred against the disinherited Knight on the one side and the Saxon on the other it was utterly impossible that the object of this unequal and unexpected assault could have sustained it had he not been warned by a general cry from The Spectators who could not but take interest in one exposed to such disadvantage beware beware s disinherited was shouted so universally that the Knight became aware of his danger and striking a full blow at the Templar he reigned back his Steed in the same moment so as to escape the charge of athl stain and frond Bo these Knights therefore their aim being thus eluded rushed from opposite sides betwix the object of their attack and the Templar almost running their horses against each other a they could stop their career recovering their horses however and Wheeling them round the whole three pursued their United purpose of bearing to the Earth the disinherited Knight nothing could have saved him except the remarkable strength and activity of the noble horse which he had won on the preceding day this stood him in the more Stead as the horse of Bo gilber was wounded and those of Fondo and athl stain were both tired with the weight of their gigantic Masters clad in complete armor and with the preceding exertions of the day the masterly horsemanship of the disinherited KN and the activity of the noble animal which he mounted enabled him for a few minutes to keep at swords Point his three antagonists turning and Wheeling with the agility of a hawk upon the wing keeping his enemies as fast separate as he could good and rushing now against the one now against the other dealing sweeping blows with his sword without waiting to receive those which were aimed at him in return but although the lists rang with the applauses of his dexterity it was evident that he must at last be overpowered and the Nobles around Prince John implored him with one voice to throw down his water and to save so brave a knight from the disgrace of being overcome by odds not I by the Light Of Heaven answered Prince John this same spring old who conceals his name and despises our Prophet Hospitality hath already gained one prize and may now afford to let others have their turn as he spoke thus an unexpected incident changed the fortune of the day there was among the ranks of the disinherited Knight a champion in Black armor mounted on a black horse large of size tall and to all appearance powerful and strong like the Rider by whom he was mounted this Knight Who Bore on his shield no device of any kind had hitherto evinced very little interest in the event of the fight beating off with seeming ease those combatants who attacked him but neither pursuing his advantages nor himself assailing anyone in short he had hitherto acted the part rather of a spectator than of a party in the tournament a circumstance which procured him Among The Spectators the name of Lenoir Fant or the black Slugger at once this Knight seemed to throw aside his apathy when he discovered the leader of his party so hard bestead for setting Spurs to his horse which was quite fresh he came to his assistance like a thunderbolt exclaiming in a voice like a trumpet call desad to the rescue it was high time for while the disinherited Knight was pressing upon the Templar front debove had gotten nigh to him with his uplifted sword but but a the blow could descend the Sable Knight dealt a stroke on his head which glancing from the polished helmet lighted with violence scarcely abated on the chamfron of the Steed and front de rolled on the ground both horse and man equally stunned by the fury of the blow Lenoir feont then turned his horse upon athl stain of Kingsburg and his own sword having been broken in his encounter with front Deo he wrenched from the hand of the bulky Saxon the battle axe which he wielded elded and like one familiar with the use of the weapon bestowed him such a blow upon the crest that athl stain also lay senseless on the field having achieved this double feat for which he was the more highly applauded that it was totally unexpected from him the Knight seemed to resume the sluggishness of his character returning calmly to the northern extremity of the lists leaving his leader to cope as he best could with Brian debor gilber this was no longer matter of so much difficulty as for formerly the templar’s horse had bled much and gave way under the shock of the disinherited knight’s charge Brian Deb gilber rolled on the field encumbered with the sturup from which he was unable to draw his foot his antagonist sprung from horseback waved his fatal sword over the head of his adversary and commanded him to yield himself when Prince John more moved by the templar’s dangerous situation than he had been by that of his rival saved him the mortification of confessing himself vanquished by casting down his water and putting an end to the conflict it was indeed only the relics and Embers of the fight which continued to burn for of the few Knights who still continued in the lists the greater part had by tacit consent forborne the conflict for some time leaving it to be determined by The Strife of the leaders the squires who had found it a matter of danger and difficulty to attend their masters during the engagement M now thronged into the lists to pay their dutiful attendance to the wounded who were removed with the utmost care and attention to the neighboring Pavilions or to the quarters prepared for them in the adjoining Village thus ended the memorable field of ashb De laush one of the most gallantly contested tournaments of that age for although only four Knights including one who was smothered by the heat of his armor had died upon the field yet upwards of 30 were desperately wounded four or five of never recovered several more were disabled for life and those who escaped best carried the marks of the conflict to the Grave with them hence it is always mentioned in the old records as the gentle and joyous passage of arms of Ashby it being now the duty of Prince John to name the Knight who had done best he determined that the honor of the day remained with the Knight whom the popular voice had termed Lenoir Fant it was pointed out to the prince in impeachment of this decree that the victory had been in fact won by the disinherited Knight who in the course of the day had overcome six Champions with his own hand and who had finally unhorsed and struck down the leader of the opposite party but Prince John adhered to his own opinion on the ground that the disinherited Knight and his party had lost the day but for the powerful assistance of the Knight of the black armor to whom therefore he persisted in awarding the prize to the surprise of all present however the Knight thus preferred was nowhere to be found he had left the lists immediately when the conflict ceased and had been observed by some Spectators to move down one of the forest Glades with the same slow pace and listless and indifferent manner which had procured him the epithet of the black sluggard after he had been summoned twice by sound of trumpet and proclamation of the Heralds it became necessary to name another to receive the honors which had been assigned to him Prince John had now no further excuse for resisting the claim of the disinherited Knight whom therefore he named the champion of the day through a field slippery with blood and encumbered with broken armor and the bodies of slain and wounded horses the marshals of the lists again conducted the Victor to the foot of Prince jnk Throne disinherited night said Prince John since by that title Only You Will consent to be known to us we a second time award to you the honors of this tournament and announce to you your right to claim and receive from the hands of the queen of love and beauty the Chaplet of Honor which your Valor has justly deserved the Knight bowed low and gracefully but returned no answer while the trumpets sounded while the Heralds strained their voices in proclaiming honor to the Brave and Glory To the victor while ladies waved their silken cchs and embroidered veils and while all ranks joined in a clamorous shout of exaltation the marshals conducted the inherited Knight across the lists to the foot of that Throne of Honor which was occupied by the lady Rowena on the lower step of this Throne the champion was made to kneel down indeed his whole action since the fight had ended seemed rather to have been upon the impulse of those around him than from his own free will and it was observed that he tottered as they guided him the second time across the lists Rowena descending from her station with a graceful and dignified step was about to place the Chaplet which she held in her hand upon the helmet of the champion when the marshals exclaimed with one voice it must not be thus his head must be bare the Knight muttered faintly a few words which were lost in the hollow of his helmet but their purport seemed to be a desire that his Cask might not be removed whether from love of form or from Curiosity the marshals paid no attention to his expressions of reluctance but unhelmed him by cutting the laces of his task and undoing the fastening of his gorget when the helmet was removed the well-formed yet sunburnt features of a young man of 25 was seen amidst a profusion of short Fair hair his countenance was as pale as death and marked in one or two places with streaks of blood Rowena had no sooner beheld him than she uttered a faint shriek but at once summoning up the energy of her disposition and compelling herself as it were to proceed while her frame yet trembled with the violence of sudden emotion she placed upon the drooping head of the Victor The Splendid Chaplet which was the destined reward of the day and pronounced in a clear and distinct tone these words I bestow on thee this Chaplet sight as the me of Valor assigned to this day’s Victor here she paused a moment and then firmly added and upon brows more worthy could a wreath of chivalry never be placed the Knight stooped his head and kissed the hand of the lovely sovereign by whom his Valor had been rewarded and then sinking yet farther forward lay prostrate at her feet there was a general consternation Cedric who had been struck mute by the sudden appearance of his banished son now rushed forward as if to separate him from Rowena but this had been already accomplished by the marshals of the field who guessing the cause of ivanho swoon had hastened to undo his armor and found that the head of a lance had penetrated his breastplate late and inflicted a wound in his side chapter 13 stand forth distinguished from the circling crowd ye who by skill or manly Force may claim your Rivals to surpass and Merit Fame this cow worth 20 oxen is decreed for him who farthest sends the winged Reed ilad the name of ivanho was no sooner pronounced than it flew from mouth to mouth with all the Solarity with which eagerness could convey and curiosity receive it it was not long a it reached the circle of the prince whose brow darkened as he heard the news looking around him however with an air of scorn my lords said he and especially you sir prior what think ye of the doctrine the learn tell us concerning innate attractions and antipathies methinks that I felt the presence of my brother’s minion even when I least guest whom Yonder suit of armor enclosed front Deo must prepare to restore his thief of Ivan ho said Dei who having discharged his part honorably in the tournament had laid his shield and helmet aside and again mingled with the prince’s retinue a answered waldemar fitzers this Gallant is likely to reclaim the castle and manner which Richard assigned to him and which your highness’s generosity has since given to front Deo frond deou replied John is a man more willing to swallow three manners such as ivanho than to dis scorge one of them for the rest S I hope none here will deny my right to confer the thiefs of the crown upon the faithful followers who are around me and ready to perform the usual military service in the room of those who have wandered to foreign countries and can neither render homage nor service when called upon the audience were too much interested in the question not to pronounce the princes assumed right altogether indubitable a generous Prince a most noble Lord who thus takes upon himself the task of rewarding his faithful followers such were The Words which burst from the train expectance all of them of similar grants at the expense of King Richard’s followers and favorites if indeed they had not as yet received such prior imer also ascented to the general proposition observing however that the Blessed Jerusalem could not indeed be termed a foreign country she was Communist matter the mother of all Christians but he saw not he declared how the Knight of ivanho could plead any advantage from this since he the prior was assured that the Crusaders under Richard had never proceeded much farther than asalon which as all the world knew was a town of the Philistines and entitled to none of the Privileges of the holy city waldemar whose curiosity had led him towards the place where ivanho had fallen to the ground now returned the Gallant said he is is likely to give your highness little disturbance and to leave frond Deo in the quiet possession of his gains he is severely wounded whatever Becomes of him said Prince John he is Victor of the day and were he tenfold our enemy or the devoted friend of our brother which is perhaps the same his wounds must be looked to our own Physicians shall attend him a Stern smile curled the prince’s lip as he spoke waldemar fitzer hastened to reply that ivanho was already removed from the lists and in the custody of his friends I was somewhat Afflicted he said to see the grief of the queen of love and beauty whose sovereignty of a day this event has changed into morning I am not a man to be moved by a woman’s lament for her lover but this same lady Rowena suppressed her sorrow with such Dignity of manner that it could only be discovered by her folded hands and her tearless eye which trembled as it remained fixed on the lifeless for form before her who is this lady Rowena said Prince John of whom we have heard so much a Saxon ays of large possessions replied the prior Amer a rose of loveliness and a jewel of wealth the fairest among a thousand a bundle of Mya and a cluster of campfire we shall cheer her sorrows said Prince John and amend her blood by wedding her to a Norman she seems a minor and must therefore be at our Royal disposal in marriage how sayest thou Dei what thinks thou of gaining Fair lands and livings by wedding a Saxon after the fashion of the followers of the Conqueror if the lands are to my liking my Lord answered Dei it will be hard to displease me with a bride and deeply will I hold myself bound to your highness for a good deed which will fulfill all promises made in favor of your servant and vessel we will not forget it said Prince John and that we may instantly go to work command our senal presently to order the attendance of the lady Rowena and her company that is the rude chur her guardian and the Saxon Ox whom the Black Knight struck down in the tournament upon this evening’s banquet de bigot he added to his Cal thou Wilt word this our second summon so courteously as to gratify the pride of these Saxons and make it impossible for them again to refuse although by the bones of Becket courtesy to them is casting Pearls Before Swine Prince John had proceeded thus far and was about to give the signal for retiring from the lists when a small Billy was put into his hand from whence said Prince John looking at the person by whom it was delivered from foreign Parts my Lord but from whence I know not replied his attendant a Frenchman brought it hither who said he had ridden night and day to put it into the hands of your highness the prince looked narrowly at the superscription and then at the SE seal placed so as to secure the flex silk with which the ble was surrounded and which bore the impression of three Flur deise John then opened the bate with apparent agitation which visibly and greatly increased when he had perused the contents which were expressed in these words take heed to yourself for the Devil is Unchained the prince turned as pale as death looked first on the earth and then up to heaven like a man who has received news that sentence of execution has been passed upon Him recovering from the first effects of his surprise he took waldemar fitzers and de Brae aside and put the bay into their hands successively it means he added in a faltering voice that my brother Richard has obtained his freedom this may be a false alarm or a forged letter said Dei it is France’s own hand and seal replied Prince John it is time then said fitzers to draw our party to a head either at York or some other centrical place a few days later and it will be indeed too late your highness must break short this present mamory the yman and Commons said de brai must not be dismissed discontented for lack of their share in the sports the day said waldemar is not yet very far spent Let The Archers shoot a few rounds at the Target and the prize be adjudged this will be an abundant fulfillment of the prince’s promises so far as this herd of sax and surfs is concerned I thank thee wemar said the prince thou remind us me too that I have a debt to pay to that insulin peasant who yesterday insulted our person our banquet also shall go forward tonight as we proposed were this my last hour of power it should be an hour sacred to revenge and to pleasure let new cares come with tomorrow’s new day the sound of the trumpets soon recalled those Spectators who had already begun to leave the field and Proclamation was made that Prince John Suddenly called by high and peremptory public duties held himself obliged to discontinue the entertainments of tomorrow’s Festival nevertheless that unwilling so many good yman should depart without a trial of skill he was pleased to appoint them before leaving the ground presently to execute the competition of archery intended for the tomorrow to the best Archer a prize was to be awarded being a bugle horn mounted with silver and a silken Baldrick richly ornamented with a medallion of St Hubert the patron of silveren sport more than 30 yman at first presented themselves as competitors several of whom were Rangers and under Keepers in the Royal forests of Needwood and Charwood when however the archers understood with whom they were to be matched upwards of 20 withdrew themselves from the contest unwilling to encounter the dishonor of almost certain defeat for in those days the skill of each celebrated Marksman was as well known for many miles around him as the qualities of a horse trained at New Market are familiar to those who frequent that well-known meeting the diminished list of competitors for silan fame still amounted to eight Prince John stepped from his Royal seat to view more nearly the persons of these chosen yman several of whom wore the Royal Livery having satisfied his curiosity by this investigation he looked for the object of his resentment whom he observed standing on the same spot and with the same composed countenance which he had exhibited upon the preceding day fellow said Prince John I guessed by thy insolent Babble that thou W no true lover of the Longbow and I see thou darest not Adventure thy skill among such merry men AS stand Yonder under favor sir replied the yman I have another reason for refraining to shoot besides the fearing discomfort and disgrace and what is thy other reason said Prince John who for some cause which perhaps he could not himself have explained felt a painful curiosity respecting this individual because replied The Woodsman I know not if these yman and I are used to shoot at the same marks and because moreover I know not how your grace might relish the winning of a third prize by one who is unwittingly Fallen under your displeasure Prince John colored as he put the question what is thy name yman Loxley answered the yman then Loxley said Prince John Thou shalt shoot in thy turn when these yman have displayed their skill if thou carest the prize I will add to it 20 Nobles but if thou loosest it Thou shalt be stripped of thy Lincoln Green and scourged out of the lists with bow strings for a wordy and insolent braggot and how if I refuse to shoot on such a wager said the yman your great his power supported as it is by so many men at Arms May indeed easily strip and Scourge me but cannot compel me to bend or to draw my bow if thou refuses my fair profer said the prince the Provost of the list shall cut thy bow string break thy bow and arrows and expel thee from the presence as a faint-hearted craven this is no fair chance you put on me proud Prince said the yman to compel me to Peril myself against the best AR es of Lester and Staffordshire under the penalty of infamy if they should overshoot me nevertheless I will obey your pleasure Look to Him close men at Arms said Prince John his heart is sinking I am jealous lest he attempt to escape the trial and Do You Good Fellows shoot boldly round a buck and a butt of wine are ready for your refreshment in Yonder tent when the prize is won a Target was placed at the upper end of the Southern Avenue which led to the lists the contending archers took their station in turn at the bottom of the Southern axis the distance between that station and the mark allowing full distance for what was called a shot at Rovers The Archers having previously determined by lot their order of Precedence were to shoot each three shafts in succession the sports were regulated by an officer of inferior rank termed the Provost of the games for the high rank of the marshals of the lists would have been held degraded had they descended to superintend the sports of the yry one by one The Archers stepping forward delivered their shafts yanike and bravely of 24 arrows shot in succession 10 were fixed in the Target and the others ranged so near it that considering the distance of the mark it was accounted good archery of the 10 shafts which hit the target two within the inner ring were shot by Hubert a Forester in the service of Malvo who was accordingly pronounced Victorious now Loxley said Prince John to the Bold yman with a bitter smile wilt thou try conclusions with Hubert or wilt thou yield up bow Baldrick and quiver to the Provost of the sports Sith it be no better said luxley I am content to try my fortune on condition that when I have shot two shafts at Yonder Mark of huberts he shall be bound to shoot one at that which I shall propose that is but fair answered Prince shn and it shall not be refused thee if thou DST beat this bragger at Hubert I will fill the bugle with silver pennies for thee a man can do but his best answered Hubert but my grander drew a good long bow at Hastings and I trust not to dishonor his memory the former Target was now removed and a fresh one of the same size placed in its room Hubert who as Victor in the first trial of skill had the right to shoot first took his aim with great deliberation long measuring the distance with his eye while he held in his hand his bended bow with the arrow placed on the string at length he made a step forward and raising the bow at the full stretch of his left arm till the center or grasping place was nigh level with his face he drew his bow string to his ear the arrow whistled through the air and lighted within the inner ring of the target but not exactly in the center you have not allowed for the wind Hubert said his antagonist bending his bow or that had been a better shot so saying and without showing the least anxiety to pause upon his aim loley stepped to the appointed station and shot his Arrow as carelessly in appearance as if he had not even looked at the Mark he was speaking almost at the instant that the shaft left the bow string yet it all lighted in the Target 2 in nearer to the White Spot which marked the center than that of Hubert By the Light Of Heaven said Prince John to Hubert and thou suffer that runegate Nave to overcome thee Thou Art Worthy of The Gallows Hubert had but one set speech for All Occasions and your highness were to hang me he said a man can but do his best nevertheless my grandsire drew a good bow the foul fiend on their grandsire and all his generation interrupted John shoot Nave and shoot thy best or it shall be the worst for thee thus exalted Hubert resumed his place and not neglecting the caution which he had received from his adversary he made the necessary allowance for a very light air of wind which had just Arisen and shot so successfully that his Arrow all lighted in the very center of the target a Hubert a Hubert shouted the populace more interested in a known person than in a stranger in the clout in the clout a Hubert forever thou can not mend that shot Loxley said the prince with an insulting smile I will Notch his shaft for him however replied Loxley and letting fly his arrow with a little more precaution than before it lighted right upon that of his competitor which it split to Shivers the people who stood around were so astonished at his wonderful dexterity that they could not even give vent to their surprise in their usual clamor this must be the devil and no man of Flesh and Blood whispered the yman to each other such archery was never seen since a bow was first B bent in Britain and now said Loxley I will Crave Your Grace’s permission to plant such a mark As is used in the North country and welcome every Brave yman who shall try a shot at it to win a smile from the Bonny lass he loves best he then turned to leave the lists let your guards attend me he said if you please I go but to cut a rod from the next Willow Bush Prince John made a signal that some attendants should follow him in case of his Escape but the C of Shame Shame which burst from the multitude induced him to alter his ungenerous purpose Loxley returned almost instantly with a willow wand about 6 ft in length perfectly straight and rather thicker than a man’s thumb he began to peel this with great composure observing at the same time that to ask a good Woodsman to shoot at a Target so broad as had hitherto been used was to put shame upon his skill for his own part he said and in the land where he was bred men would as soon take for their Mark King Arthur’s round table which held 60 nights around it a child of 7 years old he said might hit Yonder Target with a headless shaft but added he walking deliberately to the other end of the lists and sticking the willow wand upright in the ground he that hits that Rod at 5 score yards I call him an Archer fit to Bear both bow and quiver before a king and it with the Stout King Richard himself my grandsire said Hubert drew a good bow at the Battle of Hastings and never shot at such a mark in his life and neither will Li if this yman can cleave that Rod I give him the bucklers or rather I yield to the devil that is in his jerkin and not to any human skill a man can but do his best and I will not shoot where I’m sure to miss I might as well shoot at the edge of our Parson’s Whittle or at a wheat straw or at a Sunbeam as at a twinkling white streak which I can hardly see Cowardly Dog said Prince John S Loxley do thou shoot but if thou hittest such a Mark I will say thou art the first man ever did so however it be thou shalt not Crow over us with a mere show of superior skill I will do my best as Hubert says answered Loxley no man can do more so saying he again bent his bow but on the present occasion looked with attention to his weapon and ch changed the string which he thought was no longer truly round having been a little frayed by the two former shots he then took his aim with some deliberation and the multitude awaited the event in breathless silence the Archer Vindicated their opinion of his skill his Arrow split the willow Rod against which it was aimed a jubilee of acclamations followed and even Prince John in admiration of loxley’s skill lost for an instant his dislike to his person these twin 20 Nobles he said which with the bugle thou Hast fairly won are thine own we will make them 50 if thou Wilt take Livery and service with us as a yman of our bodyguard and be near to our person for never did so strong a hand bend a bow or so true and I direct a shaft pardon me Noble Prince said Loxley but I have vowed that If Ever I take service it should be with your Royal brother King Richard these 20 Nobles I leave to Hubert who has this day drawn as Brave a bow as his grandsire did at Hastings had his modesty not refused the trial he would have hit the wand as well I Hubert shook his head as he received with reluctance the Bounty of the stranger and Loxley anxious to escape further observation mixed with the crowd and was seen no more the Victorious Archer would not perhaps have escaped Jon’s attention so easily had not the prince had other subjects of anxious and more import meditation pressing upon his mind at that instant he called upon his Chamberlain as he gave the signal for retiring from the lists and commanded him instantly to gallop to Ashby and seek out Isaac the Jew tell the dog he said to send me before Sundown 2,000 crowns he knows the security but thou may show him this ring for a token the rest of the money must be paid at York within 6 days if he neglects I will have the unbelieving villain’s head look that thou pass him not on the way for the circumcised slave was displaying his stolen finery amongst us so saying the prince resumed his horse and returned to Ashby the whole crowd breaking up and dispersing upon his Retreat chapter 14 when ancient chivalry displayed the pomp of her heroic games and crested Chiefs and tissued Dames assembled at the clarion’s call in some proud Castle’s High arched Hall Warton Prince John held his high Festival in the castle of Ashby this was not the same building of which the stately ruins still interest The Traveler and which was erected at a later period by the Lord Hastings High Chamberlain of England one of the first victims of the tyranny of Richard III and yet better known as one of Shakespeare’s characters than by his historical Fame the castle and town of Ashby at this time belonged to Roger D Quincy Earl of Winchester who During the period of our history was abent in the Holy Land Prince John in the meanwhile occupied his castle and disposed of his domains without scruple and seeking at present to Dazzle men’s eyes by his hospitality and magnificence had given orders for great preparations in order to render the banquet as Splendid as possible the purveyors of the prince who exercised on this and other occasions the full authority of royalty had swept the country of all that could be collected which was esteemed fit for their master’s table guests also were invited in great numbers and in the necessity in which he then found himself of courting popularity Prince John had extended his invitation to a few distinguished Saxon and danish families as well as to the Norman nobility and gentry of the neighborhood however despised and degraded on ordinary occasions the great numbers of the Anglo-Saxons must necessarily render them formidable in the Civil commotions which seemed approaching and it was an obvious point of policy to secure popularity with their leaders it was accordingly the prince’s intention which he for some time maintained to treat these unwanted guests with a courtesy to which they had been little accustomed but although no man with less scruple made his ordinary habits and feelings Bend to his interest it was The Misfortune of this Prince that his levity and petulance were perpetually breaking out and undoing all that had been gained by his previous dissimulation of this fickle temper he gave a memorable example in Ireland when sent thither by his father Henry II with the purpose of buying golden opinions of the inhabitants of that new and important acquisition to the English crown upon this occasion the Irish Chieftains contended which should first offer to the young prince their loyal homage and the kiss of Peace but instead of receiving their salutations with courtesy Jon and his petulant attendants could not resist the temptation of pulling the long beards of the Irish Chieftain a conduct which as might have been expected was highly resented by these insulted dignitaries and produced fatal consequences to the English domination in Ireland it is necessary to keep these inconsistencies of Jon’s character in view that the reader May understand his conduct during the present evening in execution of the resolution which he had formed during his cooler moments Prince John received Cedric and athlin with distinguished courtesy and expressed his disappointment without resentment when the indisposition of Rowena was alleged by the former as a reason for her not attending upon his gracious summons Cedric and athlin were both dressed in the ancient Saxon Garb which although not UNH handsome in itself and in the present instance composed of costly materials was so remote in shape and appearance from that of the other guests that Prince John took great credit to himself with waldemar Fitz for refraining from laughter at a sight which the fashion of the day rendered ridiculous yet in the eye of sober judgment the short close tunic and long mantle of the Saxons was a more graceful as well as a more convenient dress than the Garb of the Normans whose undergarment was a long dublet so loose as to resemble a shirt or wagoner’s frock covered by a cloak of scanty Dimensions neither fit to defend the wearer from cold C or from rain and the only purpose of which appeared to be to display as much fur embroidery and jewelry work as the Ingenuity of the tailor could contrive to lay upon it the emperor Charlamagne in whose Reign they were first introduced seems to have been very sensible of the inconveniences arising from the fashion of this garment in Heaven’s name said he to what purpose serve these Abridged cloaks if we are in bed they are no cover on horseback they are no protection from the wind and rain and when seated they do not guard our legs from The Damp or the frost nevertheless spite of this Imperial objurgation the short cloaks continued in fashion down to the time of which we treat and particularly among the princes of the House of anju they were therefore in Universal use among Prince John’s courtiers and the long mantle which formed the upper Garment of the Saxons was held in proportional derision the guests were seated at a table which groaned under the quantity of good cheer the numerous Cooks who attended on the prince’s progress having exerted all their art in varying the forms in which the ordinary Provisions were served up had succeeded almost as well as the modern professors of the culinary art in rendering them perfectly unlike their natural appearance besides these dishes of domestic origin there were various Delicacies brought from foreign parts and a quantity of Rich Pastry as as well as of the simol bread and wasel cakes which were only used at the tables of the highest nobility the banquet was crowned with the richest wines both foreign and domestic but though luxurious the Norman nobles were not generally speaking an intemperate race while indulging themselves in the pleasures of the table they aimed at delicacy but avoided excess and were apt to attribute gluttony and drunkenness to the vanquished Saxons as vices peculiar to their inferior station Prince John indeed and those who courted his pleasure by imitating his foibles were apt to indulge to excess in the pleasures of the trencher and the Goblet and indeed it is well known that his death was occasioned by a surfit upon peaches and new ale his conduct however was an exception to the general manners of his countrymen with Sly gravity interrupted only by private signs to each other the Norman Knights and Nobles beheld the rudder demeanor of athlin and Cedric at a banquet to the form and fashion of which they were unaccustomed and while Their Manners were thus the subject of sarcastic observation the untaught Saxons unwittingly transgressed several of the arbitrary rules established for the regulation of society now it is well known that a man May with more impunity be guilty of an actual breach either of real good breeding or of good morals than appear ignorant of the most Mighty point of fashionable etiquette thus Cedric who dried his hands with a towel instead of suffering the moisture to Exhale by waving them gracefully in the air incurred more ridicule than His companion athlin when he swallowed to his own single share the whole of a large pasty composed of the most Exquisite foreign Delicacies and termed at that time a carum pie when however it was discovered by a serious cross-examination that the th of coningsburgh or Franklin as the Normans termed him had no idea what he had been devouring and that he had taken the contents of the Kum pie for Lars and pigeons whereas they were in fact beccafico and Nightingales his ignorance brought him in for an ample share of the ridicule which would have been more justly bestowed on his gluttony the long Feast had at length its end and while the Goblet circulated freely men talked of the Feats of the preceding Tournament of the unknown Victor in the archery games of the black Knight whose self-denial had induced him to withdraw from the honors he had won and of the Gallant enho who had so dearly bought the honors of the day the topics were treated with military frankness and the Gest and laugh went round the hall the brow of Prince John alone was over clouded during these discussions some overpowering care seemed agitating his mind and it was only when he received occasional hints from his attendance that he seemed to take interest in what was passing around him on such occasions he would start up quaff a cup of wine as if to raise his spirits and then mingle in the conversation by some observation made abruptly or at random we drink this Beaker said he to the health of Wilfred of ivanho champion of this passage of arms and grieve that his wound renders him absent from our board let all filter The Pledge and especially Cedric of rotherwood the worthy father of a son so promising no my Lord replied Cedric standing up and placing on the table his untasted cup I yield not the name of son to the disobedient youth who at once despises my commands and relinquishes the manners and customs of his fathers is impossible cried Prince John with well feigned astonishment that so Gallant a knight should be an unworthy or disobedient son yet my Lord answered Cedric so it is with this Wilfred he left my homely dwelling to me Le with the gay nobility of your brother’s court where he learned to do those tricks of horsemanship which you prize so highly he left it contrary to my wish and command and in the days of Alfred that would have been termed Disobedience a and a crime severely punishable alas replied Prince John with a deep sigh of affected sympathy since your son was a follower of my unhappy brother it need not be inquired where or from whom he learned the lesson of filial disobedience thus spake Prince John willfully forgetting that of all the sons of Henry II though no one was free from the charge he himself had been most distinguished for rebellion and ingratitude to his father I think said he after a moment’s pause that my brother proposed to confer upon his favorite the rich manner of ivanho he did endow him with it answered Cedric nor is it my least quarrel with my son that he stooped to hold as a feudal vassel the very domains which his fathers possessed in free and independent right we shall then have your willing sanction good Cedric said Prince John to confer this thief upon a person whose dignity will not be diminished by holding land of the British crown sir Reginal frond Deo he said turning towards that Baron I trust you will so keep the goodly Barony of ivanho that sir Wilfred shall not incur his father’s father displeasure by again entering upon that Thief by St Anthony answered the black brow giant I Will consent that your highness shall hold me a Saxon if either Cedric or Wilfred or the best that ever bore English blood shall wrench from me the gift with which your highness has graced me whoever shall call thee Saxon sir Baron replied Cedric offended at a mode of expression by which the Normans frequently expressed their habitual contempt of the English will do thee an honor as great as it is undeserved frond de would have replied but Prince johnk petulance and levity got the start assuredly said be my lords the noble Cedric speaks truth and his race May claim precedence over us as much in the length of their pedigrees as in the longitude of their cloaks they go before us indeed in the field as dear before dogs said malvoisin and with good right may they go before us forget not said the prior imer the superior decency and decorum of Their Manners their singular abstemiousness and Temperance said de braci forgetting the plan which promised him a Saxon bride together with the courage and conduct said Brian Deo gilber by which they distinguished themselves at Hastings and elsewhere while with smooth and smiling cheek the courtiers each in turn followed their Prince’s example and aimed a shaft of ridicule at Cedric the face of the Saxon became inflamed with passion and he glanced his ey fiercely from one to another as if the quick succession of so many injuries had prevented his replying to them in turn or like a baited bull who surrounded by his tormentors is at a loss to choose from among them the immediate object of his revenge at length he spoke in a voice half choked with passion and addressing himself to Prince John as the head in front of the offense which he had received whatever he said have been the folies and vices of our race a Saxon would have been held neering 21 the most emphatic term for abject worthlessness who should in his own Hall and while his own wine cup passed have treated or suffered to be treated an unoffending guest as your highness has this day beheld me used and whatever was The Misfortune of our fathers on the field of Hastings those May at least be silent here he looked at front ab and the Templar who have Within These few hours once and again lost saddle and sturup before the Lance of a Saxon by my faith a biting Gest said Prince John how like you it s our Saxon subjects rise in spirit and courage become shrewd in wit and bold in bearing in these unsettled times what say ye my lords by this good light I hold it best to take our gleys and return to Normandy in time for fear of the Saxons said de braci laughing we should need no weapon but our hunting Spears to bring these BS to Bay a truce with your s Knights said fitzers and it were well he added addressing the prince that your highness should assure the worthy Cedric there is no insult intended him by jests which must sound but harshly in the ear of a stranger insult answered Prince John resuming his courtesy of demeanor I trust it will not be thought that I could mean or permit any to be offered in my my presence here I fill my cup to Cedric himself since he refuses to pledge his son’s Health the cup went round amid the well dissembled Applause of the courtiers which however failed to make the impression on the mind of the Saxon that had been designed he was not naturally acute of perception but those too much undervalued his understanding who deemed that this flattering compliment would obliterate the sense of the prior insult he was silent however when the royal pledge again passed round to sthl stain of coningsburgh the Knight made his abayance and showed his sense of the Honor by draining a huge goblet in answer to it and now sir said Prince John who began to be warmed with the wine which he had drank having done Justice to our saxs and guests we will pray of them some requital to our courtesy worthy th he continued addressing Cedric may we pray you to name to us some Norman whose mention May least Sully your mouth and to wash down with a goblet of wine all bitterness which the sound may leave behind it fitzers arose while Prince John spoke and gliding behind the seat of the Saxon whispered to him not to omit the opportunity of putting an end to unkindness betx the two races by naming Prince John the Saxon replied not to this politic insinuation But Rising up and filling his cup to the brim he addressed Prince John in these words your highness has required that I should name a Norman deserving to be remembered at our banquet this per chance is a hard task since it calls on the slave to sing the Praises of the master upon the vanquished while pressed by all the evils of Conquest to sing the Praises of the Conqueror yet I will name a Norman the first in arms and in place the best and the noblest of his race and the lips that should refuse to pledge me to his well-earned Fame I term false and Dishonored and will so maintain them with my life I quaff this goblet to the health of Richard the lionhearted Prince John who had expected that his own name would have closed the Saxon speech started when that of his injured brother was so unexpectedly introduced he raised mechanically the wine cup to his lips then instantly set it down to view the demeanor of the company at this unexpected proposal which many of them felt it as unsafe to oppose as to comply with some of them ancient ient and experienced courtiers closely imitated the example of the prince himself raising the Goblet to their lips and again replacing it before them there were many who with a more generous feeling exclaimed Long Live King Richard and may he be speedily restored to us and some few among whom were front de and the Templar in Sullen disdain suffered their goblets to stand untasted before them but no man ventured directly to gainsay a pledge filled to the health of of the reigning monarch having enjoyed his Triumph for about a minute Cedric said to His companion up Noble athl stain we have remained here long enough since we have requited the hospitable courtesy of Prince John’s banquet those who wish to know further of our rude Saxon manners must henceforth seek Us in the homes of our fathers since we have seen enough of Royal Banquets and enough of Norman courtesy so saying he arose and left the banqueting room followed by athl stain and by several other guests who partaking of the Saxon lineage held themselves insulted by the sarcasms of Prince John and his courtiers by the bones of St Thomas said Prince John as they retreated the Saxon churs have borne off the best of the day and have retreated with Triumph katum EST poculum EST said prior Amer we have drunk and we have shouted it were time we left our wine flagons the monk hath some Fair penitent to shrive tonight that he is in such a hurry to depart said de Brae not so site replied the Abbott but I must move several miles forward this evening upon my Homeward Journey they are breaking up said the prince in a whisper to fitzers their fears anticipate the event and this coward prior is the first to shrink from me fear not my lord said waldemar I will show him such reasons as shall induce him to join us when we hold our meeting meting at York s PRI he said I must speak with you in private before you mount your palfrey the other guests were now fast dispersing with the exception of those immediately attached to Prince John’s faction and his retinue this then is the result of your advice said the prince turning an angry countenance upon Fitz Ur that I should be bearded at my own board by a drunken Saxon chur and that on the mere sound of my brother’s name men should fall fall off from me as if I had the leprosy have patience sir replied his counselor I might retort your accusation and blame the inconsiderate levity which foiled my design and misled your own better judgment but this is no time for recrimination de braci and I will instantly go among these shuffling cowards and convince them they have gone too far to recede it will be in vain said Prince John pacing the apartment with disordered steps and expressing himself with an agitation to which the wine he had drank partly contributed it will be in vain they have seen the handwriting on the wall they have marked the poor of the lion in the sand they have heard his approaching Roar shake the wood nothing will reanimate their courage would to God said fitzer to De bracie that ought could reanimate his own his brother’s very name is an ago to him unhappy are the counselors of a prince who wants fortitude and perseverance alike in good and in evil chapter 15 I am the tool and servant of his will well let it be through all the Maze of trouble his plots and base oppression must create I’ll shape myself away to higher things and who will say is wrong basil a tragedy no spider ever took more pains to repair the shattered meshes of his web than did waldemar fitur to reunite and combine the scattered members of Prince John’s cabal few of these were attached to him from inclination and none from personal regard it was therefore necessary that fitzer should open to them new prospects of advantage and remind them of those which they at present enjoyed to the Young and Wild Nobles he held out the prospect of unpunished license and uncontrolled rry to the ambitious that of power and to the Covetous that of increased wealth and extended domains the leaders of the mercenaries received a donation in gold an argument the most persuasive to their minds and without which all others would have proved in vain promises were still more liberally distributed than money by this active agent and in fine nothing was left undone that could determine the wavering or animate the disheartened the return of King Richard he spoke of as an event altogether beyond the reach of probability yet when he observed from the doubtful looks and uncertain answers which he received that this was the appr apprehension by which the minds of his accomplices were most haunted he boldly treated that event should it really take place as one which ought not to alter their political calculations if Richard returns said fitus he returns to enrich his needy and impoverished Crusaders at the expense of those who did not follow him to the Holy Land he returns to call to a fearful Reckoning those who during his absence have done ought that can be construed offense or encroachment upon th the laws of the land or the Privileges of the crown he returns to avenge upon the orders of the temple and the hospital the preference which they showed to Philip of France during the wars in the Holy Land he returns in fine to punish as a rebel every adherent of his brother Prince John are ye afraid of his power continued The Artful confident of that Prince we acknowledge Him a strong and Valiant night but these are not the days of King Arthur when a champion could encounter an army if Richard indeed comes back it must be alone unfollowed unfriended the bones of his Gallant Army have whitened the Sands of Palestine the few of his followers who have returned have straggled hither like this Wilfred of ivanho beggared and broken men and what talk ye of Richard’s right of birth he proceeded in answer to those who objected Scruples on that head is Richard’s title of primogeniture more decidedly certain than that that of Duke Robert of Normandy the conqueror’s eldest son and yet William the red and Henry his second and third brothers were successively preferred to him by the voice of the nation Robert had every Merit which can be pleaded for Richard he was a bold Knight a good leader generous to his friends and to the church and to Crown the whole a crusader and a conqueror of the Holy Sepulchre and yet he died a blind and miserable prisoner in the castle of Cardiff because he opposed himself to the will of the people who chose that he should not rule over them it is our right he said to choose from the blood Royal the prince who is best qualified to hold the supreme power that is said he correcting himself him whose election will best promote the interests of the nobility in personal qualifications he added it was possible that Prince John might be inferior to his brother Richard but when it was considered that the latter returned with with the sword of Vengeance in his hand while the former held out rewards immunities privileges wealth and honors it could not be doubted which was the king whom in wisdom the nobility were called on to support these and many more arguments some adapted to The Peculiar circumstances of Those whom he addressed had the expected weight with The Nobles of Prince John’s faction most of them consented to attend the proposed meeting at York for the purpose of making General arrangements for placing the crown upon the head head of Prince John it was late at night when worn out and exhausted with his various exertions however gratified with the result fitzers returning to the castle of Ashby met with de brai who had exchanged his banqueting garments for a short green curle with hose of the same cloth and color a leathern cap or headpiece a short sword a horn slung over his shoulder a long bow in his hand and a bundle of arrows stuck in his belt had fitzers met this figure in an outer apartment he would have passed him without notice as one of the yman of the Guard but finding him in the inner Hall he looked at him with more attention and recognized the Norman Knight in the dress of an English yman what mmory is this de Brasi said fitzers somewhat angrily is this a time for Christmas gambles and quaint maskings when the fate of our Master Prince John is on the very verge of decision why hast thou not been like me among these heartless Cravens whom the very name of King Richard terrifies as it is said to do the children of the sarens I have been attending to my own business answered de Brae calmly as you fitzers have been minding yours I’m minding my own business echoed waldemar I have been engaged in that of Prince John our joint Patron as if thou Hast any other reason for that waldemar said de Brae then the promotion of thine own individual Interest come fitzers we know each other ambition is thy Pursuit pleasure is mine and they become our different ages of Prince John thou thinkest as I do that he is too weak to be a determined Monarch too tyrannical to be an easy Monarch too insolent and presumptuous to be a popular Monarch and too fickle and timid to be long a monarch of any kind but he is a monarch by whom Fitz Ur and de Brae hope to rise and thrive and therefore you Aid him with your policy and I with the lances of my free companions a hopeful auxiliary said fitzers impatiently playing the fool in the very moment of utter necessity what on Earth Dost thou purpose by this absurd disguise at a moment so urgent to get me a wife answered DE braci coolly after the manner of The Tribe of Benjamin The Tribe of Benjamin said fitzers I comprehend thee not W thou not in presence yester even said Dei when we heard the prior IMA tell us a tale in reply to the romance which was sung by the minstrel he told how long since in Palestine a deadly Feud arose between The Tribe of Benjamin and the rest of the israelitish nation and how they cut to Pieces well nigh all the chivalry of that tribe and how they swore by our blessed lady that they would not permit those who remained to marry in their lineage and how they became grieved for their vow and sent to consult his Holiness the pope how they might be absolved from it and how by the advice of the Holy Father the Youth of the tribe of Benjamin carried off from a superb tournament all the ladies who were there present and thus won them wives without the consent either of their Brides or their bride’s families I have heard the story said fitzers though either the prior or thou has made some singular alterations in date and circumstances I tell thee said de bracie that I mean to py me a wife after the fashion of the tribe of Benjamin which is as much as to say that in the same equipment I will fall upon that herd of Saxon Bullocks who have this night left the castle and carry off from them the lovely Rowena art thou mad de brassi said fitzers bethink thee that though the men be Saxons they are rich and powerful and regarded with the more respect by their countrymen that wealth and honor are but the lot of few of Saxon descent and should Belong To None said de Brae the work of the conquest should be completed this is no time for it at least said fitzers the approaching crisis renders the favor of the multitude indispensable and Prince John cannot refuse Justice to anyone who injures their favorites let him Grant it if he dare said de Brae he will soon see the difference betx the support of such a Lusty lot of Spears as mine and that of a a heartless mob of Saxon churs yet I mean no immediate discovery of myself seem I not in this Garb as bold a Forester as ever blue horn the blame of the violence shall rest with the Outlaws of the Yorkshire forests I have sure spies on the Saxons motions tonight they sleep in the convent of St Whittle or with old or whatever they call that chur of a Saxon Saint at Burton on Trent next day’s March brings them within our reach and Falcon ways we swoop on the at once presently after I will appear in my known shape play the courteous night rescue the unfortunate and Afflicted Fair one from the hands of the rude ravishers conduct her to front de’s Castle or to Normandy if it should be necessary and produce her not again to her Kindred until she be the bride and Dame of Maurice de bracie a marvelously Sage plan said fitzers and as I think not entirely of thine own device come Frank de bracie who aided thee in the invention and who is to assist in the execution for as I think thine own band lies as far off as York Mary if thou must needs know said deasi it was the Templar Brian debor gilber that shaped out the Enterprise which the adventure of the men of Benjamin suggested to me he is to Aid me in the onslaught and he and his followers will personate The Outlaws from whom my valorous arm is after changing my Garb to rescue the the lady by my halidome said fitzers the plan was worthy of your United wisdom and thy Prudence de brassi is most especially manifested in the project of leaving the lady in the hands of thy worthy Confederate thou may I think succeed in taking her from her Saxon friends but how thou wil rescue her afterwards from the clutches of buag gilbe seems considerably more doubtful he is a falcon well accustomed to pounce on a partridge and to hold his pre fast he is a Templar said de bracie and cannot therefore rival me in my plan of wedding this ays and to attempt ought dishonorable against the intended bride of Dei by Heaven were he a whole chapter of his order in his single person he dared not do me such an injury then since not that I can say said fitzers will put this Folly from thy imagination for well I know the obstinacy of thy disposition at least waste as little time as possible let not thy Folly be lasting as well as untimely I tell thee answered de bracie that it will be the work of a few hours and I shall be at York at the head of my daring and valorous fellows as ready to support any bold design as thy policy can be to form one but I hear my comrades assembling and the steeds stamping and nighing in the outer Court farewell I go like a true Knight to win the smiles of beauty like a true Knight repeated fitzers looking after him like a fool I should say or like a child who will leave the most serious and needful occupation to chase the down of the thistle that drives past him but it is with such tools that I must work and for whose Advantage for that of a prince as unwise as he is proplate and as likely to be an ungrateful Master as he has already proved a rebellious son and an unnatural brother but he he too is but one of the tools with which I labor and proud as he is should he presume to separate his interest from mine this is a secret which he shall soon learn the meditations of the Statesmen were here interrupted by the voice of the prince from an interior apartment calling out Noble waldemar fitzers and with Bonnet doed the future Chancellor for to such high preferment did the Wy Norman Aspire hastened to receive the orders of the future sovereign as we conclude the first part of our journey through ivanho we leave our hero in a precarious situation disguised as a disinherited knight he has won the tournament at Ashby but his true identity remains hidden the beautiful Rebecca who saved his life is held captive by the knight’s Templar and the villainous Brier boy gilar plots against him meanwhile Cedric the Saxon remains unaware of his son’s presence join us next next time as we continue our adventure where the stakes are high loyalties are tested and the fate of ivanho and his beloved Rowena hangs in the balance