Ivanhoe .................................................................................................................................................................1

Walter Scott.............................................................................................................................................1

CHAPTER I .............................................................................................................................................2

CHAPTER II ............................................................................................................................................6

CHAPTER III........................................................................................................................................13

CHAPTER IV........................................................................................................................................17

CHAPTER V.........................................................................................................................................22

CHAPTER VI........................................................................................................................................27

CHAPTER VII .......................................................................................................................................36

CHAPTER VIII.....................................................................................................................................42

CHAPTER IX........................................................................................................................................49

CHAPTER X.........................................................................................................................................55

CHAPTER XI........................................................................................................................................61

CHAPTER XII .......................................................................................................................................66

CHAPTER XIII.....................................................................................................................................72

CHAPTER XIV.....................................................................................................................................78

CHAPTER XV......................................................................................................................................84

CHAPTER XVI.....................................................................................................................................87

CHAPTER XVII ....................................................................................................................................94

CHAPTER XVIII ...................................................................................................................................98

CHAPTER XIX...................................................................................................................................102

CHAPTER XX....................................................................................................................................107

CHAPTER XXI...................................................................................................................................112

CHAPTER XXII ..................................................................................................................................117

CHAPTER XXIII .................................................................................................................................122

CHAPTER XXIV................................................................................................................................127

CHAPTER XXV ..................................................................................................................................133

CHAPTER XXVI................................................................................................................................138

CHAPTER XXVII ...............................................................................................................................143

CHAPTER XXVIII ..............................................................................................................................154

CHAPTER XXIX................................................................................................................................161

CHAPTER XXX ..................................................................................................................................169

CHAPTER XXXI................................................................................................................................174

CHAPTER XXXII. .............................................................................................................................182

CHAPTER XXXIII ..............................................................................................................................191

CHAPTER XXXIV.............................................................................................................................200

CHAPTER XXXV ...............................................................................................................................206

CHAPTER XXXVI.............................................................................................................................213

CHAPTER XXXVII............................................................................................................................218

CHAPTER XXXVIII ...........................................................................................................................225

CHAPTER XXXIX............................................................................................................................230

CHAPTER XL .....................................................................................................................................238

CHAPTER XLI ....................................................................................................................................249

CHAPTER XLII..................................................................................................................................254

CHAPTER XLIII .................................................................................................................................262

CHAPTER XLIV .................................................................................................................................269

In that pleasant district of merry England which is watered by the river Don, 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 Warncliffe Park, and around Rotherham. Here haunted of yore 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, whose deeds have been rendered so popular in

Such being our chief scene, the date of our story refers to a period towards the end of the reign of Richard I.,

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 Stephen, and whom the prudence of Henry the Second 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 dependants, 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

The situation of the inferior gentry, or Franklins, 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 of 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 were 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 neighbours, who attempted to separate themselves from

their authority, and to trust for their protection, during the dangers of the times, to their own inoffensive

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 AngloSaxons, 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 bad 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 had been extirpated 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, NormanFrench 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 honour, of chivalry, and even of justice, while the far more manly and expressive

AngloSaxon 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 betwixt the French and the

AngloSaxon, 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 AngloSaxons as a separate people subsequent to the reign of William the Second; yet the

great national distinctions betwixt 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 the Third, to keep open the

wounds which the Conquest had inflicted, and to maintain a line of separation betwixt the descendants of the

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 broadheaded, shortstemmed, widebranched 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 sward; in some places they were intermingled with beeches, hollies, and copsewood 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 discoloured 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

rites of Druidical superstition; for, on the summit of a hillock, so regular as to seem artificial, there still

remained part of a circle of rough unhewn 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 site, 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, partaking, in their dress and

appearance, of that wild and rustic character, which belonged to the woodlands of the WestRiding 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 of 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 bodyclothing; 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 hauberk. Sandals, bound with thongs made of boars' 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, accoutred with a mouthpiece, for the purpose of blowing. In the

same belt was stuck one of those long, broad, sharppointed, and twoedged knives, with a buck'shorn

handle, which were fabricated in the neighbourhood, 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 darkred colour, 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:``Gurth, the son of

Beside the swineherd, for such was Gurth's occupation, was seated, upon one of the fallen Druidical

monuments, a person about ten years younger in appearance, and whose dress, though resembling his

companion's 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

colours. To the jacket he added a short cloak, which scarcely reached half way 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, ``Wamba, the son of Witless, is the thrall 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 gaiters, 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 bandeau 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 oldfashioned nightcap, or a jellybag, or the headgear of a modern

hussar. 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 halfcrazed, halfcunning 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 intrust with edgetools. In place of these, he was

equipped with a sword of lath, resembling that with which Harlequin operates his wonders upon the modern

The outward appearance of these two men formed scarce a stronger contrast than their look and demeanour.

That of the serf, 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 Wamba, on the other hand, indicated, as usual with

his class, a sort of vacant curiosity, and fidgetty impatience of any posture of repose, together with the utmost

selfsatisfaction respecting his own situation, and the appearance which he made. The dialogue which they

maintained between them, was carried on in AngloSaxon, which, as we said before, was universally spoken

by the inferior classes, excepting the Norman soldiers, and the immediate personal dependants of the great

feudal nobles. But to give their conversation in the original would convey but little information to the modern

``The curse of St Withold upon these infernal porkers!'' said the swineherd, 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 beechmast and

acorns on which they had fattened, or to forsake the marshy banks of the rivulet, where several of them, half

plunged in mud, lay stretched at their ease, altogether regardless of the voice of their keeper. ``The curse of St

Withold upon them and upon me!'' said Gurth; ``if the twolegged wolf snap not up some of them ere

nightfall, I am no true man. Here, Fangs! Fangs!'' he ejaculated at the top of his voice to a ragged

wolfishlooking 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 swineherd's signals, ignorance of his own duty, or malice prepense, only drove them

hither and thither, and increased the evil which he seemed to design to remedy. ``A devil draw the teeth of

him,'' said Gurth, ``and the mother of mischief confound the Ranger of the forest, that cuts the foreclaws off

beest a man; take a turn round the back o' the hill to gain the wind on them; and when thous't got the

weathergage, thou mayst drive them before thee as gently as so many innocent lambs.''

``Truly,'' said Wamba, 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 sloughs, would be an act of

unfriendship to my sovereign person and royal wardrobe; wherefore, Gurth, I advise thee to call off Fangs,

and leave the herd to their destiny, which, whether they meet with bands of travelling soldiers, or of outlaws,

or of wandering pilgrims, can be little else than to be converted into Normans before morning, to thy no small

``The swine turned Normans to my comfort!'' quoth Gurth; ``expound that to me, Wamba, for my brain is too

``Why, how call you those grunting brutes running about on their four legs?'' demanded Wamba.

``And swine is good Saxon,'' said the Jester; ``but how call you the sow when she is flayed, and drawn, and

``I am very glad every fool knows that too,'' said Wamba, ``and pork, I think, is good NormanFrench; 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 is carried to the Castlehall to feast among the nobles what dost thou

``It is but too true doctrine, friend Wamba, however it got into thy fool's pate.''

``Nay, I can tell you more,'' said Wamba, in the same tone; ``there is old Alderman Ox continues to hold his

Saxon epithet, while he is under the charge of serfs 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. Mynheer Calf,

too, becomes Monsieur de Veau in the like manner; he is Saxon when he requires tendance, and takes a

``By St Dunstan,'' answered Gurth, ``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 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, he hath done the work of a man in standing in the gap; but Reginald FrontdeBoeuf 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, ``So ho! so ho! well done, Fangs! thou hast them

``Gurth,'' said the Jester, ``I know thou thinkest me a fool, or thou wouldst not be so rash in putting thy head

into my mouth. One word to Reginald FrontdeBoeuf, or Philip de Malvoisin, that thou hast spoken treason

against the Norman, and thou art but a castaway swineherd,thou wouldst waver on one of these

``Dog, thou wouldst not betray me,'' said Gurth, ``after having led me on to speak so much at disadvantage?''

``Betray thee!'' answered the Jester; ``no, that were the trick of a wise man; a fool cannot half so well help

himselfbut soft, whom have we here?'' he said, listening to the trampling of several horses which became

``Never mind whom,'' answered Gurth, who had now got his herd before him, and, with the aid of Fangs, was

driving them down one of the long dim vistas which we have endeavoured to describe.

``Nay, but I must see the riders,'' answered Wamba; ``perhaps they are come from Fairyland with a message

``A murrain take thee,'' rejoined the swineherd; ``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 fall out of the clouds; the oaks, too, notwithstanding the

calm weather, sob and creak with their great boughs as if announcing a tempest. Thou canst play the rational

if thou wilt; credit me for once, and let us home ere the storm begins to rage, for the night will be fearful.''

Wamba seemed to feel the force of this appeal, and accompanied his companion, who began his journey after

catching up a long quarterstaff which lay upon the grass beside him. This second Eumaeus strode hastily

down the forest glade, driving before him, with the assistance of Fangs, the whole herd of his inharmonious

Notwithstanding the occasional exhortation and chiding of his companion, the noise of the horsemen's feet

continuing to approach, Wamba could not be prevented from lingering occasionally on the road, upon every

pretence which occurred; now catching from the hazel a cluster of halfripe nuts, and now turning his head to

leer after a cottage maiden who crossed their path. The horsemen, therefore, soon overtook them on the road.

Their numbers amounted to ten men, of whom the two who rode foremost seemed to be persons of

considerable importance, and the others their attendants. 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

Cistercian 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 selfdenial, as his

habit indicated contempt of worldly splendour. His features might have been called good, had there not

lurked under the penthouse of his eye, that sly epicurean 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 goodhumoured 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 sect continues to give to its simplicity, by the choice of

materials and the mode of disposing them, a certain air of coquettish attraction, savouring but too much of the

This worthy churchman rode upon a wellfed ambling mule, whose furniture was highly decorated, and

whose bridle, 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 welltrained horseman.

Indeed, it seemed that so humble a conveyance as a mule, in however good case, and however well broken to

a pleasant and accommodating amble, was only used by the gallant monk for travelling 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 jennets 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 palfrey were

covered by a long footcloth, which reached nearly to the ground, and on which were richly embroidered,

mitres, crosses, and other ecclesiastical emblems. Another lay brother led a sumpter 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 forty, thin, strong, tall, and muscular; 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 whole to brawn, bones, and sinews, which had sustained a thousand toils, and were

ready to dare a thousand more. His head was covered with a scarlet cap, faced with furof 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 moustaches 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 difficulties 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

The upper dress of this personage resembled that of his companion in shape, being a long monastic mantle;

but the colour, 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 mail, with

sleeves and gloves of the same, curiously plaited and interwoven, as flexible to the body as those which are

now wrought in the stockingloom, out of less obdurate materials. The forepart of his thighs, where the

folds of his mantle permitted them to be seen, were also covered with linked mail; the knees and feet were

defended by splints, or thin plates of steel, ingeniously jointed upon each other; and mail hose, reaching from

the ankle to the knee, effectually protected the legs, and completed the rider's defensive armour. In his girdle

he wore a long and doubleedged 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 accoutred for battle, with a chamfrom or plaited headpiece upon his bead,

having a short spike projecting from the front. On one side of the saddle hung a short battleaxe, richly inlaid

with Damascene carving; on the other the rider's plumed headpiece and hood of mail, with a long

twohanded sword, used by the chivalry of the period. A second squire held aloft his master's lance, from the

extremity of which fluttered a small banderole, or streamer, bearing a cross of the same form with that

embroidered upon his cloak. He also carried his small triangular shield, broad enough at the top to protect the

breast, and from thence diminishing to a point. It was covered with a scarlet cloth, which prevented the

These two squires were followed by two attendants, whose dark visages, white turbans, and the Oriental form

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 swarthy arms and legs, of which the former were naked from the elbow, and the latter from

midleg 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 martial simplicity of his own attire. They

were armed with crooked sabres, having the hilt and baldric inlaid with gold, and matched with Turkish

daggers of yet more costly workmanship. Each of them bore at his saddlebow a bundle of darts or javelins,

about four feet in length, having sharp steel heads, a weapon much in use among the Saracens, and of which

the memory is yet preserved in the martial exercise called El Jerrid, still practised in the Eastern countries.

The steeds of these attendants were in appearance as foreign as their riders. They were of Saracen origin, and

consequently of Arabian descent; and their fine slender limbs, small fetlocks, thin manes, and easy springy

Yet so loose were the ideas of the times respecting the conduct of the clergy, whether secular or regular, that

the Prior Aymer maintained a fair character in the neighbourhood of his abbey. His free and jovial temper,

and the readiness with which he granted absolution from all ordinary delinquencies, rendered him a favourite

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 ennui 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 besttrained hawks, and the fleetest greyhounds in

the North Riding; circumstances which strongly recommended him to the youthful gentry. With the old, be

had another part to play, which, when needful, he could sustain with great decorum. His knowledge 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 follies of Prior Aymer.

He was generous; and charity, as it is well known, covereth a multitude 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 Aymer rode hard in the chase, or remained long at the banquet,if Prior Aymer was

seen, at the early peep of dawn, to enter the postern of the abbey, as he glided home from some rendezvous

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 practised by many of his brethren who had no

redeeming qualities whatsoever to atone for them. Prior Aymer, therefore, and his character, were well

known to our Saxon serfs, who made their rude obeisance, and received his ``benedicite, mes filz," in return.

But the singular appearance of his companion and his attendants, arrested their attention and excited their

wonder, and they could scarcely attend to the Prior of Jorvaulx' question, when he demanded if they knew of

any place of harbourage in the vicinity; so much were they surprised at the half monastic, half military

appearance of the swarthy stranger, and at the uncouth 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 Franca, or mixed language,

in which the Norman and Saxon races conversed with each other, ``if there be in this neighbourhood any

good man, who, for the love of God, and devotion to Mother Church, will give two of her humblest servants,

This he spoke with a tone of conscious importance, which formed a strong contrast to the modest terms which

``Two of the humblest servants of Mother Church!'' repeated Wamba to himself,but, fool as he was,

taking care not to make his observation audible; ``I should like to see her seneschals, her chief butlers, and

After this internal commentary on the Prior's speech, he raised his eyes, and replied to the question which had

``If the reverend fathers,'' he said, ``loved good cheer and soft lodging, few miles of riding would carry them

to the Priory of Brinxworth, where their quality could not but secure them the most honourable reception; or

if they preferred spending a penitential evening, they might turn down yonder wild glade, which would bring

them to the hermitage of Copmanhurst, where a pious anchoret would make them sharers for the night of the

``Mine honest friend,'' said he, ``if the jangling of thy bells bad not dizzied thine understanding, thou mightst

know Clericus clericum non decimat; that is to say, we churchmen do not exhaust each other's hospitality, but

rather require that of the laity, giving them thus an opportunity to serve God in honouring and relieving his

``It is true,'' replied Wamba, ``that I, being but an ass, am, nevertheless, honoured to hear the bells as well as

your reverence's mule; notwithstanding, I did conceive that the charity of Mother Church and her servants

``A 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 canst, the road toHow call'd you your Franklin, Prior Aymer?''

``Cedric,'' answered the Prior; ``Cedric the Saxon. Tell me, good fellow, are we near his dwelling, and

``The road will be uneasy to find,'' answered Gurth, who broke silence for the first time, ``and the family of

``Tush, tell not me, fellow,'' said the military rider; ``'tis easy for them to arise and supply the wants of

travellers such as we are, who will not stoop to beg the hospitality which we have a right to command.''

``I know not,'' said Gurth, sullenly, ``if I should show the way to my master's house, to those who demand as

``Do you dispute with me, slave!'' said the soldier; and, setting spurs to his horse, he caused him make a

demivolte across the path, raising at the same time the riding rod which he held in his hand, with a purpose of

Gurth darted at him a savage and revengeful scowl, and with a fierce, yet hesitating motion, laid his hand on

the haft of his knife; but the interference of Prior Aymer, who pushed his mule betwixt his companion and the

``Nay, by St Mary, brother Brian, you must not think you are now in Palestine, predominating over heathen

Turks and infidel Saracens; we islanders love not blows, save those of holy Church, who chasteneth whom

she loveth.Tell me, good fellow,'' said he to Wamba, and seconded his speech by a small piece of silver

coin, ``the way to Cedric the Saxon's; you cannot be ignorant of it, and it is your duty to direct the wanderer

``In truth, venerable father,'' answered the Jester, ``the Saracen head of your right reverend companion has

frightened out of mine the way homeI am not sure I shall get there tonight myself.''

``Tush,'' said the Abbot, ``thou canst tell us if thou wilt. This reverend brother has been all his life engaged in

fighting among the Saracens for the recovery of the Holy Sepulchre; he is of the order of Knights Templars,

``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 concern them.''

``I forgive thy wit,'' replied the Abbot, ``on condition thou wilt show me the way to Cedric's mansion.''

``Well, then,'' answered Wamba, ``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 adviser; and the cavalcade, setting spurs to their horses, rode on as men do who

wish to reach their inn before the bursting of a nightstorm. As their horses' hoofs died away, Gurth said to

his companion, ``If they follow thy wise direction, the reverend fathers will hardly reach Rotherwood this

``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

``Thou art right,'' said Gurth; ``it were ill that Aymer 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

We return to the riders, who had soon left the bondsmen far behind them, and who maintained the following

conversation in the NormanFrench language, usually employed by the superior classes, with the exception

``What mean these fellows by their capricious insolence?'' said the Templar to the Benedictine, ``and why did

``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 churl is of that savage, fierce, intractable race, some

of whom, as I have 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 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 blacktressed girls of Palestine, ay, or the houris of old

``Should your boasted beauty,'' said the Templar, ``be weighed in the balance and found wanting, you know

``My gold collar,'' answered the Prior, ``against ten buts of Chian wine;they are mine as securely as if

they were already in the convent vaults, under the key of old Dennis the cellarer.''

``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 twelvemonth. Ran it not so?Prior, your collar is

in danger; I will wear it over my gorget in the lists of AshbydelaZouche.'' ``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 noway slack in taking offence, 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 larks, though the hour were

midnight. And be careful how you look on Rowena, whom he cherishes with the most jealous care; an 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 worshipped, 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 squires, with

Hamet and Abdalla, will warrant you against that disgrace. Doubt not that we shall be strong enough to make

``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 left, certainly, the left; I remember his pointing with his wooden sword.''

``Ay, 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 Wamba's directions. At length Brian remarked, what

had at first escaped him in the twilight; ``Here is some one either asleep, or lying dead at the foot of this

crossHugo, stir him with the butend 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 Rotherwood, 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

``Thou shalt have both thanks and reward, my friend,'' said the Prior, ``if thou wilt bring us to Cedric's in

And he caused one of his attendants to mount his own led horse, and give that upon which he had hitherto

Their conductor pursued an opposite road from that which Wamba 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 dint 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

This was a joyful intimation to Aymer, 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

``You had better have tarried there to fight for the recovery of the Holy Sepulchre,'' said the Templar.

``True, Reverend Sir Knight,'' 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 travelling at such a distance

from the scene of their duties, can you wonder that a peaceful peasant like me should decline the task which

The Templar 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

``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, turretted, and castellated buildings in which the Norman nobility resided, and

Rotherwood was not, however, without defences; no habitation, in that disturbed period, could have been so,

without the risk of being plundered and burnt before the next morning. A deep fosse, or ditch, was drawn

round the whole building, and filled with water from a neighbouring 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 defences. 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

Before this entrance the Templar wound his horn loudly; for the rain, which had long threatened, began now

In a hall, the height of which was greatly disproportioned to its extreme length and width, a long oaken table,

formed of planks roughhewn 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 vapour which this occasioned,

had polished the rafters and beams of the lowbrowed 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

The other appointments of the mansion partook of the rude simplicity of the Saxon period, which Cedric

piqued 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 quarter of the length of the

apartment, the floor was raised by a step, and this space, which was called the dais, 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 whole

resembled the form of the letter T, or some of those ancient dinnertables, 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 dais, and over these seats and 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 illconstructed

The walls of this upper end of the hall, as far as the dais 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 gaudy colouring. Over the lower range of table, the roof, as we

have noticed, had no covering; the rough plastered walls were left bare, and the rude earthen floor was

uncarpeted; the board was uncovered by a cloth, and rude massive benches supplied the place of chairs.

In the centre 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

To each of these chairs was added a footstool, 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 a thane, 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 choleric

temper. He was not above the middle stature, but broadshouldered, longarmed, 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 goodhumour

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 grey, although Cedric was approaching to his sixtieth

His dress was a tunic of forest green, furred at the throat and cuffs with what was called minever; a kind of

fur inferior in quality to ermine, and formed, it is believed, of the skin of the grey squirrel. This doublet hung

unbuttoned over a close dress of scarlet which sate tight to his body; he had breeches 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 richlystudded belt, in which was stuck a short straight twoedged 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 boarspear, 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

Several domestics, whose dress held various proportions betwixt the richness of their master's, and the coarse

and simple attire of Gurth the swineherd, 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 dais; 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 slowhounds of a large bony

breed, with thick necks, large beads, 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 truncheon which lay by Cedric's trencher, for the purpose of repelling the advances of his

fourlegged dependants. One grisly old wolfdog alone, with the liberty of an indulged favourite, 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 stem

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 Gurth 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 neighbouring 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 forestland, where those

Besides these subjects of anxiety, the Saxon thane was impatient for the presence of his favourite clown

Wamba, whose jests, such as they were, served for a sort of seasoning to his evening meal, and to the deep

draughts of ale 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 cupbearer, who offered him from

time to time, as a sedative, a silver goblet filled with wine``Why tarries the Lady Rowena?''

``She is but changing her headgear,'' replied a female attendant, with as much confidence as the favourite

lady'smaid usually answers the master of a modern family; ``you would not wish her to sit down to the

banquet in her hood and kirtle? and no lady within the shire can be quicker in arraying herself than my

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 John's Kirk; but what, in the name

of ten devils,'' continued he, turning to the cupbearer, 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 ten

devils, keeps Gurth so long afield? I suppose we shall have an evil account of the herd; he was wont to be a

faithful and cautious drudge, and I had destined him for something better; perchance I might even have made

* The original has Cnichts, by which the Saxons seem to * have designated a class of military attendants,

sometimes free, * sometimes bondsmen, but always ranking above an ordinary * domestic, whether in the

royal household or in those of the * aldermen and thanes. But the term cnicht, now spelt knight, * having

been received into the English language as equivalent * to the Norman word chevalier, I have avoided using

Oswald the cupbearer modestly suggested, ``that it was scarce an hour since the tolling of the curfew;'' an

``The foul fiend,'' exclaimed Cedric, ``take the curfewbell, and the tyrannical bastard by whom it was

devised, and the heartless slave who names it with a Saxon tongue to a Saxon ear! The curfew!'' he added,

pausing, ``ay, the curfew; which compels true men to extinguish their lights, that thieves and robbers may

work their deeds in darkness! Ay, the curfew;Reginald FrontdeBoeuf and Philip de Malvoisin

know the use of the curfew as well as William the Bastard himself, or e'er 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 banditti,

whom they cannot support but by theft and robbery. My faithful slave is murdered, and my goods are taken

for a preyand Wambawhere is Wamba? Said not some one he had gone forth with Gurth?''

`` Ay? 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 char in impatience at the supposed injury,

and catching hold of his boarspear; ``I will go with my complaint to the great council; I have friends, I have

followersman to 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!Haply they think me old; but they shall find, alone and childless as I am, the blood of

Hereward 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

From his musing, Cedric was suddenly awakened by the blast of a born, which was replied to by the

clamorous yells and barking of all the dogs in the hall, and some twenty or thirty which were quartered in

other parts of the building. It cost some exercise of the white truncheon, well seconded by the exertions of the

domestics, to silence this canine clamour. ``To the gate, knaves!'' 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

Returning in less than three minutes, a warder announced ``that the Prior Aymer of Jorvaulx, and the good

knight Brian de BoisGuilbert, 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

``Aymer, the Prior Aymer? Brian de BoisGuilbert?'' muttered Cedric; ``Normans both; but Norman

or Saxon, the hospitality of Rotherwood must not be impeached; they are welcome, since they have chosen to

haltmore welcome would they have been to have ridden further on their wayBut it were unworthy to

murmur for a night's lodging and a night's food; in the quality of guests, at least, even Normans must suppress

their insolence.Go, Hundebert,'' he added, to a sort of majordomo 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, Hundebert, that Cedric would

himself bid them welcome, but he is under a vow never to step more than three steps from the dais of his own

hall to meet any who shares not the blood of Saxon royalty. Begone! see them carefully tended; let them not

say in their pride, the Saxon churl has shown at once his poverty and his avarice.''

The majordomo departed with several attendants, to execute his master's commands. ``The Prior Aymer!''

repeated Cedric, looking to Oswald, ``the brother, if I mistake not, of Giles de Mauleverer, now lord of

Oswald made a respectful sign of assent. ``His brother sits in the seat, and usurps the patrimony, of a better

race, the race of Ulfgar of Middleham; but what Norman lord doth not the same? This Prior is, they say, a

free and jovial priest, who loves the winecup and the buglehorn better than bell and book: Good; let him

``BoisGuilbert,'' said Cedric, still in the musing, halfarguing 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``BoisGuilbert? 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 hardhearted man, who knows neither fear of earth, nor awe of heaven. So say the few

warriors who have returned from Palestine.Well; it is but for one night; he shall be welcome

too.Oswald, broach the oldest winecask; place 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

* These were drinks used by the Saxons, as we are informed * by Mr Turner: Morat was made of honey

flavoured with the * juice of mulberries; Pigment was a sweet and rich liquor, composed * of wine highly

spiced, and sweetened also with honey; * the other liquors need no explanation. L. T.

love good wines and good measure.Elgitha, let thy Lady Rowena, know we shall not this night expect her

``But it will be her especial pleasure,'' answered Elgitha, with great readiness, ``for she is ever desirous to

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

``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 askI too might enquire I too might

listen with a beating heart to fables which the wily strollers devise to cheat us into hospitalitybut

noThe 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

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 majordomo with his wand, and four domestics

The Prior Aymer 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 signet ring,

which marked his ecclesiastical dignity, his fingers, though contrary to the canon, 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

The appearance of the Knight Templar was also changed; and, though less studiously bedecked 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 under tunic of dark purple silk, garnished with furs, over which flowed

his long robe of spotless white, in ample folds. The eightpointed 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

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 weeds of a pilgrim. A

cloak or mantle of coarse black serge, enveloped his whole body. It was in shape something like the cloak of

a modern hussar, having similar flaps for covering the arms, and was called a Sclaveyn, or Sclavonian.

Coarse sandals, bound with thongs, on his bare feet; a broad and shadowy hat, with cockleshells stitched on

its brim, and a long staff shod with iron, to the upper end of which was attached a branch of palm, completed

the palmer's 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 some one should make room at the board, or the hospitality of the

Cedric rose to receive his guests with an air of dignified hospitality, and, descending from the dais, 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

``Vows,'' said the Abbot, ``must be unloosed, worthy Franklin, or permit me rather to say, worthy Thane,

though the title is antiquated. Vows are the knots which tie us to Heaventhey 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 Middleham, who died

in odour of sanctity, little short, if we may presume to say so, of her glorious namesake, the blessed Saint

When the Prior had ceased what he meant as a conciliatory harangue, his companion said briefly and

emphatically, ``I speak ever French, the language of King Richard and his nobles; but I understand English

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, 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 Gurth the swineherd, who,

with his companion Wamba, had just entered the hall. ``Send these loitering knaves up hither,'' said the

Saxon, impatiently. And when the culprits came before the dais,``How comes it, villains! that you have

loitered abroad so late as this? Hast thou brought home thy charge, sirrah Gurth, or hast thou left them to

``But it does not please me, thou knave,'' said Cedric, ``that I should be made to suppose otherwise for two

hours, and sit here devising vengeance against my neighbours for wrongs they have not done me. I tell thee,

Gurth, 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 troth, uncle Cedric,

``How, sir?'' said his master; ``you shall to the porter's lodge, and taste of the discipline there, if you give your

``First let your wisdom tell me,'' said Wamba, ``is it just and reasonable to punish one person for the fault of

``Then why should you shackle poor Gurth, 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

``Then hang up Fangs,'' said Cedric, turning hastily towards the swineherd, ``if the fault is his, and get thee

``Under favour, uncle,'' said the Jester, ``that were still somewhat on the bowhand 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

``And who dared to lame an animal which belonged to my bondsman?'' said the Saxon, kindling in wrath.

``Marry, that did old Hubert,'' said Wamba, ``Sir Philip de Malvoisin's keeper 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 Malvoisin,'' answered the Saxon, ``and his keeper both! I will teach them that the wood

was disforested in terms of the great Forest Charter. But enough of this. Go to, knave, go to thy placeand

thou, Gurth, 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 bowstring no

more.I crave your pardon, my worthy guests. I am beset here with neighbours that match your infidels,

Sir Knight, in Holy Land. But your homely fare is before you; feed, and let welcome make amends for hard

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 hares, and various kinds of fish, together with huge loaves and cakes of bread, and sundry

confections made of fruits and honey. The smaller sorts of wildfowl, of which there was abundance, were

not served up in platters, but brought in upon small wooden spits or broaches, 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

When the repast was about to commence, the majordomo, or steward, suddenly raising his wand, said

aloud,``Forbear!Place for the Lady Rowena.'' A sidedoor at the upper end of the hall now opened

behind the banquet table, and Rowena, followed by four female attendants, entered the apartment. Cedric,

though 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. Ere she had time to do

so, the Templar whispered to the Prior, ``I shall wear no collar of gold of yours at the tournament. The Chian

``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,

Brian de BoisGuilbert kept his eyes riveted on the Saxon beauty, more striking perhaps to his imagination,

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 sate

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 colour betwixt brown and

flaxen, 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 reliquary of the same

metal, hung round her neck. She wore bracelets on her arms, which were bare. Her dress was an undergown

and kirtle of pale seagreen 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 wearer's pleasure, either drawn over the face and bosom after the Spanish

When Rowena perceived the Knight Templar's eyes bent on her with an ardour, 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

``If I have offended,'' replied Sir Brian, ``I crave your pardon,that is, I crave the Lady Rowena's

``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

``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 de BoisGuilbert is not to be despised.''

``Sir Prior,'' answered the Saxon, ``wheresoever I have travelled 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 AshbydelaZouche, we do so with my noble neighbour and countryman Athelstane

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

``Nay,'' said the Priest, laughing, ``it is only in our abbey 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

``And I,'' said the Templar, filling his goblet, ``drink wassail 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

pardon the unhappy Vortigern, had he half the cause that we now witness, for making shipwreck of his

``I will spare your courtesy, Sir Knight,'' said Rowena 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

``I have little of importance to say, lady,'' answered Sir Brian de BoisGuilbert, ``excepting the confirmed

He was interrupted by Wamba, who had taken 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 favour, however, which the Jester shared

with the favourite dogs, of whom, as we have already noticed, there were several in attendance. Here sat

Wamba, 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 halfshut, yet watching with alertness

``These truces with the infidels,'' he exclaimed, without caring how suddenly he interrupted the stately

``Go to, knave, how so?'' said Cedric, his features prepared to receive favourably the expected jest.

``Because,'' answered Wamba, ``I remember three of them in my day, each of which was to endure for the

course of fifty years; so that, by computation, I must be at least a hundred and fifty years old.''

``I will warrant you against dying of old age, however,'' said the Templar, who now recognised his friend of

the forest; ``I will assure you from all deaths but a violent one, if you give such directions to wayfarers, as

``How, sirrah!'' said Cedric, ``misdirect travellers? We must have you whipt; you are at least as much rogue

``I pray thee, uncle,'' answered the Jester, ``let my folly, for once, protect my roguery. 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

Conversation was here interrupted by the entrance of the porter's page, who announced that there was a

``Admit him,'' said Cedric, ``be he who or what he may;a night 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

And the steward left the banqueting hall to see the commands of his patron obeyed.

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 Gurth do thine office, Oswald,'' said Wamba with his usual

``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 Sepulchre?''

``By my faith,'' said Wamba, ``it would seem the Templars love the Jews' inheritance better than they do their

``Peace, my worthy guests,'' said Cedric; ``my hospitality must not be bounded by your dislikes. If Heaven

bore with the whole nation of stiffnecked 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 morsel apart,unless,'' he said smiling, ``these turban'd strangers will

``Sir Franklin,'' answered the Templar, ``my Saracen slaves are true Moslems, and scorn as much as any

``Now, in faith,'' said Wamba, ``I cannot see that the worshippers of Mahound and Termagaunt have so

``He shall sit with thee, Wamba,'' said Cedric; ``the fool and the knave will be well met.''

``The fool,'' answered Wamba, raising the relics of a gammon of bacon, ``will take care to erect a bulwark

Introduced with little ceremony, and advancing with fear and hesitation, and many a bow of deep humility, 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 aquiline nose, and piercing black eyes; his

high and wrinkled forehead, and long grey hair and beard, would have been considered as handsome, had

they not been the marks of a physiognomy peculiar to a race, which, during those dark ages, was alike

detested by the credulous and prejudiced 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

The Jew's dress, which appeared to have suffered considerably from the storm, was a plain russet 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

The reception of this person in the ball 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 Jew's 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 Saracens, 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

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 attendants 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 favourite 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 seethed kid, placed it upon the small table at which

he had himself supped, and, without waiting the Jew's 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

Had there been painters in 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 betoken long abstinence

Meanwhile the Abbot and Cedric continued their discourse upon hunting; the Lady Rowena seemed engaged

in conversation with one of her attendant females; and the haughty 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 proceeded, ``that, great as your predilection is

for your own manly language, you do not receive the NormanFrench into your favour, 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

fieldsports demand, or furnishes means to the experienced woodman so well to express his jovial art.''

`Good Father Aymer,'' 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 recheate or a morteI can cheer my dogs on the prey, and I can flay and quarter the animal

when it is brought down, without using the newfangled jargon of curee, arbor, nombles, and all the babble of

* There was no language which the Normans more formally * separated from that of common life than the

terms of the chase. * The objects of their pursuit, whether bird or animal, changed * their name each year,

and there were a hundred conventional * terms, to be ignorant of which was to be without one of the

distinguishing * marks of a gentleman. The reader may consult Dame * Juliana Berners' book on the subject.

The origin of this science * was imputed to the celebrated Sir Tristrem, famous for his tragic * intrigue with

the beautiful Ysolte. As the Normans reserved * the amusement of hunting strictly to themselves, the terms *

of this formal jargon were all taken from the French language. ``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 won 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 thirty years to tell you another tale. As Cedric the Saxon then was, his plain English tale needed no

garnish from French troubadours, when it was told in the ear of beauty; and the field of Northallerton, upon

the day of the Holy Standard, could tell whether the Saxon warcry was not heard as far within the ranks of

the Scottish host as the cri de guerre 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. ``Ay, that was a day

of cleaving of shields, when a 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

swordsa gathering of the eagles to the preythe clashing of bills upon shield and helmet, the shouting

of battle more joyful than the clamour of a bridal. But our bards are no more,'' he said; ``our deeds are lost in

those of another raceour languageour very nameis hastening to decay, and none mourns for it

save one solitary old manCupbearer! knave, fill the gobletsTo 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 Sir Brian de BoisGuilbert; ``yet to whom, besides

the sworn Champions of the Holy Sepulchre, can the palm be assigned among the champions of the Cross?''

``To the Knights Hospitallers,'' said the Abbot; ``I have a brother of their order.''

``I think, friend Cedric,'' said Wamba, interfering, ``that had Richard of the Lion's Heart been wise enough to

have taken a fool's advice, he might have staid 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 Rowena, ``whose names are worthy to be mentioned with the Knights of the

`` Forgive me, lady,'' replied De BoisGuilbert; ``the English monarch did, indeed, bring to Palestine a host

of gallant warriors, second only to those whose breasts have been the unceasing bulwark of that blessed

``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 were second to

=none= who ever drew sword in defence 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 JohndeAcre, 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 assailants were Knights of the Templeand Sir Brian de BoisGuilbert well knows

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 be 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, ``couldst thou tell me the names of those knights who upheld so

``That will I do blithely,'' replied the Pilgrim, ``and without guerdon; my oath, for a time, prohibits me from

``The first in honour 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 Leicester was the second,'' continued the Pilgrim; ``Sir Thomas Multon of Gilsland was the

``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

``Genuine Saxon, by the soul of Hengist!'' shouted Cedric``And the sixth?'' he continued with

``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 honourable company, less to aid their enterprise than to

``Sir Palmer,'' said Sir Brian de BoisGuilbert 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 fallingit was the Knight of Ivanhoe; nor was

there one of the six that, for his years, had more renown in arms.Yet this will I say, and loudlythat

were he in England, and durst repeat, in this week's tournament, the challenge of St JohndeAcre, 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 Ivanhoe ever returns from Palestine, I will be his surety that he meets you.''

``A goodly security!'' said the Knight Templar; ``and what do you proffer 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 Jorvaulx crossed himself and repeated a pater noster, in which all devoutly joined, excepting the

Jew, the Mahomedans, and the Templar; the latter of whom, without vailing 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 Prior Aymer hold my pledge and that of this nameless vagrant, in token that when the Knight

of Ivanhoe comes within the four seas of Britain, he underlies the challenge of Brian de BoisGuilbert,

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 Ivanhoe. I affirm he will meet fairly every honourable challenge. Could my

weak warrant add security to the inestimable pledge of this holy pilgrim, I would pledge name and fame that

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 harvestfield; 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

``Lady,'' said Cedric, ``this beseems not; were further pledge necessary, I myself, offended, and justly

offended, as I am, would yet gage my honour for the honour of Ivanhoe. But the wager of battle is complete,

even according to the fantastic fashions of Norman chivalryIs it not, Father Aymer?''

``It is,'' replied the Prior; ``and the blessed relic and rich chain will I bestow safely in the treasury of our

Having thus spoken, he crossed himself again and again, and after many genuflections and muttered prayers,

he delivered the reliquary 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 winepermit us another pledge to the welfare of the Lady Rowena,

``By the rood of Bromholme,'' said the Saxon, ``you do but small credit to your fame, Sir Prior! Report

speaks you a bonny monk, that would hear the matin chime ere 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 twelve, in my time, would not so soon

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 neighbour, 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 bowl with the hardy and strongheaded Saxons; something he

mentioned, but slightly, about his own holy character, and ended by pressing his proposal to depart to repose.

The gracecup was accordingly served round, and the guests, after making deep obeisance to their landlord

and to the Lady Rowena, arose and mingled in the hall, while the heads of the family, by separate doors,

``Unbelieving dog,'' said the Templar to Isaac the Jew, as he passed him in the throng, ``dost thou bend thy

``I do so propose,'' replied Isaac, bowing in all humility, ``if it please your reverend valour.''

``Ay,'' said the Knight, ``to gnaw the bowels of our nobles with usury, and to gull women and boys with

gauds and toysI warrant thee store of shekels in thy Jewish scrap.'' ``Not a shekel, 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 Exchequer of the Jews*

* In those days the Jews were subjected to an Exchequer, * specially dedicated to that purpose, and which

have imposed upon meFather Jacob be my speed! I am an impoverished wretchthe very gaberdine I

The Templar smiled sourly as he replied, ``Beshrew thee for a falsehearted liar!'' and passing onward, as if

disdaining farther conference, he communed with his Moslem slaves in a language unknown to the

bystanders. The poor Israelite seemed so staggered by the address of the military monk, that the Templar had

passed on to the extremity of the hall ere 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 marshalled to their sleeping apartments by the steward and the

cupbearer, 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.

As the Palmer, lighted by a domestic with a torch, past through the intricate combination of apartments of this

large and irregular mansion, the cupbearer coming behind him whispered in his ear, that if he had no

objection to a cup of good mead 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

Ivanhoe. Wamba 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 Wamba to the cupbearer, ``would

The cupbearer shrugged up his shoulders in displeasure. ``I thought to have lodged him in the solere

chamber,'' said he; ``but since he is so unsocial to Christians, e'en let him take the next stall to Isaac the

Jew's.Anwold,'' said he to the torchbearer, ``carry the Pilgrim to the southern cell. I give you

``Goodnight, and Our Lady's benison,'' said the Palmer, with composure; and his guide moved forward.

In a small antechamber, into which several doors opened, and which was lighted by a small iron lamp, they

met a second interruption from the waitingmaid 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 Anwold, 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

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 Rowena, 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

differentcoloured 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 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 footstool of ivory, curiously carved.

No fewer than four silver candelabras, holding great waxen torches, served 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 unfurled pennon of a chieftain. Magnificence there was, with some rude attempt at taste; but of comfort

The Lady Rowena, with three of her attendants standing at her back, and arranging her hair ere she lay down

to rest, was seated in the sort of throne already mentioned, and looked as if born to exact general homage.

``Rise, Palmer,'' said she graciously. ``The defender of the absent has a right to favourable reception from all

who value truth, and honour manhood.'' She then said to her train, ``Retire, excepting only Elgitha; I would

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

``Pilgrim,'' said the lady, after a moment's pause, during which she seemed uncertain how to address him,

``you this night mentioned a nameI mean,'' she said, with a degree of effort, ``the name of Ivanhoe, 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

``I know little of the Knight of Ivanhoe,'' 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,

The Lady Rowena sighed deeply, and asked more particularly when the Knight of Ivanhoe 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 thence through France to England. ``Ivanhoe,'' 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

``Would to God,'' said the Lady Rowena, ``he were here safely arrived, and able to bear arms in the

approaching tourney, in which the chivalry of this land are expected to display their address and valour.

Should Athelstane of Coningsburgh obtain the prize, Ivanhoe 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

``He was darker,'' said the Palmer, ``and thinner, than when he came from Cyprus in the train of

CoeurdeLion, and care seemed to sit heavy on his brow; but I approached not his presence, because he is

``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 nearoffer 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 obeisance, tasted a few drops.

``Accept this alms, friend,'' continued the lady, offering a piece of gold, ``in acknowledgment of thy painful

The Palmer received the boon with another low reverence, and followed Edwina out of the apartment.

In the anteroom he found his attendant Anwold, who, taking the torch from the hand of the waitingmaid,

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

``The unbelieving dog,'' answered Anwold, kennels in the cell next your holiness.St Dunstan, how it must

``Gurth,'' 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

``It is as well as it is,'' said the Palmer; ``the company, even of a Jew, can hardly spread contamination

So saying, he entered the cabin allotted to him, and taking the torch from the domestic's hand, thanked him,

and wished him goodnight. 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 ruder hutch or bedframe, stuffed with clean straw, and

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 matins, and adjusting his dress, he left it, and entered that of Isaac

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 NormanEnglish, 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 asunder, I could not

The Palmer awaited not the end of the Jew's vision, but stirred him with his pilgrim's staff. The touch

probably associated, as is usual, with some of the apprehensions excited by his dream; for the old man started

up, his grey 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

``The God of Israel requite you,'' said the Jew, greatly relieved; ``I dreamedBut Father Abraham be

praised, it was but a dream.'' Then, collecting himself, he added in his usual tone, ``And what may it be your

``It is to tell you,'' said the Palmer, ``that if you leave not this mansion instantly, and travel not with some

``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

yesternight, he spoke to his Mussulman slaves in the Saracen 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 Malvoisin, or to that of Reginald FrontdeBoeuf.''

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,

``Holy God of Abraham!'' was his first exclamation, folding and elevating his wrinkled hands, but without

raising his grey head from the pavement; ``Oh, holy Moses! O, blessed Aaron! the dream is not dreamed for

nought, and the vision cometh not in vain! I feel their irons already tear my sinews! I feel the rack pass over

my body like the saws, and harrows, and axes of iron over the men of Rabbah, and of the cities of the

``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 hoards, both by princes and nobles; but stand up, I

say, and I will point out to you the means 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 grey hair and beard, 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 dropt once more on his face, exclaiming, ``I possess

the means of securing goodwill! alas! there is but one road to the favour 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

notfor the sake of the Great Father who made us all, Jew as well as Gentile, Israelite and

Ishmaelitedo me no treason! I have not means to secure the goodwill 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

``Wert 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 aught 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 wiltCedric the Saxon may

``Alas!'' said the Jew, ``he will not let me travel in his trainSaxon or Norman will be equally ashamed of

the poor Israelite; and to travel by myself through the domains of Philip de Malvoisin and Reginald

FrontdeBoeufGood youth, I will go with you!Let us hastelet us gird up our loinslet us

``I tarry not,'' said the Pilgrim, giving way to the urgency of his companion; ``but I must secure the means of

He led the way to the adjoining cell, which, as the reader is apprised, was occupied by Gurth the

swineherd.``Arise, Gurth,'' said the Pilgrim, ``arise quickly. Undo the postern gate, and let out the Jew

Gurth, whose occupation, though now held so mean, gave him as much consequence in Saxon England as

that of Eumaeus in Ithaca, 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

``I should as soon have dreamt,'' said Wamba, who entered the apartment at the instant, ``of his stealing away

``Nevertheless,'' said Gurth, 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 opening of the great gatewe suffer no visitors to

``Nevertheless,'' said the Pilgrim, in a commanding tone, ``you will not, I think, refuse me that favour.''

So saying, he stooped over the bed of the recumbent swineherd, and whispered something in his ear in Saxon.

Gurth started up as if electrified. The Pilgrim, raising his finger in an attitude as if to express caution, added,

``Gurth, bewarethou are wont to be prudent. I say, undo the postern thou shalt know more anon.''

With hasty alacrity Gurth obeyed him, while and the Jew followed, both wondering at the sudden change in

the swineherd's demeanour. ``My mule, my mule!'' said the Jew, as soon as they stood without the postern.

``Fetch him his mule,'' said the Pilgrim; ``and, hearest thou,let me have another, that I may bear him

company till he is beyond these partsI will return it safely to some of Cedric's train at Ashby. And do

``Willingly, most willingly shall it be done,'' said Gurth, and instantly departed to execute the commission.

``I wish I knew,'' said Wamba, when his comrade's back was turned, ``what you Palmers learn in the Holy

``To say our orisons, fool,'' answered the Pilgrim, ``to repent our sins, and to mortify ourselves with fastings,

``Something more potent than that,'' answered the Jester; ``for when would repentance or prayer make Gurth

do a courtesy, or fasting or vigil persuade him to lend you a mule?l trow you might as well have told his

favourite black boar of thy vigils and penance, and wouldst have gotten as civil an answer.''

``Thou sayst well.'' said the Jester; ``had I been born a Norman, as I think thou art, I would have had luck on

At this moment Gurth appeared on the opposite side of the moat with the mules. The travellers crossed the

ditch upon a drawbridge of only two planks breadth, the narrowness of which was matched with the straitness

of the postern, 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 be muttered, ``a change of raiment

only a change of raiment.'' 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

The Pilgrim mounted with more deliberation, reaching, as he departed, his hand to Gurth, who kissed it with

the utmost possible veneration. The swineherd stood gazing after the travellers until they were lost under the

boughs of the forest path, when he was disturbed from his reverie by the voice of Wamba.

``Knowest thou,'' said the Jester, ``my good friend Gurth, that thou art strangely courteous and most

unwontedly pious on this summer morning? I would I were a black Prior or a barefoot Palmer, to avail myself

of thy unwonted zeal and courtesy certes, I would make more out of it than a kiss of the hand.''

``Thou art no fool thus far, Wamba,'' answered Gurth, ``though thou arguest from appearances, and the wisest

Meanwhile the travellers continued to press on their journey with a dispatch which argued the extremity of

the Jew's 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 anew the suspicion of the Israelite, that he intended to betray him into some ambuscade of his

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 unintermitting, general, and relentless

persecution as the Jews of this period. Upon the slightest and most unreasonable pretences, 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, Dane, and Briton, 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 selfinterested kind. It is a wellknown 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 disfurnished, 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 wringing 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 enabled 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'

Exchequer, 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

exchangean 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

The obstinacy and avarice of the Jews being thus in a measure placed in opposition to the fanaticism that

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, uncomplying, and skilful in evading the dangers to which they were exposed.

When the travellers had pushed on at a rapid rate through many devious paths, the Palmer at length broke

``That large decayed oak,'' he said, ``marks the boundaries over which FrontdeBoeuf claims authority

we are long since far from those of Malvoisin. 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 PilgrimThink but of that fierce and savage Templar, with

his Saracen slavesthey will regard neither territory, nor manor, nor lordship.''

``Our road,'' said the Palmer, ``should here separate; for it beseems not men of my character and thine to

travel together longer than needs must be. Besides, what succour couldst thou have from me, a peaceful

``O good youth,'' answered the Jew, ``thou canst defend me, and I know thou wouldst. Poor as I am, I will

requite itnot with money, for money, so help me my Father Abraham, I have nonebut''

``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 Saracen, 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 many of thy tribe with whom

``The blessing of Jacob be upon thee, good youth!'' said the Jew; ``in Sheffield I can harbour with my

``Be it so,'' said the Palmer; ``at Sheffield then we part, and halfanhour's riding will bring us in sight of that

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 Sepulchre 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,

``Not till you have had the poor Jew's thanks,'' said Isaac; ``for I presume not to ask you to go with me to my

kinsman Zareth's, 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 gyves and the dungeon to some unhappy Christian who stands in

``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 tribebut forgive me should I

``If thou wert to guess truly,'' said the Palmer, ``it is what thou canst not supply, wert thou as wealthy as thou

``As I say?'' echoed the Jew; ``O! believe it, I say but the truth; I am a plundered, indebted, distressed man.

Hard hands have wrung from me my goods, my money, my ships, and all that I possessed Yet I can tell

thee what thou lackest, and, it may be, supply it too. Thy wish even now is for a horse and armour.''

The Palmer started, and turned suddenly towards the Jew:``What fiend prompted that guess?'' said he,

``No matter,'' said the Jew, smiling, ``so that it be a true oneand, as I can guess thy want, so I can supply

``I know you Christians,'' replied the Jew, ``and that the noblest of you will take the staff and sandal in

``Forgive me,'' said the Jew; ``I spoke rashly. But there dropt 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 garments searched by as curious an eye, Isaac,'' said he,

``No more of that,'' said the Jew, changing colour; 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 Leicester all men know the rich Jew, Kirjath Jairam

of Lombardy; give him this scrollhe hath on sale six Milan harnesses, the worst would suit a crowned

headten 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 every thing else that can furnish thee forth for the tournament: when it is over, thou

wilt return them safelyunless 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

The Jew looked somewhat astounded at this possibility; but collecting his courage, he replied hastily.

``NononoIt is impossibleI will not think so. The blessing of Our Father will be upon thee.

So saying, he was turning his mule's head away, when the Palmer, in his turn, took hold of his gaberdine.

``Nay, but Isaac, thou knowest not all the risk. The steed may be slain, the armour injured for I will spare

neither horse nor man. Besides, those of thy tribe give nothing for nothing; something there must be paid for

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 notlet me go. If there is

damage, it will cost you nothing if there is usage money, Kirjath Jairam 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 vain hurlyburlyI speak not for endangering the steed, and coat of armour, but for the

``Gramercy for thy caution,'' said the Palmer, again smiling; ``I will use thy courtesy frankly, and it will go

The condition of the English nation was at this time sufficiently miserable. King Richard was absent a

prisoner, and in the power of the perfidious and cruel Duke 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

Prince John, in league with Philip of France, CoeurdeLion'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 favours. 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 Brittany, son of Geoffrey Plantagenet, the elder brother of John. This usurpation, it is well known, he

afterwards effected. His own character being light, profligate, and perfidious, John 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 resolutes,'' whom the crusades had turned back

on their country, accomplished in the vices of the East, impoverished in substance, and hardened in character,

and who placed their hopes of harvest in civil commotion. To these causes of public distress and

apprehension, must be added, the multitude of outlaws, 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 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 at the most usurious interest, which gnawed into their estates

like consuming cankers, scarce to be cured unless when circumstances gave them an opportunity of getting

Under the various burdens imposed by this unhappy state of affairs, the people of England 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

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 halfstarved

citizen of Madrid, who has not a real left to buy provisions for his family, feels in the issue of a bullfeast.

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 Leicester, as champions of the first renown were to

take the field 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

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 oaktrees, some of which had grown to an immense size.

The ground, as if fashioned on purpose for the martial 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 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 abreast. At each of these portals were

stationed two heralds, attended by six trumpets, as many pursuivants, and a strong body of menatarms for

maintaining order, and ascertaining the quality of the knights who proposed to engage in this martial 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 colours of the five knights

challengers. The cords of the tents were of the same colour. 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 silvan

man, or in some other fantastic dress, according to the taste of his master, and the character he was pleased to

* This sort of masquerade is supposed to have occasioned the * introduction of supporters into the science of

place of honour, had been assigned to Brian be BoisGuilbert, whose renown in all games of chivalry, no less

than his connexions 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 FrontdeBoeuf and

Richard de Malvoisin, and on the other was the pavilion of Hugh de Grantmesnil, 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 AshbydelaZouche, occupied the fifth pavilion. From the entrance into the lists,

a gently sloping passage, ten 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 whole was

The northern access to the lists terminated in a similar entrance of thirty feet 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

armourers, tarriers, 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, betwixt these galleries and the lists, gave accommodation for yeomanry and

spectators of a better degree than the mere vulgar, and might be compared to the pit of a theatre. 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

It only remains to notice respecting the general arrangement, that one gallery in the very centre 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 emblazoned. Squires, pages, and yeomen in rich liveries, waited around this place

of honour, which was designed for Prince John and his attendants. Opposite to this royal gallery was another,

elevated to the same height, on the western side of the lists; and more gaily, 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, gaily dressed in fancy habits of green and pink, surrounded a throne decorated in the same

colours. Among pennons and flags bearing wounded hearts, burning hearts, bleeding hearts, bows and

quivers, and all the commonplace emblems of the triumphs of Cupid, a blazoned inscription informed the

spectators, that this seat of honour was designed for La Royne de la Beaulte' et des Amours. 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

menatarms with brief ceremony; the shafts of their battleaxes, and pummels of their swords, being

readily employed as arguments to convince the more refractory. Others, which involved the rival claims of

more elevated persons, were determined by the heralds, or by the two marshals of the field, William de

Wyvil, and Stephen de Martival, who, armed at all points, rode up and down the lists to enforce and preserve

Gradually the galleries became filled with knights and nobles, in their robes of peace, whose long and

richtinted mantles 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 yeomen and burghers, 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

``Dog of an unbeliever,'' said an old man, whose threadbare tunic bore witness to his poverty, as his sword,

and dagger, and golden chain intimated his pretensions to rank,``whelp of a shewolf ! darest thou press

This rough expostulation was addressed to no other than our acquaintance Isaac, who, richly and even

magnificently dressed in a gaberdine ornamented with lace and lined with fur, was endeavouring 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 parent's 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

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 wellset yeoman, arrayed in Lincoln green, having twelve

arrows stuck in his belt, with a baldric and badge of silver, and a bow of six feet length in his hand, turned

short round, and while his countenance, which his constant exposure to weather had rendered brown as a

hazel nut, 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 comer, but would be crushed if it ventured into the light. This intimation,

delivered in NormanEnglish 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 every one

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 laymen, partly of churchmen, as light in their dress, and as gay in

their demeanour, as their companions. Among the latter was the Prior of Jorvaulx, 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, outheroding 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, dispensed with the use of these supports to a timid rider. The rest of Prince John's retinue consisted of the

favourite leaders of his mercenary troops, some marauding barons and profligate attendants upon the court,

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 betwixt that

monarch and the lionhearted King of England. It was the wellknown 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 licentious and tyrannical

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

grey and highmettled palfrey, caracoled 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

comeliness which belongs to an open set of features, well formed by nature, modelled 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 a hundred to one, the splendour of Prince John's rheno, (i.e. 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 palfrey, were sufficient to merit clamorous applause.

In his joyous caracole 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 recognised the Jew, but was much more agreeably attracted by the

beautiful daughter of Zion, who, terrified by the tumult, 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 exquisitely 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 brilliancy of her eyes,

the superb arch of her eyebrows, her wellformed aquiline 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 simarre of the richest Persian silk, exhibiting flowers in their natural colours

embossed upon a purple ground, permitted to be visibleall these constituted a combination of loveliness,

which yielded not to the most beautiful of the maidens who surrounded her. It is true, that of the golden and

pearlstudded clasps, which closed her vest from the throat to the waist, the three uppermost were left

unfastened on account of the heat, which something 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 agraffe set with brilliants, was another distinction of the beautiful

Jewess, scoffed and sneered at by the proud dames who sat above her, but secretly envied by those who

``By the bald scalp of Abraham,'' said Prince John, ``yonder Jewess must be the very model of that

perfection, whose charms drove frantic the wisest king that ever lived ! What sayest thou, Prior

Aymer?By the Temple of that wise king, which our wiser brother Richard proved unable to recover, she

``The Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley,'' answered the Prior, in a sort of snuffling tone; ``but

``Ay!'' added Prince John, without heeding him, ``and there is my Mammon of unrighteousness toothe

Marquis of Marks, the Baron of Byzants, contesting for place with penniless dogs, whose threadbare 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 Jewess, shall have a place in the gallery!What is she, Isaac? Thy wife

or thy daughter, that Eastern houri that thou lockest under thy arm as thou wouldst thy treasurecasket?''

``My daughter Rebecca, so please your Grace,'' answered Isaac, with a low congee, nothing embarrassed by

the Prince's salutation, in which, however, there was at least as much mockery as courtesy.

``The wiser man thou,'' said John, with a peal 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 churls, lolling 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 high places of the synagogue with those whom the synagogue properly

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, Athelstane of Coningsburgh, 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 Athelstane. He was comely in countenance, bulky and strong in person, and in the flower of

his ageyet inanimate in expression, dulleyed, heavybrowed, inactive and sluggish in all his motions,

and so slow in resolution, that the soubriquet of one of his ancestors was conferred upon him, and he was

very generally called Athelstane 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 goodnature which remained behind, were

merely the dregs of a character that might have been deserving of praise, but of which all the valuable parts

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. Athelstane, 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 vis inertiae to the will of John; and, without stirring or making any motion whatever of obedience,

opened his large grey eyes, and stared at the Prince with an astonishment which had in it something

``The Saxon porker,'' he said, ``is either asleep or minds me notPrick him with your lance, De Bracy,''

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 Bracy, 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 Athelstane 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, unsheathed, 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

``I always add my hollo,'' said the yeoman, ``when I see a good shot, or a gallant blow.''

``Sayst thou?'' answered the Prince; ``then thou canst hit the white thyself, I'll warrant.''

``A woodsman's mark, and at woodsman's distance, I can hit,'' answered the yeoman.

``And Wat Tyrrel's mark, at a hundred yards,'' said a voice from behind, but by whom uttered could not be

This allusion to the fate of William Rufus, his Relative, at once incensed and alarmed Prince John. He

satisfied himself, however, with commanding the menatarms, who surrounded the lists, to keep an eye on

``By St Grizzel,'' he added, ``we will try his own skill, who is so ready to give his voice to the feats of

``I shall not fly the trial,'' said the yeoman, with the composure which marked his whole deportment.

``Meanwhile, stand up, ye Saxon churls,'' said the fiery Prince; ``for, by the light of Heaven, since I have said

``By no means, an 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 Montdidier, by no means stimulated him to an intrusion upon the

``Up, infidel dog when I command you,'' said Prince John, ``or I will have thy swarthy hide stript off, and

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

The catastrophe was prevented by the clown Wamba, who, springing betwixt his master and Isaac, and

exclaiming, in answer to the Prince's defiance, ``Marry, that will I!'' opposed 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 jest 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 Wamba; ``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.

``A fool by right of descent,'' answered the Jester; ``I am Wamba, the son of Witless, who was the son of

``Make room for the Jew in front of the lower ring,'' said Prince John, not unwilling perhaps to, seize an

apology to desist from his original purpose; ``to place the vanquished beside the victor were false heraldry.''

``Knave upon fool were worse,'' answered the Jester, ``and Jew upon bacon worst of all.''

``Gramercy! good fellow,'' cried Prince John, ``thou pleasest meHere, Isaac, lend me a handful of

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 endeavouring to ascertain how few coins might pass for a handful,

the Prince stooped from his jennet and settled Isaac's doubts by snatching the pouch itself from his side; and

flinging to Wamba a couple of the gold pieces which it contained, he pursued his career round the lists,

leaving the Jew to the derision of those around him, and himself receiving as much applause from the

In the midst of Prince John's cavalcade, he suddenly stopt, and appealing to the Prior of Jorvaulx, declared

``By my halidom,'' said he, ``we have forgotten, Sir 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

``Holy Virgin,'' answered the Prior, turning up his eyes in horror, ``a Jewess!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

``Saxon or Jew,'' answered the Prince, ``Saxon or Jew, dog or hog, what matters it? I say, name Rebecca,

``This passes a jest, my lord,'' said De Bracy; ``no knight here will lay lance in rest if such an insult is

``It is the mere wantonness of insult,'' said one of the oldest and most important of Prince John's followers,

Waldemar Fitzurse, ``and if your Grace attempt it, cannot but prove ruinous to your projects.''

``I entertained you, sir,'' said John, reining up his palfrey haughtily, ``for my follower, but not for my

``Those who follow your Grace in the paths which you tread,'' said Waldemar, but speaking in a low voice,

``acquire the right of counsellors; for your interest and safety are not more deeply gaged than their own.''

From the tone in which this was spoken, John saw the necessity of acquiescence ``I did but jest,'' he said;

``and you turn upon me like so many adders! Name whom you will, in the fiend's name, and please

``Nay, nay,'' said De Bracy, ``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 love of valiant knights, who can exalt them to such distinction.''

``If Brian de BoisGuilbert gain the prize,'' said the Prior, `` I will gage my rosary that I name the Sovereign

``BoisGuilbert,'' answered De Bracy, ``is a good lance; but there are others around these lists, Sir Prior, who

``Silence, sirs,'' 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 sports should commence.''

Prince John, though not yet a monarch, had in Waldemar Fitzurse all the inconveniences of a favourite

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

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

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 tourney, who should receive as prize a warhorse of exquisite

beauty and matchless strength; and in addition to this reward of valour, it was now declared, he should have

the peculiar honour of naming the Queen of Love and Beauty, by whom the prize should be given on the

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 adjudge 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 knightly games ceased. But on that which was to follow, feats of

archery, of bullbaiting, and other popular amusements, were to be practised, for the more immediate

amusement of the populace. In this manner did Prince John endeavour to lay the foundation of a popularity,

which he was perpetually throwing down by some inconsiderate act of wanton aggression upon the feelings

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 yeomen of merry England, formed, in their more plain

attire, a dark fringe, or border, around this circle of brilliant embroidery, relieving, and, at the same time,

The heralds finished their proclamation with their usual cry of ``Largesse, largesse, 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 honour. The

bounty of the spectators was acknowledged by the customary shouts of ``Love of LadiesDeath of

ChampionsHonour 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 martial 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 capapie, 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 pennons of

about a span's breadth, which, fluttering in the air as the breeze caught them, joined with the restless motion

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 Wardour Manuscript) records at great length their devices, their colours, and the embroidery

of their horse trappings. It is unnecessary to be particular on these subjects. To borrow lines from a

``The knights are dust, And their good swords are rust, Their souls are with the saints, we trust.''*

* These lines are part of an unpublished poem. by Coleridge, * whose Muse so often tantalizes with

fragments which indicate * her powers, while the manner in which she flings them from * her betrays her

caprice, yet whose unfinished sketches display * more talent than the laboured masterpieces of others.

Their escutcheons have long mouldered from the walls of their castles. Their castles themselves are but green

mounds and shattered ruinsthe place that once knew them, knows them no morenay, 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

Now, however, no whit 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 cymbals 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 generalnay, 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 de BoisGuilbert, descended from the platform, and opposed themselves individually

At the flourish of clarions 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 BoisGuilbert, Malvoisin, and

FrontdeBoeuf, rolled on the ground. The antagonist of Grantmesnil, instead of bearing his lancepoint fair

against the crest or the shield of his enemy, swerved so much from the direct line as to break the weapon

athwart the person of his opponenta 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

honour of his party, and parted fairly with the Knight of St John, both splintering their lances without

The shouts of the multitude, together with the acclamations of the heralds, and the clangour of the trumpets,

announced the triumph of the victors and the defeat of the vanquished. The former retreated to their pavilions,

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, amongst whom he retreated, to the aggravation, doubtless, of

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 challengers, not one of whom lost his seat or swerved from

his chargemisfortunes which befell one or two of their antagonists in each encounter. The spirits,

therefore, of those opposed to them, seemed to be considerably damped by their continued success. Three

knights only appeared on the fourth entry, who, avoiding the shields of BoisGuilbert and FrontdeBoeuf,

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 challengers were

still successful: one of their antagonists was overthrown, and both the others failed in the attaint,* that is,

* This term of chivalry, transferred to the law, gives the * phrase of being attainted of treason.

in striking the helmet and shield of their antagonist firmly and strongly, with the lance held in a direct line, so

After this fourth encounter, there was a considerable pause; nor did it appear that any one was very desirous

of renewing the contest The spectators murmured among themselves; for, among the challengers, Malvoisin

and FrontdeBoeuf were unpopular from their characters, and the others, except Grantmesnil, were disliked

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 honour 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

Athelstane, 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, Athelstane had a disposition too inert and unambitious

``The day is against England, my lord,'' said Cedric, in a marked tone; ``are you not tempted to take the

``I shall tilt tomorrow" answered Athelstane, ``in the me^le'e; it is not worth while for me to arm myself

Two things displeased Cedric in this speech. It contained the Norman word mee^le'e, (to express the general

conflict,) and it evinced some indifference to the honour of the country; but it was spoken by Athelstane,

whom he held in such profound respect, that he would not trust himself to canvass his motives or his foibles.

Moreover, he had no time to make any remark, for Wamba 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.''

Athelstane 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 Wamba, perhaps, that the time and

place prevented his receiving, notwithstanding his place and service, more sensible marks of his master's

The pause in the tournament was still uninterrupted, excepting 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 challengers 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 martial 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 adjudging

the prize to Brian de BoisGuilbert, who had, with a single spear, overthrown two knights, and foiled a third.

At length, as the Saracenic music of the challengers concluded one of those long and high flourishes 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 armour, the new adventurer did not greatly exceed the middle size, and seemed to be rather

slender than strongly made. His suit of armour was formed of steel, richly inlaid with gold, and the device on

his shield was a young oaktree pulled up by the roots, with the Spanish word Desdichado, 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 favour of the multitude, which

some of the lower classes expressed by calling out, ``Touch Ralph de Vipont's shieldtouch the

The champion, moving onward amid these wellmeant 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 Brian de BoisGuilbert until it rung again. All stood

astonished at his presumption, but none more than the redoubted 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

``I am fitter to meet death than thou art,'' answered the Disinherited Knight; for by this name the stranger had

``Then take your place in the lists,'' said BoisGuilbert, ``and look your last upon the sun; for this night thou

``Gramercy for thy courtesy,'' replied the Disinherited Knight, ``and to requite it, I advise thee to take a fresh

Having expressed himself thus confidently, he reined 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

However incensed at his adversary for the precautions which he recommended, Brian de BoisGuilbert did

not neglect his advice; for his honour was too nearly concerned, to permit his neglecting any means which

might ensure victory over his presumptuous opponent. He changed his horse for a proved 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. BoisGuilbert's new shield bore a raven in full flight, holding in its claws a skull, and

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 augured the possibility that the encounter could terminate

well for the Disinherited Knight, yet his courage and gallantry secured the general good wishes of the

The trumpets had no sooner given the signal, than the champions vanished from their posts with the speed of

lightning, and closed in the centre of the lists with the shock of a thunderbolt. The lances 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 haunches. 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 demivolte, and, retiring to the extremity of the lists, received a fresh lance from

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, than the clamour 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 centre of the lists, with the same speed, the same dexterity, the same violence,

In this second encounter, the Templar aimed at the centre of his antagonist's 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 BoisGuilbert's

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 girths 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 stirrups and fallen steed, was to the Templar scarce the work of a moment; and,

stung with madness, both at his disgrace 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 unsheathed 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

``We shall meet again, I trust,'' said the Templar, casting a resentful glance at his antagonist; ``and where

``If we do not,'' said the Disinherited Knight, ``the fault shall not be mine. On foot or horseback, with spear,

More and angrier words would have been exchanged, but the marshals, crossing their lances betwixt them,

compelled them to separate. The Disinherited Knight returned to his first station, and BoisGuilbert to his

Without alighting 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

The gigantic FrontdeBoeuf, armed in sable armour, 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 FrontdeBoeuf, who lost a stirrup in the encounter,

In the stranger's third encounter with Sir Philip Malvoisin, he was equally successful; striking that baron so

forcibly on the casque, that the laces of the helmet broke, and Malvoisin, only saved from falling by being

In his fourth combat with De Grantmesnil, the Disinherited Knight showed as much courtesy as he had

hitherto evinced courage and dexterity. De Grantmesnil's horse, which 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, wheeled 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 Grantmesnil declined, avowing himself vanquished as much by

Ralph de Vipont summed up the list of the stranger's triumphs, being hurled to the ground with such force,

that the blood gushed from his nose and his mouth, and he was borne senseless from the lists.

The acclamations of thousands applauded the unanimous award of the Prince and marshals, announcing that

William de Wyvil and Stephen de Martival, 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 ere they conducted him to receive the prize of the day's tourney from the hands

of Prince John. The Disinherited Knight, with all knightly 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 knights 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 valour.

John'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 favoured 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.Wot ye, my lords,'' be said, turning round to his train, ``who this gallant can be, that bears himself

``I cannot guess,'' answered De Bracy, ``nor did I think there had been within the four seas that girth Britain a

champion that could bear down these five knights in one day's jousting. By my faith, I shall never forget the

force with which he shocked De Vipont. The poor Hospitaller was hurled from his saddle like a stone from a

``Boast not of that,'' said a Knight of St John, who was present; ``your Temple champion had no better luck. I

saw your brave lance, BoisGuilbert, roll thrice over, grasping his hands full of sand at every turn.

De Bracy, being attached to the Templars, would have replied, but was prevented by Prince John. ``Silence,

``It is our pleasure,'' answered John, ``that he do so wait until we learn whether there is not some one who can

at least guess at his name and quality. Should he remain there till nightfall, he has had work enough to keep

``Your Grace,'' said Waldemar Fitzurse, ``will do less than due honour 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 straggling homeward from

``It may be the Earl of Salisbury,'' said De Bracy; ``he is about the same pitch.''

``Sir Thomas de Multon, the Knight of Gilsland, rather,'' said Fitzurse; ``Salisbury is bigger in the bones.'' A

whisper arose among the train, but by whom first suggested could not be ascertained. ``It might be the

``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!De Bracy! brave knights and gentlemen,

``Here is no danger impending,'' said Waldemar Fitzurse; ``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

armour?De Wyvil and Martival, 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 shoulderbreadth. The very horse he backs, could not have carried the ponderous weight of King Richard

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 the distinctions pointed out by Fitzurse did not altogether remove the Prince's apprehensions;

and while, with a short and embarrassed eulogy upon his valour, 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

The horse was led into the lists by two grooms richly dressed, the animal itself being fully accoutred with the

richest warfurniture; 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 stirrup, 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

In the meanwhile, the bustling Prior of Jorvaulx had reminded Prince John, in a whisper, that the victor must

now display his good judgment, instead of his valour, 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

tourney upon the ensuing day. The Prince accordingly made a sign with his truncheon, as the Knight 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

``Sir 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, as Queen of Honour and of Love, is to preside

over next day's festival. If, as a stranger 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 Waldemar Fitzurse, 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

The Knight obeyed; and Prince John placed upon its point a coronet of green satin, having around its edge a

circlet of gold, the upper edge of which was relieved by arrowpoints and hearts placed interchangeably, like

In the broad hint which he dropped respecting the daughter of Waldemar Fitzurse, John 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 chivalry around him his own indecent and

unacceptable jest respecting the Jewess 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

licentious in his pleasures as profligate in his ambition. But besides all these reasons, he was desirous to raise

up against the Disinherited Knight (towards whom he already entertained a strong dislike) a powerful enemy

in the person of Waldemar Fitzurse, who was likely, he thought, highly to resent the injury done to his

And so indeed it proved. For the Disinherited Knight passed the gallery close to that of the Prince, in which

the Lady Alicia 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

It was worth while to see the different conduct of the beauties who underwent this examination, during the

time it was proceeding. 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 endeavoured to forbear smiling, and there were two or three who laughed outright.

There were also some who dropped their veils over their charms; but, as the Wardour Manuscript says these

were fair ones of ten 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

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

discomfiture of the Templar, and still more so at the, miscarriage of his two malevolent neighbours,

FrontdeBoeuf and Malvoisin, 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 Athelstane 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

``Father Abraham!'' said Isaac of York, when the first course was run betwixt the Templar and the

Disinherited Knight, ``how fiercely that Gentile rides! Ah, the good horse that was brought all the long way

from Barbary, he takes no more care of him than if he were a wild ass's coltand the noble armour, that

was worth so many zecchins to Joseph Pareira, the armourer of Milan, besides seventy in the hundred of

``If he risks his own person and limbs, father,'' said Rebecca, ``in doing such a dreadful battle, he can scarce

``Child!'' replied Isaac, somewhat heated, ``thou knowest not what thou speakestHis neck and limbs are

his own, but his horse and armour belong toHoly Jacob! what was I about to say! Nevertheless, it is a

good youthSee, Rebecca! see, he is again about to go up to battle against the PhilistinePray,

childpray for the safety of the good youth,and of the speedy horse, and the rich armour.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 warhorses, and their armour of brass

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 armour 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,

Whether from indecision, or some other motive of hesitation, 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. They then repeated their cry of Largesse, to which Cedric, in the height of his joy, replied by an

ample donative, and to which Athelstane, 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 jennet, 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 halidome, sirs! if the Knight's feats in arms have shown that he hath

limbs and sinews, 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 Fitzurse was rather offended than pleased at the Prince

``I know no right of chivalry,'' he said, ``more precious or inalienable than that of each free knight to choose

his ladylove 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 due.''

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 Anjou; 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.''

``The Lady Rowena,'' 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 Athelstane of Coningsburgh, speak only the language, and

practise only the manners, of our fathers. We therefore decline with thanks your Highness's 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

``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 ourself conduct this mute sovereign to her seat of dignity. You, at least, Sir 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

``It is well,'' said Prince John, haughtily; ``although unused to such refusals, we will endeavour to digest our

banquet as we may, though ungraced 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,

Yet, with the vindictive memory proper to offended pride, especially when combined with conscious want of

desert, John had hardly proceeded three paces, ere again, turning around, he fixed an eye of stern resentment

upon the yeoman who had displeased him in the early part of the day, and issued his commands to the

The yeoman 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

tomorrowI must see how Staffordshire and Leicestershire can draw their bowsthe forests of

``l,'' said Prince John to his attendants, but not in direct reply,``I will see how he can draw his own; and

Waldemar Fitzurse, 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

In various routes, according to the different quarters from which they came, and in groups of various

numbers, the spectators were seen retiring over the plain. By far the most numerous part 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 splendour of his appearance and train, than

A more sincere and more general, as well as a bettermerited 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

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 halfused bottles of wine and relics of the refreshment which had

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 armourers, which was to continue through the whole night, in order to

A strong guard of menatarms, renewed at intervals, from two hours to two hours, surrounded the lists, and

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 every one 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 yeomana clownishlooking man, who, wrapt in a cloak

of darkcoloured felt, and having his head and face halfburied 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 armour, and placed food and wine before him,

The Knight had scarcely finished a hasty meal, ere his menial announced to him that five men, each leading a

barbed steed, desired to speak with him. The Disinherited Knight had exchanged his armour 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 of itself have rendered a disguise unnecessary, unless to persons to

The Disinherited Knight, therefore, stept 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

``According to the laws of chivalry,'' said the foremost of these men, ``I, Baldwin de Oyley, squire to the

redoubted Knight Brian de BoisGuilbert, make offer to you, styling yourself, for the present, the

Disinherited Knight, of the horse and armour used by the said Brian de BoisGuilbert 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 other squires repeated nearly the same formula, and then stood to await the decision of the Disinherited

``To you four, sirs,'' replied the Knight, addressing those who had last spoken, ``and to your honourable and

valiant masters, I have one common reply. Commend me to 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

here 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

``We stand commissioned, each of us,'' answered the squire of Reginald FrontdeBoeuf, ``to offer a

``It is sufficient,'' said the Disinherited Knight. ``Half the sum my present necessities compel me to accept; of

the remaining half, distribute one moiety among yourselves, sir squires, and divide the other half betwixt the

The squires, with cap in hand, and low reverences, expressed their deep sense of a courtesy and generosity

not often practised, at least upon a scale so extensive. The Disinherited Knight then addressed his discourse to

Baldwin, the squire of Brian de BoisGuilbert. ``From your master,'' said he, ``I will accept neither arms nor

ransom. Say to him in my name, that our strife is not endedno, not till we have fought as well with

swords as with lancesas 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

``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 armour and his horse here, being well assured that he will

``You have spoken well, good squire,'' said the Disinherited Knight, ``well and boldly, as it beseemeth him to

speak who answers for an absent master. Leave not, however, the horse and armour 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

Baldwin made a deep obeisance, and retired with his companions; and the Disinherited Knight entered the

``Thus far, Gurth,'' said he, addressing his attendant, ``the reputation of English chivalry hath not suffered in

``And I,'' said Gurth, ``for a Saxon swineherd, have not ill played the personage of a Norman

``Yea, but,'' answered the Disinherited Knight, thou hast ever kept me in anxiety lest thy clownish bearing

should discover thee.'' ``Tush!'' said Gurth, ``I fear discovery from none, saving my playfellow, Wamba the

Jester, of whom I could never discover whether he were most knave or fool. Yet I could scarce choose but

laugh, when my old master passed so near to me, dreaming all the while that Gurth was keeping his porkers

``Nay, for that matter,'' said Gurth, ``I will never fail my friend for fear of my skincutting. I have a tough

``Trust me, I will requite the risk you run for my love, Gurth,'' said the Knight. ``Meanwhile, I pray you to

``I am richer,'' said Gurth, putting them into his pouch, ``than ever was swineherd or bondsman.''

``Take this bag of gold to Ashby,'' continued his master, ``and find out Isaac the Jew of York, and let him pay

``So they be honest, reasonable, and Christian commands,'' replied Gurth; ``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 Gurth, taking the bag under his cloak, and leaving the apartment; ``and it will go hard,'' he

muttered, ``but I content him with onehalf 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 churlish in extending them to those whom they termed Gentiles, and whose treatment of them

In an apartment, small indeed, but richly furnished with decorations of an Oriental taste, Rebecca 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 mien and disordered step;

sometimes clasping his hands togethersometimes casting his eyes to the roof of the apartment, as one

who laboured under great mental tribulation. ``O, Jacob!'' he exclaimed``O, all ye twelve Holy Fathers of

our tribe! what a losing venture is this for one who hath duly kept every jot and tittle of the law of

MosesFifty zecchins wrenched from me at one clutch, and by the talons of a tyrant!''

``But, father,'' said Rebecca, ``you seemed to give the gold to Prince John willingly.''

``Willingly? the blotch of Egypt upon him! Willingly, saidst thou?Ay, as willingly as when, in the

Gulf of Lyons, I flung over my merchandise to lighten the ship, while she laboured in the tempestrobed

the seething billows in my choice silksperfumed their briny foam with myrrh and aloesenriched their

caverns with gold and silver work! And was not that an hour of unutterable misery, though my own hands

``But it was a sacrifice which Heaven exacted to save our lives,'' answered Rebecca, ``and the God of our

``Ay,'' answered Isaac, ``but if the tyrant lays hold on them as he did today, and compels me to smile while

he is robbing me?O, 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

``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

``Daughter,'' said Isaac, ``thou hast harped upon another string of sorrow. The goodly steed and the rich

armour, equal to the full profit of my adventure with our Kirjath Jairam of Leicester there is a dead loss

tooay, a loss which swallows up the gains of a week; ay, of the space between two Sabaothsand yet it

``Assuredly,'' said Rebecca, ``you shall not repent you of requiting the good deed received of the stranger

``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, yea, the very best

of Christians, repay a debt to a Jew, unless under the awe of the judge and jailor.''

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

effortsa prudential line of conduct, and we recommend to all who set up for comforters and advisers, to

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 with him. He that would live by traffic, must hold himself at the disposal of every one 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

Just as Rebecca had dropped over her fine features a screen of silver gauze which reached to her feet, the

door opened, and Gurth entered, wrapt in the ample folds of his Norman mantle. His appearance was rather

suspicious than prepossessing, especially as, instead of doffing his bonnet, he pulled it still deeper over his

``I am,'' replied Isaac, in the same language, (for his traffic had rendered every tongue spoken in Britain

``As much as my name is to thee,'' replied Isaac; ``for without knowing thine, how can I hold intercourse with

``Easily,'' answered Gurth; ``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.''

``O,'' said the Jew, ``you are come to pay moneys? Holy Father Abraham! that altereth our relation to

``From the Disinherited Knight,'' said Gurth, ``victor in this day's tournament. It is the price of the armour

supplied to him by Kirjath Jairam of Leicester, on thy recommendation. The steed is restored to thy stable. I

``I said he was a good youth!'' exclaimed Isaac with joyful exultation. ``A cup of wine will do thee no harm,''

he added, filling and handing to the swineherd a richer drought than Gurth had ever before tasted. "And how

``Holy Virgin!'' said Gurth, 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 bear a conscience, though it be a Jewish one.''

``Nay, but,'' said Isaac, ``thy master has won goodly steeds and rich armours with the strength of his lance,

and of his right handbut 'tis a good youththe Jew will take these in present payment, and render him

``Ah! that was wrong,'' said the Jew, ``that was the part of a fool. No Christians here could buy so many

horses and armourno Jew except myself would give him half the values. But thou hast a hundred

zecchins with thee in that bag,'' said Isaac, prying under Gurth's cloak, ``it is a heavy one.''

``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 eighty zecchins for the good steed and the

rich armour, which leaves me not a guilder's profit, have you money to pay me?''

``Barely,'' said Gurth, 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! eighty zecchins is too little. It leaveth no profit for

the usages of the moneys; and, besides, the good horse may have suffered wrong in this day's encounter. O, it

was a hard and a dangerous meeting! man and steed rushing on each other like wild bulls of Bashan! The

``And I say,'' replied Gurth, ``he is sound, wind and limb; and you may see him now, in your stable. And I

say, over and above, that seventy zecchins is enough for the armour, and I hope a Christian's word is as good

as a Jew's. If you will not take seventy, I will carry this bag'' (and he shook it till the contents jingled) ``back

``Nay, nay!'' said Isaac; ``lay down the talents the shekelsthe eighty zecchins, and thou shalt see I

Gurth at length complied; and telling out eighty zecchins upon the table, the Jew delivered out to him an

acquittance for the horse and suit of armour. The Jew's hand trembled for joy as he wrapped up the first

seventy pieces of gold. The last ten he told over with much deliberation, pausing, and saying something as he

took each piece from the table, and dropt it into his purse. It seemed as if his avarice were struggling with his

better nature, and compelling him to pouch zecchin after zecchin 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:

``Seventyoneseventytwo; thy master is a good youthseventythree, an excellent youth

seventyfourthat piece hath been clipt within the ringseventyfiveand that looketh light of

Yorkseventyseventhat is, with reasonable security.'' Here he made a considerable pause, and Gurth

had good hope that the last three pieces might escape the fate of their comrades; but the enumeration

proceeded.``Seventyeight thou art a good fellowseventynine and deservest something for

Here the Jew paused again, and looked at the last zecchin, intending, doubtless, to bestow it upon Gurth. He

weighed it 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 Gurth, the chime was

full and true, the zecchin plump, newly coined, and a grain above weight. Isaac could not find in his heart to

part with it, so dropt it into his purse as if in absence of mind, with the words, ``Eighty completes the tale,

and I trust thy master will reward thee handsomely. Surely,'' he added, looking earnestly at the bag,

Gurth 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 heard, Jew, see that this be full and ample!'' He filled himself unbidden, a third goblet of wine, and left

``Rebecca,'' said the Jew, ``that Ishmaelite hath gone somewhat beyond me. Nevertheless his master is a good

youthay, 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

As he turned to receive Rebecca's answer, he observed, that during his chattering with Gurth, she had left the

In the meanwhile, Gurth had descended the stair, and, having reached the dark antechamber 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. Gurth 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 fawns, forestfiends, 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 Jewess whom he had seen at the tournament,

She asked him the particulars of his transaction with Isaac, which he detailed accurately.

``My father did but jest with thee, good fellow,'' said Rebecca; ``he owes thy master deeper kindness than

these arms and steed could pay, were their value tenfold. What sum didst thou pay my father even now?''

``In this purse,'' said Rebecca, ``thou wilt find a hundred. Restore to thy master that which is his due, and

enrich thyself with the remainder. Haste begonestay not to render thanks! and beware how you pass

through this crowded town, where thou mayst 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 darkbrow'd and blackbearded Israelite, obeyed her summons, with a torch in his hand; undid the

outward door of the house, and conducting Gurth across a paved court, let him out through a wicket in the

entrancegate, which he closed behind him with such bolts and chains as would well have become that of a

``By St Dunstan,'' said Gurth, as he stumbled up the dark avenue, ``this is no Jewess, but an angel from

heaven! Ten zecchins from my brave young mastertwenty from this pearl of ZionOh, happy

day!Such another, Gurth, will redeem thy bondage, and make thee a brother as free of thy guild as the

best. And then do I lay down my swineherd'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.''

The nocturnal adventures of Gurth 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 altogether across the path. The lane was moreover much rutted and broken up by the carriages

which had recently transported articles of various kinds to the tournament; and it was dark, for the banks and

From the village were heard the distant sounds of revelry, mixed occasionally with loud laughter, sometimes

broken by screams, and sometimes by wild strains of distant music. All these sounds, intimating the

disorderly state of the town, crowded with military nobles and their dissolute attendants, gave Gurth some

uneasiness. ``The Jewess was right,'' he said to himself. ``By heaven and St Dunstan, I would I were safe at

my journey's end with all this treasure! Here are such numbers, I will not say of arrant thieves, but of errant

knights and errant squires, errant monks and errant minstrels, errant jugglers and errant jesters, that a man

with a single merk would be in danger, much more a poor swineherd with a whole bagful of zecchins. Would

I were out of the shade of these infernal bushes, that I might at least see any of St Nicholas's clerks before

Gurth 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 men 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 Gurth, whose 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 defence.''

``We shall see that presently,'' said the robber; and, speaking to his companions, he added, ``bring along the

knave. I see he would have his head broken, as well as his purse cut, and so be let blood in two veins at once.''

Gurth was hurried along agreeably to this mandate, and having been dragged somewhat roughly over the

bank, on the lefthand side of the lane, found himself in a straggling thicket, which lay betwixt it and the

open common. He was compelled to follow his rough conductors into the very depth of this cover, where

they stopt 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 boughs and leaves. Here his captors

were joined by two other persons, apparently belonging to the gang. They had short swords by their sides,

and quarterstaves in their hands, and Gurth could now observe that all six wore visors, which rendered their

occupation a matter of no question, even had their former proceedings left it in doubt.

``A forfeita forfeit,'' shouted the robbers; ``a Saxon hath thirty zecchins, and returns sober from a village!

``Thou art an ass,'' replied one of the thieves ``three quarts of double ale had rendered thee as free as thy

``A sad truth,'' replied Gurth; ``but if these same thirty zecchins will buy my freedom from you, unloose my

``Hold,'' said one who seemed to exercise some authority over the others; ``this bag which thou bearest, as I

``It is the good knight my master's,'' answered Gurth, ``of which, assuredly, I would not have spoken a word,

``Thou art an honest fellow,'' replied the robber, ``I warrant thee; and we worship not St Nicholas so devoutly

but what thy thirty zecchins may yet escape, if thou deal uprightly with us. Meantime render up thy trust for a

time.'' So saying, he took from Gurth's breast the large leathern pouch, in which the purse given him by

Rebecca was enclosed, as well as the rest of the zecchins, and then continued his interrogation.``Who is

``Whose good lance,'' replied the robber, ``won the prize in today's tourney? What is his name and lineage?''

``It is his pleasure,'' answered Gurth, ``that they be concealed; and from me, assuredly, you will learn nought

``To tell that,'' said Gurth, ``might reveal my master's.'' ``Thou art a saucy 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 accrued to

``By his good lance,'' answered Gurth.``These bags contain the ransom of four good horses, and four

``Only two hundred zecchins!'' said the bandit; ``your master hath dealt liberally by the vanquished, and put

``The armour and horse of the Templar Brian de BoisGuilbert, at what ransom were they held? Thou

``My master,'' replied Gurth, ``will take nought from the Templar save his life'sblood. They are on terms of

``Indeed!''repeated the robber, and paused after he had said the word. ``And what wert thou now doing at

``I went thither to render to Isaac the Jew of York,'' replied Gurth, ``the price of a suit of armour with which

``And how much didst thou pay to Isaac? Methinks, to judge by weight, there is still two hundred

``I paid to Isaac,'' said the Saxon, ``eighty zecchins, and he restored me a hundred in lieu thereof.''

``How! what!'' exclaimed all the robbers at once; ``darest thou trifle with us, that thou tellest such improbable

``What I tell you,'' said Gurth, ``is as true as the moon is in heaven. You will find the just sum in a silken

``Bethink thee, man,'' said the Captain, ``thou speakest of a Jewof 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 banditti, ``than in an unbribed sheriffs officer.''

``Strike a light instantly,'' said the Captain; ``I will 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 Gurth 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,

Gurth 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 quarterstaff from one of the

fellows, struck down the Captain, who was altogether unaware of his purpose, and had wellnigh repossessed

himself of the pouch and treasure. The thieves, however, were too nimble for him, and again secured both the

``Knave!'' said the Captain, getting up, ``thou hast broken my head; and with other men of our sort thou

wouldst fare the worse for thy insolence. But thou shalt know thy fate instantly. First let us speak of thy

master; the knight's matters must go before the squire's, 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

lifeComrades!'' he then said, addressing his gang, ``this purse is embroidered with Hebrew characters,

and I well believe the yeoman's tale is true. The errant 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

``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 sword's point as we do?Hath he not beaten FrontdeBoeuf and Malvoisin, even as we

would beat them if we could? Is he not the enemy to life and death of Brian de BoisGuilbert, whom we have

so much reason to fear? And were all this otherwise, wouldst thou have us show a worse conscience than an

``Nay, that were a shame,'' muttered the other fellow; ``and yet, when I served in the band of stout old

Gandelyn, we had no such scruples of conscience. And this insolent peasant,he too, I warrant me, is to be

``Not if thou canst scathe him,'' replied the Captain. ``Here, fellow,'' continued he, addressing Gurth,

``I think,'' said Gurth, ``thou shouldst be best able to reply to that question.''

``Nay, by my troth, thou gavest me a round knock,'' replied the Captain; ``do as much for this fellow, and

thou shalt pass scotfree; and if thou dost notwhy, by my faith, as thou art such a sturdy knave, I think I

must pay thy ransom myself. Take thy staff, Miller,'' he added, ``and keep thy head; and do you others let

The two champions being alike armed with quarterstaves, stepped forward into the centre of the open space,

in order to have the full benefit of the moonlight; the thieves in the meantime laughing, and crying to their

comrade, ``Miller! beware thy tolldish.'' The Miller, on the other hand, holding his quarterstaff by the

middle, and making it flourish round his head after the fashion which the French call faire le moulinet,

exclaimed boastfully, ``Come on, churl, an thou darest: thou shalt feel the strength of a miller's thumb!''

``If thou best a miller,'' answered Gurth, 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 Gurth and the Miller must remain unsung, for want of a

sacred poet to do justice to its eventful progress. Yet, though quarterstaff play be out of date, what we can in

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 favourable to the noble game of quarterstaff, in which, as in ordinary cudgelplaying, the

utmost coolness is requisite; and it gave Gurth, 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 halfstaff distance, while Gurth defended himself against the attack, keeping his hands about a yard

asunder, and covering himself by shifting his weapon with great celerity, 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 endeavoured 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 sward.

``Well and yeomanly done!'' shouted the robbers; ``fair play and Old England for ever! The Saxon hath saved

``Thou mayst go thy ways, my friend,'' said the Captain, addressing Gurth, 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 nightwalkers 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 nameask not after ours, nor endeavour 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.''

Gurth thanked the Captain for his courtesy, and promised to attend to his recommendation. Two of the

outlaws, taking up their quarterstaves, and desiring Gurth to follow close in the rear, walked roundly

forward along a bypath, 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 induced Gurth to believe both that the gang

was strong in numbers, and that they kept regular guards around their place of rendezvous.

When they arrived on the open heath, where Gurth 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 moonbeams, and from which could be heard the hum of the song with

``We go with you no farther,'' said they; ``it were not safe that we should do so.Remember the warning

you have receivedkeep secret what has this night befallen you, and you will have no room to repent

itneglect what is now told you, and the Tower of London shall not protect you against our revenge.''

``Good night to you, kind sirs,'' said Gurth; ``I shall remember your orders, and trust that there is no offence

Thus they parted, the outlaws returning in the direction from whence they had come, and Gurth proceeding to

the tent of his master, to whom, notwithstanding the injunction he had received, he communicated the whole

The Disinherited Knight 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 knight, therefore, stretched himself for repose upon a rich couch with which the tent was provided; and

the faithful Gurth, extending his hardy limbs upon a bearskin 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.

Morning arose in unclouded splendour, and ere 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 centre, in order to secure

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 betwixt the two bodies who should be opposed to each

According to due formality, the Disinherited Knight was to be considered as leader of the one body, while

Brian de BoisGuilbert, who had been rated as having done secondbest 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 de Vipont, whom his fall had rendered unfit so soon to put on his armour. There was no

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 practised 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 valour in the general combat, where they might meet others with

whom they were more upon an equality. On the present occasion, about fifty 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 ten o'clock, the whole plain was crowded with horsemen, horsewomen, and

footpassengers, 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

About the same time arrived Cedric the Saxon, with the Lady Rowena, unattended, however, by Athelstane.

This Saxon lord had arrayed his tall and strong person in armour, 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 Knight

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

His best, if not his only reason, for adhering to the party of Brian de BoisGuilbert, Athelstane 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 assent of Cedric and her other friends. It had

therefore been with smothered displeasure that the proud though indolent Lord of Coningsburgh beheld the

victor of the preceding day select Rowena as the object of that honour which it became his privilege to

confer. In order to punish him for a preference which seemed to interfere with his own suit, Athelstane,

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 succour, but, if an opportunity should occur, to make

De Bracy, and other knights attached to Prince John, in obedience to a hint from him, had joined the party of

the challengers, John 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 challengers, the more

readily that the opposite band was to be led by so distinguished a champion as the Disinherited Knight had

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,

doffed his bonnet, and, alighting 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 loyalty 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

So saying, the Prince marshalled Rowena to the seat of honour opposite his own, while the fairest and most

distinguished ladies present crowded after her to obtain places as near as possible to their temporary

No sooner was Rowena seated, than a burst of music, halfdrowned by the shouts 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

The heralds then proclaimed silence until the laws of the tourney 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

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 battleaxe 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 antagonist

to the extremity of the lists, so as to touch the palisade with his person or arms, such opponent was obliged to

yield himself vanquished, and his armour 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 adjudged 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 truncheon; another precaution usually

taken to prevent the unnecessary effusion of blood by the too long endurance of a sport so desperate. Any

knight breaking the rules of the tournament, or otherwise transgressing the rules of honourable chivalry, was

liable to be stript of his arms, and, having his shield reversed to be placed in that posture astride 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

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 centre of the foremost rank, a post which he did not occupy until each had

carefully marshalled the ranks of his party, and stationed every one 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 warsaddles

like so many pillars of iron, and awaiting the signal of encounter with the same ardour as their generous

steeds, which, by neighing and pawing 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 tale was found exactly complete. The marshals then withdrew from the lists, and

William de Wyvil, with a voice of thunder, pronounced the signal wordsLaissez aller! The trumpets

sounded as he spokethe spears of the champions were at once lowered and placed in the reststhe

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

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 ere 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

adversary's 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 endeavouring to extricate themselves from the tumult. 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 warcries, and exchanging buffets, as if honour and life depended on the

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 de BoisGuilbert shouted ``Ha!

* Beauseant was the name of the Templars' banner, which * was half black, half white, to intimate, it is said,

that they were * candid and fair towards Christians, but black and terrible towards * infidels.

the TempleFor the Temple!'' The opposite party shouted in answer``Desdichado! Desdichado!''

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 defenceless beneath

the feet of the horses. The splendid armour of the combatants was now defaced with dust and blood, and gave

way at every stroke of the sword and battleaxe. The gay plumage, shorn from the crests, drifted upon the

breeze like snowflakes. All that was beautiful and graceful in the martial array had disappeared, and what

Yet 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 around encouraged the combatants, not only by clapping their hands and

waving their veils and kerchiefs, but even by exclaiming, ``Brave lance! Good sword!'' when any successful

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 ondeath is better than defeat!Fight on, brave

Amid the varied fortunes of the combat, the eyes of all endeavoured 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 BoisGuilbert or the Disinherited Knight find in the ranks

opposed to them a champion who could be termed their unquestioned match. They repeatedly endeavoured 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 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 honour, by measuring his strength against the leader of the

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 honour, 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

But at this moment the party of the Disinherited Knight had the worst; the gigantic arm of FrontdeBoeuf

on the one flank, and the ponderous strength of Athelstane 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

``Beware! beware! Sir Disinherited!'' was shouted so universally, that the knight became aware of his danger;

and, striking a full blow at the Templar, he reined back his steed in the same moment, so as to escape the

charge of Athelstane and FrontdeBoeuf. These knights, therefore, their aim being thus eluded, rushed from

opposite sides betwixt the object of their attack and the Templar, almost running their horses against each

other ere 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

This stood him in the more stead, as the horse of BoisGuilbert was wounded, and those of FrontdeBoeuf

and Athelstane were both tired with the weight of their gigantic masters, clad in complete armour, and with

the preceding exertions of the day. The masterly horsemanship of the Disinherited Knight, and the activity of

the noble animal which he mounted, enabled him for a few minutes to keep at sword's point his three

antagonists, turning and wheeling with the agility of a hawk upon the wing, keeping his enemies as far

separate as he could, and rushing now against the one, now against the other, dealing sweeping blows with

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 warder, and

``Not I, by the light of Heaven!'' answered Prince John; ``this same springal, who conceals his name, and

despises our proffered 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 armour, 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 case those combatants who attacked him, but neither pursuing his

advantages, nor himself assailing any one. 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 Le Noir

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 trumpetcall, ``Desdichado, to the rescue!'' It was high time; for, while the

Disinherited Knight was pressing upon the Templar, FrontdeBoeuf had got nigh to him with his uplifted

sword; but ere 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 FrontdeBoeuf

rolled on the ground, both horse and man equally stunned by the fury of the blow. Le Noir Faineant then

turned his horse upon Athelstane of Coningsburgh; and his own sword having been broken in his encounter

with FrontdeBoeuf, he wrenched from the hand of the bulky Saxon the battleaxe which he wielded, and,

like one familiar with the use of the weapon, bestowed him such a blow upon the crest, that Athelstane 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 de

BoisGuilbert. This was no longer matter of so much difficulty as formerly. The Templars horse had bled

much, and gave way under the shock of the Disinherited Knight's charge. Brian de BoisGuilbert rolled on

the field, encumbered with the stirrup, 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 Templars dangerous situation than he had been by that of his rival,

saved him the mortification of confessing himself vanquished, by casting down his warder, and putting an

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

The squires, who had found it a matter of danger and difficulty to attend their masters during the engagement,

now thronged into the lists to pay their dutiful attendance to the wounded, who were removed with the utmost

care and attention to the neighbouring pavilions, or to the quarters prepared for them in the adjoining village.

Thus ended the memorable field of AshbydelaZouche, 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 armour, had

died upon the field, yet upwards of thirty were desperately wounded, four or five of whom 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

It being now the duty of Prince John to name the knight who had done best, he determined that the honour of

the day remained with the knight whom the popular voice had termed Le Noir Faineant. 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

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 honours which had been assigned to him.

Prince John had now no further excuse for resisting the claim of the Disinherited Knight, whom, therefore, he

Through a field slippery with blood, and encumbered with broken armour and the bodies of slain and

wounded horses, the marshals of the lists again conducted the victor to the foot of Prince John's throne.

``Disinherited Knight,'' said Prince John, ``since by that title only you will consent to be known to us, we a

second time award to you the honours 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 Honour which your valour has justly

While the trumpets sounded, while the heralds strained their voices in proclaiming honour to the brave and

glory to the victorwhile ladies waved their silken kerchiefs and embroidered veils, and while all ranks

joined in a clamorous shout of exultation, the marshals conducted the Disinherited Knight across the lists to

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

thushis 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 casque 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 casque, and undoing the fastening of his gorget. When the

helmet was removed, the wellformed, yet sunburnt features of a young man of twentyfive were seen,

amidst a profusion of short fair hair. His countenance was as pale as death, and marked in one or two places

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, Sir Knight, as the meed of valour 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 valour had been

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 Ivanhoe's swoon, had hastened to undo

his armour, and found that the head of a lance had penetrated his breastplate, and inflicted a wound in his

The name of Ivanhoe was no sooner pronounced than it flew from mouth to mouth, with all the celerity with

which eagerness could convey and curiosity receive it. It was not long ere 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 learned tell us, concerning innate

attractions and antipathies? Methinks that I felt the presence of my brother's minion, even when I least

``FrontdeBoeuf must prepare to restore his fief of Ivanhoe,'' said De Bracy, who, having discharged his

part honourably in the tournament, had laid his shield and helmet aside, and again mingled with the Prince's

``Ay,'' answered Waldemar Fitzurse, ``this gallant is likely to reclaim the castle and manor which Richard

assigned to him, and which your Highness's generosity has since given to FrontdeBoeuf.''

``FrontdeBoeuf,'' replied John, ``is a man more willing to swallow three manors such as Ivanhoe, than to

disgorge one of them. For the rest, sirs, I hope none here will deny my right to confer the fiefs 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

The audience were too much interested in the question not to pronounce the Prince's assumed right altogether

indubitable. ``A generous Prince! a most noble Lord, who thus takes upon himself the task of rewarding

Such were the words which burst from the train, expectants all of them of similar grants at the expense of

King Richard's followers and favourites, if indeed they had not as yet received such. Prior Aymer also

assented to the general proposition, observing, however, ``That the blessed Jerusalem could not indeed be

termed a foreign country. She was communis materthe mother of all Christians. But he saw not,'' he

declared, ``how the Knight of Ivanhoe could plead any advantage from this, since he'' (the Prior) ``was

assured that the crusaders, under Richard, had never proceeded much farther than Askalon, 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 Ivanhoe had fallen to the ground, now

returned. ``The gallant,'' said he, ``is likely to give your Highness little disturbance, and to leave

``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

A stern smile curled the Prince's lip as he spoke. Waldemar Fitzurse hastened to reply, that Ivanhoe was

``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 mourning. 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 form

``Who is this Lady Rowena,'' said Prince John, ``of whom we have heard so much?''

``A Saxon heiress of large possessions,'' replied the Prior Aymer; ``a rose of loveliness, and a jewel of wealth;

``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 sayst thou, De Bracy? What

thinkst thou of gaining fair lands and livings, by wedding a Saxon, after the fashion of the followers of the

``If the lands are to my liking, my lord,'' answered De Bracy, ``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 fulfil all promises made in

``We will not forget it,'' said Prince John; ``and that we may instantly go to work, command our seneschal

presently to order the attendance of the Lady Rowena and her companythat is, the rude churl 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 seneschal, ``thou wilt word this our second summons so courteously,

as to gratify the pride of these Saxons, and make it impossible for them again to refuse; although, by the

Prince John had proceeded thus far, and was about to give the signal for retiring from the lists, when a small

``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 seal, placed so as to secure the flexsilk

with which the billet was surrounded, and which bore the impression of three fleursdelis. John then opened

the billet with apparent agitation, which visibly and greatly increased when he had perused the contents,

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 Fitzurse and De Bracy aside, and put the billet into their hands successively. ``It

means,'' he added, in a faltering voice, ``that my brother Richard has obtained his freedom.''

``It is time, then,'' said Fitzurse, ``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 mummery.''

``The yeomen and commons,'' said De Bracy, ``must not be dismissed discontented, for lack of their share in

``The day,'' said Waldemar, ``is not yet very far spentlet the archer's shoot a few rounds at the target, and

the prize be adjudged. This will be an abundant fulfilment of the Prince's promises, so far as this herd of

``I thank thee, Waldemar,'' said the Prince; ``thou remindest me, too, that I have a debt to pay to that insolent

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

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

yeoman 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 morrow. To the best archer a prize was to be

awarded, being a buglehorn, mounted with silver, and a silken baldric richly ornamented with a medallion

More than thirty yeomen at first presented themselves as competitors, several of whom were rangers and

underkeepers in the royal forests of Needwood and Charnwood. When, however, the archers understood

with whom they were to be matched, up wards of twenty withdrew themselves from the contest, unwilling to

encounter the dishonour of almost certain defeat. For in those days the skill of each celebrated marksman was

as well known for many miles round him, as the qualities of a horse trained at Newmarket are familiar to

The diminished list of competitors for silvan fame still amounted to eight. Prince John stepped from his royal

seat to view more nearly the persons of these chosen yeomen, 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

``Fellow,'' said Prince John, ``I guessed by thy insolent babble that thou wert no true lover of the longbow,

and I see thou darest not adventure thy skill among such merrymen as stand yonder.''

``Under favour, sir,'' replied the yeoman, ``I have another reason for refraining to shoot, besides the fearing

``And what is thy other reason?'' said Prince John, who, for some cause which perhaps he could not himself

``Because,'' replied the woodsman, ``I know not if these yeomen 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 has

``Then, Locksley,'' said Prince John, ``thou shalt shoot in thy turn, when these yeomen have displayed their

skill. If thou carriest the prize, I will add to it twenty nobles; but if thou losest it, thou shalt be stript of thy

Lincoln green, and scourged out of the lists with bowstrings, for a wordy and insolent braggart.''

``And how if I refuse to shoot on such a wager?'' said the yeoman.``Your Grace's power, supported, as it

is, by so many menatarms, may indeed easily strip and scourge me, but cannot compel me to bend or to

``If thou refusest my fair proffer,'' said the Prince, ``the Provost of the lists shall cut thy bowstring, break thy

``This is no fair chance you put on me, proud Prince,'' said the yeoman, ``to compel me to peril myself

against the best archers of Leicester And Staffordshire, under the penalty of infamy if they should overshoot

``Look to him close, menatarms,'' 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

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 access, 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 condescended to superintend the sports of the yeomanry.

One by one the archers, stepping forward, delivered their shafts yeomanlike and bravely. Of twentyfour

arrows, shot in succession, ten 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 ten shafts which hit the target, two within the

inner ring were shot by Hubert, a forester in the service of Malvoisin, who was accordingly pronounced

``Now, Locksley,'' said Prince John to the bold yeoman, with a bitter smile, ``wilt thou try conclusions with

Hubert, or wilt thou yield up bow, baldric, and quiver, to the Provost of the sports?''

``Sith it be no better,'' said Locksley, ``I am content to try my fortune; on condition that when I have shot two

shafts at yonder mark of Hubert's, he shall be bound to shoot one at that which I shall propose.''

``That is but fair,'' answered Prince John, ``and it shall not be refused thee.If thou dost beat this braggart,

``A man can do but his best,'' answered Hubert; ``but my grandsire drew a good long bow at Hastings, and I

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 centre or

graspingplace was nigh level with his face, he drew his bowstring to his ear. The arrow whistled through the

air, and lighted within the inner ring of the target, but not exactly in the centre.

``You have not allowed for the wind, Hubert,'' said his antagonist, bending his bow, ``or that had been a

So saying, and without showing the least anxiety to pause upon his aim, Locksley stept 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 bowstring, yet it alighted in the target two inches nearer to

``By the light of heaven!'' said Prince John to Hubert, ``an thou suffer that runagate knave to overcome thee,

Hubert had but one set speech for all occasions. ``An your highness were to hang me,'' he said, `` a man can

``The foul fiend on thy grandsire and all his generation!'' interrupted John , ``shoot, knave, and shoot thy best,

Thus exhorted, 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

``A Hubert! a Hubert!'' shouted the populace, more interested in a known person than in a stranger. ``In the

``Thou canst not mend that shot, Locksley,'' said the Prince, with an insulting smile.

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 clamour. ``This must be the devil, and no man of

flesh and blood,'' whispered the yeoman to each other; ``such archery was never seen since a bow was first

``And now,'' said Locksley, ``I will crave your Grace's permission to plant such a mark as is used in the North

Country; and welcome every brave yeoman who shall try a shot at it to win a smile from the bonny lass he

He then turned to leave the lists. ``Let your guards attend me,'' he said, ``if you pleaseI go but to cut a rod

Prince John made a signal that some attendants should follow him in case of his escape: but the cry of

``Shame! shame!'' which burst from the multitude, induced him to alter his ungenerous purpose.

Locksley returned almost instantly with a willow wand about six feet 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 roundtable, which held sixty knights around it. A child of seven 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 fivescore yards, I call him an archer

fit to bear both bow and quiver before a king, an it were 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 lifeand neither will I. If this yeoman 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 am sure to miss. I might as well shoot at the edge of our parson's whittle, or at a wheat straw, or at a

``Cowardly dog!'' said Prince John.``Sirrah Locksley, 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

``I will do my best, as Hubert says,'' answered Locksley; ``no man can do more.''

So saying, he again bent his bow, but on the present occasion looked with attention to his weapon, and

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 Locksley's skill, lost for an instant

his dislike to his person. ``These twenty nobles,'' he said, ``which, with the bugle, thou hast fairly won, are

thine own; we will make them fifty, if thou wilt take livery and service with us as a yeoman of our body

guard, and be near to our person. For never did so strong a hand bend a bow, or so true an eye direct a shaft.''

``Pardon me, noble Prince,'' said Locksley; ``but I have vowed, that if ever I take service, it should be with

your royal brother King Richard. These twenty 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

Hubert shook his head as he received with reluctance the bounty of the stranger, and Locksley, anxious to

The victorious archer would not perhaps have escaped John's attention so easily, had not that Prince had other

subjects of anxious and more important 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, two thousand

crowns. He knows the security; but thou mayst show him this ring for a token. The rest of the money must be

paid at York within six 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

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 traveller, 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 the Third, and yet better known as

one of Shakspeare's characters than by his historical fame. The castle and town of Ashby, at this time,

belonged to Roger de Quincy, Earl of Winchester, who, during the period of our history, was absent 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

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 neighbourhood. However despised and degraded on ordinary occasions,

the great numbers of the AngloSaxons 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 unwonted 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 the

Second, 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, John

and his petulant attendants could not resist the temptation of pulling the long beards of the Irish chieftains; 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 John'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 Athelstane 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 Athelstane were both dressed in the ancient Saxon garb, which, although not

unhandsome 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 Fitzurse

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 under garment was a long doublet, so loose as to

resemble a shirt or waggoner's frock, covered by a cloak of scanty dimensions, neither fit to defend the

wearer from cold or from rain, and the only purpose of which appeared to be to display as much fur,

embroidery, and jewellery work, as the ingenuity of the tailor could contrive to lay upon it. The Emperor

Charlemagne, 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 Anjou. They were therefore in universal

use among Prince John's courtiers; and the long mantle, which formed the upper garment of the Saxons, was

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 well as of the simnelbread

and wastle cakes, which were only used at the tables of the highest nobility. The banquet was crowned with

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

surfeit upon peaches and new ale. His conduct, however, was an exception to the general manners of his

With sly gravity, interrupted only by private signs to each other, the Norman knights and nobles beheld the

ruder demeanour of Athelstane 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 minute 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 Athelstane, 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 KarumPie.

When, however, it was discovered, by a serious crossexamination, that the Thane 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 Karumpie for larks and pigeons, whereas they were in fact beccaficoes and nightingales, his

ignorance brought him in for an ample share of the ridicule which would have been more justly bestowed on

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

selfdenial had induced him to withdraw from the honours he had won,and of the gallant Ivanhoe, who

had so dearly bought the honours of the day. The topics were treated with military frankness, and the jest and

laugh went round the hall. The brow of Prince John alone was overclouded during these discussions; some

overpowering care seemed agitating his mind, and it was only when he received occasional hints from his

attendants, 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

``We drink this beaker,'' said he, ``to the health of Wilfred of Ivanhoe, champion of this Passage of Arms, and

grieve that his wound renders him absent from our boardLet all fill to the pledge, and especially Cedric

``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

``'Tis impossible,'' cried Prince John, with wellfeigned astonishment, ``that so gallant a knight should be an

``Yet, my lord,'' answered Cedric, ``so it is with this Wilfred. He left my homely dwelling to mingle 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

``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 enquired where or from whom he learned the lesson of filial disobedience.''

Thus spake Prince John, wilfully forgetting, that of all the sons of Henry the Second, though no one was free

from the charge, he himself had been most distinguished for rebellion and ingratitude to his father.

``I think,'' said be, after a moment's pause, ``that my brother proposed to confer upon his favourite the rich

``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 vassal, 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 fief upon a person

whose dignity will not be diminished by holding land of the British crown.Sir Reginald

FrontdeBoeuf,'' he said, turning towards that Baron, ``I trust you will so keep the goodly Barony of

Ivanhoe, that Sir Wilfred shall not incur his father's farther displeasure by again entering upon that fief.''

``By St Anthony!'' answered the blackbrow'd 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

``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 honour as great as it is

FrontdeBoeuf would have replied, but Prince John's 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

``And with good right may they go before us forget not,'' said the Prior Aymer, ``the superior decency

``Their singular abstemiousness and temperance,'' said De Bracy, forgetting the plan which promised him a

``Together with the courage and conduct,'' said Brian de BoisGuilbert, ``by which they distinguished

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 eyes

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 and front of the offence which he had received, ``Whatever,'' he said,

``have been the follies and vices of our race, a Saxon would have been held nidering,'' * (the most emphatic

* There was nothing accounted so ignominious among the * Saxons as to merit this disgraceful epithet. Even

William the * Conqueror, hated as he was by them, continued to draw a considerable * army of

AngloSaxons to his standard, by threatening * to stigmatize those who staid at home, as nidering.

Bartholinus, * I think, mentions a similar phrase which had like influence on * the Danes. L. T.

term for abject worthlessness,) ``who should in his own hall, and while his own winecup 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 FrontdeBoeuf and the Templar, ``who have within these few hours once and again lost saddle

``By my faith, a biting jest!'' said Prince John. ``How like you it, sirs?Our Saxon subjects rise in spirit

and courage; become shrewd in wit, and bold in bearing, in these unsettled timesWhat say ye, my

lords?By this good light, I hold it best to take our galleys, and return to Normandy in time.''

``For fear of the Saxons?'' said De Bracy, laughing; ``we should need no weapon but our hunting spears to

``A truce with your raillery, Sir Knights,'' said Fitzurse;``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

``Insult?'' answered Prince John, resuming his courtesy of demeanour; ``I trust it will not be thought that I

could mean, or permit any, to be offered in my presence. Here! I fill my cup to Cedric himself, since he

The cup went round amid the welldissembled 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 Sir

The knight made his obeisance, and showed his sense of the honour by draining a huge goblet in answer to it.

``And now, sirs,'' said Prince John, who began to be warmed with the wine which he had drank, ``having

done justice to our Saxon guests, we will pray of them some requital to our courtesy.Worthy Thane,'' 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?''

Fitzurse 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 betwixt 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, be addressed Prince

John in these words: ``Your highness has required that I should name a Norman deserving to be remembered

at our banquet. This, perchance, 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 Normanthe first in arms and in placethe best and the noblest of his race. And the lips that

shall refuse to pledge me to his wellearned fame, I term false and dishonoured, and will so maintain them

Prince John, who had expected that his own name would have closed the Saxon's speech, started when that of

his injured brother was so unexpectedly introduced. He raised mechanically the winecup to his lips, then

instantly set it down, to view the demeanour 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 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 FrontdeBoeuf and the Templar, in sullen

disdain suffered their goblets to stand untasted before them. But no man ventured directly to gainsay a pledge

Having enjoyed his triumph for about a minute, Cedric said to his companion, ``Up, noble Athelstane! 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 Athelstane, 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 churls have borne off the best

``Conclamatum est, poculatum est,'' said Prior Aymer; ``we have drunk and we have shouted, it were

``The monk hath some fair penitent to shrive tonight, that he is in such a hurry to depart,'' said De Bracy.

``Not so, Sir Knight,'' replied the Abbot; ``but I must move several miles forward this evening upon my

``They are breaking up,'' said the Prince in a whisper to Fitzurse; ``their fears anticipate the event, and this

``Fear not, my lord,'' said Waldemar; ``I will show him such reasons as shall induce him to join us when we

hold our meeting at York.Sir Prior,'' he said, ``I must speak with you in private, before you mount your

The other guests were now fast dispersing, with the exception of those immediately attached to, Prince John's

``This, then, is the result of your advice,'' said the Prince, turning an angry countenance upon Fitzurse; ``that I

should be bearded at my own board by a drunken Saxon churl, and that, on the mere sound of my brother's

``Have patience, sir,'' replied his counsellor; ``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

Bracy and I will instantly go among these shuffling cowards, and convince them they have gone too far to

``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 paw of the lion in the sand they have heard his

``Would to God,'' said Fitzurse to De Bracy, ``that aught could reanimate his own! His brother's very name is

an ague to him. Unhappy are the counsellors of a Prince, who wants fortitude and perseverance alike in good

No spider ever took more pains to repair the shattered meshes of his web, than did Waldemar Fitzurse 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 Fitzurse 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 revelry; 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 apprehension

by which the minds of his accomplices were most haunted, he boldly treated that event, should it really take

``If Richard returns,'' said Fitzurse, ``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 aught that can be construed offence or encroachment upon either 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 knight; 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 Ivanhoe, 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 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 the sword of

vengeance in his hand, while the former held out rewards, immunities, privileges, wealth, and honours, 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

It was late at night, when, worn out and exhausted with his various exertions, however gratified with the

result, Fitzurse, returning to the Castle of Ashby, met with De Bracy, who had exchanged his banqueting

garments for a short green kittle, with hose of the same cloth and colour, 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

Fitzurse met this figure in an outer apartment, he would have passed him without notice, as one of the

yeomen of the guard; but finding him in the inner hall, he looked at him with more attention, and recognised

``What mummery is this, De Bracy?'' said Fitzurse, somewhat angrily; ``is this a time for Christmas gambols

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

``I have been attending to mine own business,'' answered De Bracy calmly, ``as you, Fitzurse, have been

``I minding mine own business!'' echoed Waldemar; ``I have been engaged in that of Prince John, our joint

``As if thou hadst any other reason for that, Waldemar,'' said De Bracy, ``than the promotion of thine own

individual interest? Come, Fitzurse, we know each otherambition 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 Fitzurse and De Bracy

hope to rise and thrive; and therefore you aid him with your policy, and I with the lances of my Free

``A hopeful auxiliary,'' said Fitzurse 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 Bracy coolly, ``after the manner of the tribe of Benjamin.''

``Wert thou not in presence yestereven,'' said De Bracy, ``when we heard the Prior Aymer 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 wellnigh

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 brides' families.''

``I have heard the story,'' said Fitzurse, ``though either the Prior or thou has made some singular alterations in

``I tell thee,'' said De Bracy, ``that I mean to purvey me a wife after the fashion of the tribe of Benjamin;

which is as much as to say, that in this same equipment I will fall upon that herd of Saxon bullocks, who have

``Art thou mad, De Bracy?'' said Fitzurse. ``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 honour are but the lot of

``And should belong to none,'' said De Bracy; ``the work of the Conquest should be completed.''

``This is no time for it at least,'' said Fitzurse ``the approaching crisis renders the favour of the multitude

indispensable, and Prince John cannot refuse justice to any one who injures their favourites.''

``Let him grant it, if he dare,'' said De Bracy; ``he will soon see the difference betwixt the support of such a

lusty lot of spears as mine, and that of a heartless mob of Saxon churls. Yet I mean no immediate discovery

of myself. Seem I not in this garb as bold a forester as ever blew horn? The blame of the violence shall rest

with the outlaws of the Yorkshire forests. I have sure spies on the Saxon's motionsTonight they sleep in

the convent of Saint Wittol, or Withold, or whatever they call that churl of a Saxon Saint at

BurtononTrent. Next day's march brings them within our reach, and, falconways, we swoop on them at

once. Presently after I will appear in mine own shape, play the courteous knight, rescue the unfortunate and

afflicted fair one from the hands of the rude ravishers, conduct her to FrontdeBoeuf'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

``A marvellously sage plan,'' said Fitzurse, ``and, as I think, not entirely of thine own device.Come, be

frank, De Bracy, who aided thee in the invention? and who is to assist in the execution? for, as I think, thine

``Marry, if thou must needs know,'' said De Bracy, ``it was the Templar Brian de BoisGuilbert 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

``By my halidome,'' said Fitzurse, ``the plan was worthy of your united wisdom! and thy prudence, De Bracy,

is most especially manifested in the project of leaving the lady in the hands of thy worthy confederate. Thou

mayst, I think, succeed in taking her from her Saxon friends, but how thou wilt rescue her afterwards from

the clutches of BoisGuilbert seems considerably more doubtful He is a falcon well accustomed to

``He is a Templar,'' said De Bracy, ``and cannot therefore rival me in my plan of wedding this heiress;and

to attempt aught dishonourable against the intended bride of De BracyBy Heaven! were he a whole

``Then since nought that I can say,'' said Fitzurse, ``will put this folly from thy imagination, (for well I know

the obstinacy of thy disposition,) at least waste as little time as possiblelet not thy folly be lasting as well

``I tell thee,'' answered De Bracy, ``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 neighing in the outer

``Like a true knight?'' repeated Fitzurse, 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

profligate, and as likely to be an ungrateful master as he has already proved a rebellious son and an unnatural

brother. But hehe, too, is but one of the tools with which I labour; 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 statesman were here interrupted by the voice of the Prince from an interior apartment,

calling out, ``Noble Waldemar Fitzurse!'' and, with bonnet doffed, the future Chancellor (for to such high

preferment did the wily Norman aspire) hastened to receive the orders of the future sovereign.

The reader cannot have forgotten that the event of the tournament was decided by the exertions of an

unknown knight, whom, on account of the passive and indifferent conduct which he had manifested on the

former part of the day, the spectators had entitled, Le Noir Faineant. This knight had left the field abruptly

when the victory was achieved; and when he was called upon to receive the reward of his valour, he was

nowhere to be found. In the meantime, while summoned by heralds and by trumpets, the knight was holding

his course northward, avoiding all frequented paths, and taking the shortest road through the woodlands. He

paused for the night at a small hostelry lying out of the ordinary route, where, however, he obtained from a

On the next morning the knight departed early, with the intention of making a long journey; the condition of

his horse, which he had carefully spared during the preceding morning, being such as enabled him to travel

far without the necessity of much repose. Yet his purpose was baffled by the devious paths through which he

rode, so that when evening closed upon him, he only found himself on the frontiers of the West Riding of

Yorkshire. By this time both horse and man required refreshment, and it became necessary, moreover, to look

out for some place in which they might spend the night, which was now fast approaching.

The place where the traveller found himself seemed unpropitious for obtaining either shelter or refreshment,

and he was likely to be reduced to the usual expedient of knightserrant, who, on such occasions, turned their

horses to graze, and laid themselves down to meditate on their ladymistress, with an oaktree for a canopy.

But the Black Knight either had no mistress to meditate upon, or, being as indifferent in love as he seemed to

be in war, was not sufficiently occupied by passionate reflections upon her beauty and cruelty, to be able to

parry the effects of fatigue and hunger, and suffer love to act as a substitute for the solid comforts of a bed

and supper. He felt dissatisfied, therefore, when, looking around, he found himself deeply involved in woods,

through which indeed there were many open glades, and some paths, but such as seemed only formed by the

numerous herds of cattle which grazed in the forest, or by the animals of chase, and the hunters who made

The sun, by which the knight had chiefly directed his course, had now sunk behind the Derbyshire hills on his

left, and every effort which he might make to pursue his journey was as likely to lead him out of his road as

to advance him on his route. After having in vain endeavoured to select the most beaten path, in hopes it

might lead to the cottage of some herdsman, or the silvan lodge of a forester, and having repeatedly found

himself totally unable to determine on a choice, the knight resolved to trust to the sagacity of his horse;

experience having, on former occasions, made him acquainted with the wonderful talent possessed by these

The good steed, grievously fatigued with so long a day's journey under a rider cased in mail, had no sooner

found, by the slackened reins, that he was abandoned to his own guidance, than he seemed to assume new

strength and spirit; and whereas, formerly he had scarce replied to the spur, otherwise than by a groan, he

now, as if proud of the confidence reposed in him, pricked up his ears, and assumed, of his own accord, a

more lively motion. The path which the animal adopted rather turned off from the course pursued by the

knight during the day; but as the horse seemed confident in his choice, the rider abandoned himself to his

He was justified by the event; for the footpath soon after appeared a little wider and more worn, and the tinkle

of a small bell gave the knight to understand that he was in the vicinity of some chapel or hermitage.

Accordingly, he soon reached an open plat of turf, on the opposite side of which, a rock, rising abruptly from

a gently sloping plain, offered its grey and weatherbeaten front to the traveller. Ivy mantled its sides in some

places, and in others oaks and holly bushes, whose roots found nourishment in the cliffs of the crag, waved

over the precipices below, like the plumage of the warrior over his steel helmet, giving grace to that whose

chief expression was terror. At the bottom of the rock, and leaning, as it were, against it, was constructed a

rude hut, built chiefly of the trunks of trees felled in the neighbouring forest, and secured against the weather

by having its crevices stuffed with moss mingled with clay. The stem of a young firtree lopped of its

branches, with a piece of wood tied across near the top, was planted upright by the door, as a rude emblem of

the holy cross. At a little distance on the right hand, a fountain of the purest water trickled out of the rock, and

was received in a hollow stone, which labour had formed into a rustic basin. Escaping from thence, the

stream murmured down the descent by a channel which its course had long worn, and so wandered through

Beside this fountain were the ruins of a very small chapel, of which the roof had partly fallen in. The

building, when entire, had never been above sixteen feet long by twelve feet in breadth, and the roof, low in

proportion, rested upon four concentric arches which sprung from the four corners of the building, each

supported upon a short and heavy pillar. The ribs of two of these arches remained, though the roof had fallen

down betwixt them; over the others it remained entire. The entrance to this ancient place of devotion was

under a very low round arch, ornamented by several courses of that zigzag moulding, resembling shark's

teeth, which appears so often in the more ancient Saxon architecture. A belfry rose above the porch on four

small pillars, within which hung the green and weatherbeaten bell, the feeble sounds of which had been some

The whole peaceful and quiet scene lay glimmering in twilight before the eyes of the traveller, giving him

good assurance of lodging for the night; since it was a special duty of those hermits who dwelt in the woods,

Accordingly, the knight took no time to consider minutely the particulars which we have detailed, but

thanking Saint Julian (the patron of travellers) who had sent him good harbourage, he leaped from his horse

and assailed the door of the hermitage with the butt of his lance, in order to arouse attention and gain

It was some time before he obtained any answer, and the reply, when made, was unpropitious.

``Pass on, whosoever thou art,'' was the answer given by a deep hoarse voice from within the hut, ``and

``Worthy father,'' answered the knight, ``here is a poor wanderer bewildered in these woods, who gives thee

``Good brother,'' replied the inhabitant of the hermitage, ``it has pleased Our Lady and St Dunstan to destine

me for the object of those virtues, instead of the exercise thereof. I have no provisions here which even a dog

would share with me, and a horse of any tenderness of nurture would despise my couchpass therefore on

``But how,'' replied the knight, ``is it possible for me to find my way through such a wood as this, when

darkness is coming on? I pray you, reverend father as you are a Christian, to undo your door, and at least

``And I pray you, good Christian brother,'' replied the anchorite, ``to disturb me no more. You have already

interrupted one pater, two aves, and a credo, which I, miserable sinner that I am, should, according to my

``The roadthe road!'' vociferated the knight, ``give me directions for the road, if I am to expect no more

``The road,'' replied the hermit, ``is easy to hit. The path from the wood leads to a morass, and from thence to

a ford, which, as the rains have abated, may now be passable. When thou hast crossed the ford, thou wilt take

care of thy footing up the left bank, as it is somewhat precipitous; and the path, which hangs over the river,

has lately, as I learn, (for I seldom leave the duties of my chapel,) given way in sundry places. Thou wilt then

``A broken patha precipicea ford, and a morass!'' said the knight interrupting him,``Sir Hermit, if

you were the holiest that ever wore beard or told bead, you shall scarce prevail on me to hold this road

tonight. I tell thee, that thou, who livest by the charity of the countryill deserved, as I doubt it ishast

no right to refuse shelter to the wayfarer when in distress. Either open the door quickly, or, by the rood, I will

``Friend wayfarer,'' replied the hermit, ``be not importunate; if thou puttest me to use the carnal weapon in

At this moment a distant noise of barking and growling, which the traveller had for some time heard, became

extremely loud and furious, and made the knight suppose that the hermit, alarmed by his threat of making

forcible entry, had called the dogs who made this clamour to aid him in his defence, out of some inner recess

in which they had been kennelled. Incensed at this preparation on the hermit's part for making good his

inhospitable purpose, the knight struck the door so furiously with his foot, that posts as well as staples shook

The anchorite, not caring again to expose his door to a similar shock, now called out aloud, ``Patience,

patiencespare thy strength, good traveller, and I will presently undo the door, though, it may be, my

The door accordingly was opened; and the hermit, a large, strongbuilt man, in his sackcloth gown and hood,

girt with a rope of rushes, stood before the knight. He had in one hand a lighted torch, or link, and in the other

a baton of crabtree, so thick and heavy, that it might well be termed a club. Two large shaggy dogs, half

greyhound half mastiff, stood ready to rush upon the traveller as soon as the door should be opened. But

when the torch glanced upon the lofty crest and golden spurs of the knight, who stood without, the hermit,

altering probably his original intentions, repressed the rage of his auxiliaries, and, changing his tone to a sort

of churlish courtesy, invited the knight to enter his hut, making excuse for his unwillingness to open his lodge

after sunset, by alleging the multitude of robbers and outlaws who were abroad, and who gave no honour to

``The poverty of your cell, good father,'' said the knight, looking around him, and seeing nothing but a bed of

leaves, a crucifix rudely carved in oak, a missal, with a roughhewn table and two stools, and one or two

clumsy articles of furniture``the poverty of your cell should seem a sufficient defence against any risk of

thieves, not to mention the aid of two trusty dogs, large and strong enough, I think, to pull down a stag, and

``The good keeper of the forest,'' said the hermit, ``hath allowed me the use of these animals, to protect my

Having said this, he fixed his torch in a twisted branch of iron which served for a candlestick; and, placing

the oaken trivet before the embers of the fire, which he refreshed with some dry wood, he placed a stool upon

one side of the table, and beckoned to the knight to do the same upon the other.

They sat down, and gazed with great gravity at each other, each thinking in his heart that he had seldom seen

``Reverend hermit,'' said the knight, after looking long and fixedly at his host, ``were it not to interrupt your

devout meditations, I would pray to know three things of your holiness; first, where I am to put my

horse?secondly, what I can have for supper?thirdly, where I am to take up my couch for the night?''

``I will reply to you,'' said the hermit, ``with my finger, it being against my rule to speak by words where

signs can answer the purpose.'' So saying, he pointed successively to two corners of the hut. ``Your stable,''

said he, ``is thereyour bed there; and,'' reaching down a platter with two handfuls of parched pease upon

it from the neighbouring shelf, and placing it upon the table, he added, ``your supper is here.''

The knight shrugged his shoulders, and leaving the hut, brought in his horse, (which in the interim he had

fastened to a tree,) unsaddled him with much attention, and spread upon the steed's weary back his own

The hermit was apparently somewhat moved to compassion by the anxiety as well as address which the

stranger displayed in tending his horse; for, muttering something about provender left for the keeper's palfrey,

he dragged out of a recess a bundle of forage, which he spread before the knight's charger, and immediately

afterwards shook down a quantity of dried fern in the corner which he had assigned for the rider's couch. The

knight returned him thanks for his courtesy; and, this duty done, both resumed their seats by the table,

whereon stood the trencher of pease placed between them. The hermit, after a long grace, which had once

been Latin, but of which original language few traces remained, excepting here and there the long rolling

termination of some word or phrase, set example to his guest, by modestly putting into a very large mouth,

furnished with teeth which might have ranked with those of a boar both in sharpness and whiteness, some

three or four dried pease, a miserable grist as it seemed for so large and able a mill.

The knight, in order to follow so laudable an example, laid aside his helmet, his corslet, and the greater part

of his armour, and showed to the hermit a head thickcurled with yellow hair, high features, blue eyes,

remarkably bright and sparkling, a mouth well formed, having an upper lip clothed with mustachoes darker

than his hair, and bearing altogether the look of a bold, daring, and enterprising man, with which his strong

The hermit, as if wishing to answer to the confidence of his guest, threw back his cowl, and showed a round

bullet head belonging to a man in the prime of life. His closeshaven crown, surrounded by a circle of stiff

curled black hair, had something the appearance of a parish pinfold begirt by its high hedge. The features

expressed nothing of monastic austerity, or of ascetic privations; on the contrary, it was a bold bluff

countenance, with broad black eyebrows, a wellturned forehead, and cheeks as round and vermilion as those

of a trumpeter, from which descended a long and curly black beard. Such. a visage, joined to the brawny form

of the holy man, spoke rather of sirloins and haunches, than of pease and pulse. This incongruity did not

escape the guest. After he had with great difficulty accomplished the mastication of a mouthful of the dried

pease, he found it absolutely necessary to request his pious entertainer to furnish him with some liquor; who

replied to his request by placing before him a large can of the purest water from the fountain.

``It is from the well of St Dunstan,'' said he, ``in which, betwixt sun and sun, he baptized five hundred

heathen Danes and Britonsblessed be his name!'' And applying his black beard to the pitcher, he took a

``It seems to me, reverend father,'' said the knight, ``that the small morsels which you eat, together with this

holy, but somewhat thin beverage, have thriven with you marvellously. You appear a man more fit to win the

ram at a wrestling match, or the ring at a bout at quarterstaff, or the bucklers at a swordplay, than to linger

out your time in this desolate wilderness, saying masses, and living upon parched pease and cold water.''

``Sir Knight,'' answered the hermit, ``your thoughts, like those of the ignorant laity, are according to the flesh.

It has pleased Our Lady and my patron saint to bless the pittance to which I restrain myself, even as the pulse

and water was blessed to the children Shadrach, Meshech, and Abednego, who drank the same rather than

defile themselves with the wine and meats which were appointed them by the King of the Saracens.''

``Holy father,'' said the knight, ``upon whose countenance it hath pleased Heaven to work such a miracle,

``Thou mayst call me,'' answered the hermit, ``the Clerk of Copmanhurst, for so I am termed in these

partsThey add, it is true, the epithet holy, but I stand not upon that, as being unworthy of such

addition.And now, valiant knight, may I pray ye for the name of my honourable guest?''

``Truly,'' said the knight, ``Holy Clerk of Copmanhurst, men call me in these parts the Black

Knight,many, sir, add to it the epithet of Sluggard, whereby I am no way ambitious to be distinguished.''

``I see,'' said he, ``Sir Sluggish Knight, that thou art a man of prudence and of counsel; and moreover, I see

that my poor monastic fare likes thee not, accustomed, perhaps, as thou hast been, to the license of courts and

of camps, and the luxuries of cities; and now I bethink me, Sir Sluggard, that when the charitable keeper of

this forestwalk left those dogs for my protection, and also those bundles of forage, he left me also some

food, which, being unfit for my use, the very recollection of it had escaped me amid my more weighty

``I dare be sworn he did so,'' said the knight; ``I was convinced that there was better food in the cell, Holy

Clerk, since you first doffed your cowl.Your keeper is ever a jovial fellow; and none who beheld thy

grinders contending with these pease, and thy throat flooded with this ungenial element, could see thee

doomed to such horseprovender and horsebeverage,'' (pointing to the provisions upon the table,) `` and

refrain from mending thy cheer. Let us see the keeper's bounty, therefore, without delay.''

The hermit cast a wistful look upon the knight, in which there was a sort of comic expression of hesitation, as

if uncertain how far be should act prudently in trusting his guest. There was, however, as much of bold

frankness in the knight's countenance as was possible to be expressed by features. His smile, too, had

something in it irresistibly comic, and gave an assurance of faith and loyalty, with which his host could not

After exchanging a mute glance or two, the hermit went to the further side of the hut, and opened a hutch,

which was concealed with great care and some ingenuity. Out of the recesses of a dark closet, into which this

aperture gave admittance, he brought a large pasty, baked in a pewter platter of unusual dimensions. This

mighty dish he placed before his guest, who, using his poniard to cut it open, lost no time in making himself

``How long is it since the good keeper has been here?'' said the knight to his host, after having swallowed

``By the true Lord,'' answered the knight, ``every thing in your hermitage is miraculous, Holy Clerk! for I

would have been sworn that the fat buck which furnished this venison had been running on foot within the

The hermit was somewhat discountenanced by this observation; and, moreover, he made but a poor figure

while gazing on the diminution of the pasty, on which his guest was making desperate inroads; a warfare in

``I have been in Palestine, Sir Clerk,'' said the knight, stopping short of a sudden, ``and I bethink me it is a

custom there that every host who entertains a guest shall assure him of the wholesomeness of his food, by

partaking of it along with him. Far be it from me to suspect so holy a man of aught inhospitable; nevertheless

``To ease your unnecessary scruples, Sir Knight, I will for once depart from my rule,'' replied the hermit. And

as there were no forks in those days, his clutches were instantly in the bowels of the pasty.

The ice of ceremony being once broken, it seemed matter of rivalry between the guest and the entertainer

which should display the best appetite; and although the former had probably fasted longest, yet the hermit

``Holy Clerk,'' said the knight, when his hunger was appeased, ``I would gage my good horse yonder against

a zecchin, that that same honest keeper to whom we are obliged for the venison has left thee a stoup of wine,

or a reinlet of canary, or some such trifle, by way of ally to this noble pasty. This would be a circumstance,

doubtless, totally unworthy to dwell in the memory of so rigid an anchorite; yet, I think, were you to search

The hermit only replied by a grin; and returning to the hutch, he produced a leathern bottle, which might

contain about four quarts. He also brought forth two large drinking cups, made out of the horn of the urus,

and hooped with silver. Having made this goodly provision for washing down the supper, he seemed to think

no farther ceremonious scruple necessary on his part; but filling both cups, and saying, in the Saxon fashion,

``Drink hael, Holy Clerk of Copmanhurst!'' answered the warrior, and did his host reason in a similar

``Holy Clerk,'' said the stranger, after the first cup was thus swallowed, ``I cannot but marvel that a man

possessed of such thews and sinews as thine, and who therewithal shows the talent of so goodly a

trencherman, should think of abiding by himself in this wilderness. In my judgment, you are fitter to keep a

castle or a fort, eating of the fat and drinking of the strong, than to live here upon pulse and water, or even

upon the charity of the keeper. At least, were I as thou, I should find myself both disport and plenty out of the

king's deer. There is many a goodly herd in these forests, and a buck will never be missed that goes to the use

``Sir Sluggish Knight,'' replied the Clerk, ``these are dangerous words, and I pray you to forbear them. I am

true hermit to the king and law, and were I to spoil my liege's game, I should be sure of the prison, and, an

``Nevertheless, were I as thou,'' said the knight, ``I would take my walk by moonlight, when foresters and

keepers were warm in bed, and ever and anon,as I pattered my prayers,I would let fly a shaft among

the herds of dun deer that feed in the gladesResolve me, Holy Clerk, hast thou never practised such a

``Friend Sluggard,'' answered the hermit, ``thou hast seen all that can concern thee of my housekeeping, and

something more than he deserves who takes up his quarters by violence. Credit me, it is better to enjoy the

good which God sends thee, than to be impertinently curious how it comes. Fill thy cup, and welcome; and

do not, I pray thee, by further impertinent enquiries, put me to show that thou couldst hardly have made good

``By my faith,'' said the knight, ``thou makest me more curious than ever! Thou art the most mysterious

hermit I ever met; and I will know more of thee ere we part. As for thy threats, know, holy man, thou

speakest to one whose trade it is to find out danger wherever it is to be met with.''

`Sir Sluggish Knight, I drink to thee,'' said the hermit; ``respecting thy valour much, but deeming wondrous

slightly of thy discretion. If thou wilt take equal arms with me, I will give thee, in all friendship and brotherly

love, such sufficing penance and complete absolution, that thou shalt not for the next twelve months sin the

``There is none,'' replied the hermit, ``from the scissors of Delilah, and the tenpenny nail of Jael, to the

scimitar of Goliath, at which I am not a match for theeBut, if I am to make the election, what sayst thou,

Thus speaking, he opened another hutch, and took out from it a couple of broadswords and bucklers, such as

were used by the yeomanry of the period. The knight, who watched his motions, observed that this second

place of concealment was furnished with two or three good longbows, a crossbow, a bundle of bolts for the

latter, and halfadozen sheaves of arrows for the former. A harp, and other matters of a very uncanonical

``I promise thee, brother Clerk,'' said he, ``I will ask thee no more offensive questions. The contents of that

cupboard are an answer to all my enquiries; and I see a weapon there'' (here be stooped and took out the harp)

``on which I would more gladly prove my skill with thee, than at the sword and buckler.''

``I hope, Sir Knight,'' said the hermit, ``thou hast given no good reason for thy surname of the Sluggard. I do

promise thee I suspect thee grievously. Nevertheless, thou art my guest, and I will not put thy manhood to the

proof without thine own free will. Sit thee down, then, and fill thy cup; let us drink, sing, and be merry. If

thou knowest ever a good lay, thou shalt be welcome to a nook of pasty at Copmanhurst so long as I serve the

chapel of St Dunstan, which, please God, shall be till I change my grey covering for one of green turf. But

come, fill a flagon, for it will crave some time to tune the harp; and nought pitches the voice and sharpens the

car like a cup of wine. For my part, I love to feel the grape at my very fingerends before they make the

* The Jolly Hermit.All readers, however slightly acquainted * with black letter, must recognise in the

Clerk of Copmanhurst, * Friar Tuck, the buxom Confessor of Robin Hood's * gang, the Curtal Friar of

Notwithstanding the prescription of the genial hermit, with which his guest willingly complied, he found it no

``Methinks, holy father,'' said he, ``the instrument wants one string, and the rest have been somewhat

``Ay, mark'st thou that?'' replied the hermit; ``that shows thee a master of the craft. Wine and wassail,'' he

added, gravely casting up his eyes ``all the fault of wine and wassail!I told Allan aDale, the

northern minstrel, that he would damage the harp if he touched it after the seventh cup, but he would not be

So saying, he took off his cup with much gravity, at the same time shaking his head at the intemperance of

The knight in the meantime, had brought the strings into some order, and after a short prelude, asked his host

whether he would choose a sirvente in the language of oc, or a lai in the language of oui, or a virelai, or a

``A ballad, a ballad,'' said the hermit, ``against all the ocs and ouis of France. Downright English am I, Sir

Knight, and downright English was my patron St Dunstan, and scorned oc and oui, as he would have scorned

the parings of the devil's hoofdownright English alone shall be sung in this cell.''

``I will assay, then,'' said the knight, ``a ballad composed by a Saxon gleeman, whom I knew in Holy Land.''

It speedily appeared, that if the knight was not a complete master of the minstrel art, his taste for it had at

least been cultivated under the best instructors. Art had taught him to soften the faults of a voice which had

little compass, and was naturally rough rather than mellow, and, in short, had done all that culture can do in

supplying natural deficiencies. His performance, therefore, might have been termed very respectable by abler

judges than the hermit, especially as the knight threw into the notes now a degree of spirit, and now of

During this performance, the hermit demeaned himself much like a firstrate critic of the present day at a

new opera. He reclined back upon his seat, with his eyes half shut; now, folding his hands and twisting his

thumbs, he seemed absorbed in attention, and anon, balancing his expanded palms, he gently flourished them

in time to the music. At one or two favourite cadences, he threw in a little assistance of his own, where the

knight's voice seemed unable to carry the air so high as his worshipful taste approved. When the song was

``And yet,'' said he, ``I think my Saxon countrymen had herded long enough with the Normans, to fall into

the tone of their melancholy ditties. What took the honest knight from home? or what could he expect but to

find his mistress agreeably engaged with a rival on his return, and his serenade, as they call it, as little

regarded as the caterwauling of a cat in the gutter? Nevertheless, Sir Knight, I drink this cup to thee, to the

success of all true loversI fear you are none,'' he added, on observing that the knight (whose brain began

to be heated with these repeated draughts) qualified his flagon from the water pitcher.

``Why,'' said the knight, ``did you not tell me that this water was from the well of your blessed patron, St

``Ay, truly,'' said the hermit, ``and many a hundred of pagans did he baptize there, but I never heard that he

drank any of it. Every thing should be put to its proper use in this world. St Dunstan knew, as well as any

And so saying, he reached the harp, and entertained his guest with the following characteristic song, to a sort

* It may be proper to remind the reader, that the chorus of * ``derry down'' is supposed to be as ancient, not

only as the times * of the Heptarchy, but as those of the Druids, and to have furnished * the chorus to the

hymns of those venerable persons when * they went to the wood to gather mistletoe.

``By my troth,'' said the knight, ``thou hast sung well and lustily, and in high praise of thine order. And,

talking of the devil, Holy Clerk, are you not afraid that he may pay you a visit daring some of your

``I uncanonical!'' answered the hermit; ``I scorn the chargeI scorn it with my heels!I serve the duty of

my chapel duly and trulyTwo masses daily, morning and evening, primes, noons, and vespers, aves,

``Exceptis excipiendis,'' replied the hermit, ``as our old abbot taught me to say, when impertinent laymen

``True, holy father,'' said the knight; ``but the devil is apt to keep an eye on such exceptions; he goes about,

``Let him roar here if he dares,'' said the friar; ``a touch of my cord will make him roar as loud as the tongs of

St Dunstan himself did. I never feared man, and I as little fear the devil and his imps. Saint Dunstan, Saint

Dubric, Saint Winibald, Saint Winifred, Saint Swibert, Saint Willick, not forgetting Saint Thomas a Kent,

and my own poor merits to speed, I defy every devil of them, come cut and long tail.But to let you into a

secret, I never speak upon such subjects, my friend, until after morning vespers.''

He changed the conversation; fast and furious grew the mirth of the parties, and many a song was exchanged

betwixt them, when their revels were interrupted by a loud knocking at the door of the hermitage.

The occasion of this interruption we can only explain by resuming the adventures of another set of our

characters; for, like old Ariosto, we do not pique ourselves upon continuing uniformly to keep company with

When Cedric the Saxon saw his son drop down senseless in the lists at Ashby, his first impulse was to order

him into the custody and care of his own attendants, but the words choked in his throat. He could not bring

himself to acknowledge, in presence of such an assembly, the son whom he had renounced and disinherited.

He ordered, however, Oswald to keep an eye upon him; and directed that officer, with two of his serfs, to

convey Ivanhoe to Ashby as soon as the crowd had dispersed. Oswald, however, was anticipated in this good

It was in vain that Cedric's cupbearer looked around for his young masterhe saw the bloody spot on

which he had lately sunk down, but himself he saw no longer; it seemed as if the fairies had conveyed him

from the spot. Perhaps Oswald (for the Saxons were very superstitious) might have adopted some such

hypothesis, to account for Ivanhoe's disappearance, had he not suddenly cast his eye upon a person attired

like a squire, in whom he recognised the features of his fellowservant Gurth. Anxious concerning his

master's fate, and in despair at his sudden disappearance, the translated swineherd was searching for him

everywhere, and had neglected, in doing so, the concealment on which his own safety depended. Oswald

deemed it his duty to secure Gurth, as a fugitive of whose fate his master was to judge.

Renewing his enquiries concerning the fate of Ivanhoe, the only information which the cupbearer could

collect from the bystanders was, that the knight had been raised with care by certain wellattired grooms, and

placed in a litter belonging to a lady among the spectators, which had immediately transported him out of the

press. Oswald, on receiving this intelligence, resolved to return to his master for farther instructions, carrying

along with him Gurth, whom he considered in some sort as a deserter from the service of Cedric.

The Saxon had been under very intense and agonizing apprehensions concerning his son; for Nature had

asserted her rights, in spite of the patriotic stoicism which laboured to disown her. But no sooner was he

informed that Ivanhoe was in careful, and probably in friendly hands, than the paternal anxiety which had

been excited by the dubiety of his fate, gave way anew to the feeling of injured pride and resentment, at what

he termed Wilfred's filial disobedience. ``Let him wander his way,'' said he``let those leech his wounds

for whose sake he encountered them. He is fitter to do the juggling tricks of the Norman chivalry than to

maintain the fame and honour of his English ancestry with the glaive and brownbill, the good old weapons

``If to maintain the honour of ancestry,'' said Rowena, who was present, ``it is sufficient to be wise in council

and brave in executionto be boldest among the bold, and gentlest among the gentle, I know no voice,

``Be silent, Lady Rowena!on this subject only I hear you not. Prepare yourself for the Prince's festival:

we have been summoned thither with unwonted circumstance of honour and of courtesy, such as the haughty

Normans have rarely used to our race since the fatal day of Hastings. Thither will I go, were it only to show

these proud Normans how little the fate of a son, who could defeat their bravest, can affect a Saxon.''

``Thither,'' said Rowena, ``do I =not= go; and I pray you to beware, lest what you mean for courage and

``Remain at home, then, ungrateful lady,'' answered Cedric; ``thine is the hard heart, which can sacrifice the

weal of an oppressed people to an idle and unauthorized attachment. I seek the noble Athelstane, and with

He went accordingly to the banquet, of which we have already mentioned the principal events. Immediately

upon retiring from the castle, the Saxon thanes, with their attendants, took horse; and it was during the bustle

which attended their doing so, that Cedric, for the first time, cast his eyes upon the deserter Gurth. The noble

Saxon had returned from the banquet, as we have seen, in no very placid humour, and wanted but a pretext

for wreaking his anger upon some one. ``The gyves!'' he said, ``the gyves!OswaldHundibert!

Dogs and villains!why leave ye the knave unfettered?'' Without daring to remonstrate, the companions of

Gurth bound him with a halter, as the readiest cord which occurred. He submitted to the operation without

remonstrance, except that, darting a reproachful look at his master, he said, ``This comes of loving your flesh

``It is indeed full time,'' said the noble Athelstane; ``for, if we ride not the faster, the worthy Abbot

* A reresupper was a nightmeal, and sometimes signified a * collation, which was given at a late hour,

The travellers, however, used such speed as to reach the convent of St Withold's before the apprehended evil

took place. The Abbot, himself of ancient Saxon descent, received the noble Saxons with the profuse and

exuberant hospitality of their nation, wherein they indulged to a late, or rather an early hour; nor did they take

leave of their reverend host the next morning until they had shared with him a sumptuous refection.

As the cavalcade left the court of the monastery, an incident happened somewhat alarming to, the Saxons,

who, of all people of Europe, were most addicted to a superstitious observance of omens, and to whose

opinions can be traced most of those notions upon such subjects, still to be found among our popular

antiquities. For the Normans being a mixed race, and better informed according to the information of the

times, had lost most of the superstitious prejudices which their ancestors had brought from Scandinavia, and

In the present instance, the apprehension of impending evil was inspired by no less respectable a prophet than

a large lean black dog, which, sitting upright, howled most piteously as the foremost riders left the gate, and

presently afterwards, barking wildly, and jumping to and fro, seemed bent upon attaching itself to the party.

``I like not that music, father Cedric,'' said Athelstane; for by this title of respect he was accustomed to

``Nor I either, uncle,'' said Wamba; ``I greatly fear we shall have to pay the piper.''

``In my mind,'' said Athelstane, upon whose memory the Abbot's good ale (for Burton was already famous

for that genial liquor) had made a favourable impression,``in my mind we had better turn back, and abide

with the Abbot until the afternoon. It is unlucky to travel where your path is crossed by a monk, a hare, or a

``Away!'' said Cedric, impatiently; ``the day is already too short for our journey. For the dog, I know it to be

So saying, and rising at the same time in his stirrups, impatient at the interruption of his journey, he launched

his javelin at poor Fangsfor Fangs it was, who, having traced his master thus far upon his stolen

expedition, had here lost him, and was now, in his uncouth way, rejoicing at his reappearance. The javelin

inflicted a wound upon the animal's shoulder, and narrowly missed pinning him to the earth; and Fangs fled

howling from the presence of the enraged thane. Gurth's heart swelled within him; for he felt this meditated

slaughter of his faithful adherent in a degree much deeper than the harsh treatment he had himself received.

Having in vain attempted to raise his hand to his eyes, he said to Wamba, who, seeing his master's ill humour

had prudently retreated to the rear, ``I pray thee, do me the kindness to wipe my eyes with the skirt of thy

mantle; the dust offends me, and these bonds will not let me help myself one way or another.''

Wamba did him the service he required, and they rode side by side for some time, during which Gurth

``Friend Wamba,'' said he, ``of all those who are fools enough to serve Cedric, thou alone hast dexterity

enough to make thy folly acceptable to him. Go to him, therefore, and tell him that neither for love nor fear

will Gurth serve him longer. He may strike the head from mehe may scourge mehe may load me with

ironsbut henceforth he shall never compel me either to love or to obey him. Go to him, then, and tell him

``Assuredly,'' said Wamba, ``fool as I am, I shall not do your fool's errand. Cedric hath another javelin stuck

``I care not,'' replied Gurth, ``how soon he makes a mark of me. Yesterday he left Wilfred, my young master,

in his blood. Today he has striven to kill before my face the only other living creature that ever showed me

kindness. By St Edmund, St Dunstan, St Withold, St Edward the Confessor, and every other Saxon saint in

the calendar,'' (for Cedric never swore by any that was not of Saxon lineage, and all his household had the

``To my thinking now,'' said the Jester, who was frequently wont to act as peacemaker in the family, ``our

master did not propose to hurt Fangs, but only to affright him. For, if you observed, he rose in his stirrups, as

thereby meaning to overcast the mark; and so he would have done, but Fangs happening to bound up at the

very moment, received a scratch, which I will be bound to heal with a penny's breadth of tar.''

``If I thought so,'' said Gurth``if I could but think sobut noI saw the javelin was well aimed I

heard it whizz through the air with all the wrathful malevolence of him who cast it, and it quivered after it

had pitched in the ground, as if with regret for having missed its mark. By the hog dear to St Anthony, I

And the indignant swineherd resumed his sullen silence, which no efforts of the Jester could again induce

Meanwhile Cedric and Athelstane, the leaders of the troop, conversed together on the state of the land, on the

dissensions of the royal family, on the feuds and quarrels among the Norman nobles, and on the chance

which there was that the oppressed Saxons might be able to free themselves from the yoke of the Normans, or

at least to elevate themselves into national consequence and independence, during the civil convulsions which

were likely to ensue. On this subject Cedric was all animation. The restoration of the independence of his

race was the idol of his heart, to which he had willingly sacrificed domestic happiness and the interests of his

own son. But, in order to achieve this great revolution in favour of the native English, it was necessary that

they should be united among themselves, and act under an acknowledged head. The necessity of choosing

their chief from the Saxon bloodroyal was not only evident in itself, but had been made a solemn condition

by those whom Cedric had intrusted with his secret plans and hopes. Athelstane had this quality at least; and

though he had few mental accomplishments or talents to recommend him as a leader, he had still a goodly

person, was no coward, had been accustomed to martial exercises, and seemed willing to defer to the advice

of counsellors more wise than himself. Above all, he was known to be liberal and hospitable, and believed to

be goodnatured. But whatever pretensions Athelstane had to be considered as head of the Saxon

confederacy, many of that nation were disposed to prefer to his the title of the Lady Rowena, who drew her

descent from Alfred, and whose father having been a chief renowned for wisdom, courage, and generosity,

It would have been no difficult thing for Cedric, had he been so disposed, to have placed himself at the head

of a third party, as formidable at least as any of the others. To counterbalance their royal descent, he had

courage, activity, energy, and, above all, that devoted attachment to the cause which had procured him the

epithet of The Saxon, and his birth was inferior to none, excepting only that of Athelstane and his ward.

These qualities, however, were unalloyed by the slightest shade of selfishness; and, instead of dividing yet

farther his weakened nation by forming a faction of his own, it was a leading part of Cedric's plan to

extinguish that which already existed, by promoting a marriage betwixt Rowena and Athelstane. An obstacle

occurred to this his favourite project, in the mutual attachment of his ward and his son and hence the original

This stern measure Cedric had adopted, in hopes that, during Wilfred's absence, Rowena might relinquish her

preference, but in this hope he was disappointed; a disappointment which might be attributed in part to the

mode in which his ward had been educated. Cedric, to whom the name of Alfred was as that of a deity, had

treated the sole remaining scion of that great monarch with a degree of observance, such as, perhaps, was in

those days scarce paid to an acknowledged princess. Rowena's will had been in almost all cases a law to his

household; and Cedric himself, as if determined that her sovereignty should be fully acknowledged within

that little circle at least, seemed to take a pride in acting as the first of her subjects. Thus trained in the

exercise not only of free will, but despotic authority, Rowena was, by her previous education, disposed both

to resist and to resent any attempt to control her affections, or dispose of her hand contrary to her inclinations,

and to assert her independence in a case in which even those females who have been trained up to obedience

and subjection, are not infrequently apt to dispute the authority of guardians and parents. The opinions which

she felt strongly, she avowed boldly; and Cedric, who could not free himself from his habitual deference to

It was in vain that he attempted to dazzle her with the prospect of a visionary throne. Rowena, who possessed

strong sense, neither considered his plan as practicable, nor as desirable, so far as she was concerned, could it

have been achieved. Without attempting to conceal her avowed preference of Wilfred of Ivanhoe, she

declared that, were that favoured knight out of question, she would rather take refuge in a convent, than share

a throne with Athelstane, whom, having always despised, she now began, on account of the trouble she

Nevertheless, Cedric, whose opinions of women's constancy was far from strong, persisted in using every

means in his power to bring about the proposed match, in which he conceived he was rendering an important

service to the Saxon cause. The sudden and romantic appearance of his son in the lists at Ashby, he had justly

regarded as almost a death's blow to his hopes. His paternal affection, it is true, had for an instant gained the

victory over pride and patriotism; but both had returned in full force, and under their joint operation, he was

now bent upon making a determined effort for the union of Athelstane and Rowena, together with expediting

those other measures which seemed necessary to forward the restoration of Saxon independence.

On this last subject, he was now labouring with Athelstane, not without having reason, every now and then,

to lament, like Hotspur, that he should have moved such a dish of skimmed milk to so honourable an action.

Athelstane, it is true, was vain enough, and loved to have his ears tickled with tales of his high descent, and of

his right by inheritance to homage and sovereignty. But his petty vanity was sufficiently gratified by

receiving this homage at the hands of his immediate attendants, and of the Saxons who approached him. If he

had the courage to encounter danger, he at least hated the trouble of going to seek it; and while he agreed in

the general principles laid down by Cedric concerning the claim of the Saxons to independence, and was still

more easily convinced of his own title to reign over them when that independence should be attained, yet

when the means of asserting these rights came to be discussed, he was still ``Athelstane the Unready,'' slow,

irresolute, procrastinating, and unenterprising. The warm and impassioned exhortations of Cedric had as little

effect upon his impassive temper, as redhot balls alighting in the water, which produce a little sound and

If, leaving this task, which might be compared to spurring a tired jade, or to hammering upon cold iron,

Cedric fell back to his ward Rowena, he received little more satisfaction from conferring with her. For, as his

presence interrupted the discourse between the lady and her favourite attendant upon the gallantry and fate of

Wilfred, Elgitha, failed not to revenge both her mistress and herself, by recurring to the overthrow of

Athelstane in the lists, the most disagreeable subject which could greet the ears of Cedric. To this sturdy

Saxon, therefore, the day's journey was fraught with all manner of displeasure and discomfort; so that he

more than once internally cursed the tournament, and him who had proclaimed it, together with his own folly

At noon, upon the motion of Athelstane, the travellers paused in a woodland shade by a fountain, to repose

their horses and partake of some provisions, with which the hospitable Abbot had loaded a sumpter mule.

Their repast was a pretty long one; and these several interruptions rendered it impossible for them to hope to

reach Rotherwood without travelling all night, a conviction which induced them to proceed on their way at a

The travellers had now reached the verge of the wooded country, and were about to plunge into its recesses,

held dangerous at that time from the number of outlaws whom oppression and poverty had driven to despair,

and who occupied the forests in such large bands as could easily bid defiance to the feeble police of the

period. From these rovers, however, notwithstanding the lateness of the hour Cedric and Athelstane

accounted themselves secure, as they had in attendance ten servants, besides Wamba and Gurth, whose aid

could not be counted upon, the one being a jester and the other a captive. It may be added, that in travelling

thus late through the forest, Cedric and Athelstane relied on their descent and character, as well as their

courage. The outlaws, whom the severity of the forest laws had reduced to this roving and desperate mode of

life, were chiefly peasants and yeomen of Saxon descent, and were generally supposed to respect the persons

As the travellers journeyed on their way, they were alarmed by repeated cries for assistance; and when they

rode up to the place from whence they came, they were surprised to find a horselitter placed upon the

ground, beside which sat a young woman, richly dressed in the Jewish fashion, while an old man, whose

yellow cap proclaimed him to belong to the same nation, walked up and down with gestures expressive of the

To the enquiries of Athelstane and Cedric, the old Jew could for some time only answer by invoking the

protection of all the patriarchs of the Old Testament successively against the sons of Ishmael, who were

coming to smite them, hip and thigh, with the edge of the sword. When he began to come to himself out of

this agony of terror, Isaac of York (for it was our old friend) was at length able to explain, that he had hired a

bodyguard of six men at Ashby, together with mules for carrying the litter of a sick friend. This party had

undertaken to escort him as far as Doncaster. They had come thus far in safety; but having received

information from a woodcutter that there was a strong band of outlaws lying in wait in the woods before

them, Isaac's mercenaries had not only taken flight, but had carried off with them the horses which bore the

litter and left the Jew and his daughter without the means either of defence or of retreat, to be plundered, and

probably murdered, by the banditti, who they expected every moment would bring down upon them. ``Would

it but please your valours,'' added Isaac, in a tone of deep humiliation, ``to permit the poor Jews to travel

under your safeguard, I swear by the tables of our law, that never has favour been conferred upon a child of

Israel since the days of our captivity, which shall be more gratefully acknowledged.'' ``Dog of a Jew!'' said

Athelstane, whose memory was of that petty kind which stores up trifles of all kinds, but particularly trifling

offences, ``dost not remember how thou didst beard us in the gallery at the tiltyard? Fight or flee, or

compound with the outlaws as thou dost list, ask neither aid nor company from us; and if they rob only such

as thee, who rob all the world, I, for mine own share, shall hold them right honest folk.''

Cedric did not assent to the severe proposal of his companion. ``We shall do better,'' said be, ``to leave them

two of our attendants and two horses to convey them back to the next village. It will diminish our strength but

little; and with your good sword, noble Athelstane, and the aid of those who remain, it will be light work for

Rowena, somewhat alarmed by the mention of outlaws in force, and so near them, strongly seconded the

proposal of her guardian. But Rebecca suddenly quitting her dejected posture, and making her way through

the attendants to the palfrey of the Saxon lady, knelt down, and, after the Oriental fashion in addressing

superiors, kissed the hem of Rowena's garment. Then rising, and throwing back her veil, she implored her in

the great name of the God whom they both worshipped, and by that revelation of the Law upon Mount Sinai,

in which they both believed, that she would have compassion upon them, and suffer them to go forward

under their safeguard. ``It is not for myself that I pray this favour,'' said Rebecca; ``nor is it even for that poor

old man. I know, that to wrong and to spoil our nation is a light fault, if not a merit, with the Christians; and

what is it to us whether it be done in the city, in the desert, or in the field? But it is in the name of one dear to

many, and dear even to you, that I beseech you to let this sick person be transported with care and tenderness

under your protection. For, if evil chance him, the last moment of your life would be embittered with regret

The noble and solemn air with which Rebecca made this appeal, gave it double weight with the fair Saxon.

``The man is old and feeble,'' she said to her guardian, ``the maiden young and beautiful, their friend sick and

in peril of his lifeJews though they be, we cannot as Christians leave them in this extremity. Let them

unload two of the sumptermules, and put the baggage behind two of the serfs. The mules may transport the

Cedric readily assented to what she proposed, and Athelstane only added the condition, ``that they should

travel in the rear of the whole party, where Wamba,'' he said, ``might attend them with his shield of boar's

``I have left my shield in the tiltyard,'' answered the Jester, ``as has been the fate of many a better knight

Athelstane coloured deeply, for such had been his own fate on the last day of the tournament; while Rowena,

who was pleased in the same proportion, as if to make amends for the brutal jest of her unfeeling suitor,

``It were not fit I should do so,'' answered Rebecca, with proud humility, ``where my society might be held a

By this time the change of baggage was hastily achieved; for the single word ``outlaws'' rendered every one

sufficiently alert, and the approach of twilight made the sound yet more impressive. Amid the bustle, Gurth

was taken from horseback, in the course of which removal he prevailed upon the Jester to slack the cord with

which his arms were bound. It was so negligently refastened, perhaps intentionally, on the part of Wamba,

that Gurth found no difficulty in freeing his arms altogether from bondage, and then, gliding into the thicket,

The bustle had been considerable, and it was some time before Gurth was missed; for, as he was to be placed

for the rest of the journey behind a servant, every one supposed that some other of his companions had him

under his custody, and when it began to be whispered among them that Gurth had actually disappeared, they

were under such immediate expectation of an attack from the outlaws, that it was not held convenient to pay

The path upon which the party travelled was now so narrow, as not to admit, with any sort of convenience,

above two riders abreast, and began to descend into a dingle, traversed by a brook whose banks were broken,

swampy, and overgrown with dwarf willows. Cedric and Athelstane, who were at the head of their retinue,

saw the risk of being attacked at this pass; but neither of them having had much practice in war, no better

mode of preventing the danger occurred to them than that they should hasten through the defile as fast as

possible. Advancing, therefore, without much order, they had just crossed the brook with a part of their

followers, when they were assailed in front, flank, and rear at once, with an impetuosity to which, in their

confused and illprepared condition, it was impossible to offer effectual resistance. The shout of ``A white

dragon!a white dragon!Saint George for merry England!'' warcries adopted by the assailants, as

belonging to their assumed character of Saxon outlaws, was heard on every side, and on every side enemies

appeared with a rapidity of advance and attack which seemed to multiply their numbers.

Both the Saxon chiefs were made prisoners at the same moment, and each under circumstances expressive of

his character. Cedric, the instant that an enemy appeared, launched at him his remaining javelin, which,

taking better effect than that which he had hurled at Fangs, nailed the man against an oaktree that happened

to be close behind him. Thus far successful, Cedric spurred his horse against a second, drawing his sword at

the same time, and striking with such inconsiderate fury, that his weapon encountered a thick branch which

hung over him, and he was disarmed by the violence of his own blow. He was instantly made prisoner, and

pulled from his horse by two or three of the banditti who crowded around him. Athelstane shared his

captivity, his bridle having been seized, and he himself forcibly dismounted, long before he could draw his

The attendants, embarrassed with baggage, surprised and terrified at the fate of their masters, fell an easy

prey to the assailants; while the Lady Rowena, in the centre of the cavalcade, and the Jew and his daughter in

Of all the train none escaped except Wamba, who showed upon the occasion much more courage than those

who pretended to greater sense. He possessed himself of a sword belonging to one of the domestics, who was

just drawing it with a tardy and irresolute hand, laid it about him like a lion, drove back several who

approached him, and made a brave though ineffectual attempt to succour his master. Finding himself

overpowered, the Jester at length threw himself from his horse, plunged into the thicket, and, favoured by the

general confusion, escaped from the scene of action. Yet the valiant Jester, as soon as he found himself safe,

hesitated more than once whether he should not turn back and share the captivity of a master to whom he was

``I have heard men talk of the blessings of freedom,'' he said to himself, ``but I wish any wise man would

As he pronounced these words aloud, a voice very near him called out in a low and cautious tone, ``Wamba!''

and, at the same time, a dog, which be recognised to be Fangs, jumped up and fawned upon him. ``Gurth!''

answered Wamba, with the same caution, and the swineherd immediately stood before him.

``What is the matter?'' said he eagerly; ``what mean these cries, and that clashing of swords?''

``Our master was too ready to fight,'' said the Jester; ``and Athelstane was not ready enough, and no other

person was ready at all. And they are prisoners to green cassocks, and black visors. And they lie all tumbled

about on the green, like the crabapples that you shake down to your swine. And I would laugh at it,'' said the

honest Jester, ``if I could for weeping.'' And he shed tears of unfeigned sorrow.

Gurth's countenance kindled``Wamba,'' he said, ``thou hast a weapon, and thy heart was ever stronger

than thy brain,we are only twobut a sudden attack from men of resolution will do much follow

``But you have renounced his service but now,'' said Wamba. ``That,'' said Gurth, ``was but while he was

As the Jester was about to obey, a third person suddenly made his appearance, and commanded them both to

halt. From his dress and arms, Wamba would have conjectured him to be one of those outlaws who had just

assailed his master; but, besides that he wore no mask, the glittering baldric across his shoulder, with the rich

buglehorn which it supported, as well as the calm and commanding expression of his voice and manner,

made him, notwithstanding the twilight, recognise Locksley the yeoman, who had been victorious, under

``What is the meaning of all this,'' said he, ``or who is it that rifle, and ransom, and make prisoners, in these

``You may look at their cassocks close by,'' said Wamba, ``and see whether they be thy children's coats or

``I will learn that presently,'' answered Locksley; ``and I charge ye, on peril of your lives, not to stir from the

place where ye stand, until I have returned. Obey me, and it shall be the better for you and your

So saying he unbuckled his baldric with the bugle, took a feather from his cap, and gave them to Wamba;

then drew a vizard from his pouch, and, repeating his charges to them to stand fast, went to execute his

``Shall we stand fast, Gurth?'' said Wamba; ``or shall we e'en give him legbail? In my foolish mind, he had

``Let him be the devil,'' said Gurth, ``an he will. We can be no worse of waiting his return. If he belong to that

party, he must already have given them the alarm, and it will avail nothing either to fight or fly. Besides, I

have late experience, that errant thieves are not the worst men in the world to have to deal with.''

``Friend Gurth,'' he said, ``I have mingled among yon men, and have learnt to whom they belong, and whither

they are bound. There is, I think, no chance that they will proceed to any actual violence against their

prisoners. For three men to attempt them at this moment, were little else than madness; for they are good men

of war, and have, as such, placed sentinels to give the alarm when any one approaches. But I trust soon to

gather such a force, as may act in defiance of all their precautions; you are both servants, and, as I think,

faithful servants, of Cedric the Saxon, the friend of the rights of Englishmen. He shall not want English hands

So saying, he walked through the wood at a great pace, followed by the jester and the swineherd. It was not

``I think,'' said he, looking at the baldric and bugle which he still carried, ``that I saw the arrow shot which

``And I,'' said Gurth, ``could take it on my halidome, that I have heard the voice of the good yeoman who

won it, by night as well as by day, and that the moon is not three days older since I did so.''

``Mine honest friends,'' replied the yeoman, ``who, or what I am, is little to the present purpose; should I free

your master, you will have reason to think me the best friend you have ever had in your lives. And whether I

am known by one name or anotheror whether I can draw a bow as well or better than a cowkeeper, or

whether it is my pleasure to walk in sunshine or by moonlight, are matters, which, as they do not concern

``Our heads are in the lion's mouth,'' said Wamba, in a whisper to Gurth, ``get them out how we can.''

``Hushbe silent,'' said Gurth. ``Offend him not by thy folly, and I trust sincerely that all will go well.''

It was after three hours' good walking that the servants of Cedric, with their mysterious guide, arrived at a

small opening in the forest, in the centre of which grew an oaktree of enormous magnitude, throwing its

twisted branches in every direction. Beneath this tree four or five yeomen lay stretched on the ground, while

Upon hearing the sound of feet approaching, the watch instantly gave the alarm, and the sleepers as suddenly

started up and bent their bows. Six arrows placed on the string were pointed towards the quarter from which

the travellers approached, when their guide, being recognised, was welcomed with every token of respect and

``That is well thought on also,'' replied the Captain; ``and where is the Friar ?''

``Thither will I go,'' said Locksley. ``Disperse and seek your companions. Collect what force you can, for

there's game afoot that must be hunted hard, and will turn to bay. Meet me here by daybreak. And stay,''

he added, ``I have forgotten what is most necessary of the wholeTwo of you take the road quickly

towards Torquilstone, the Castle of FrontdeBoeuf. A set of gallants, who have been masquerading in such

guise as our own, are carrying a band of prisoners thitherWatch them closely, for even if they reach the

castle before we collect our force, our honour is concerned to punish them, and we will find means to do so.

Keep a close watch on them therefore; and dispatch one of your comrades, the lightest of foot, to bring the

They promised implicit obedience, and departed with alacrity on their different errands. In the meanwhile,

their leader and his two companions, who now looked upon him with great respect, as well as some fear,

When they had reached the little moonlight glade, having in front the reverend, though ruinous chapel, and

the rude hermitage, so well suited to ascetic devotion, Wamba whispered to Gurth, ``If this be the habitation

of a thief, it makes good the old proverb, The nearer the church the farther from God.And by my

cockscomb,'' he added, ``I think it be even soHearken but to the black sanctus which they are singing in

In fact the anchorite and his guest were performing, at the full extent of their very powerful lungs, an old

``Come, trowl the brown bowl to me, Bully boy, bully boy, Come, trowl the brown bowl to me: Ho! jolly

``Now, that is not ill sung,'' said Wamba, who had thrown in a few of his own flourishes to help out the

chorus. ``But who, in the saint's name, ever expected to have heard such a jolly chant come from out a

``Marry, that should I,'' said Gurth, ``for the jolly Clerk of Copmanhurst is a known man, and kills half the

deer that are stolen in this walk. Men say that the keeper has complained to his official, and that he will be

While they were thus speaking, Locksley's loud and repeated knocks had at length disturbed the anchorite

and his guest. ``By my beads,'' said the hermit, stopping short in a grand flourish, ``here come more benighted

guests. I would not for my cowl that they found us in this goodly exercise. All men have their enemies, good

Sir Sluggard; and there be those malignant enough to construe the hospitable refreshment which I have been

offering to you, a weary traveller, for the matter of three short hours, into sheer drunkenness and debauchery,

``Base calumniators!'' replied the knight; ``I would I had the chastising of them. Nevertheless, Holy Clerk, it

is true that all have their enemies; and there be those in this very land whom I would rather speak to through

``Get thine iron pot on thy head then, friend Sluggard, as quickly as thy nature will permit,'' said the hermit,

``while I remove these pewter flagons, whose late contents run strangely in mine own pate; and to drown the

clatterfor, in faith, I feel somewhat unsteadystrike into the tune which thou hearest me sing; it is no

So saying, he struck up a thundering De profundis clamavi, under cover of which he removed the apparatus

of their banquet: while the knight, laughing heartily, and arming himself all the while, assisted his host with

``Heaven forgive you, Sir Traveller!'' said the hermit, whose own noise, and perhaps his nocturnal potations,

prevented from recognising accents which were tolerably familiar to him``Wend on your way, in the

name of God and Saint Dunstan, and disturb not the devotions of me and my holy brother.''

``Who is he?'' answered the hermit; ``I tell thee he is a friend.'' ``But what friend?'' answered the knight; ``for

``What friend?'' replied the hermit; ``that, now, is one of the questions that is more easily asked than

answered. What friend?why, he is, now that I bethink me a little, the very same honest keeper I told thee

``Ay, as honest a keeper as thou art a pious hermit,'' replied the knight, ``I doubt it not. But undo the door to

The dogs, in the meantime, which had made a dreadful baying at the commencement of the disturbance,

seemed now to recognise the voice of him who stood without; for, totally changing their manner, they

scratched and whined at the door, as if interceding for his admission. The hermit speedily unbolted his portal,

``Why, hermit,'' was the yeoman's first question as soon as he beheld the knight, ``what boon companion hast

``A brother of our order,'' replied the friar, shaking his head; ``we have been at our orisons all night.''

``He is a monk of the church militant, I think,'' answered Locksley; ``and there be more of them abroad. I tell

thee, friar, thou must lay down the rosary and take up the quarterstaff; we shall need every one of our merry

men, whether clerk or layman. But,'' he added, taking him a step aside, ``art thou mad? to give admittance

``Not know him!'' replied the friar, boldly, ``I know him as well as the beggar knows his dish.''

``His name,'' said the hermit``his name is Sir Anthony of Scrabelstoneas if I would drink with a man,

``Thou hast been drinking more than enough, friar,'' said the woodsman, ``and, I fear, prating more than

``Good yeoman,'' said the knight, coming forward, ``be not wroth with my merry host. He did but afford me

``Thou compel!'' said the friar; ``wait but till have changed this grey gown for a green cassock, and if I make

not a quarterstaff ring twelve upon thy pate, I am neither true clerk nor good woodsman.''

While he spoke thus, he stript off his gown, and appeared in a close black buckram doublet and drawers, over

which he speedily did on a cassock of green, and hose of the same colour. ``I pray thee truss my points,'' said

``Gramercy for thy sack,'' said Wamba; ``but think'st thou it is lawful for me to aid you to transmew thyself

``Never fear,'' said the hermit; ``I will but confess the sins of my green cloak to my greyfriar's frock, and all

``Amen!'' answered the Jester; ``a broadcloth penitent should have a sackcloth confessor, and your frock may

So saying, he accommodated the friar with his assistance in tying the endless number of points, as the laces

While they were thus employed, Locksley led the knight a little apart, and addressed him thus:

``Deny it not, Sir Knightyou are he who decided the victory to the advantage of the English against the

``I should in that case hold you,'' replied the yeoman, ``a friend to the weaker party.''

``Such is the duty of a true knight at least,'' replied the Black Champion; ``and I would not willingly that there

``But for my purpose,'' said the yeoman, ``thou shouldst be as well a good Englishman as a good knight; for

that, which I have to speak of, concerns, indeed, the duty of every honest man, but is more especially that of a

``You can speak to no one,'' replied the knight, ``to whom England, and the life of every Englishman, can be

``I would willingly believe so,'' said the woodsman, ``for never had this country such need to be supported by

those who love her. Hear me, and I will tell thee of an enterprise, in which, if thou best really that which thou

seemest, thou mayst take an honourable part. A band of villains, in the disguise of better men than

themselves, have made themselves master of the person of a noble Englishman, called Cedric the Saxon,

together with his ward, and his friend Athelstane of Coningsburgh, and have transported them to a castle in

this forest, called Torquilstone. I ask of thee, as a good knight and a good Englishman, wilt thou aid in their

``I am bound by my vow to do so,'' replied the knight; ``but I would willingly know who you are, who request

``I am,'' said the forester, ``a nameless man; but I am the friend of my country, and of my country's

friendsWith this account of me you must for the present remain satisfied, the more especially since you

yourself desire to continue unknown. Believe, however, that my word, when pledged, is as inviolate as if I

``I willingly believe it,'' said the knight; ``I have been accustomed to study men's countenances, and I can

read in thine honesty and resolution. I will, therefore, ask thee no further questions, but aid thee in setting at

freedom these oppressed captives; which done, I trust we shall part better acquainted, and well satisfied with

``So,'' said Wamba to Gurth,for the friar being now fully equipped, the Jester, having approached to the

other side of the hut, had heard the conclusion of the conversation,``So we have got a new ally ?l

trust the valour of the knight will be truer metal than the religion of the hermit, or the honesty of the yeoman;

for this Locksley looks like a born deerstealer, and the priest like a lusty hypocrite.''

``Hold thy peace, Wamba,'' said Gurth; ``it may all be as thou dost guess; but were the horned devil to rise

and proffer me his assistance to set at liberty Cedric and the Lady Rowena, I fear I should hardly have

The friar was now completely accoutred as a yeoman, with sword and buckler, bow, and quiver, and a strong

partisan over his shoulder. He left his cell at the head of the party, and, having carefully locked the door,

``Art thou in condition to do good service, friar,'' said Locksley, ``or does the brown bowl still run in thy head

``Not more than a drought of St Dunstan's fountain will allay,'' answered the priest; ``something there is of a

whizzing in my brain, and of instability in my legs, but you shall presently see both pass away.''

So saying, he stepped to the stone basin, in which the waters of the fountain as they fell formed bubbles

which danced in the white moonlight, and took so long a drought as if he had meant to exhaust the spring.

``When didst thou drink as deep a drought of water before, Holy Clerk of Copmanhurst?'' said the Black

``Never since my winebut leaked, and let out its liquor by an illegal vent,'' replied the friar, ``and so left me

Then plunging his hands and head into the fountain, he washed from them all marks of the midnight revel.

Thus refreshed and sobered, the jolly priest twirled his heavy partisan round his head with three fingers, as if

he had been balancing a reed, exclaiming at the same time, ``Where be those false ravishers, who carry off

wenches against their will? May the foul fiend fly off with me, if I am not man enough for a dozen of them.''

``Clerk me no Clerks,'' replied the transformed priest; ``by Saint George and the Dragon, I am no longer a

shaveling than while my frock is on my backWhen I am cased in my green cassock, I will drink, swear,

``Come on, Jack Priest,'' said Locksley, ``and be silent; thou art as noisy as a whole convent on a holy eve,

when the Father Abbot has gone to bed. Come on you, too, my masters, tarry not to talk of itI say,

come on, we must collect all our forces, and few enough we shall have, if we are to storm the Castle of

``What! is it FrontdeBoeuf,'' said the Black Knight, ``who has stopt on the king's highway the king's liege

``And for thief,'' said the priest, ``I doubt if ever he were even half so honest a man as many a thief of my

``Move on, priest, and be silent,'' said the yeoman; ``it were better you led the way to the place of rendezvous,

While these measures were taking in behalf of Cedric and his companions, the armed men by whom the latter

had been seized, hurried their captives along towards the place of security, where they intended to imprison

them. But darkness came on fast, and the paths of the wood seemed but imperfectly known to the marauders.

They were compelled to make several long halts, and once or twice to return on their road to resume the

direction which they wished to pursue. The summer morn had dawned upon them ere they could travel in full

assurance that they held the right path. But confidence returned with light, and the cavalcade now moved

rapidly forward. Meanwhile, the following dialogue took place between the two leaders of the banditti. ``It is

time thou shouldst leave us, Sir Maurice,'' said the Templar to De Bracy, ``in order to prepare the second part

``I have thought better of it,'' said De Bracy; ``I will not leave thee till the prize is fairly deposited in

FrontdeBoeuf's castle. There will I appear before the Lady Rowena in mine own shape, and trust that she

will set down to the vehemence of my passion the violence of which I have been guilty.''

``And what has made thee change thy plan, De Bracy?'' replied the Knight Templar.

``I would hope, however, Sir Knight,'' said the Templar, ``that this alteration of measures arises from no

suspicion of my honourable meaning, such as Fitzurse endeavoured to instil into thee?''

``My thoughts are my own,'' answered De Bracy; ``the fiend laughs, they say, when one thief robs another;

and we know, that were he to spit fire and brimstone instead, it would never prevent a Templar from

``Or the leader of a Free Company,'' answered the Templar, ``from dreading at the hands of a comrade and

``This is unprofitable and perilous recrimination,'' answered De Bracy; ``suffice it to say, I know the morals

of the TempleOrder, and I will not give thee the power of cheating me out of the fair prey for which I have

``Psha,'' replied the Templar, ``what hast thou to fear?Thou knowest the vows of our order.''

``Right well,'' said De Bracy, ``and also how they are kept. Come, Sir Templar, the laws of gallantry have a

liberal interpretation in Palestine, and this is a case in which I will trust nothing to your conscience.''

``Hear the truth, then,'' said the Templar; ``I care not for your blueeyed beauty. There is in that train one

``What! wouldst thou stoop to the waiting damsel?'' said De Bracy. ``No, Sir Knight,'' said the Templar,

haughtily. ``To the waitingwoman will I not stoop. I have a prize among the captives as lovely as thine

``No one that I know,'' said De Bracy, ``unless it be your vow of celibacy, or a cheek of conscience for an

``For my vow,'' said the Templar, ``our Grand Master hath granted me a dispensation. And for my

conscience, a man that has slain three hundred Saracens, need not reckon up every little failing, like a village

``Thou knowest best thine own privileges,'' said De Bracy. ``Yet, I would have sworn thy thought had been

``I can admire both,'' answered the Templar; ``besides, the old Jew is but halfprize. I must share his spoils

with FrontdeBoeuf, who will not lend us the use of his castle for nothing. I must have something that I can

term exclusively my own by this foray of ours, and I have fixed on the lovely Jewess as my peculiar prize.

But, now thou knowest my drift, thou wilt resume thine own original plan, wilt thou not?Thou hast

``No,'' replied De Bracy, ``I will remain beside my prize. What thou sayst is passing true, but I like not the

privileges acquired by the dispensation of the Grand Master, and the merit acquired by the slaughter of three

hundred Saracens. You have too good a right to a free pardon, to render you very scrupulous about

While this dialogue was proceeding, Cedric was endeavouring to wring out of those who guarded him an

avowal of their character and purpose. ``You should be Englishmen,'' said he; ``and yet, sacred Heaven! you

prey upon your countrymen as if you were very Normans. You should be my neighbours, and, if so, my

friends; for which of my English neighbours have reason to be otherwise? I tell ye, yeomen, that even those

among ye who have been branded with outlawry have had from me protection; for I have pitied their

miseries, and curst the oppression of their tyrannic nobles. What, then, would you have of me? or in what can

this violence serve ye?Ye are worse than brute beasts in your actions, and will you imitate them in their

It was in vain that Cedric expostulated with his guards, who had too many good reasons for their silence to be

induced to break it either by his wrath or his expostulations. They continued to hurry him along, travelling at

a very rapid rate, until, at the end of an avenue of huge trees, arose Torquilstone, now the hoary and ancient

castle of Reginald FrontdeBoeuf. It was a fortress of no great size, consisting of a donjon, or large and

high square tower, surrounded by buildings of inferior height, which were encircled by an inner courtyard.

Around the exterior wall was a deep moat, supplied with water from a neighbouring rivulet. FrontdeBoeuf,

whose character placed him often at feud with his enemies, had made considerable additions to the strength

of his castle, by building towers upon the outward wall, so as to flank it at every angle. The access, as usual

in castles of the period, lay through an arched barbican, or outwork, which was terminated and defended by a

Cedric no sooner saw the turrets of FrontdeBoeuf's castle raise their grey and mossgrown battlements,

glimmering in the morning sun above the wood by which they were surrounded, than he instantly augured

``I did injustice,'' he said, ``to the thieves and outlaws of these woods, when I supposed such banditti to

belong to their bands; I might as justly have confounded the foxes of these brakes with the ravening wolves

of France. Tell me, dogsis it my life or my wealth that your master aims at? Is it too much that two

Saxons, myself and the noble Athelstane, should hold land in the country which was once the patrimony of

our race?Put us then to death, and complete your tyranny by taking our lives, as you began with our

liberties. If the Saxon Cedric cannot rescue England, he is willing to die for her. Tell your tyrannical master, I

do only beseech him to dismiss the Lady Rowena in honour and safety. She is a woman, and he need not

The attendants remained as mute to this address as to the former, and they now stood before the gate of the

castle. De Bracy winded his horn three times, and the archers and crossbow men, who had manned the wall

upon seeing their approach, hastened to lower the drawbridge, and admit them. The prisoners were compelled

by their guards to alight, and were conducted to an apartment where a hasty repast was offered them, of

which none but Athelstane felt any inclination to partake. Neither had the descendant of the Confessor much

time to do justice to the good cheer placed before them, for their guards gave him and Cedric to understand

that they were to be imprisoned in a chamber apart from Rowena. Resistance was vain; and they were

compelled to follow to a large room, which, rising on clumsy Saxon pillars, resembled those refectories and

chapterhouses which may be still seen in the most ancient parts of our most ancient monasteries.

The Lady Rowena was next separated from her train, and conducted, with courtesy, indeed, but still without

consulting her inclination, to a distant apartment. The same alarming distinction was conferred on Rebecca,

in spite of her father's entreaties, who offered even money, in this extremity of distress, that she might be

permitted to abide with him. ``Base unbeliever,'' answered one of his guards, ``when thou hast seen thy lair,

thou wilt not wish thy daughter to partake it.'' And, without farther discussion, the old Jew was forcibly

dragged off in a different direction from the other prisoners. The domestics, after being carefully searched

and disarmed, were confined in another part of the castle; and Rowena was refused even the comfort she

The apartment in which the Saxon chiefs were confined, for to them we turn our first attention, although at

present used as a sort of guardroom, had formerly been the great hall of the castle. It was now abandoned to

meaner purposes, because the present lord, among other additions to the convenience, security, and beauty of

his baronial residence, had erected a new and noble hall, whose vaulted roof was supported by lighter and

more elegant pillars, and fitted up with that higher degree of ornament, which the Normans had already

Cedric paced the apartment, filled with indignant reflections on the past and on the present, while the apathy

of his companion served, instead of patience and philosophy, to defend him against every thing save the

inconvenience of the present moment; and so little did he feel even this last, that he was only from time to

``Yes,'' said Cedric, half speaking to himself, and half addressing himself to Athelstane, ``it was in this very

hall that my father feasted with Torquil Wolfganger, when he entertained the valiant and unfortunate Harold,

then advancing against the Norwegians, who had united themselves to the rebel Tosti. It was in this hall that

Harold returned the magnanimous answer to the ambassador of his rebel brother. Oft have I heard my father

kindle as he told the tale. The envoy of Tosti was admitted, when this ample room could scarce contain the

crowd of noble Saxon leaders, who were quaffing the bloodred wine around their monarch.''

``I hope,'' said Athelstane, somewhat moved by this part of his friend's discourse, ``they will not forget to

send us some wine and refactions at noon we had scarce a breathingspace allowed to break our fast, and

I never have the benefit of my food when I eat immediately after dismounting from horseback, though the

Cedric went on with his story without noticing this interjectional observation of his friend.

``The envoy of Tosti,'' he said, ``moved up the hall, undismayed by the frowning countenances of all around

`` `What terms,' he said, `Lord King, hath thy brother Tosti to hope, if he should lay down his arms, and crave

`` `A brother's love,' cried the generous Harold, `and the fair earldom of Northumberland.'

`` `But should Tosti accept these terms,' continued the envoy, ` what lands shall be assigned to his faithful

`` `Seven feet of English ground,' answered Harold, fiercely, 'or, as Hardrada is said to be a giant, perhaps we

``The hall rung with acclamations, and cup and horn was filled to the Norwegian, who should be speedily in

``I could have pledged him with all my soul,'' said Athelstane, ``for my tongue cleaves to my palate.''

``The baffled envoy,'' continued Cedric, pursuing with animation his tale, though it interested not the listener,

``retreated, to carry to Tosti and his ally the ominous answer of his injured brother. It was then that the distant

conflict, in which, after displaying the most undaunted valour, the King of Norway, and Tosti, both fell, with

ten thousand of their bravest followers. Who would have thought that upon the proud day when this battle

was won, the very gale which waved the Saxon banners in triumph, was filling the Norman sails, and

impelling them to the fatal shores of Sussex?Who would have thought that Harold, within a few brief

days, would himself possess no more of his kingdom, than the share which he allotted in his wrath to the

Norwegian invader? Who would have thought that you, noble Athelstane that you, descended of

Harold's blood, and that I, whose father was not the worst defender of the Saxon crown, should be prisoners

to a vile Norman, in the very hall in which our ancestors held such high festival?''

``It is sad enough,'' replied Athelstane; ``but I trust they will hold us to a moderate ransom At any rate it

cannot be their purpose to starve us outright; and yet, although it is high noon, I see no preparations for

serving dinner. Look up at the window, noble Cedric, and judge by the sunbeams if it is not on the verge of

``It may be so,'' answered Cedric; ``but I cannot look on that stained lattice without its awakening other

reflections than those which concern the passing moment, or its privations. When that window was wrought,

my noble friend, our hardy fathers knew not the art of making glass, or of staining itThe pride of

Wolfganger's father brought an artist from Normandy to adorn his hall with this new species of

emblazonment, that breaks the golden light of God's blessed day into so many fantastic hues. The foreigner

came here poor, beggarly, cringing, and subservient, ready to doff his cap to the meanest native of the

household. He returned pampered and proud, to tell his rapacious countrymen of the wealth and the

simplicity of the Saxon noblesa folly, oh, Athelstane, foreboded of old, as well as foreseen, by those

descendants of Hengist and his hardy tribes, who retained the simplicity of their manners. We made these

strangers our bosom friends, our confidential servants; we borrowed their artists and their arts, and despised

the honest simplicity and hardihood with which our brave ancestors supported themselves, and we became

enervated by Norman arts long ere we fell under Norman arms. Far better was our homely diet, eaten in peace

and liberty, than the luxurious dainties, the love of which hath delivered us as bondsmen to the foreign

``I should,'' replied Athelstane, ``hold very humble diet a luxury at present; and it astonishes me, noble

Cedric, that you can bear so truly in mind the memory of past deeds, when it appeareth you forget the very

``It is time lost,'' muttered Cedric apart and impatiently, ``to speak to him of aught else but that which

concerns his appetite! The soul of Hardicanute hath taken possession of him, and he hath no pleasure save to

fill, to swill, and to call for more. Alas!'' said he, looking at Athelstane with compassion, ``that so dull a

spirit should be lodged in so goodly a form! Alas! that such an enterprise as the regeneration of England

should turn on a hinge so imperfect! Wedded to Rowena, indeed, her nobler and more generous soul may yet

awake the better nature which is torpid within him. Yet how should this be, while Rowena, Athelstane, and I

myself, remain the prisoners of this brutal marauder and have been made so perhaps from a sense of the

While the Saxon was plunged in these painful reflections, the door of their prison opened, and gave entrance

to a sewer, holding his white rod of office. This important person advanced into the chamber with a grave

pace, followed by four attendants, bearing in a table covered with dishes, the sight and smell of which seemed

to be an instant compensation to Athelstane for all the inconvenience he had undergone. The persons who

``What mummery is this?'' said Cedric; ``think you that we are ignorant whose prisoners we are, when we are

in the castle of your master? Tell him,'' he continued, willing to use this opportunity to open a negotiation for

his freedom,``Tell your master, Reginald FrontdeBoeuf, that we know no reason he can have for

withholding our liberty, excepting his unlawful desire to enrich himself at our expense. Tell him that we yield

to his rapacity, as in similar circumstances we should do to that of a literal robber. Let him name the ransom

at which he rates our liberty, and it shall be paid, providing the exaction is suited to our means.'' The sewer

``And tell Sir Reginald FrontdeBoeuf,'' said Athelstane, ``that I send him my mortal defiance, and

challenge him to combat with me, on foot or horseback, at any secure place, within eight days after our

liberation; which, if he be a true knight, he will not, under these circumstances, venture to refuse or to delay.''

``I shall deliver to the knight your defiance,'' answered the sewer; ``meanwhile I leave you to your food.''

The challenge of Athelstane was delivered with no good grace; for a large mouthful, which required the

exercise of both jaws at once, added to a natural hesitation, considerably damped the effect of the bold

defiance it contained. Still, however, his speech was hailed by Cedric as an incontestible token of reviving

spirit in his companion, whose previous indifference had begun, notwithstanding his respect for Athelstane's

descent, to wear out his patience. But he now cordially shook hands with him in token of his approbation, and

was somewhat grieved when Athelstane observed, ``that he would fight a dozen such men as

FrontdeBoeuf, if, by so doing, he could hasten his departure from a dungeon where they put so much

garlic into their pottage.'' Notwithstanding this intimation of a relapse into the apathy of sensuality, Cedric

placed himself opposite to Athelstane, and soon showed, that if the distresses of his country could banish the

recollection of food while the table was uncovered, yet no sooner were the victuals put there, than he proved

that the appetite of his Saxon ancestors had descended to him along with their other qualities.

The captives had not long enjoyed their refreshment, however, ere their attention was disturbed even from

this most serious occupation by the blast of a horn winded before the gate. It was repeated three times, with

as much violence as if it had been blown before an enchanted castle by the destined knight, at whose

summons halls and towers, barbican and battlement, were to roll off like a morning vapour. The Saxons

started from the table, and hastened to the window. But their curiosity was disappointed; for these outlets

only looked upon the court of the castle, and the sound came from beyond its precincts. The summons,

however, seemed of importance, for a considerable degree of bustle instantly took place in the castle.

Leaving the Saxon chiefs to return to their banquet as soon as their ungratified curiosity should permit them

to attend to the calls of their halfsatiated appetite, we have to look in upon the yet more severe

imprisonment of Isaac of York. The poor Jew had been hastily thrust into a dungeonvault of the castle, the

floor of which was deep beneath the level of the ground, and very damp, being lower than even the moat

itself. The only light was received through one or two loopholes far above the reach of the captive's hand.

These apertures admitted, even at midday, only a dim and uncertain light, which was changed for utter

darkness long before the rest of the castle had lost the blessing of day. Chains and shackles, which had been

the portion of former captives, from whom active exertions to escape had been apprehended, hung rusted and

empty on the walls of the prison, and in the rings of one of those sets of fetters there remained two

mouldering bones, which seemed to have been once those of the human leg, as if some prisoner had been left

At one end of this ghastly apartment was a large firegrate, over the top of which were stretched some

The whole appearance of the dungeon might have appalled a stouter heart than that of Isaac, who,

nevertheless, was more composed under the imminent pressure of danger, than he had seemed to be while

affected by terrors, of which the cause was as yet remote and contingent. The lovers of the chase say that the

hare feels more agony during the pursuit of the greyhounds, than when she is struggling in their fangs.* And

the Jews, by the very frequency of their fear on all occasions, had their minds in some degree prepared for

every effort of tyranny which could be practised upon them; so that no aggression, when it had taken place,

could bring with it that surprise which is the most disabling quality of terror. Neither was it the first time that

Isaac had been placed in circumstances so dangerous. He had therefore experience to guide him, as well as

hope, that he might again, as formerly, be delivered as a prey from the fowler. Above all, he had upon his

side the unyielding obstinacy of his nation, and that unbending resolution, with which Israelites have been

frequently known to submit to the uttermost evils which power and violence can inflict upon them, rather

In this humour of passive resistance, and with his garment collected beneath him to keep his limbs from the

wet pavement, Isaac sat in a corner of his dungeon, where his folded hands, his dishevelled hair and beard,

his furred cloak and high cap, seen by the wiry and broken light, would have afforded a study for Rembrandt,

had that celebrated painter existed at the period. The Jew remained, without altering his position, for nearly

three hours, at the expiry of which steps were heard on the dungeon stair. The bolts screamed as they were

withdrawn the hinges creaked as the wicket opened, and Reginald FrontdeBoeuf, followed by the two

FrontdeBoeuf, a tall and strong man, whose life had been spent in public war or in private feuds and broils,

and who had hesitated at no means of extending his feudal power, had features corresponding to his

character, and which strongly expressed the fiercer and more malignant passions of the mind. The scars with

which his visage was seamed, would, on features of a different cast, have excited the sympathy and

veneration due to the marks of honourable valour; but, in the peculiar case of FrontdeBoeuf, they only

added to the ferocity of his countenance, and to the dread which his presence inspired. This formidable baron

was clad in a leathern doublet, fitted close to his body, which was frayed and soiled with the stains of his

armour. He had no weapon, excepting a poniard at his belt, which served to counterbalance the weight of the

The black slaves who attended FrontdeBoeuf were stripped of their gorgeous apparel, and attired in jerkins

and trowsers of coarse linen, their sleeves being tucked up above the elbow, like those of butchers when

about to exercise their function in the slaughterhouse. Each had in his hand a small pannier; and, when they

entered the dungeon, they stopt at the door until FrontdeBoeuf himself carefully locked and doublelocked

it. Having taken this precaution, he advanced slowly up the apartment towards the Jew, upon whom he kept

his eye fixed, as if he wished to paralyze him with his glance, as some animals are said to fascinate their prey.

It seemed indeed as if the sullen and malignant eye of FrontdeBoeuf possessed some portion of that

supposed power over his unfortunate prisoner. The Jew sate with his mouth agape, and his eyes fixed on the

savage baron with such earnestness of terror, that his frame seemed literally to shrink together, and to

diminish in size while encountering the fierce Norman's fixed and baleful gaze. The unhappy Isaac was

deprived not only of the power of rising to make the obeisance which his terror dictated, but he could not

even doff his cap, or utter any word of supplication; so strongly was he agitated by the conviction that

On the other hand, the stately form of the Norman appeared to dilate in magnitude, like that of the eagle,

which ruffles up its plumage when about to pounce on its defenceless prey. He paused within three steps of

the corner in which the unfortunate Jew had now, as it were, coiled himself up into the smallest possible

space, and made a sign for one of the slaves to approach. The black satellite came forward accordingly, and,

producing from his basket a large pair of scales and several weights, he laid them at the feet of

FrontdeBoeuf, and again retired to the respectful distance, at which his companion had already taken his

The motions of these men were slow and solemn, as if there impended over their souls some preconception of

horror and of cruelty. FrontdeBoeuf himself opened the scene by thus addressing his illfated captive.

``Most accursed dog of an accursed race,'' he said, awaking with his deep and sullen voice the sullen echoes

``In these very scales shalt thou weigh me out,'' said the relentless Baron, ``a thousand silver pounds, after the

``Holy Abraham!'' returned the Jew, finding voice through the very extremity of his danger, ``heard man ever

such a demand?Who ever heard, even in a minstrel's tale, of such a sum as a thousand pounds of

silver?What human sight was ever blessed with the vision of such a mass of treasure? Not within the

walls of York, ransack my house and that of all my tribe, wilt thou find the tithe of that huge sum of silver

``I am reasonable,'' answered FrontdeBoeuf, ``and if silver be scant, I refuse not gold. At the rate of a mark

of gold for each six pounds of silver, thou shalt free thy unbelieving carcass from such punishment as thy

``Have mercy on me, noble knight!'' exclaimed Isaac; ``I am old, and poor, and helpless. It were unworthy to

``Old thou mayst be,'' replied the knight; ``more shame to their folly who have suffered thee to grow grey in

usury and knaveryFeeble thou mayst be, for when had a Jew either heart or handBut rich it is well

``I swear to you, noble knight,'' said the Jew ``by all which I believe, and by all which we believe in

``Perjure not thyself,'' said the Norman, interrupting him, ``and let not thine obstinacy seal thy doom, until

thou hast seen and well considered the fate that awaits thee. Think not I speak to thee only to excite thy terror,

and practise on the base cowardice thou hast derived from thy tribe. I swear to thee by that which thou dost

=not= believe, by the gospel which our church teaches, and by the keys which are given her to bind and to

loose, that my purpose is deep and peremptory. This dungeon is no place for trifling. Prisoners ten thousand

times more distinguished than thou have died within these walls, and their fate hath never been known! But

He again made a signal for the slaves to approach, and spoke to them apart, in their own language; for he also

had been in Palestine, where perhaps, he had learnt his lesson of cruelty. The Saracens produced from their

baskets a quantity of charcoal, a pair of bellows, and a flask of oil. While the one struck a light with a flint

and steel, the other disposed the charcoal in the large rusty grate which we have already mentioned, and

``Seest thou, Isaac,'' said FrontdeBoeuf, ``the range of iron bars above the glowing charcoal?*

on that warm couch thou shalt lie, stripped of thy clothes as if thou wert to rest on a bed of down. One of

these slaves shall maintain the fire beneath thee, while the other shall anoint thy wretched limbs with oil, lest

the roast should burn.Now, choose betwixt such a scorching bed and the payment of a thousand pounds

``It is impossible,'' exclaimed the miserable Jew ``it is impossible that your purpose can be real! The

``Trust not to that, Isaac,'' said FrontdeBoeuf, ``it were a fatal error. Dost thou think that I, who have seen a

town sacked, in which thousands of my Christian countrymen perished by sword, by flood, and by fire, will

blench from my purpose for the outcries or screams of one single wretched Jew? or thinkest thou that

these swarthy slaves, who have neither law, country, nor conscience, but their master's willwho use the

poison, or the stake, or the poniard, or the cord, at his slightest wink thinkest thou that they will have

mercy, who do not even understand the language in which it is asked?Be wise, old man; discharge thyself

of a portion of thy superfluous wealth; repay to the hands of a Christian a part of what thou hast acquired by

the usury thou hast practised on those of his religion. Thy cunning may soon swell out once more thy

shrivelled purse, but neither leech nor medicine can restore thy scorched hide and flesh wert thou once

stretched on these bars. Tell down thy ransom, I say, and rejoice that at such rate thou canst redeem thee from

a dungeon, the secrets of which few have returned to tell. I waste no more words with theechoose

between thy dross and thy flesh and blood, and as thou choosest, so shall it be.''

``So may Abraham, Jacob, and all the fathers of our people assist me,'' said Isaac, ``I cannot make the choice,

``Seize him and strip him, slaves,'' said the knight, ``and let the fathers of his race assist him if they can.''

The assistants, taking their directions more from the Baron's eye and his hand than his tongue, once more

stepped forward, laid hands on the unfortunate Isaac, plucked him up from the ground, and, holding him

between them, waited the hardhearted Baron's farther signal. The unhappy Jew eyed their countenances and

that of FrontdeBoeuf, in hope of discovering some symptoms of relenting; but that of the Baron exhibited

the same cold, halfsullen, halfsarcastic smile which had been the prelude to his cruelty; and the savage

eyes of the Saracens, rolling gloomily under their dark brows, acquiring a yet more sinister expression by the

whiteness of the circle which surrounds the pupil, evinced rather the secret pleasure which they expected

from the approaching scene, than any reluctance to be its directors or agents. The Jew then looked at the

glowing furnace, over which he was presently to be stretched, and seeing no chance of his tormentor's

``I will pay,'' he said, ``the thousand pounds of silverThat is,'' he added, after a moment's pause, ``I will

pay it with the help of my brethren; for I must beg as a mendicant at the door of our synagogue ere I make up

``Here,'' replied FrontdeBoeuf, ``here it must be deliveredweighed it must beweighed and told

down on this very dungeon floor.Thinkest thou I will part with thee until thy ransom is secure?''

``And what is to be my surety,'' said the Jew, ``that I shall be at liberty after this ransom is paid?''

``The word of a Norman noble, thou pawnbroking slave,'' answered FrontdeBoeuf; ``the faith of a

Norman nobleman, more pure than the gold and silver of thee and all thy tribe.''

``I crave pardon, noble lord,'' said Isaac timidly, ``but wherefore should I rely wholly on the word of one who

``Because thou canst not help it, Jew,'' said the knight, sternly. ``Wert thou now in thy treasurechamber at

York, and were I craving a loan of thy shekels, it would be thine to dictate the time of payment, and the

pledge of security. This is my treasurechamber. Here I have thee at advantage, nor will I again deign to

The Jew groaned deeply.``Grant me,'' he said, ``at least with my own liberty, that of the companions with

whom I travel. They scorned me as a Jew, yet they pitied my desolation, and because they tarried to aid me

by the way, a share of my evil hath come upon them; moreover, they may contribute in some sort to my

``If thou meanest yonder Saxon churls,'' said FrontdeBoeuf, ``their ransom will depend upon other terms

than thine. Mind thine own concerns, Jew, I warn thee, and meddle not with those of others.''

``I am, then,'' said Isaac, ``only to be set at liberty, together with mine wounded friend?''

``Shall I twice recommend it,'' said FrontdeBoeuf, ``to a son of Israel, to meddle with his own concerns,

and leave those of others alone?Since thou hast made thy choice, it remains but that thou payest down thy

``Yet hear me,'' said the Jew``for the sake of that very wealth which thou wouldst obtain at the expense of

thy'' Here he stopt short, afraid of irritating the savage Norman. But FrontdeBoeuf only laughed,

and himself filled up the blank at which the Jew had hesitated. ``At the expense of my conscience, thou

wouldst say, Isaac; speak it outI tell thee, I am reasonable. I can bear the reproaches of a loser, even when

that loser is a Jew. Thou wert not so patient, Isaac, when thou didst invoke justice against Jacques

Fitzdotterel, for calling thee a usurious bloodsucker, when thy exactions had devoured his patrimony.''

``I swear by the Talmud,'' said the Jew, ``that your valour has been misled in that matter. Fitzdotterel drew his

poniard upon me in mine own chamber, because I craved him for mine own silver. The term of payment was

``I care not what he did,'' said FrontdeBoeuf; ``the question is, when shall I have mine own? when

``Let my daughter Rebecca go forth to York,'' answered Isaac, ``with your safe conduct, noble knight, and so

soon as man and horse can return, the treasure'' Here he groaned deeply, but added, after the pause of

``Thy daughter!'' said FrontdeBoeuf, as if surprised,``By heavens, Isaac, I would I had known of this. I

deemed that yonder blackbrowed girl had been thy concubine, and I gave her to be a handmaiden to Sir

Brian de BoisGuilbert, after the fashion of patriarchs and heroes of the days of old, who set us in these

The yell which Isaac raised at this unfeeling communication made the very vault to ring, and astounded the

two Saracens so much that they let go their hold of the Jew. He availed himself of his enlargement to throw

``Take all that you have asked,'' said he, ``Sir Knighttake ten times morereduce me to ruin and to

beggary, if thou wilt,nay, pierce me with thy poniard, broil me on that furnace, but spare my daughter,

deliver her in safety and honour! As thou art born of woman, spare the honour of a helpless

maidenShe is the image of my deceased Rachel, she is the last of six pledges of her love Will you

deprive a widowed husband of his sole remaining comfort?Will you reduce a father to wish that his only

``I would,'' said the Norman, somewhat relenting, ``that I had known of this before. I thought your race had

``Think not so vilely of us, Jews though we be,'' said Isaac, eager to improve the moment of apparent

sympathy; ``the hunted fox, the tortured wildcat loves its youngthe despised and persecuted race of

``Be it so,'' said FrontdeBoeuf; ``I will believe it in future, Isaac, for thy very sakebut it aids us not

now, I cannot help what has happened, or what is to follow; my word is passed to my comrade in arms, nor

would I break it for ten Jews and Jewesses to boot. Besides, why shouldst thou think evil is to come to the

``There will, there must!'' exclaimed Isaac, wringing his hands in agony; ``when did Templars breathe aught

``Dog of an infidel,'' said FrontdeBoeuf, with sparkling eyes, and not sorry, perhaps, to seize a pretext for

working himself into a passion, ``blaspheme not the Holy Order of the Temple of Zion, but take thought

instead to pay me the ransom thou hast promised, or woe betide thy Jewish throat!''

``Robber and villain!'' said the Jew, retorting the insults of his oppressor with passion, which, however

impotent, he now found it impossible to bridle, ``I will pay thee nothingnot one silver penny will I pay

``Art thou in thy senses, Israelite?'' said the Norman, sternly``has thy flesh and blood a charm against

``I care not!'' said the Jew, rendered desperate by paternal affection; ``do thy worst. My daughter is my flesh

and blood, dearer to me a thousand times than those limbs which thy cruelty threatens. No silver will I give

thee, unless I were to pour it molten down thy avaricious throatno, not a silver penny will I give thee,

Nazarene, were it to save thee from the deep damnation thy whole life has merited! Take my life if thou wilt,

``We shall see that,'' said FrontdeBoeuf; ``for by the blessed rood, which is the abomination of thy

accursed tribe, thou shalt feel the extremities of fire and steel!Strip him, slaves, and chain him down upon

In spite of the feeble struggles of the old man, the Saracens had already torn from him his upper garment, and

were proceeding totally to disrobe him, when the sound of a bugle, twice winded without the castle,

penetrated even to the recesses of the dungeon, and immediately after loud voices were heard calling for Sir

Reginald FrontdeBoeuf. Unwilling to be found engaged in his hellish occupation, the savage Baron gave

the slaves a signal to restore Isaac's garment, and, quitting the dungeon with his attendants, he left the Jew to

thank God for his own deliverance, or to lament over his daughter's captivity, and probable fate, as his

The apartment to which the Lady Rowena had been introduced was fitted up with some rude attempts at

ornament and magnificence, and her being placed there might be considered as a peculiar mark of respect not

offered to the other prisoners. But the wife of FrontdeBoeuf, for whom it had been originally furnished,

was long dead, and decay and neglect had impaired the few ornaments with which her taste had adorned it.

The tapestry hung down from the walls in many places, and in others was tarnished and faded under the

effects of the sun, or tattered and decayed by age. Desolate, however, as it was, this was the apartment of the

castle which had been judged most fitting for the accommodation of the Saxon heiress; and here she was left

to meditate upon her fate, until the actors in this nefarious drama had arranged the several parts which each of

them was to perform. This had been settled in a council held by FrontdeBoeuf, De Bracy, and the Templar,

in which, after a long and warm debate concerning the several advantages which each insisted upon deriving

from his peculiar share in this audacious enterprise, they had at length determined the fate of their unhappy

It was about the hour of noon, therefore, when De Bracy, for whose advantage the expedition had been first

planned, appeared to prosecute his views upon the hand and possessions of the Lady Rowena.

The interval had not entirely been bestowed in holding council with his confederates, for De Bracy had found

leisure to decorate his person with all the foppery of the times. His green cassock and vizard were now flung

aside. His long luxuriant hair was trained to flow in quaint tresses down his richly furred cloak. His beard was

closely shaved, his doublet reached to the middle of his leg, and the girdle which secured it, and at the same

time supported his ponderous sword, was embroidered and embossed with gold work. We have already

noticed the extravagant fashion of the shoes at this period, and the points of Maurice de Bracy's might have

challenged the prize of extravagance with the gayest, being turned up and twisted like the horns of a ram.

Such was the dress of a gallant of the period; and, in the present instance, that effect was aided by the

handsome person and good demeanour of the wearer, whose manners partook alike of the grace of a courtier,

He saluted Rowena by doffing his velvet bonnet, garnished with a golden broach, representing St Michael

trampling down the Prince of Evil. With this, he gently motioned the lady to a seat; and, as she still retained

her standing posture, the knight ungloved his right hand, and motioned to conduct her thither. But Rowena

declined, by her gesture, the proffered compliment, and replied, ``If I be in the presence of my jailor, Sir

Knightnor will circumstances allow me to think otherwiseit best becomes his prisoner to remain

``Alas! fair Rowena,'' returned De Bracy, ``you are in presence of your captive, not your jailor; and it is from

your fair eyes that De Bracy must receive that doom which you fondly expect from him.''

``I know you not, sir,'' said the lady, drawing herself up with all the pride of offended rank and beauty; ``I

know you notand the insolent familiarity with which you apply to me the jargon of a troubadour, forms

``To thyself, fair maid,'' answered De Bracy, in his former tone``to thine own charms be ascribed

whate'er I have done which passed the respect due to her, whom I have chosen queen of my heart, and

``I repeat to you, Sir Knight, that I know you not, and that no man wearing chain and spurs ought thus to

``That I am unknown to you,'' said De Bracy, ``is indeed my misfortune; yet let me hope that De Bracy's

name has not been always unspoken, when minstrels or heralds have praised deeds of chivalry, whether in the

``To heralds and to minstrels, then, leave thy praise, Sir Knight,'' replied Rowena, ``more suiting for their

mouths than for thine own; and tell me which of them shall record in song, or in book of tourney, the

memorable conquest of this night, a conquest obtained over an old man, followed by a few timid hinds; and

its booty, an unfortunate maiden, transported against her will to the castle of a robber?''

``You are unjust, Lady Rowena,'' said the knight, biting his lips in some confusion, and speaking in a tone

more natural to him than that of affected gallantry, which he had at first adopted; ``yourself free from

passion, you can allow no excuse for the frenzy of another, although caused by your own beauty.''

``I pray you, Sir Knight,'' said Rowena, ``to cease a language so commonly used by strolling minstrels, that it

becomes not the mouth of knights or nobles. Certes, you constrain me to sit down, since you enter upon such

commonplace terms, of which each vile crowder hath a stock that might last from hence to Christmas.''

``Proud damsel,'' said De Bracy, incensed at finding his gallant style procured him nothing but

contempt``proud damsel, thou shalt be as proudly encountered. Know then, that I have supported my

pretensions to your hand in the way that best suited thy character. It is meeter for thy humour to be wooed

``Courtesy of tongue,'' said Rowena, ``when it is used to veil churlishness of deed, is but a knight's girdle

around the breast of a base clown. I wonder not that the restraint appears to gall you more it were for

your honour to have retained the dress and language of an outlaw, than to veil the deeds of one under an

``You counsel well, lady,'' said the Norman; ``and in the bold language which best justifies bold action I tell

thee, thou shalt never leave this castle, or thou shalt leave it as Maurice de Bracy's wife. I am not wont to be

baffled in my enterprises, nor needs a Norman noble scrupulously to vindicate his conduct to the Saxon

maiden whom be distinguishes by the offer of his hand. Thou art proud, Rowena, and thou art the fitter to be

my wife. By what other means couldst thou be raised to high honour and to princely place, saving by my

alliance? How else wouldst thou escape from the mean precincts of a country grange, where Saxons herd

with the swine which form their wealth, to take thy seat, honoured as thou shouldst be, and shalt be, amid all

``Sir Knight,'' replied Rowena, ``the grange which you contemn hath been my shelter from infancy; and, trust

me, when I leave itshould that day ever arriveit shall be with one who has not learnt to despise the

``I guess your meaning, lady,'' said De Bracy, ``though you may think it lies too obscure for my

apprehension. But dream not, that Richard Coeur de Lion will ever resume his throne, far less that Wilfred of

Ivanhoe, his minion, will ever lead thee to his footstool, to be there welcomed as the bride of a favourite.

Another suitor might feel jealousy while he touched this string; but my firm purpose cannot be changed by a

passion so childish and so hopeless. Know, lady, that this rival is in my power, and that it rests but with me to

betray the secret of his being within the castle to FrontdeBoeuf, whose jealousy will be more fatal than

``Wilfred here?'' said Rowena, in disdain; ``that is as true as that FrontdeBoeuf is his rival.''

``Wert thou really ignorant of this?'' said he; ``didst thou not know that Wilfred of Ivanhoe travelled in the

litter of the Jew?a meet conveyance for the crusader, whose doughty arm was to reconquer the Holy

``And if he is here,'' said Rowena, compelling herself to a tone of indifference, though trembling with an

agony of apprehension which she could not suppress, ``in what is he the rival of FrontdeBoeuf? or what

has he to fear beyond a short imprisonment, and an honourable ransom, according to the use of chivalry?''

``Rowena,'' said De Bracy, ``art thou, too, deceived by the common error of thy sex, who think there can be

no rivalry but that respecting their own charms? Knowest thou not there is a jealousy of ambition and of

wealth, as well as of love; and that this our host, FrontdeBoeuf, will push from his road him who opposes

his claim to the fair barony of Ivanhoe, as readily, eagerly, and unscrupulously, as if he were preferred to him

by some blueeyed damsel? But smile on my suit, lady, and the wounded champion shall have nothing to

fear from FrontdeBoeuf, whom else thou mayst mourn for, as in the hands of one who has never shown

``Save him, for the love of Heaven!'' said Rowena, her firmness giving way under terror for her lover's

``I canI willit is my purpose,'' said De Bracy; `for, when Rowena consents to be the bride of De

Bracy, who is it shall dare to put forth a violent hand upon her kinsmanthe son of her guardianthe

companion of her youth? But it is thy love must buy his protection. I am not romantic fool enough to further

the fortune, or avert the fate, of one who is likely to be a successful obstacle between me and my wishes. Use

thine influence with me in his behalf, and he is safe,refuse to employ it, Wilfred dies, and thou thyself art

``Thy language,'' answered Rowena, ``hath in its indifferent bluntness something which cannot be reconciled

with the horrors it seems to express. I believe not that thy purpose is so wicked, or thy power so great.''

``Flatter thyself, then, with that belief,'' said De Bracy, ``until time shall prove it false. Thy lover lies

wounded in this castlethy preferred lover. He is a bar betwixt FrontdeBoeuf and that which

FrontdeBoeuf loves better than either ambition or beauty. What will it cost beyond the blow of a poniard,

or the thrust of a javelin, to silence his opposition for ever? Nay, were FrontdeBoeuf afraid to justify a

deed so open, let the leech but give his patient a wrong draughtlet the chamberlain, or the nurse who

tends him, but pluck the pillow from his head, and Wilfred in his present condition, is sped without the

``And Cedric also,'' said Rowena, repeating his words; ``my noblemy generous guardian! I deserved the

``Cedric's fate also depends upon thy determination,'' said De Bracy; ``and I leave thee to form it.''

Hitherto, Rowena had sustained her part in this trying scene with undismayed courage, but it was because she

had not considered the danger as serious and imminent. Her disposition was naturally that which

physiognomists consider as proper to fair complexions, mild, timid, and gentle; but it had been tempered,

and, as it were, hardened, by the circumstances of her education. Accustomed to see the will of all, even of

Cedric himself, (sufficiently arbitrary with others,) give way before her wishes, she had acquired that sort of

courage and selfconfidence which arises from the habitual and constant deference of the circle in which we

move. She could scarce conceive the possibility of her will being opposed, far less that of its being treated

Her haughtiness and habit of domination was, therefore, a fictitious character, induced over that which was

natural to her, and it deserted her when her eyes were opened to the extent of her own danger, as well as that

of her lover and her guardian; and when she found her will, the slightest expression of which was wont to

command respect and attention, now placed in opposition to that of a man of a strong, fierce, and determined

mind, who possessed the advantage over her, and was resolved to use it, she quailed before him.

After casting her eyes around, as if to look for the aid which was nowhere to be found, and after a few broken

interjections, she raised her hands to heaven, and burst into a passion of uncontrolled vexation and sorrow. It

was impossible to see so beautiful a creature in such extremity without feeling for her, and De Bracy was not

unmoved, though he was yet more embarrassed than touched. He had, in truth, gone too far to recede; and

yet, in Rowena's present condition, she could not be acted on either by argument or threats. He paced the

apartment to and fro, now vainly exhorting the terrified maiden to compose herself, now hesitating

If, thought he, I should be moved by the tears and sorrow of this disconsolate damsel, what should I reap but

the loss of these fair hopes for which I have encountered so much risk, and the ridicule of Prince John and his

jovial comrades? ``And yet,'' he said to himself, ``I feel myself ill framed for the part which I am playing. I

cannot look on so fair a face while it is disturbed with agony, or on those eyes when they are drowned in

tears. I would she had retained her original haughtiness of disposition, or that I had a larger share of

Agitated by these thoughts, he could only bid the unfortunate Rowena be comforted, and assure her, that as

yet she had no reason for the excess of despair to which she was now giving way. But in this task of

consolation De Bracy was interrupted by the horn, ``hoarsewinded blowing far and keen,'' which had at the

same time alarmed the other inmates of the castle, and interrupted their several plans of avarice and of

license. Of them all, perhaps, De Bracy least regretted the interruption; for his conference with the Lady

Rowena had arrived at a point, where he found it equally difficult to prosecute or to resign his enterprise.

And here we cannot but think it necessary to offer some better proof than the incidents of an idle tale, to

vindicate the melancholy representation of manners which has been just laid before the reader. It is grievous

to think that those valiant barons, to whose stand against the crown the liberties of England were indebted for

their existence, should themselves have been such dreadful oppressors, and capable of excesses contrary not

only to the laws of England, but to those of nature and humanity. But, alas! we have only to extract from the

industrious Henry one of those numerous passages which he has collected from contemporary historians, to

prove that fiction itself can hardly reach the dark reality of the horrors of the period.

The description given by the author of the Saxon Chronicle of the cruelties exercised in the reign of King

Stephen by the great barons and lords of castles, who were all Normans, affords a strong proof of the

excesses of which they were capable when their passions were inflamed. ``They grievously oppressed the

poor people by building castles; and when they were built, they filled them with wicked men, or rather devils,

who seized both men and women who they imagined had any money, threw them into prison, and put them to

more cruel tortures than the martyrs ever endured. They suffocated some in mud, and suspended others by the

feet, or the head, or the thumbs, kindling fires below them. They squeezed the heads of some with knotted

cords till they pierced their brains, while they threw others into dungeons swarming with serpents, snakes,

and toads.'' But it would be cruel to put the reader to the pain of perusing the remainder of this description.*

As another instance of these bitter fruits of conquest, and perhaps the strongest that can be quoted, we may

mention, that the Princess Matilda, though a daughter of the King of Scotland, and afterwards both Queen of

England, niece to Edgar Atheling, and mother to the Empress of Germany, the daughter, the wife, and the

mother of monarchs, was obliged, during her early residence for education in England, to assume the veil of a

nun, as the only means of escaping the licentious pursuit of the Norman nobles. This excuse she stated before

a great council of the clergy of England, as the sole reason for her having taken the religious habit. The

assembled clergy admitted the validity of the plea, and the notoriety of the circumstances upon which it was

founded; giving thus an indubitable and most remarkable testimony to the existence of that disgraceful

license by which that age was stained. It was a matter of public knowledge, they said, that after the conquest

of King William, his Norman followers, elated by so great a victory, acknowledged no law but their own

wicked pleasure, and not only despoiled the conquered Saxons of their lands and their goods, but invaded the

honour of their wives and of their daughters with the most unbridled license; and hence it was then common

for matrons and maidens of noble families to assume the veil, and take shelter in convents, not as called

thither by the vocation of God, but solely to preserve their honour from the unbridled wickedness of man.

Such and so licentious were the times, as announced by the public declaration of the assembled clergy,

recorded by Eadmer; and we need add nothing more to vindicate the probability of the scenes which we have

detailed, and are about to detail, upon the more apocryphal authority of the Wardour MS.

While the scenes we have described were passing in other parts of the castle, the Jewess Rebecca awaited her

fate in a distant and sequestered turret. Hither she had been led by two of her disguised ravishers, and on

being thrust into the little cell, she found herself in the presence of an old sibyl, who kept murmuring to

herself a Saxon rhyme, as if to beat time to the revolving dance which her spindle was performing upon the

floor. The hag raised her head as Rebecca entered, and scowled at the fair Jewess with the malignant envy

with which old age and ugliness, when united with evil conditions, are apt to look upon youth and beauty.

``Thou must up and away, old housecricket,'' said one of the men; ``our noble master commands itThou

``Ay,'' grumbled the hag, ``even thus is service requited. I have known when my bare word would have cast

the best manatarms among ye out of saddle and out of service; and now must I up and away at the

``Good Dame Urfried,'' said the other man, ``stand not to reason on it, but up and away. Lords' hests must be

listened to with a quick ear. Thou hast had thy day, old dame, but thy sun has long been set. Thou art now the

very emblem of an old warhorse turned out on the barren heath thou hast had thy paces in thy time, but

``Ill omens dog ye both!'' said the old woman; ``and a kennel be your buryingplace! May the evil demon

Zernebock tear me limb from limb, if I leave my own cell ere I have spun out the hemp on my distaff!''

``Answer it to our lord, then, old housefiend,'' said the man, and retired; leaving Rebecca in company with the

``What devil's deed have they now in the wind?'' said the old hag, murmuring to herself, yet from time to time

casting a sidelong and malignant glance at Rebecca; ``but it is easy to guess Bright eyes, black locks, and

a skin like paper, ere the priest stains it with his black unguentAy, it is easy to guess why they send her to

this lone turret, whence a shriek could no more be heard than at the depth of five hundred fathoms beneath

the earth.Thou wilt have owls for thy neighbours, fair one; and their screams will be heard as far, and as

much regarded, as thine own. Outlandish, too,'' she said, marking the dress and turban of Rebecca``What

country art thou of?a Saracen? or an Egyptian?Why dost not answer? thou canst weep, canst

``Thou needst say no more,'' replied Urfried ``men know a fox by the train, and a Jewess by her tongue.''

``For the sake of mercy,'' said Rebecca, ``tell me what I am to expect as the conclusion of the violence which

hath dragged me hither! Is it my life they seek, to atone for my religion? I will lay it down cheerfully.''

``Thy life, minion?'' answered the sibyl; ``what would taking thy life pleasure them?Trust me, thy life is

in no peril. Such usage shalt thou have as was once thought good enough for a noble Saxon maiden. And

shall a Jewess, like thee, repine because she hath no better? Look at meI was as young and twice as fair

as thou, when FrontdeBoeuf, father of this Reginald, and his Normans, stormed this castle. My father and

his seven sons defended their inheritance from story to story, from chamber to chamberThere was not a

room, not a step of the stair, that was not slippery with their blood. They diedthey died every man; and

ere their bodies were cold, and ere their blood was dried, I had become the prey and the scorn of the

``Is there no help?Are there no means of escape?'' said Rebecca``Richly, richly would I requite thine

``Think not of it,'' said the hag; ``from hence there is no escape but through the gates of death; and it is late,

late,'' she added, shaking her grey head, ``ere these open to usYet it is comfort to think that we leave

behind us on earth those who shall be wretched as ourselves. Fare thee well, Jewess!Jew or Gentile, thy

fate would be the same; for thou hast to do with them that have neither scruple nor pity. Fare thee well, I say.

``Stay! stay! for Heaven's sake!'' said Rebecca; ``stay, though it be to curse and to revile me thy presence

``The presence of the mother of God were no protection,'' answered the old woman. ``There she stands,''

pointing to a rude image of the Virgin Mary, ``see if she can avert the fate that awaits thee.''

She left the room as she spoke, her features writhed into a sort of sneering laugh, which made them seem

even more hideous than their habitual frown. She locked the door behind her, and Rebecca might hear her

curse every step for its steepness, as slowly and with difficulty she descended the turretstair.

Rebecca was now to expect a fate even more dreadful than that of Rowena; for what probability was there

that either softness or ceremony would be used towards one of her oppressed race, whatever shadow of these

might be preserved towards a Saxon heiress? Yet had the Jewess this advantage, that she was better prepared

by habits of thought, and by natural strength of mind, to encounter the dangers to which she was exposed. Of

a strong and observing character, even from her earliest years, the pomp and wealth which her father

displayed within his walls, or which she witnessed in the houses of other wealthy Hebrews, had not been able

to blind her to the precarious circumstances under which they were enjoyed. Like Damocles at his celebrated

banquet, Rebecca perpetually beheld, amid that gorgeous display, the sword which was suspended over the

heads of her people by a single hair. These reflections had tamed and brought down to a pitch of sounder

judgment a temper, which, under other circumstances, might have waxed haughty, supercilious, and

From her father's example and injunctions, Rebecca had learnt to bear herself courteously towards all who

approached her. She could not indeed imitate his excess of subservience, because she was a stranger to the

meanness of mind, and to the constant state of timid apprehension, by which it was dictated; but she bore

herself with a proud humility, as if submitting to the evil circumstances in which she was placed as the

daughter of a despised race, while she felt in her mind the consciousness that she was entitled to hold a higher

rank from her merit, than the arbitrary despotism of religious prejudice permitted her to aspire to.

Thus prepared to expect adverse circumstances, she had acquired the firmness necessary for acting under

them. Her present situation required all her presence of mind, and she summoned it up accordingly.

Her first care was to inspect the apartment; but it afforded few hopes either of escape or protection. It

contained neither secret passage nor trapdoor, and unless where the door by which she had entered joined

the main building, seemed to be circumscribed by the round exterior wall of the turret. The door had no inside

bolt or bar. The single window opened upon an embattled space surmounting the turret, which gave Rebecca,

at first sight, some hopes of escaping; but she soon found it had no communication with any other part of the

battlements, being an isolated bartisan, or balcony, secured, as usual, by a parapet, with embrasures, at which

a few archers might be stationed for defending the turret, and flanking with their shot the wall of the castle on

There was therefore no hope but in passive fortitude, and in that strong reliance on Heaven natural to great

and generous characters. Rebecca, however erroneously taught to interpret the promises of Scripture to the

chosen people of Heaven, did not err in supposing the present to be their hour of trial, or in trusting that the

children of Zion would be one day called in with the fulness of the Gentiles. In the meanwhile, all around her

showed that their present state was that of punishment and probation, and that it was their especial duty to

suffer without sinning. Thus prepared to consider herself as the victim of misfortune, Rebecca had early

reflected upon her own state, and schooled her mind to meet the dangers which she had probably to

The prisoner trembled, however, and changed colour, when a step was heard on the stair, and the door of the

turretchamber slowly opened, and a tall man, dressed as one of those banditti to whom they owed their

misfortune, slowly entered, and shut the door behind him; his cap, pulled down upon his brows, concealed

the upper part of his face, and he held his mantle in such a manner as to muffle the rest. In this guise, as if

prepared for the execution of some deed, at the thought of which he was himself ashamed, he stood before the

affrighted prisoner; yet, ruffian as his dress bespoke him, he seemed at a loss to express what purpose had

brought him thither, so that Rebecca, making an effort upon herself, had time to anticipate his explanation.

She had already unclasped two costly bracelets and a collar, which she hastened to proffer to the supposed

outlaw, concluding naturally that to gratify his avarice was to bespeak his favour.

``Take these,'' she said, ``good friend, and for God's sake be merciful to me and my aged father! These

ornaments are of value, yet are they trifling to what he would bestow to obtain our dismissal from this castle,

``Fair flower of Palestine,'' replied the outlaw, ``these pearls are orient, but they yield in whiteness to your

teeth; the diamonds are brilliant, but they cannot match your eyes; and ever since I have taken up this wild

``Do not do yourself such wrong,'' said Rebecca; ``take ransom, and have mercy!Gold will purchase you

pleasure,to misuse us, could only bring thee remorse. My father will willingly satiate thy utmost wishes;

and if thou wilt act wisely, thou mayst purchase with our spoils thy restoration to civil societymayst

obtain pardon for past errors, and be placed beyond the necessity of committing more.''

``It is well spoken,'' replied the outlaw in French, finding it difficult probably to sustain, in Saxon, a

conversation which Rebecca had opened in that language; ``but know, bright lily of the vale of Baca! that thy

father is already in the hands of a powerful alchemist, who knows how to convert into gold and silver even

the rusty bars of a dungeon grate. The venerable Isaac is subjected to an alembic, which will distil from him

all he holds dear, without any assistance from my requests or thy entreaty. The ransom must be paid by love

``Thou art no outlaw,'' said Rebecca, in the same language in which he addressed her; ``no outlaw had refused

such offers. No outlaw in this land uses the dialect in which thou hast spoken. Thou art no outlaw, but a

Normana Norman, noble perhaps in birthO, be so in thy actions, and cast off this fearful mask of

``And thou, who canst guess so truly,'' said Brian de BoisGuilbert, dropping the mantle from his face, ``art

no true daughter of Israel, but in all, save youth and beauty, a very witch of Endor. I am not an outlaw, then,

fair rose of Sharon. And I am one who will be more prompt to hang thy neck and arms with pearls and

``What wouldst thou have of me,'' said Rebecca, ``if not my wealth?We can have nought in common

between usyou are a ChristianI am a Jewess.Our union were contrary to the laws, alike of the

``It were so, indeed,'' replied the Templar, laughing; ``wed with a Jewess? Despardieux!Not if she were

the Queen of Sheba! And know, besides, sweet daughter of Zion, that were the most Christian king to offer

me his most Christian daughter, with Languedoc for a dowery, I could not wed her. It is against my vow to

love any maiden, otherwise than par amours, as I will love thee. I am a Templar. Behold the cross of my Holy

``Darest thou appeal to it,'' said Rebecca, ``on an occasion like the present?''

``And if I do so,'' said the Templar, ``it concerns not thee, who art no believer in the blessed sign of our

``I believe as my fathers taught,'' said Rebecca; ``and may God forgive my belief if erroneous! But you, Sir

Knight, what is yours, when you appeal without scruple to that which you deem most holy, even while you

are about to transgress the most solemn of your vows as a knight, and as a man of religion?''

``It is gravely and well preached, O daughter of Sirach!'' answered the Templar; ``but, gentle Ecclesiastics,

thy narrow Jewish prejudices make thee blind to our high privilege. Marriage were an enduring crime on the

part of a Templar; but what lesser folly I may practise, I shall speedily be absolved from at the next

Perceptory of our Order. Not the wisest of monarchs, not his father, whose examples you must needs allow

are weighty, claimed wider privileges than we poor soldiers of the Temple of Zion have won by our zeal in its

defence. The protectors of Solomon's Temple may claim license by the example of Solomon.''

``If thou readest the Scripture,'' said the Jewess, ``and the lives of the saints, only to justify thine own license

and profligacy, thy crime is like that of him who extracts poison from the most healthful and necessary

The eyes of the Templar flashed fire at this reproof ``Hearken,'' he said, ``Rebecca; I have hitherto

spoken mildly to thee, but now my language shall be that of a conqueror. Thou art the captive of my bow and

spearsubject to my will by the laws of all nations; nor will I abate an inch of my right, or abstain from

``Stand back,'' said Rebecca``stand back, and hear me ere thou offerest to commit a sin so deadly! My

strength thou mayst indeed overpower for God made women weak, and trusted their defence to man's

generosity. But I will proclaim thy villainy, Templar, from one end of Europe to the other. I will owe to the

superstition of thy brethren what their compassion might refuse me, Each Preceptoryeach Chapter of thy

Order, shall learn, that, like a heretic, thou hast sinned with a Jewess. Those who tremble not at thy crime,

will hold thee accursed for having so far dishonoured the cross thou wearest, as to follow a daughter of my

``Thou art keenwitted, Jewess,'' replied the Templar, well aware of the truth of what she spoke, and that the

rules of his Order condemned in the most positive manner, and under high penalties, such intrigues as he now

prosecuted, and that, in some instances, even degradation had followed upon it``thou art sharpwitted,''

he said; ``but loud must be thy voice of complaint, if it is heard beyond the iron walls of this castle; within

these, murmurs, laments, appeals to justice, and screams for help, die alike silent away. One thing only can

save thee, Rebecca. Submit to thy fateembrace our religion, and thou shalt go forth in such state, that

many a Norman lady shall yield as well in pomp as in beauty to the favourite of the best lance among the

defenders of the Temple.'' ``Submit to my fate!'' said Rebecca``and, sacred Heaven! to what

fate?embrace thy religion! and what religion can it be that harbours such a villain?thou the best lance

of the Templars! Craven knight!forsworn priest! I spit at thee, and I defy thee.The God of

Abraham's promise hath opened an escape to his daughter even from this abyss of infamy!''

As she spoke, she threw open the latticed window which led to the bartisan, and in an instant after, stood on

the very verge of the parapet, with not the slightest screen between her and the tremendous depth below.

Unprepared for such a desperate effort, for she had hitherto stood perfectly motionless, BoisGuilbert had

neither time to intercept nor to stop her. As he offered to advance, she exclaimed, ``Remain where thou art,

proud Templar, or at thy choice advance!one foot nearer, and I plunge myself from the precipice; my

body shall be crushed out of the very form of humanity upon the stones of that courtyard, ere it become the

As she spoke this, she clasped her hands and extended them towards heaven, as if imploring mercy on her

soul before she made the final plunge. The Templar hesitated, and a resolution which had never yielded to

pity or distress, gave way to his admiration of her fortitude. ``Come down,'' he said, ``rash girl!I swear by

``I will not trust thee, Templar,'' said Rebecca; thou hast taught me better how to estimate the virtues of thine

Order. The next Preceptory would grant thee absolution for an oath, the keeping of which concerned nought

``You do me injustice,'' exclaimed the Templar fervently; ``I swear to you by the name which I bearby

the cross on my bosomby the sword on my sideby the ancient crest of my fathers do I swear, I will

do thee no injury whatsoever! If not for thyself, yet for thy father's sake forbear! I will be his friend, and in

``May my arms be reversed, and my name dishonoured,'' said Brian de BoisGuilbert, ``if thou shalt have

reason to complain of me! Many a law, many a commandment have I broken, but my word never.''

``I will then trust thee,'' said Rebecca, ``thus far;'' and she descended from the verge of the battlement, but

remained standing close by one of the embrasures, or machicolles, as they were then called. ``Here,'' she

said, ``I take my stand. Remain where thou art, and if thou shalt attempt to diminish by one step the distance

now between us, thou shalt see that the Jewish maiden will rather trust her soul with God, than her honour to

While Rebecca spoke thus, her high and firm resolve, which corresponded so well with the expressive beauty

of her countenance, gave to her looks, air, and manner, a dignity that seemed more than mortal. Her glance

quailed not, her cheek blanched not, for the fear of a fate so instant and so horrible; on the contrary, the

thought that she had her fate at her command, and could escape at will from infamy to death, gave a yet

deeper colour of carnation to her complexion, and a yet more brilliant fire to her eye. BoisGuilbert, proud

himself and highspirited, thought he had never beheld beauty so animated and so commanding.

``I fear thee not,'' replied she; ``thanks to him that reared this dizzy tower so high, that nought could fall from

``Thou dost me injustice,'' said the Templar; ``by earth, sea, and sky, thou dost me injustice! I am not

naturally that which you have seen me, hard, selfish, and relentless. It was woman that taught me cruelty, and

on woman therefore I have exercised it; but not upon such as thou. Hear me, RebeccaNever did knight

take lance in his hand with a heart more devoted to the lady of his love than Brian de BoisGuilbert. She, the

daughter of a petty baron, who boasted for all his domains but a ruinous tower, and an unproductive vineyard,

and some few leagues of the barren Landes of Bourdeaux, her name was known wherever deeds of arms were

done, known wider than that of many a lady's that had a county for a dowery.Yes,'' he continued, pacing

up and down the little platform, with an animation in which he seemed to lose all consciousness of Rebecca's

presence``Yes, my deeds, my danger, my blood, made the name of Adelaide de Montemare known from

the court of Castile to that of Byzantium. And how was I requited? When I returned with my

dearbought honours, purchased by toil and blood, I found her wedded to a Gascon squire, whose name was

never heard beyond the limits of his own paltry domain! Truly did I love her, and bitterly did I revenge me of

her broken faith! But my vengeance has recoiled on myself. Since that day I have separated myself from life

and its tiesMy manhood must know no domestic homemust be soothed by no affectionate

wifeMy age must know no kindly hearth My grave must be solitary, and no offspring must outlive

me, to bear the ancient name of BoisGuilbert. At the feet of my Superior I have laid down the right of

selfactionthe privilege of independence. The Templar, a serf in all but the name, can possess neither

lands nor goods, and lives, moves, and breathes, but at the will and pleasure of another.''

``Alas!'' said Rebecca, ``what advantages could compensate for such an absolute sacrifice?''

``The power of vengeance, Rebecca,'' replied the Templar, ``and the prospects of ambition.''

``An evil recompense,'' said Rebecca, ``for the surrender of the rights which are dearest to humanity.''

``Say not so, maiden,'' answered the Templar; ``revenge is a feast for the gods! And if they have reserved it,

as priests tell us, to themselves, it is because they hold it an enjoyment too precious for the possession of

mere mortals.And ambition? it is a temptation which could disturb even the bliss of heaven itself.''He

paused a moment, and then added, ``Rebecca! she who could prefer death to dishonour, must have a proud

and a powerful soul. Mine thou must be!Nay, start not,'' he added, ``it must be with thine own consent,

and on thine own terms. Thou must consent to share with me hopes more extended than can be viewed from

the throne of a monarch!Hear me ere you answer and judge ere you refuse.The Templar loses, as

thou hast said, his social rights, his power of free agency, but he becomes a member and a limb of a mighty

body, before which thrones already tremble,even as the single drop of rain which mixes with the sea

becomes an individual part of that resistless ocean, which undermines rocks and ingulfs royal armadas. Such

a swelling flood is that powerful league. Of this mighty Order I am no mean member, but already one of the

Chief Commanders, and may well aspire one day to hold the batoon of Grand Master. The poor soldiers of

the Temple will not alone place their foot upon the necks of kingsa hempsandall'd monk can do that.

Our mailed step shall ascend their throneour gauntlet shall wrench the sceptre from their gripe. Not the

reign of your vainlyexpected Messiah offers such power to your dispersed tribes as my ambition may aim

at. I have sought but a kindred spirit to share it, and I have found such in thee.''

``Answer me not,'' said the Templar, ``by urging the difference of our creeds; within our secret conclaves we

hold these nursery tales in derision. Think not we long remained blind to the idiotical folly of our founders,

who forswore every delight of life for the pleasure of dying martyrs by hunger, by thirst, and by pestilence,

and by the swords of savages, while they vainly strove to defend a barren desert, valuable only in the eyes of

superstition. Our Order soon adopted bolder and wider views, and found out a better indemnification for our

sacrifices. Our immense possessions in every kingdom of Europe, our high military fame, which brings

within our circle the flower of chivalry from every Christian climethese are dedicated to ends of which

our pious founders little dreamed, and which are equally concealed from such weak spirits as embrace our

Order on the ancient principles, and whose superstition makes them our passive tools. But I will not further

withdraw the veil of our mysteries. That buglesound announces something which may require my presence.

Think on what I have said.Farewell!I do not say forgive me the violence I have threatened, for it was

necessary to the display of thy character. Gold can be only known by the application of the touchstone. I will

He reentered the turretchamber, and descended the stair, leaving Rebecca scarcely more terrified at the

prospect of the death to which she had been so lately exposed, than at the furious ambition of the bold bad

man in whose power she found herself so unhappily placed. When she entered the turretchamber, her first

duty was to return thanks to the God of Jacob for the protection which he had afforded her, and to implore its

continuance for her and for her father. Another name glided into her petitionit was that of the wounded

Christian, whom fate had placed in the hands of bloodthirsty men, his avowed enemies. Her heart indeed

checked her, as if, even in communing with the Deity in prayer, she mingled in her devotions the recollection

of one with whose fate hers could have no alliancea Nazarene, and an enemy to her faith. But the petition

was already breathed, nor could all the narrow prejudices of her sect induce Rebecca to wish it recalled.

When the Templar reached the hall of the castle, he found De Bracy already there. ``Your lovesuit,'' said De

Bracy, ``hath, I suppose, been disturbed, like mine, by this obstreperous summons. But you have come later

and more reluctantly, and therefore I presume your interview has proved more agreeable than mine.''

``Has your suit, then, been unsuccessfully paid to the Saxon heiress?'' said the Templar.

``By the bones of Thomas a Becket,'' answered De Bracy, ``the Lady Rowena must have heard that I cannot

``Away!'' said the Templar; ``thou a leader of a Free Company, and regard a woman's tears! A few drops

``Gramercy for the few drops of thy sprinkling,'' replied De Bracy; ``but this damsel hath wept enough to

extinguish a beaconlight. Never was such wringing of hands and such overflowing of eyes, since the days of

* I wish the Prior had also informed them when Niobe was * sainted. Probably during that enlightened period

fair Saxon.'' ``A legion of fiends have occupied the bosom of the Jewess,'' replied the Templar; ``for, I think

no single one, not even Apollyon himself, could have inspired such indomitable pride and resolution. But

``He is negotiating with the Jew, I suppose,'' replied De Bracy, coolly; ``probably the howls of Isaac have

drowned the blast of the bugle. Thou mayst know, by experience, Sir Brian, that a Jew parting with his

treasures on such terms as our friend FrontdeBoeuf is like to offer, will raise a clamour loud enough to be

heard over twenty horns and trumpets to boot. But we will make the vassals call him.''

They were soon after joined by FrontdeBoeuf, who had been disturbed in his tyrannic cruelty in the

manner with which the reader is acquainted, and had only tarried to give some necessary directions.

``Let us see the cause of this cursed clamour,'' said FrontdeBoeuf``here is a letter, and, if I mistake not,

He looked at it, turning it round and round as if he had had really some hopes of coming at the meaning by

``It may be magic spells for aught I know,'' said De Bracy, who possessed his full proportion of the ignorance

which characterised the chivalry of the period. ``Our chaplain attempted to teach me to write,'' he said, ``but

all my letters were formed like spearheads and swordblades, and so the old shaveling gave up the task.''

``Give it me,'' said the Templar. ``We have that of the priestly character, that we have some knowledge to

``Let us profit by your most reverend knowledge, then,'' said De Bracy; ``what says the scroll?''

``It is a formal letter of defiance,'' answered the Templar; ``but, by our Lady of Bethlehem, if it be not a

foolish jest, it is the most extraordinary cartel that ever was sent across the drawbridge of a baronial castle.''

``Jest!'' said FrontdeBoeuf, ``I would gladly know who dares jest with me in such a matter! Read it, Sir

``I, Wamba, the son of Witless, Jester to a noble and freeborn man, Cedric of Rotherwood, called the

``By St Luke, it is so set down,'' answered the Templar. Then resuming his task, he went on, ``I, Gurth,

the son of Beowulph, swineherd unto the said Cedric, with the assistance of our allies and confederates, who

make common cause with us in this our feud, namely, the good knight, called for the present Le Noir

Faineant, and the stout yeoman, Robert Locksley, called Cleavethewand, Do you, Reginald Front

deBoeuf, and your allies and accomplices whomsoever, to wit, that whereas you have, without cause given

or feud declared, wrongfully and by mastery seized upon the person of our lord and master the said Cedric;

also upon the person of a noble and freeborn damsel, the Lady Rowena of Hargottstandstede; also upon the

person of a noble and freeborn man, Athelstane of Coningsburgh; also upon the persons of certain freeborn

men, their cnichts; also upon certain serfs, their born bondsmen; also upon a certain Jew, named Isaac of

York, together with his daughter, a Jewess, and certain horses and mules: Which noble persons, with their

cnichts and slaves, and also with the horses and mules, Jew and Jewess beforesaid, were all in peace with his

majesty, and travelling as liege subjects upon the king's highway; therefore we require and demand that the

said noble persons, namely, Cedric of Rotherwood, Rowena of Hargottstandstede, Athelstane of

Coningsburgh, with their servants, cnichts, and followers, also the horses and mules, Jew and Jewess

aforesaid, together with all goods and chattels to them pertaining, be, within an hour after the delivery hereof,

delivered to us, or to those whom we shall appoint to receive the same, and that untouched and unharmed in

body and goods. Failing of which, we do pronounce to you, that we hold ye as robbers and traitors, and will

wager our bodies against ye in battle, siege, or otherwise, and do our utmost to your annoyance and

destruction. Wherefore may God have you in his keeping.Signed by us upon the eve of St Withold's day,

under the great trysting oak in the Harthill Walk, the above being written by a holy man, Clerk to God, our

At the bottom of this document was scrawled, in the first place, a rude sketch of a cock's head and comb, with

a legend expressing this hieroglyphic to be the signmanual of Wamba, son of Witless. Under this

respectable emblem stood a cross, stated to be the mark of Gurth, the son of Beowulph. Then was written, in

rough bold characters, the words, Le Noir Faineant. And, to conclude the whole, an arrow, neatly enough

The knights heard this uncommon document read from end to end, and then gazed upon each other in silent

amazement, as being utterly at a loss to know what it could portend. De Bracy was the first to break silence

by an uncontrollable fit of laughter, wherein he was joined, though with more moderation, by the Templar.

``I give you plain warning,'' he said, ``fair sirs, that you had better consult how to bear yourselves under these

``FrontdeBoeuf has not recovered his temper since his late overthrow,'' said De Bracy to the Templar; ``he

is cowed at the very idea of a cartel, though it come but from a fool and a swineherd.''

``By St Michael,'' answered FrontdeBoeuf, ``I would thou couldst stand the whole brunt of this adventure

thyself, De Bracy. These fellows dared not have acted with such inconceivable impudence, had they not been

supported by some strong bands. There are enough of outlaws in this forest to resent my protecting the deer. I

did but tie one fellow, who was taken redhanded and in the fact, to the horns of a wild stag, which gored him

to death in five minutes, and I had as many arrows shot at me as there were launched against yonder target at

Ashby.Here, fellow,'' he added, to one of his attendants, ``hast thou sent out to see by what force this

``There are at least two hundred men assembled in the woods,'' answered a squire who was in attendance.

``Here is a proper matter!'' said FrontdeBoeuf, ``this comes of lending you the use of my castle, that cannot

manage your undertaking quietly, but you must bring this nest of hornets about my ears!''

``Of hornets?'' said De Bracy; ``of stingless drones rather; a band of lazy knaves, who take to the wood, and

``Stingless!'' replied FrontdeBoeuf; ``forkheaded shafts of a clothyard in length, and these shot within

``For shame, Sir Knight!'' said the Templar. ``Let us summon our people, and sally forth upon them. One

``Enough, and too much,'' said De Bracy; ``I should only be ashamed to couch lance against them.''

``True,'' answered FrontdeBoeuf; ``were they black Turks or Moors, Sir Templar, or the craven peasants of

France, most valiant De Bracy; but these are English yeomen, over whom we shall have no advantage, save

what we may derive from our arms and horses, which will avail us little in the glades of the forest. Sally,

saidst thou? we have scarce men enough to defend the castle. The best of mine are at York; so is all your

band, De Bracy; and we have scarcely twenty, besides the handful that were engaged in this mad business.''

``Thou dost not fear,'' said the Templar, ``that they can assemble in force sufficient to attempt the castle?''

``Not so, Sir Brian,'' answered FrontdeBoeuf. ``These outlaws have indeed a daring captain; but without

``Send to thy neighbours,'' said the Templar, ``let them assemble their people, and come to the rescue of three

knights, besieged by a jester and a swineherd in the baronial castle of Reginald FrontdeBoeuf!''

``You jest, Sir Knight,'' answered the baron; ``but to whom should I send?Malvoisin is by this time at

York with his retainers, and so are my other allies; and so should I have been, but for this infernal enterprise.''

``Then send to York, and recall our people,'' said De Bracy. ``If they abide the shaking of my standard, or the

sight of my Free Companions, I will give them credit for the boldest outlaws ever bent bow in greenwood.''

``And who shall bear such a message?'' said FrontdeBoeuf; ``they will beset every path, and rip the errand

out of his bosom.I have it,'' he added, after pausing for a moment``Sir Templar, thou canst write as

well as read, and if we can but find the writing materials of my chaplain, who died a twelvemonth since in the

``So please ye,'' said the squire, who was still in attendance, ``I think old Urfried has them somewhere in

keeping, for love of the confessor. He was the last man, I have heard her tell, who ever said aught to her,

``Go, search them out, Engelred,'' said FrontdeBoeuf; ``and then, Sir Templar, thou shalt return an answer

``I would rather do it at the sword's point than at that of the pen,'' said BoisGuilbert; ``but be it as you will.''

He sat down accordingly, and indited, in the French language, an epistle of the following tenor:

``Sir Reginald FrontdeBoeuf, with his noble and knightly allies and confederates, receive no defiances at

the bands of slaves, bondsmen, or fugitives. If the person calling himself the Black Knight have indeed a

claim to the honours of chivalry, he ought to know that he stands degraded by his present association, and has

no right to ask reckoning at the hands of good men of noble blood. Touching the prisoners we have made, we

do in Christian charity require you to send a man of religion, to receive their confession, and reconcile them

with God; since it is our fixed intention to execute them this morning before noon, so that their heads being

placed on the battlements, shall show to all men how lightly we esteem those who have bestirred themselves

in their rescue. Wherefore, as above, we require you to send a priest to reconcile them to God, in doing which

This letter being folded, was delivered to the squire, and by him to the messenger who waited without, as the

The yeoman having thus accomplished his mission, returned to the headquarters of the allies, which were

for the present established under a venerable oaktree, about three arrowflights distant from the castle. Here

Wamba and Gurth, with their allies the Black Knight and Locksley, and the jovial hermit, awaited with

impatience an answer to their summons. Around, and at a distance from them, were seen many a bold

yeoman, whose silvan dress and weatherbeaten countenances showed the ordinary nature of their occupation.

More than two hundred had already assembled, and others were fast coming in. Those whom they obeyed as

leaders were only distinguished from the others by a feather in the cap, their dress, arms, and equipments

Besides these bands, a less orderly and a worse armed force, consisting of the Saxon inhabitants of the

neighbouring township, as well as many bondsmen and servants from Cedric's extensive estate, had already

arrived, for the purpose of assisting in his rescue. Few of these were armed otherwise than with such rustic

weapons as necessity sometimes converts to military purposes. Boarspears, scythes, flails, and the like, were

their chief arms; for the Normans, with the usual policy of conquerors, were jealous of permitting to the

vanquished Saxons the possession or the use of swords and spears. These circumstances rendered the

assistance of the Saxons far from being so formidable to the besieged, as the strength of the men themselves,

their superior numbers, and the animation inspired by a just cause, might otherwise well have made them. It

was to the leaders of this motley army that the letter of the Templar was now delivered.

``By the crook of St Dunstan,'' said that worthy ecclesiastic, ``which hath brought more sheep within the

sheepfold than the crook of e'er another saint in Paradise, I swear that I cannot expound unto you this jargon,

He then gave the letter to Gurth, who shook his head gruffly, and passed it to Wamba. The Jester looked at

each of the four corners of the paper with such a grin of affected intelligence as a monkey is apt to assume

``If the long letters were bows, and the short letters broad arrows, I might know something of the matter,''

said the brave yeoman; ``but as the matter stands, the meaning is as safe, for me, as the stag that's at twelve

``I must be clerk, then,'' said the Black Knight; and taking the letter from Locksley, he first read it over to

``Execute the noble Cedric!'' exclaimed Wamba; ``by the rood, thou must be mistaken, Sir Knight.''

``Not I, my worthy friend,'' replied the knight, ``I have explained the words as they are here set down.''

``Then, by St Thomas of Canterbury,'' replied Gurth, ``we will have the castle, should we tear it down with

``We have nothing else to tear it with,'' replied Wamba; ``but mine are scarce fit to make mammocks of

``'Tis but a contrivance to gain time,'' said Locksley; ``they dare not do a deed for which I could exact a

``I would,'' said the Black Knight, ``there were some one among us who could obtain admission into the

castle, and discover how the case stands with the besieged. Methinks, as they require a confessor to be sent,

this holy hermit might at once exercise his pious vocation, and procure us the information we desire.''

``A plague on thee, and thy advice!'' said the pious hermit; ``I tell thee, Sir Slothful Knight, that when I doff

my friar's frock, my priesthood, my sanctity, my very Latin, are put off along with it; and when in my green

``I fear,'' said the Black Knight, ``I fear greatly, there is no one here that is qualified to take upon him, for the

``I see,'' said Wamba, after a short pause, ``that the fool must be still the fool, and put his neck in the venture

which wise men shrink from. You must know, my dear cousins and countrymen, that I more russet before I

wore motley, and was bred to be a friar, until a brainfever came upon me and left me just wit enough to be a

fool. I trust, with the assistance of the good hermit's frock, together with the priesthood, sanctity, and learning

which are stitched into the cowl of it, I shall be found qualified to administer both worldly and ghostly

``Hath he sense enough, thinkst thou?'' said the Black Knight, addressing Gurth.

``I know not,'' said Gurth; ``but if he hath not, it will be the first time he hath wanted wit to turn his folly to

``On with the frock, then, good fellow,'' quoth the Knight, ``and let thy master send us an account of their

situation within the castle. Their numbers must be few, and it is five to one they may be accessible by a

``And, in the meantime,'' said Locksley, ``we will beset the place so closely, that not so much as a fly shall

carry news from thence. So that, my good friend,'' he continued, addressing Wamba, ``thou mayst assure

these tyrants, that whatever violence they exercise on the persons of their prisoners, shall be most severely

And so saying he imitated the solemn and stately deportment of a friar, and departed to execute his mission.

When the Jester, arrayed in the cowl and frock of the hermit, and having his knotted cord twisted round his

middle, stood before the portal of the castle of FrontdeBoeuf, the warder demanded of him his name and

``Pax vobiscum,'' answered the Jester, ``I am a poor brother of the Order of St Francis, who come hither to do

my office to certain unhappy prisoners now secured within this castle.'' ``Thou art a bold friar,'' said the

warder, ``to come hither, where, saving our own drunken confessor, a cock of thy feather hath not crowed

``Yet I pray thee, do mine errand to the lord of the castle,'' answered the pretended friar; ``trust me it will find

good acceptance with him, and the cock shall crow, that the whole castle shall hear him.''

``Gramercy,'' said the warder; ``but if I come to shame for leaving my post upon thine errand, I will try

With this threat he left his turret, and carried to the hall of the castle his unwonted intelligence, that a holy

friar stood before the gate and demanded instant admission. With no small wonder he received his master's

commands to admit the holy man immediately; and, having previously manned the entrance to guard against

surprise, he obeyed, without further scruple, the commands which he had received. The harebrained

selfconceit which had emboldened Wamba to undertake this dangerous office, was scarce sufficient to

support him when he found himself in the presence of a man so dreadful, and so much dreaded, as Reginald

FrontdeBoeuf, and he brought out his pax vobiscum, to which he, in a good measure, trusted for

supporting his character, with more anxiety and hesitation than had hitherto accompanied it. But

FrontdeBoeuf was accustomed to see men of all ranks tremble in his presence, so that the timidity of the

``Pax vobiscum,'' reiterated the Jester, ``I am a poor servant of St Francis, who, travelling through this

wilderness, have fallen among thieves, (as Scripture hath it,) quidam viator incidit in latrones, which thieves

have sent me unto this castle in order to do my ghostly office on two persons condemned by your honourable

``Ay, right,'' answered FrontdeBoeuf; ``and canst thou tell me, holy father, the number of those banditti?''

``Gallant sir,'' answered the Jester, ``nomen illis legio, their name is legion.''

``Tell me in plain terms what numbers there are, or, priest, thy cloak and cord will ill protect thee.''

``Alas!'' said the supposed friar, ``cor meum eructavit, that is to say, I was like to burst with fear! but I

conceive they may bewhat of yeomen what of commons, at least five hundred men.''

``What!'' said the Templar, who came into the hall that moment, ``muster the wasps so thick here? it is time to

stifle such a mischievous brood.'' Then taking FrontdeBoeuf aside ``Knowest thou the priest?''

``He is a stranger from a distant convent,'' I said FrontdeBoeuf; ``I know him not.''

``Then trust him not with thy purpose in words,'' answered the Templar. ``Let him carry a written order to De

Bracy's company of Free Companions, to repair instantly to their master's aid. In the meantime, and that the

shaveling may suspect nothing, permit him to go freely about his task of preparing these Saxon hogs for the

``It shall be so,'' said FrontdeBoeuf. And he forthwith appointed a domestic to conduct Wamba to the

The impatience of Cedric had been rather enhanced than diminished by his confinement. He walked from one

end of the hall to the other, with the attitude of one who advances to charge an enemy, or to storm the breach

of a beleaguered place, sometimes ejaculating to himself, sometimes addressing Athelstane, who stoutly and

stoically awaited the issue of the adventure, digesting, in the meantime, with great composure, the liberal

meal which he had made at noon, and not greatly interesting himself about the duration of his captivity,

which he concluded, would, like all earthly evils, find an end in Heaven's good time.

``Pax vobiscum,'' said the Jester, entering the apartment; ``the blessing of St Dunstan, St Dennis, St Duthoc,

``Enter freely,'' answered Cedric to the supposed friar; ``with what intent art thou come hither?''

``It is impossible!'' replied Cedric, starting. ``Fearless and wicked as they are, they dare not attempt such open

``Alas!'' said the Jester, ``to restrain them by their sense of humanity, is the same as to stop a runaway horse

with a bridle of silk thread. Bethink thee, therefore, noble Cedric, and you also, gallant Athelstane, what

crimes you have committed in the flesh; for this very day will ye be called to answer at a higher tribunal.''

``Hearest thou this, Athelstane?'' said Cedric; ``we must rouse up our hearts to this last action, since better it

``I am ready,'' answered Athelstane, ``to stand the worst of their malice, and shall walk to my death with as

``Wait yet a moment, good uncle,'' said the Jester, in his natural tone; ``better look long before you leap in the

``It is that of your trusty slave and jester,'' answered Wamba, throwing back his cowl. ``Had you taken a

fool's advice formerly, you would not have been here at all. Take a fool's advice now, and you will not be

``Even thus,'' replied Wamba; ``take thou this frock and cord, which are all the orders I ever had, and march

quietly out of the castle, leaving me your cloak and girdle to take the long leap in thy stead.''

``Leave thee in my stead!'' said Cedric, astonished at the proposal; ``why, they would hang thee, my poor

``E'en let them do as they are permitted,'' said Wamba; ``I trustno disparagement to your birth that

the son of Witless may hang in a chain with as much gravity as the chain hung upon his ancestor the

``Well, Wamba,'' answered Cedric, ``for one thing will I grant thy request. And that is, if thou wilt make the

``No, by St Dunstan,'' answered Wamba; ``there were little reason in that. Good right there is, that the son of

Witless should suffer to save the son of Hereward; but little wisdom there were in his dying for the benefit of

``Villain,'' said Cedric, ``the fathers of Athelstane were monarchs of England!''

``They might be whomsoever they pleased,'' replied Wamba; ``but my neck stands too straight upon my

shoulders to have it twisted for their sake. Wherefore, good my master, either take my proffer yourself, or

``Let the old tree wither,'' continued Cedric, ``so the stately hope of the forest be preserved. Save the noble

Athelstane, my trusty Wamba! it is the duty of each who has Saxon blood in his veins. Thou and I will abide

together the utmost rage of our injurious oppressors, while he, free and safe, shall arouse the awakened spirits

``Not so, father Cedric,'' said Athelstane, grasping his hand,for, when roused to think or act, his deeds and

sentiments were not unbecoming his high race``Not so,'' he continued; ``I would rather remain in this hall

a week without food save the prisoner's stinted loaf, or drink save the prisoner's measure of water, than

embrace the opportunity to escape which the slave's untaught kindness has purveyed for his master.''

``You are called wise men, sirs,'' said the Jester, ``and I a crazed fool; but, uncle Cedric, and cousin

Athelstane, the fool shall decide this controversy for ye, and save ye the trouble of straining courtesies any

farther. I am like JohnaDuck's mare, that will let no man mount her but JohnaDuck. I came to save my

master, and if he will not consent bastaI can but go away home again. Kind service cannot be

chucked from hand to hand like a shuttlecock or stoolball. I'll hang for no man but my own born master.''

``Go, then, noble Cedric,'' said Athelstane, ``neglect not this opportunity. Your presence without may

``And is there any prospect, then, of rescue from without?'' said Cedric, looking to the Jester.

``Prospect, indeed!'' echoed Wamba; ``let me tell you, when you fill my cloak, you are wrapped in a general's

cassock. Five hundred men are there without, and I was this morning one of the chief leaders. My fool's cap

was a casque, and my bauble a truncheon. Well, we shall see what good they will make by exchanging a fool

for a wise man. Truly, I fear they will lose in valour what they may gain in discretion. And so farewell,

master, and be kind to poor Gurth and his dog Fangs; and let my cockscomb hang in the hall at Rotherwood,

The last word came out with a sort of double expression, betwixt jest and earnest. The tears stood in Cedric's

``Thy memory shall be preserved,'' he said, ``while fidelity and affection have honour upon earth! But that I

trust I shall find the means of saving Rowena, and thee, Athelstane, and thee, also, my poor Wamba, thou

``I know no language,'' he said, ``but my own, and a few words of their mincing Norman. How shall I bear

``The spell lies in two words,'' replied Wamba ``Pax vobiscum will answer all queries. If you go or come,

eat or drink, bless or ban, Pax vobiscum carries you through it all. It is as useful to a friar as a broomstick to a

witch, or a wand to a conjurer. Speak it but thus, in a deep grave tone,Pax vobiscum!it is

irresistibleWatch and ward, knight and squire, foot and horse, it acts as a charm upon them all. I think, if

they bring me out to be hanged tomorrow, as is much to be doubted they may, I will try its weight upon the

``If such prove the case,'' said the master, ``my religious orders are soon takenPax vobiscum. I trust I

shall remember the password.Noble Athelstane, farewell; and farewell, my poor boy, whose heart might

make amends for a weaker head I will save you, or return and die with you. The royal blood of our Saxon

kings shall not be spilt while mine beats in my veins; nor shall one hair fall from the head of the kind knave

``Farewell, noble Cedric,'' said Athelstane; ``remember it is the true part of a friar to accept refreshment, if

Thus exhorted, Cedric sallied forth upon his expedition; and it was not long ere he had occasion to try the

force of that spell which his Jester had recommended as omnipotent. In a lowarched and dusky passage, by

which he endeavoured to work his way to the hall of the castle, he was interrupted by a female form.

``Pax vobiscum!'' said the pseudo friar, and was endeavouring to hurry past, when a soft voice replied, ``Et

``I am somewhat deaf,'' replied Cedric, in good Saxon, and at the same time muttered to himself, ``A curse on

It was, however, no unusual thing for a priest of those days to be deaf of his Latin ear, and this the person

``I pray you of dear love, reverend father,'' she replied in his own language, ``that you will deign to visit with

your ghostly comfort a wounded prisoner of this castle, and have such compassion upon him and us as thy

``Daughter,'' answered Cedric, much embarrassed, ``my time in this castle will not permit me to exercise the

duties of mine officeI must presently forththere is life and death upon my speed.''

``Yet, father, let me entreat you by the vow you have taken on you,'' replied the suppliant, ``not to leave the

``May the fiend fly away with me, and leave me in Ifrin with the souls of Odin and of Thor!'' answered

Cedric impatiently, and would probably have proceeded in the same tone of total departure from his spiritual

character, when the colloquy was interrupted by the harsh voice of Urfried, the old crone of the turret. ``How,

minion,'' said she to the female speaker, ``is this the manner in which you requite the kindness which

permitted thee to leave thy prisoncell yonder?Puttest thou the reverend man to use ungracious language

``A Jewess!'' said Cedric, availing himself of the information to get clear of their interruption, ``Let me

pass, woman! stop me not at your peril. I am fresh from my holy office, and would avoid pollution.''

``Come this way, father,'' said the old hag, ``thou art a stranger in this castle, and canst not leave it without a

guide. Come hither, for I would speak with thee.And you, daughter of an accursed race, go to the sick

man's chamber, and tend him until my return; and woe betide you if you again quit it without my

Rebecca retreated. Her importunities had prevailed upon Urfried to suffer her to quit the turret, and Urfried

had employed her services where she herself would most gladly have paid them, by the bedside of the

wounded Ivanhoe. With an understanding awake to their dangerous situation, and prompt to avail herself of

each means of safety which occurred, Rebecca had hoped something from the presence of a man of religion,

who, she learned from Urfried, had penetrated into this godless castle. She watched the return of the supposed

ecclesiastic, with the purpose of addressing him, and interesting him in favour of the prisoners; with what

When Urfried had with clamours and menaces driven Rebecca back to the apartment from which she had

sallied, she proceeded to conduct the unwilling Cedric into a small apartment, the door of which she

heedfully secured. Then fetching from a cupboard a stoup of wine and two flagons, she placed them on the

table, and said in a tone rather asserting a fact than asking a question, ``Thou art Saxon, fatherDeny it

not,'' she continued, observing that Cedric hastened not to reply; ``the sounds of my native language are sweet

to mine ears, though seldom heard save from the tongues of the wretched and degraded serfs on whom the

proud Normans impose the meanest drudgery of this dwelling. Thou art a Saxon, fathera Saxon, and,

save as thou art a servant of God, a freeman. Thine accents are sweet in mine ear.''

``Do not Saxon priests visit this castle, then?'' replied Cedric; ``it were, methinks, their duty to comfort the

``They come notor if they come, they better love to revel at the boards of their conquerors,'' answered

Urfried, ``than to hear the groans of their countrymenso, at least, report speaks of them of myself I

can say little. This castle, for ten years, has opened to no priest save the debauched Norman chaplain who

partook the nightly revels of FrontdeBoeuf, and he has been long gone to render an account of his

stewardship.But thou art a Saxona Saxon priest, and I have one question to ask of thee.''

``I am a Saxon,'' answered Cedric, ``but unworthy, surely, of the name of priest. Let me begone on my

wayI swear I will return, or send one of our fathers more worthy to hear your confession.''

``Stay yet a while,'' said Urfried; ``the accents of the voice which thou hearest now will soon be choked with

the cold earth, and I would not descend to it like the beast I have lived. But wine must give me strength to tell

the horrors of my tale.'' She poured out a cup, and drank it with a frightful avidity, which seemed desirous of

draining the last drop in the goblet. ``It stupifies,'' she said, looking upwards as she finished her drought, ``but

it cannot cheerPartake it, father, if you would hear my tale without sinking down upon the pavement.''

Cedric would have avoided pledging her in this ominous conviviality, but the sign which she made to him

expressed impatience and despair. He complied with her request, and answered her challenge in a large

``I was not born,'' she said, ``father, the wretch that thou now seest me. I was free, was happy, was honoured,

loved, and was beloved. I am now a slave, miserable and degradedthe sport of my masters' passions

while I had yet beautythe object of their contempt, scorn, and hatred, since it has passed away. Dost thou

wonder, father, that I should hate mankind, and, above all, the race that has wrought this change in me? Can

the wrinkled decrepit hag before thee, whose wrath must vent itself in impotent curses, forget she was once

the daughter of the noble Thane of Torquilstone, before whose frown a thousand vassals trembled?''

``Thou the daughter of Torquil Wolfganger!'' said Cedric, receding as he spoke; ``thouthou the

``Thy father's friend!'' echoed Urfried; ``then Cedric called the Saxon stands before me, for the noble

Hereward of Rotherwood had but one son, whose name is well known among his countrymen. But if thou art

Cedric of Rotherwood, why this religious dress?hast thou too despaired of saving thy country, and sought

``It matters not who I am,'' said Cedric; ``proceed, unhappy woman, with thy tale of horror and

``There isthere is,'' answered the wretched woman, ``deep, black, damning guilt,guilt, that lies like a

load at my breastguilt, that all the penitential fires of hereafter cannot cleanse.Yes, in these halls,

stained with the noble and pure blood of my father and my brethrenin these very halls, to have lived the

paramour of their murderer, the slave at once and the partaker of his pleasures, was to render every breath

``Wretched woman!'' exclaimed Cedric. ``And while the friends of thy fatherwhile each true Saxon heart,

as it breathed a requiem for his soul, and those of his valiant sons, forgot not in their prayers the murdered

Ulricawhile all mourned and honoured the dead, thou hast lived to merit our hate and execrationlived

to unite thyself with the vile tyrant who murdered thy nearest and dearestwho shed the blood of infancy,

rather than a male of the noble house of Torquil Wolfganger should survivewith him hast thou lived to

``In lawless hands, indeed, but not in those of love!'' answered the hag; ``love will sooner visit the regions of

eternal doom, than those unhallowed vaults.No, with that at least I cannot reproach myselfhatred to

FrontdeBoeuf and his race governed my soul most deeply, even in the hour of his guilty endearments.''

``You hated him, and yet you lived,'' replied Cedric; ``wretch! was there no poniardno knife no

bodkin!Well was it for thee, since thou didst prize such an existence, that the secrets of a Norman castle

are like those of the grave. For had I but dreamed of the daughter of Torquil living in foul communion with

the murderer of her father, the sword of a true Saxon had found thee out even in the arms of thy paramour!''

``Wouldst thou indeed have done this justice to the name of Torquil?'' said Ulrica, for we may now lay aside

her assumed name of Urfried; ``thou art then the true Saxon report speaks thee! for even within these

accursed walls, where, as thou well sayest, guilt shrouds itself in inscrutable mystery, even there has the name

of Cedric been sounded and I, wretched and degraded, have rejoiced to think that there yet breathed an

avenger of our unhappy nation.I also have had my hours of vengeance I have fomented the quarrels

of our foes, and heated drunken revelry into murderous broil I have seen their blood flowI have heard

their dying groans!Look on me, Cedricare there not still left on this foul and faded face some traces

``Ask me not of them, Ulrica,'' replied Cedric, in a tone of grief mixed with abhorrence; ``these traces form

such a resemblance as arises from the graves of the dead, when a fiend has animated the lifeless corpse.''

``Be it so,'' answered Ulrica; ``yet wore these fiendish features the mask of a spirit of light when they were

able to set at variance the elder FrontdeBoeuf and his son Reginald! The darkness of hell should hide what

followed, but revenge must lift the veil, and darkly intimate what it would raise the dead to speak aloud. Long

had the smouldering fire of discord glowed between the tyrant father and his savage sonlong had I

nursed, in secret, the unnatural hatredit blazed forth in an hour of drunken wassail, and at his own board

fell my oppressor by the hand of his own sonsuch are the secrets these vaults conceal!Rend asunder,

ye accursed arches,'' she added, looking up towards the roof, ``and bury in your fall all who are conscious of

``And thou, creature of guilt and misery,'' said Cedric, ``what became thy lot on the death of thy ravisher?''

``Guess it, but ask it not.Herehere I dwelt, till age, premature age, has stamped its ghastly features on

my countenancescorned and insulted where I was once obeyed, and compelled to bound the revenge

which had once such ample scope, to the efforts of petty malice of a discontented menial, or the vain or

unheeded curses of an impotent hagcondemned to hear from my lonely turret the sounds of revelry in

``Ulrica,'' said Cedric, ``with a heart which still, I fear, regrets the lost reward of thy crimes, as much as the

deeds by which thou didst acquire that meed, how didst thou dare to address thee to one who wears this robe?

Consider, unhappy woman, what could the sainted Edward himself do for thee, were he here in bodily

presence? The royal Confessor was endowed by heaven with power to cleanse the ulcers of the body, but

``Yet, turn not from me, stern prophet of wrath,'' she exclaimed, ``but tell me, if thou canst, in what shall

terminate these new and awful feelings that burst on my solitudeWhy do deeds, long since done, rise

before me in new and irresistible horrors? What fate is prepared beyond the grave for her, to whom God has

assigned on earth a lot of such unspeakable wretchedness? Better had I turn to Woden, Hertha, and

Zernebockto Mista, and to Skogula, the gods of our yet unbaptized ancestors, than endure the dreadful

``I am no priest,'' said Cedric, turning with disgust from this miserable picture of guilt, wretchedness, and

``Priest or layman,'' answered Ulrica, ``thou art the first I have seen for twenty years, by whom God was

``I bid thee repent,'' said Cedric. ``Seek to prayer and penance, and mayest thou find acceptance! But I

``Stay yet a moment!'' said Ulrica; ``leave me not now, son of my father's friend, lest the demon who has

governed my life should tempt me to avenge myself of thy hardhearted scornThinkest thou, if

FrontdeBoeuf found Cedric the Saxon in his castle, in such a disguise, that thy life would be a long

``And be it so,'' said Cedric; ``and let him tear me with beak and talons, ere my tongue say one word which

my heart doth not warrant. I will die a Saxontrue in word, open in deedI bid thee avaunt!touch

me not, stay me not!The sight of FrontdeBoeuf himself is less odious to me than thou, degraded and

``Be it so,'' said Ulrica, no longer interrupting him; ``go thy way, and forget, in the insolence of thy

superority, that the wretch before thee is the daughter of thy father's friend.Go thy wayif I am

separated from mankind by my sufferings separated from those whose aid I might most justly

expectnot less will I be separated from them in my revenge!No man shall aid me, but the ears of all

men shall tingle to hear of the deed which I shall dare to do!Farewell!thy scorn has burst the last tie

which seemed yet to unite me to my kinda thought that my woes might claim the compassion of my

``Ulrica,'' said Cedric, softened by this appeal, ``hast thou borne up and endured to live through so much guilt

and so much misery, and wilt thou now yield to despair when thine eyes are opened to thy crimes, and when

``Cedric,'' answered Ulrica, ``thou little knowest the human heart. To act as I have acted, to think as I have

thought, requires the maddening love of pleasure, mingled with the keen appetite of revenge, the proud

consciousness of power; droughts too intoxicating for the human heart to bear, and yet retain the power to

prevent. Their force has long passed awayAge has no pleasures, wrinkles have no influence, revenge

itself dies away in impotent curses. Then comes remorse, with all its vipers, mixed with vain regrets for the

past, and despair for the future!Then, when all other strong impulses have ceased, we become like the

fiends in hell, who may feel remorse, but never repentance. But thy words have awakened a new soul

within meWell hast thou said, all is possible for those who dare to die!Thou hast shown me the

means of revenge, and be assured I will embrace them. It has hitherto shared this wasted bosom with other

and with rival passionshenceforward it shall possess me wholly, and thou thyself shalt say, that, whatever

was the life of Ulrica, her death well became the daughter of the noble Torquil. There is a force without

beleaguering this accursed castlehasten to lead them to the attack, and when thou shalt see a red flag

wave from the turret on the eastern angle of the donjon, press the Normans hardthey will then have

enough to do within, and you may win the wall in spite both of bow and mangonel.Begone, I pray

Cedric would have enquired farther into the purpose which she thus darkly announced, but the stern voice of

FrontdeBoeuf was heard, exclaiming, ``Where tarries this loitering priest? By the scallopshell of

Compostella, I will make a martyr of him, if he loiters here to hatch treason among my domestics!''

``What a true prophet,'' said Ulrica, ``is an evil conscience! But heed him notout and to thy

peopleCry your Saxon onslaught, and let them sing their warsong of Rollo, if they will; vengeance shall

As she thus spoke, she vanished through a private door, and Reginald FrontdeBoeuf entered the apartment.

Cedric, with some difficulty, compelled himself to make obeisance to the haughty Baron, who returned his

``Thy penitents, father, have made a long shrift it is the better for them, since it is the last they shall ever

``I found them,'' said Cedric, in such French as he could command, ``expecting the worst, from the moment

``How now, Sir Friar,'' replied FrontdeBoeuf, ``thy speech, methinks, smacks of a Saxon tongue?''

``Ay?'' said the Baron; ``it had been better for thee to have been a Norman, and better for my purpose too; but

need has no choice of messengers. That St Withold's of Burton is a howlet's nest worth the harrying. The day

will soon come that the frock shall protect the Saxon as little as the mailcoat.''

``God's will be done,'' said Cedric, in a voice tremulous with passion, which FrontdeBoeuf imputed to fear.

``I see,'' said he, ``thou dreamest already that our menatarms are in thy refectory and thy alevaults. But do

me one cast of thy holy office, and, come what list of others, thou shalt sleep as safe in thy cell as a snail

``Follow me through this passage, then, that I may dismiss thee by the postern.''

And as he strode on his way before the supposed friar, FrontdeBoeuf thus schooled him in the part which

``Thou seest, Sir Friar, yon herd of Saxon swine, who have dared to environ this castle of Torquilstone

Tell them whatever thou hast a mind of the weakness of this fortalice, or aught else that can detain them

before it for twentyfour hours. Meantime bear thou this scrollBut softcanst read, Sir Priest?''

``Not a jot I,'' answered Cedric, ``save on my breviary; and then I know the characters, because I have the

``The fitter messenger for my purpose.Carry thou this scroll to the castle of Philip de Malvoisin; say it

cometh from me, and is written by the Templar Brian de BoisGuilbert, and that I pray him to send it to York

with all the speed man and horse can make. Meanwhile, tell him to doubt nothing, he shall find us whole and

sound behind our battlementShame on it, that we should be compelled to hide thus by a pack of

runagates, who are wont to fly even at the flash of our pennons and the tramp of our horses! I say to thee,

priest, contrive some cast of thine art to keep the knaves where they are, until our friends bring up their

lances. My vengeance is awake, and she is a falcon that slumbers not till she has been gorged.''

``By my patron saint,'' said Cedric, with deeper energy than became his character, ``and by every saint who

has lived and died in England, your commands shall be obeyed! Not a Saxon shall stir from before these

``Ha!'' said FrontdeBoeuf, ``thou changest thy tone, Sir Priest, and speakest brief and bold, as if thy heart

were in the slaughter of the Saxon herd; and yet thou art thyself of kindred to the swine?''

Cedric was no ready practiser of the art of dissimulation, and would at this moment have been much the

better of a hint from Wamba's more fertile brain. But necessity, according to the ancient proverb, sharpens

invention, and he muttered something under his cowl concerning the men in question being excommunicated

``Despardieux,'' answered FrontdeBoeuf, ``thou hast spoken the very truthI forgot that the knaves can

strip a fat abbot, as well as if they had been born south of yonder salt channel. Was it not he of St Ives whom

they tied to an oaktree, and compelled to sing a mass while they were rifling his mails and his

wallets?No, by our Ladythat jest was played by Gualtier of Middleton, one of our own

companionsatarms. But they were Saxons who robbed the chapel at St Bees of cup, candlestick and

``Ay, and they drank out all the good wine and ale that lay in store for many a secret carousal, when ye

pretend ye are but busied with vigils and primes!Priest, thou art bound to revenge such sacrilege.''

``I am indeed bound to vengeance,'' murmured Cedric; ``Saint Withold knows my heart.''

FrontdeBoeuf, in the meanwhile, led the way to a postern, where, passing the moat on a single plank, they

reached a small barbican, or exterior defence, which communicated with the open field by a wellfortified

``Begone, then; and if thou wilt do mine errand, and if thou return hither when it is done, thou shalt see Saxon

flesh cheap as ever was hog's in the shambles of Sheffield. And, hark thee, thou seemest to be a jolly

confessorcome hither after the onslaught, and thou shalt have as much Malvoisie as would drench thy

``Something in hand the whilst,'' continued the Norman; and, as they parted at the postern door, he thrust into

Cedric's reluctant hand a gold byzant, adding, ``Remember, I will fly off both cowl and skin, if thou failest in

``And full leave will I give thee to do both,'' answered Cedric, leaving the postern, and striding forth over the

free field with a joyful step, ``if, when we meet next, I deserve not better at thine hand.''Turning then

back towards the castle, he threw the piece of gold towards the donor, exclaiming at the same time, ``False

FrontdeBoeuf heard the words imperfectly, but the action was suspicious``Archers,'' he called to the

warders on the outward battlements, ``send me an arrow through yon monk's frock!yet stay,'' he said, as

his retainers were bending their bows, ``it avails notwe must thus far trust him since we have no better

shift. I think he dares not betray meat the worst I can but treat with these Saxon dogs whom I have safe in

kennel.Ho! Giles jailor, let them bring Cedric of Rotherwood before me, and the other churl, his

companionhim I mean of ConingsburghAthelstane there, or what call they him? Their very names

are an encumbrance to a Norman knight's mouth, and have, as it were, a flavour of baconGive me a stoup

of wine, as jolly Prince John said, that I may wash away the relishplace it in the armoury, and thither lead

His commands were obeyed; and, upon entering that Gothic apartment, hung with many spoils won by his

own valour and that of his father, he found a flagon of wine on the massive oaken table, and the two Saxon

captives under the guard of four of his dependants. FrontdeBoeuf took a long drought of wine, and then

addressed his prisoners; for the manner in which Wamba drew the cap over his face, the change of dress,

the gloomy and broken light, and the Baron's imperfect acquaintance with the features of Cedric, (who

avoided his Norman neighbours, and seldom stirred beyond his own domains,) prevented him from

``Gallants of England,'' said FrontdeBoeuf, ``how relish ye your entertainment at Torquilstone? Are ye

yet aware what your surquedy and outrecuidance* merit, for scoffing at the entertainment

of a prince of the House of Anjou?Have ye forgotten how ye requited the unmerited hospitality of the

royal John? By God and St Dennis, an ye pay not the richer ransom, I will hang ye up by the feet from the

iron bars of these windows, till the kites and hooded crows have made skeletons of you!Speak out, ye

``Not a doit I,'' answered poor Wamba``and for hanging up by the feet, my brain has been topsyturvy,

they say, ever since the biggin was bound first round my head; so turning me upside down may peradventure

And with the back of his hand he struck Cedric's cap from the head of the Jester, and throwing open his

collar, discovered the fatal badge of servitude, the silver collar round his neck.

``GilesClementdogs and varlets!'' exclaimed the furious Norman, ``what have you brought me here?''

``I think I can tell you,'' said De Bracy, who just entered the apartment. ``This is Cedric's clown, who fought

``I shall settle it for them both,'' replied FrontdeBoeuf; ``they shall hang on the same gallows, unless his

master and this boar of Coningsburgh will pay well for their lives. Their wealth is the least they can

surrender; they must also carry off with them the swarms that are besetting the castle, subscribe a surrender of

their pretended immunities, and live under us as serfs and vassals; too happy if, in the new world that is about

to begin, we leave them the breath of their nostrils.Go,'' said he to two of his attendants, ``fetch me the

right Cedric hither, and I pardon your error for once; the rather that you but mistook a fool for a Saxon

``Ay, but,'' said Wamba, ``your chivalrous excellency will find there are more fools than franklins among us.''

``What means the knave?'' said FrontdeBoeuf, looking towards his followers, who, lingering and loath,

faltered forth their belief, that if this were not Cedric who was there in presence, they knew not what was

``Saints of Heaven!'' exclaimed De Bracy, ``he must have escaped in the monk's garments!''

``Fiends of hell!'' echoed FrontdeBoeuf, ``it was then the boar of Rotherwood whom I ushered to the

postern, and dismissed with my own hands! And thou,'' he said to Wamba, ``whose folly could overreach

the wisdom of idiots yet more gross than thyselfI will give thee holy ordersI will shave thy crown for

thee!Here, let them tear the scalp from his head, and then pitch him headlong from the

``You deal with me better than your word, noble knight,'' whimpered forth poor Wamba, whose habits of

buffoonery were not to be overcome even by the immediate prospect of death; ``if you give me the red cap

``The poor wretch,'' said De Bracy, ``is resolved to die in his vocation.FrontdeBoeuf, you shall not

slay him. Give him to me to make sport for my Free Companions.How sayst thou, knave? Wilt thou take

``Ay, with my master's leave,'' said Wamba; ``for, look you, I must not slip collar'' (and he touched that which

`Norman saw on English oak, On English neck a Norman yoke; Norman spoon in English dish, And England

ruled as Normans wish; Blithe world to England never will be more, Till England's rid of all the four.' ''

``Thou dost well, De Bracy,' said FrontdeBoeuf, ``to stand there listening to a fool's jargon, when

destruction is gaping for us! Seest thou not we are overreached, and that our proposed mode of

communicating with our friends without has been disconcerted by this same motley gentleman thou art so

``To the battlements then,'' said De Bracy; ``when didst thou ever see me the graver for the thoughts of battle?

Call the Templar yonder, and let him fight but half so well for his life as he has done for his OrderMake

thou to the walls thyself with thy huge bodyLet me do my poor endeavour in my own way, and I tell thee

the Saxon outlaws may as well attempt to scale the clouds, as the castle of Torquilstone; or, if you will treat

with the banditti, why not employ the mediation of this worthy franklin, who seems in such deep

contemplation of the wineflagon?Here, Saxon,'' he continued, addressing Athelstane, and handing the

cup to him, ``rinse thy throat with that noble liquor, and rouse up thy soul to say what thou wilt do for thy

``What a man of mould may,'' answered Athelstane, ``providing it be what a man of manhood

ought.Dismiss me free, with my companions, and I will pay a ransom of a thousand marks.''

``And wilt moreover assure us the retreat of that scum of mankind who are swarming around the castle,

``In so far as I can,'' answered Athelstane, ``I will withdraw them; and I fear not but that my father Cedric

``We are agreed then,'' said FrontdeBoeuf ``thou and they are to be set at freedom, and peace is to be

on both sides, for payment of a thousand marks. It is a trifling ransom, Saxon, and thou wilt owe gratitude to

the moderation which accepts of it in exchange of your persons. But mark, this extends not to the Jew Isaac.''

``I were unworthy to be called Christian, if they did,'' replied Athelstane: ``deal with the unbelievers as ye

``Neither does the ransom include the Lady Rowena,'' said De Bracy. ``It shall never be said I was scared out

``Neither,'' said FrontdeBoeuf, ``does our treaty refer to this wretched Jester, whom I retain, that I may

``The Lady Rowena,'' answered Athelstane, with the most steady countenance, ``is my affianced bride. I will

be drawn by wild horses before I consent to part with her. The slave Wamba has this day saved the life of my

``Thy affianced bride?The Lady Rowena the affianced bride of a vassal like thee?'' said De Bracy;

``Saxon, thou dreamest that the days of thy seven kingdoms are returned again. I tell thee, the Princes of the

``My lineage, proud Norman,'' replied Athelstane, ``is drawn from a source more pure and ancient than that of

a beggarly Frenchman, whose living is won by selling the blood of the thieves whom he assembles under his

paltry standard. Kings were my ancestors, strong in war and wise in council, who every day feasted in their

hall more hundreds than thou canst number individual followers; whose names have been sung by minstrels,

and their laws recorded by Wittenagemotes; whose bones were interred amid the prayers of saints, and over

``Thou hast it, De Bracy,'' said FrontdeBoeuf, well pleased with the rebuff which his companion had

``As fairly as a captive can strike,'' said De Bracy, with apparent carelessness; ``for he whose hands are tied

should have his tongue at freedom. But thy glibness of reply, comrade,'' rejoined he, speaking to

To this Athelstane, who had already made a longer speech than was his custom to do on any topic, however

interesting, returned no answer. The conversation was interrupted by the arrival of a menial, who announced

``In the name of Saint Bennet, the prince of these bullbeggars,'' said FrontdeBoeuf, ``have we a real

monk this time, or another impostor? Search him, slavesfor an ye suffer a second impostor to be palmed

``Let me endure the extremity of your anger, my lord,'' said Giles, ``if this be not a real shaveling. Your

squire Jocelyn knows him well, and will vouch him to be brother Ambrose, a monk in attendance upon the

``Admit him,'' said FrontdeBoeuf; ``most likely he brings us news from his jovial master. Surely the devil

keeps holiday, and the priests are relieved from duty, that they are strolling thus wildly through the country.

``I claim,'' said Athelstane, ``an honourable imprisonment, with due care of my board and of my couch, as

becomes my rank, and as is due to one who is in treaty for ransom. Moreover, I hold him that deems himself

the best of you, bound to answer to me with his body for this aggression on my freedom. This defiance hath

already been sent to thee by thy sewer; thou underliest it, and art bound to answer meThere lies my

``I answer not the challenge of my prisoner,'' said FrontdeBoeuf; ``nor shalt thou, Maurice de

Bracy.Giles,'' he continued, ``hang the franklin's glove upon the tine of yonder branched antlers: there

shall it remain until he is a free man. Should he then presume to demand it, or to affirm he was unlawfully

made my prisoner, by the belt of Saint Christopher, he will speak to one who hath never refused to meet a foe

The Saxon prisoners were accordingly removed, just as they introduced the monk Ambrose, who appeared to

``This is the real Deus vobiscum,'' said Wamba, as he passed the reverend brother; ``the others were but

``Holy Mother,'' said the monk, as he addressed the assembled knights, ``I am at last safe and in Christian

``Safe thou art,'' replied De Bracy; ``and for Christianity, here is the stout Baron Reginald FrontdeBoeuf,

whose utter abomination is a Jew; and the good Knight Templar, Brian de BoisGuilbert, whose trade is to

slay SaracensIf these are not good marks of Christianity, I know no other which they bear about them.''

``Ye are friends and allies of our reverend father in God, Aymer, Prior of Jorvaulx,'' said the monk, without

noticing the tone of De Bracy's reply; ``ye owe him aid both by knightly faith and holy charity; for what saith

``What saith the devil!'' interrupted FrontdeBoeuf; ``or rather what dost thou say, Sir Priest? We have little

``Sancta Maria!'' ejaculated Father Ambrose, ``how prompt to ire are these unhallowed laymen! But be it

known to you, brave knights, that certain murderous caitiffs, casting behind them fear of God, and reverence

of his church, and not regarding the bull of the holy see, Si quis, suadende Diabolo''

``Brother priest,'' said the Templar, ``all this we know or guess attell us plainly, is thy master, the Prior,

``Surely,'' said Ambrose, ``he is in the hands of the men of Belial, infesters of these woods, and contemners

of the holy text, `Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets naught of evil.' ''

``Here is a new argument for our swords, sirs,'' said FrontdeBoeuf, turning to his companions; ``and so,

instead of reaching us any assistance, the Prior of Jorvaulx requests aid at our hands? a man is well helped of

these lazy churchmen when he hath most to do!But speak out, priest, and say at once, what doth thy

``So please you,'' said Ambrose, ``violent hands having been imposed on my reverend superior, contrary to

the holy ordinance which I did already quote, and the men of Belial having rifled his mails and budgets, and

stripped him of two hundred marks of pure refined gold, they do yet demand of him a large sum beside, ere

they will suffer him to depart from their uncircumcised hands. Wherefore the reverend father in God prays

you, as his dear friends, to rescue him, either by paying down the ransom at which they hold him, or by force

``The foul fiend quell the Prior!'' said FrontdeBoeuf; ``his morning's drought has been a deep one. When

did thy master hear of a Norman baron unbuckling his purse to relieve a churchman, whose bags are ten times

as weighty as ours? And how can we do aught by valour to free him, that are cooped up here by ten times

``And that was what I was about to tell you,'' said the monk, ``had your hastiness allowed me time. But, God

help me, I am old, and these foul onslaughts distract an aged man's brain. Nevertheless, it is of verity that

``To the battlements!'' cried De Bracy, ``and let us mark what these knaves do without;'' and so saying, he

opened a latticed window which led to a sort of bartisan or projecting balcony, and immediately called from

thence to those in the apartment ``Saint Dennis, but the old monk hath brought true tidings!They

* Mantelets were temporary and movable defences formed * of planks, under cover of which the assailants

advanced to the * attack of fortified places of old. Pavisses were a species of large * shields covering the

Reginald FrontdeBoeuf also looked out upon the field, and immediately snatched his bugle; and, after

``De Bracy, look to the eastern side, where the walls are lowestNoble BoisGuilbert, thy trade hath well

taught thee how to attack and defend, look thou to the western sideI myself will take post at the barbican.

Yet, do not confine your exertions to any one spot, noble friends!we must this day be everywhere, and

multiply ourselves, were it possible, so as to carry by our presence succour and relief wherever the attack is

hottest. Our numbers are few, but activity and courage may supply that defect, since we have only to do with

``But, noble knights,'' exclaimed Father Ambrose, amidst the bustle and confusion occasioned by the

preparations for defence, ``will none of ye hear the message of the reverend father in God Aymer, Prior of

``Go patter thy petitions to heaven,'' said the fierce Norman, ``for we on earth have no time to listen to

them.Ho! there, Anselm I see that seething pitch and oil are ready to pour on the heads of these audacious

* The bolt was the arrow peculiarly fitted to the crossbow, * as that of the longbow was called a shaft.

Hence the English * proverb``I will either make a shaft or bolt of it,'' signifying a * determination to

the old bull's headthe knaves shall soon find with whom they have to do this day!''

``But, noble sir,'' continued the monk, persevering in his endeavours to draw attention, ``consider my vow of

``Away with this prating dotard,'' said Frontde Boeuf, ``lock him up in the chapel, to tell his beads till the

broil be over. It will be a new thing to the saints in Torquilstone to hear aves and paters; they have not been

``Blaspheme not the holy saints, Sir Reginald,'' said De Bracy, ``we shall have need of their aid today before

``I expect little aid from their hand,'' said FrontdeBoeuf, ``unless we were to hurl them from the

battlements on the heads of the villains. There is a huge lumbering Saint Christopher yonder, sufficient to

The Templar had in the meantime been looking out on the proceedings of the besiegers, with rather more

``By the faith of mine order,'' he said, ``these men approach with more touch of discipline than could have

been judged, however they come by it. See ye how dexterously they avail themselves of every cover which a

tree or bush affords, and shun exposing themselves to the shot of our crossbows? I spy neither banner nor

pennon among them, and yet will I gage my golden chain, that they are led on by some noble knight or

``I espy him,'' said De Bracy; ``I see the waving of a knight's crest, and the gleam of his armour. See yon tall

man in the black mail, who is busied marshalling the farther troop of the rascaille yeomenby Saint

Dennis, I hold him to be the same whom we called Le Noir Faineant, who overthrew thee, FrontdeBoeuf,

in the lists at Ashby.'' ``So much the better,'' said FrontdeBoeuf, ``that he comes here to give me my

revenge. Some hilding fellow he must be, who dared not stay to assert his claim to the tourney prize which

chance had assigned him. I should in vain have sought for him where knights and nobles seek their foes, and

The demonstrations of the enemy's immediate approach cut off all farther discourse. Each knight repaired to

his post, and at the head of the few followers whom they were able to muster, and who were in numbers

inadequate to defend the whole extent of the walls, they awaited with calm determination the threatened

Our history must needs retrograde for the space of a few pages, to inform the reader of certain passages

material to his understanding the rest of this important narrative. His own intelligence may indeed have easily

anticipated that, when Ivanhoe sunk down, and seemed abandoned by all the world, it was the importunity of

Rebecca which prevailed on her father to have the gallant young warrior transported from the lists to the

It would not have been difficult to have persuaded Isaac to this step in any other circumstances, for his

disposition was kind and grateful. But he had also the prejudices and scrupulous timidity of his persecuted

``Holy Abraham!'' he exclaimed, ``he is a good youth, and my heart bleeds to see the gore trickle down his

rich embroidered hacqueton, and his corslet of goodly pricebut to carry him to our house! damsel,

hast thou well considered?he is a Christian, and by our law we may not deal with the stranger and

``Speak not so, my dear father,'' replied Rebecca; ``we may not indeed mix with them in banquet and in

``I would I knew what the Rabbi Jacob Ben Tudela would opine on it,'' replied Isaac;``nevertheless, the

``Nay, let them place him in my litter,'' said Rebecca; ``I will mount one of the palfreys.''

``That were to expose thee to the gaze of those dogs of Ishmael and of Edom,'' whispered Isaac, with a

suspicious glance towards the crowd of knights and squires. But Rebecca was already busied in carrying her

charitable purpose into effect, and listed not what he said, until Isaac, seizing the sleeve of her mantle, again

exclaimed, in a hurried voice``Beard of Aaron!what if the youth perish! if he die in our custody,

shall we not be held guilty of his blood, and be torn to pieces by the multitude?''

``He will not die, my father,'' said Rebecca, gently extricating herself from the grasp of Isaac ``he will not die

unless we abandon him; and if so, we are indeed answerable for his blood to God and to man.''

``Nay,'' said Isaac, releasing his hold, ``it grieveth me as much to see the drops of his blood, as if they were so

many golden byzants from mine own purse; and I well know, that the lessons of Miriam, daughter of the

Rabbi Manasses of Byzantium whose soul is in Paradise, have made thee skilful in the art of healing, and that

thou knowest the craft of herbs, and the force of elixirs. Therefore, do as thy mind giveth theethou art a

good damsel, a blessing, and a crown, and a song of rejoicing unto me and unto my house, and unto the

The apprehensions of Isaac, however, were not ill founded; and the generous and grateful benevolence of his

daughter exposed her, on her return to Ashby, to the unhallowed gaze of Brian de BoisGuilbert. The

Templar twice passed and repassed them on the road, fixing his bold and ardent look on the beautiful Jewess;

and we have already seen the consequences of the admiration which her charms excited when accident threw

Rebecca lost no time in causing the patient to be transported to their temporary dwelling, and proceeded with

her own hands to examine and to bind up his wounds. The youngest reader of romances and romantic ballads,

must recollect how often the females, during the dark ages, as they are called, were initiated into the

mysteries of surgery, and how frequently the gallant knight submitted the wounds of his person to her cure,

But the Jews, both male and female, possessed and practised the medical science in all its branches, and the

monarchs and powerful barons of the time frequently committed themselves to the charge of some

experienced sage among this despised people, when wounded or in sickness. The aid of the Jewish physicians

was not the less eagerly sought after, though a general belief prevailed among the Christians, that the Jewish

Rabbins were deeply acquainted with the occult sciences, and particularly with the cabalistical art, which had

its name and origin in the studies of the sages of Israel. Neither did the Rabbins disown such acquaintance

with supernatural arts, which added nothing (for what could add aught?) to the hatred with which their nation

was regarded, while it diminished the contempt with which that malevolence was mingled. A Jewish

magician might be the subject of equal abhorrence with a Jewish usurer, but he could not be equally despised.

It is besides probable, considering the wonderful cures they are said to have performed, that the Jews

possessed some secrets of the healing art peculiar to themselves, and which, with the exclusive spirit arising

out of their condition, they took great care to conceal from the Christians amongst whom they dwelt.

The beautiful Rebecca had been heedfully brought up in all the knowledge proper to her nation, which her apt

and powerful mind had retained, arranged, and enlarged, in the course of a progress beyond her years, her

sex, and even the age in which she lived. Her knowledge of medicine and of the healing art had been acquired

under an aged Jewess, the daughter of one of their most celebrated doctors, who loved Rebecca as her own

child, and was believed to have communicated to her secrets, which had been left to herself by her sage father

at the same time, and under the same circumstances. The fate of Miriam had indeed been to fall a sacrifice to

Rebecca, thus endowed with knowledge as with beauty, was universally revered and admired by her own

tribe, who almost regarded her as one of those gifted women mentioned in the sacred history. Her father

himself, out of reverence for her talents, which involuntarily mingled itself with his unbounded affection,

permitted the maiden a greater liberty than was usually indulged to those of her sex by the habits of her

people, and was, as we have just seen, frequently guided by her opinion, even in preference to his own.

When Ivanhoe reached the habitation of Isaac, he was still in a state of unconsciousness, owing to the profuse

loss of blood which had taken place during his exertions in the lists. Rebecca examined the wound, and

having applied to it such vulnerary remedies as her art prescribed, informed her father that if fever could be

averted, of which the great bleeding rendered her little apprehensive, and if the healing balsam of Miriam

retained its virtue, there was nothing to fear for his guest's life, and that he might with safety travel to York

with them on the ensuing day. Isaac looked a little blank at this annunciation. His charity would willingly

have stopped short at Ashby, or at most would have left the wounded Christian to be tended in the house

where he was residing at present, with an assurance to the Hebrew to whom it belonged, that all expenses

should be duly discharged. To this, however, Rebecca opposed many reasons, of which we shall only

mention two that had peculiar weight with Isaac. The one was, that she would on no account put the phial of

precious balsam into the hands of another physician even of her own tribe, lest that valuable mystery should

be discovered; the other, that this wounded knight, Wilfred of Ivanhoe, was an intimate favourite of Richard

CoeurdeLion, and that, in case the monarch should return, Isaac, who had supplied his brother John with

treasure to prosecute his rebellious purposes, would stand in no small need of a powerful protector who

``Thou art speaking but sooth, Rebecca,'' said Isaac, giving way to these weighty arguments``it were an

offending of Heaven to betray the secrets of the blessed Miriam; for the good which Heaven giveth, is not

rashly to be squandered upon others, whether it be talents of gold and shekels of silver, or whether it be the

secret mysteries of a wise physicianassuredly they should be preserved to those to whom Providence hath

vouchsafed them. And him whom the Nazarenes of England call the Lion's Heart, assuredly it were better for

me to fall into the hands of a strong lion of Idumea than into his, if he shall have got assurance of my dealing

with his brother. Wherefore I will lend ear to thy counsel, and this youth shall journey with us unto York, and

our house shall be as a home to him until his wounds shall be healed. And if he of the Lion Heart shall return

to the land, as is now noised abroad, then shall this Wilfred of Ivanhoe be unto me as a wall of defence, when

the king's displeasure shall burn high against thy father. And if he doth not return, this Wilfred may natheless

repay us our charges when he shall gain treasure by the strength of his spear and of his sword, even as he did

yesterday and this day also. For the youth is a good youth, and keepeth the day which he appointeth, and

restoreth that which he borroweth, and succoureth the Israelite, even the child of my father's house, when he

It was not until evening was nearly closed that Ivanhoe was restored to consciousness of his situation. He

awoke from a broken slumber, under the confused impressions which are naturally attendant on the recovery

from a state of insensibility. He was unable for some time to recall exactly to memory the circumstances

which had preceded his fall in the lists, or to make out any connected chain of the events in which he had

been engaged upon the yesterday. A sense of wounds and injury, joined to great weakness and exhaustion,

was mingled with the recollection of blows dealt and received, of steeds rushing upon each other,

overthrowing and overthrownof shouts and clashing of arms, and all the heady tumult of a confused fight.

An effort to draw aside the curtain of his conch was in some degree successful, although rendered difficult by

To his great surprise he found himself in a room magnificently furnished, but having cushions instead of

chairs to rest upon, and in other respects partaking so much of Oriental costume, that he began to doubt

whether he had not, during his sleep, been transported back again to the land of Palestine. The impression

was increased, when, the tapestry being drawn aside, a female form, dressed in a rich habit, which partook

more of the Eastern taste than that of Europe, glided through the door which it concealed, and was followed

As the wounded knight was about to address this fair apparition, she imposed silence by placing her slender

finger upon her ruby lips, while the attendant, approaching him, proceeded to uncover Ivanhoe's side, and the

lovely Jewess satisfied herself that the bandage was in its place, and the wound doing well. She performed

her task with a graceful and dignified simplicity and modesty, which might, even in more civilized days, have

served to redeem it from whatever might seem repugnant to female delicacy. The idea of so young and

beautiful a person engaged in attendance on a sickbed, or in dressing the wound of one of a different sex,

was melted away and lost in that of a beneficent being contributing her effectual aid to relieve pain, and to

avert the stroke of death. Rebecca's few and brief directions were given in the Hebrew language to the old

domestic; and he, who had been frequently her assistant in similar cases, obeyed them without reply.

The accents of an unknown tongue, however harsh they might have sounded when uttered by another, had,

coming from the beautiful Rebecca, the romantic and pleasing effect which fancy ascribes to the charms

pronounced by some beneficent fairy, unintelligible, indeed, to the ear, but, from the sweetness of utterance,

and benignity of aspect, which accompanied them, touching and affecting to the heart. Without making an

attempt at further question, Ivanhoe suffered them in silence to take the measures they thought most proper

for his recovery; and it was not until those were completed, and this kind physician about to retire. that his

curiosity could no longer be suppressed.``Gentle maiden,'' be began in the Arabian tongue, with which

his Eastern travels had rendered him familiar, and which he thought most likely to be understood by the

turban'd and caftan'd damsel who stood before him``I pray you, gentle maiden, of your courtesy''

But here he was interrupted by his fair physician, a smile which she could scarce suppress dimpling for an

instant a face, whose general expression was that of contemplative melancholy. ``I am of England, Sir

Knight, and speak the English tongue, although my dress and my lineage belong to another climate.''

``Noble damsel,''again the Knight of Ivanhoe began; and again Rebecca hastened to interrupt him.

``Bestow not on me, Sir Knight,'' she said, ``the epithet of noble. It is well you should speedily know that

your handmaiden is a poor Jewess, the daughter of that Isaac of York, to whom you were so lately a good and

kind lord. It well becomes him, and those of his household, to render to you such careful tendance as your

I know not whether the fair Rowena would have been altogether satisfied with the species of emotion with

which her devoted knight had hitherto gazed on the beautiful features, and fair form, and lustrous eyes, of the

lovely Rebecca; eyes whose brilliancy was shaded, and, as it were, mellowed, by the fringe of her long silken

eyelashes, and which a minstrel would have compared to the evening star darting its rays through a bower of

jessamine. But Ivanhoe was too good a Catholic to retain the same class of feelings towards a Jewess. This

Rebecca had foreseen, and for this very purpose she had hastened to mention her father's name and lineage;

yetfor the fair and wise daughter of Isaac was not without a touch of female weaknessshe could not

but sigh internally when the glance of respectful admiration, not altogether unmixed with tenderness, with

which Ivanhoe had hitherto regarded his unknown benefactress, was exchanged at once for a manner cold,

composed, and collected, and fraught with no deeper feeling than that which expressed a grateful sense of

courtesy received from an unexpected quarter, and from one of an inferior race. It was not that Ivanhoe's

former carriage expressed more than that general devotional homage which youth always pays to beauty; yet

it was mortifying that one word should operate as a spell to remove poor Rebecca, who could not be

supposed altogether ignorant of her title to such homage, into a degraded class, to whom it could not be

But the gentleness and candour of Rebecca's nature imputed no fault to Ivanhoe for sharing in the universal

prejudices of his age and religion. On the contrary the fair Jewess, though sensible her patient now regarded

her as one of a race of reprobation, with whom it was disgraceful to hold any beyond the most necessary

intercourse, ceased not to pay the same patient and devoted attention to his safety and convalescence. She

informed him of the necessity they were under of removing to York, and of her father's resolution to transport

him thither, and tend him in his own house until his health should be restored. Ivanhoe expressed great

repugnance to this plan, which he grounded on unwillingness to give farther trouble to his benefactors.

``Was there not,'' he said, ``in Ashby, or near it, some Saxon franklin, or even some wealthy peasant, who

would endure the burden of a wounded countryman's residence with him until he should be again able to bear

his armour?Was there no convent of Saxon endowment, where he could be received?Or could he not

be transported as far as Burton, where he was sure to find hospitality with Waltheoff, the Abbot of St

``Any, the worst of these harbourages,'' said Rebecca, with a melancholy smile, ``would unquestionably be

more fitting for your residence than the abode of a despised Jew; yet, Sir Knight, unless you would dismiss

your physician, you cannot change your lodging. Our nation, as you well know, can cure wounds, though we

deal not in inflicting them; and in our own family, in particular, are secrets which have been handed down

since the days of Solomon, and of which you have already experienced the advantages. No NazareneI

crave your forgiveness, Sir Knightno Christian leech, within the four seas of Britain, could enable you to

``Within eight days, if thou wilt be patient and conformable to my directions,'' replied Rebecca.

``By Our Blessed Lady,'' said Wilfred, ``if it be not a sin to name her here, it is no time for me or any true

knight to be bedridden; and if thou accomplish thy promise, maiden, I will pay thee with my casque full of

``I will accomplish my promise,'' said Rebecca, and thou shalt bear thine armour on the eighth day from

hence, if thou will grant me but one boon in the stead of the silver thou dost promise me.''

`If it be within my power, and such as a true Christian knight may yield to one of thy people,'' replied

``Nay,'' answered Rebecca, ``I will but pray of thee to believe henceforward that a Jew may do good service

to a Christian, without desiring other guerdon than the blessing of the Great Father who made both Jew and

``It were sin to doubt it, maiden,'' replied Ivanhoe; ``and I repose myself on thy skill without further scruple

or question, well trusting you will enable me to bear my corslet on the eighth day. And now, my kind leech,

let me enquire of the news abroad. What of the noble Saxon Cedric and his household?what of the lovely

Lady'' He stopt, as if unwilling to speak Rowena's name in the house of a Jew``Of her, I mean, who

``And who was selected by you, Sir Knight, to hold that dignity, with judgment which was admired as much

The blood which Ivanhoe had lost did not prevent a flush from crossing his cheek, feeling that he had

incautiously betrayed a deep interest in Rowena by the awkward attempt he had made to conceal it.''

``It was less of her I would speak,'' said he, ``than of Prince John; and I would fain know somewhat of a

``Let me use my authority as a leech,'' answered Rebecca, ``and enjoin you to keep silence, and avoid

agitating reflections, whilst I apprize you of what you desire to know. Prince John hath broken off the

tournament, and set forward in all haste towards York, with the nobles, knights, and churchmen of his party,

after collecting such sums as they could wring, by fair means or foul, from those who are esteemed the

``Not without a blow struck in its defence,'' said Ivanhoe, raising himself upon the couch, ``if there were but

one true subject in England I will fight for Richard's title with the best of them ay, one or two, in his just

``But that you may be able to do so,'' said Rebecca touching his shoulder with her hand, ``you must now

``True, maiden,'' said Ivanhoe, ``as quiet as these disquieted times will permitAnd of Cedric and his

``His steward came but brief while since,'' said the Jewess, ``panting with haste, to ask my father for certain

monies, the price of wool the growth of Cedric's flocks, and from him I learned that Cedric and Athelstane of

Coningsburgh had left Prince John's lodging in high displeasure, and were about to set forth on their return

``The Lady Rowena,'' said Rebecca, answering the question with more precision than it had been

asked``The Lady Rowena went not to the Prince's feast, and, as the steward reported to us, she is now on

her journey back to Rotherwood, with her guardian Cedric. And touching your faithful squire Gurth''

``Ha!'' exclaimed the knight, ``knowest thou his name?But thou dost,'' he immediately added, ``and well

thou mayst, for it was from thy hand, and, as I am now convinced, from thine own generosity of spirit, that he

``Speak not of that,'' said Rebecca, blushing deeply; ``I see how easy it is for the tongue to betray what the

``But this sum of gold,'' said Ivanhoe, gravely, ``my honour is concerned in repaying it to your father.''

``Let it be as thou wilt,'' said Rebecca, ``when eight days have passed away; but think not, and speak not now,

``Be it so, kind maiden,'' said Ivanhoe; ``I were most ungrateful to dispute thy commands. But one word of

``I grieve to tell thee, Sir Knight,'' answered the Jewess, `` that he is in custody by the order of

Cedric.''And then observing the distress which her communication gave to Wilfred, she instantly added,

``But the steward Oswald said, that if nothing occurred to renew his master's displeasure against him, he was

sure that Cedric would pardon Gurth, a faithful serf, and one who stood high in favour, and who had but

committed this error out of the love which he bore to Cedric's son. And he said, moreover, that he and his

comrades, and especially Wamba the Jester, were resolved to warn Gurth to make his escape by the way, in

``Would to God they may keep their purpose!'' said Ivanhoe; ``but it seems as if I were destined to bring ruin

on whomsoever hath shown kindness to me. My king, by whom I was honoured and distinguished, thou seest

that the brother most indebted to him is raising his arms to grasp his crown;my regard hath brought

restraint and trouble on the fairest of her sex;and now my father in his mood may slay this poor

bondsman but for his love and loyal service to me!Thou seest, maiden, what an illfated wretch thou dost

labour to assist; be wise, and let me go, ere the misfortunes which track my footsteps like slothounds, shall

``Nay,'' said Rebecca, ``thy weakness and thy grief, Sir Knight, make thee miscalculate the purposes of

Heaven. Thou hast been restored to thy country when it most needed the assistance of a strong hand and a

true heart, and thou hast humbled the pride of thine enemies and those of thy king, when their horn was most

highly exalted . and for the evil which thou hast sustained, seest thou not that Heaven has raised thee a helper

and a physician, even among the most despised of the land?Therefore, be of good courage, and trust that

thou art preserved for some marvel which thine arm shall work before this people. Adieuand having

taken the medicine which I shall send thee by the hand of Reuben, compose thyself again to rest, that thou

Ivanhoe was convinced by the reasoning, and obeyed the directions, of Rebecca. The drought which Reuben

administered was of a sedative and narcotic quality, and secured the patient sound and undisturbed slumbers.

In the morning his kind physician found him entirely free from feverish symptoms, and fit to undergo the

He was deposited in the horselitter which had brought him from the lists, and every precaution taken for his

travelling with ease. In one circumstance only even the entreaties of Rebecca were unable to secure sufficient

attention to the accommodation of the wounded knight. Isaac, like the enriched traveller of Juvenal's tenth

satire, had ever the fear of robbery before his eyes, conscious that he would be alike accounted fair game by

the marauding Norman noble, and by the Saxon outlaw. He therefore journeyed at a great rate, and made

short halts, and shorter repasts, so that he passed by Cedric and Athelstane who had several hours the start of

him, but who had been delayed by their protracted feasting at the convent of Saint Withold's. Yet such was

the virtue of Miriam's balsam, or such the strength of Ivanhoe's constitution, that he did not sustain from the

In another point of view, however, the Jew's haste proved somewhat more than good speed. The rapidity with

which he insisted on travelling, bred several disputes between him and the party whom he had hired to attend

him as a guard. These men were Saxons, and not free by any means from the national love of ease and good

living which the Normans stigmatized as laziness and gluttony. Reversing Shylock's position, they had

accepted the employment in hopes of feeding upon the wealthy Jew, and were very much displeased when

they found themselves disappointed, by the rapidity with which he insisted on their proceeding. They

remonstrated also upon the risk of damage to their horses by these forced marches. Finally, there arose

betwixt Isaac and his satellites a deadly feud, concerning the quantity of wine and ale to be allowed for

consumption at each meal. And thus it happened, that when the alarm of danger approached, and that which

Isaac feared was likely to come upon him, he was deserted by the discontented mercenaries on whose

protection he had relied, without using the means necessary to secure their attachment.

In this deplorable condition the Jew, with his daughter and her wounded patient, were found by Cedric, as has

already been noticed, and soon afterwards fell into the power of De Bracy and his confederates. Little notice

was at first taken of the horselitter, and it might have remained behind but for the curiosity of De Bracy,

who looked into it under the impression that it might contain the object of his enterprise, for Rowena had not

unveiled herself. But De Bracy's astonishment was considerable, when he discovered that the litter contained

a wounded man, who, conceiving himself to have fallen into the power of Saxon outlaws, with whom his

name might be a protection for himself and his friends, frankly avowed himself to be Wilfred of Ivanhoe.

The ideas of chivalrous honour, which, amidst his wildness and levity, never utterly abandoned De Bracy,

prohibited him from doing the knight any injury in his defenceless condition, and equally interdicted his

betraying him to FrontdeBoeuf, who would have had no scruples to put to death, under any circumstances,

the rival claimant of the fief of Ivanhoe. On the other hand, to liberate a suitor preferred by the Lady Rowena,

as the events of the tournament, and indeed Wilfred's previous banishment from his father's house, had made

matter of notoriety, was a pitch far above the flight of De Bracy's generosity. A middle course betwixt good

and evil was all which he found himself capable of adopting, and he commanded two of his own squires to

keep close by the litter, and to suffer no one to approach it. If questioned, they were directed by their master

to say, that the empty litter of the Lady Rowena was employed to transport one of their comrades who had

been wounded in the scuffle. On arriving at Torquilstone, while the Knight Templar and the lord of that castle

were each intent upon their own schemes, the one on the Jew's treasure, and the other on his daughter, De

Bracy's squires conveyed Ivanhoe, still under the name of a wounded comrade, to a distant apartment. This

explanation was accordingly returned by these men to FrontdeBoeuf, when he questioned them why they

``A wounded companion!'' he replied in great wrath and astonishment. ``No wonder that churls and yeomen

wax so presumptuous as even to lay leaguer before castles, and that clowns and swineherds send defiances to

nobles, since menatarms have turned sick men's nurses, and Free Companions are grown keepers of dying

folk's curtains, when the castle is about to be assailed.To the battlements, ye loitering villains!'' he

exclaimed, raising his stentorian voice till the arches around rung again, ``to the battlements, or I will splinter

The men sulkily replied, ``that they desired nothing better than to go to the battlements, providing

FrontdeBoeuf would bear them out with their master, who had commanded them to tend the dying man.''

``The dying man, knaves!'' rejoined the Baron; ``I promise thee we shall all be dying men an we stand not to

it the more stoutly. But I will relieve the guard upon this caitiff companion of yours. Here,

Urfriedhagfiend of a Saxon witch hearest me not?tend me this bedridden fellow since he

must needs be tended, whilst these knaves use their weapons.Here be two arblasts, comrades, with

* The arblast was a crossbow, the windlace the machine * used in bending that weapon, and the quarrell, so

The men, who, like most of their description, were fond of enterprise and detested inaction, went joyfully to

the scene of danger as they were commanded, and thus the charge of Ivanhoe was transferred to Urfried, or

Ulrica. But she, whose brain was burning with remembrance of injuries and with hopes of vengeance, was

A moment of peril is often also a moment of openhearted kindness and affection. We are thrown off our

guard by the general agitation of our feelings, and betray the intensity of those, which, at more tranquil

periods, our prudence at least conceals, if it cannot altogether suppress them. In finding herself once more by

the side of Ivanhoe, Rebecca was astonished at the keen sensation of pleasure which she experienced, even at

a time when all around them both was danger, if not despair. As she felt his pulse, and enquired after his

health, there was a softness in her touch and in her accents implying a kinder interest than she would herself

have been pleased to have voluntarily expressed. Her voice faltered and her hand trembled, and it was only

the cold question of Ivanhoe, ``Is it you, gentle maiden?'' which recalled her to herself, and reminded her the

sensations which she felt were not and could not be mutual. A sigh escaped, but it was scarce audible; and the

questions which she asked the knight concerning his state of health were put in the tone of calm friendship.

Ivanhoe answered her hastily that he was, in point of health, as well, and better than he could have

``He calls me dear Rebecca,'' said the maiden to herself, ``but it is in the cold and careless tone which ill suits

the word. His warhorsehis hunting hound, are dearer to him than the despised Jewess!''

``My mind, gentle maiden,'' continued Ivanhoe, ``is more disturbed by anxiety, than my body with pain. From

the speeches of those men who were my warders just now, I learn that I am a prisoner, and, if I judge aright

of the loud hoarse voice which even now dispatched them hence on some military duty, I am in the castle of

FrontdeBoeufIf so, how will this end, or how can I protect Rowena and my father?''

``He names not the Jew or Jewess,'' said Rebecca internally; ``yet what is our portion in him, and how justly

am I punished by Heaven for letting my thoughts dwell upon him!'' She hastened after this brief

selfaccusation to give Ivanhoe what information she could; but it amounted only to this, that the Templar

BoisGuilbert, and the Baron FrontdeBoeuf, were commanders within the castle; that it was beleaguered

from without, but by whom she knew not. She added, that there was a Christian priest within the castle who

``A Christian priest!'' said the knight, joyfully; ``fetch him hither, Rebecca, if thou canstsay a sick man

desires his ghostly counselsay what thou wilt, but bring himsomething I must do or attempt, but how

Rebecca in compliance with the wishes of Ivanhoe, made that attempt to bring Cedric into the wounded

Knight's chamber, which was defeated as we have already seen by the interference of Urfried, who had also

been on the watch to intercept the supposed monk. Rebecca retired to communicate to Ivanhoe the result of

They had not much leisure to regret the failure of this source of intelligence, or to contrive by what means it

might be supplied; for the noise within the castle, occasioned by the defensive preparations which had been

considerable for some time, now increased into tenfold bustle and clamour. The heavy, yet hasty step of the

menatarms, traversed the battlements or resounded on the narrow and winding passages and stairs which

led to the various bartisans and points of defence. The voices of the knights were heard, animating their

followers, or directing means of defence, while their commands were often drowned in the clashing of

armour, or the clamorous shouts of those whom they addressed. Tremendous as these sounds were, and yet

more terrible from the awful event which they presaged, there was a sublimity mixed with them, which

Rebecca's hightoned mind could feel even in that moment of terror. Her eye kindled, although the blood fled

from her cheeks; and there was a strong mixture of fear, and of a thrilling sense of the sublime, as she

repeated, half whispering to herself, half speaking to her companion, the sacred text, ``The quiver

rattleththe glittering spear and the shieldthe noise of the captains and the shouting!''

But Ivanhoe was like the warhorse of that sublime passage, glowing with impatience at his inactivity, and

with his ardent desire to mingle in the affray of which these sounds were the introduction. ``If I could but

drag myself,'' he said, ``to yonder window, that I might see how this brave game is like to goIf I had but

bow to shoot a shaft, or battleaxe to strike were it but a single blow for our deliverance!It is in

``Fret not thyself, noble knight,'' answered Rebecca, ``the sounds have ceased of a suddenit may be they

``Thou knowest nought of it,'' said Wilfred, impatiently; ``this dead pause only shows that the men are at their

posts on the walls, and expecting an instant attack; what we have heard was but the instant muttering of the

``Thou wilt but injure thyself by the attempt, noble knight,'' replied his attendant. Observing his extreme

solicitude, she firmly added, ``I myself will stand at the lattice, and describe to you as I can what passes

``You must notyou shall not!'' exclaimed Ivanhoe; ``each lattice, each aperture, will be soon a mark for

``It shall be welcome!'' murmured Rebecca, as with firm pace she ascended two or three steps, which led to

``Rebecca, dear Rebecca!'' exclaimed Ivanhoe, ``this is no maiden's pastimedo not expose thyself to

wounds and death, and render me for ever miserable for having given the occasion; at least, cover thyself

with yonder ancient buckler, and show as little of your person at the lattice as may be.''

Following with wonderful promptitude the directions of Ivanhoe, and availing herself of the protection of the

large ancient shield, which she placed against the lower part of the window, Rebecca, with tolerable security

to herself, could witness part of what was passing without the castle, and report to Ivanhoe the preparations

which the assailants were making for the storm. Indeed the situation which she thus obtained was peculiarly

favourable for this purpose, because, being placed on an angle of the main building, Rebecca could not only

see what passed beyond the precincts of the castle, but also commanded a view of the outwork likely to be the

first object of the meditated assault. It was an exterior fortification of no great height or strength, intended to

protect the posterngate, through which Cedric had been recently dismissed by FrontdeBoeuf. The castle

moat divided this species of barbican from the rest of the fortress, so that, in case of its being taken, it was

easy to cut off the communication with the main building, by withdrawing the temporary bridge. In the

outwork was a sallyport corresponding to the postern of the castle, and the whole was surrounded by a strong

palisade. Rebecca could observe, from the number of men placed for the defence of this post, that the

besieged entertained apprehensions for its safety; and from the mustering of the assailants in a direction

nearly opposite to the outwork, it seemed no less plain that it had been selected as a vulnerable point of

These appearances she hastily communicated to Ivanhoe, and added, ``The skirts of the wood seem lined with

``A singular novelty,'' muttered the knight, ``to advance to storm such a castle without pennon or banner

``A knight, clad in sable armour, is the most conspicuous,'' said the Jewess; ``he alone is armed from head to

``Something resembling a bar of iron, and a padlock painted blue on the black shield.''*

* The author has been here upbraided with false heraldry, as * having charged metal upon metal. It should be

remembered, * however, that heraldry had only its first rude origin during the * crusades, and that all the

minutiae of its fantastic science were * the work of time, and introduced at a much later period. Those * who

think otherwise must suppose that the Goddess of Armoirers, * like the Goddess of Arms, sprung into the

world completely * equipped in all the gaudy trappings of the department she * presides over.

``A fetterlock and shacklebolt azure,'' said Ivanhoe; ``I know not who may bear the device, but well I ween it

``Scarce the device itself at this distance,'' replied Rebecca; ``but when the sun glances fair upon his shield, it

``None of mark and distinction that I can behold from this station,'' said Rebecca; ``but, doubtless, the other

side of the castle is also assailed. They appear even now preparing to advanceGod of Zion, protect

us!What a dreadful sight!Those who advance first bear huge shields and defences made of plank; the

others follow, bending their bows as they come on.They raise their bows! God of Moses, forgive the

Her description was here suddenly interrupted by the signal for assault, which was given by the blast of a

shrill bugle, and at once answered by a flourish of the Norman trumpets from the battlements, which, mingled

with the deep and hollow clang of the nakers, (a species of kettledrum,) retorted in notes of defiance the

challenge of the enemy. The shouts of both parties augmented the fearful din, the assailants crying, ``Saint

George for merry England!'' and the Normans answering them with loud cries of ``En avant De Bracy!

Beauseant! Beauseant!FrontdeBoeuf a` la rescousse!'' according to the warcries of their

It was not, however, by clamour that the contest was to be decided, and the desperate efforts of the assailants

were met by an equally vigorous defence on the part of the besieged. The archers, trained by their woodland

pastimes to the most effective use of the longbow, shot, to use the appropriate phrase of the time, so

``wholly together,'' that no point at which a defender could show the least part of his person, escaped their

clothyard shafts. By this heavy discharge, which continued as thick and sharp as hail, while,

notwithstanding, every arrow had its individual aim, and flew by scores together against each embrasure and

opening in the parapets, as well as at every window where a defender either occasionally had post, or might

be suspected to be stationed,by this sustained discharge, two or three of the garrison were slain, and

several others wounded. But, confident in their armour of proof, and in the cover which their situation

afforded, the followers of FrontdeBoeuf, and his allies, showed an obstinacy in defence proportioned to the

fury of the attack and replied with the discharge of their large crossbows, as well as with their longbows,

slings, and other missile weapons, to the close and continued shower of arrows; and, as the assailants were

necessarily but indifferently protected, did considerably more damage than they received at their hand. The

whizzing of shafts and of missiles, on both sides, was only interrupted by the shouts which arose when either

``And I must lie here like a bedridden monk,'' exclaimed Ivanhoe, ``while the game that gives me freedom or

death is played out by the hand of others!Look from the window once again, kind maiden, but beware

that you are not marked by the archers beneathLook out once more, and tell me if they yet advance to the

With patient courage, strengthened by the interval which she had employed in mental devotion, Rebecca

again took post at the lattice, sheltering herself, however, so as not to be visible from beneath.

``Nothing but the cloud of arrows flying so thick as to dazzle mine eyes, and to hide the bowmen who shoot

``That cannot endure,'' said Ivanhoe; ``if they press not right on to carry the castle by pure force of arms, the

archery may avail but little against stone walls and bulwarks. Look for the Knight of the Fetterlock, fair

Rebecca, and see how he bears himself; for as the leader is, so will his followers be.''

``Foul craven!'' exclaimed Ivanhoe; ``does he blench from the helm when the wind blows highest?''

``He blenches not! he blenches not!'' said Rebecca, ``I see him now; he leads a body of men close under the

* Every Gothic castle and city had, beyond the outerwalls, * a fortification composed of palisades, called

the barriers, which * were often the scene of severe skirmishes, as these must necessarily * be carried before

the walls themselves could be approached. * Many of those valiant feats of arms which adorn the chivalrous

They pull down the piles and palisades; they hew down the barriers with axes.His high black plume floats

abroad over the throng, like a raven over the field of the slain.They have made a breach in the

barriersthey rush inthey are thrust back! FrontdeBoeuf heads the defenders; I see his gigantic

form above the press. They throng again to the breach, and the pass is disputed hand to hand, and man to

man. God of Jacob! it is the meeting of two fierce tidesthe conflict of two oceans moved by adverse

She turned her head from the lattice, as if unable longer to endure a sight so terrible.

``Look forth again, Rebecca,'' said Ivanhoe, mistaking the cause of her retiring; ``the archery must in some

degree have ceased, since they are now fighting hand to hand.Look again, there is now less danger.''

Rebecca again looked forth, and almost immediately exclaimed, ``Holy prophets of the law! FrontdeBoeuf

and the Black Knight fight hand to hand on the breach, amid the roar of their followers, who watch the

progress of the strifeHeaven strike with the cause of the oppressed and of the captive!'' She then uttered a

``Who is down?'' cried Ivanhoe; ``for our dear Lady's sake, tell me which has fallen?''

``The Black Knight,'' answered Rebecca, faintly; then instantly again shouted with joyful eagerness ``But

nobut no!the name of the Lord of Hosts be blessed!he is on foot again, and fights as if there were

twenty men's strength in his single armHis sword is brokenhe snatches an axe from a yeomanhe

presses FrontdeBoeuf with blow on blowThe giant stoops and totters like an oak under the steel of the

``FrontdeBoeuf!'' answered the Jewess; ``his men rush to the rescue, headed by the haughty

Templartheir united force compels the champion to pauseThey drag FrontdeBoeuf within the

``They havethey have!'' exclaimed Rebecca ``and they press the besieged hard upon the outer wall;

some plant ladders, some swarm like bees, and endeavour to ascend upon the shoulders of each

otherdown go stones, beams, and trunks of trees upon their heads, and as fast as they bear the wounded to

the rear, fresh men supply their places in the assaultGreat God! hast thou given men thine own image,

``Think not of that,'' said Ivanhoe; ``this is no time for such thoughtsWho yield?who push their

``The ladders are thrown down,'' replied Rebecca, shuddering; ``the soldiers lie grovelling under them like

``Saint George strike for us!'' exclaimed the knight; ``do the false yeomen give way?''

``No!'' exclaimed Rebecca, ``they bear themselves right yeomanlythe Black Knight approaches the

postern with his huge axethe thundering blows which he deals, you may hear them above all the din and

shouts of the battleStones and beams are hailed down on the bold champion he regards them no more

``By Saint John of Acre,'' said Ivanhoe, raising himself joyfully on his couch, ``methought there was but one

``The postern gate shakes,'' continued Rebecca; ``it crashesit is splintered by his blowsthey rush

inthe outwork is wonOh, God!they hurl the defenders from the battlementsthey throw them

into the moatO men, if ye be indeed men, spare them that can resist no longer!''

``The bridgethe bridge which communicates with the castlehave they won that pass?'' exclaimed

``No,'' replied Rebecca, ``The Templar has destroyed the plank on which they crossedfew of the

defenders escaped with him into the castle the shrieks and cries which you hear tell the fate of the

othersAlas!I see it is still more difficult to look upon victory than upon battle.''

``What do they now, maiden?'' said Ivanhoe; ``look forth yet againthis is no time to faint at bloodshed.''

``It is over for the time,'' answered Rebecca; ``our friends strengthen themselves within the outwork which

they have mastered, and it affords them so good a shelter from the foemen's shot, that the garrison only

bestow a few bolts on it from interval to interval, as if rather to disquiet than effectually to injure them.''

``Our friends,'' said Wilfred, ``will surely not abandon an enterprise so gloriously begun and so happily

attained.O no! I will put my faith in the good knight whose axe hath rent heartofoak and bars of

iron.Singular,'' he again muttered to himself, ``if there be two who can do a deed of such

a field sablewhat may that mean?seest thou nought else, Rebecca, by which the Black Knight may be

``Nothing,'' said the Jewess; ``all about him is black as the wing of the night raven. Nothing can I spy that can

mark him furtherbut having once seen him put forth his strength in battle, methinks I could know him

again among a thousand warriors. He rushes to the fray as if he were summoned to a banquet. There is more

than mere strength, there seems as if the whole soul and spirit of the champion were given to every blow

which he deals upon his enemies. God assoilzie him of the sin of bloodshed!it is fearful, yet magnificent,

``Rebecca,'' said Ivanhoe, ``thou hast painted a hero; surely they rest but to refresh their force, or to provide

the means of crossing the moatUnder such a leader as thou hast spoken this knight to be, there are no

craven fears, no coldblooded delays, no yielding up a gallant emprize; since the difficulties which render it

arduous render it also glorious. I swear by the honour of my houseI vow by the name of my bright

ladylove, I would endure ten years' captivity to fight one day by that good knight's side in such a quarrel as

``Alas,'' said Rebecca, leaving her station at the window, and approaching the couch of the wounded knight,

``this impatient yearning after action this struggling with and repining at your present weakness, will not

fail to injure your returning healthHow couldst thou hope to inflict wounds on others, ere that be healed

``Rebecca,'' he replied, ``thou knowest not how impossible it is for one trained to actions of chivalry to

remain passive as a priest, or a woman, when they are acting deeds of honour around him. The love of battle

is the food upon which we live the dust of the me^le'e is the breath of our nostrils! We live notwe

wish not to livelonger than while we are victorious and renownedSuch, maiden, are the laws of

``Alas!'' said the fair Jewess, ``and what is it, valiant knight, save an offering of sacrifice to a demon of vain

glory, and a passing through the fire to Moloch?What remains to you as the prize of all the blood you

have spilledof all the travail and pain you have enduredof all the tears which your deeds have caused,

when death hath broken the strong man's spear, and overtaken the speed of his warhorse?''

``What remains?'' cried Ivanhoe; ``Glory, maiden, glory! which gilds our sepulchre and embalms our name.''

``Glory?'' continued Rebecca; ``alas, is the rusted mail which hangs as a hatchment over the champion's dim

and mouldering tombis the defaced sculpture of the inscription which the ignorant monk can hardly read

to the enquiring pilgrim are these sufficient rewards for the sacrifice of every kindly affection, for a life

spent miserably that ye may make others miserable? Or is there such virtue in the rude rhymes of a wandering

bard, that domestic love, kindly affection, peace and happiness, are so wildly bartered, to become the hero of

those ballads which vagabond minstrels sing to drunken churls over their evening ale?''

``By the soul of Hereward?'' replied the knight impatiently, ``thou speakest, maiden, of thou knowest not

what. Thou wouldst quench the pure light of chivalry, which alone distinguishes the noble from the base, the

gentle knight from the churl and the savage; which rates our life far, far beneath the pitch of our honour;

raises us victorious over pain, toil, and suffering, and teaches us to fear no, evil but disgrace. Thou art no

Christian, Rebecca; and to thee are unknown those high feelings which swell the bosom of a noble maiden

when her lover hath done some deed of emprize which sanctions his flame. Chivalry!why, maiden, she is

the nurse of pure and high affectionthe stay of the oppressed, the redresser of grievances, the curb of the

power of the tyrantNobility were but an empty name without her, and liberty finds the best protection in

``I am, indeed,'' said Rebecca, ``sprung from a race whose courage was distinguished in the defence of their

own land, but who warred not, even while yet a nation, save at the command of the Deity, or in defending

their country from oppression. The sound of the trumpet wakes Judah no longer, and her despised children

are now but the unresisting victims of hostile and military oppression. Well hast thou spoken, Sir

Knight,until the God of Jacob shall raise up for his chosen people a second Gideon, or a new Maccabeus,

The highminded maiden concluded the argument in a tone of sorrow, which deeply expressed her sense of

the degradation of her people, embittered perhaps by the idea that Ivanhoe considered her as one not entitled

to interfere in a case of honour, and incapable of entertaining or expressing sentiments of honour and

``How little he knows this bosom,'' she said, ``to imagine that cowardice or meanness of soul must needs be

its guests, because I have censured the fantastic chivalry of the Nazarenes! Would to heaven that the shedding

of mine own blood, drop by drop, could redeem the captivity of Judah! Nay, would to God it could avail to

set free my father, and this his benefactor, from the chains of the oppressor! The proud Christian should then

see whether the daughter of God's chosen people dared not to die as bravely as the vainest Nazarene maiden,

that boasts her descent from some petty chieftain of the rude and frozen north!''

``He sleeps,'' she said; ``nature exhausted by sufferance and the waste of spirits, his wearied frame embraces

the first moment of temporary relaxation to sink into slumber. Alas! is it a crime that I should look upon him,

when it may be for the last time?When yet but a short space, and those fair features will be no longer

animated by the bold and buoyant spirit which forsakes them not even in sleep!When the nostril shall be

distended, the mouth agape, the eyes fixed and bloodshot; and when the proud and noble knight may be

trodden on by the lowest caitiff of this accursed castle, yet stir not when the heel is lifted up against him!

And my father!oh, my father! evil is it with his daughter, when his grey hairs are not remembered

because of the golden locks of youth! What know I but that these evils are the messengers of Jehovah's

wrath to the unnatural child, who thinks of a stranger's captivity before a parent's? who forgets the desolation

of Judah, and looks upon the comeliness of a Gentile and a stranger? But I will tear this folly from my

She wrapped herself closely in her veil, and sat down at a distance from the couch of the wounded knight,

with her back turned towards it, fortifying, or endeavouring to fortify her mind, not only against the

impending evils from without, but also against those treacherous feelings which assailed her from within.

In corroboration of what is above stated in Note at page **, it may be observed, that the arms, which were

assumed by Godfrey of Boulogne himself, after the conquest of Jerusalem, was a cross counter patent

cantoned with four little crosses or, upon a field azure, displaying thus metal upon metal. The heralds have

tried to explain this undeniable fact in different modes but Ferne gallantly contends, that a prince of

Godfrey's qualities should not be bound by the ordinary rules. The Scottish Nisbet, and the same Ferne, insist

that the chiefs of the Crusade must have assigned to Godfrey this extraordinary and unwonted coatofarms,

in order to induce those who should behold them to make enquiries; and hence give them the name of arma

inquirenda. But with reverence to these grave authorities, it seems unlikely that the assembled princes of

Europe should have adjudged to Godfrey a coat armorial so much contrary to the general rule, if such rule

had then existed; at any rate, it proves that metal upon metal, now accounted a solecism in heraldry, was

admitted in other cases similar to that in the text. See Ferne's Blazon of Gentrie, p. 238. Edition 1586.

During the interval of quiet which followed the first success of the besiegers, while the one party was

preparing to pursue their advantage, and the other to strengthen their means of defence, the Templar and De

``Where is FrontdeBoeuf?'' said the latter, who had superintended the defence of the fortress on the other

``He lives,'' said the Templar, coolly, ``lives as yet; but had he worn the bull's head of which he bears the

name, and ten plates of iron to fence it withal, he must have gone down before yonder fatal axe. Yet a few

hours, and FrontdeBoeuf is with his fathersa powerful limb lopped off Prince John's enterprise.''

``And a brave addition to the kingdom of Satan,'' said De Bracy; ``this comes of reviling saints and angels,

and ordering images of holy things and holy men to be flung down on the heads of these rascaille yeomen.''

``Go tothou art a fool,'' said the Templar; ``thy superstition is upon a level with FrontdeBoeuf's want

``Benedicite, Sir Templar,'' replied De Bracy, ``pray you to keep better rule with your tongue when I am the

theme of it. By the Mother of Heaven, I am a better Christian man than thou and thy fellowship; for the bruit

goeth shrewdly out, that the most holy Order of the Temple of Zion nurseth not a few heretics within its

``Care not thou for such reports,'' said the Templar; ``but let us think of making good the castle. How

``Like fiends incarnate,'' said De Bracy. ``They swanned close up to the walls, headed, as I think, by the

knave who won the prize at the archery, for I knew his horn and baldric. And this is old Fitzurse's boasted

policy, encouraging these malapert knaves to rebel against us! Had I not been armed in proof, the villain had

marked me down seven times with as little remorse as if I had been a buck in season. He told every rivet on

my armour with a clothyard shaft, that rapped against my ribs with as little compunction as if my bones had

been of ironBut that I wore a shirt of Spanish mail under my platecoat, I had been fairly sped.''

``But you maintained your post?'' said the Templar. ``We lost the outwork on our part.''

``That is a shrewd loss,'' said De Bracy; ``the knaves will find cover there to assault the castle more closely,

and may, if not well watched, gain some unguarded corner of a tower, or some forgotten window, and so

break in upon us. Our numbers are too few for the defence of every point, and the men complain that they can

nowhere show themselves, but they are the mark for as many arrows as a parishbutt on a holyday even.

FrontdeBoeuf is dying too, so we shall receive no more aid from his bull's head and brutal strength. How

think you, Sir Brian, were we not better make a virtue of necessity, and compound with the rogues by

``How?'' exclaimed the Templar; ``deliver up our prisoners, and stand an object alike of ridicule and

execration, as the doughty warriors who dared by a nightattack to possess themselves of the persons of a

party of defenceless travellers, yet could not make good a strong castle against a vagabond troop of outlaws,

led by swineherds, jesters, and the very refuse of mankind?Shame on thy counsel, Maurice de

Bracy!The ruins of this castle shall bury both my body and my shame, ere I consent to such base and

``Let us to the walls, then,'' said De Bracy, carelessly; ``that man never breathed, be he Turk or Templar, who

held life at lighter rate than I do. But I trust there is no dishonour in wishing I had here some two scores of

my gallant troop of Free Companions?Oh, my brave lances! if ye knew but how hard your captain were

this day bested, how soon should I see my banner at the head of your clump of spears! And how short while

``Wish for whom thou wilt,'' said the Templar, ``but let us make what defence we can with the soldiers who

remainThey are chiefly FrontdeBoeuf's followers, hated by the English for a thousand acts of

``The better,'' said De Bracy; ``the rugged slaves will defend themselves to the last drop of their blood, ere

they encounter the revenge of the peasants without. Let us up and be doing, then, Brian de BoisGuilbert;

and, live or die, thou shalt see Maurice de Bracy bear himself this day as a gentleman of blood and lineage.''

``To the walls!'' answered the Templar; and they both ascended the battlements to do all that skill could

dictate, and manhood accomplish, in defence of the place. They readily agreed that the point of greatest

danger was that opposite to the outwork of which the assailants had possessed themselves. The castle, indeed,

was divided from that barbican by the moat, and it was impossible that the besiegers could assail the

posterndoor, with which the outwork corresponded, without surmounting that obstacle; but it was the

opinion both of the Templar and De Bracy, that the besiegers, if governed by the same policy their leader had

already displayed, would endeavour, by a formidable assault, to draw the chief part of the defenders'

observation to this point, and take measures to avail themselves of every negligence which might take place

in the defence elsewhere. To guard against such an evil, their numbers only permitted the knights to place

sentinels from space to space along the walls in communication with each other, who might give the alarm

whenever danger was threatened. Meanwhile, they agreed that De Bracy should command the defence at the

postern, and the Templar should keep with him a score of men or thereabouts as a body of reserve, ready to

hasten to any other point which might be suddenly threatened. The loss of the barbican had also this

unfortunate effect, that, notwithstanding the superior height of the castle walls, the besieged could not see

from them, with the same precision as before, the operations of the enemy; for some straggling underwood

approached so near the sallyport of the outwork, that the assailants might introduce into it whatever force

they thought proper, not only under cover, but even without the knowledge of the defenders. Utterly

uncertain, therefore, upon what point the storm was to burst, De Bracy and his companion were under the

necessity of providing against every possible contingency, and their followers, however brave, experienced

the anxious dejection of mind incident to men enclosed by enemies, who possessed the power of choosing

Meanwhile, the lord of the beleaguered and endangered castle lay upon a bed of bodily pain and mental

agony. He had not the usual resource of bigots in that superstitious period, most of whom were wont to atone

for the crimes they were guilty of by liberality to the church, stupefying by this means their terrors by the idea

of atonement and forgiveness; and although the refuge which success thus purchased, was no more like to the

peace of mind which follows on sincere repentance, than the turbid stupefaction procured by opium

resembles healthy and natural slumbers, it was still a state of mind preferable to the agonies of awakened

remorse. But among the vices of FrontdeBoeuf, a hard and griping man, avarice was predominant; and he

preferred setting church and churchmen at defiance, to purchasing from them pardon and absolution at the

price of treasure and of manors. Nor did the Templar, an infidel of another stamp, justly characterise his

associate, when he said FrontdeBoeuf could assign no cause for his unbelief and contempt for the

established faith; for the Baron would have alleged that the Church sold her wares too dear, that the spiritual

freedom which she put up to sale was only to be bought like that of the chief captain of Jerusalem, ``with a

great sum,'' and FrontdeBoeuf preferred denying the virtue of the medicine, to paying the expense of the

But the moment had now arrived when earth and all his treasures were gliding from before his eyes, and

when the savage Baron's heart, though hard as a nether millstone, became appalled as he gazed forward into

the waste darkness of futurity. The fever of his body aided the impatience and agony of his mind, and his

deathbed exhibited a mixture of the newly awakened feelings of horror, combating with the fixed and

inveterate obstinacy of his disposition; a fearful state of mind, only to be equalled in those tremendous

regions, where there are complaints without hope, remorse without repentance, a dreadful sense of present

``Where be these dogpriests now,'' growled the Baron, ``who set such price on their ghostly mummery?

where be all those unshod Carmelites, for whom old FrontdeBoeuf founded the convent of St Anne,

robbing his heir of many a fair rood of meadow, and many a fat field and closewhere be the greedy

hounds now?Swilling, I warrant me, at the ale, or playing their juggling tricks at the bedside of some

miserly churl.Me, the heir of their founderme, whom their foundation binds them to pray

formeungrateful villains as they are!they suffer to die like the houseless dog on yonder common,

unshriven and tinhouseled!Tell the Templar to come hitherhe is a priest, and may do

somethingBut no!as well confess myself to the devil as to Brian de BoisGuilbert, who recks neither

of heaven nor of hell.I have heard old men talk of prayerprayer by their own voice Such need not

``Lives Reginald FrontdeBoeuf,'' said a broken and shrill voice close by his bedside, ``to say there is that

The evil conscience and the shaken nerves of FrontdeBoeuf heard, in this strange interruption to his

soliloquy, the voice of one of those demons, who, as the superstition of the times believed, beset the beds of

dying men to distract their thoughts, and turn them from the meditations which concerned their eternal

welfare. He shuddered and drew himself together; but, instantly summoning up his wonted resolution, he

exclaimed, ``Who is there?what art thou, that darest to echo my words in a tone like that of the

``Let me behold thee then in thy bodily shape, if thou best indeed a fiend,'' replied the dying knight; ``think

not that I will blench from thee. By the eternal dungeon, could I but grapple with these horrors that hover

round me, as I have done with mortal dangers, heaven or hell should never say that I shrunk from the

``Think on thy sins, Reginald FrontdeBoeuf,'' said the almost unearthly voice, ``on rebellion, on rapine, on

murder!Who stirred up the licentious John to war against his greyheaded fatheragainst his generous

``Be thou fiend, priest, or devil,'' replied FrontdeBoeuf, ``thou liest in thy throat!Not I stirred John to

rebellionnot I alonethere were fifty knights and barons, the flower of the midland countiesbetter

men never laid lance in restAnd must I answer for the fault done by fifty?False fiend, I defy thee!

Depart, and haunt my couch no morelet me die in peace if thou be mortal if thou be a demon, thy

``In peace thou shalt =not= die,'' repeated the voice; ``even in death shalt thou think on thy murders on

the groans which this castle has echoed on the blood that is engrained in its floors!''

``Thou canst not shake me by thy petty malice,'' answered FrontdeBoeuf, with a ghastly and constrained

laugh. ``The infidel Jewit was merit with heaven to deal with him as I did, else wherefore are men

canonized who dip their hands in the blood of Saracens?The Saxon porkers, whom I have slain, they

were the foes of my country, and of my lineage, and of my liege lord.Ho! ho! thou seest there is no

``No, foul parricide!'' replied the voice; ``think of thy father!think of his death!think of his

banquetroom flooded with his gore, and that poured forth by the hand of a son!''

``Ha!'' answered the Baron, after a long pause, ``an thou knowest that, thou art indeed the author of evil, and

as omniscient as the monks call thee! That secret I deemed locked in my own breast, and in that of one

besidesthe temptress, the partaker of my guilt.Go, leave me, fiend! and seek the Saxon witch Ulrica,

who alone could tell thee what she and I alone witnessed.Go, I say, to her, who washed the wounds, and

straighted the corpse, and gave to the slain man the outward show of one parted in time and in the course of

natureGo to her, she was my temptress, the foul provoker, the more foul rewarder, of the deedlet her,

``She already tastes them,'' said Ulrica, stepping before the couch of FrontdeBoeuf; ``she hath long

drunken of this cup, and its bitterness is now sweetened to see that thou dost partake it.Grind not thy

teeth, FrontdeBoeufroll not thine eyes clench not thine hand, nor shake it at me with that gesture

of menace!The hand which, like that of thy renowned ancestor who gained thy name, could have broken

with one stroke the skull of a mountainbull, is now unnerved and powerless as mine own!''

``Vile murderous hag!'' replied FrontdeBoeuf; ``detestable screechowl! it is then thou who art come to

``Ay, Reginald FrontdeBoeuf,'' answered she, ``it is Ulrica!it is the daughter of the murdered Torquil

Wolfganger!it is the sister of his slaughtered sons!it is she who demands of thee, and of thy father's

house, father and kindred, name and fameall that she has lost by the name of FrontdeBoeuf!Think

of my wrongs, FrontdeBoeuf, and answer me if I speak not truth. Thou hast been my evil angel, and I will

``Detestable fury!'' exclaimed FrontdeBoeuf, ``that moment shalt thou never witnessHo! Giles,

Clement, and Eustace! Saint Maur, and Stephen! seize this damned witch, and hurl her from the battlements

headlongshe has betrayed us to the Saxon!Ho! Saint Maur! Clement! falsehearted, knaves, where

``Call on them again, valiant Baron,'' said the hag, with a smile of grisly mockery; ``summon thy vassals

around thee, doom them that loiter to the scourge and the dungeonBut know, mighty chief,'' she

continued, suddenly changing her tone, ``thou shalt have neither answer, nor aid, nor obedience at their

hands.Listen to these horrid sounds,'' for the din of the recommenced assault and defence now rung

fearfully loud from the battlements of the castle; ``in that warcry is the downfall of thy houseThe

bloodcemented fabric of FrontdeBoeuf's power totters to the foundation, and before the foes he most

despised!The Saxon, Reginald! the scorned Saxon assails thy walls!Why liest thou here, like a

``Gods and fiends!'' exclaimed the wounded knight; ``O, for one moment's strength, to drag myself to the

``Think not of it, valiant warrior!'' replied she; ``thou shalt die no soldier's death, but perish like the fox in his

``Hateful hag! thou liest!'' exclaimed FrontdeBoeuf; ``my followers bear them bravelymy walls are

strong and highmy comrades in arms fear not a whole host of Saxons, were they headed by Hengist and

Horsa!The warcry of the Templar and of the Free Companions rises high over the conflict! And by

mine honour, when we kindle the blazing beacon, for joy of our defence, it shall consume thee, body and

bones; and I shall live to hear thou art gone from earthly fires to those of that hell, which never sent forth an

``Hold thy belief,'' replied Ulrica, ``till the proof reach theeBut, no!'' she said, interrupting herself, ``thou

shalt know, even now, the doom, which all thy power, strength, and courage, is unable to avoid, though it is

prepared for thee by this feeble band. Markest thou the smouldering and suffocating vapour which already

eddies in sable folds through the chamber?Didst thou think it was but the darkening of thy bursting

causeRememberest thou the magazine of fuel that is stored beneath these apartments?''

``Woman!'' he exclaimed with fury, ``thou hast not set fire to it?By heaven, thou hast, and the castle is in

``They are fast rising at least,'' said Ulrica, with frightful composure; ``and a signal shall soon wave to warn

the besiegers to press hard upon those who would extinguish them.Farewell, FrontdeBoeuf! May

Mista, Skogula, and Zernebock, gods of the ancient Saxonsfiends, as the priests now call themsupply

the place of comforters at your dying bed, which Ulrica now relinquishes! But know, if it will give thee

comfort to know it, that Ulrica is bound to the same dark coast with thyself, the companion of thy punishment

as the companion of thy guilt.And now, parricide, farewell for ever!May each stone of this vaulted

So saying, she left the apartment; and FrontdeBoeuf could hear the crash of the ponderous key, as she

locked and doublelocked the door behind her, thus cutting off the most slender chance of escape. In the

extremity of agony he shouted upon his servants and allies``Stephen and Saint Maur! Clement and

Giles!I burn here unaided! To the rescueto the rescue, brave BoisGuilbert, valiant De

Bracy!It is FrontdeBoeuf who calls! It is your master, ye traitor squires!Your ally your

brother in arms, ye perjured and faithless knights!all the curses due to traitors upon your recreant heads,

do you abandon me to perish thus miserably!They hear me notthey cannot hear memy voice is

lost in the din of battle.The smoke rolls thicker and thickerthe fire has caught upon the floor

belowO, for one drought of the air of heaven, were it to be purchased by instant annihilation!'' And in the

mad frenzy of despair, the wretch now shouted with the shouts of the fighters, now muttered curses on

himself, on mankind, and on Heaven itself.``The red fire flashes through the thick smoke!'' he exclaimed;

``the demon marches against me under the banner of his own elementFoul spirit, avoid!I go not with

thee without my comradesall, all are thine, that garrison these wallsThinkest thou FrontdeBoeuf

will be singled out to go alone?Nothe infidel Templarthe licentious De BracyUlrica, the foul

murdering strumpetthe men who aided my enterprisesthe dog Saxons and accursed Jews, who are my

prisonersall, all shall attend mea goodly fellowship as ever took the downward roadHa, ha, ha!''

and he laughed in his frenzy till the vaulted roof rang again. ``Who laughed there?'' exclaimed

FrontdeBoeuf, in altered mood, for the noise of the conflict did not prevent the echoes of his own mad

laughter from returning upon his ear``who laughed there? Ulrica, was it thou?Speak, witch, and I

forgive theefor, only thou or the fiend of hell himself could have laughed at such a moment.

But it were impious to trace any farther the picture of the blasphemer and parricide's deathbed.

Cedric, although not greatly confident in Ulrica's message, omitted not to communicate her promise to the

Black Knight and Locksley. They were well pleased to find they had a friend within the place, who might, in

the moment of need, be able to facilitate their entrance, and readily agreed with the Saxon that a storm, under

whatever disadvantages, ought to be attempted, as the only means of liberating the prisoners now in the hands

``And, by the Saint Christopher at my baldric,'' said the good yeoman, ``were there no other cause than the

safety of that poor faithful knave, Wamba, I would jeopard a joint ere a hair of his head were hurt.''

``And so would I,'' said the Friar; ``what, sirs! I trust well that a foolI mean, d'ye see me, sirs, a fool that

is free of his guild and master of his craft, and can give as much relish and flavour to a cup of wine as ever a

flitch of bacon canI say, brethren, such a fool shall never want a wise clerk to pray for or fight for him at

a strait, while I can say a mass or flourish a partisan.'' And with that he made his heavy halberd to play around

``True, Holy Clerk,'' said the Black Knight, ``true as if Saint Dunstan himself had said it. And now, good

Locksley, were it not well that noble Cedric should assume the direction of this assault?''

``Not a jot I,'' returned Cedric; ``I have never been wont to study either how to take or how to hold out those

abodes of tyrannic power, which the Normans have erected in this groaning land. I will fight among the

foremost; but my honest neighbours well know I am not a trained soldier in the discipline of wars, or the

``Since it stands thus with noble Cedric,'' said Locksley, ``I am most willing to take on me the direction of the

archery; and ye shall hang me up on my own Trystingtree, an the defenders be permitted to show

themselves over the walls without being stuck with as many shafts as there are cloves in a gammon of bacon

``Well said, stout yeoman,'' answered the Black Knight; ``and if I be thought worthy to have a charge in these

matters, and can find among these brave men as many as are willing to follow a true English knight, for so I

may surely call myself, I am ready, with such skill as my experience has taught me, to lead them to the attack

The parts being thus distributed to the leaders, they commenced the first assault, of which the reader has

When the barbican was carried, the Sable Knight sent notice of the happy event to Locksley, requesting him

at the same time, to keep such a strict observation on the castle as might prevent the defenders from

combining their force for a sudden sally, and recovering the outwork which they had lost. This the knight was

chiefly desirous of avoiding, conscious that the men whom he led, being hasty and untrained volunteers,

imperfectly armed and unaccustomed to discipline, must, upon any sudden attack, fight at great disadvantage

with the veteran soldiers of the Norman knights, who were well provided with arms both defensive and

offensive; and who, to match the zeal and high spirit of the besiegers, had all the confidence which arises

The knight employed the interval in causing to be constructed a sort of floating bridge, or long raft, by means

of which he hoped to cross the moat in despite of the resistance of the enemy. This was a work of some time,

which the leaders the less regretted, as it gave Ulrica leisure to execute her plan of diversion in their favour,

When the raft was completed, the Black Knight addressed the besiegers:``It avails not waiting here

longer, my friends; the sun is descending to the westand I have that upon my hands which will not permit

me to tarry with you another day. Besides, it will be a marvel if the horsemen come not upon us from York,

unless we speedily accomplish our purpose. Wherefore, one of ye go to Locksley, and bid him commence a

discharge of arrows on the opposite side of the castle, and move forward as if about to assault it; and you, true

English hearts, stand by me, and be ready to thrust the raft endlong over the moat whenever the postern on

our side is thrown open. Follow me boldly across, and aid me to burst yon sallyport in the main wall of the

castle. As many of you as like not this service, or are but ill armed to meet it, do you man the top of the

outwork, draw your bowstrings to your ears, and mind you quell with your shot whatever shall appear to

man the rampart Noble Cedric, wilt thou take the direction of those which remain?''

``Not so, by the soul of Hereward!'' said the Saxon; ``lead I cannot; but may posterity curse me in my grave,

if I follow not with the foremost wherever thou shalt point the wayThe quarrel is mine, and well it

``Yet, bethink thee, noble Saxon,'' said the knight, ``thou hast neither hauberk, nor corslet, nor aught but that

``The better!'' answered Cedric; ``I shall be the lighter to climb these walls. And,forgive the boast, Sir

Knight,thou shalt this day see the naked breast of a Saxon as boldly presented to the battle as ever ye

``In the name of God, then,'' said the knight, ``fling open the door, and launch the floating bridge.''

The portal, which led from the innerwall of the barbican to the moat, and which corresponded with a

sallyport in the main wall of the castle, was now suddenly opened; the temporary bridge was then thrust

forward, and soon flashed in the waters, extending its length between the castle and outwork, and forming a

slippery and precarious passage for two men abreast to cross the moat. Well aware of the importance of

taking the foe by surprise, the Black Knight, closely followed by Cedric, threw himself upon the bridge, and

reached the opposite side. Here he began to thunder with his axe upon the gate of the castle, protected in part

from the shot and stones cast by the defenders by the ruins of the former drawbridge, which the Templar had

demolished in his retreat from the barbican, leaving the counterpoise still attached to the upper part of the

portal. The followers of the knight had no such shelter; two were instantly shot with crossbow bolts, and

The situation of Cedric and of the Black Knight was now truly dangerous, and would have been still more so,

but for the constancy of the archers in the barbican, who ceased not to shower their arrows upon the

battlements, distracting the attention of those by whom they were manned, and thus affording a respite to

their two chiefs from the storm of missiles which must otherwise have overwhelmed them. But their situation

``Shame on ye all!'' cried De Bracy to the soldiers around him; ``do ye call yourselves crossbowmen, and let

these two dogs keep their station under the walls of the castle?Heave over the coping stones from the

battlements, an better may not beGet pickaxe and levers, and down with that huge pinnacle!'' pointing to

At this moment the besiegers caught sight of the red flag upon the angle of the tower which Ulrica had

described to Cedric. The stout yeoman Locksley was the first who was aware of it, as he was hasting to the

``Saint George!'' he cried, ``Merry Saint George for England!To the charge, bold yeomen!why leave

ye the good knight and noble Cedric to storm the pass alone?make in, mad priest, show thou canst fight

for thy rosary,make in, brave yeomen! the castle is ours, we have friends withinSee yonder flag,

it is the appointed signalTorquilstone is ours!Think of honour, think of spoilOne effort, and the

With that he bent his good bow, and sent a shaft right through the breast of one of the menatarms, who,

under De Bracy's direction, was loosening a fragment from one of the battlements to precipitate on the heads

of Cedric and the Black Knight. A second soldier caught from the hands of the dying man the iron crow, with

which he heaved at and had loosened the stone pinnacle, when, receiving an arrow through his headpiece,

he dropped from the battlements into the moat a dead man. The menatarms were daunted, for no armour

``Do you give ground, base knaves!'' said De Bracy; ``Mount joye Saint Dennis!Give me the lever!''

And, snatching it up, he again assailed the loosened pinnacle, which was of weight enough, if thrown down,

not only to have destroyed the remnant of the drawbridge, which sheltered the two foremost assailants, but

also to have sunk the rude float of planks over which they had crossed. All saw the danger, and the boldest,

even the stout Friar himself, avoided setting foot on the raft. Thrice did Locksley bend his shaft against De

``Curse on thy Spanish steelcoat!'' said Locksley, ``had English smith forged it, these arrows had gone

through, an as if it had been silk or sendal.'' He then began to call out, ``Comrades! friends! noble Cedric!

His warning voice was unheard, for the din which the knight himself occasioned by his strokes upon the

postern would have drowned twenty wartrumpets. The faithful Gurth indeed sprung forward on the planked

bridge, to warn Cedric of his impending fate, or to share it with him. But his warning would have come too

late; the massive pinnacle already tottered, and De Bracy, who still heaved at his task, would have

``It is all in a light flame on the western side. I have striven in vain to extinguish it.''

With the stern coolness which formed the basis of his character, Brian de BoisGuilbert communicated this

hideous intelligence, which was not so calmly received by his astonished comrade.

``Saints of Paradise!'' said De Bracy; ``what is to be done? I vow to Saint Nicholas of Limoges a candlestick

``Spare thy vow,'' said the Templar, ``and mark me. Lead thy men down, as if to a sally; throw the

posterngate openThere are but two men who occupy the float, fling them into the moat, and push across

for the barbican. I will charge from the main gate, and attack the barbican on the outside; and if we can regain

that post, be assured we shall defend ourselves until we are relieved, or at least till they grant us fair quarter.''

``It is well thought upon,'' said De Bracy; ``I will play my partTemplar, thou wilt not fail me?''

``Hand and glove, I will not!'' said BoisGuilbert. ``But haste thee, in the name of God!''

De Bracy hastily drew his men together, and rushed down to the posterngate, which he caused instantly to

be thrown open. But scarce was this done ere the portentous strength of the Black Knight forced his way

inward in despite of De Bracy and his followers. Two of the foremost instantly fell, and the rest gave way

``He is the devil!'' said a veteran manatarms, bearing back from the blows of their sable antagonist.

``And if he be the devil,'' replied De Bracy, ``would you fly from him into the mouth of hell? the castle

burns behind us, villains!let despair give you courage, or let me forward! I will cope with this champion

And well and chivalrous did De Bracy that day maintain the fame he had acquired in the civil wars of that

dreadful period. The vaulted passage to which the postern gave entrance, and in which these two redoubted

champions were now fighting hand to hand, rung with the furious blows which they dealt each other, De

Bracy with his sword, the Black Knight with his ponderous axe. At length the Norman received a blow,

which, though its force was partly parried by his shield, for otherwise never more would De Bracy have again

moved limb, descended yet with such violence on his crest, that he measured his length on the paved floor.

``Yield thee, De Bracy,'' said the Black Champion, stooping over him, and holding against the bars of his

helmet the fatal poniard with which the knights dispatched their enemies, (and which was called the dagger of

mercy,)``yield thee, Maurice de Bracy, rescue or no rescue, or thou art but a dead man.''

``I will not yield,'' replied De Bracy faintly, ``to an unknown conqueror. Tell me thy name, or work thy

pleasure on meit shall never be said that Maurice de Bracy was prisoner to a nameless churl.''

``I yield me to be true prisoner, rescue or no rescue,'' answered the Norman, exchanging his tone of stern and

``Go to the barbican,'' said the victor, in a tone of authority, ``and there wait my further orders.''

``Yet first, let me say,'' said De Bracy, ``what it imports thee to know. Wilfred of Ivanhoe is wounded and a

``Wilfred of Ivanhoe!'' exclaimed the Black Knight``prisoner, and perish!The life of every man in the

``Ascend yonder winding stair,'' said De Bracy; ``it leads to his apartmentWilt thou not accept my

During this combat and the brief conversation which ensued, Cedric, at the head of a body of men, among

whom the Friar was conspicuous, had pushed across the bridge as soon as they saw the postern open, and

drove back the dispirited and despairing followers of De Bracy, of whom some asked quarter, some offered

vain resistance, and the greater part fled towards the courtyard. De Bracy himself arose from the ground,

and cast a sorrowful glance after his conqueror. ``He trusts me not!'' he repeated; ``but have I deserved his

trust?'' He then lifted his sword from the floor, took off his helmet in token of submission, and, going to the

As the fire augmented, symptoms of it became soon apparent in the chamber, where Ivanhoe was watched

and tended by the Jewess Rebecca. He had been awakened from his brief slumber by the noise of the battle;

and his attendant, who had, at his anxious desire, again placed herself at the window to watch and report to

him the fate of the attack, was for some time prevented from observing either, by the increase of the

smouldering and stifling vapour. At length the volumes of smoke which rolled into the apartmentthe cries

for water, which were heard even above the din of the battle made them sensible of the progress of this new

``The castle burns,'' said Rebecca; ``it burns! What can we do to save ourselves?''

``Fly, Rebecca, and save thine own life,'' said Ivanhoe, ``for no human aid can avail me.''

``I will not fly,'' answered Rebecca; ``we will be saved or perish togetherAnd yet, great God! my

At this moment the door of the apartment flew open, and the Templar presented himself,a ghastly figure,

for his gilded armour was broken and bloody, and the plume was partly shorn away, partly burnt from his

casque. ``I have found thee,'' said he to Rebecca; ``thou shalt prove I will keep my word to share weal and

woe with theeThere is but one path to safety, I have cut my way through fifty dangers to point it to thee

* The author has some idea that this passage is imitated from * the appearance of Philidaspes, before the

divine Mandane, when * the city of Babylon is on fire, and he proposes to carry her from * the flames. But

the theft, if there be one, would be rather too * severely punished by the penance of searching for the original

``Alone,'' answered Rebecca, ``I will not follow thee. If thou wert born of womanif thou hast but a touch

of human charity in theeif thy heart be not hard as thy breastplatesave my aged father save this

``A knight,'' answered the Templar, with his characteristic calmness, ``a knight, Rebecca, must encounter his

fate, whether it meet him in the shape of sword or flameand who recks how or where a Jew meets with

``Savage warrior,'' said Rebecca, ``rather will I perish in the flames than accept safety from thee!''

``Thou shalt not choose, Rebeccaonce didst thou foil me, but never mortal did so twice.''

So saying, he seized on the terrified maiden, who filled the air with her shrieks, and bore her out of the room

in his arms in spite of her cries, and without regarding the menaces and defiance which Ivanhoe thundered

against him. ``Hound of the Templestain to thine Orderset free the damsel! Traitor of BoisGuilbert,

``I had not found thee, Wilfred,'' said the Black Knight, who at that instant entered the apartment, ``but for

``If thou best true knight,'' said Wilfred, ``think not of mepursue yon ravishersave the Lady

And seizing upon Ivanhoe, he bore him off with as much ease as the Templar had carried off Rebecca, rushed

with him to the postern, and having there delivered his burden to the care of two yeomen, he again entered

One turret was now in bright flames, which flashed out furiously from window and shothole. But in other

parts, the great thickness of the walls and the vaulted roofs of the apartments, resisted the progress of the

flames, and there the rage of man still triumphed, as the scarce more dreadful element held mastery

elsewhere; for the besiegers pursued the defenders of the castle from chamber to chamber, and satiated in

their blood the vengeance which had long animated them against the soldiers of the tyrant FrontdeBoeuf.

Most of the garrison resisted to the uttermostfew of them asked quarternone received it. The air was

filled with groans and clashing of armsthe floors were slippery with the blood of despairing and expiring

Through this scene of confusion, Cedric rushed in quest of Rowena, while the faithful Gurth, following him

closely through the mee^le'e, neglected his own safety while he strove to avert the blows that were aimed at

his master. The noble Saxon was so fortunate as to reach his ward's apartment just as she had abandoned all

hope of safety, and, with a crucifix clasped in agony to her bosom, sat in expectation of instant death. He

committed her to the charge of Gurth, to be conducted in safety to the barbican, the road to which was now

cleared of the enemy, and not yet interrupted by the flames. This accomplished, the loyal Cedric hastened in

quest of his friend Athelstane, determined, at every risk to himself, to save that last scion of Saxon royalty.

But ere Cedric penetrated as far as the old hall in which he had himself been a prisoner, the inventive genius

When the noise of the conflict announced that it was at the hottest, the Jester began to shout, with the utmost

power of his lungs, ``Saint George and the dragon!Bonny Saint George for merry England!The castle

is won!'' And these sounds he rendered yet more fearful, by banging against each other two or three pieces of

A guard, which had been stationed in the outer, or anteroom, and whose spirits were already in a state of

alarm, took fright at Wamba's clamour, and, leaving the door open behind them, ran to tell the Templar that

foemen had entered the old hall. Meantime the prisoners found no difficulty in making their escape into the

anteroom, and from thence into the court of the castle, which was now the last scene of contest. Here sat the

fierce Templar, mounted on horseback, surrounded by several of the garrison both on horse and foot, who

had united their strength to that of this renowned leader, in order to secure the last chance of safety and retreat

which remained to them. The drawbridge had been lowered by his orders, but the passage was beset; for the

archers, who had hitherto only annoyed the castle on that side by their missiles, no sooner saw the flames

breaking out, and the bridge lowered, than they thronged to the entrance, as well to prevent the escape of the

garrison, as to secure their own share of booty ere the castle should be burnt down. On the other hand, a party

of the besiegers who had entered by the postern were now issuing out into the courtyard, and attacking with

fury the remnant of the defenders who were thus assaulted on both sides at once.

Animated, however, by despair, and supported by the example of their indomitable leader, the remaining

soldiers of the castle fought with the utmost valour; and, being wellarmed, succeeded more than once in

driving back the assailants, though much inferior in numbers. Rebecca, placed on horseback before one of the

Templar's Saracen slaves, was in the midst of the little party; and BoisGuilbert, notwithstanding the

confusion of the bloody fray, showed every attention to her safety. Repeatedly he was by her side, and,

neglecting his own defence, held before her the fence of his triangular steelplated shield; and anon starting

from his position by her, he cried his warcry, dashed forward, struck to earth the most forward of the

Athelstane, who, as the reader knows, was slothful, but not cowardly, beheld the female form whom the

Templar protected thus sedulously, and doubted not that it was Rowena whom the knight was carrying off, in

``By the soul of Saint Edward,'' he said, ``I will rescue her from yonder overproud knight, and he shall die

``Think what you do!'' cried Wamba; ``hasty hand catches frog for fishby my bauble, yonder is none of

my Lady Rowenasee but her long dark locks!Nay, an ye will not know black from white, ye may be

leader, but I will be no follower no bones of mine shall be broken unless I know for whom.And you

without armour too!Bethink you, silk bonnet never kept out steel blade. Nay, then, if wilful will to

water, wilful must drench.Deus vobiscum, most doughty Athelstane!'' he concluded, loosening the

To snatch a mace from the pavement, on which it lay beside one whose dying grasp had just relinquished

itto rush on the Templar's band, and to strike in quick succession to the right and left, levelling a warrior

at each blow, was, for Athelstane's great strength, now animated with unusual fury, but the work of a single

moment; he was soon within two yards of BoisGuilbert, whom he defied in his loudest tone.

``Turn, falsehearted Templar! let go her whom thou art unworthy to touchturn, limb of a hand of

``Dog!'' said the Templar, grinding his teeth, ``I will teach thee to blaspheme the holy Order of the Temple of

Zion;'' and with these words, halfwheeling his steed, he made a demicourbette towards the Saxon, and

rising in the stirrups, so as to take full advantage of the descent of the horse, he discharged a fearful blow

Well said Wamba, that silken bonnet keeps out no steel blade. So trenchant was the Templar's weapon, that it

shore asunder, as it had been a willow twig, the tough and plaited handle of the mace, which the illfated

Saxon reared to parry the blow, and, descending on his head, levelled him with the earth.

``Ha! Beauseant!'' exclaimed BoisGuilbert, ``thus be it to the maligners of the Templeknights!'' Taking

advantage of the dismay which was spread by the fall of Athelstane, and calling aloud, ``Those who would

save themselves, follow me!'' he pushed across the drawbridge, dispersing the archers who would have

intercepted them. He was followed by his Saracens, and some five or six menatarms, who had mounted

their horses. The Templar's retreat was rendered perilous by the numbers of arrows shot off at him and his

party; but this did not prevent him from galloping round to the barbican, of which, according to his previous

``No,'' replied De Bracy; ``I have rendered me, rescue or no rescue. I will be true prisoner. Save

thyselfthere are hawks abroadput the seas betwixt you and EnglandI dare not say more.''

``Well,'' answered the Templar, ``an thou wilt tarry there, remember I have redeemed word and glove. Be the

hawks where they will, methinks the walls of the Preceptory of Templestowe will be cover sufficient, and

Those of the castle who had not gotten to horse, still continued to fight desperately with the besiegers, after

the departure of the Templar, but rather in despair of quarter than that they entertained any hope of escape.

The fire was spreading rapidly through all parts of the castle, when Ulrica, who had first kindled it, appeared

on a turret, in the guise of one of the ancient furies, yelling forth a warsong, such as was of yore raised on

the field of battle by the scalds of the yet heathen Saxons. Her long dishevelled grey hair flew back from her

uncovered head; the inebriating delight of gratified vengeance contended in her eyes with the fire of insanity;

and she brandished the distaff which she held in her hand, as if she had been one of the Fatal Sisters, who

spin and abridge the thread of human life. Tradition has preserved some wild strophes of the barbarous hymn

The towering flames had now surmounted every obstruction, and rose to the evening skies one huge and

burning beacon, seen far and wide through the adjacent country. Tower after tower crashed down, with

blazing roof and rafter; and the combatants were driven from the courtyard. The vanquished, of whom very

few remained, scattered and escaped into the neighbouring wood. The victors, assembling in large bands,

gazed with wonder, not unmixed with fear, upon the flames, in which their own ranks and arms glanced

dusky red. The maniac figure of the Saxon Ulrica was for a long time visible on the lofty stand she had

chosen, tossing her arms abroad with wild exultation, as if she reined empress of the conflagration which she

had raised. At length, with a terrific crash, the whole turret gave way, and she perished in the flames which

had consumed her tyrant. An awful pause of horror silenced each murmur of the armed spectators, who, for

the space of several minutes, stirred not a finger, save to sign the cross. The voice of Locksley was then

heard, ``Shout, yeomen!the den of tyrants is no more! Let each bring his spoil to our chosen place of

rendezvous at the Trystingtree in the Harthillwalk; for there at break of day will we make just partition

among our own bands, together with our worthy allies in this great deed of vengeance.''

The daylight had dawned upon the glades of the oak forest. The green boughs glittered with all their pearls of

dew. The hind led her fawn from the covert of high fern to the more open walks of the greenwood, and no

huntsman was there to watch or intercept the stately hart, as he paced at the head of the antler'd herd.

The outlaws were all assembled around the Trystingtree in the Harthillwalk, where they had spent the

night in refreshing themselves after the fatigues of the siege, some with wine, some with slumber, many with

hearing and recounting the events of the day, and computing the heaps of plunder which their success had

The spoils were indeed very large; for, notwithstanding that much was consumed, a great deal of plate, rich

armour, and splendid clothing, had been secured by the exertions of the dauntless outlaws, who could be

appalled by no danger when such rewards were in view. Yet so strict were the laws of their society, that no

one ventured to appropriate any part of the booty, which was brought into one common mass, to be at the

The place of rendezvous was an aged oak; not however the same to which Locksley had conducted Gurth and

Wamba in the earlier part of the story, but one which was the centre of a silvan amphitheatre, within half a

mile of the demolished castle of Torquilstone. Here Locksley assumed his seata throne of turf erected

under the twisted branches of the huge oak, and the silvan followers were gathered around him. He assigned

to the Black Knight a seat at his right hand, and to Cedric a place upon his left.

``Pardon my freedom, noble sirs,'' he said, ``but in these glades I am monarchthey are my kingdom; and

these my wild subjects would reck but little of my power, were I, within my own dominions, to yield place to

mortal man.Now, sirs, who hath seen our chaplain? where is our curtal Friar? A mass amongst Christian

men best begins a busy morning.''No one had seen the Clerk of Copmanhurst. ``Over gods forbode!'' said

the outlaw chief, ``I trust the jolly priest hath but abidden by the winepot a thought too late. Who saw him

``I,'' quoth the Miller, ``marked him busy about the door of a cellar, swearing by each saint in the calendar he

``Now, the saints, as many as there be of them,'' said the Captain, ``forefend, lest he has drunk too deep of the

winebutts, and perished by the fall of the castle!Away, Miller!take with you enow of men, seek the

place where you last saw him throw water from the moat on the scorching ruins I will have them

The numbers who hastened to execute this duty, considering that an interesting division of spoil was about to

take place, showed how much the troop had at heart the safety of their spiritual father.

``Meanwhile, let us proceed,'' said Locksley; ``for when this bold deed shall be sounded abroad, the bands of

De Bracy, of Malvoisin, and other allies of FrontdeBoeuf, will be in motion against us, and it were well for

our safety that we retreat from the vicinity.Noble Cedric,'' he said, turning to the Saxon, ``that spoil is

divided into two portions; do thou make choice of that which best suits thee, to recompense thy people who

``Good yeoman,'' said Cedric, ``my heart is oppressed with sadness. The noble Athelstane of Coningsburgh is

no morethe last sprout of the sainted Confessor! Hopes have perished with him which can never

return!A sparkle hath been quenched by his blood, which no human breath can again rekindle! My

people, save the few who are now with me, do but tarry my presence to transport his honoured remains to

their last mansion. The Lady Rowena is desirous to return to Rotherwood, and must be escorted by a

sufficient force. I should, therefore, ere now, have left this place; and I waitednot to share the booty, for,

so help me God and Saint Withold! as neither I nor any of mine will touch the value of a liard,I waited

but to render my thanks to thee and to thy bold yeomen, for the life and honour ye have saved.''

``Nay, but,'' said the chief Outlaw, ``we did but half the work at mosttake of the spoil what may reward

``And some,'' said Wamba, ``have been wise enough to reward themselves; they do not march off

``But, thou, my poor knave,'' said Cedric, turning about and embracing his Jester, ``how shall I reward thee,

who feared not to give thy body to chains and death instead of mine!All forsook me, when the poor fool

A tear stood in the eye of the rough Thane as he spokea mark of feeling which even the death of

Athelstane had not extracted; but there was something in the halfinstinctive attachment of his clown, that

``Nay,'' said the Jester, extricating himself from master's caress, ``if you pay my service with the water of

your eye, the Jester must weep for company, and then what becomes of his vocation? But, uncle, if you

would indeed pleasure me, I pray you to pardon my playfellow Gurth, who stole a week from your service to

``Pardon him!'' exclaimed Cedric; ``I will both pardon and reward him.Kneel down, Gurth.'' The

swineherd was in an instant at his master's feet``=Theow= and =Esne=* art thou no longer,''

said Cedric touching him with a wand; ``=Folkfree= and =Sacless=* art thou in town and from

town, in the forest as in the field. A hide of land I give to thee in my steads of Walbrugham, from me and

mine to thee and thine aye and for ever; and God's malison on his head who this gainsays!''

No longer a serf, but a freeman and a landholder, Gurth sprung upon his feet, and twice bounded aloft to

almost his own height from the ground. ``A smith and a file,'' he cried, ``to do away the collar from the neck

of a freeman!Noble master! doubled is my strength by your gift, and doubly will I fight for

you!There is a free spirit in my breastI am a man changed to myself and all around.Ha, Fangs!''

he continued,for that faithful cur, seeing his master thus transported, began to jump upon him, to express

``Ay,'' said Wamba, ``Fangs and I still know thee, Gurth, though we must needs abide by the collar; it is only

``I shall forget myself indeed ere I forget thee, true comrade,'' said Gurth; ``and were freedom fit for thee,

``Nay,'' said Wamba, ``never think I envy thee, brother Gurth; the serf sits by the hallfire when the freeman

must forth to the field of battleAnd what saith Oldhelm of MalmsburyBetter a fool at a feast than a

The tramp of horses was now heard, and the Lady Rowena appeared, surrounded by several riders, and a

much stronger party of footmen, who joyfully shook their pikes and clashed their brownbills for joy of her

freedom. She herself, richly attired, and mounted on a dark chestnut palfrey, had recovered all the dignity of

her manner, and only an unwonted degree of paleness showed the sufferings she had undergone. Her lovely

brow, though sorrowful, bore on it a cast of reviving hope for the future, as well as of grateful thankfulness

for the past deliveranceShe knew that Ivanhoe was safe, and she knew that Athelstane was dead. The

former assurance filled her with the most sincere delight; and if she did not absolutely rejoice at the latter, she

might be pardoned for feeling the full advantage of being freed from further persecution on the only subject

As Rowena bent her steed towards Locksley's seat, that bold yeoman, with all his followers, rose to receive

her, as if by a general instinct of courtesy. The blood rose to her cheeks, as, courteously waving her hand, and

bending so low that her beautiful and loose tresses were for an instant mixed with the flowing mane of her

palfrey, she expressed in few but apt words her obligations and her gratitude to Locksley and her other

deliverers. ``God bless you, brave men,'' she concluded, ``God and Our Lady bless you and requite you

for gallantly perilling yourselves in the cause of the oppressed!If any of you should hunger, remember

Rowena has foodif you should thirst, she has many a butt of wine and brown aleand if the Normans

drive ye from these walks, Rowena has forests of her own, where her gallant deliverers may range at full

``Thanks, gentle lady,'' said Locksley; ``thanks from my company and myself. But, to have saved you

requites itself. We who walk the greenwood do many a wild deed, and the Lady Rowena's deliverance may

Again bowing from her palfrey, Rowena turned to depart; but pausing a moment, while Cedric, who was to

attend her, was also taking his leave, she found herself unexpectedly close by the prisoner De Bracy. He

stood under a tree in deep meditation, his arms crossed upon his breast, and Rowena was in hopes she might

pass him unobserved. He looked up, however, and, when aware of her presence, a deep flush of shame

suffused his handsome countenance. He stood a moment most irresolute; then, stepping forward, took her

``Will the Lady Rowena deign to cast an eye on a captive knighton a dishonoured soldier?''

``Sir Knight,'' answered Rowena, ``in enterprises such as yours, the real dishonour lies not in failure, but in

``Conquest, lady, should soften the heart,'' answered De Bracy; ``let me but know that the Lady Rowena

forgives the violence occasioned by an illfated passion, and she shall soon learn that De Bracy knows how

``But I can never forgive the misery and desolation your madness has occasioned,'' continued Rowena.

``Unloose your hold on the lady's rein,'' said Cedric, coming up. ``By the bright sun above us, but it were

shame, I would pin thee to the earth with my javelinbut be well assured, thou shalt smart, Maurice de

``He threatens safely who threatens a prisoner,'' said De Bracy; ``but when had a Saxon any touch of

Cedric, ere they departed, expressed his peculiar gratitude to the Black Champion, and earnestly entreated

``I know,'' he said, ``that ye errant knights desire to carry your fortunes on the point of your lance, and reck

not of land or goods; but war is a changeful mistress, and a home is sometimes desirable even to the

champion whose trade is wandering. Thou hast earned one in the halls of Rotherwood, noble knight. Cedric

has wealth enough to repair the injuries of fortune, and all he has is his deliverer'sCome, therefore, to

``Cedric has already made me rich,'' said the Knight,``he has taught me the value of Saxon virtue. To

Rotherwood will I come, brave Saxon, and that speedily; but, as now, pressing matters of moment detain me

from your halls. Peradventure when I come hither, I will ask such a boon as will put even thy generosity to

``It is granted ere spoken out,'' said Cedric, striking his ready hand into the gauntleted palm of the Black

``Gage not thy promise so lightly,'' said the Knight of the Fetterlock; ``yet well I hope to gain the boon I shall

``I have but to say,'' added the Saxon, ``that, during the funeral rites of the noble Athelstane, I shall be an

inhabitant of the halls of his castle of ConingsburghThey will be open to all who choose to partake of the

funeral banqueting; and, I speak in name of the noble Edith, mother of the fallen prince, they will never be

shut against him who laboured so bravely, though unsuccessfully, to save Athelstane from Norman chains

``Ay, ay,'' said Wamba, who had resumed his attendance on his master, ``rare feeding there will bepity

that the noble Athelstane cannot banquet at his own funeral.But he,'' continued the Jester, lifting up his

eyes gravely, ``is supping in Paradise, and doubtless does honour to the cheer.''

``Peace, and move on,'' said Cedric, his anger at this untimely jest being checked by the recollection of

Wamba's recent services. Rowena waved a graceful adieu to him of the Fetterlockthe Saxon bade God

They had scarce departed, ere a sudden procession moved from under the greenwood branches, swept slowly

round the silvan amphitheatre, and took the same direction with Rowena and her followers. The priests of a

neighbouring convent, in expectation of the ample donation, or soulscat, which Cedric had propined,

attended upon the car in which the body of Athelstane was laid, and sang hymns as it was sadly and slowly

borne on the shoulders of his vassals to his castle of Coningsburgh, to be there deposited in the grave of

Hengist, from whom the deceased derived his long descent. Many of his vassals had assembled at the news of

his death, and followed the bier with all the external marks, at least, of dejection and sorrow. Again the

outlaws arose, and paid the same rude and spontaneous homage to death, which they had so lately rendered to

beautythe slow chant and mournful step of the priests brought back to their remembrance such of their

comrades as had fallen in the yesterday's array. But such recollections dwell not long with those who lead a

life of danger and enterprise, and ere the sound of the deathhymn had died on the wind, the outlaws were

``Valiant knight,'' said Locksley to the Black Champion, ``without whose good heart and mighty arm our

enterprise must altogether have failed, will it please you to take from that mass of spoil whatever may best

``I accept the offer,'' said the Knight, ``as frankly as it is given; and I ask permission to dispose of Sir Maurice

``He is thine already,'' said Locksley, ``and well for him! else the tyrant had graced the highest bough of this

oak, with as many of his FreeCompanions as we could gather, hanging thick as acorns around him.But

``De Bracy,'' said the Knight, ``thou art free depart. He whose prisoner thou art scorns to take mean

revenge for what is past. But beware of the future, lest a worse thing befall thee.Maurice de Bracy, I say

De Bracy bowed low and in silence, and was about to withdraw, when the yeomen burst at once into a shout

of execration and derision. The proud knight instantly stopped, turned back, folded his arms, drew up his

form to its full height, and exclaimed, ``Peace, ye yelping curs! who open upon a cry which ye followed not

when the stag was at bayDe Bracy scorns your censure as he would disdain your applause. To your

brakes and caves, ye outlawed thieves! and be silent when aught knightly or noble is but spoken within a

This illtimed defiance might have procured for De Bracy a volley of arrows, but for the hasty and

imperative interference of the outlaw Chief. Meanwhile the knight caught a horse by the rein, for several

which had been taken in the stables of FrontdeBoeuf stood accoutred around, and were a valuable part of

When the bustle occasioned by this incident was somewhat composed, the chief Outlaw took from his neck

the rich horn and baldric which he had recently gained at the strife of archery near Ashby.

``Noble knight.'' he said to him of the Fetterlock, ``if you disdain not to grace by your acceptance a bugle

which an English yeoman has once worn, this I will pray you to keep as a memorial of your gallant

bearingand if ye have aught to do, and, as happeneth oft to a gallant knight, ye chance to be hard bested

in any forest between Trent and Tees, wind three mots* upon the horn thus, Wasahoa!

* The notes upon the bugle were anciently called mots, and * are distinguished in the old treatises on hunting,

He then gave breath to the bugle, and winded once and again the call which be described, until the knight had

``Gramercy for the gift, bold yeoman,'' said the Knight; ``and better help than thine and thy rangers would I

never seek, were it at my utmost need.'' And then in his turn he winded the call till all the greenwood rang.

``Well blown and clearly,'' said the yeoman; ``beshrew me an thou knowest not as much of woodcraft as of

war!thou hast been a striker of deer in thy day, I warrant.Comrades, mark these three motsit is

the call of the Knight of the Fetterlock; and he who hears it, and hastens not to serve him at his need, I will

``Long live our leader!'' shouted the yeomen, ``and long live the Black Knight of the Fetterlock! May he

Locksley now proceeded to the distribution of the spoil, which he performed with the most laudable

impartiality. A tenth part of the whole was set apart for the church, and for pious uses; a portion was next

allotted to a sort of public treasury; a part was assigned to the widows and children of those who had fallen,

or to be expended in masses for the souls of such as had left no surviving family. The rest was divided

amongst the outlaws, according to their rank and merit, and the judgment of the Chief, on all such doubtful

questions as occurred, was delivered with great shrewdness, and received with absolute submission. The

Black Knight was not a little surprised to find that men, in a state so lawless, were nevertheless among

themselves so regularly and equitably governed, and all that he observed added to his opinion of the justice

When each had taken his own proportion of the booty, and while the treasurer, accompanied by four tall

yeomen, was transporting that belonging to the state to some place of concealment or of security, the portion

``I would,'' said the leader, ``we could hear tidings of our joyous chaplainhe was never wont to be absent

when meat was to be blessed, or spoil to be parted; and it is his duty to take care of these the tithes of our

successful enterprise. It may be the office has helped to cover some of his canonical irregularities. Also, I

have a holy brother of his a prisoner at no great distance, and I would fain have the Friar to help me to deal

``I were right sorry for that,'' said the Knight of the Fetterlock, ``for I stand indebted to him for the joyous

hospitality of a merry night in his cell. Let us to the ruins of the castle; it may be we shall there learn some

While they thus spoke, a loud shout among the yeomen announced the arrival of him for whom they feared,

as they learned from the stentorian voice of the Friar himself, long before they saw his burly person.

``Make room, my merrymen!'' he exclaimed; ``room for your godly father and his prisoner Cry

welcome once more.I come, noble leader, like an eagle with my prey in my clutch.''And making his

way through the ring, amidst the laughter of all around, he appeared in majestic triumph, his huge partisan in

one hand, and in the other a halter, one end of which was fastened to the neck of the unfortunate Isaac of

York, who, bent down by sorrow and terror, was dragged on by the victorious priest, who shouted aloud,

``Where is AllanaDale, to chronicle me in a ballad, or if it were but a lay?By Saint Hermangild, the

jingling crowder is ever out of the way where there is an apt theme for exalting valour!''

``Curtal Priest,'' said the Captain, ``thou hast been at a wet mass this morning, as early as it is. In the name of

``A captive to my sword and to my lance, noble Captain,'' replied the Clerk of Copmanhurst; ``to my bow and

to my halberd, I should rather say; and yet I have redeemed him by my divinity from a worse captivity.

Speak, Jewhave I not ransomed thee from Sathanas?have I not taught thee thy credo, thy pater, and

thine Ave Maria? Did I not spend the whole night in drinking to thee, and in expounding of mysteries?''

``For the love of God!'' ejaculated the poor Jew, ``will no one take me out of the keeping of this madI

``How's this, Jew?'' said the Friar, with a menacing aspect; ``dost thou recant, Jew?Bethink thee, if thou

dost relapse into thine infidelity, though thou are not so tender as a suckling pig I would I had one to

break my fast uponthou art not too tough to be roasted! Be conformable, Isaac, and repeat the words after

``Nay, we will have no profanation, mad Priest,'' said Locksley; ``let us rather hear where you found this

prisoner of thine.'' ``By Saint Dunstan,'' said the Friar, ``I found him where I sought for better ware! I did step

into the cellarage to see what might be rescued there; for though a cup of burnt wine, with spice, be an

evening's drought for an emperor, it were waste, methought, to let so much good liquor be mulled at once;

and I had caught up one runlet of sack, and was coming to call more aid among these lazy knaves, who are

ever to seek when a good deed is to be done, when I was avised of a strong door Aha! thought I, here is

the choicest juice of all in this secret crypt; and the knave butler, being disturbed in his vocation, hath left the

key in the door In therefore I went, and found just nought besides a commodity of rusted chains and this

dog of a Jew, who presently rendered himself my prisoner, rescue or no rescue. I did but refresh myself after

the fatigue of the action, with the unbeliever, with one humming cup of sack, and was proceeding to lead

forth my captive, when, crash after crash, as with wild thunderdint and levinfire, down toppled the

masonry of an outer tower, (marry beshrew their hands that built it not the firmer!) and blocked up the

passage. The roar of one falling tower followed anotherI gave up thought of life; and deeming it a

dishonour to one of my profession to pass out of this world in company with a Jew, I heaved up my halberd

to beat his brains out; but I took pity on his grey hairs, and judged it better to lay down the partisan, and take

up my spiritual weapon for his conversion. And truly, by the blessing of Saint Dunstan, the seed has been

sown in good soil; only that, with speaking to him of mysteries through the whole night, and being in a

manner fasting, (for the few droughts of sack which I sharpened my wits with were not worth marking,) my

head is wellnigh dizzied, I trow.But I was clean exhausted.Gilbert and Wibbald know in what state

``We can bear witness,'' said Gilbert; ``for when we had cleared away the ruin, and by Saint Dunstan's help

lighted upon the dungeon stair, we found the runlet of sack half empty, the Jew half dead, and the Friar more

``Ye be knaves! ye lie!'' retorted the offended Friar; ``it was you and your gormandizing companions that

drank up the sack, and called it your morning draughtI am a pagan, an I kept it not for the Captain's own

throat. But what recks it? The Jew is converted, and understands all I have told him, very nearly, if not

altogether, as well as myself.'' ``Jew,'' said the Captain, ``is this true? hast thou renounced thine unbelief?''

``May I so find mercy in your eyes,'' said the Jew, ``as I know not one word which the reverend prelate spake

to me all this fearful night. Alas! I was so distraught with agony, and fear, and grief, that had our holy father

``Thou liest, Jew, and thou knowest thou dost.'' said the Friar; ``I will remind thee of but one word of our

``So help me the Promise, fair sirs,'' said Isaac, even more alarmed than before, ``as no such sounds ever

crossed my lips! Alas! I am an aged beggar'd manI fear me a childlesshave ruth on me, and let me

``Nay,'' said the Friar, ``if thou dost retract vows made in favour of holy Church, thou must do penance.''

Accordingly, he raised his halberd, and would have laid the staff of it lustily on the Jew's shoulders, had not

the Black Knight stopped the blow, and thereby transferred the Holy Clerk's resentment to himself.

``By Saint Thomas of Kent,'' said he, ``an I buckle to my gear, I will teach thee, sir lazy lover, to mell with

``Nay, be not wroth with me,'' said the Knight; ``thou knowest I am thy sworn friend and comrade.''

``I know no such thing,'' answered the Friar; ``and defy thee for a meddling coxcomb!''

``Nay, but,'' said the Knight, who seemed to take a pleasure in provoking his quondam host, ``hast thou

forgotten how, that for my sake (for I say nothing of the temptation of the flagon and the pasty) thou didst

``Truly, friend,'' said the Friar, clenching his huge fist, ``I will bestow a buffet on thee.''

``I accept of no such presents,'' said the Knight; ``I am content to take thy cuff* as a loan, but I will

repay thee with usury as deep as ever thy prisoner there exacted in his traffic.''

``Hola!'' cried the Captain, ``what art thou after, mad Friar? brawling beneath our Trystingtree?''

``No brawling,'' said the Knight, ``it is but a friendly interchange of courtesy.Friar, strike an thou

``Thou hast the advantage with that iron pot on thy head,'' said the churchman; ``but have at theeDown

The Friar bared his brawny arm up to the elbow, and putting his full strength to the blow, gave the Knight a

buffet that might have felled an ox. But his adversary stood firm as a rock. A loud shout was uttered by all the

yeomen around; for the Clerk's cuff was proverbial amongst them, and there were few who, in jest or earnest,

``Now, Priest,'' said, the Knight, pulling off his gauntlet, ``if I had vantage on my head, I will have none on

``Genam meam dedi vapulatoriI have given my cheek to the smiter,'' said the Priest; ``an thou canst stir

So spoke the burly Priest, assuming, on his part, high defiance. But who may resist his fate? The buffet of the

Knight was given with such strength and goodwill, that the Friar rolled head over heels upon the plain, to

the great amazement of all the spectators. But he arose neither angry nor crestfallen.

``Brother,'' said he to the Knight, ``thou shouldst have used thy strength with more discretion. I had mumbled

but a lame mass an thou hadst broken my jaw, for the piper plays ill that wants the nether chops.

Nevertheless, there is my hand, in friendly witness, that I will exchange no more cuffs with thee, having been

a loser by the barter. End now all unkindness. Let us put the Jew to ransom, since the leopard will not change

``The Priest,'' said Clement, ``is not have so confident of the Jew's conversion, since he received that buffet

``Go to, knave, what pratest thou of conversions? what, is there no respect?all masters and no

men?I tell thee, fellow, I was somewhat totty when I received the good knight's blow, or I had kept my

ground under it. But an thou gibest more of it, thou shalt learn I can give as well as take.''

``Peace all!'' said the Captain. ``And thou, Jew, think of thy ransom; thou needest not to be told that thy race

are held to be accursed in all Christian communities, and trust me that we cannot endure thy presence among

us. Think, therefore, of an offer, while I examine a prisoner of another cast.''

``None of note enough to be put to ransom,'' answered the Captain; ``a set of hilding fellows there were,

whom we dismissed to find them a new master enough had been done for revenge and profit; the bunch

of them were not worth a cardecu. The prisoner I speak of is better bootya jolly monk riding to visit his

leman, an I may judge by his horsegear and wearing apparel.Here cometh the worthy prelate, as pert as

a pyet.'' And, between two yeomen, was brought before the silvan throne of the outlaw Chief, our old friend,

The captive Abbot's features and manners exhibited a whimsical mixture of offended pride, and deranged

``Why, how now, my masters?'' said he, with a voice in which all three emotions were blended. ``What order

is this among ye? Be ye Turks or Christians, that handle a churchman?Know ye what it is, manus

imponere in servos Domini? Ye have plundered my mailstorn my cope of curious cut lace, which might

have served a cardinal! Another in my place would have been at his excommunicabo vos; but I am

placible, and if ye order forth my palfreys, release my brethren, and restore my mails, tell down with all speed

an hundred crowns to be expended in masses at the high altar of Jorvaulx Abbey, and make your vow to eat

no venison until next Pentecost, it may be you shall hear little more of this mad frolic.''

``Holy Father,'' said the chief Outlaw, ``it grieves me to think that you have met with such usage from any of

``Usage!'' echoed the priest, encouraged by the mild tone of the silvan leader; ``it were usage fit for no hound

of good racemuch less for a Christian far less for a priestand least of all for the Prior of the holy

community of Jorvaulx. Here is a profane and drunken minstrel, called AllanaDale nebulo

quidamwho has menaced me with corporal punishmentnay, with death itself, an I pay not down four

hundred crowns of ransom, to the boot of all the treasure he hath already robbed me ofgold chains and

gymmal rings to an unknown value; besides what is broken and spoiled among their rude hands, such as my

``It is impossible that AllanaDale can have thus treated a man of your reverend bearing,'' replied the

``It is true as the gospel of Saint Nicodemus,'' said the Prior; ``he swore, with many a cruel northcountry

``Did he so in very deed? Nay, then, reverend father, I think you had better comply with his demands for

* A commissary is said to have received similar consolation * from a certain Commanderinchief, to whom

he complained * that a general officer had used some such threat towards him as * that in the text.

``You do but jest with me,'' said the astounded Prior, with a forced laugh; ``and I love a good jest with all my

heart. But, ha! ha! ha! when the mirth has lasted the livelong night, it is time to be grave in the morning.''

``And I am as grave as a father confessor,'' replied the Outlaw; ``you must pay a round ransom, Sir Prior, or

your convent is likely to be called to a new election; for your place will know you no more.''

``Are ye Christians,'' said the Prior, ``and hold this language to a churchman?''

``Christians! ay, marry are we, and have divinity among us to boot,'' answered the Outlaw. ``Let our buxom

chaplain stand forth, and expound to this reverend father the texts which concern this matter.''

The Friar, halfdrunk, halfsober, had huddled a friar's frock over his green cassock, and now summoning

together whatever scraps of learning he had acquired by rote in former days, ``Holy father,'' said he, ``Deus

``What profane mummery is this?'' said the Prior. ``Friend, if thou best indeed of the church, it were a better

deed to show me how I may escape from these men's hands, than to stand ducking and grinning here like a

``Truly, reverend father,'' said the Friar, ``I know but one mode in which thou mayst escape. This is Saint

``Of church and lay,'' said the Friar; ``and therefore, Sir Prior facite vobis amicos de Mammone

iniquitatismake yourselves friends of the Mammon of unrighteousness, for no other friendship is like to

``I love a jolly woodsman at heart,'' said the Prior, softening his tone; ``come, ye must not deal too hard with

meI can well of woodcraft, and can wind a horn clear and lustily, and hollo till every oak rings

``Sir Prior,'' he said, ``thou blowest a merry note, but it may not ransom theewe cannot afford, as the

legend on a good knight's shield hath it, to set thee free for a blast. Moreover, I have found theethou art

one of those, who, with new French graces and Traliras, disturb the ancient English bugle notes.Prior,

that last flourish on the recheat hath added fifty crowns to thy ransom, for corrupting the true old manly blasts

``Well, friend,'' said the Abbot, peevishly, ``thou art ill to please with thy woodcraft. I pray thee be more

conformable in this matter of my ransom. At a wordsince I must needs, for once, hold a candle to the

devilwhat ransom am I to pay for walking on Watlingstreet, without having fifty men at my back?''

``Were it not well,'' said the Lieutenant of the gang apart to the Captain, ``that the Prior should name the

``Thou art a mad knave,'' said the Captain, ``but thy plan transcends!Here, Jew, step forth Look at

that holy Father Aymer, Prior of the rich Abbey of Jorvaulx, and tell us at what ransom we should hold

``O, assuredly,'' said Isaac. ``I have trafficked with the good fathers, and bought wheat and barley, and fruits

of the earth, and also much wool. O, it is a rich abbeystede, and they do live upon the fat, and drink the

sweet wines upon the lees, these good fathers of Jorvaulx. Ah, if an outcast like me had such a home to go to,

and such incomings by the year and by the month, I would pay much gold and silver to redeem my captivity.''

``Hound of a Jew!'' exclaimed the Prior, ``no one knows better than thy own cursed self, that our holy house

``And for the storing of your cellars in the last season with the due allowance of Gascon wine,'' interrupted

``Hear the infidel dog!'' said the churchman; he jangles as if our holy community did come under debts for

the wines we have a license to drink, propter necessitatem, et ad frigus depellendum. The circumcised villain

``All this helps nothing,'' said the leader. ``Isaac, pronounce what be may pay, without flaying both hide

``An six hundred crowns,'' said Isaac, ``the good Prior might well pay to your honoured valours, and never sit

``Six hundred crowns,'' said the leader, gravely; ``I am contentedthou hast well spoken, Isaac six

``A sentence!a sentence!'' exclaimed the band; ``Solomon had not done it better.''

``Ye are mad, my masters,'' said the Prior; ``where am I to find such a sum? If I sell the very pyx and

candlesticks on the altar at Jorvaulx, I shall scarce raise the half; and it will be necessary for that purpose that

* Borghs, or borrows, signifies pledges. Hence our word to * borrow, because we pledge ourselves to restore

``That will be but blind trust,'' said the Outlaw; ``we will retain thee, Prior, and send them to fetch thy

ransom. Thou shalt not want a cup of wine and a collop of venison the while; and if thou lovest woodcraft,

``Or, if so please you,'' said Isaac, willing to curry favour with the outlaws, ``I can send to York for the six

hundred crowns, out of certain monies in my hands, if so be that the most reverend Prior present will grant

``He shall grant thee whatever thou dost list, Isaac,'' said the Captain; ``and thou shalt lay down the

``For myself! ah, courageous sirs,'' said the Jew, ``I am a broken and impoverished man; a beggar's staff must

``The Prior shall judge of that matter,'' replied the Captain.``How say you, Father Aymer? Can the Jew

``Can he afford a ransom?'' answered the Prior ``Is he not Isaac of York, rich enough to redeem the captivity

of the ten tribes of Israel, who were led into Assyrian bondage?I have seen but little of him myself, but

our cellarer and treasurer have dealt largely with him, and report says that his house at York is so full of gold

and silver as is a shame in any Christian land. Marvel it is to all living Christian hearts that such gnawing

adders should be suffered to eat into the bowels of the state, and even of the holy church herself, with foul

``Hold, father,'' said the Jew, ``mitigate and assuage your choler. I pray of your reverence to remember that I

force my monies upon no one. But when churchman and layman, prince and prior, knight and priest, come

knocking to Isaac's door, they borrow not his shekels with these uncivil terms. It is then, Friend Isaac, will

you pleasure us in this matter, and our day shall be truly kept, so God sa' me?and Kind Isaac, if ever you

served man, show yourself a friend in this need! And when the day comes, and I ask my own, then what hear

I but Damned Jew, and The curse of Egypt on your tribe, and all that may stir up the rude and uncivil

``Prior,'' said the Captain, ``Jew though he be, he hath in this spoken well. Do thou, therefore, name his

``None but latro famosusthe interpretation whereof,'' said the Prior, ``will I give at some other time and

tidewould place a Christian prelate and an unbaptized Jew upon the same bench. But since ye require me

to put a price upon this caitiff, I tell you openly that ye will wrong yourselves if you take from him a penny

``A sentence!a sentence!'' shouted his assessors; ``the Christian has shown his good nurture, and dealt

``The God of my fathers help me!'' said the Jew; ``will ye bear to the ground an impoverished creature?I

``Thou wilt have the less to provide for, Jew, if thou art childless,'' said Aymer.

``Alas! my lord,'' said Isaac, ``your law permits you not to know how the child of our bosom is entwined with

the strings of our heartO Rebecca! laughter of my beloved Rachel! were each leaf on that tree a zecchin,

and each zecchin mine own, all that mass of wealth would I give to know whether thou art alive, and escaped

``Was not thy daughter darkhaired?'' said one of the outlaws; ``and wore she not a veil of twisted sendal,

``She did!she did!'' said the old man, trembling with eagerness, as formerly with fear. ``The blessing of

``It was she, then,'' said the yeoman, ``who was carried off by the proud Templar, when he broke through our

ranks on yestereven. I had drawn my bow to send a shaft after him, but spared him even for the sake of the

``Oh!'' answered the Jew, ``I would to God thou hadst shot, though the arrow had pierced her

bosom!Better the tomb of her fathers than the dishonourable couch of the licentious and savage Templar.

``Friends,'' said the Chief, looking round, ``the old man is but a Jew, natheless his grief touches me.Deal

uprightly with us, Isaacwill paying this ransom of a thousand crowns leave thee altogether penniless?''

Isaac, recalled to think of his worldly goods, the love of which, by dint of inveterate habit, contended even

with his parental affection, grew pale, stammered, and could not deny there might be some small surplus.

``Wellgo towhat though there be,'' said the Outlaw, ``we will not reckon with thee too closely.

Without treasure thou mayst as well hope to redeem thy child from the clutches of Sir Brian de

BoisGuilbert, as to shoot a stagroyal with a headless shaft.We will take thee at the same ransom with

Prior Aymer, or rather at one hundred crowns lower, which hundred crowns shall be mine own peculiar loss,

and not light upon this worshipful community; and so we shall avoid the heinous offence of rating a Jew

merchant as high as a Christian prelate, and thou wilt have six hundred crowns remaining to treat for thy

daughter's ransom. Templars love the glitter of silver shekels as well as the sparkle of black eyes.Hasten

to make thy crowns chink in the ear of De BoisGuilbert, ere worse comes of it. Thou wilt find him, as our

scouts have brought notice, at the next Preceptory house of his Order.Said I well, my merry mates?''

The yeomen expressed their wonted acquiescence in their leader's opinion; and Isaac, relieved of one half of

his apprehensions, by learning that his daughter lived, and might possibly be ransomed, threw himself at the

feet of the generous Outlaw, and, rubbing his beard against his buskins, sought to kiss the hem of his green

cassock. The Captain drew himself back, and extricated himself from the Jew's grasp, not without some

``Nay, beshrew thee, man, up with thee! I am English born, and love no such Eastern prostrations Kneel

``Ay, Jew,'' said Prior Aymer; ``kneel to God, as represented in the servant of his altar, and who knows, with

thy sincere repentance and due gifts to the shrine of Saint Robert, what grace thou mayst acquire for thyself

and thy daughter Rebecca? I grieve for the maiden, for she is of fair and comely countenance,I beheld her

in the lists of Ashby. Also Brian de BoisGuilbert is one with whom I may do muchbethink thee how

``Alas! alas!'' said the Jew, ``on every hand the spoilers arise against meI am given as a prey unto the

``And what else should be the lot of thy accursed race?'' answered the Prior; ``for what saith holy writ,

verbum Dominii projecterunt, et sapientia est nulla in eisthey have cast forth the word of the Lord, and

there is no wisdom in them; propterea dabo mulieres eorum exterisI will give their women to strangers,

that is to the Templar, as in the present matter; et thesauros eorum haeredibus alienis, and their treasures to

Isaac groaned deeply, and began to wring his hands, and to relapse into his state of desolation and despair.

``Advise thee well, Isaac,'' said Locksley, ``what thou wilt do in this matter; my counsel to thee is to make a

friend of this churchman. He is vain, Isaac, and he is covetous; at least he needs money to supply his

profusion. Thou canst easily gratify his greed; for think not that I am blinded by thy pretexts of poverty. I am

intimately acquainted, Isaac, with the very iron chest in which thou dost keep thy moneybagsWhat!

know I not the great stone beneath the appletree, that leads into the vaulted chamber under thy garden at

York?'' The Jew grew as pale as death``But fear nothing from me,'' continued the yeoman, ``for we are of

old acquainted. Dost thou not remember the sick yeoman whom thy fair daughter Rebecca redeemed from the

gyves at York, and kept him in thy house till his health was restored, when thou didst dismiss him recovered,

and with a piece of money?Usurer as thou art, thou didst never place coin at better interest than that poor

``And thou art he whom we called Diccon BendtheBow?'' said Isaac; ``I thought ever I knew the accent of

``I am BendtheBow,'' said the Captain, ``and Locksley, and have a good name besides all these.''

``But thou art mistaken, good BendtheBow, concerning that same vaulted apartment. So help me Heaven,

as there is nought in it but some merchandises which I will gladly part with to you one hundred yards of

Lincoln green to make doublets to thy men, and a hundred staves of Spanish yew to make bows, and a

hundred silken bowstrings, tough, round, and soundthese will I send thee for thy goodwill, honest

``Silent as a dormouse,'' said the Outlaw; ``and never trust me but I am grieved for thy daughter. But I may

not help itThe Templars lances are too strong for my archery in the open fieldthey would scatter us

like dust. Had I but known it was Rebecca when she was borne off, something might have been done; but

now thou must needs proceed by policy. Come, shall I treat for thee with the Prior?''

``In God's name, Diccon, an thou canst, aid me to recover the child of my bosom!''

``Do not thou interrupt me with thine illtimed avarice,'' said the Outlaw, ``and I will deal with him in thy

He then turned from the Jew, who followed him, however, as closely as his shadow.

``Prior Aymer,'' said the Captain, ``come apart with me under this tree. Men say thou dost love wine, and a

lady's smile, better than beseems thy Order, Sir Priest; but with that I have nought to do. I have heard, too,

thou dost love a brace of good dogs and a fleet horse, and it may well be that, loving things which are costly

to come by, thou hatest not a purse of gold. But I have never heard that thou didst love oppression or

cruelty.Now, here is Isaac willing to give thee the means of pleasure and pastime in a bag containing one

hundred marks of silver, if thy intercession with thine ally the Templar shall avail to procure the freedom of

``In safety and honour, as when taken from me,'' said the Jew, ``otherwise it is no bargain.''

``Peace, Isaac,'' said the Outlaw, ``or I give up thine interest.What say you to this my purpose, Prior

``The matter,'' quoth the Prior, ``is of a mixed condition; for, if I do a good deal on the one hand, yet, on the

other, it goeth to the vantage of a Jew, and in so much is against my conscience. Yet, if the Israelite will

advantage the Church by giving me somewhat over to the building of our dortour,*

``For a score of marks to the dortour,'' said the Outlaw,``Be still, I say, Isaac!or for a brace of silver

``Good Jewgood beastgood earthworm!'' said the yeoman, losing patience; ``an thou dost go on to

put thy filthy lucre in the balance with thy daughter's life and honour, by Heaven, I will strip thee of every

``When Isaac returns successful through your mediation,'' said the Outlaw, ``I swear by Saint Hubert, I will

see that he pays thee the money in good silver, or I will reckon with him for it in such sort, he had better have

``Well then, Jew,'' said Aymer, ``since I must needs meddle in this matter, let me have the use of thy

writingtabletsthough, holdrather than use thy pen, I would fast for twentyfour hours, and where

``If your holy scruples can dispense with using the Jew's tablets, for the pen I can find a remedy,'' said the

yeoman; and, bending his bow, he aimed his shaft at a wildgoose which was soaring over their heads, the

advancedguard of a phalanx of his tribe, which were winging their way to the distant and solitary fens of

``There, Prior,'' said the Captain, ``are quills enow to supply all the monks of Jorvaulx for the next hundred

The Prior sat down, and at great leisure indited an epistle to Brian de BoisGuilbert, and having carefully

sealed up the tablets, delivered them to the Jew, saying, ``This will be thy safeconduct to the Preceptory of

Templestowe, and, as I think, is most likely to accomplish the delivery of thy daughter, if it be well backed

with proffers of advantage and commodity at thine own hand; for, trust me well, the good Knight

``Well, Prior,'' said the Outlaw, ``I will detain thee no longer here than to give the Jew a quittance for the six

hundred crowns at which thy ransom is fixedI accept of him for my paymaster; and if I hear that ye

boggle at allowing him in his accompts the sum so paid by him, Saint Mary refuse me, an I burn not the

With a much worse grace than that wherewith he had penned the letter to BoisGuilbert, the Prior wrote an

acquittance, discharging Isaac of York of six hundred crowns, advanced to him in his need for acquittal of his

``And now,'' said Prior Aymer, ``I will pray you of restitution of my mules and palfreys, and the freedom of

the reverend brethren attending upon me, and also of the gymmal rings, jewels, and fair vestures, of which I

have been despoiled, having now satisfied you for my ransom as a true prisoner.''

``Touching your brethren, Sir Prior,'' said Locksley, ``they shall have present freedom, it were unjust to detain

them; touching your horses and mules, they shall also be restored, with such spendingmoney as may enable

you to reach York, for it were cruel to deprive you of the means of journeying. But as concerning rings,

jewels, chains, and what else, you must understand that we are men of tender consciences, and will not yield

to a venerable man like yourself, who should be dead to the vanities of this life, the strong temptation to

break the rule of his foundation, by wearing rings, chains, or other vain gauds.''

``Think what you do, my masters,'' said the Prior, ``ere you put your hand on the Church's patrimony

These things are inter res sacras, and I wot not what judgment might ensue were they to be handled by

``I will take care of that, reverend Prior,'' said the Hermit of Copmanhurst; ``for I will wear them myself.''

``Friend, or brother,'' said the Prior, in answer to this solution of his doubts, ``if thou hast really taken

religious orders, I pray thee to look how thou wilt answer to thine official for the share thou hast taken in this

``Friend Prior,'' returned the Hermit, ``you are to know that I belong to a little diocese, where I am my own

diocesan, and care as little for the Bishop of York as I do for the Abbot of Jorvaulx, the Prior, and all the

``Thou art utterly irregular,'' said the Prior; ``one of those disorderly men, who, taking on them the sacred

character without due cause, profane the holy rites, and endanger the souls of those who take counsel at their

hands; lapides pro pane condonantes iis, giving them stones instead of bread as the Vulgate hath it.''

``Nay,'' said the Friar, ``an my brainpan could have been broken by Latin, it had not held so long

together.I say, that easing a world of such misproud priests as thou art of their jewels and their

``Thou best thyself more like a thief and a heretic,'' said the Friar, equally indignant; ``I will pouch up no such

affront before my parishioners, as thou thinkest it not shame to put upon me, although I be a reverend brother

to thee. Ossa enis perfringam, I will break your bones, as the Vulgate hath it.''

``Hola!'' cried the Captain, ``come the reverend brethren to such terms?Keep thine assurance of peace,

Friar.Prior, an thou hast not made thy peace perfect with God, provoke the Friar no further. Hermit,

The yeomen separated the incensed priests, who continued to raise their voices, vituperating each other in bad

Latin, which the Prior delivered the more fluently, and the Hermit with the greater vehemence. The Prior at

length recollected himself sufficiently to be aware that he was compromising his dignity, by squabbling with

such a hedgepriest as the Outlaw's chaplain, and being joined by his attendants, rode off with considerably

less pomp, and in a much more apostolical condition, so far as worldly matters were concerned, than he had

It remained that the Jew should produce some security for the ransom which he was to pay on the Prior's

account, as well as upon his own. He gave, accordingly, an order sealed with his signet, to a brother of his

tribe at York, requiring him to pay to the bearer the sum of a thousand crowns, and to deliver certain

``My brother Sheva,'' he said, groaning deeply, ``hath the key of my warehouses.''

``No, nomay Heaven forefend!'' said Isaac; ``evil is the hour that let any one whomsoever into that

``It is safe with me,'' said the Outlaw, ``so be that this thy scroll produce the sum therein nominated and set

down.But what now, Isaac? art dead? art stupefied? hath the payment of a thousand crowns put thy

The Jew started to his feet``No, Diccon, no I will presently set forth.Farewell, thou whom I may

not call good, and dare not and will not call evil.'' Yet ere Isaac departed, the Outlaw Chief bestowed on him

this parting advice:``Be liberal of thine offers, Isaac, and spare not thy purse for thy daughter's safety.

Credit me, that the gold thou shalt spare in her cause, will hereafter give thee as much agony as if it were

Isaac acquiesced with a deep groan, and set forth on his journey, accompanied by two tall foresters, who were

The Black Knight, who had seen with no small interest these various proceedings, now took his leave of the

Outlaw in turn; nor could he avoid expressing his surprise at having witnessed so much of civil policy

amongst persons cast out from all the ordinary protection and influence of the laws.

``Good fruit, Sir Knight,'' said the yeoman, ``will sometimes grow on a sorry tree; and evil times are not

always productive of evil alone and unmixed. Amongst those who are drawn into this lawless state, there are,

doubtless, numbers who wish to exercise its license with some moderation, and some who regret, it may be,

``Sir Knight,'' said the Outlaw, ``we have each our secret. You are welcome to form your judgment of me,

and I may use my conjectures touching you, though neither of our shafts may hit the mark they are shot at.

But as I do not pray to be admitted into your mystery, be not offended that I preserve my own.''

``I crave pardon, brave Outlaw,'' said the Knight, ``your reproof is just. But it may be we shall meet hereafter

with less of concealment on either side. Meanwhile we part friends, do we not?''

``There is my hand upon it,'' said Locksley; ``and I will call it the hand of a true Englishman, though an

``And there is mine in return,'' said the Knight, ``and I hold it honoured by being clasped with yours. For he

that does good, having the unlimited power to do evil, deserves praise not only for the good which he

performs, but for the evil which he forbears. Fare thee well, gallant Outlaw!'' Thus parted that fair fellowship;

and He of the Fetterlock, mounting upon his strong warhorse, rode off through the forest.

There was brave feasting in the Castle of York, to which Prince John had invited those nobles, prelates, and

leaders, by whose assistance he hoped to carry through his ambitious projects upon his brother's throne.

Waldemar Fitzurse, his able and politic agent, was at secret work among them, tempering all to that pitch of

courage which was necessary in making an open declaration of their purpose. But their enterprise was

delayed by the absence of more than one main limb of the confederacy. The stubborn and daring, though

brutal courage of FrontdeBoeuf; the buoyant spirits and bold bearing of De Bracy; the sagacity, martial

experience, and renowned valour of Brian de BoisGuilbert, were important to the success of their

conspiracy; and, while cursing in secret their unnecessary and unmeaning absence, neither John nor his

adviser dared to proceed without them. Isaac the Jew also seemed to have vanished, and with him the hope of

certain sums of money, making up the subsidy for which Prince John had contracted with that Israelite and

his brethren. This deficiency was likely to prove perilous in an emergency so critical.

It was on the morning after the fall of Torquilstone, that a confused report began to spread abroad in the city

of York, that De Bracy and BoisGuilbert, with their confederate FrontdeBoeuf, had been taken or slain.

Waldemar brought the rumour to Prince John, announcing, that he feared its truth the more that they had set

out with a small attendance, for the purpose of committing an assault on the Saxon Cedric and his attendants.

At another time the Prince would have treated this deed of violence as a good jest; but now, that it interfered

with and impeded his own plans, he exclaimed against the perpetrators, and spoke of the broken laws, and the

infringement of public order and of private property, in a tone which might have become King Alfred.

``The unprincipled marauders,'' he said``were I ever to become monarch of England, I would hang such

``But to become monarch of England,'' said his Ahithophel coolly, ``it is necessary not only that your Grace

should endure the transgressions of these unprincipled marauders, but that you should afford them your

protection, notwithstanding your laudable zeal for the laws they are in the habit of infringing. We shall be

finely helped, if the churl Saxons should have realized your Grace's vision, of converting feudal drawbridges

into gibbets; and yonder boldspirited Cedric seemeth one to whom such an imagination might occur. Your

Grace is well aware, it will be dangerous to stir without FrontdeBoeuf, De Bracy, and the Templar; and yet

Prince John struck his forehead with impatience, and then began to stride up and down the apartment.

``The villains,'' he said, ``the base treacherous villains, to desert me at this pinch!''

``Nay, say rather the featherpated giddy madmen,'' said Waldemar, ``who must be toying with follies when

``I know nothing which can be done,'' answered his counsellor, ``save that which I have already taken order

for.I came not to bewail this evil chance with your Grace, until I had done my best to remedy it.''

``Thou art ever my better angel, Waldemar,'' said the Prince; ``and when I have such a chancellor to advise

withal, the reign of John will be renowned in our annals.What hast thou commanded?''

``I have ordered Louis Winkelbrand, De Bracy's lieutenant, to cause his trumpet sound to horse, and to

display his banner, and to set presently forth towards the castle of FrontdeBoeuf, to do what yet may be

Prince John's face flushed with the pride of a spoilt child, who has undergone what it conceives to be an

insult. ``By the face of God!'' he said, ``Waldemar Fitzurse, much hast thou taken upon thee! and over

malapert thou wert to cause trumpet to blow, or banner to be raised, in a town where ourselves were in

``I crave your Grace's pardon,'' said Fitzurse, internally cursing the idle vanity of his patron; ``but when time

pressed, and even the loss of minutes might be fatal, I judged it best to take this much burden upon me, in a

``Thou art pardoned, Fitzurse,'' said the prince, gravely; ``thy purpose hath atoned for thy hasty

rashness.But whom have we here?De Bracy himself, by the rood!and in strange guise doth he

It was indeed De Bracy``bloody with spurring, fiery red with speed.'' His armour bore all the marks of the

late obstinate fray, being broken, defaced, and stained with blood in many places, and covered with clay and

dust from the crest to the spur. Undoing his helmet, he placed it on the table, and stood a moment as if to

``De Bracy,'' said Prince John, ``what means this?Speak, I charge thee!Are the Saxons in rebellion?''

``Speak, De Bracy,'' said Fitzurse, almost in the same moment with his master, ``thou wert wont to be a

``The Templar is fled,'' said De Bracy; ``FrontdeBoeuf you will never see more. He has found a red grave

among the blazing rafters of his own castle and I alone am escaped to tell you.''

``Cold news,'' said Waldemar, ``to us, though you speak of fire and conflagration.''

``The worst news is not yet said,'' answered De Bracy; and, coming up to Prince John, he uttered in a low and

Prince John turned pale, tottered, and caught at the back of an oaken bench to support himself much like

``It is as true as truth itself,'' said De Bracy; ``I was his prisoner, and spoke with him.''

``With Richard Plantagenet,'' replied De Bracy, with Richard CoeurdeLionwith Richard of England.''

``And thou wert his prisoner?'' said Waldemar; ``he is then at the head of a power?''

``Noonly a few outlawed yeomen were around him, and to these his person is unknown. I heard him say

he was about to depart from them. He joined them only to assist at the storming of Torquilstone.''

``Ay,'' said Fitzurse, ``such is indeed the fashion of Richarda true knighterrant he, and will wander in

wild adventure, trusting the prowess of his single arm, like any Sir Guy or Sir Bevis, while the weighty

affairs of his kingdom slumber, and his own safety is endangered.What dost thou propose to do De

``I?I offered Richard the service of my Free Lances, and he refused themI will lead them to Hull,

seize on shipping, and embark for Flanders; thanks to the bustling times, a man of action will always find

employment. And thou, Waldemar, wilt thou take lance and shield, and lay down thy policies, and wend

``Give her to me, Fitzurse, and I will maintain her as fits her rank, with the help of lance and stirrup,'' said De

``Not so,'' answered Fitzurse; ``I will take sanctuary in this church of Saint Peterthe Archbishop is my

During this discourse, Prince John had gradually awakened from the stupor into which he had been thrown by

the unexpected intelligence, and had been attentive to the conversation which passed betwixt his followers.

``They fall off from me,'' he said to himself, ``they hold no more by me than a withered leaf by the bough

when a breeze blows on it?Hell and fiends! can I shape no means for myself when I am deserted by these

cravens?'' He paused, and there was an expression of diabolical passion in the constrained laugh with

``Ha, ha, ha! my good lords, by the light of Our Lady's brow, I held ye sage men, bold men, readywitted

men; yet ye throw down wealth, honour, pleasure, all that our noble game promised you, at the moment it

``I understand you not,'' said De Bracy. ``As soon as Richard's return is blown abroad, he will be at the head

of an army, and all is then over with us. I would counsel you, my lord, either to fly to France or take the

``I seek no safety for myself,'' said Prince John, haughtily; ``that I could secure by a word spoken to my

brother. But although you, De Bracy, and you, Waldemar Fitzurse, are so ready to abandon me, I should not

greatly delight to see your heads blackening on Clifford's gate yonder. Thinkest thou, Waldemar, that the

wily Archbishop will not suffer thee to be taken from the very horns of the altar, would it make his peace

with King Richard? And forgettest thou, De Bracy, that Robert Estoteville lies betwixt thee and Hull with all

his forces, and that the Earl of Essex is gathering his followers? If we had reason to fear these levies even

before Richard's return, trowest thou there is any doubt now which party their leaders will take? Trust me,

Estoteville alone has strength enough to drive all thy Free Lances into the Humber.'' Waldemar Fitzurse

and De Bracy looked in each other's faces with blank dismay.``There is but one road to safety,'' continued

the Prince, and his brow grew black as midnight; ``this object of our terror journeys aloneHe must be met

``Not by me,'' said De Bracy, hastily; ``I was his prisoner, and he took me to mercy. I will not harm a feather

``Who spoke of harming him?'' said Prince John, with a hardened laugh; ``the knave will say next that I

meant he should slay him!No a prison were better; and whether in Britain or Austria, what matters

it?Things will be but as they were when we commenced our enterprise It was founded on the hope

that Richard would remain a captive in GermanyOur uncle Robert lived and died in the castle of

``Ay, but,'' said Waldemar, ``your sire Henry sate more firm in his seat than your Grace can. I say the best

prison is that which is made by the sextonno dungeon like a churchvault! I have said my say.''

``Counsel was never bewrayed by me,'' said De Bracy, haughtily, ``nor must the name of villain be coupled

``Peace, Sir Knight!'' said Waldemar; ``and you, good my lord, forgive the scruples of valiant De Bracy; I

``Why, good Sir Maurice,'' rejoined the wily politician, ``start not aside like a scared steed, without, at least,

considering the object of your terror. This Richardbut a day since, and it would have been thy dearest

wish to have met him hand to hand in the ranks of battlea hundred times I have heard thee wish it.''

``Ay,'' said De Bracy, ``but that was as thou sayest, hand to hand, and in the ranks of battle! Thou never

``Thou art no good knight if thou dost scruple at it,'' said Waldemar. ``Was it in battle that Lancelot de Lac

and Sir Tristram won renown? or was it not by encountering gigantic knights under the shade of deep and

``Ay, but I promise you,'' said De Bracy, ``that neither Tristram nor Lancelot would have been match, hand to

hand, for Richard Plantagenet, and I think it was not their wont to take odds against a single man.''

``Thou art mad, De Bracywhat is it we propose to thee, a hired and retained captain of Free Companions,

whose swords are purchased for Prince John's service? Thou art apprized of our enemy, and then thou

scruplest, though thy patron's fortunes, those of thy comrades, thine own, and the life and honour of every

``I tell you,'' said De Bracy, sullenly, ``that he gave me my life. True, he sent me from his presence, and

refused my homageso far I owe him neither favour nor allegiancebut I will not lift hand against him.''

``Ye have sufficient ruffians of your own,'' said De Bracy; ``not one of mine shall budge on such an errand.''

``Art thou so obstinate, De Bracy?'' said Prince John; ``and wilt thou forsake me, after so many protestations

``I mean it not,'' said De Bracy; ``I will abide by you in aught that becomes a knight, whether in the lists or in

``Come hither, Waldemar,'' said Prince John. ``An unhappy prince am I. My father, King Henry, had faithful

servantsHe had but to say that he was plagued with a factious priest, and the blood of ThomasaBecket,

saint though he was, stained the steps of his own altar.Tracy, Morville, Brito * loyal and daring subjects,

* Reginald Fitzurse, William de Tracy, Hugh de Morville, * and Richard Brito, were the gentlemen of Henry

the Second's * household, who, instigated by some passionate expressions of * their sovereign, slew the

spirit, are extinct! and although Reginald Fitzurse hath left a son, he hath fallen off from his father's fidelity

``He has fallen off from neither,'' said Waldemar Fitzurse; ``and since it may not better be, I will take on me

the conduct of this perilous enterprise. Dearly, however, did my father purchase the praise of a zealous friend;

and yet did his proof of loyalty to Henry fall far short of what I am about to afford; for rather would I assail a

whole calendar of saints, than put spear in rest against CoeurdeLion. De Bracy, to thee I must trust to

keep up the spirits of the doubtful, and to guard Prince John's person. If you receive such news as I trust to

send you, our enterprise will no longer wear a doubtful aspect.Page,'' he said, ``hie to my lodgings, and

tell my armourer to be there in readiness; and bid Stephen Wetheral, Broad Thoresby, and the Three Spears

of Spyinghow, come to me instantly; and let the scoutmaster, Hugh Bardon, attend me also.Adieu, my

Prince, till better times.'' Thus speaking, he left the apartment. ``He goes to make my brother prisoner,'' said

Prince John to De Bracy, ``with as little touch of compunction, as if it but concerned the liberty of a Saxon

franklin. I trust he will observe our orders, and use our dear Richard's person with all due respect.''

``By the light of Our Lady's brow,'' said Prince John, ``our orders to him were most precise though it may

be you heard them not, as we stood together in the oriel windowMost clear and positive was our charge

that Richard's safety should be cared for, and woe to Waldemar's head if he transgress it!''

``I had better pass to his lodgings,'' said De Bracy, ``and make him fully aware of your Grace's pleasure; for,

as it quite escaped my ear, it may not perchance have reached that of Waldemar.''

``Nay, nay,'' said Prince John, impatiently, ``I promise thee he heard me; and, besides, I have farther

They walked a turn through the hall in this familiar posture, and Prince John, with an air of the most

confidential intimacy, proceeded to say, ``What thinkest thou of this Waldemar Fitzurse, my De

Bracy?He trusts to be our Chancellor. Surely we will pause ere we give an office so high to one who

shows evidently how little he reverences our blood, by his so readily undertaking this enterprise against

Richard. Thou dost think, I warrant, that thou hast lost somewhat of our regard, by thy boldly declining this

unpleasing taskBut no, Maurice! I rather honour thee for thy virtuous constancy. There are things most

necessary to be done, the perpetrator of which we neither love nor honour; and there may be refusals to serve

us, which shall rather exalt in our estimation those who deny our request. The arrest of my unfortunate

brother forms no such good title to the high office of Chancellor, as thy chivalrous and courageous denial

establishes in thee to the truncheon of High Marshal. Think of this, De Bracy, and begone to thy charge.''

``Fickle tyrant!'' muttered De Bracy, as he left the presence of the Prince; ``evil luck have they who trust thee.

Thy Chancellor, indeed!He who hath the keeping of thy conscience shall have an easy charge, I trow. But

High Marshal of England! that,'' he said, extending his arm, as if to grasp the baton of office, and assuming a

loftier stride along the antechamber, ``that is indeed a prize worth playing for!''

De Bracy had no sooner left the apartment than Prince John summoned an attendant.

``Bid Hugh Bardon, our scoutmaster, come hither, as soon as he shall have spoken with Waldemar

The scoutmaster arrived after a brief delay, during which John traversed the apartment with, unequal and

``Two resolute men, well acquainted with these northern wilds, and skilful in tracking the tread of man and

``Let your grace never trust me else,'' answered the master of the spies. ``One is from Hexamshire; he is wont

to trace the Tynedale and Teviotdale thieves, as a bloodhound follows the slot of a hurt deer. The other is

Yorkshire bred, and has twanged his bowstring right oft in merry Sherwood; he knows each glade and dingle,

``Broad Thoresby goes with him, and Wetheral, whom they call, for his cruelty, Stephen Steelheart; and

three northern menatarms that belonged to Ralph Middleton's gangthey are called the Spears of

``'Tis well,'' said Prince John; then added, after a moment's pause, ``Bardon, it imports our service that thou

keep a strict watch on Maurice De Bracy so that he shall not observe it, howeverAnd let us know of

his motions from time to time with whom he converses, what he proposeth. Fail not in this, as thou wilt

``If Maurice betrays me,'' said Prince John ``if he betrays me, as his bearing leads me to fear, I will have

Our tale now returns to Isaac of York.Mounted upon a mule, the gift of the Outlaw, with two tall yeomen

to act as his guard and guides, the Jew had set out for the Preceptory of Templestowe, for the purpose of

negotiating his daughter's redemption. The Preceptory was but a day's journey from the demolished castle of

Torquilstone, and the Jew had hoped to reach it before nightfall; accordingly, having dismissed his guides at

the verge of the forest, and rewarded them with a piece of silver, he began to press on with such speed as his

weariness permitted him to exert. But his strength failed him totally ere he had reached within four miles of

the TempleCourt; racking pains shot along his back and through his limbs, and the excessive anguish which

he felt at heart being now augmented by bodily suffering, he was rendered altogether incapable of proceeding

farther than a small markettown, were dwelt a Jewish Rabbi of his tribe, eminent in the medical profession,

and to whom Isaac was well known. Nathan Ben Israel received his suffering countryman with that kindness

which the law prescribed, and which the Jews practised to each other. He insisted on his betaking himself to

repose, and used such remedies as were then in most repute to check the progress of the fever, which terror,

On the morrow, when Isaac proposed to arise and pursue his journey, Nathan remonstrated against his

purpose, both as his host and as his physician. It might cost him, he said, his life. But Isaac replied, that more

``To Templestowe!'' said his host with surprise again felt his pulse, and then muttered to himself, ``His fever

``And why not to Templestowe?'' answered his patient. ``I grant thee, Nathan, that it is a dwelling of those to

whom the despised Children of the Promise are a stumblingblock and an abomination; yet thou knowest that

pressing affairs of traffic sometimes carry us among these bloodthirsty Nazarene soldiers, and that we visit

the Preceptories of the Templars, as well as the Commanderies of the Knights Hospitallers, as they are

* The establishments of the Knight Templars were called * Preceptories, and the title of those who presided

in the Order * was Preceptor; as the principal Knights of Saint John were * termed Commanders, and their

houses Commanderies. But * these terms were sometimes, it would seem, used indiscriminately.

``I know it well,'' said Nathan; ``but wottest thou that Lucas de Beaumanoir, the chief of their Order, and

``I know it not,'' said Isaac; ``our last letters from our brethren at Paris advised us that he was at that city,

``He hath since come to England, unexpected by his brethren,'' said Ben Israel; ``and he cometh among them

with a strong and outstretched arm to correct and to punish. His countenance is kindled in anger against those

who have departed from the vow which they have made, and great is the fear of those sons of Belial. Thou

``It is well known unto me,'' said Isaac; ``the Gentiles deliver this Lucas Beaumanoir as a man zealous to

slaying for every point of the Nazarene law; and our brethren have termed him a fierce destroyer of the

``And truly have they termed him,'' said Nathan the physician. ``Other Templars may be moved from the

purpose of their heart by pleasure, or bribed by promise of gold and silver; but Beaumanoir is of a different

stamphating sensuality, despising treasure, and pressing forward to that which they call the crown of

martyrdomThe God of Jacob speedily send it unto him, and unto them all! Specially hath this proud man

extended his glove over the children of Judah, as holy David over Edom, holding the murder of a Jew to be

all offering of as sweet savour as the death of a Saracen. Impious and false things has he said even of the

virtues of our medicines, as if they were the devices of SatanThe Lord rebuke him!''

``Nevertheless,'' said Isaac, ``I must present myself at Templestowe, though he hath made his face like unto a

He then explained to Nathan the pressing cause of his journey. The Rabbi listened with interest, and testified

his sympathy after the fashion of his people, rending his clothes, and saying, ``Ah, my daughter!ah, my

``Thou seest,'' said Isaac, ``how it stands with me, and that I may not tarry. Peradventure, the presence of this

Lucas Beaumanoir, being the chief man over them, may turn Brian de BoisGuilbert from the ill which he

``Go thou,'' said Nathan Ben Israel, ``and be wise, for wisdom availed Daniel in the den of lions into which

he was cast; and may it go well with thee, even as thine heart wisheth. Yet, if thou canst, keep thee from the

presence of the Grand Master, for to do foul scorn to our people is his morning and evening delight. It may be

if thou couldst speak with BoisGuilbert in private, thou shalt the better prevail with him; for men say that

these accursed Nazarenes are not of one mind in the Preceptory May their counsels be confounded and

brought to shame! But do thou, brother, return to me as if it were to the house of thy father, and bring me

word how it has sped with thee; and well do I hope thou wilt bring with thee Rebecca, even the scholar of the

wise Miriam, whose cures the Gentiles slandered as if they had been wrought by necromancy.''

Isaac accordingly bade his friend farewell, and about an hour's riding brought him before the Preceptory of

This establishment of the Templars was seated amidst fair meadows and pastures, which the devotion of the

former Preceptor had bestowed upon their Order. It was strong and well fortified, a point never neglected by

these knights, and which the disordered state of England rendered peculiarly necessary. Two halberdiers, clad

in black, guarded the drawbridge, and others, in the same sad livery, glided to and fro upon the walls with a

funereal pace, resembling spectres more than soldiers. The inferior officers of the Order were thus dressed,

ever since their use of white garments, similar to those of the knights and esquires, had given rise to a

combination of certain false brethren in the mountains of Palestine, terming themselves Templars, and

bringing great dishonour on the Order. A knight was now and then seen to cross the court in his long white

cloak, his head depressed on his breast, and his arms folded. They passed each other, if they chanced to meet,

with a slow, solemn, and mute greeting; for such was the rule of their Order, quoting thereupon the holy texts,

``In many words thou shalt not avoid sin,'' and ``Life and death are in the power of the tongue.'' In a word, the

stern ascetic rigour of the Temple discipline, which had been so long exchanged for prodigal and licentious

indulgence, seemed at once to have revived at Templestowe under the severe eye of Lucas Beaumanoir.

Isaac paused at the gate, to consider how he might seek entrance in the manner most likely to bespeak favour;

for he was well aware, that to his unhappy race the reviving fanaticism of the Order was not less dangerous

than their unprincipled licentiousness; and that his religion would be the object of hate and persecution in the

one case, as his wealth would have exposed him in the other to the extortions of unrelenting oppression.

Meantime Lucas Beaumanoir walked in a small garden belonging to the Preceptory, included within the

precincts of its exterior fortification, and held sad and confidential communication with a brother of his

The Grand Master was a man advanced in age, as was testified by his long grey beard, and the shaggy grey

eyebrows overhanging eyes, of which, however, years had been unable to quench the fire. A formidable

warrior, his thin and severe features retained the soldier's fierceness of expression; an ascetic bigot, they were

no less marked by the emaciation of abstinence, and the spiritual pride of the selfsatisfied devotee. Yet with

these severer traits of physiognomy, there was mixed somewhat striking and noble, arising, doubtless, from

the great part which his high office called upon him to act among monarchs and princes, and from the

habitual exercise of supreme authority over the valiant and highborn knights, who were united by the rules

of the Order. His stature was tall, and his gait, undepressed by age and toil, was erect and stately. His white

mantle was shaped with severe regularity, according to the rule of Saint Bernard himself, being composed of

what was then called Burrel cloth, exactly fitted to the size of the wearer, and bearing on the left shoulder the

octangular cross peculiar to the Order, formed of red cloth. No vair or ermine decked this garment; but in

respect of his age, the Grand Master, as permitted by the rules, wore his doublet lined and trimmed with the

softest lambskin, dressed with the wool outwards, which was the nearest approach he could regularly make to

the use of fur, then the greatest luxury of dress. In his hand he bore that singular abacus, or staff of office,

with which Templars are usually represented, having at the upper end a round plate, on which was engraved

the cross of the Order, inscribed within a circle or orle, as heralds term it. His companion, who attended on

this great personage, had nearly the same dress in all respects, but his extreme deference towards his Superior

showed that no other equality subsisted between them. The Preceptor, for such he was in rank, walked not in

a line with the Grand Master, but just so far behind that Beaumanoir could speak to him without turning

``Conrade,'' said the Grand Master, ``dear companion of my battles and my toils, to thy faithful bosom alone I

can confide my sorrows. To thee alone can I tell how oft, since I came to this kingdom, I have desired to be

dissolved and to be with the just. Not one object in England hath met mine eye which it could rest upon with

pleasure, save the tombs of our brethren, beneath the massive roof of our Temple Church in yonder proud

capital. O, valiant Robert de Ros! did I exclaim internally, as I gazed upon these good soldiers of the cross,

where they lie sculptured on their sepulchres,O, worthy William de Mareschal! open your marble cells,

and take to your repose a weary brother, who would rather strive with a hundred thousand pagans than

``It is but true,'' answered Conrade MontFitchet; ``it is but too true; and the irregularities of our brethren in

``Because they are more wealthy,'' answered the Grand Master. ``Bear with me, brother, although I should

something vaunt myself. Thou knowest the life I have led, keeping each point of my Order, striving with

devils embodied and disembodied, striking down the roaring lion, who goeth about seeking whom be may

devour, like a good knight and devout priest, wheresoever I met with him even as blessed Saint Bernard

hath prescribed to us in the fortyfifth capital of our rule, Ut Leo semper feriatur.* But by the Holy Temple!

* In the ordinances of the Knights of the Temple, this phrase * is repeated in a variety of forms, and occurs in

almost every * chapter, as if it were the signalword of the Order; which may * account for its being so

which hath devoured my substance and my life, yea, the very nerves and marrow of my bones; by that very

Holy Temple I swear to thee, that save thyself and some few that still retain the ancient severity of our Order,

I look upon no brethren whom I can bring my soul to embrace under that holy name. What say our statutes,

and how do our brethren observe them? They should wear no vain or worldly ornament, no crest upon their

helmet, no gold upon stirrup or bridlebit; yet who now go pranked out so proudly and so gaily as the poor

soldiers of the Temple? They are forbidden by our statutes to take one bird by means of another, to shoot

beasts with bow or arblast, to halloo to a huntinghorn, or to spur the horse after game. But now, at hunting

and hawking, and each idle sport of wood and river, who so prompt as the Templars in all these fond

vanities? They are forbidden to read, save what their Superior permitted, or listen to what is read, save such

holy things as may be recited aloud during the hours of refaction; but lo! their ears are at the command of idle

minstrels, and their eyes study empty romaunts. They were commanded to extirpate magic and heresy. Lo!

they are charged with studying the accursed cabalistical secrets of the Jews, and the magic of the Paynim

Saracens. Simpleness of diet was prescribed to them, roots, pottage, gruels, eating flesh but thrice aweek,

because the accustomed feeding on flesh is a dishonourable corruption of the body; and behold, their tables

groan under delicate fare! Their drink was to be water, and now, to drink like a Templar, is the boast of each

jolly boon companion! This very garden, filled as it is with curious herbs and trees sent from the Eastern

climes, better becomes the harem of an unbelieving Emir, than the plot which Christian Monks should devote

to raise their homely potherbs.And O, Conrade! well it were that the relaxation of discipline stopped

even here!Well thou knowest that we were forbidden to receive those devout women, who at the

beginning were associated as sisters of our Order, because, saith the fortysixth chapter, the Ancient Enemy

hath, by female society, withdrawn many from the right path to paradise. Nay, in the last capital, being, as it

were, the copestone which our blessed founder placed on the pure and undefiled doctrine which he had

enjoined, we are prohibited from offering, even to our sisters and our mothers, the kiss of affectionut

omnium mulierum fugiantur oscula.I shame to speakI shame to think of the corruptions which

have rushed in upon us even like a flood. The souls of our pure founders, the spirits of Hugh de Payen and

Godfrey de Saint Omer, and of the blessed Seven who first joined in dedicating their lives to the service of

the Temple, are disturbed even in the enjoyment of paradise itself. I have seen them, Conrade, in the visions

of the nighttheir sainted eyes shed tears for the sins and follies of their brethren, and for the foul and

shameful luxury in which they wallow. Beaumanoir, they say, thou slumberestawake! There is a stain in

the fabric of the Temple, deep and foul as that left by the streaks of leprosy on the walls of the infected

Cross, who should shun the glance of a woman as the eye of a basilisk, live in open sin, not with the females

of their own race only, but with the daughters of the accursed heathen, and more accursed Jew. Beaumanoir,

thou sleepest; up, and avenge our cause!Slay the sinners, male and female! Take to thee the brand of

Phineas!The vision fled, Conrade, but as I awaked I could still hear the clank of their mail, and see the

waving of their white mantles.And I will do according to their word, I =will= purify the fabric of the

Temple! and the unclean stones in which the plague is, I will remove and cast out of the building.''

``Yet bethink thee, reverend father,'' said MontFitchet, ``the stain hath become engrained by time and

``No, MontFitchet,'' answered the stern old man``it must be sharp and suddenthe Order is on the

crisis of its fate. The sobriety, selfdevotion, and piety of our predecessors, made us powerful friendsour

presumption, our wealth, our luxury, have raised up against us mighty enemies.We must cast away these

riches, which are a temptation to princeswe must lay down that presumption, which is an offence to

themwe must reform that license of manners, which is a scandal to the whole Christian world!

Ormark my wordsthe Order of the Temple will be utterly demolishedand the Place thereof shall

no more be known among the nations.'' ``Now may God avert such a calamity!'' said the Preceptor.

``Amen,'' said the Grand Master, with solemnity, ``but we must deserve his aid. I tell thee, Conrade, that

neither the powers in Heaven, nor the powers on earth, will longer endure the wickedness of this

generationMy intelligence is sure the ground on which our fabric is reared is already undermined,

and each addition we make to the structure of our greatness will only sink it the sooner in the abyss. We must

retrace our steps, and show ourselves the faithful Champions of the Cross, sacrificing to our calling, not alone

our blood and our livesnot alone our lusts and our vices but our ease, our comforts, and our natural

affections, and act as men convinced that many a pleasure which may be lawful to others, is forbidden to the

At this moment a squire, clothed in a threadbare vestment, (for the aspirants after this holy Order wore during

their noviciate the castoff garments of the knights,) entered the garden, and, bowing profoundly before the

Grand Master, stood silent, awaiting his permission ere he presumed to tell his errand.

``Is it not more seemly,'' said the Grand Master, ``to see this Damian, clothed in the garments of Christian

humility, thus appear with reverend silence before his Superior, than but two days since, when the fond fool

was decked in a painted coat, and jangling as pert and as proud as any popinjay? Speak, Damian, we

``A Jew stands without the gate, noble and reverend father,'' said the Squire, ``who prays to speak with

``Thou wert right to give me knowledge of it,'' said the Grand Master; ``in our presence a Preceptor is but as a

common compeer of our Order, who may not walk according to his own will, but to that of his

Mastereven according to the text, `In the hearing of the ear he hath obeyed me.' It imports us

especially to know of this BoisGuilbert's proceedings,'' said he, turning to his companion.

``And truly is he so spoken of,'' said the Grand Master; ``in our valour only we are not degenerated from our

predecessors, the heroes of the Cross. But brother Brian came into our Order a moody and disappointed man,

stirred, I doubt me, to take our vows and to renounce the world, not in sincerity of soul, but as one whom

some touch of light discontent had driven into penitence. Since then, he hath become an active and earnest

agitator, a murmurer, and a machinator, and a leader amongst those who impugn our authority; not

considering that the rule is given to the Master even by the symbol of the staff and the rodthe staff to

support the infirmities of the weakthe rod to correct the faults of delinquents.Damian,'' he continued,

The squire departed with a profound reverence, and in a few minutes returned, marshalling in Isaac of York.

No naked slave, ushered into the presence of some mighty prince, could approach his judgmentseat with

more profound reverence and terror than that with which the Jew drew near to the presence of the Grand

Master. When he had approached within the distance of three yards, Beaumanoir made a sign with his staff

that he should come no farther. The Jew kneeled down on the earth which he kissed in token of reverence;

then rising, stood before the Templars, his hands folded on his bosom, his head bowed on his breast, in all the

``Damian,'' said the Grand Master, ``retire, and have a guard ready to await our sudden call; and suffer no one

to enter the garden until we shall leave it.''The squire bowed and retreated.``Jew,'' continued the

haughty old man, ``mark me. It suits not our condition to hold with thee long communication, nor do we

waste words or time upon any one. Wherefore be brief in thy answers to what questions I shall ask thee, and

let thy words be of truth; for if thy tongue doubles with me, I will have it torn from thy misbelieving jaws.''

``Peace, unbeliever!not a word in our presence, save in answer to our questions.What is thy business

Isaac gasped with terror and uncertainty. To tell his tale might be interpreted into scandalizing the Order; yet,

unless he told it, what hope could he have of achieving his daughter's deliverance? Beaumanoir saw his

``Fear nothing,'' he said, ``for thy wretched person, Jew, so thou dealest uprightly in this matter. I demand

``I am bearer of a letter,'' stammered out the Jew, ``so please your reverend valour, to that good knight, from

``Said I not these were evil times, Conrade?'' said the Master. ``A Cistertian Prior sends a letter to a soldier of

the Temple, and can find no more fitting messenger than an unbelieving Jew.Give me the letter.''

The Jew, with trembling hands, undid the folds of his Armenian cap, in which he had deposited the Prior's

tablets for the greater security, and was about to approach, with hand extended and body crouched, to place it

``Back, dog!'' said the Grand Master; ``I touch not misbelievers, save with the sword.Conrade, take thou

Beaumanoir, being thus possessed of the tablets, inspected the outside carefully, and then proceeded to undo

the packthread which secured its folds. ``Reverend father,'' said Conrade, interposing, though with much

``And will I not?'' said Beaumanoir, with a frown. ``Is it not written in the fortysecond capital, De Lectione

Literarum, that a Templar shall not receive a letter, no not from his father, without communicating the same

He then perused the letter in haste, with an expression of surprise and horror; read it over again more slowly;

then holding it out to Conrade with one hand, and slightly striking it with the other, exclaimed``Here is

goodly stuff for one Christian man to write to another, and both members, and no inconsiderable members, of

religious professions! When,'' said he solemnly, and looking upward, ``wilt thou come with thy fanners to

MontFitchet took the letter from his Superior, and was about to peruse it. ``Read it aloud, Conrade,'' said the

Grand Master,``and do thou'' (to Isaac) ``attend to the purport of it, for we will question thee concerning

Conrade read the letter, which was in these words: ``Aymer, by divine grace, Prior of the Cistertian house of

Saint Mary's of Jorvaulx, to Sir Brian de BoisGuilbert, a Knight of the holy Order of the Temple, wisheth

health, with the bounties of King Bacchus and of my Lady Venus. Touching our present condition, dear

Brother, we are a captive in the hands of certain lawless and godless men, who have not feared to detain our

person, and put us to ransom; whereby we have also learned of FrontdeBoeuf's misfortune, and that thou

hast escaped with that fair Jewish sorceress, whose black eyes have bewitched thee. We are heartily rejoiced

of thy safety; nevertheless, we pray thee to be on thy guard in the matter of this second Witch of Endor; for

we are privately assured that your Great Master, who careth not a bean for cherry cheeks and black eyes,

comes from Normandy to diminish your mirth, and amend your misdoings. Wherefore we pray you heartily

to beware, and to be found watching, even as the Holy Text hath it, Invenientur vigilantes. And the wealthy

Jew her father, Isaac of York, having prayed of me letters in his behalf, I gave him these, earnestly advising,

and in a sort entreating, that you do hold the damsel to ransom, seeing he will pay you from his bags as much

as may find fifty damsels upon safer terms, whereof I trust to have my part when we make merry together, as

true brothers, not forgetting the winecup. For what saith the text, Vinum laetificat cor hominis; and again,

``Till which merry meeting, we wish you farewell. Given from this den of thieves, about the hour of matins,

``Postscriptum. Truly your golden chain hath not long abidden with me, and will now sustain, around the

neck of an outlaw deerstealer, the whistle wherewith he calleth on his hounds.''

``What sayest thou to this, Conrade?'' said the Grand Master``Den of thieves! and a fit residence is a den

of thieves for such a Prior. No wonder that the hand of God is upon us, and that in the Holy Land we lose

place by place, foot by foot, before the infidels, when we have such churchmen as this Aymer.And what

meaneth he, I trow, by this second Witch of Endor?'' said he to his confident, something apart. Conrade was

better acquainted (perhaps by practice) with the jargon of gallantry, than was his Superior; and he expounded

the passage which embarrassed the Grand Master, to be a sort of language used by worldly men towards

those whom they loved par amours; but the explanation did not satisfy the bigoted Beaumanoir.

``There is more in it than thou dost guess, Conrade; thy simplicity is no match for this deep abyss of

wickedness. This Rebecca of York was a pupil of that Miriam of whom thou hast heard. Thou shalt hear the

Jew own it even now.'' Then turning to Isaac, he said aloud, ``Thy daughter, then, is prisoner with Brian de

``Ay, reverend valorous sir,'' stammered poor Isaac, ``and whatsoever ransom a poor man may pay for her

``Peace!'' said the Grand Master. ``This thy daughter hath practised the art of healing, hath she not?''

``Ay, gracious sir,'' answered the Jew, with more confidence; ``and knight and yeoman, squire and vassal,

may bless the goodly gift which Heaven hath assigned to her. Many a one can testify that she hath recovered

them by her art, when every other human aid hath proved vain; but the blessing of the God of Jacob was upon

Beaumanoir turned to MontFitchet with a grim smile. ``See, brother,'' he said, ``the deceptions of the

devouring Enemy! Behold the baits with which he fishes for souls, giving a poor space of earthly life in

exchange for eternal happiness hereafter. Well said our blessed rule, Semper percutiatur leo vorans. Up

on the lion! Down with the destroyer!'' said he, shaking aloft his mystic abacus, as if in defiance of the

powers of darkness ``Thy daughter worketh the cures, I doubt not,'' thus he went on to address the Jew,

``Nay, reverend and brave Knight,'' answered Isaac, ``but in chief measure by a balsam of marvellous virtue.''

``It was delivered to her,'' answered Isaac, reluctantly, ``by Miriam, a sage matron of our tribe.''

``Ah, false Jew!'' said the Grand Master; ``was it not from that same witch Miriam, the abomination of whose

enchantments have been heard of throughout every Christian land?'' exclaimed the Grand Master, crossing

himself. ``Her body was burnt at a stake, and her ashes were scattered to the four winds; and so be it with me

and mine Order, if I do not as much to her pupil, and more also! I will teach her to throw spell and incantation

over the soldiers of the blessed Temple. There, Damian, spurn this Jew from the gate shoot him dead

if he oppose or turn again. With his daughter we will deal as the Christian law and our own high office

Poor Isaac was hurried off accordingly, and expelled from the preceptory; all his entreaties, and even his

offers, unheard and disregarded. He could do not better than return to the house of the Rabbi, and endeavour,

through his means, to learn how his daughter was to be disposed of. He had hitherto feared for her honour, he

was now to tremble for her life. Meanwhile, the Grand Master ordered to his presence the Preceptor of

Albert Malvoisin, President, or, in the language of the Order, Preceptor of the establishment of Templestowe,

was brother to that Philip Malvoisin who has been already occasionally mentioned in this history, and was,

Amongst dissolute and unprincipled men, of whom the Temple Order included but too many, Albert of

Templestowe might be distinguished; but with this difference from the audacious BoisGuilbert, that he

knew how to throw over his vices and his ambition the veil of hypocrisy, and to assume in his exterior the

fanaticism which be internally despised. Had not the arrival of the Grand Master been so unexpectedly

sudden, he would have seen nothing at Templestowe which might have appeared to argue any relaxation of

discipline. And, even although surprised, and, to a certain extent, detected, Albert Malvoisin listened with

such respect and apparent contrition to the rebuke of his Superior, and made such haste to reform the

particulars he censured,succeeded, in fine, so well in giving an air of ascetic devotion to a family which

had been lately devoted to license and pleasure, that Lucas Beaumanoir began to entertain a higher opinion of

the Preceptor's morals, than the first appearance of the establishment had inclined him to adopt.

But these favourable sentiments on the part of the Grand Master were greatly shaken by the intelligence that

Albert had received within a house of religion the Jewish captive, and, as was to be feared, the paramour of a

brother of the Order; and when Albert appeared before him, be was regarded with unwonted sternness.

``There is in this mansion, dedicated to the purposes of the holy Order of the Temple,'' said the Grand Master,

in a severe tone, ``a Jewish woman, brought hither by a brother of religion, by your connivance, Sir

Albert Malvoisin was overwhelmed with confusion; for the unfortunate Rebecca had been confined in a

remote and secret part of the building, and every precaution used to prevent her residence there from being

known. He read in the looks of Beaumanoir ruin to BoisGuilbert and to himself, unless he should be able to

``Is it permitted to me to reply?'' answered the Preceptor, in a tone of the deepest humility, although by the

``Speak, you are permitted,'' said the Grand Master``speak, and say, knowest thou the capital of our holy

rule,De commilitonibus Templi in sancta civitate, qui cun miserrimis mulieribus versantur, propter

* The edict which he quotes, is against communion with * women of light character.

``Surely, most reverend father,'' answered the Preceptor, ``I have not risen to this office in the Order, being

``How comes it, then, I demand of thee once more, that thou hast suffered a brother to bring a paramour, and

that paramour a Jewish sorceress, into this holy place, to the stain and pollution thereof?''

``Ay, brother, a Jewish sorceress!'' said the Grand Master, sternly. ``I have said it. Darest thou deny that this

Rebecca, the daughter of that wretched usurer Isaac of York, and the pupil of the foul witch Miriam, is

``Your wisdom, reverend father,'' answered the Preceptor, ``hath rolled away the darkness from my

understanding. Much did I wonder that so good a knight as Brian de BoisGuilbert seemed so fondly

besotted on the charms of this female, whom I received into this house merely to place a bar betwixt their

growing intimacy, which else might have been cemented at the expense of the fall of our valiant and religious

``Hath nothing, then, as yet passed betwixt them in breach of his vow?'' demanded the Grand Master.

``What! under this roof?'' said the Preceptor, crossing himself; ``Saint Magdalene and the ten thousand

virgins forbid!No! if I have sinned in receiving her here, it was in the erring thought that I might thus

break off our brother's besotted devotion to this Jewess, which seemed to me so wild and unnatural, that I

could not but ascribe it to some touch of insanity, more to be cured by pity than reproof. But since your

reverend wisdom hath discovered this Jewish quean to be a sorceress, perchance it may account fully for his

``It doth!it doth!'' said Beaumanoir. ``See, brother Conrade, the peril of yielding to the first devices and

blandishments of Satan! We look upon woman only to gratify the lust of the eye, and to take pleasure in what

men call her beauty; and the Ancient Enemy, the devouring Lion, obtains power over us, to complete, by

talisman and spell, a work which was begun by idleness and folly. It may be that our brother BoisGuilbert

does in this matter deserve rather pity than severe chastisement; rather the support of the staff, than the

strokes of the rod; and that our admonitions and prayers may turn him from his folly, and restore him to his

``It were deep pity,'' said Conrade MontFitchet, to lose to the Order one of its best lances, when the Holy

Community most requires the aid of its sons. Three hundred Saracens hath this Brian de BoisGuilbert slain

``The blood of these accursed dogs,'' said the Grand Master, ``shall be a sweet and acceptable offering to the

saints and angels whom they despise and blaspheme; and with their aid will we counteract the spells and

charms with which our brother is entwined as in a net. He shall burst the bands of this Delilah, as Sampson

burst the two new cords with which the Philistines had bound him, and shall slaughter the infidels, even

heaps upon heaps. But concerning this foul witch, who hath flung her enchantments over a brother of the

``But the laws of England,''said the Preceptor, who, though delighted that the Grand Master's resentment,

thus fortunately averted from himself and BoisGuilbert, had taken another direction, began now to fear he

``The laws of England,'' interrupted Beaumanoir, ``permit and enjoin each judge to execute justice within his

own jurisdiction. The most petty baron may arrest, try, and condemn a witch found within his own domain.

And shall that power be denied to the Grand Master of the Temple within a preceptory of his

Order?No!we will judge and condemn. The witch shall be taken out of the land, and the wickedness

thereof shall be forgiven. Prepare the Castlehall for the trial of the sorceress.''

Albert Malvoisin bowed and retired,not to give directions for preparing the hall, but to seek out Brian de

BoisGuilbert, and communicate to him how matters were likely to terminate. It was not long ere he found

him, foaming with indignation at a repulse he had anew sustained from the fair Jewess. ``The unthinking,'' he

said, ``the ungrateful, to scorn him who, amidst blood and flames, would have saved her life at the risk of his

own! By Heaven, Malvoisin! I abode until roof and rafters crackled and crashed around me. I was the butt of

a hundred arrows; they rattled on mine armour like hailstones against a latticed casement, and the only use I

made of my shield was for her protection. This did I endure for her; and now the selfwilled girl upbraids me

that I did not leave her to perish, and refuses me not only the slightest proof of gratitude, but even the most

distant hope that ever she will be brought to grant any. The devil, that possessed her race with obstinacy, has

``The devil,'' said the Preceptor, ``I think, possessed you both. How oft have I preached to you caution, if not

continence? Did I not tell you that there were enough willing Christian damsels to be met with, who would

think it sin to refuse so brave a knight le don d'amoureux merci, and you must needs anchor your affection on

a wilful, obstinate Jewess! By the mass, I think old Lucas Beaumanoir guesses right, when he maintains she

``Lucas Beaumanoir!''said BoisGuilbert reproachfully ``Are these your precautions, Malvoisin?

``How could I help it?'' said the Preceptor. ``I neglected nothing that could keep secret your mystery; but it is

betrayed, and whether by the devil or no, the devil only can tell. But I have turned the matter as I could; you

are safe if you renounce Rebecca. You are pitiedthe victim of magical delusion. She is a sorceress, and

``By Heaven, she must and will!'' said Malvoisin. ``Neither you nor any one else can save her. Lucas

Beaumanoir hath settled that the death of a Jewess will be a sinoffering sufficient to atone for all the

amorous indulgences of the Knights Templars; and thou knowest he hath both the power and will to execute

``Will future ages believe that such stupid bigotry ever existed!'' said BoisGuilbert, striding up and down the

``What they may believe, I know not,'' said Malvoisin, calmly; ``but I know well, that in this our day, clergy

and laymen, take ninetynine to the hundred, will cry amen to the Grand Master's sentence.''

``I have it,'' said BoisGuilbert. ``Albert, thou art my friend. Thou must connive at her escape, Malvoisin, and

I will transport her to some place of greater security and secrecy.'' ``I cannot, if I would,'' replied the

Preceptor; ``the mansion is filled with the attendants of the Grand Master, and others who are devoted to him.

And, to be frank with you, brother, I would not embark with you in this matter, even if I could hope to bring

my bark to haven. I have risked enough already for your sake. I have no mind to encounter a sentence of

degradation, or even to lose my Preceptory, for the sake of a painted piece of Jewish flesh and blood. And

you, if you will be guided by my counsel, will give up this wildgoose chase, and fly your hawk at some

other game. Think, BoisGuilbert,thy present rank, thy future honours, all depend on thy place in the

Order. Shouldst thou adhere perversely to thy passion for this Rebecca, thou wilt give Beaumanoir the power

of expelling thee, and he will not neglect it. He is jealous of the truncheon which he holds in his trembling

gripe, and he knows thou stretchest thy bold hand towards it. Doubt not he will ruin thee, if thou affordest

him a pretext so fair as thy protection of a Jewish sorceress. Give him his scope in this matter, for thou canst

not control him. When the staff is in thine own firm grasp, thou mayest caress the daughters of Judah, or burn

``Friend,'' said the Preceptor, hastening to fill up the blank, in which BoisGuilbert would probably have

placed a worse word,``a coldblooded friend I am, and therefore more fit to give thee advice. I tell thee

once more, that thou canst not save Rebecca. I tell thee once more, thou canst but perish with her. Go hie thee

``Say to him, then, to his beard,'' continued Malvoisin, coolly, ``that you love this captive Jewess to

distraction; and the more thou dost enlarge on thy passion, the greater will be his haste to end it by the death

of the fair enchantress; while thou, taken in flagrant delict by the avowal of a crime contrary to thine oath,

canst hope no aid of thy brethren, and must exchange all thy brilliant visions of ambition and power, to lift

perhaps a mercenary spear in some of the petty quarrels between Flanders and Burgundy.''

``Thou speakest the truth, Malvoisin,'' said Brian de BoisGuilbert, after a moment's reflection. ``I will give

the hoary bigot no advantage over me; and for Rebecca, she hath not merited at my hand that I should expose

rank and honour for her sake. I will cast her offyes, I will leave her to her fate, unless''

``Qualify not thy wise and necessary resolution,'' said Malvoisin; ``women are but the toys which amuse our

lighter hoursambition is the serious business of life. Perish a thousand such frail baubles as this Jewess,

before thy manly step pause in the brilliant career that lies stretched before thee! For the present we part, nor

must we be seen to hold close conversationI must order the hall for his judgmentseat.''

``Ay,'' replied the Preceptor, ``trial moves rapidly on when the judge has determined the sentence

``Rebecca,'' said BoisGuilbert, when he was left alone, ``thou art like to cost me dearWhy cannot I

abandon thee to thy fate, as this calm hypocrite recommends?One effort will I make to save theebut

beware of ingratitude! for if I am again repulsed, my vengeance shall equal my love. The life and honour of

BoisGuilbert must not be hazarded, where contempt and reproaches are his only reward.''

The Preceptor had hardly given the necessary orders, when he was joined by Conrade MontFitchet, who

acquainted him with the Grand Master's resolution to bring the Jewess to instant trial for sorcery.

``It is surely a dream,'' said the Preceptor; ``we have many Jewish physicians, and we call them not wizards

``The Grand Master thinks otherwise,'' said MontFitchet; ``and, Albert, I will be upright with

theewizard or not, it were better that this miserable damsel die, than that Brian de BoisGuilbert should

be lost to the Order, or the Order divided by internal dissension. Thou knowest his high rank, his fame in

armsthou knowest the zeal with which many of our brethren regard him but all this will not avail him

with our Grand Master, should he consider Brian as the accomplice, not the victim, of this Jewess. Were the

souls of the twelve tribes in her single body, it were better she suffered alone, than that BoisGuilbert were

``I have been working him even now to abandon her,'' said Malvoisin; ``but still, are there grounds enough to

condemn this Rebecca for sorcery? Will not the Grand Master change his mind when he sees that the

``They must be strengthened, Albert,'' replied MontFitchet, ``they must be strengthened. Dost thou

``I do,'' said the Preceptor, ``nor do I scruple to do aught for advancement of the Orderbut there is little

``Malvoisin, they must be found,'' said Conrade; ``well will it advantage both the Order and thee. This

Templestowe is a poor Preceptorythat of MaisonDieu is worth double its valuethou knowest my

interest with our old Chieffind those who can carry this matter through, and thou art Preceptor of

``There is,'' replied Malvoisin, ``among those who came hither with BoisGuilbert, two fellows whom I well

know; servants they were to my brother Philip de Malvoisin, and passed from his service to that of

``Away, seek them out instantlyand hark thee, if a byzant or two will sharpen their memory, let them not

``They would swear the mother that bore them a sorceress for a zecchin,'' said the Preceptor.

``Away, then,'' said MontFitchet; ``at noon the affair will proceed. I have not seen our senior in such earnest

preparation since he condemned to the stake Hamet Alfagi, a convert who relapsed to the Moslem faith.''

The ponderous castlebell had tolled the point of noon, when Rebecca heard a trampling of feet upon the

private stair which led to her place of confinement. The noise announced the arrival of several persons, and

the circumstance rather gave her joy; for she was more afraid of the solitary visits of the fierce and passionate

BoisGuilbert than of any evil that could befall her besides. The door of the chamber was unlocked, and

Conrade and the Preceptor Malvoisin entered, attended by four warders clothed in black, and bearing

``Damsel,'' answered Conrade, ``it is not for thee to question, but to obey. Nevertheless, be it known to thee,

that thou art to be brought before the tribunal of the Grand Master of our holy Order, there to answer for thine

``May the God of Abraham be praised!'' said Rebecca, folding her hands devoutly; ``the name of a judge,

though an enemy to my people, is to me as the name of a protector. Most willingly do I follow theepermit

They descended the stair with slow and solemn step, traversed a long gallery, and, by a pair of folding doors

placed at the end, entered the great hall in which the Grand Master had for the time established his court of

The lower part of this ample apartment was filled with squires and yeomen, who made way not without some

difficulty for Rebecca, attended by the Preceptor and MontFitchet, and followed by the guard of halberdiers,

to move forward to the seat appointed for her. As she passed through the crowd, her arms folded and her head

depressed, a scrap of paper was thrust into her hand, which she received almost unconsciously, and continued

to hold without examining its contents. The assurance that she possessed some friend in this awful assembly

gave her courage to look around, and to mark into whose presence she had been conducted. She gazed,

accordingly, upon the scene, which we shall endeavour to describe in the next chapter.

The Tribunal, erected for the trial of the innocent and unhappy Rebecca, occupied the dais or elevated part of

the upper end of the great halla platform, which we have already described as the place of honour,

destined to be occupied by the most distinguished inhabitants or guests of an ancient mansion.

On an elevated seat, directly before the accused, sat the Grand Master of the Temple, in full and ample robes

of flowing white, holding in his hand the mystic staff, which bore the symbol of the Order. At his feet was

placed a table, occupied by two scribes, chaplains of the Order, whose duty it was to reduce to formal record

the proceedings of the day. The black dresses, bare scalps, and demure looks of these churchmen, formed a

strong contrast to the warlike appearance of the knights who attended, either as residing in the Preceptory, or

as come thither to attend upon their Grand Master. The Preceptors, of whom there were four present,

occupied seats lower in height, and somewhat drawn back behind that of their superior; and the knights, who

enjoyed no such rank in the Order, were placed on benches still lower, and preserving the same distance from

the Preceptors as these from the Grand Master. Behind them, but still upon the dais or elevated portion of the

The whole assembly wore an aspect of the most profound gravity; and in the faces of the knights might be

perceived traces of military daring, united with the solemn carriage becoming men of a religious profession,

and which, in the presence of their Grand Master, failed not to sit upon every brow.

The remaining and lower part of the hall was filled with guards, holding partisans, and with other attendants

whom curiosity had drawn thither, to see at once a Grand Master and a Jewish sorceress. By far the greater

part of those inferior persons were, in one rank or other, connected with the Order, and were accordingly

distinguished by their black dresses. But peasants from the neighbouring country were not refused

admittance; for it was the pride of Beaumanoir to render the edifying spectacle of the justice which he

administered as public as possible. His large blue eyes seemed to expand as be gazed around the assembly,

and his countenance appeared elated by the conscious dignity, and imaginary merit, of the part which he was

about to perform. A psalm, which he himself accompanied with a deep mellow voice, which age had not

deprived of its powers, commenced the proceedings of the day; and the solemn sounds, Venite exultemus

Domino, so often sung by the Templars before engaging with earthly adversaries, was judged by Lucas most

appropriate to introduce the approaching triumph, for such he deemed it, over the powers of darkness. The

deep prolonged notes, raised by a hundred masculine voices accustomed to combine in the choral chant, arose

to the vaulted roof of the hill, and rolled on amongst its arches with the pleasing yet solemn sound of the

When the sounds ceased, the Grand Master glanced his eye slowly around the circle, and observed that the

seat of one of the Preceptors was vacant. Brian de BoisGuilbert, by whom it had been occupied, had left his

place, and was now standing near the extreme corner of one of the benches occupied by the Knights

Companions of the Temple, one hand extending his long mantle, so as in some degree to hide his face; while

the other held his crosshandled sword, with the point of which, sheathed as it was, he was slowly drawing

``Unhappy man!'' said the Grand Master, after favouring him with a glance of compassion. ``Thou seest,

Conrade, how this holy work distresses him. To this can the light look of woman, aided by the Prince of the

Powers of this world, bring a valiant and worthy knight!Seest thou he cannot look upon us; he cannot

look upon her; and who knows by what impulse from his tormentor his hand forms these cabalistic lines upon

the floor?It may be our life and safety are thus aimed at; but we spit at and defy the foul enemy. Semper

This was communicated apart to his confidential follower, Conrade MontFitchet. The Grand Master then

``Reverend and valiant men, Knights, Preceptors, and Companions of this Holy Order, my brethren and my

children!you also, wellborn and pious Esquires, who aspire to wear this holy Cross! and you also,

Christian brethren, of every degree! Be it known to you, that it is not defect of power in us which hath

occasioned the assembling of this congregation; for, however unworthy in our person, yet to us is committed,

with this batoon, full power to judge and to try all that regards the weal of this our Holy Order. Holy Saint

Bernard, in the rule of our knightly and religious profession, hath said, in the fiftyninth capital,*

* The reader is again referred to the Rules of the Poor Military * Brotherhood of the Temple, which occur in

that he would not that brethren be called together in council, save at the will and command of the Master;

leaving it free to us, as to those more worthy fathers who have preceded us in this our office, to judge, as well

of the occasion as of the time and place in which a chapter of the whole Order, or of any part thereof, may be

convoked. Also, in all such chapters, it is our duty to hear the advice of our brethren, and to proceed

according to our own pleasure. But when the raging wolf hath made an inroad upon the flock, and carried off

one member thereof, it is the duty of the kind shepherd to call his comrades together, that with bows and

slings they may quell the invader, according to our wellknown rule, that the lion is ever to be beaten down.

We have therefore summoned to our presence a Jewish woman, by name Rebecca, daughter of Isaac of

Yorka woman infamous for sortileges and for witcheries; whereby she hath maddened the blood, and

besotted the brain, not of a churl, but of a Knightnot of a secular Knight, but of one devoted to the service

of the Holy Templenot of a Knight Companion, but of a Preceptor of our Order, first in honour as in

place. Our brother, Brian de BoisGuilbert, is well known to ourselves, and to all degrees who now hear me,

as a true and zealous champion of the Cross, by whose arm many deeds of valour have been wrought in the

Holy Land, and the holy places purified from pollution by the blood of those infidels who defiled them.

Neither have our brother's sagacity and prudence been less in repute among his brethren than his valour and

discipline; in so much, that knights, both in eastern and western lands, have named De BoisGuilbert as one

who may well be put in nomination as successor to this batoon, when it shall please Heaven to release us

from the toil of bearing it. If we were told that such a man, so honoured, and so honourable, suddenly casting

away regard for his character, his vows, his brethren, and his prospects, had associated to himself a Jewish

damsel, wandered in this lewd company, through solitary places, defended her person in preference to his

own, and, finally, was so utterly blinded and besotted by his folly, as to bring her even to one of our own

Preceptories, what should we say but that the noble knight was possessed by some evil demon, or influenced

by some wicked spell?If we could suppose it otherwise, think not rank, valour, high repute, or any earthly

consideration, should prevent us from visiting him with punishment, that the evil thing might be removed,

even according to the text, Auferte malum ex vobis. For various and heinous are the acts of transgression

against the rule of our blessed Order in this lamentable history.1st, He hath walked according to his

proper will, contrary to capital 33, Quod nullus juxta propriam voluntatem incedat. 2d, He hath held

communication with an excommunicated person, capital 57, Ut fratres non participent cum excommunicatis,

and therefore hath a portion in Anathema Maranatha.3d, He hath conversed with strange women,

contrary to the capital, Ut fratres non conversantur cum extraneis mulieribus. 4th, He hath not avoided,

nay, he hath, it is to be feared, solicited the kiss of woman; by which, saith the last rule of our renowned

Order, Ut fugiantur oscula, the soldiers of the Cross are brought into a snare. For which heinous and

multiplied guilt, Brian de BoisGuilbert should be cut off and cast out from our congregation, were he the

He paused. A low murmur went through the assembly. Some of the younger part, who had been inclined to

smile at the statute De osculis fugiendis, became now grave enough, and anxiously waited what the Grand

``Such,'' he said, ``and so great should indeed be the punishment of a Knight Templar, who wilfully offended

against the rules of his Order in such weighty points. But if, by means of charms and of spells, Satan had

obtained dominion over the Knight, perchance because he cast his eyes too lightly upon a damsel's beauty,

we are then rather to lament than chastise his backsliding; and, imposing on him only such penance as may

purify him from his iniquity, we are to turn the full edge of our indignation upon the accursed instrument,

which had so wellnigh occasioned his utter falling away. Stand forth, therefore, and bear witness, ye who

have witnessed these unhappy doings, that we may judge of the sum and bearing thereof; and judge whether

our justice may be satisfied with the punishment of this infidel woman, or if we must go on, with a bleeding

Several witnesses were called upon to prove the risks to which BoisGuilbert exposed himself in

endeavouring to save Rebecca from the blazing castle, and his neglect of his personal defence in attending to

her safety. The men gave these details with the exaggerations common to vulgar minds which have been

strongly excited by any remarkable event, and their natural disposition to the marvellous was greatly

increased by the satisfaction which their evidence seemed to afford to the eminent person for whose

information it had been delivered. Thus the dangers which BoisGuilbert surmounted, in themselves

sufficiently great, became portentous in their narrative. The devotion of the Knight to Rebecca's defence was

exaggerated beyond the bounds, not only of discretion, but even of the most frantic excess of chivalrous zeal;

and his deference to what she said, even although her language was often severe and upbraiding, was painted

as carried to an excess, which, in a man of his haughty temper, seemed almost preternatural.

The Preceptor of Templestowe was then called on to describe the manner in which BoisGuilbert and the

Jewess arrived at the Preceptory. The evidence of Malvoisin was skilfully guarded. But while he apparently

studied to spare the feelings of BoisGuilbert, he threw in, from time to time, such hints, as seemed to infer

that he laboured under some temporary alienation of mind, so deeply did he appear to be enamoured of the

damsel whom he brought along with him. With sighs of penitence, the Preceptor avowed his own contrition

for having admitted Rebecca and her lover within the walls of the Preceptory``But my defence,'' he

concluded, ``has been made in my confession to our most reverend father the Grand Master; he knows my

motives were not evil, though my conduct may have been irregular. Joyfully will I submit to any penance he

``Thou hast spoken well, Brother Albert,'' said Beaumanoir; ``thy motives were good, since thou didst judge

it right to arrest thine erring brother in his career of precipitate folly. But thy conduct was wrong; as he that

would stop a runaway steed, and seizing by the stirrup instead of the bridle, receiveth injury himself, instead

of accomplishing his purpose. Thirteen paternosters are assigned by our pious founder for matins, and nine

for vespers; be those services doubled by thee. Thrice aweek are Templars permitted the use of flesh; but do

thou keep fast for all the seven days. This do for six weeks to come, and thy penance is accomplished.''

With a hypocritical look of the deepest submission, the Preceptor of Templestowe bowed to the ground

``Were it not well, brethren,'' said the Grand Master, ``that we examine something into the former life and

conversation of this woman, specially that we may discover whether she be one likely to use magical charms

and spells, since the truths which we have heard may well incline us to suppose, that in this unhappy course

our erring brother has been acted upon by some infernal enticement and delusion?''

Herman of Goodalricke was the Fourth Preceptor present; the other three were Conrade, Malvoisin, and

BoisGuilbert himself. Herman was an ancient warrior, whose face was marked with sears inflicted by the

sabre of the Moslemah, and had great rank and consideration among his brethren. He arose and bowed to the

Grand Master, who instantly granted him license of speech. ``I would crave to know, most Reverend Father,

of our valiant brother, Brian de BoisGuilbert, what he says to these wondrous accusations, and with what

``Brian de BoisGuilbert,'' said the Grand Master, ``thou hearest the question which our Brother of

BoisGuilbert turned his head towards the Grand Master when thus addressed, and remained silent.

``He is possessed by a dumb devil,'' said the Grand Master. ``Avoid thee, Sathanus!Speak, Brian de

BoisGuilbert made an effort to suppress his rising scorn and indignation, the expression of which, he was

well aware, would have little availed him. ``Brian de BoisGuilbert,'' he answered, ``replies not, most

Reverend Father, to such wild and vague charges. If his honour be impeached, he will defend it with his

``We forgive thee, Brother Brian,'' said the Grand Master; ``though that thou hast boasted thy warlike

achievements before us, is a glorifying of thine own deeds, and cometh of the Enemy, who tempteth us to

exalt our own worship. But thou hast our pardon, judging thou speakest less of thine own suggestion than

from the impulse of him whom by Heaven's leave, we will quell and drive forth from our assembly.'' A

glance of disdain flashed from the dark fierce eyes of BoisGuilbert, but he made no reply.``And now,''

pursued the Grand Master, ``since our Brother of Goodalricke's question has been thus imperfectly answered,

pursue we our quest, brethren, and with our patron's assistance, we will search to the bottom this mystery of

iniquity.Let those who have aught to witness of the life and conversation of this Jewish woman, stand

forth before us.'' There was a bustle in the lower part of the hall, and when the Grand Master enquired the

reason, it was replied, there was in the crowd a bedridden man, whom the prisoner had restored to the perfect

The poor peasant, a Saxon by birth, was dragged forward to the bar, terrified at the penal consequences which

he might have incurred by the guilt of having been cured of the palsy by a Jewish damsel. Perfectly cured be

certainly was not, for he supported himself forward on crutches to give evidence. Most unwilling was his

testimony, and given with many tears; but he admitted that two years since, when residing at York, he was

suddenly afflicted with a sore disease, while labouring for Isaac the rich Jew, in his vocation of a joiner; that

he had been unable to stir from his bed until the remedies applied by Rebecca's directions, and especially a

warming and spicysmelling balsam, had in some degree restored him to the use of his limbs. Moreover, he

said, she had given him a pot of that precious ointment, and furnished him with a piece of money withal, to

return to the house of his father, near to Templestowe. ``And may it please your gracious Reverence,'' said the

man, ``I cannot think the damsel meant harm by me, though she hath the ill hap to be a Jewess; for even when

I used her remedy, I said the Pater and the Creed, and it never operated a whit less kindly''

``Peace, slave,'' said the Grand Master, ``and begone! It well suits brutes like thee to be tampering and

trinketing with hellish cures, and to be giving your labour to the sons of mischief. I tell thee, the fiend can

impose diseases for the very purpose of removing them, in order to bring into credit some diabolical fashion

The peasant, fumbling in his bosom with a trembling hand, produced a small box, bearing some Hebrew

characters on the lid, which was, with most of the audience, a sure proof that the devil had stood apothecary.

Beaumanoir, after crossing himself, took the box into his hand, and, learned in most of the Eastern tongues,

read with ease the motto on the lid,The Lion of the tribe of Judah hath conquered. ``Strange powers of

Sathanas.'' said he, ``which can convert Scripture into blasphemy, mingling poison with our necessary

food!Is there no leech here who can tell us the ingredients of this mystic unguent?''

Two mediciners, as they called themselves, the one a monk, the other a barber, appeared, and avouched they

knew nothing of the materials, excepting that they savoured of myrrh and camphire, which they took to be

Oriental herbs. But with the true professional hatred to a successful practitioner of their art, they insinuated

that, since the medicine was beyond their own knowledge, it must necessarily have been compounded from

an unlawful and magical pharmacopeia; since they themselves, though no conjurors, fully understood every

branch of their art, so far as it might be exercised with the good faith of a Christian. When this medical

research was ended, the Saxon peasant desired humbly to have back the medicine which he had found so

salutary; but the Grand Master frowned severely at the request. ``What is thy name, fellow?'' said he to the

``Then Higg, son of Snell,'' said the Grand Master, ``I tell thee it is better to be bedridden, than to accept the

benefit of unbelievers' medicine that thou mayest arise and walk; better to despoil infidels of their treasure by

the strong hand, than to accept of them benevolent gifts, or do them service for wages. Go thou, and do as I

``Alack,'' said the peasant, ``an it shall not displease your Reverence, the lesson comes too late for me, for I

am but a maimed man; but I will tell my two brethren, who serve the rich Rabbi Nathan Ben Samuel, that

your mastership says it is more lawful to rob him than to render him faithful service.''

``Out with the prating villain!'' said Beaumanoir, who was not prepared to refute this practical application of

Higg, the son of Snell, withdrew into the crowd, but, interested in the fate of his benefactress, lingered until

he should learn her doom, even at the risk of again encountering the frown of that severe judge, the terror of

At this period of the trial, the Grand Master commanded Rebecca to unveil herself. Opening her lips for the

first time, she replied patiently, but with dignity,``That it was not the wont of the daughters of her people

to uncover their faces when alone in an assembly of strangers.'' The sweet tones. of her voice, and the

softness of her reply, impressed on the audience a sentiment of pity and sympathy. But Beaumanoir, in whose

mind the suppression of each feeling of humanity which could interfere with his imagined duty, was a virtue

of itself, repeated his commands that his victim should be unveiled. The guards were about to remove her veil

accordingly, when she stood up before the Grand Master and said, ``Nay, but for the love of your own

daughtersAlas,'' she said, recollecting herself, ``ye have no daughters!yet for the remembrance of

your mothersfor the love of your sisters, and of female decency, let me not be thus handled in your

presence; it suits not a maiden to be disrobed by such rude grooms. I will obey you,'' she added, with an

expression of patient sorrow in her voice, which had almost melted the heart of Beaumanoir himself; ``ye are

elders among your people, and at your command I will show the features of an illfated maiden.''

She withdrew her veil, and looked on them with a countenance in which bashfulness contended with dignity.

Her exceeding beauty excited a murmur of surprise, and the younger knights told each other with their eyes,

in silent correspondence, that Brian's best apology was in the power of her real charms, rather than of her

imaginary witchcraft. But Higg, the son of Snell, felt most deeply the effect produced by the sight of the

countenance of his benefactress. ``Let me go forth,'' he said to the warders at the door of the hall,``let me

go forth!To look at her again will kill me, for I have had a share in murdering her.''

``Peace, poor man,'' said Rebecca, when she heard his exclamation; ``thou hast done me no harm by speaking

the truththou canst not aid me by thy complaints or lamentations. Peace, I pray theego home and save

Higg was about to be thrust out by the compassion of the warders, who were apprehensive lest his clamorous

grief should draw upon them reprehension, and upon himself punishment. But he promised to be silent, and

was permitted to remain. The two menatarms, with whom Albert Malvoisin had not failed to communicate

upon the import of their testimony, were now called forward. Though both were hardened and inflexible

villains, the sight of the captive maiden, as well as her excelling beauty, at first appeared to stagger them; but

an expressive glance from the Preceptor of Templestowe restored them to their dogged composure; and they

delivered, with a precision which would have seemed suspicious to more impartial judges, circumstances

either altogether fictitious or trivial, and natural in themselves, but rendered pregnant with suspicion by the

exaggerated manner in which they were told, and the sinister commentary which the witnesses added to the

facts. The circumstances of their evidence would have been, in modern days, divided into two

classesthose which were immaterial, and those which were actually and physically impossible. But both

were, in those ignorant and superstitions times, easily credited as proofs of guilt.The first class set forth,

that Rebecca was heard to mutter to herself in an unknown tongue that the songs she sung by fits were of

a strangely sweet sound, which made the ears of the hearer tingle, and his heart throbthat she spoke at

times to herself, and seemed to look upward for a reply that her garments were of a strange and mystic

form, unlike those of women of good reputethat she had rings impressed with cabalistical devices, and

All these circumstances, so natural and so trivial, were gravely listened to as proofs, or, at least, as affording

strong suspicions that Rebecca had unlawful correspondence with mystical powers.

But there was less equivocal testimony, which the credulity of the assembly, or of the greater part, greedily

swallowed, however incredible. One of the soldiers had seen her work a cure upon a wounded man, brought

with them to the castle of Torquilstone. She did, he said, make certain signs upon the wound, and repeated

certain mysterious words, which he blessed God he understood not, when the iron head of a square

crossbow bolt disengaged itself from the wound, the bleeding was stanched, the wound was closed, and the

dying man was, within a quarter of an hour, walking upon the ramparts, and assisting the witness in

managing a mangonel, or machine for hurling stones. This legend was probably founded upon the fact, that

Rebecca had attended on the wounded Ivanhoe when in the castle of Torquilstone. But it was the more

difficult to dispute the accuracy of the witness, as, in order to produce real evidence in support of his verbal

testimony, he drew from his pouch the very bolthead, which, according to his story, had been miraculously

extracted from the wound; and as the iron weighed a full ounce, it completely confirmed the tale, however

His comrade had been a witness from a neighbouring battlement of the scene betwixt Rebecca and

BoisGuilbert, when she was upon the point of precipitating herself from the top of the tower. Not to be

behind his companion, this fellow stated, that he had seen Rebecca perch herself upon the parapet of the

turret, and there take the form of a milkwhite swan, under which appearance she flitted three times round

the castle of Torquilstone; then again settle on the turret, and once more assume the female form.

Less than one half of this weighty evidence would have been sufficient to convict any old woman, poor and

ugly, even though she had not been a Jewess. United with that fatal circumstance, the body of proof was too

The Grand Master had collected the suffrages, and now in a solemn tone demanded of Rebecca what she had

``To invoke your pity,'' said the lovely Jewess, with a voice somewhat tremulous with emotion, ``would, I am

aware, be as useless as I should hold it mean. To state that to relieve the sick and wounded of another

religion, cannot be displeasing to the acknowledged Founder of both our faiths, were also unavailing; to plead

that many things which these men (whom may Heaven pardon!) have spoken against me are impossible,

would avail me but little, since you believe in their possibility; and still less would it advantage me to

explain, that the peculiarities of my dress, language, and manners, are those of my peopleI had wellnigh

said of my country, but alas! we have no country. Nor will I even vindicate myself at the expense of my

oppressor, who stands there listening to the fictions and surmises which seem to convert the tyrant into the

victim.God be judge between him and me! but rather would I submit to ten such deaths as your pleasure

may denounce against me, than listen to the suit which that man of Belial has urged upon mefriendless,

defenceless, and his prisoner. But he is of your own faith, and his lightest affirmance would weigh down the

most solemn protestations of the distressed Jewess. I will not therefore return to himself the charge brought

against mebut to himselfYes, Brian de BoisGuilbert, to thyself I appeal, whether these accusations

``Speak,'' she said, ``if thou art a manif thou art a Christian, speak!I conjure thee, by the habit which

thou dost wear, by the name thou dost inheritby the knighthood thou dost vauntby the honour of thy

motherby the tomb and the bones of thy fatherI conjure thee to say, are these things true?''

``Answer her, brother,'' said the Grand Master, ``if the Enemy with whom thou dost wrestle will give thee

In fact, BoisGuilbert seemed agitated by contending passions, which almost convulsed his features, and it

was with a constrained voice that at last he replied, looking to Rebecca,``The scroll! the scroll!''

``Ay,'' said Beaumanoir, ``this is indeed testimony! The victim of her witcheries can only name the fatal

But Rebecca put another interpretation on the words extorted as it were from BoisGuilbert, and glancing her

eye upon the slip of parchment which she continued to hold in her hand, she read written thereupon in the

Arabian character, Demand a Champion! The murmuring commentary which ran through the assembly at the

strange reply of BoisGuilbert, gave Rebecca leisure to examine and instantly to destroy the scroll

``Rebecca, thou canst derive no benefit from the evidence of this unhappy knight, for whom, as we well

``There is yet one chance of life left to me,'' said Rebecca, ``even by your own fierce laws. Life has been

miserablemiserable, at least, of latebut I will not cast away the gift of God, while he affords me the

means of defending it. I deny this charge I maintain my innocence, and I declare the falsehood of this

accusationI challenge the privilege of trial by combat, and will appear by my champion.''

``And who, Rebecca,'' replied the Grand Master, ``will lay lance in rest for a sorceress? who will be the

``God will raise me up a champion,'' said Rebecca ``It cannot be that in merry Englandthe hospitable,

the generous, the free, where so many are ready to peril their lives for honour, there will not be found one to

fight for justice. But it is enough that I challenge the trial by combatthere lies my gage.''

She took her embroidered glove from her hand, and flung it down before the Grand Master with an air of

mingled simplicity and dignity, which excited universal surprise and admiration.

Even Lucas Beaumanoir himself was affected by the mien and appearance of Rebecca. He was not originally

a cruel or even a severe man; but with passions by nature cold, and with a high, though mistaken, sense of

duty, his heart had been gradually hardened by the ascetic life which he pursued, the supreme power which

he enjoyed, and the supposed necessity of subduing infidelity and eradicating heresy, which he conceived

peculiarly incumbent on him. His features relaxed in their usual severity as he gazed upon the beautiful

creature before him, alone, unfriended, and defending herself with so much spirit and courage. He crossed

himself twice, as doubting whence arose the unwonted softening of a heart, which on such occasions used to

``Damsel,'' he said, ``if the pity I feel for thee arise from any practice thine evil arts have made on me, great is

thy guilt. But I rather judge it the kinder feelings of nature, which grieves that so goodly a form should be a

vessel of perdition. Repent, my daughterconfess thy witchcraftsturn thee from thine evil

faithembrace this holy emblem, and all shall yet be well with thee here and hereafter. In some sisterhood

of the strictest order, shalt thou have time for prayer and fitting penance, and that repentance not to be

repented of. This do and livewhat has the law of Moses done for thee that thou shouldest die for it?''

``It was the law of my fathers,'' said Rebecca; ``it was delivered in thunders and in storms upon the mountain

of Sinai, in cloud and in fire. This, if ye are Christians, ye believeit is, you say, recalled; but so my

``Let our chaplain,'' said Beaumanoir, ``stand forth, and tell this obstinate infidel''

``Forgive the interruption,'' said Rebecca, meekly; ``I am a maiden, unskilled to dispute for my religion, but I

can die for it, if it be God's will. Let me pray your answer to my demand of a champion.''

``Give me her glove,'' said Beaumanoir. ``This is indeed,'' he continued, as he looked at the flimsy texture and

slender fingers, ``a slight and frail gage for a purpose so deadly!Seest thou, Rebecca, as this thin and light

glove of thine is to one of our heavy steel gauntlets, so is thy cause to that of the Temple, for it is our Order

``Cast my innocence into the scale,'' answered Rebecca, ``and the glove of silk shall outweigh the glove of

``Then thou dost persist in thy refusal to confess thy guilt, and in that bold challenge which thou hast made?''

``So be it then, in the name of Heaven,'' said the Grand Master; ``and may God show the right!''

``Amen,'' replied the Preceptors around him, and the word was deeply echoed by the whole assembly.

``Brethren,'' said Beaumanoir, ``you are aware that we might well have refused to this woman the benefit of

the trial by combatbut though a Jewess and an unbeliever, she is also a stranger and defenceless, and God

forbid that she should ask the benefit of our mild laws, and that it should be refused to her. Moreover, we are

knights and soldiers as well as men of religion, and shame it were to us upon any pretence, to refuse proffered

combat. Thus, therefore, stands the case. Rebecca, the daughter of Isaac of York, is, by many frequent and

suspicious circumstances, defamed of sorcery practised on the person of a noble knight of our holy Order,

and hath challenged the combat in proof of her innocence. To whom, reverend brethren, is it your opinion

that we should deliver the gage of battle, naming him, at the same time, to be our champion on the field?''

``To Brian de BoisGuilbert, whom it chiefly concerns,'' said the Preceptor of Goodalricke, ``and who,

``But if,'' said the Grand Master, ``our brother Brian be under the influence of a charm or a spell we

speak but for the sake of precaution, for to the arm of none of our holy Order would we more willingly

``Reverend father,'' answered the Preceptor of Goodalricke, ``no spell can effect the champion who comes

``Thou sayest right, brother,'' said the Grand Master. ``Albert Malvoisin, give this gage of battle to Brian de

BoisGuilbert.It is our charge to thee, brother,'' he continued, addressing himself to BoisGuilbert, ``that

thou do thy battle manfully, nothing doubting that the good cause shall triumph. And do thou, Rebecca,

attend, that we assign thee the third day from the present to find a champion.''

``That is but brief space,'' answered Rebecca, ``for a stranger, who is also of another faith, to find one who

will do battle, wagering life and honour for her cause, against a knight who is called an approved soldier.''

``We may not extend it,'' answered the Grand Master; ``the field must be foughten in our own presence, and

``God's will be done!'' said Rebecca; ``I put my trust in Him, to whom an instant is as effectual to save as a

``Thou hast spoken well, damsel,'' said the Grand Master; ``but well know we who can array himself like an

angel of light. It remains but to name a fitting place of combat, and, if it so hap, also of execution. Where

Albert Malvoisin, still holding Rebecca's glove in his hand, was speaking to BoisGuilbert very earnestly, but

``He willhe doth, most Reverend Father,'' said Malvoisin, slipping the glove under his own mantle. ``And

for the place of combat, I hold the fittest to be the lists of Saint George belonging to this Preceptory, and used

``It is well,'' said the Grand Master.``Rebecca, in those lists shalt thou produce thy champion; and if thou

failest to do so, or if thy champion shall be discomfited by the judgment of God, thou shalt then die the death

of a sorceress, according to doom.Let this our judgment be recorded, and the record read aloud, that no

One of the chaplains, who acted as clerks to the chapter, immediately engrossed the order in a huge volume,

which contained the proceedings of the Templar Knights when solemnly assembled on such occasions; and

when he had finished writing, the other read aloud the sentence of the Grand Master, which, when translated

``Rebecca, a Jewess, daughter of Isaac of York, being attainted of sorcery, seduction, and other damnable

practices, practised on a Knight of the most Holy Order of the Temple of Zion, doth deny the same; and saith,

that the testimony delivered against her this day is false, wicked, and disloyal; and that by lawful essoine* of

* Essoine signifies excuse, and here relates to the appellant's * privilege of appearing by her champion, in

unable to combat in her own behalf, she doth offer, by a champion instead thereof, to avouch her case, he

performing his loyal devoir in all knightly sort, with such arms as to gage of battle do fully appertain, and that

at her peril and cost. And therewith she proffered her gage. And the gage having been delivered to the noble

Lord and Knight, Brian de BoisGuilbert, of the Holy Order of the Temple of Zion, he was appointed to do

this battle, in behalf of his Order and himself, as injured and impaired by the practices of the appellant.

Wherefore the most reverend Father and puissant Lord, Lucas Marquis of Beaumanoir, did allow of the said

challenge, and of the said essoine of the appellant's body, and assigned the third day for the said combat, the

place being the enclosure called the lists of Saint George, near to the Preceptory of Templestowe. And the

Grand Master appoints the appellant to appear there by her champion, on pain of doom, as a person convicted

of sorcery or seduction; and also the defendant so to appear, under the penalty of being held and adjudged

recreant in case of default; and the noble Lord and most reverend Father aforesaid appointed the battle to be

done in his own presence, and according to all that is commendable and profitable in such a case. And may

``Amen!'' said the Grand Master; and the word was echoed by all around. Rebecca spoke not, but she looked

up to heaven, and, folding her hands, remained for a minute without change of attitude. She then modestly

reminded the Grand Master, that she ought to be permitted some opportunity of free communication with her

friends, for the purpose of making her condition known to them, and procuring, if possible, some champion

``It is just and lawful,'' said the Grand Master; ``choose what messenger thou shalt trust, and he shall have

``Is there,'' said Rebecca, ``any one here, who, either for love of a good cause, or for ample hire, will do the

All were silent; for none thought it safe, in the presence of the Grand Master, to avow any interest in the

calumniated prisoner, lest he should be suspected of leaning towards Judaism. Not even the prospect of

reward, far less any feelings of compassion alone, could surmount this apprehension.

Rebecca stood for a few moments in indescribable anxiety, and then exclaimed, ``Is it really thus? And,

in English land, am I to be deprived of the poor chance of safety which remains to me, for want of an act of

Higg, the son of Snell, at length replied, ``I am but a maimed man, but that I can at all stir or move was owing

to her charitable assistance.I will do thine errand,'' he added, addressing Rebecca, ``as well as a crippled

object can, and happy were my limbs fleet enough to repair the mischief done by my tongue. Alas! when I

``God,'' said Rebecca, ``is the disposer of all. He can turn back the captivity of Judah, even by the weakest

instrument. To execute his message the snail is as sure a messenger as the falcon. Seek out Isaac of

Yorkhere is that will pay for horse and manlet him have this scroll.I know not if it be of Heaven

the spirit which inspires me, but most truly do I judge that I am not to die this death, and that a champion will

The peasant took the scroll, which contained only a few lines in Hebrew. Many of the crowd would have

dissuaded him from touching a document so suspicious; but Higg was resolute in the service of his

benefactress. She had saved his body, he said, and he was confident she did not mean to peril his soul.

``I will get me,'' he said, ``my neighbour Buthan's good capul,* and I will be at York within as

But as it fortuned, he had no occasion to go so far, for within a quarter of a mile from the gate of the

Preceptory he met with two riders, whom, by their dress and their huge yellow caps, he knew to be Jews; and,

on approaching more nearly, discovered that one of them was his ancient employer, Isaac of York. The other

was the Rabbi Ben Samuel; and both had approached as near to the Preceptory as they dared, on hearing that

``Brother Ben Samuel,'' said Isaac, ``my soul is disquieted, and I wot not why. This charge of necromancy is

``Be of good comfort, brother,'' said the physician; ``thou canst deal with the Nazarenes as one possessing the

mammon of unrighteousness, and canst therefore purchase immunity at their hands it rules the savage

minds of those ungodly men, even as the signet of the mighty Solomon was said to command the evil

genii.But what poor wretch comes hither upon his crutches, desiring, as I think, some speech of

me?Friend,'' continued the physician, addressing Higg, the son of Snell, ``I refuse thee not the aid of mine

art, but I relieve not with one asper those who beg for alms upon the highway. Out upon thee!Hast thou

the palsy in thy legs? then let thy hands work for thy livelihood; for, albeit thou best unfit for a speedy post,

or for a careful shepherd, or for the warfare, or for the service of a hasty master, yet there be occupations

How now, brother?'' said he, interrupting his harangue to look towards Isaac, who had but glanced at the

scroll which Higg offered, when, uttering a deep groan, he fell from his mule like a dying man, and lay for a

The Rabbi now dismounted in great alarm, and hastily applied the remedies which his art suggested for the

recovery of his companion. He had even taken from his pocket a cupping apparatus, and was about to

proceed to phlebotomy, when the object of his anxious solicitude suddenly revived; but it was to dash his cap

from his head, and to throw dust on his grey hairs. The physician was at first inclined to ascribe this sudden

and violent emotion to the effects of insanity; and, adhering to his original purpose, began once again to

``Child of my sorrow,'' he said, ``well shouldst thou be called Benoni, instead of Rebecca! Why should thy

death bring down my grey hairs to the grave, till, in the bitterness of my heart, I curse God and die!''

``Brother,'' said the Rabbi, in great surprise, ``art thou a father in Israel, and dost thou utter words like unto

``She liveth,'' answered Isaac; ``but it is as Daniel, who was called Beltheshazzar, even when within the den

of the lions. She is captive unto those men of Belial, and they will wreak their cruelty upon her, sparing

neither for her youth nor her comely favour. O! she was as a crown of green palms to my grey locks; and she

must wither in a night, like the gourd of Jonah!Child of my love! child of my old age!oh,

Rebecca, daughter of Rachel! the darkness of the shadow of death hath encompassed thee.''

``Yet read the scroll,'' said the Rabbi; ``peradventure it may be that we may yet find out a way of

``Do thou read, brother,'' answered Isaac, ``for mine eyes are as a fountain of water.''

``To Isaac, the son of Adonikam, whom the Gentiles call Isaac of York, peace and the blessing of the promise

be multiplied unto thee!My father, I am as one doomed to die for that which my soul knoweth

noteven for the crime of witchcraft. My father, if a strong man can be found to do battle for my cause

with sword and spear, according to the custom of the Nazarenes, and that within the lists of Templestowe, on

the third day from this time, peradventure our fathers' God will give him strength to defend the innocent, and

her who hath none to help her. But if this may not be, let the virgins of our people mourn for me as for one

cast off, and for the hart that is stricken by the hunter, and for the flower which is cut down by the scythe of

the mower. Wherefore look now what thou doest, and whether there be any rescue. One Nazarene warrior

might indeed bear arms in my behalf, even Wilfred, son of Cedric, whom the Gentiles call Ivanhoe. But he

may not yet endure the weight of his armour. Nevertheless, send the tidings unto him, my father; for he hath

favour among the strong men of his people, and as he was our companion in the house of bondage, he may

find some one to do battle for my sake. And say unto him, even unto him, even unto Wilfred, the son of

Cedric, that if Rebecca live, or if Rebecca die, she liveth or dieth wholly free of the guilt she is charged

withal. And if it be the will of God that thou shalt be deprived of thy daughter, do not thou tarry, old man, in

this land of bloodshed and cruelty; but betake thyself to Cordova, where thy brother liveth in safety, under the

shadow of the throne, even of the throne of Boabdil the Saracen; for less cruel are the cruelties of the Moors

Isaac listened with tolerable composure while Ben Samuel read the letter, and then again resumed the

gestures and exclamations of Oriental sorrow, tearing his garments, besprinkling his head with dust, and

ejaculating, ``My daughter! my daughter! flesh of my flesh, and bone of my bone!''

``Yet,'' said the Rabbi, ``take courage, for this grief availeth nothing. Gird up thy loins, and seek out this

Wilfred, the son of Cedric. It may be he will help thee with counsel or with strength; for the youth hath

favour in the eyes of Richard, called of the Nazarenes CoeurdeLion, and the tidings that he hath returned

are constant in the land. It may be that be may obtain his letter, and his signet, commanding these men of

blood, who take their name from the Temple to the dishonour thereof, that they proceed not in their purposed

``I will seek him out,'' said Isaac, ``for he is a good youth, and hath compassion for the exile of Jacob. But he

cannot bear his armour, and what other Christian shall do battle for the oppressed of Zion?''

``Nay, but,'' said the Rabbi, ``thou speakest as one that knoweth not the Gentiles. With gold shalt thou buy

their valour, even as with gold thou buyest thine own safety. Be of good courage, and do thou set forward to

find out this Wilfred of Ivanhoe. I will also up and be doing, for great sin it were to leave thee in thy

calamity. I will hie me to the city of York, where many warriors and strong men are assembled, and doubt not

I will find among them some one who will do battle for thy daughter; for gold is their god, and for riches will

they pawn their lives as well as their lands. Thou wilt fulfil, my brother, such promise as I may make

``Assuredly, brother,'' said Isaac, ``and Heaven be praised that raised me up a comforter in my misery.

Howbeit, grant them not their full demand at once, for thou shalt find it the quality of this accursed people

that they will ask pounds, and peradventure accept of ouncesNevertheless, be it as thou willest, for I am

distracted in this thing, and what would my gold avail me if the child of my love should perish!''

``Farewell,'' said the physician, ``and may it be to thee as thy heart desireth.''

They embraced accordingly, and departed on their several roads. The crippled peasant remained for some

``These dogJews!'' said he; ``to take no more notice of a free guildbrother, than if I were a bond slave or a

Turk, or a circumcised Hebrew like themselves! They might have flung me a mancus or two, however. I was

not obliged to bring their unhallowed scrawls, and run the risk of being bewitched, as more folks than one

told me. And what care I for the bit of gold that the wench gave me, if I am to come to harm from the priest

next Easter at confession, and be obliged to give him twice as much to make it up with him, and be called the

Jew's flying post all my life, as it may hap, into the bargain? I think I was bewitched in earnest when I was

beside that girl!But it was always so with Jew or Gentile, whosoever came near hernone could stay

when she had an errand to goand still, whenever I think of her, I would give shop and tools to save her

It was in the twilight of the day when her trial, if it could be called such, had taken place, that a low knock

was heard at the door of Rebecca's prisonchamber. It disturbed not the inmate, who was then engaged in the

evening prayer recommended by her religion, and which concluded with a hymn we have ventured thus to

When Israel, of the Lord beloved, Out of the land of bondage came, Her father's God before her moved, An

awful guide, in smoke and flame. By day, along the astonish'd lands The cloudy pillar glided slow; By night,

There rose the choral hymn of praise, And trump and timbrel answer'd keen, And Zion's daughters pour'd

their lays, With priest's and warrior's voice between. No portents now our foes amaze, Forsaken Israel

wanders lone; Our fathers would not know =Thy= ways, And =Thou= hast left them to their own.

But, present still, though now unseen; When brightly shines the prosperous day, Be thoughts of =Thee= a

cloudy screen To temper the deceitful ray. And oh, when stoops on Judah's path In shade and storm the

frequent night, Be =Thou=, longsuffering, slow to wrath, A burning, and a shining light!

Our harps we left by Babel's streams, The tyrant's jest, the Gentile's scorn; No censer round our altar beams,

And mute our timbrel, trump, and horn. But =Thou= hast said, the blood of goat, The flesh of rams, I will not

When the sounds of Rebecca's devotional hymn had died away in silence, the low knock at the door was

again renewed. ``Enter,'' she said, ``if thou art a friend; and if a foe, I have not the means of refusing thy

``I am,'' said Brian de BoisGuilbert, entering the apartment, ``friend or foe, Rebecca, as the event of this

Alarmed at the sight of this man, whose licentious passion she considered as the root of her misfortunes,

Rebecca drew backward with a cautious and alarmed, yet not a timorous demeanour, into the farthest corner

of the apartment, as if determined to retreat as far as she could, but to stand her ground when retreat became

no longer possible. She drew herself into an attitude not of defiance, but of resolution, as one that would

avoid provoking assault, yet was resolute to repel it, being offered, to the utmost of her power.

``You have no reason to fear me, Rebecca,'' said the Templar; ``Or if I must so qualify my speech, you have

``I fear you not, Sir Knight,'' replied Rebecca, although her shortdrawn breath seemed to belie the heroism

``You have no cause,'' answered BoisGuilbert, gravely; ``my former frantic attempts you have not now to

dread. Within your call are guards, over whom I have no authority. They are designed to conduct you to

death, Rebecca, yet would not suffer you to be insulted by any one, even by me, were my frenzyfor

``May Heaven be praised!'' said the Jewess; ``death is the least of my apprehensions in this den of evil.''

``Ay,'' replied the Templar, ``the idea of death is easily received by the courageous mind, when the road to it

is sudden and open. A thrust with a lance, a stroke with a sword, were to me little To you, a spring from a

dizzy battlement, a stroke with a sharp poniard, has no terrors, compared with what either thinks disgrace.

Mark meI say thisperhaps mine own sentiments of honour are not less fantastic, Rebecca, than thine

``Unhappy man,'' said the Jewess; ``and art thou condemned to expose thy life for principles, of which thy

sober judgment does not acknowledge the solidity? Surely this is a parting with your treasure for that which

is not breadbut deem not so of me. Thy resolution may fluctuate on the wild and changeful billows of

``Silence, maiden,'' answered the Templar; ``such discourse now avails but little. Thou art condemned to die

not a sudden and easy death, such as misery chooses, and despair welcomes, but a slow, wretched, protracted

course of torture, suited to what the diabolical bigotry of these men calls thy crime.''

``And to whomif such my fateto whom do I owe this?'' said Rebecca ``surely only to him, who, for a

most selfish and brutal cause, dragged me hither, and who now, for some unknown purpose of his own,

``Think not,'' said the Templar, ``that I have so exposed thee; I would have bucklered thee against such

danger with my own bosom, as freely as ever I exposed it to the shafts which had otherwise reached thy life.''

``Had thy purpose been the honourable protection of the innocent,'' said Rebecca, ``I had thanked thee for thy

careas it is, thou hast claimed merit for it so often, that I tell thee life is worth nothing to me, preserved at

``Truce with thine upbraidings, Rebecca,'' said the Templar; ``I have my own cause of grief, and brook not

``What is thy purpose, then, Sir Knight?'' said the Jewess; ``speak it briefly.If thou hast aught to do, save

to witness the misery thou hast caused, let me know it; and then, if so it please you, leave me to

myselfthe step between time and eternity is short but terrible, and I have few moments to prepare for it.''

``I perceive, Rebecca,'' said BoisGuilbert, ``that thou dost continue to burden me with the charge of

``Sir Knight,'' said Rebecca, ``I would avoid reproachesBut what is more certain than that I owe my death

``You erryou err,''said the Templar, hastily, ``if you impute what I could neither foresee nor prevent

to my purpose or agency.Could I guess the unexpected arrival of yon dotard, whom some flashes of

frantic valour, and the praises yielded by fools to the stupid selftorments of an ascetic, have raised for the

present above his own merits, above common sense, above me, and above the hundreds of our Order, who

think and feel as men free from such silly and fantastic prejudices as are the grounds of his opinions and

``Yet,'' said Rebecca, ``you sate a judge upon me, innocentmost innocentas you knew me to

beyou concurred in my condemnation, and, if I aright understood, are yourself to appear in arms to assert

``Thy patience, maiden,'' replied the Templar. ``No race knows so well as thine own tribes how to submit to

the time, and so to trim their bark as to make advantage even of an adverse wind.''

``Lamented be the hour,'' said Rebecca, ``that has taught such art to the House of Israel! but adversity bends

the heart as fire bends the stubborn steel, and those who are no longer their own governors, and the denizens

of their own free independent state, must crouch before strangers. It is our curse, Sir Knight, deserved,

doubtless, by our own misdeeds and those of our fathers; but you you who boast your freedom as your

birthright, how much deeper is your disgrace when you stoop to soothe the prejudices of others, and that

``Your words are bitter, Rebecca,'' said BoisGuilbert, pacing the apartment with impatience, ``but I came

not hither to bandy reproaches with you.Know that BoisGuilbert yields not to created man, although

circumstances may for a time induce him to alter his plan. His will is the mountain stream, which may indeed

be turned for a little space aside by the rock, but fails not to find its course to the ocean. That scroll which

warned thee to demand a champion, from whom couldst thou think it came, if not from BoisGuilbert? In

``A brief respite from instant death,'' said Rebecca, ``which will little avail mewas this all thou couldst do

for one, on whose head thou hast heaped sorrow, and whom thou hast brought near even to the verge of the

``No maiden,'' said BoisGuilbert, ``this was not all that I purposed. Had it not been for the accursed

interference of yon fanatical dotard, and the fool of Goodalricke, who, being a Templar, affects to think and

judge according to the ordinary rules of humanity, the office of the Champion Defender had devolved, not on

a Preceptor, but on a Companion of the Order. Then I myselfsuch was my purposehad, on the

sounding of the trumpet, appeared in the lists as thy champion, disguised indeed in the fashion of a roving

knight, who seeks adventures to prove his shield and spear; and then, let Beaumanoir have chosen not one,

but two or three of the brethren here assembled, I had not doubted to cast them out of the saddle with my

single lance. Thus, Rebecca, should thine innocence have been avouched, and to thine own gratitude would I

``This, Sir Knight,'' said Rebecca, ``is but idle boastinga brag of what you would have done had you not

found it convenient to do otherwise. You received my glove, and my champion, if a creature so desolate can

find one, must encounter your lance in the listsyet you would assume the air of my friend and protector!''

``Thy friend and protector,'' said the Templar, gravely, ``I will yet bebut mark at what risk, or rather at

what certainty, of dishonour; and then blame me not if I make my stipulations, before I offer up all that I have

``Well, then,'' said BoisGuilbert, ``I will speak as freely as ever did doting penitent to his ghostly father,

when placed in the tricky confessional. Rebecca, if I appear not in these lists I lose fame and ranklose

that which is the breath of my nostrils, the esteem, I mean, in which I am held by my brethren, and the hopes

I have of succeeding to that mighty authority, which is now wielded by the bigoted dotard Lucas de

Beaumanoir, but of which I should make a different use. Such is my certain doom, except I appear in arms

against thy cause. Accursed be he of Goodalricke, who baited this trap for me! and doubly accursed Albert de

Malvoisin, who withheld me from the resolution I had formed, of hurling back the glove at the face of the

superstitious and superannuated fool, who listened to a charge so absurd, and against a creature so high in

``And what now avails rant or flattery?'' answered Rebecca. ``Thou hast made thy choice between causing to

be shed the blood of an innocent woman, or of endangering thine own earthly state and earthly

``No, Rebecca,'' said the knight, in a softer tone, and drawing nearer towards her; ``my choice is =not=

madenay, mark, it is thine to make the election. If I appear in the lists, I must maintain my name in arms;

and if I do so, championed or unchampioned, thou diest by the stake and faggot, for there lives not the knight

who hath coped with me in arms on equal issue, or on terms of vantage, save Richard CoeurdeLion, and

his minion of Ivanhoe. Ivanhoe, as thou well knowest, is unable to bear his corslet, and Richard is in a foreign

prison. If I appear, then thou diest, even although thy charms should instigate some hotheaded youth to enter

``Much,'' replied the Templar; ``for thou must learn to look at thy fate on every side.''

``Well, then, turn the tapestry,'' said the Jewess, ``and let me see the other side.''

``If I appear,'' said BoisGuilbert, ``in the fatal lists, thou diest by a slow and cruel death, in pain such as they

say is destined to the guilty hereafter. But if I appear not, then am I a degraded and dishonoured knight,

accused of witchcraft and of communion with infidelsthe illustrious name which bas grown yet more so

under my wearing, becomes a hissing and a reproach. I lose fame, I lose honour, I lose the prospect of such

greatness as scarce emperors attain toI sacrifice mighty ambition, I destroy schemes built as high as the

mountains with which heathens say their heaven was once nearly scaledand yet, Rebecca,'' he added,

throwing himself at her feet, ``this greatness will I sacrifice, this fame will I renounce, this power will I

forego, even now when it is half within my grasp, if thou wilt say, BoisGuilbert, I receive thee for my

``Think not of such foolishness, Sir Knight,'' answered Rebecca, ``but hasten to the Regent, the Queen

Mother, and to Prince Johnthey cannot, in honour to the English crown, allow of the proceedings of your

Grand Master. So shall you give me protection without sacrifice on your part, or the pretext of requiring any

``With these I deal not,'' he continued, holding the train of her robe``it is thee only I address; and what

can counterbalance thy choice? Bethink thee, were I a fiend, yet death is a worse, and it is death who is my

``I weigh not these evils,'' said Rebecca, afraid to provoke the wild knight, yet equally determined neither to

endure his passion, nor even feign to endure it. ``Be a man, be a Christian! If indeed thy faith recommends

that mercy which rather your tongues than your actions pretend, save me from this dreadful death, without

``No, damsel!'' said the proud Templar, springing up, ``thou shalt not thus impose on meif I renounce

present fame and future ambition, I renounce it for thy sake, and we will escape in company. Listen to me,

Rebecca,'' he said, again softening his tone; ``England,Europe,is not the world. There are spheres in

which we may act, ample enough even for my ambition. We will go to Palestine, where Conrade, Marquis of

Montserrat, is my frienda friend free as myself from the doting scruples which fetter our freeborn

reason rather with Saladin will we league ourselves, than endure the scorn of the bigots whom we

contemn. I will form new paths to greatness,'' he continued, again traversing the room with hasty strides

``Europe shall hear the loud step of him she has driven from her sons!Not the millions whom her

crusaders send to slaughter, can do so much to defend Palestinenot the sabres of the thousands and ten

thousands of Saracens can hew their way so deep into that land for which nations are striving, as the strength

and policy of me and those brethren, who, in despite of yonder old bigot, will adhere to me in good and evil.

Thou shalt be a queen, Rebeccaon Mount Carmel shall we pitch the throne which my valour will gain for

``A dream,'' said Rebecca; ``an empty vision of the night, which, were it a waking reality, affects me not.

Enough, that the power which thou mightest acquire, I will never share; nor hold I so light of country or

religious faith, as to esteem him who is willing to barter these ties, and cast away the bonds of the Order of

which he is a sworn member, in order to gratify an unruly passion for the daughter of another people.Put

not a price on my deliverance, Sir Knightsell not a deed of generosity protect the oppressed for the

sake of charity, and not for a selfish advantageGo to the throne of England; Richard will listen to my

``Never, Rebecca!'' said the Templar, fiercely. ``If I renounce my Order, for thee alone will I renounce

itAmbition shall remain mine, if thou refuse my love; I will not be fooled on all hands. Stoop my

crest to Richard?ask a boon of that heart of pride?Never, Rebecca, will I place the Order of the

Temple at his feet in my person. I may forsake the Order, I never will degrade or betray it.''

``Now God be gracious to me,'' said Rebecca, ``for the succour of man is wellnigh hopeless!''

``It is indeed,'' said the Templar; ``for, proud as thou art, thou hast in me found thy match. If I enter the lists

with my spear in rest, think not any human consideration shall prevent my putting forth my strength; and

think then upon thine own fateto die the dreadful death of the worst of criminals to be consumed

upon a blazing piledispersed to the elements of which our strange forms are so mystically

composednot a relic left of that graceful frame, from which we could say this lived and

moved!Rebecca, it is not in woman to sustain this prospectthou wilt yield to my suit.''

``BoisGuilbert,'' answered the Jewess, ``thou knowest not the heart of woman, or hast only conversed with

those who are lost to her best feelings. I tell thee, proud Templar, that not in thy fiercest battles hast thou

displayed more of thy vaunted courage, than has been shown by woman when called upon to suffer by

affection or duty. I am myself a woman, tenderly nurtured, naturally fearful of danger, and impatient of

painyet, when we enter those fatal lists, thou to fight and I to suffer, I feel the strong assurance within me,

that my courage shall mount higher than thine. Farewell I waste no more words on thee; the time that

remains on earth to the daughter of Jacob must be otherwise spentshe must seek the Comforter, who may

hide his face from his people, but who ever opens his ear to the cry of those who seek him in sincerity and in

``We part then thus?'' said the Templar, after a short pause; ``would to Heaven that we had never met, or that

thou hadst been noble in birth and Christian in faith!Nay, by Heaven! when I gaze on thee, and think

when and how we are next to meet, I could even wish myself one of thine own degraded nation; my hand

conversant with ingots and shekels, instead of spear and shield; my head bent down before each petty noble,

and my look only terrible to the shivering and bankrupt debtor this could I wish, Rebecca, to be near to

``Thou hast spoken the Jew,'' said Rebecca, ``as the persecution of such as thou art has made him. Heaven in

ire has driven him from his country, but industry has opened to him the only road to power and to influence,

which oppression has left unbarred. Read the ancient history of the people of God, and tell me if those, by

whom Jehovah wrought such marvels among the nations, were then a people of misers and of

usurers!And know, proud knight, we number names amongst us to which your boasted northern nobility

is as the gourd compared with the cedarnames that ascend far back to those high times when the Divine

Presence shook the mercyseat between the cherubim, and which derive their splendour from no earthly

prince, but from the awful Voice, which bade their fathers be nearest of the congregation to the

Rebecca's colour rose as she boasted the ancient glories of her race, but faded as she added, with at sigh,

``Such were the princes of Judah, now such no more!They are trampled down like the shorn grass, and

mixed with the mire of the ways. Yet are there those among them who shame not such high descent, and of

such shall be the daughter of Isaac the son of Adonikam! Farewell!I envy not thy bloodwon

honoursI envy not thy barbarous descent from northern heathensI envy thee not thy faith, which is

``There is a spell on me, by Heaven!'' said BoisGuilbert. ``I almost think yon besotted skeleton spoke truth,

and that the reluctance with which I part from thee hath something in it more than is natural.Fair

creature!'' he said, approaching near her, but with great respect,``so young, so beautiful, so fearless of

death! and yet doomed to die, and with infamy and agony. Who would not weep for thee?The tear, that

has been a stranger to these eyelids for twenty years, moistens them as I gaze on thee. But it must

benothing may now save thy life. Thou and I are but the blind instruments of some irresistible fatality,

that hurries us along, like goodly vessels driving before the storm, which are dashed against each other, and

so perish. Forgive me, then, and let us part at least as friends part. I have assailed thy resolution in vain, and

``Thus,'' said Rebecca, ``do men throw on fate the issue of their own wild passions. But I do forgive thee,

BoisGuilbert, though the author of my early death. There are noble things which cross over thy powerful

mind; but it is the garden of the sluggard, and the weeds have rushed up, and conspired to choke the fair and

``Yes,'' said the Templar, ``I am, Rebecca, as thou hast spoken me, untaught, untamedand proud, that,

amidst a shoal of empty fools and crafty bigots, I have retained the preeminent fortitude that places me above

them. I have been a child of battle from my youth upward, high in my views, steady and inflexible in

pursuing them. Such must I remainproud, inflexible, and unchanging; and of this the world shall have

The Preceptor Albert waited impatiently in an adjacent chamber the return of BoisGuilbert.

``Thou hast tarried long,'' he said; ``I have been as if stretched on redhot iron with very impatience. What if

the Grand Master, or his spy Conrade, had come hither? I had paid dear for my complaisance.But what

ails thee, brother? Thy step totters, thy brow is as black as night. Art thou well, BoisGuilbert?''

``Ay,'' answered the Templar, ``as well as the wretch who is doomed to die within an hour.Nay, by the

rood, not half so wellfor there be those in such state, who can lay down life like a castoff garment. By

Heaven, Malvoisin, yonder girl hath wellnigh unmanned me. I am half resolved to go to the Grand Master,

abjure the Order to his very teeth, and refuse to act the brutality which his tyranny has imposed on me.''

``Thou art mad,'' answered Malvoisin; ``thou mayst thus indeed utterly ruin thyself, but canst not even find a

chance thereby to save the life of this Jewess, which seems so precious in thine eyes. Beaumanoir will name

another of the Order to defend his judgment in thy place, and the accused will as assuredly perish as if thou

``'Tis falseI will myself take arms in her behalf,'' answered the Templar, haughtily; ``and, should I do so,

I think, Malvoisin, that thou knowest not one of the Order, who will keep his saddle before the point of my

``Ay, but thou forgettest,'' said the wily adviser, ``thou wilt have neither leisure nor opportunity to execute

this mad project. Go to Lucas Beaumanoir, and say thou hast renounced thy vow of obedience, and see how

long the despotic old man will leave thee in personal freedom. The words shall scarce have left thy lips, ere

thou wilt either be an hundred feet under ground, in the dungeon of the Preceptory, to abide trial as a recreant

knight; or, if his opinion holds concerning thy possession, thou wilt be enjoying straw, darkness, and chains,

in some distant convent cell, stunned with exorcisms, and drenched with holy water, to expel the foul fiend

which hath obtained dominion over thee. Thou must to the lists, Brian, or thou art a lost and dishonoured

``I will break forth and fly,'' said BoisGuilbert ``fly to some distant land, to which folly and fanaticism

have not yet found their way. No drop of the blood of this most excellent creature shall be spilled by my

``Thou canst not fly,'' said the Preceptor; ``thy ravings have excited suspicion, and thou wilt not be permitted

to leave the Preceptory. Go and make the essaypresent thyself before the gate, and command the bridge

to be lowered, and mark what answer thou shalt receive.Thou are surprised and offended; but is it not the

better for thee? Wert thou to fly, what would ensue but the reversal of thy arms, the dishonour of thine

ancestry, the degradation of thy rank?Think on it. Where shall thine old companions in arms hide their

heads when Brian de BoisGuilbert, the best lance of the Templars, is proclaimed recreant, amid the hisses of

the assembled people? What grief will be at the Court of France! With what joy will the haughty Richard hear

the news, that the knight that set him hard in Palestine, and wellnigh darkened his renown, has lost fame and

honour for a Jewish girl, whom he could not even save by so costly a sacrifice!''

``Malvoisin,'' said the Knight, ``I thank thee thou hast touched the string at which my heart most readily

thrills!Come of it what may, recreant shall never be added to the name of BoisGuilbert. Would to God,

Richard, or any of his vaunting minions of England, would appear in these lists! But they will be

``The better for thee, if it prove so,'' said the Preceptor; ``if no champion appears, it is not by thy means that

this unlucky damsel shall die, but by the doom of the Grand Master, with whom rests all the blame, and who

``True,'' said BoisGuilbert; ``if no champion appears, I am but a part of the pageant, sitting indeed on

``None whatever,'' said Malvoisin; ``no more than the armed image of Saint George when it makes part of a

``Well, I will resume my resolution,'' replied the haughty Templar. ``She has despised me repulsed

mereviled meAnd wherefore should I offer up for her whatever of estimation I have in the opinion of

He left the apartment hastily as he uttered these words, and the Preceptor followed, to watch and confirm him

in his resolution; for in BoisGuilbert's fame he had himself a strong interest, expecting much advantage

from his being one day at the head of the Order, not to mention the preferment of which MontFitchet had

given him hopes, on condition he would forward the condemnation of the unfortunate Rebecca. Yet although,

in combating his friend's better feelings, he possessed all the advantage which a wily, composed, selfish

disposition has over a man agitated by strong and contending passions, it required all Malvoisin's art to keep

BoisGuilbert steady to the purpose he had prevailed on him to adopt. He was obliged to watch him closely

to prevent his resuming his purpose of flight, to intercept his communication with the Grand Master, lest he

should come to an open rupture with his Superior, and to renew, from time to time, the various arguments by

which he endeavoured to show, that, in appearing as champion on this occasion, BoisGuilbert, without

either accelerating or ensuring the fate of Rebecca, would follow the only course by which be could save

When the Black Knightfor it becomes necessary to resume the train of his adventuresleft the

Trystingtree of the generous Outlaw, he held his way straight to a neighbouring religious house, of small

extent and revenue, called the Priory of Saint Botolph, to which the wounded Ivanhoe had been removed

when the castle was taken, under the guidance of the faithful Gurth, and the magnanimous Wamba. It is

unnecessary at present to mention what took place in the interim betwixt Wilfred and his deliverer; suffice it

to say, that after long and grave communication, messengers were dispatched by the Prior in several

directions, and that on the succeeding morning the Black Knight was about to set forth on his journey,

``We will meet,'' he said to Ivanhoe, ``at Coningsburgh, the castle of the deceased Athelstane, since there thy

father Cedric holds the funeral feast for his noble relation. I would see your Saxon kindred together, Sir

Wilfred, and become better acquainted with them than heretofore. Thou also wilt meet me; and it shall be my

So saying, he took an affectionate farewell of Ivanhoe, who expressed an anxious desire to attend upon his

``Rest this day; thou wilt have scarce strength enough to travel on the next. I will have no guide with me but

``And I,'' said Wamba, ``will attend you with all my heart. I would fain see the feasting at the funeral of

Athelstane; for, if it be not full and frequent, he will rise from the dead to rebuke cook, sewer, and cupbearer;

and that were a sight worth seeing. Always, Sir Knight, I will trust your valour with making my excuse to my

``And how should my poor valour succeed, Sir Jester, when thy light wit halts?resolve me that.''

``Wit, Sir Knight,'' replied the Jester, ``may do much. He is a quick, apprehensive knave, who sees his

neighbours blind side, and knows how to keep the leegage when his passions are blowing high. But valour

is a sturdy fellow, that makes all split. He rows against both wind and tide, and makes way notwithstanding;

and, therefore, good Sir Knight, while I take advantage of the fair weather in our noble master's temper, I will

``Sir Knight of the Fetterlock, since it is your pleasure so to be distinguished,'' said Ivanhoe, ``I fear me you

have chosen a talkative and a troublesome fool to be your guide. But he knows every path and alley in the

woods as well as e'er a hunter who frequents them; and the poor knave, as thou hast partly seen, is as faithful

as steel.'' ``Nay,'' said the Knight, ``an he have the gift of showing my road, I shall not grumble with him that

he desires to make it pleasant.Fare thee well, kind WilfredI charge thee not to attempt to travel till

So saying, he extended his hand to Ivanhoe, who pressed it to his lips, took leave of the Prior, mounted his

horse, and departed, with Wamba for his companion. Ivanhoe followed them with his eyes, until they were

lost in the shades of the surrounding forest, and then returned into the convent.

But shortly after matinsong, he requested to see the Prior. The old man came in haste, and enquired

``It is better,'' he said, ``than my fondest hope could have anticipated; either my wound has been slighter than

the effusion of blood led me to suppose, or this balsam hath wrought a wonderful cure upon it. I feel already

as if I could bear my corslet; and so much the better, for thoughts pass in my mind which render me unwilling

``Now, the saints forbid,'' said the Prior, ``that the son of the Saxon Cedric should leave our convent ere his

``Nor would I desire to leave your hospitable roof, venerable father,'' said Ivanhoe, ``did I not feel myself

``Have you never, holy father,'' answered the Knight, ``felt an apprehension of approaching evil, for which

you in vain attempted to assign a cause? Have you never found your mind darkened, like the sunny

landscape, by the sudden cloud, which augurs a coming tempest?And thinkest thou not that such

impulses are deserving of attention, as being the hints of our guardian spirits, that danger is impending?''

``I may not deny,'' said the Prior, crossing himself, ``that such things have been, and have been of Heaven;

but then such communications have had a visibly useful scope and tendency. But thou, wounded as thou art,

what avails it thou shouldst follow the steps of him whom thou couldst not aid, were he to be assaulted?''

``Prior,'' said Ivanhoe, ``thou dost mistakeI am stout enough to exchange buffets with any who will

challenge me to such a trafficBut were it otherwise, may I not aid him were he in danger, by other means

than by force of arms? It is but too well known that the Saxons love not the Norman race, and who knows

what may be the issue, if he break in upon them when their hearts are irritated by the death of Athelstane, and

their heads heated by the carousal in which they will indulge themselves? I hold his entrance among them at

such a moment most perilous, and I am resolved to share or avert the danger; which, that I may the better do,

I would crave of thee the use of some palfrey whose pace may be softer than that of my destrier.''*

``Surely,'' said the worthy churchman; ``you shall have mine own ambling jennet, and I would it ambled as

easy for your sake as that of the Abbot of Saint Albans. Yet this will I say for Malkin, for so I call her, that

unless you were to borrow a ride on the juggler's steed that paces a hornpipe amongst the eggs, you could not

go a journey on a creature so gentle and smoothpaced. I have composed many a homily on her back, to the

``I pray you, reverend father,'' said Ivanhoe, ``let Malkin be got ready instantly, and bid Gurth attend me with

``Nay, but fair sir,'' said the Prior, ``I pray you to remember that Malkin hath as little skill in arms as her

master, and that I warrant not her enduring the sight or weight of your full panoply. O, Malkin, I promise you,

is a beast of judgment, and will contend against any undue weightI did but borrow the Fructus Temporum

from the priest of Saint Bees, and I promise you she would not stir from the gate until I had exchanged the

``Trust me, holy father,'' said Ivanhoe, ``I will not distress her with too much weight; and if she calls a

This reply was made while Gurth was buckling on the, Knight's heels a pair of large gilded spurs, capable of

convincing any restive horse that his best safety lay in being conformable to the will of his rider.

The deep and sharp rowels with which Ivanhoe's. heels were now armed, began to make the worthy Prior

repent of his courtesy, and ejaculate,``Nay, but fair sir, now I bethink me, my Malkin abideth not the

spurBetter it were that you tarry for the mare of our manciple down at the Grange, which may be had in

little more than an hour, and cannot but be tractable, in respect that she draweth much of our winter

``I thank you, reverend father, but will abide by your first offer, as I see Malkin is already led forth to the

gate. Gurth shall carry mine armour; and for the rest, rely on it, that as I will not overload Malkin's back, she

Ivanhoe now descended the stairs more hastily and easily than his wound promised, and threw himself upon

the jennet, eager to escape the importunity of the Prior, who stuck as closely to his side as his age and fatness

would permit, now singing the praises of Malkin, now recommending caution to the Knight in managing her.

``She is at the most dangerous period for maidens as well as mares,'' said the old man, laughing at his own

Ivanhoe, who had other web to weave than to stand canvassing a palfrey's paces with its owner, lent but a

deaf ear to the Prior's grave advices and facetious jests, and having leapt on his mare, and commanded his

squire (for such Gurth now called himself) to keep close by his side, he followed the track of the Black

Knight into the forest, while the Prior stood at the gate of the convent looking after him, and

ejaculating,``Saint Mary! how prompt and fiery be these men of war! I would I had not trusted Malkin to

his keeping, for, crippled as I am with the cold rheum, I am undone if aught but good befalls her. And yet,''

said he, recollecting himself, ``as I would not spare my own old and disabled limbs in the good cause of Old

England, so Malkin must e'en run her hazard on the same venture; and it may be they will think our poor

house worthy of some munificent guerdonor, it may be, they will send the old Prior a pacing nag. And if

they do none of these, as great men will forget little men's service, truly I shall hold me well repaid in having

done that which is right. And it is now wellnigh the fitting time to summon the brethren to breakfast in the

refectoryAh! I doubt they obey that call more cheerily than the bells for primes and matins.''

So the Prior of Saint Botolph's hobbled back again into the refectory, to preside over the stockfish and ale,

which was just serving out for the friars' breakfast. Pursy and important, he sat him down at the table, and

many a dark word he threw out, of benefits to be expected to the convent, and high deeds of service done by

himself, which, at another season, would have attracted observation. But as the stockfish was highly salted,

and the ale reasonably powerful, the jaws of the brethren were too anxiously employed to admit of their

making much use of their ears; nor do we read of any of the fraternity, who was tempted to speculate upon

the mysterious hints of their Superior, except Father Diggory, who was severely afflicted by the toothache, so

In the meantime, the Black Champion and his guide were pacing at their leisure through the recesses of the

forest; the good Knight whiles humming to himself the lay of some enamoured troubadour, sometimes

encouraging by questions the prating disposition of his attendant, so that their dialogue formed a whimsical

mixture of song and jest, of which we would fain give our readers some idea. You are then to imagine this

Knight, such as we have already described him, strong of person, tall, broadshouldered, and large of bone,

mounted on his mighty black charger, which seemed made on purpose to bear his weight, so easily he paced

forward under it, having the visor of his helmet raised, in order to admit freedom of breath, yet keeping the

beaver, or under part, closed, so that his features could be but imperfectly distinguished. But his ruddy

embrowned cheekbones could be plainly seen, and the large and bright blue eyes, that flashed from under

the dark shade of the raised visor; and the whole gesture and look of the champion expressed careless gaiety

and fearless confidence a mind which was unapt to apprehend danger, and prompt to defy it when most

imminent yet with whom danger was a familiar thought, as with one whose trade was war and adventure.

The Jester wore his usual fantastic habit, but late accidents had led him to adopt a good cutting falchion,

instead of his wooden sword, with a targe to match it; of both which weapons he had, notwithstanding his

profession, shown himself a skilful master during the storming of Torquilstone. Indeed, the infirmity of

Wamba's brain consisted chiefly in a kind of impatient irritability, which suffered him not long to remain

quiet in any posture, or adhere to any certain train of ideas, although he was for a few minutes alert enough in

performing any immediate task, or in apprehending any immediate topic. On horseback, therefore, he was

perpetually swinging himself backwards and forwards, now on the horse's ears, then anon on the very rump

of the animal,now hanging both his legs on one side, and now sitting with his face to the tail, moping,

mowing, and making a thousand apish gestures, until his palfrey took his freaks so much to heart, as fairly to

lay him at his length on the green grassan incident which greatly amused the Knight, but compelled his

At the point of their journey at which we take them up, this joyous pair were engaged in singing a virelai, as

it was called, in which the clown bore a mellow burden, to the better instructed Knight of the Fetterlock. And

``A dainty song,'' said Wamba, when they had finished their carol, ``and I swear by my bauble, a pretty

moral!I used to sing it with Gurth, once my playfellow, and now, by the grace of God and his master, no

less than a freemen; and we once came by the cudgel for being so entranced by the melody, that we lay in bed

two hours after sunrise, singing the ditty betwixt sleeping and waking my bones ache at thinking of the

tune ever since. Nevertheless, I have played the part of AnnaMarie, to please you, fair sir.''

The Jester next struck into another carol, a sort of comic ditty, to which the Knight, catching up the tune,

``I would, Wamba,'' said the knight, ``that our host of the Trystingtree, or the jolly Friar, his chaplain, heard

``Ay,'' said the Knight,``this is a pledge of Locksley's goodwill, though I am not like to need it. Three

mots on this bugle will, I am assured, bring round, at our need, a jolly band of yonder honest yeomen.''

``I would say, Heaven forefend,'' said the Jester, ``were it not that that fair gift is a pledge they would let us

``Why, what meanest thou?'' said the Knight; ``thinkest thou that but for this pledge of fellowship they would

``Nay, for me I say nothing,'' said Wamba; ``for green trees have ears as well as stone walls. But canst thou

construe me this, Sir KnightWhen is thy winepitcher and thy purse better empty than full?''

``Thou never deservest to have a full one in thy hand, for so simple an answer! Thou hadst best empty thy

pitcher ere thou pass it to a Saxon, and leave thy money at home ere thou walk in the greenwood.''

``You hear me not say so, fair sir,'' said Wamba; ``it may relieve a man's steed to take of his mail when he

hath a long journey to make; and, certes, it may do good to the rider's soul to ease him of that which is the

root of evil; therefore will I give no hard names to those who do such services. Only I would wish my mail at

home, and my purse in my chamber, when I meet with these good fellows, because it might save them some

``We are bound to pray for them, my friend, notwithstanding the fair character thou dost afford them.''

``Pray for them with all my heart,'' said Wamba; ``but in the town, not in the greenwood, like the Abbot of

Saint Bees, whom they caused to say mass with an old hollow oaktree for his stall.''

``Say as thou list, Wamba,'' replied the Knight, ``these yeomen did thy master Cedric yeomanly service at

``Ay, truly,'' answered Wamba; ``but that was in the fashion of their trade with Heaven.''

``Marry, thus,'' said the Jester. ``They make up a balanced account with Heaven, as our old cellarer used to

call his ciphering, as fair as Isaac the Jew keeps with his debtors, and, like him, give out a very little, and take

large credit for doing so; reckoning, doubtless, on their own behalf the sevenfold usury which the blessed

``Give me an example of your meaning, Wamba, I know nothing of ciphers or rates of usage,'' answered

``Why,'' said Wamba, ``an your valour be so dull, you will please to learn that those honest fellows balance a

good deed with one not quite so laudable; as a crown given to a begging friar with an hundred byzants taken

from a fat abbot, or a wench kissed in the greenwood with the relief of a poor widow.''

``Which of these was the good deed, which was the felony?'' interrupted the Knight.

``A good gibe! a good gibe!'' said Wamba; ``keeping witty company sharpeneth the apprehension. You said

nothing so well, Sir Knight, I will be sworn, when you held drunken vespers with the bluff Hermit.But to

go on. The merrymen of the forest set off the building of a cottage with the burning of a castle,the

thatching of a choir against the robbing of a church,the setting free a poor prisoner against the murder of

a proud sheriff; or, to come nearer to our point, the deliverance of a Saxon franklin against the burning alive

of a Norman baron. Gentle thieves they are, in short, and courteous robbers; but it is ever the luckiest to meet

``Why, then they have some compunction, and are for making up matters with Heaven. But when they have

struck an even balance, Heaven help them with whom they next open the account! The travellers who first

met them after their good service at Torquilstone would have a woful flaying. And yet,'' said Wamba,

coming close up to the Knight's side, ``there be companions who are far more dangerous for travellers to

``And who may they be, for you have neither bears nor wolves, I trow?'' said the Knight.

``Marry, sir, but we have Malvoisin's menatarms,'' said Wamba; ``and let me tell you, that, in time of civil

war, a halfscore of these is worth a band of wolves at any time. They are now expecting their harvest, and are

reinforced with the soldiers that escaped from Torquilstone. So that, should we meet with a band of them, we

are like to pay for our feats of arms.Now, I pray you, Sir Knight, what would you do if we met two of

``Pin the villains to the earth with my lance, Wamba, if they offered us any impediment.''

``What if six,'' continued Wamba, ``and we as we now are, barely twowould you not remember

``What! sound for aid,'' exclaimed the Knight, ``against a score of such rascaille as these, whom one good

``Nay, then,'' said Wamba, ``I will pray you for a close sight of that same horn that hath so powerful a

The Knight undid the clasp of the baldric, and indulged his fellowtraveller, who immediately hung the bugle

``Tralirala,'' said he, whistling the notes; ``nay, I know my gamut as well as another.''

``Content you, Sir Knight, it is in safe keeping. When Valour and Folly travel, Folly should bear the horn,

``Nay but, rogue,'' said the Black Knight, ``this exceedeth thy licenseBeware ye tamper not with my

``Urge me not with violence, Sir Knight,'' said the Jester, keeping at a distance from the impatient champion,

``or Folly will show a clean pair of heels, and leave Valour to find out his way through the wood as best he

``Nay, thou hast hit me there,'' said the Knight; ``and, sooth to say, I have little time to jangle with thee. Keep

``Ay, but pledge me your knightly word for it,'' continued Wamba, as he approached with great caution.

``Nay, then, Valour and Folly are once more boon companions,'' said the Jester, coming up frankly to the

Knight's side; ``but, in truth, I love not such buffets as that you bestowed on the burly Friar, when his

holiness rolled on the green like a king of the ninepins. And now that Folly wears the horn, let Valour rouse

himself, and shake his mane; for, if I mistake not, there are company in yonder brake that are on the lookout

``Because I have twice or thrice noticed the glance of a motion from amongst the green leaves. Had they been

honest men, they had kept the path. But yonder thicket is a choice chapel for the Clerks of Saint Nicholas.''

``By my faith,'' said the Knight, closing his visor, ``I think thou best in the right on't.''

And in good time did he close it, for three arrows, flew at the same instant from the suspected spot against his

head and breast, one of which would have penetrated to the brain, had it not been turned aside by the steel

visor. The other two were averted by the gorget, and by the shield which hung around his neck.

``Thanks, trusty armourers,'' said the Knight. ``Wamba, let us close with them,''and he rode straight

to the thicket. He was met by six or seven menatarms, who ran against him with their lances at full career.

Three of the weapons struck against him, and splintered with as little effect as if they had been driven against

a tower of steel. The Black Knight's eyes seemed to flash fire even through the aperture of his visor. He

raised himself in his stirrups with an air of inexpressible dignity, and exclaimed, ``What means this, my

masters!'' The men made no other reply than by drawing their swords and attacking him on every side,

``Ha! Saint Edward! Ha! Saint George!'' said the Black Knight, striking down a man at every invocation;

His opponents, desperate as they were, bore back from an arm which carried death in every blow, and it

seemed as if the terror of his single strength was about to gain the battle against such odds, when a knight, in

blue armour, who had hitherto kept himself behind the other assailants, spurred forward with his lance, and

taking aim, not at the rider but at the steed, wounded the noble animal mortally.

``That was a felon stroke!'' exclaimed the Black Knight, as the steed fell to the earth, bearing his rider along

And at this moment, Wamba winded the bugle, for the whole had passed so speedily, that he had not time to

do so sooner. The sudden sound made the murderers bear back once more, and Wamba, though so

imperfectly weaponed, did not hesitate to rush in and assist the Black Knight to rise.

``Shame on ye, false cowards!'' exclaimed he in the blue harness, who seemed to lead the assailants, ``do ye

Animated by his words, they attacked the Black Knight anew, whose best refuge was now to place his back

against an oak, and defend himself with his sword. The felon knight, who had taken another spear, watching

the moment when his formidable antagonist was most closely pressed, galloped against him in hopes to nail

him with his lance against the tree, when his purpose was again intercepted by Wamba. The Jester, making up

by agility the want of strength, and little noticed by the menatarms, who were busied in their more

important object, hovered on the skirts of the fight, and effectually checked the fatal career of the Blue

Knight, by hamstringing his horse with a stroke of his sword. Horse and man went to the ground; yet the

situation of the Knight of the Fetterlock continued very precarious, as he was pressed close by several men

completely armed, and began to be fatigued by the violent exertions necessary to defend himself on so many

points at nearly the same moment, when a greygoose shaft suddenly stretched on the earth one of the most

formidable of his assailants, and a band of yeomen broke forth from the glade, headed by Locksley and the

jovial Friar, who, taking ready and effectual part in the fray, soon disposed of the ruffians, all of whom lay on

the spot dead or mortally wounded. The Black Knight thanked his deliverers with a dignity they had not

observed in his former bearing, which hitherto had seemed rather that of a blunt bold soldier, than of a person

``It concerns me much,'' he said, ``even before I express my full gratitude to my ready friends, to discover, if I

may, who have been my unprovoked enemies.Open the visor of that Blue Knight, Wamba, who seems

The Jester instantly made up to the leader of the assassins, who, bruised by his fall, and entangled under the

``Come, valiant sir,'' said Wamba, ``I must be your armourer as well as your equerryI have dismounted

So saying, with no very gentle hand he undid the helmet of the Blue Knight, which, rolling to a distance on

the grass, displayed to the Knight of the Fetterlock grizzled locks, and a countenance he did not expect to

``Waldemar Fitzurse!'' he said in astonishment; ``what could urge one of thy rank and seeming worth to so

``Richard,'' said the captive Knight, looking up to him, ``thou knowest little of mankind, if thou knowest not

``Revenge?'' answered the Black Knight; ``I never wronged theeOn me thou hast nought to revenge.''

``My daughter, Richard, whose alliance thou didst scornwas that no injury to a Norman, whose blood is

``Thy daughter?'' replied the Black Knight; ``a proper cause of enmity, and followed up to a bloody

issue!Stand back, my masters, I would speak to him alone.And now, Waldemar Fitzurse, say me the

``Thy father's son,'' answered Waldemar, ``who, in so doing, did but avenge on thee thy disobedience to thy

Richard's eyes sparkled with indignation, but his better nature overcame it. He pressed his hand against his

brow, and remained an instant gazing on the face of the humbled baron, in whose features pride was

``He that is in the lion's clutch,'' answered Fitzurse, ``knows it were needless.''

``Take it, then, unasked,'' said Richard; ``the lion preys not on prostrate carcasses.Take thy life, but with

this condition, that in three days thou shalt leave England, and go to hide thine infamy in thy Norman castle,

and that thou wilt never mention the name of John of Anjou as connected with thy felony. If thou art found

on English ground after the space I have allotted thee, thou diestor if thou breathest aught that can attaint

the honour of my house, by Saint George! not the altar itself shall be a sanctuary. I will hang thee out to feed

the ravens, from the very pinnacle of thine own castle.Let this knight have a steed, Locksley, for I see

your yeomen have caught those which were running loose, and let him depart unharmed.''

``But that I judge I listen to a voice whose behests must not be disputed,'' answered the yeoman, ``I would

send a shaft after the skulking villain that should spare him the labour of a long journey.''

``Thou bearest an English heart, Locksley,'' said the Black Knight, ``and well dost judge thou art the more

At these words, pronounced in a tone of majesty suited to the high rank, and no less distinguished character

of CoeurdeLion, the yeomen at once kneeled down before him, and at the same time tendered their

``Rise, my friends,'' said Richard, in a gracious tone, looking on them with a countenance in which his

habitual goodhumour had already conquered the blaze of hasty resentment, and whose features retained no

mark of the late desperate conflict, excepting the flush arising from exertion,``Arise,'' he said, ``my

friends!Your misdemeanours, whether in forest or field, have been atoned by the loyal services you

rendered my distressed subjects before the walls of Torquilstone, and the rescue you have this day afforded to

your sovereign. Arise, my liegemen, and be good subjects in future.And thou, brave Locksley''

``Call me no longer Locksley, my Liege, but know me under the name, which, I fear, fame hath blown too

widely not to have reached even your royal earsI am Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest.''*

* From the ballads of Robin Hood, we learn that this celebrated * outlaw, when in disguise, sometimes

assumed the name of * Locksley, from a village where he was born, but where situated * we are not distinctly

``King of Outlaws, and Prince of good fellows!'' said the King, ``who hath not heard a name that has been

borne as far as Palestine? But be assured, brave Outlaw, that no deed done in our absence, and in the

turbulent times to which it hath given rise, shall be remembered to thy disadvantage.''

``True says the proverb,'' said Wamba, interposing his word, but with some abatement of his usual

``What, Wamba, art thou there?'' said Richard; ``I have been so long of hearing thy voice, I thought thou

``I take flight!'' said Wamba; ``when do you ever find Folly separated from Valour? There lies the trophy of

my sword, that good grey gelding, whom I heartily wish upon his legs again, conditioning his master lay

there houghed in his place. It is true, I gave a little ground at first, for a motley jacket does not brook

lanceheads, as a steel doublet will. But if I fought not at sword's point, you will grant me that I sounded the

``And to good purpose, honest Wamba,'' replied the King. ``Thy good service shall not be forgotten.''

``Confiteor! Confiteor!''exclaimed, in a submissive tone, a voice near the King's side``my Latin will

carry me no fartherbut I confess my deadly treason, and pray leave to have absolution before I am led to

Richard looked around, and beheld the jovial Friar on his knees, telling his rosary, while his quarterstaff,

which had not been idle during the skirmish, lay on the grass beside him. His countenance was gathered so as

be thought might best express the most profound contrition, his eyes being turned up, and the corners of his

mouth drawn down, as Wamba expressed it, like the tassels at the mouth of a purse. Yet this demure

affectation of extreme penitence was whimsically belied by a ludicrous meaning which lurked in his huge

``For what art thou cast down, mad Priest?'' said Richard; ``art thou afraid thy diocesan should learn how

truly thou dost serve Our Lady and Saint Dunstan?Tush, man! fear it not; Richard of England betrays no

``Nay, most gracious sovereign,'' answered the Hermit, (well known to the curious in pennyhistories of

Robin Hood, by the name of Friar Tuck,) ``it is not the crosier I fear, but the sceptre.Alas! that my

sacrilegious fist should ever have been applied to the ear of the Lord's anointed!''

``Ha! ha!'' said Richard, ``sits the wind there? In truth I had forgotten the buffet, though mine ear sung

after it for a whole day. But if the cuff was fairly given, I will be judged by the good men around, if it was not

as well repaidor, if thou thinkest I still owe thee aught, and will stand forth for another counterbuff''

``By no means,'' replied Friar Tuck, ``I had mine own returned, and with usurymay your Majesty ever

``If I could do so with cuffs,'' said the King, ``my creditors should have little reason to complain of an empty

``And yet,'' said the Friar, resuming his demure hypocritical countenance, ``I know not what penance I ought

``Speak no more of it, brother,'' said the King; ``after having stood so many cuffs from Paynims and

misbelievers, I were void of reason to quarrel with the buffet of a clerk so holy as he of Copmanhurst. Yet,

mine honest Friar, I think it would be best both for the church and thyself, that I should procure a license to

unfrock thee, and retain thee as a yeoman of our guard, serving in care of our person, as formerly in

``My Liege,'' said the Friar, ``I humbly crave your pardon; and you would readily grant my excuse, did you

but know how the sin of laziness has beset me. Saint Dunstanmay he be gracious to us!stands quiet in

his niche, though I should forget my orisons in killing a fat buckI stay out of my cell sometimes a night,

doing I wot not whatSaint Dunstan never complainsa quiet master he is, and a peaceful, as ever was

made of wood.But to be a yeoman in attendance on my sovereign the Kingthe honour is great,

doubtless yet, if I were but to step aside to comfort a widow in one corner, or to kill a deer in another, it

would be, `where is the dog Priest?' says one. `Who has seen the accursed Tuck?' says another. `The

unfrocked villain destroys more venison than half the country besides,' says one keeper; `And is hunting after

every shy doe in the country!' quoth a second.In fine, good my Liege, I pray you to leave me as you

found me; or, if in aught you desire to extend your benevolence to me, that I may be considered as the poor

Clerk of Saint Dunstan's cell in Copmanhurst, to whom any small donation will be most thankfully

``I understand thee,'' said the King, ``and the Holy Clerk shall have a grant of vert and venison in my woods

of Warncliffe. Mark, however, I will but assign thee three bucks every season; but if that do not prove an

``Your Grace may be well assured,'' said the Friar, ``that, with the grace of Saint Dunstan, I shall find the way

``I nothing doubt it, good brother,'' said the King; ``and as venison is but dry food, our cellarer shall have

orders to deliver to thee a butt of sack, a runlet of Malvoisie, and three hogsheads of ale of the first strike,

yearlyIf that will not quench thy thirst, thou must come to court, and become acquainted with my butler.''

``A cope, a stole, and an altarcloth shalt thou also have,'' continued the King, crossing himself``But we

may not turn our game into earnest, lest God punish us for thinking more on our follies than on his honour

``Answer for thyself, Friar,'' said King Richard, something sternly; but immediately stretching out his hand to

the Hermit, the latter, somewhat abashed, bent his knee, and saluted it. ``Thou dost less honour to my

extended palm than to my clenched fist,'' said the Monarch; ``thou didst only kneel to the one, and to the

But the Friar, afraid perhaps of again giving offence by continuing the conversation in too jocose a stylea

false step to be particularly guarded against by those who converse with monarchs bowed profoundly,

The new comers were Wilfred of Ivanhoe, on the Prior of Botolph's palfrey, and Gurth, who attended him, on

the Knight's own warhorse. The astonishment of Ivanhoe was beyond bounds, when he saw his master

besprinkled with blood, and six or seven dead bodies lying around in the little glade in which the battle had

taken place. Nor was he less surprised to see Richard surrounded by so many silvan attendants, the outlaws,

as they seemed to be, of the forest, and a perilous retinue therefore for a prince. He hesitated whether to

address the King as the Black Knighterrant, or in what other manner to demean himself towards him.

``Fear not, Wilfred,'' he said, ``to address Richard Plantagenet as himself, since thou seest him in the

company of true English hearts, although it may be they have been urged a few steps aside by warm English

``Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe,'' said the gallant Outlaw, stepping forward, ``my assurances can add nothing to

those of our sovereign; yet, let me say somewhat proudly, that of men who have suffered much, he hath not

``I cannot doubt it, brave man,'' said Wilfred, ``since thou art of the numberBut what mean these marks of

``Treason hath been with us, Ivanhoe,'' said the King; ``but, thanks to these brave men, treason hath met its

meedBut, now I bethink me, thou too art a traitor,'' said Richard, smiling; ``a most disobedient traitor; for

were not our orders positive, that thou shouldst repose thyself at Saint Botolph's until thy wound was

``It is healed,'' said Ivanhoe; ``it is not of more consequence than the scratch of a bodkin. But why, oh why,

noble Prince, will you thus vex the hearts of your faithful servants, and expose your life by lonely journeys

and rash adventures, as if it were of no more value than that of a mere knighterrant, who has no interest on

``And Richard Plantagenet,'' said the King, ``desires no more fame than his good lance and sword may

acquire himand Richard Plantagenet is prouder of achieving an adventure, with only his good sword, and

his good arm to speed, than if he led to battle an host of an hundred thousand armed men.''

``But your kingdom, my Liege,'' said Ivanhoe, ``your kingdom is threatened with dissolution and civil

waryour subjects menaced with every species of evil, if deprived of their sovereign in some of those

dangers which it is your daily pleasure to incur, and from which you have but this moment narrowly

``Ho! ho! my kingdom and my subjects?'' answered Richard, impatiently; ``I tell thee, Sir Wilfred, the best of

them are most willing to repay my follies in kindFor example, my very faithful servant, Wilfred of

Ivanhoe, will not obey my positive commands, and yet reads his king a homily, because he does not walk

exactly by his advice. Which of us has most reason to upbraid the other? Yet forgive me, my faithful

Wilfred. The time I have spent, and am yet to spend in concealment, is, as I explained to thee at Saint

Botolph's, necessary to give my friends and faithful nobles time to assemble their forces, that when Richard's

return is announced, he should be at the head of such a force as enemies shall tremble to face, and thus

subdue the meditated treason, without even unsheathing a sword. Estoteville and Bohun will not be strong

enough to move forward to York for twentyfour hours. I must have news of Salisbury from the south; and of

Beauchamp, in Warwickshire; and of Multon and Percy in the north. The Chancellor must make sure of

London. Too sudden an appearance would subject me to dangers, other than my lance and sword, though

backed by the bow of bold Robin, or the quarterstaff of Friar Tuck, and the horn of the sage Wamba, may be

Wilfred bowed in submission, well knowing how vain it was to contend with the wild spirit of chivalry which

so often impelled his master upon dangers which he might easily have avoided, or rather, which it was

unpardonable in him to have sought out. The young knight sighed, therefore, and held his peace; while

Richard, rejoiced at having silenced his counsellor, though his heart acknowledged the justice of the charge

he had brought against him, went on in conversation with Robin Hood.``King of Outlaws,'' he said,

``have you no refreshment to offer to your brother sovereign? for these dead knaves have found me both in

``In troth,'' replied the Outlaw, ``for I scorn to lie to your Grace, our larder is chiefly supplied with'' He

``With venison, I suppose?'' said Richard, gaily; ``better food at need there can be noneand truly, if a king

will not remain at home and slay his own game, methinks he should not brawl too loud if he finds it killed to

``If your Grace, then,'' said Robin, ``will again honour with your presence one of Robin Hood's places of

rendezvous, the venison shall not be lacking; and a stoup of ale, and it may be a cup of reasonably good wine,

The Outlaw accordingly led the way, followed by the buxom Monarch, more happy, probably, in this chance

meeting with Robin Hood and his foresters, than he would have been in again assuming his royal state, and

presiding over a splendid circle of peers and nobles. Novelty in society and adventure were the zest of life to

Richard CoeurdeLion, and it had its highest relish when enhanced by dangers encountered and

surmounted. In the lionhearted King, the brilliant, but useless character, of a knight of romance, was in a

great measure realized and revived; and the personal glory which he acquired by his own deeds of arms, was

far more dear to his excited imagination, than that which a course of policy and wisdom would have spread

around his government. Accordingly, his reign was like the course of a brilliant and rapid meteor, which

shoots along the face of Heaven, shedding around an unnecessary and portentous light, which is instantly

swallowed up by universal darkness; his feats of chivalry furnishing themes for bards and minstrels, but

affording none of those solid benefits to his country on which history loves to pause, and hold up as an

example to posterity. But in his present company Richard showed to the greatest imaginable advantage. He

Beneath a huge oaktree the silvan repast was hastily prepared for the King of England, surrounded by men

outlaws to his government, but who now formed his court and his guard. As the flagon went round, the rough

foresters soon lost their awe for the presence of Majesty. The song and the jest were exchangedthe stories

of former deeds were told with advantage; and at length, and while boasting of their successful infraction of

the laws, no one recollected they were speaking in presence of their natural guardian. The merry King,

nothing heeding his dignity any more than his company, laughed, quaffed, and jested among the jolly band.

The natural and rough sense of Robin Hood led him to be desirous that the scene should be closed ere any

thing should occur to disturb its harmony, the more especially that he observed Ivanhoe's brow clouded with

anxiety. ``We are honoured,'' he said to Ivanhoe, apart, ``by the presence of our gallant Sovereign; yet I

would not that he dallied with time, which the circumstances of his kingdom may render precious.''

``It is well and wisely spoken, brave Robin Hood,'' said Wilfred, apart; ``and know, moreover, that they who

jest with Majesty even in its gayest mood are but toying with the lion's whelp, which, on slight provocation,

``You have touched the very cause of my fear,'' said the Outlaw; ``my men are rough by practice and nature,

the King is hasty as well as goodhumoured; nor know I how soon cause of offence may arise, or how

``It must be by your management then, gallant yeoman,'' said Ivanhoe; ``for each hint I have essayed to give

``Must I so soon risk the pardon and favour of my Sovereign?'' said Robin Hood, pausing for all instant; ``but

by Saint Christopher, it shall be so. I were undeserving his grace did I not peril it for his good.Here,

Scathlock, get thee behind yonder thicket, and wind me a Norman blast on thy bugle, and without an instant's

Scathlock obeyed his captain, and in less than five minutes the revellers were startled by the sound of his

``It is the bugle of Malvoisin,'' said the Miller, starting to his feet, and seizing his bow. The Friar dropped the

flagon, and grasped his quarterstaff Wamba stopt short in the midst of a jest, and betook himself to sword

Men of their precarious course of life change readily from the banquet to the battle; and, to Richard, the

exchange seemed but a succession of pleasure. He called for his helmet and the most cumbrous parts of his

armour, which he had laid aside; and while Gurth was putting them on, he laid his strict injunctions on

Wilfred, under pain of his highest displeasure, not to engage in the skirmish which he supposed was

``Thou hast fought for me an hundred times, Wilfred,and I have seen it. Thou shalt this day look on, and

In the meantime, Robin Hood had sent off several of his followers in different directions, as if to reconnoitre

the enemy; and when he saw the company effectually broken up, he approached Richard, who was now

completely armed, and, kneeling down on one knee, craved pardon of his Sovereign.

``For what, good yeoman?'' said Richard, somewhat impatiently. ``Have we not already granted thee a full

pardon for all transgressions? Thinkest thou our word is a feather, to be blown backward and forward

between us? Thou canst not have had time to commit any new offence since that time?''

``Ay, but I have though,'' answered the yeoman, ``if it be an offence to deceive my prince for his own

advantage. The bugle you have heard was none of Malvoisin's, but blown by my direction, to break off the

banquet, lest it trenched upon hours of dearer import than to be thus dallied with.''

He then rose from his knee, folded his arm on his bosom, and in a manner rather respectful than submissive,

awaited the answer of the King,like one who is conscious he may have given offence, yet is confident in

the rectitude of his motive. The blood rushed in anger to the countenance of Richard; but it was the first

``The King of Sherwood,'' he said, ``grudges his venison and his wineflask to the King of England? It is

well, bold Robin!but when you come to see me in merry London, I trust to be a less niggard host. Thou

art right, however, good fellow. Let us therefore to horse and awayWilfred has been impatient this hour.

Tell me, bold Robin, hast thou never a friend in thy band, who, not content with advising, will needs direct

``Such a one,'' said Robin, ``is my Lieutenant, Little John, who is even now absent on an expedition as far as

the borders of Scotland; and I will own to your Majesty, that I am sometimes displeased by the freedom of

his councilsbut, when I think twice, I cannot be long angry with one who can have no motive for his

``Thou art right, good yeoman,'' answered Richard; ``and if I had Ivanhoe, on the one hand, to give grave

advice, and recommend it by the sad gravity of his brow, and thee, on the other, to trick me into what thou

thinkest my own good, I should have as little the freedom of mine own will as any king in Christendom or

Heathenesse.But come, sirs, let us merrily on to Coningsburgh, and think no more on't.''

Robin Hood assured them that he had detached a party in the direction of the road they were to pass, who

would not fail to discover and apprize them of any secret ambuscade; and that he had little doubt they would

find the ways secure, or, if otherwise, would receive such timely notice of the danger as would enable them to

fall back on a strong troop of archers, with which he himself proposed to follow on the same route.

The wise and attentive precautions adopted for his safety touched Richard's feelings, and removed any slight

grudge which he might retain on account of the deception the Outlaw Captain had practised upon him. He

once more extended his hand to Robin Hood, assured him of his full pardon and future favour, as well as his

firm resolution to restrain the tyrannical exercise of the forest rights and other oppressive laws, by which so

many English yeomen were driven into a state of rebellion. But Richard's good intentions towards the bold

Outlaw were frustrated by the King's untimely death; and the Charter of the Forest was extorted from the

unwilling hands of King John when he succeeded to his heroic brother. As for the rest of Robin Hood's

career, as well as the tale of his treacherous death, they are to be found in those blackletter garlands, once

The Outlaw's opinion proved true; and the King, attended by Ivanhoe, Gurth, and Wamba, arrived, without

any interruption, within view of the Castle of Coningsburgh, while the sun was yet in the horizon.

There are few more beautiful or striking scenes in England, than are presented by the vicinity of this ancient

Saxon fortress. The soft and gentle river Don sweeps through an amphitheatre, in which cultivation is richly

blended with woodland, and on a mount, ascending from the river, well defended by walls and ditches, rises

this ancient edifice, which, as its Saxon name implies, was, previous to the Conquest, a royal residence of the

kings of England. The outer walls have probably been added by the Normans, but the inner keep bears token

of very great antiquity. It is situated on a mount at one angle of the inner court, and forms a complete circle of

perhaps twentyfive feet in diameter. The wall is of immense thickness, and is propped or defended by six

huge external buttresses which project from the circle, and rise up against the sides of the tower is if to

strengthen or to support it. These massive buttresses are solid when they arise from the foundation, and a

good way higher up; but are hollowed out towards the top, and terminate in a sort of turrets communicating

with the interior of the keep itself. The distant appearance of this huge building, with these singular

accompaniments, is as interesting to the lovers of the picturesque, as the interior of the castle is to the eager

antiquary, whose imagination it carries back to the days of the heptarchy. A barrow, in the vicinity of the

castle, is pointed out as the tomb of the memorable Hengist; and various monuments, of great antiquity and

When CoeurdeLion and his retinue approached this rude yet stately building, it was not, as at present,

surrounded by external fortifications. The Saxon architect had exhausted his art in rendering the main keep

defensible, and there was no other circumvallation than a rude barrier of palisades.

A huge black banner, which floated from the top of the tower, announced that the obsequies of the late owner

were still in the act of being solemnized. It bore no emblem of the deceased's birth or quality, for armorial

bearings were then a novelty among the Norman chivalry themselves and, were totally unknown to the

Saxons. But above the gate was another banner, on which the figure of a white horse, rudely painted,

indicated the nation and rank of the deceased, by the wellknown symbol of Hengist and his Saxon warriors.

All around the castle was a scene of busy commotion; for such funeral banquets were times of general and

profuse hospitality, which not only every one who could claim the most distant connexion with the deceased,

but all passengers whatsoever, were invited to partake. The wealth and consequence of the deceased

Numerous parties, therefore, were seen ascending and descending the hill on which the castle was situated;

and when the King and his attendants entered the open and unguarded gates of the external barrier, the space

within presented a scene not easily reconciled with the cause of the assemblage. In one place cooks were

toiling to roast huge oxen, and fat sheep; in another, hogsheads of ale were set abroach, to be drained at the

freedom of all comers. Groups of every description were to be seen devouring the food and swallowing the

liquor thus abandoned to their discretion. The naked Saxon serf was drowning the sense of his halfyear's

hunger and thirst, in one day of gluttony and drunkennessthe more pampered burgess and guildbrother

was eating his morsel with gust, or curiously criticising the quantity of the malt and the skill of the brewer.

Some few of the poorer Norman gentry might also be seen, distinguished by their shaven chins and short

cloaks, and not less so by their keeping together, and looking with great scorn on the whole solemnity, even

while condescending to avail themselves of the good cheer which was so liberally supplied.

Mendicants were of course assembled by the score, together with strolling soldiers returned from Palestine,

(according to their own account at least,) pedlars were displaying their wares, travelling mechanics were

enquiring after employment, and wandering palmers, hedgepriests, Saxon minstrels, and Welsh bards, were

muttering prayers, and extracting mistuned dirges from their harps, crowds, and rotes.* One sent forth the

* The crowth, or crowd, was a species of violin. The rote a * sort of guitar, or rather hurdygurdy, the strings

of Athelstane in a doleful panegyric; another, in a Saxon genealogical poem, rehearsed the uncouth and harsh

names of his noble ancestry. Jesters and jugglers were not awanting, nor was the occasion of the assembly

supposed to render the exercise of their profession indecorous or improper. Indeed the ideas of the Saxons on

these occasions were as natural as they were rude. If sorrow was thirsty, there was drinkif hungry, there

was food if it sunk down upon and saddened the heart, here were the means supplied of mirth, or at least

of amusement. Nor did the assistants scorn to avail themselves of those means of consolation, although, every

now and then, as if suddenly recollecting the cause which had brought them together, the men groaned in

unison, while the females, of whom many were present, raised up their voices and shrieked for very woe.

Such was the scene in the castleyard at Coningsburgh when it was entered by Richard and his followers.

The seneschal or steward deigned not to take notice of the groups of inferior guests who were perpetually

entering and withdrawing, unless so far as was necessary to preserve order; nevertheless he was struck by the

good mien of the Monarch and Ivanhoe, more especially as he imagined the features of the latter were

familiar to him. Besides, the approach of two knights, for such their dress bespoke them, was a rare event at a

Saxon solemnity, and could not but be regarded as a sort of honour to the deceased and his family. And in his

sable dress, and holding in his hand his white wand of office, this important personage made way through the

miscellaneous assemblage of guests, thus conducting Richard and Ivanhoe to the entrance of the tower. Gurth

and Wamba speedily found acquaintances in the courtyard, nor presumed to intrude themselves any farther

The mode of entering the great tower of Coningsburgh Castle is very peculiar, and partakes of the rude

simplicity of the early times in which it was erected. A flight of steps, so deep and narrow as to be almost

precipitous, leads up to a low portal in the south side of the tower, by which the adventurous antiquary may

still, or at least could a few years since, gain access to a small stair within the thickness of the main wall of

the tower, which leads up to the third story of the building,the two lower being dungeons or vaults, which

neither receive air nor light, save by a square hole in the third story, with which they seem to have

communicated by a ladder. The access to the upper apartments in the tower which consist in all of four

stories, is given by stairs which are carried up through the external buttresses.

By this difficult and complicated entrance, the good King Richard, followed by his faithful Ivanhoe, was

ushered into the round apartment which occupies the whole of the third story from the ground. Wilfred, by

the difficulties of the ascent, gained time to muffle his face in his mantle, as it had been held expedient that he

should not present himself to his father until the King should give him the signal.

There were assembled in this apartment, around a large oaken table, about a dozen of the most distinguished

representatives of the Saxon families in the adjacent counties. They were all old, or, at least, elderly men; for

the younger race, to the great displeasure of the seniors, had, like Ivanhoe, broken down many of the barriers

which separated for half a century the Norman victors from the vanquished Saxons. The downcast and

sorrowful looks of these venerable men, their silence and their mournful posture, formed a strong contrast to

the levity of the revellers on the outside of the castle. Their grey locks and long full beards, together with

their antique tunics and loose black mantles, suited well with the singular and rude apartment in which they

were seated, and gave the appearance of a band of ancient worshippers of Woden, recalled to life to mourn

Cedric, seated in equal rank among his countrymen, seemed yet, by common consent, to act as chief of the

assembly. Upon the entrance of Richard (only known to him as the valorous Knight of the Fetterlock) he

arose gravely, and gave him welcome by the ordinary salutation, Waes hael, raising at the same time a goblet

to his head. The King, no stranger to the customs of his English subjects, returned the greeting with the

appropriate words, Drinc hael, and partook of a cup which was handed to him by the sewer. The same

courtesy was offered to Ivanhoe, who pledged his father in silence, supplying the usual speech by an

When this introductory ceremony was performed, Cedric arose, and, extending his hand to Richard,

conducted him into a small and very rude chapel, which was excavated, as it were, out of one of the external

buttresses. As there was no opening, saving a little narrow loophole, the place would have been nearly quite

dark but for two flambeaux or torches, which showed, by a red and smoky light, the arched roof and naked

Before this altar was placed a bier, and on each side of this bier kneeled three priests, who told their beads,

and muttered their prayers, with the greatest signs of external devotion. For this service a splendid soulscat

was paid to the convent of Saint Edmund's by the mother of the deceased; and, that it might be fully deserved,

the whole brethren, saving the lame Sacristan, had transferred themselves to Coningsburgh, where, while six

of their number were constantly on guard in the performance of divine rites by the bier of Athelstane, the

others failed not to take their share of the refreshments and amusements which went on at the castle. In

maintaining this pious watch and ward, the good monks were particularly careful not to interrupt their hymns

for an instant, lest Zernebock, the ancient Saxon Apollyon, should lay his clutches on the departed

Athelstane. Now were they less careful to prevent any unhallowed layman from touching the pall, which,

having been that used at the funeral of Saint Edmund, was liable to be desecrated, if handled by the profane.

If, in truth, these attentions could be of any use to the deceased, he had some right to expect them at the hands

of the brethren of Saint Edmund's, since, besides a hundred mancuses of gold paid down as the soulransom,

the mother of Athelstane had announced her intention of endowing that foundation with the better part of the

lands of the deceased, in order to maintain perpetual prayers for his soul, and that of her departed husband.

Richard and Wilfred followed the Saxon Cedric into the apartment of death, where, as their guide pointed

with solemn air to the untimely bier of Athelstane, they followed his example in devoutly crossing

This act of pious charity performed, Cedric again motioned them to follow him, gliding over the stone floor

with a noiseless tread; and, after ascending a few steps, opened with great caution the door of a small oratory,

which adjoined to the chapel. It was about eight feet square, hollowed, like the chapel itself, out of the

thickness of the wall; and the loophole, which enlightened it, being to the west, and widening considerably

as it sloped inward, a beam of the setting sun found its way into its dark recess, and showed a female of a

dignified mien, and whose countenance retained the marked remains of majestic beauty. Her long mourning

robes and her flowing wimple of black cypress, enhanced the whiteness of her skin, and the beauty of her

lightcoloured and flowing tresses, which time had neither thinned nor mingled with silver. Her countenance

expressed the deepest sorrow that is consistent with resignation. On the stone table before her stood a crucifix

of ivory, beside which was laid a missal, having its pages richly illuminated, and its boards adorned with

``Noble Edith,'' said Cedric, after having stood a moment silent, as if to give Richard and Wilfred time to look

upon the lady of the mansion, ``these are worthy strangers, come to take a part in thy sorrows. And this, in

especial, is the valiant Knight who fought so bravely for the deliverance of him for whom we this day mourn.'

``His bravery has my thanks,'' returned the lady; ``although it be the will of Heaven that it should be

displayed in vain. I thank, too, his courtesy, and that of his companion, which hath brought them hither to

behold the widow of Adeling, the mother of Athelstane, in her deep hour of sorrow and lamentation. To your

care, kind kinsman, I intrust them, satisfied that they will want no hospitality which these sad walls can yet

The guests bowed deeply to the mourning parent, and withdrew from their hospitable guide.

Another winding stair conducted them to an apartment of the same size with that which they had first entered,

occupying indeed the story immediately above. From this room, ere yet the door was opened, proceeded a

low and melancholy strain of vocal music. When they entered, they found themselves in the presence of

about twenty matrons and maidens of distinguished Saxon lineage. Four maidens, Rowena leading the choir,

raised a hymn for the soul of the deceased, of which we have only been able to decipher two or three

Dust unto dust, To this all must; The tenant hath resign'd The faded form To waste and worm Corruption

Through paths unknown Thy soul hath flown, To seek the realms of woe, Where fiery pain Shall purge the

In that sad place, By Mary's grace, Brief may thy dwelling be Till prayers and alms, And holy psalms, Shall

While this dirge was sang, in a low and melancholy tone, by the female choristers, the others were divided

into two bands, of which one was engaged in bedecking, with such embroidery as their skill and taste could

compass, a large silken pall, destined to cover the bier of Athelstane, while the others busied themselves in

selecting, from baskets of flowers placed before them, garlands, which they intended for the same mournful

purpose. The behaviour of the maidens was decorous, if not marked with deep affliction; but now and then a

whisper or a smile called forth the rebuke of the severer matrons, and here and there might be seen a damsel

more interested in endeavouring to find out how her mourningrobe became her, than in the dismal ceremony

for which they were preparing. Neither was this propensity (if we must needs confess the truth) at all

diminished by the appearance of two strange knights, which occasioned some looking up, peeping, and

whispering. Rowena alone, too proud to be vain, paid her greeting to her deliverer with a graceful courtesy.

Her demeanour was serious, but not dejected; and it may be doubted whether thoughts of Ivanhoe, and of the

uncertainty of his fate, did not claim as great a share in her gravity as the death of her kinsman.

To Cedric, however, who, as we have observed, was not remarkably clearsighted on such occasions, the

sorrow of his ward seemed so much deeper than any of the other maidens, that he deemed it proper to

whisper the explanation``She was the affianced bride of the noble Athelstane.''It may be doubted

whether this communication went a far way to increase Wilfred's disposition to sympathize with the

Having thus formally introduced the guests to the different chambers in which the obsequies of Athelstane

were celebrated under different forms, Cedric conducted them into a small room, destined, as he informed

them, for the exclusive accomodation of honourable guests, whose more slight connexion with the deceased

might render them unwilling to join those who were immediately effected by the unhappy event. He assured

them of every accommodation, and was about to withdraw when the Black Knight took his hand.

``I crave to remind you, noble Thane,'' he said, that when we last parted, you promised, for the service I had

``It is granted ere named, noble Knight,'' said Cedric; ``yet, at this sad moment''

``Of that also,'' said the King, ``I have bethought mebut my time is briefneither does it seem to me

unfit, that, when closing the grave on the noble Athelstane, we should deposit therein certain prejudices and

``Sir Knight of the Fetterlock,'' said Cedric, colouring, and interrupting the King in his turn, ``I trust your

boon regards yourself and no other; for in that which concerns the honour of my house, it is scarce fitting that

``Nor do I wish to mingle,'' said the King, mildly, ``unless in so far as you will admit me to have an interest.

As yet you have known me but as the Black Knight of the FetterlockKnow me now as Richard

``Richard of Anjou!'' exclaimed Cedric, stepping backward with the utmost astonishment.

``No, noble CedricRichard of England! whose deepest interestwhose deepest wish, is to see her

sons united with each other.And, how now, worthy Thane! hast thou no knee for thy prince?''

``Reserve thine homage then,'' said the Monarch, ``until I shall prove my right to it by my equal protection of

``Prince,'' answered Cedric, ``I have ever done justice to thy bravery and thy worthNor am I ignorant of

thy claim to the crown through thy descent from Matilda, niece to Edgar Atheling, and daughter to Malcolm

of Scotland. But Matilda, though of the royal Saxon blood, was not the heir to the monarchy.''

``I will not dispute my title with thee, noble Thane,'' said Richard, calmly; ``but I will bid thee look around

thee, and see where thou wilt find another to be put into the scale against it.''

``And hast thou wandered hither, Prince, to tell me so?'' said Cedric``To upbraid me with the ruin of my

race, ere the grave has closed o'er the last scion of Saxon royalty?''His countenance darkened as he

``Not so, by the holy rood!'' replied the King; ``it was done in the frank confidence which one brave man may

``Thou sayest well, Sir Kingfor King I own thou art, and wilt be, despite of my feeble opposition. I

dare not take the only mode to prevent it, though thou hast placed the strong temptation within my reach!''

``And now to my boon,'' said the King, ``which I ask not with one jot the loss confidence, that thou hast

refused to acknowledge my lawful sovereignty. I require of thee, as a man of thy word, on pain of being held

to forgive and receive to thy paternal affection the good knight, Wilfred of Ivanhoe. In this reconciliation

thou wilt own I have an interest the happiness of my friend, and the quelling of dissension among my

``My father!my father!'' said Ivanhoe, prostrating himself at Cedric's feet, ``grant me thy forgiveness!''

``Thou hast it, my son,'' said Cedric, raising him up. ``The son of Hereward knows how to keep his word,

even when it has been passed to a Norman. But let me see thee use the dress and costume of thy English

ancestryno short cloaks, no gay bonnets, no fantastic plumage in my decent household. He that would be

the son of Cedric, must show himself of English ancestry.Thou art about to speak,'' he added, sternly,

``and I guess the topic. The Lady Rowena must complete two years' mourning, as for a betrothed

husbandall our Saxon ancestors would disown us were we to treat of a new union for her ere the grave of

him she should have wedded him, so much the most worthy of her hand by birth and ancestryis yet

closed. The ghost of Athelstane himself would burst his bloody cerements and stand before us to forbid such

It seemed as if Cedric's words had raised a spectre; for, scarce had he uttered them ere the door flew open,

and Athelstane, arrayed in the garments of the grave, stood before them, pale, haggard, and like something

* The resuscitation of Athelstane has been much criticised, * as too violent a breach of probability, even for a

work of such * fantastic character. It was a tourdeforce, to which the author * was compelled to have

recourse, by the vehement entreaties of his * friend and printer, who was inconsolable on the Saxon being *

The effect of this apparition on the persons present was utterly appalling. Cedric started back as far as the

wall of the apartment would permit, and, leaning against it as one unable to support himself, gazed on the

figure of his friend with eyes that seemed fixed, and a mouth which he appeared incapable of shutting.

Ivanhoe crossed himself, repeating prayers in Saxon, Latin, or NormanFrench, as they occurred to his

In the meantime, a horrible noise was heard below stairs, some crying, ``Secure the treacherous

monks!''others, ``Down with them into the dungeon!'' others, ``Pitch them from the highest

``In the name of God!'' said Cedric, addressing what seemed the spectre of his departed friend, ``if thou art

mortal, speak!if a departed spirit, say for what cause thou dost revisit us, or if I can do aught that can set

``I will,'' said the spectre, very composedly, ``when I have collected breath, and when you give me

timeAlive, saidst thou?I am as much alive as he can be who has fed on bread and water for three

days, which seem three agesYes, bread and water, Father Cedric! By Heaven, and all saints in it, better

food hath not passed my weasand for three livelong days, and by God's providence it is that I am now here to

``Why, noble Athelstane,'' said the Black Knight, ``I myself saw you struck down by the fierce Templar

towards the end of the storm at Torquilstone, and as I thought, and Wamba reported, your skull was cloven

``You thought amiss, Sir Knight,'' said Athelstane, ``and Wamba lied. My teeth are in good order, and that

my supper shall presently findNo thanks to the Templar though, whose sword turned in his hand, so that

the blade struck me flatlings, being averted by the handle of the good mace with which I warded the blow;

had my steelcap been on, I had not valued it a rush, and had dealt him such a counterbuff as would have

spoilt his retreat. But as it was, down I went, stunned, indeed, but unwounded. Others, of both sides, were

beaten down and slaughtered above me, so that I never recovered my senses until I found myself in a coffin

(an open one, by good luck)placed before the altar of the church of Saint Edmund's. I sneezed

repeatedlygroanedawakened and would have arisen, when the Sacristan and Abbot, full of terror,

came running at the noise, surprised, doubtless, and no way pleased to find the man alive, whose heirs they

had proposed themselves to be. I asked for winethey gave me some, but it must have been highly

medicated, for I slept yet more deeply than before, and wakened not for many hours. I found my arms

swathed downmy feet tied so fast that mine ankles ache at the very remembrance the place was

utterly darkthe oubliette, as I suppose, of their accursed convent, and from the close, stifled, damp smell,

I conceive it is also used for a place of sepulture. I had strange thoughts of what had befallen me, when the

door of my dungeon creaked, and two villain monks entered. They would have persuaded me I was in

purgatory, but I knew too well the pursy shortbreathed voice of the Father Abbot.Saint Jeremy! how

different from that tone with which he used to ask me for another slice of the haunch!the dog has feasted

``Have patience, noble Athelstane,'' said the King, ``take breathtell your story at leisure beshrew me

``Ay but, by the rood of Bromeholm, there was no romance in the matter!'' said Athelstane.``A barley

loaf and a pitcher of waterthat they gave me, the niggardly traitors, whom my father, and I myself, had

enriched, when their best resources were the flitches of bacon and measures of corn, out of which they

wheedled poor serfs and bondsmen, in exchange for their prayersthe nest of foul ungrateful

vipersbarley bread and ditch water to, such a patron as I had been! I will smoke them out of their nest,

``But, in the name of Our Lady, noble Athelstane,'' said Cedric, grasping the hand of his friend, ``how didst

``Did their hearts relent!'' echoed Athelstane. ``Do rocks melt with the sun? I should have been there still,

had not some stir in the Convent, which I find was their procession hitherward to eat my funeral feast, when

they well knew how and where I had been buried alive, summoned the swarm out of their hive. I heard them

droning out their deathpsalms, little judging they were sung in respect for my soul by those who were thus

famishing my body. They went, however, and I waited long for foodno wonderthe gouty Sacristan

was even too busy with his own provender to mind mine. At length down he came, with an unstable step and

a strong flavour of wine and spices about his person. Good cheer had opened his heart, for he left me a nook

of pasty and a flask of wine, instead of my former fare. I ate, drank, and was invigorated; when, to add to my

good luck, the Sacristan, too totty to discharge his duty of turnkey fitly, locked the door beside the staple, so

that it fell ajar. The light, the food, the wine, set my invention to work. The staple to which my chains were

fixed, was more rusted than I or the villain Abbot had supposed. Even iron could not remain without

``Take breath, noble Athelstane,' said Richard, ``and partake of some refreshment, ere you proceed with a tale

``Partake!'' quoth Athelstane; ``I have been partaking five times todayand yet a morsel of that savoury

ham were not altogether foreign to the matter; and I pray you, fair sir, to do me reason in a cup of wine.''

The guests, though still agape with astonishment, pledged their resuscitated landlord, who thus proceeded in

his story:He had indeed now many more auditors than those to whom it was commenced, for Edith,

having given certain necessary orders for arranging matters within the Castle, had followed the deadalive up

to the stranger's apartment attended by as many of the guests, male and female, as could squeeze into the

small room, while others, crowding the staircase, caught up an erroneous edition of the story, and transmitted

it still more inaccurately to those beneath, who again sent it forth to the vulgar without, in a fashion totally

irreconcilable to the real fact. Athelstane, however, went on as follows, with the history of his escape:

``Finding myself freed from the staple, I dragged myself up stairs as well as a man loaded with shackles, and

emaciated with fasting, might; and after much groping about, I was at length directed, by the sound of a jolly

roundelay, to the apartment where the worthy Sacristan, an it so please ye, was holding a devil's mass with a

huge beetlebrowed, broadshouldered brother of the greyfrock and cowl, who looked much more like a

thief than a clergyman. I burst in upon them, and the fashion of my graveclothes, as well as the clanking of

my chains, made me more resemble an inhabitant of the other world than of this. Both stood aghast; but when

I knocked down the Sacristan with my fist, the other fellow, his potcompanion, fetched a blow at me with a

``This must be our Friar Tuck, for a count's ransom,'' said Richard, looking at Ivanhoe.

``He may be the devil, an he will,'' said Athelstane. ``Fortunately be missed the aim; and on my approaching

to grapple with him, took to his heels and ran for it. I failed not to set my own heels at liberty by means of the

fetterkey, which hung amongst others at the sexton's belt; and I had thoughts of beating out the knaves

brains with the bunch of keys, but gratitude for the nook of pasty and the flask of wine which the rascal had

imparted to my captivity, came over my heart; so, with a brace of hearty kicks, I left him on the floor,

pouched some baked meat, and a leathern bottle of wine, with which the two venerable brethren had been

regaling, went to the stable, and found in a private stall mine own best palfrey, which, doubtless, had been set

apart for the holy Father Abbot's particular use. Hither I came with all the speed the beast could

compassman and mother's son flying before me wherever I came, taking me for a spectre, the more

especially as, to prevent my being recognised, I drew the corpsehood over my face. I had not gained

admittance into my own castle, had I not been supposed to be the attendant of a juggler who is making the

people in the castleyard very merry, considering they are assembled to celebrate their lord's funeralI say

the sewer thought I was dressed to bear a part in the tregetour's mummery, and so I got admission, and did

but disclose myself to my mother, and eat a hasty morsel, ere I came in quest of you, my noble friend.''

``And you have found me,'' said Cedric, ``ready to resume our brave projects of honour and liberty. I tell thee,

never will dawn a morrow so auspicious as the next, for the deliverance of the noble Saxon race.''

``Talk not to me of delivering any one,'' said Athelstane; ``it is well I am delivered myself. I am more intent

on punishing that villain Abbot. He shall hang on the top of this Castle of Coningsburgh, in his cope and

stole; and if the stairs be too strait to admit his fat carcass, I will have him craned up from without.''

``Consider my three days' fast,'' replied Athelstane; ``I will have their blood every one of them.

FrontdeBoeuf was burnt alive for a less matter, for he kept a good table for his prisoners, only put too

much garlic in his last dish of pottage. But these hypocritical, ungrateful slaves, so often the selfinvited

flatterers at my board, who gave me neither pottage nor garlic, more or less, they die, by the soul of Hengist!''

``But the devil, my noble friend,''answered Athelstane; ``they die, and no more of them. Were they the

``For shame, noble Athelstane,'' said Cedric; ``forget such wretches in the career of glory which lies open

before thee. Tell this Norman prince, Richard of Anjou, that, lionhearted as he is, he shall not hold

undisputed the throne of Alfred, while a male descendant of the Holy Confessor lives to dispute it.''

``It is Richard Plantagenet himself,'' said Cedric; ``yet I need not remind thee that, coming hither a guest of

freewill, he may neither be injured nor detained prisonerthou well knowest thy duty to him as his host.''

``Ay, by my faith!'' said Athelstane; ``and my duty as a subject besides, for I here tender him my allegiance,

``Mother and friend,'' said Athelstane, ``a truce to your upbraidingsbread and water and a dungeon are

marvellous mortifiers of ambition, and I rise from the tomb a wiser man than I descended into it. One half of

those vain follies were puffed into mine ear by that perfidious Abbot Wolfram, and you may now judge if he

is a counsellor to be trusted. Since these plots were set in agitation, I have had nothing but hurried journeys,

indigestions, blows and bruises, imprisonments and starvation; besides that they can only end in the murder

of some thousands of quiet folk. I tell you, I will be king in my own domains, and nowhere else; and my first

``Father Cedric,'' said Athelstane, ``be reasonable. The Lady Rowena cares not for meshe loves the little

finger of my kinsman Wilfred's glove better than my whole person. There she stands to avouch itNay,

blush not, kinswoman, there is no shame in loving a courtly knight better than a country franklinand do

not laugh neither, Rowena, for graveclothes and a thin visage are, God knows, no matter of

merrimentNay, an thou wilt needs laugh, I will find thee a better jestGive me thy hand, or rather lend

it me, for I but ask it in the way of friendship.Here, cousin Wilfred of Ivanhoe, in thy favour I renounce

and abjure Hey! by Saint Dunstan, our cousin Wilfred hath vanished!Yet, unless my eyes are

still dazzled with the fasting I have undergone, I saw him stand there but even now.''

All now looked around and enquired for Ivanhoe, but he had vanished. It was at length discovered that a Jew

had been to seek him; and that, after very brief conference, he had called for Gurth and his armour, and had

``Fair cousin,'' said Athelstane to Rowena, ``could I think that this sudden disappearance of Ivanhoe was

But he had no sooner let go her hand, on first observing that Ivanhoe had disappeared, than Rowena, who had

found her situation extremely embarrassing, had taken the first opportunity to escape from the apartment.

``Certainly,'' quoth Athelstane, ``women are the least to be trusted of all animals, monks and abbots excepted.

I am an infidel, if I expected not thanks from her, and perhaps a kiss to bootThese cursed graveclothes

have surely a spell on them, every one flies from me.To you I turn, noble King Richard, with the vows of

But King Richard was gone also, and no one knew whither. At length it was learned that be had hastened to

the courtyard, summoned to his presence the Jew who had spoken with Ivanhoe, and after a moment's

speech with him, had called vehemently to horse, thrown himself upon a steed, compelled the Jew to mount

another, and set off at a rate, which, according to Wamba, rendered the old Jew's neck not worth a penny's

``By my halidome!'' said Athelstane, ``it is certain that Zernebock hath possessed himself of my castle in my

absence. I return in my graveclothes, a pledge restored from the very sepulchre, and every one I speak to

vanishes as soon as they hear my voice!But it skills not talking of it. Come, my friendssuch of you as

are left, follow me to the banquethall, lest any more of us disappear it is, I trust, as yet tolerably

furnished, as becomes the obsequies of an ancient Saxon noble; and should we tarry any longer, who knows

Our scene now returns to the exterior of the Castle, or Preceptory, of Templestowe, about the hour when the

bloody die was to be cast for the life or death of Rebecca. It was a scene of bustle and life, as if the whole

vicinity had poured forth its inhabitants to a village wake, or rural feast. But the earnest desire to look on

blood and death, is not peculiar to those dark ages; though in the gladiatorial exercise of single combat and

general tourney, they were habituated to the bloody spectacle of brave men failing by each other's hands.

Even in our own days, when morals are better understood, an execution, a bruising match, a riot, or a meeting

of radical reformers, collects, at considerable hazard to themselves, immense crowds of spectators, otherwise

little interested, except to see how matters are to be conducted, or whether the heroes of the day are, in the

The eyes, therefore, of a very considerable multitude, were bent on the gate of the Preceptory of

Templestowe, with the purpose of witnessing the procession; while still greater numbers had already

surrounded the tiltyard belonging to that establishment. This enclosure was formed on a piece of level ground

adjoining to the Preceptory, which had been levelled with care, for the exercise of military and chivalrous

sports. It occupied the brow of a soft and gentle eminence, was carefully palisaded around, and, as the

Templars willingly invited spectators to be witnesses of their skill in feats of chivalry, was amply supplied

On the present occasion, a throne was erected for the Grand Master at the east end, surrounded with seats of

distinction for the Preceptors and Knights of the Order. Over these floated the sacred standard, called Le

Beauseant, which was the ensign, as its name was the battlecry, of the Templars.

At the opposite end of the lists was a pile of faggots, so arranged around a stake, deeply fixed in the ground,

as to leave a space for the victim whom they were destined to consume, to enter within the fatal circle, in

order to be chained to the stake by the fetters which hung ready for that purpose. Beside this deadly apparatus

stood four black slaves, whose colour and African features, then so little known in England, appalled the

multitude, who gazed on them as on demons employed about their own diabolical exercises. These men

stirred not, excepting now and then, under the direction of one who seemed their chief, to shift and replace

the ready fuel. They looked not on the multitude. In fact, they seemed insensible of their presence, and of

every thing save the discharge of their own horrible duty. And when, in speech with each other, they

expanded their blubber lips, and showed their white fangs, as if they grinned at the thoughts of the expected

tragedy, the startled commons could scarcely help believing that they were actually the familiar spirits with

whom the witch had communed, and who, her time being out, stood ready to assist in her dreadful

punishment. They whispered to each other, and communicated all the feats which Satan had performed

during that busy and unhappy period, not failing, of course, to give the devil rather more than his due.

``Have you not heard, Father Dennet,'' quoth one boor to another advanced in years, ``that the devil has

``Ay, but he brought him back though, by the blessing of God and Saint Dunstan.''

``How's that?'' said a brisk young fellow, dressed in a green cassock embroidered with gold, and having at his

heels a stout lad bearing a harp upon his back, which betrayed his vocation. The Minstrel seemed of no vulgar

rank; for, besides the splendour of his gaily braidered doublet, he wore around his neck a silver chain, by

which hung the wrest, or key, with which he tuned his harp. On his right arm was a silver plate, which,

instead of bearing, as usual, the cognizance or badge of the baron to whose family he belonged, had barely

the word =Sherwood= engraved upon it.``How mean you by that?'' said the gay Minstrel, mingling in the

conversation of the peasants; ``I came to seek one subject for my rhyme, and, by'r Lady, I were glad to find

``It is well avouched,'' said the elder peasant, ``that after Athelstane of Coningsburgh had been dead four

``That is impossible,'' said the Minstrel; ``I saw him in life at the Passage of Arms at AshbydelaZouche.''

``Dead, however, he was, or else translated,'' said the younger peasant; ``for I heard the Monks of Saint

Edmund's singing the death's hymn for him; and, moreover, there was a rich deathmeal and dole at the

Castle of Coningsburgh, as right was; and thither had I gone, but for Mabel Parkins, who''

``Ay, dead was Athelstane,'' said the old man, shaking his head, ``and the more pity it was, for the old Saxon

``But, your story, my mastersyour story,'' said the Minstrel, somewhat impatiently.

``Ay, ayconstrue us the story,'' said a burly Friar, who stood beside them, leaning on a pole that exhibited

an appearance between a pilgrim's staff and a quarterstaff, and probably acted as either when occasion

served,``Your story,'' said the stalwart churchman; ``burn not daylight about itwe have short time to

``An please your reverence,'' said Dennet, ``a drunken priest came to visit the Sacristan at Saint

``It does not please my reverence,'' answered the churchman, ``that there should be such an animal as a

drunken priest, or, if there were, that a layman should so speak him. Be mannerly, my friend, and conclude

the holy man only wrapt in meditation, which makes the head dizzy and foot unsteady, as if the stomach were

``Well, then,'' answered Father Dennet, ``a holy brother came to visit the Sacristan at Saint Edmund'sa

sort of hedgepriest is the visitor, and kills half the deer that are stolen in the forest, who loves the tinkling of

a pintpot better than the sacringbell, and deems a flitch of bacon worth ten of his breviary; for the rest, a

good fellow and a merry, who will flourish a quarterstaff, draw a bow, and dance a Cheshire round, with

``That last part of thy speech, Dennet,'' said the Minstrel, ``has saved thee a rib or twain.''

``Tush, man, I fear him not,'' said Dennet; ``I am somewhat old and stiff, but when I fought for the bell and

``Why, the tale is but thisAthelstane of Coningsburgh was buried at Saint Edmund's.''

``That's a lie, and a loud one,'' said the Friar, ``for I saw him borne to his own Castle of Coningsburgh.''

``Nay, then, e'en tell the story yourself, my masters,'' said Dennet, turning sulky at these repeated

contradictions; and it was with some difficulty that the boor could be prevailed on, by the request of his

comrade and the Minstrel, to renew his tale. ``These two sober friars,'' said he at length, ``since this

reverend man will needs have them such, had continued drinking good ale, and wine, and what not, for the

best part for a summer's day, when they were aroused by a deep groan, and a clanking of chains, and the

figure of the deceased Athelstane entered the apartment, saying, `Ye evil shepherds!' ''

``So ho! Friar Tuck,'' said the Minstrel, drawing him apart from the rustics; ``we have started a new hare, I

``I tell thee, AllanaDale,'' said the Hermit, ``I saw Athelstane of Coningsburgh as much as bodily eyes ever

saw a living man. He had his shroud on, and all about him smelt of the sepulchre A butt of sack will not

``Never believe me,'' said the Friar, ``an I fetched not a knock at him with my quarterstaff that would have

felled an ox, and it glided through his body as it might through a pillar of smoke!''

``By Saint Hubert,'' said the Minstrel, ``but it is a wondrous tale, and fit to be put in metre to the ancient tune,

``Laugh, if ye list,'' said Friar Tuck; ``but an ye catch me singing on such a theme, may the next ghost or devil

carry me off with him headlong! No, noI instantly formed the purpose of assisting at some good work,

such as the burning of a witch, a judicial combat, or the like matter of godly service, and therefore am I here.''

As they thus conversed, the heavy bell of the church of Saint Michael of Templestowe, a venerable building,

situated in a hamlet at some distance from the Preceptory, broke short their argument. One by one the sullen

sounds fell successively on the ear, leaving but sufficient space for each to die away in distant echo, ere the

air was again filled by repetition of the iron knell. These sounds, the signal of the approaching ceremony,

chilled with awe the hearts of the assembled multitude, whose eyes were now turned to the Preceptory,

At length the drawbridge fell, the gates opened, and a knight, bearing the great standard of the Order, sallied

from the castle, preceded by six trumpets, and followed by the Knights Preceptors, two and two, the Grand

Master coming last, mounted on a stately horse, whose furniture was of the simplest kind. Behind him came

Brian de BoisGuilbert, armed capapie in bright armour, but without his lance, shield, and sword, which

were borne by his two esquires behind him. His face, though partly hidden by a long plume which floated

down from his barrelcap, bore a strong and mingled expression of passion, in which pride seemed to

contend with irresolution. He looked ghastly pale, as if he had not slept for several nights, yet reined his

pawing warhorse with the habitual ease and grace proper to the best lance of the Order of the Temple. His

general appearance was grand and commanding; but, looking at him with attention, men read that in his dark

On either side rode Conrade of MontFitchet, and Albert de Malvoisin, who acted as godfathers to the

champion. They were in their robes of peace, the white dress of the Order. Behind them followed other

Companions of the Temple, with a long train of esquires and pages clad in black, aspirants to the honour of

being one day Knights of the Order. After these neophytes came a guard of warders on foot, in the same sable

livery, amidst whose partisans might be seen the pale form of the accused, moving with a slow but

undismayed step towards the scene of her fate. She was stript of all her ornaments, lest perchance there

should be among them some of those amulets which Satan was supposed to bestow upon his victims, to

deprive them of the power of confession even when under the torture. A coarse white dress, of the simplest

form, had been substituted for her Oriental garments; yet there was such an exquisite mixture of courage and

resignation in her look, that even in this garb, and with no other ornament than her long black tresses, each

eye wept that looked upon her, and the most hardened bigot regretted the fate that had converted a creature so

A crowd of inferior personages belonging to the Preceptory followed the victim, all moving with the utmost

This slow procession moved up the gentle eminence, on the summit of which was the tiltyard, and, entering

the lists, marched once around them from right to left, and when they had completed the circle, made a halt.

There was then a momentary bustle, while the Grand Master and all his attendants, excepting the champion

and his godfathers, dismounted from their horses, which were immediately removed out of the lists by the

The unfortunate Rebecca was conducted to the black chair placed near the pile. On her first glance at the

terrible spot where preparations were making for a death alike dismaying to the mind and painful to the body,

she was observed to shudder and shut her eyes, praying internally doubtless, for her lips moved though no

speech was heard. In the space of a minute she opened her eyes, looked fixedly on the pile as if to familiarize

Meanwhile, the Grand Master had assumed his seat; and when the chivalry of his order was placed around

and behind him, each in his due rank, a loud and long flourish of the trumpets announced that the Court were

seated for judgment. Malvoisin, then, acting as godfather of the champion, stepped forward, and laid the

glove of the Jewess, which was the pledge of battle, at the feet of the Grand Master.

``Valorous Lord, and reverend Father,'' said he, here standeth the good Knight, Brian de BoisGuilbert,

Knight Preceptor of the Order of the Temple, who, by accepting the pledge of battle which I now lay at your

reverence's feet, hath become bound to do his devoir in combat this day, to maintain that this Jewish maiden,

by name Rebecca, hath justly deserved the doom passed upon her in a Chapter of this most Holy Order of the

Temple of Zion, condemning her to die as a sorceress; here, I say, he standeth, such battle to do, knightly

``Hath he made oath,'' said the Grand Master, ``that his quarrel is just and honourable? Bring forward the

``Sir, and most reverend father,'' answered Malvoisin, readily, ``our brother here present hath already sworn

to the truth of his accusation in the hand of the good Knight Conrade de MontFitchet; and otherwise he

ought not to be sworn, seeing that his adversary is an unbeliever, and may take no oath.''

This explanation was satisfactory, to Albert's great joy; for the wily knight had foreseen the great difficulty,

or rather impossibility, of prevailing upon Brian de BoisGuilbert to take such an oath before the assembly,

The Grand Master, having allowed the apology of Albert Malvoisin, commanded the herald to stand forth and

do his devoir. The trumpets then again flourished, and a herald, stepping forward, proclaimed

aloud,``Oyez, oyez, oyez.Here standeth the good Knight, Sir Brian de BoisGuilbert, ready to do

battle with any knight of free blood, who will sustain the quarrel allowed and allotted to the Jewess Rebecca,

to try by champion, in respect of lawful essoine of her own body; and to such champion the reverend and

valorous Grand Master here present allows a fair field, and equal partition of sun and wind, and whatever else

appertains to a fair combat.'' The trumpets again sounded, and there was a dead pause of many minutes.

``No champion appears for the appellant,'' said the Grand Master. ``Go, herald, and ask her whether she

expects any one to do battle for her in this her cause.'' The herald went to the chair in which Rebecca was

seated, and BoisGuilbert suddenly turning his horse's head toward that end of the lists, in spite of hints on

either side from Malvoisin and MontFitchet, was by the side of Rebecca's chair as soon as the herald.

``Is this regular, and according to the law of combat?'' said Malvoisin, looking to the Grand Master.

``Albert de Malvoisin, it is,'' answered Beaumanoir; ``for in this appeal to the judgment of God, we may not

prohibit parties from having that communication with each other, which may best tend to bring forth the truth

of the quarrel.'' In the meantime, the herald spoke to Rebecca in these terms:``Damsel, the Honourable

and Reverend the Grand Master demands of thee, if thou art prepared with a champion to do battle this day in

thy behalf, or if thou dost yield thee as one justly condemned to a deserved doom?''

``Say to the Grand Master,'' replied Rebecca, ``that I maintain my innocence, and do not yield me as justly

condemned, lest I become guilty of mine own blood. Say to him, that I challenge such delay as his forms will

permit, to see if God, whose opportunity is in man's extremity, will raise me up a deliverer; and when such

uttermost space is passed, may His holy will be done!'' The herald retired to carry this answer to the Grand

``God forbid,'' said Lucas Beaumanoir, ``that Jew or Pagan should impeach us of injustice! Until the

shadows be cast from the west to the eastward, will we wait to see if a champion shall appear for this

The herald communicated the words of the Grand Master to Rebecca, who bowed her head submissively,

folded her arms, and, looking up towards heaven, seemed to expect that aid from above which she could

scarce promise herself from man. During this awful pause, the voice of BoisGuilbert broke upon her

earit was but a whisper, yet it startled her more than the summons of the herald had appeared to do.

``I have no portion in thee, cruel, hardhearted man,'' said the unfortunate maiden.

``Ay, but dost thou understand my words?'' said the Templar; ``for the sound of my voice is frightful in mine

own ears. I scarce know on what ground we stand, or for what purpose they have brought us hither.This

listed spacethat chair these faggotsI know their purpose, and yet it appears to me like something

unrealthe fearful picture of a vision, which appals my sense with hideous fantasies, but convinces not my

``My mind and senses keep touch and time,'' answered Rebecca, ``and tell me alike that these faggots are

destined to consume my earthly body, and open a painful but a brief passage to a better world.'' ``Dreams,

Rebecca,dreams,'' answered the Templar; ``idle visions, rejected by the wisdom of your own wiser

Sadducees. Hear me, Rebecca,'' he said, proceeding with animation; ``a better chance hast thou for life and

liberty than yonder knaves and dotard dream of. Mount thee behind me on my steedon Zamor, the gallant

horse that never failed his rider. I won him in single fight from the Soldan of Trebizondmount, I say,

behind me in one short hour is pursuit and enquiry far behind a new world of pleasure opens to

theeto me a new career of fame. Let them speak the doom which I despise, and erase the name of

BoisGuilbert from their list of monastic slaves! I will wash out with blood whatever blot they may dare to

``Tempter,'' said Rebecca, ``begone!Not in this last extremity canst thou move me one hair'sbreadth

from my resting placesurrounded as I am by foes, I hold thee as my worst and most deadly

Albert Malvoisin, alarmed and impatient at the duration of their conference, now advanced to interrupt it.

``Hath the maiden acknowledged her guilt?'' he demanded of BoisGuilbert; ``or is she resolute in her

``Then,'' said Malvoisin, ``must thou, noble brother, resume thy place to attend the issueThe shades are

changing on the circle of the dialCome, brave BoisGuilbertcome, thou hope of our holy Order, and

As he spoke in this soothing tone, he laid his hand on the knight's bridle, as if to lead him back to his station.

``False villain! what meanest thou by thy hand on my rein?'' said Sir Brian, angrily. And shaking off his

``There is yet spirit in him,'' said Malvoisin apart to MontFitchet, ``were it well directedbut, like the

The Judges had now been two hours in the lists, awaiting in vain the appearance of a champion.

``And reason good,'' said Friar Tuck, ``seeing she is a Jewessand yet, by mine Order, it is hard that so

young and beautiful a creature should perish without one blow being struck in her behalf! Were she ten times

a witch, provided she were but the least bit of a Christian, my quarterstaff should ring noon on the steel cap

It was, however, the general belief that no one could or would appear for a Jewess, accused of sorcery; and

the knights, instigated by Malvoisin, whispered to each other, that it was time to declare the pledge of

Rebecca forfeited. At this instant a knight, urging his horse to speed, appeared on the plain advancing

towards the lists. A hundred voices exclaimed, ``A champion! a champion!'' And despite the prepossessions

and prejudices of the multitude, they shouted unanimously as the knight rode into the tiltyard, The second

glance, however, served to destroy the hope that his timely arrival had excited. His horse, urged for many

miles to its utmost speed, appeared to reel from fatigue, and the rider, however undauntedly he presented

himself in the lists, either from weakness, weariness, or both, seemed scarce able to support himself in the

To the summons of the herald, who demanded his rank, his name, and purpose, the stranger knight answered

readily and boldly, ``I am a good knight and noble, come hither to sustain with lance and sword the just and

lawful quarrel of this damsel, Rebecca, daughter of Isaac of York; to uphold the doom pronounced against

her to be false and truthless, and to defy Sir Brian de BoisGuilbert, as a traitor, murderer, and liar; as I will

prove in this field with my body against his, by the aid of God, of Our Lady, and of Monseigneur Saint

``The stranger must first show,'' said Malvoisin, ``that he is good knight, and of honourable lineage. The

``My name,'' said the Knight, raising his helmet, ``is better known, my lineage more pure, Malvoisin, than

``I will not fight with thee at present,'' said the Templar, in a changed and hollow voice. ``Get thy wounds

healed, purvey thee a better horse, and it may be I will hold it worth my while to scourge out of thee this

``Ha! proud Templar,'' said Ivanhoe, ``hast thou forgotten that twice didst thou fall before this lance?

Remember the lists at Acreremember the Passage of Arms at Ashbyremember thy proud vaunt in the

halls of Rotherwood, and the gage of your gold chain against my reliquary, that thou wouldst do battle with

Wilfred of Ivanhoe, and recover the honour thou hadst lost! By that reliquary and the holy relic it contains, I

will proclaim thee, Templar, a coward in every court in Europein every Preceptory of thine

BoisGuilbert turned his countenance irresolutely towards Rebecca, and then exclaimed, looking fiercely at

Ivanhoe, ``Dog of a Saxon! take thy lance, and prepare for the death thou hast drawn upon thee!''

``I may not deny what thou hast challenged,'' said the Grand Master, ``provided the maiden accepts thee as

her champion. Yet I would thou wert in better plight to do battle. An enemy of our Order hast thou ever been,

``Thusthus as I am, and not otherwise,'' said Ivanhoe; ``it is the judgment of Godto his keeping I

commend myself.Rebecca,'' said he, riding up to the fatal chair, ``dost thou accept of me for thy

``I do,'' she said``I do,'' fluttered by an emotion which the fear of death had been unable to produce, ``I do

accept thee as the champion whom Heaven hath sent me. Yet, nonothy wounds are uncuredMeet

But Ivanhoe was already at his post, and had closed his visor, and assumed his lance. BoisGuilbert did the

same; and his esquire remarked, as he clasped his visor, that his face, which had, notwithstanding the variety

of emotions by which he had been agitated, continued during the whole morning of an ashy paleness, was

The herald, then, seeing each champion in his place, uplifted his voice, repeating thriceFaites vos devoirs,

preux chevaliers! After the third cry, he withdrew to one side of the lists, and again proclaimed, that none, on

peril of instant death, should dare, by word, cry, or action, to interfere with or disturb this fair field of combat.

The Grand Master, who held in his hand the gage of battle, Rebecca's glove, now threw it into the lists, and

The trumpets sounded, and the knights charged each other in full career. The wearied horse of Ivanhoe, and

its no less exhausted rider, went down, as all had expected, before the wellaimed lance and vigorous steed

of the Templar. This issue of the combat all had foreseen; but although the spear of Ivanhoe did but, in

comparison, touch the shield of BoisGuilbert, that champion, to the astonishment of all who beheld it reeled

Ivanhoe, extricating himself from his fallen horse, was soon on foot, hastening to mend his fortune with his

sword; but his antagonist arose not. Wilfred, placing his foot on his breast, and the sword's point to his throat,

commanded him to yield him, or die on the spot. BoisGuilbert returned no answer.

``Slay him not, Sir Knight,'' cried the Grand Master, ``unshriven and unabsolvedkill not body and soul!

He descended into the lists, and commanded them to unhelm the conquered champion. His eyes were

closedthe dark red flush was still on his brow. As they looked on him in astonishment, the eyes

openedbut they were fixed and glazed. The flush passed from his brow, and gave way to the pallid hue of

death. Unscathed by the lance of his enemy, he had died a victim to the violence of his own contending

``This is indeed the judgment of God,'' said the Grand Master, looking upwards``Fiat voluntas tua!''

When the first moments of surprise were over, Wilfred of Ivanhoe demanded of the Grand Master, as judge

of the field, if he had manfully and rightfully done his duty in the combat? ``Manfully and rightfully hath it

been done,'' said the Grand Master. ``I pronounce the maiden free and guiltlessThe arms and the body of

``I will not despoil him of his weapons,'' said the Knight of Ivanhoe, ``nor condemn his corpse to

shamehe hath fought for ChristendomGod's arm, no human hand, hath this day struck him down. But

let his obsequies be private, as becomes those of a man who died in an unjust quarrel.And for the

He was interrupted by a clattering of horses' feet, advancing in such numbers, and so rapidly, as to shake the

ground before them; and the Black Knight galloped into the lists. He was followed by a numerous band of

``I am too late,'' he said, looking around him. ``I had doomed BoisGuilbert for mine own property.

Ivanhoe, was this well, to take on thee such a venture, and thou scarce able to keep thy saddle?''

``Heaven, my Liege,'' answered Ivanhoe, ``hath taken this proud man for its victim. He was not to be

``Peace be with him,'' said Richard, looking steadfastly on the corpse, ``if it may be sohe was a gallant

knight, and has died in his steel harness full knightly. But we must waste no timeBohun, do thine office!''

A Knight stepped forward from the King's attendants, and, laying his hand on the shoulder of Albert de

The Grand Master had hitherto stood astonished at the appearance of so many warriors.He now spoke.

``Who dares to arrest a Knight of the Temple of Zion, within the girth of his own Preceptory, and in the

presence of the Grand Master? and by whose authority is this bold outrage offered?''

``I make the arrest,'' replied the Knight``I, Henry Bohun, Earl of Essex, Lord High Constable of

``And he arrests Malvoisin,'' said the King, raising his visor, ``by the order of Richard Plantagenet, here

present.Conrade MontFitchet, it is well for thee thou art born no subject of mine. But for thee,

``Proud Templar,'' said the King, ``thou canst notlook up, and behold the Royal Standard of England

floats over thy towers instead of thy Temple banner!Be wise, Beaumanoir, and make no bootless

``I will appeal to Rome against thee,'' said the Grand Master, ``for usurpation on the immunities and

``Be it so,'' said the King; ``but for thine own sake tax me not with usurpation now. Dissolve thy Chapter, and

depart with thy followers to thy next Preceptory, (if thou canst find one), which has not been made the scene

of treasonable conspiracy against the King of EnglandOr, if thou wilt, remain, to share our hospitality,

``To be a guest in the house where I should command?'' said the Templar; ``never!Chaplains, raise the

Psalm, Quare fremuerunt Genies? Knights, squires, and followers of the Holy Temple, prepare to follow

The Grand Master spoke with a dignity which confronted even that of England's king himself, and inspired

courage into his surprised and dismayed followers. They gathered around him like the sheep around the

watchdog, when they hear the baying of the wolf. But they evinced not the timidity of the scared

flockthere were dark brows of defiance, and looks which menaced the hostility they dared not to proffer

in words. They drew together in a dark line of spears, from which the white cloaks of the knights were visible

among the dusky garments of their retainers, like the lightercoloured edges of a sable cloud. The multitude,

who had raised a clamorous shout of reprobation, paused and gazed in silence on the formidable and

experienced body to which they had unwarily bade defiance, and shrunk back from their front.

The Earl of Essex, when he beheld them pause in their assembled force, dashed the rowels into his charger's

sides, and galloped backwards and forwards to array his followers, in opposition to a band so formidable.

Richard alone, as if he loved the danger his presence had provoked, rode slowly along the front of the

Templars, calling aloud, ``What, sirs! Among so many gallant knights, will none dare splinter a spear with

Richard?Sirs of the Temple! your ladies are but sunburned, if they are not worth the shiver of a broken

``The Brethren of the Temple,'' said the Grand Master, riding forward in advance of their body, ``fight not on

such idle and profane quarreland not with thee, Richard of England, shall a Templar cross lance in my

presence. The Pope and Princes of Europe shall judge our quarrel, and whether a Christian prince has done

well in bucklering the cause which thou hast today adopted. If unassailed, we depart assailing no one. To

thine honour we refer the armour and household goods of the Order which we leave behind us, and on thy

conscience we lay the scandal and offence thou hast this day given to Christendom.''

With these words, and without waiting a reply, the Grand Master gave the signal of departure. Their trumpets

sounded a wild march, of an Oriental character, which formed the usual signal for the Templars to advance.

They changed their array from a line to a column of march, and moved off as slowly as their horses could

step, as if to show it was only the will of their Grand Master, and no fear of the opposing and superior force,

``By the splendour of Our Lady's brow!'' said King Richard, ``it is pity of their lives that these Templars are

The multitude, like a timid cur which waits to bark till the object of its challenge has turned his back, raised a

During the tumult which attended the retreat of the Templars, Rebecca saw and heard nothingshe was

locked in the arms of her aged father, giddy, and almost senseless, with the rapid change of circumstances

``Let us go,'' he said, ``my dear daughter, my recovered treasurelet us go to throw ourselves at the feet of

``Not so,'' said Rebecca, ``O nononoI must not at this moment dare to speak to him Alas! I

should say more thanNo, my father, let us instantly leave this evil place.'' ``But, my daughter,'' said Isaac,

``to leave him who hath come forth like a strong man with his spear and shield, holding his life as nothing, so

he might redeem thy captivity; and thou, too, the daughter of a people strange unto him and his this is

``It isit ismost thankfullymost devoutly acknowledged,'' said Rebecca``it shall be still more

sobut not nowfor the sake of thy beloved Rachel, father, grant my requestnot now!''

``Nay, but,'' said Isaac, insisting, ``they will deem us more thankless than mere dogs!''

``True, my bestmy wisest Rebecca!Let us hencelet us hence!Money he will lack, for he has

just returned from Palestine, and, as they say, from prisonand pretext for exacting it, should he need any,

may arise out of my simple traffic with his brother John. Away, away, let us hence!''

And hurrying his daughter in his turn, he conducted her from the lists, and by means of conveyance which he

The Jewess, whose fortunes had formed the principal interest of the day, having now retired unobserved, the

attention of the populace was transferred to the Black Knight. They now filled the air with ``Long life to

``Notwithstanding all this liployalty,'' said Ivanhoe to the Earl of Essex, ``it was well the King took the

precaution to bring thee with him, noble Earl, and so many of thy trusty followers.''

``Gallant Ivanhoe,'' said Essex, ``dost thou know our Master so well, and yet suspect him of taking so wise a

precaution! I was drawing towards York having heard that Prince John was making head there, when I met

King Richard, like a true knighterrant, galloping hither to achieve in his own person this adventure of the

Templar and the Jewess, with his own single arm. I accompanied him with my band, almost maugre his

``And what news from York, brave Earl?'' said Ivanhoe; ``will the rebels bide us there?''

``No more than December's snow will bide July's sun,'' said the Earl; ``they are dispersing; and who should

``The traitor! the ungrateful insolent traitor!'' said Ivanhoe; ``did not Richard order him into confinement?''

``O! he received him,'' answered the Earl, ``as if they had met after a hunting party; and, pointing to me and

our menatarms, said, `Thou seest, brother, I have some angry men with methou wert best go to our

mother, carry her my duteous affection, and abide with her until men's minds are pacified.' ''

``And this was all he said?'' enquired Ivanhoe; ``would not any one say that this Prince invites men to treason

``Just,'' replied the Earl, ``as the man may be said to invite death, who undertakes to fight a combat, having a

``I forgive thee the jest, Lord Earl,'' said Ivanhoe; ``but, remember, I hazarded but my own life Richard,

``Those,'' replied Essex, ``who are specially careless of their own welfare, are seldom remarkably attentive to

that of othersBut let us haste to the castle, for Richard meditates punishing some of the subordinate

From the judicial investigations which followed on this occasion, and which are given at length in the

Wardour Manuscript, it appears that Maurice de Bracy escaped beyond seas, and went into the service of

Philip of France; while Philip de Malvoisin, and his brother Albert, the Preceptor of Templestowe, were

executed, although Waldemar Fitzurse, the soul of the conspiracy, escaped with banishment; and Prince John,

for whose behoof it was undertaken, was not even censured by his goodnatured brother. No one, however,

pitied the fate of the two Malvoisins, who only suffered the death which they had both well deserved, by

Briefly after the judicial combat, Cedric the Saxon was summoned to the court of Richard, which, for the

purpose of quieting the counties that had been disturbed by the ambition of his brother, was then held at

York. Cedric tushed and pshawed more than once at the messagebut he refused not obedience. In fact, the

return of Richard had quenched every hope that he had entertained of restoring a Saxon dynasty in England;

for, whatever head the Saxons might have made in the event of a civil war, it was plain that nothing could be

done under the undisputed dominion of Richard, popular as he was by his personal good qualities and

military fame, although his administration was wilfully careless, now too indulgent, and now allied to

But, moreover, it could not escape even Cedric's reluctant observation, that his project for an absolute union

among the Saxons, by the marriage of Rowena and Athelstane, was now completely at an end, by the mutual

dissent of both parties concerned. This was, indeed, an event which, in his ardour for the Saxon cause, he

could not have anticipated, and even when the disinclination of both was broadly and plainly manifested, he

could scarce bring himself to believe that two Saxons of royal descent should scruple, on personal grounds, at

an alliance so necessary for the public weal of the nation. But it was not the less certain: Rowena had always

expressed her repugnance to Athelstane, and now Athelstane was no less plain and positive in proclaiming his

resolution never to pursue his addresses to the Lady Rowena. Even the natural obstinacy of Cedric sunk

beneath these obstacles, where he, remaining on the point of junction, had the task of dragging a reluctant

pair up to it, one with each hand. He made, however, a last vigorous attack on Athelstane, and he found that

resuscitated sprout of Saxon royalty engaged, like country squires of our own day, in a furious war with the

It seems that, after all his deadly menaces against the Abbot of Saint Edmund's, Athelstane's spirit of revenge,

what between the natural indolent kindness of his own disposition, what through the prayers of his mother

Edith, attached, like most ladies, (of the period,) to the clerical order, had terminated in his keeping the Abbot

and his monks in the dungeons of Coningsburgh for three days on a meagre diet. For this atrocity the Abbot

menaced him with excommunication, and made out a dreadful list of complaints in the bowels and stomach,

suffered by himself and his monks, in consequence of the tyrannical and unjust imprisonment they had

sustained. With this controversy, and with the means he had adopted to counteract this clerical persecution,

Cedric found the mind of his friend Athelstane so fully occupied, that it had no room for another idea. And

when Rowena's name was mentioned the noble Athelstane prayed leave to quaff a full goblet to her health,

and that she might soon be the bride of his kinsman Wilfred. It was a desperate case therefore. There was

obviously no more to be made of Athelstane; or, as Wamba expressed it, in a phrase which has descended

There remained betwixt Cedric and the determination which the lovers desired to come to, only two

obstacleshis own obstinacy, and his dislike of the Norman dynasty. The former feeling gradually gave

way before the endearments of his ward, and the pride which he could not help nourishing in the fame of his

son. Besides, he was not insensible to the honour of allying his own line to that of Alfred, when the superior

claims of the descendant of Edward the Confessor were abandoned for ever. Cedric's aversion to the Norman

race of kings was also much undermined,first, by consideration of the impossibility of ridding England of

the new dynasty, a feeling which goes far to create loyalty in the subject to the king de facto; and, secondly,

by the personal attention of King Richard, who delighted in the blunt humour of Cedric, and, to use the

language of the Wardour Manuscript, so dealt with the noble Saxon, that, ere he had been a guest at court for

seven days, he had given his consent to the marriage of his ward Rowena and his son Wilfred of Ivanhoe.

The nuptials of our hero, thus formally approved by his father, were celebrated in the most august of temples,

the noble Minster of York. The King himself attended, and from the countenance which he afforded on this

and other occasions to the distressed and hitherto degraded Saxons, gave them a safer and more certain

prospect of attaining their just rights, than they could reasonably hope from the precarious chance of a civil

war. The Church gave her full solemnities, graced with all the splendour which she of Rome knows how to

Gurth, gallantly apparelled, attended as esquire upon his young master whom he had served so faithfully, and

the magnanimous Wamba, decorated with a new cap and a most gorgeous set of silver bells. Sharers of

Wilfred's dangers and adversity, they remained, as they had a right to expect, the partakers of his more

But besides this domestic retinue, these distinguished nuptials were celebrated by the attendance of the

highborn Normans, as well as Saxons, joined with the universal jubilee of the lower orders, that marked the

marriage of two individuals as a pledge of the future peace and harmony betwixt two races, which, since that

period, have been so completely mingled, that the distinction has become wholly invisible. Cedric lived to

see this union approximate towards its completion; for as the two nations mixed in society and formed

intermarriages with each other, the Normans abated their scorn, and the Saxons were refined from their

rusticity. But it was not until the reign of Edward the Third that the mixed language, now termed English,

was spoken at the court of London, and that the hostile distinction of Norman and Saxon seems entirely to

It was upon the second morning after this happy bridal, that the Lady Rowena was made acquainted by her

handmaid Elgitha, that a damsel desired admission to her presence, and solicited that their parley might be

without witness. Rowena wondered, hesitated, became curious, and ended by commanding the damsel to be

She entereda noble and commanding figure, the long white veil, in which she was shrouded,

overshadowing rather than concealing the elegance and majesty of her shape. Her demeanour was that of

respect, unmingled by the least shade either of fear, or of a wish to propitiate favour. Rowena was ever ready

to acknowledge the claims, and attend to the feelings, of others. She arose, and would have conducted her

lovely visitor to a seat; but the stranger looked at Elgitha, and again intimated a wish to discourse with the

Lady Rowena alone. Elgitha had no sooner retired with unwilling steps, than, to the surprise of the Lady of

Ivanhoe, her fair visitant kneeled on one knee, pressed her hands to her forehead, and bending her head to the

ground, in spite of Rowena's resistance, kissed the embroidered hem of her tunic.

``What means this, lady?'' said the surprised bride; ``or why do you offer to me a deference so unusual?''

``Because to you, Lady of Ivanhoe,'' said Rebecca, rising up and resuming the usual quiet dignity of her

manner, ``I may lawfully, and without rebuke, pay the debt of gratitude which I owe to Wilfred of Ivanhoe. I

amforgive the boldness which has offered to you the homage of my country I am the unhappy

Jewess, for whom your husband hazarded his life against such fearful odds in the tiltyard of Templestowe.''

``Damsel,'' said Rowena, ``Wilfred of Ivanhoe on that day rendered back but in slight measure your

unceasing charity towards him in his wounds and misfortunes. Speak, is there aught remains in which he or I

``Nothing,'' said Rebecca, calmly, ``unless you will transmit to him my grateful farewell.''

``You leave England then?'' said Rowena, scarce recovering the surprise of this extraordinary visit.

``I leave it, lady, ere this moon again changes. My father had a brother high in favour with Mohammed

Boabdil, King of Grenadathither we go, secure of peace and protection, for the payment of such ransom

``And are you not then as well protected in England?'' said Rowena. ``My husband has favour with the

``Lady,'' said Rebecca, ``I doubt it notbut the people of England are a fierce race, quarrelling ever with

their neighbours or among themselves, and ready to plunge the sword into the bowels of each other. Such is

no safe abode for the children of my people. Ephraim is an heartless doveIssachar an overlaboured

drudge, which stoops between two burdens. Not in a land of war and blood, surrounded by hostile

neighbours, and distracted by internal factions, can Israel hope to rest during her wanderings.''

``But you, maiden,'' said Rowena``you surely can have nothing to fear. She who nursed the sickbed of

Ivanhoe,'' she continued, rising with enthusiasm ``she can have nothing to fear in England, where Saxon

``Thy speech is fair, lady,'' said Rebecca, ``and thy purpose fairer; but it may not bethere is a gulf betwixt

us. Our breeding, our faith, alike forbid either to pass over it. Farewellyet, ere I go indulge me one

request. The bridalveil hangs over thy face; deign to raise it, and let me see the features of which fame

``They are scarce worthy of being looked upon,'' said Rowena; ``but, expecting the same from my visitant, I

She took it off accordingly; and, partly from the consciousness of beauty, partly from bashfulness, she

blushed so intensely, that cheek, brow, neck, and bosom, were suffused with crimson. Rebecca blushed also,

but it was a momentary feeling; and, mastered by higher emotions, past slowly from her features like the

``Lady,'' she said, ``the countenance you have deigned to show me will long dwell in my remembrance. There

reigns in it gentleness and goodness; and if a tinge of the world's pride or vanities may mix with an

expression so lovely, how should we chide that which is of earth for bearing some colour of its original?

Long, long will I remember your features, and bless God that I leave my noble deliverer united with''

She stopped shorther eyes filled with tears. She hastily wiped them, and answered to the anxious

enquiries of Rowena``I am well, lady well. But my heart swells when I think of Torquilstone and the

lists of Templestowe.Farewell. One, the most trifling part of my duty, remains undischarged. Accept this

Rowena opened the small silverchased casket, and perceived a carcanet, or neck lace, with earjewels, of

``It is impossible,'' she said, tendering back the casket. ``I dare not accept a gift of such consequence.''

``Yet keep it, lady,'' returned Rebecca.``You have power, rank, command, influence; we have wealth, the

source both of our strength and weakness; the value of these toys, ten times multiplied, would not influence

half so much as your slightest wish. To you, therefore, the gift is of little value, and to me, what I part

with is of much less. Let me not think you deem so wretchedly ill of my nation as your commons believe.

Think ye that I prize these sparkling fragments of stone above my liberty? or that my father values them in

comparison to the honour of his only child? Accept them, ladyto me they are valueless. I will never wear

``You are then unhappy!'' said Rowena, struck with the manner in which Rebecca uttered the last words. ``O,

remain with usthe counsel of holy men will wean you from your erring law, and I will be a sister to you.''

``No, lady,'' answered Rebecca, the same calm melancholy reigning in her soft voice and beautiful

features``thatmay not be. I may not change the faith of my fathers like a garment unsuited to the

climate in which I seek to dwell, and unhappy, lady, I will not be. He, to whom I dedicate my future life, will

``No, lady,'' said the Jewess; ``but among our people, since the time of Abraham downwards, have been

women who have devoted their thoughts to Heaven, and their actions to works of kindness to men, tending

the sick, feeding the hungry, and relieving the distressed. Among these will Rebecca be numbered. Say this to

thy lord, should he chance to enquire after the fate of her whose life he saved.''

There was an involuntary tremour on Rebecca's voice, and a tenderness of accent, which perhaps betrayed

``Farewell,'' she said. ``May He, who made both Jew and Christian, shower down on you his choicest

blessings! The bark that waits us hence will be under weigh ere we can reach the port.''

She glided from the apartment, leaving Rowena surprised as if a vision had passed before her. The fair Saxon

related the singular conference to her husband, on whose mind it made a deep impression. He lived long and

happily with Rowena, for they were attached to each other by the bonds of early affection, and they loved

each other the more, from the recollection of the obstacles which had impeded their union. Yet it would be

enquiring too curiously to ask, whether the recollection of Rebecca's beauty and magnanimity did not recur to

his mind more frequently than the fair descendant of Alfred might altogether have approved.

Ivanhoe distinguished himself in the service of Richard, and was graced with farther marks of the royal

favour. He might have risen still higher, but for the premature death of the heroic CoeurdeLion, before the

Castle of Chaluz, near Limoges. With the life of a generous, but rash and romantic monarch, perished all the

projects which his ambition and his generosity had formed; to whom may be applied, with a slight alteration,

His fate was destined to a foreign strand, A petty fortress and an ``humble'' hand; He left the name at which

A most sensible grievance of those aggrieved times were the Forest Laws. These oppressive enactments were

the produce of the Norman Conquest, for the Saxon laws of the chase were mild and humane; while those of

William, enthusiastically attached to the exercise and its rights, were to the last degree tyrannical. The

formation of the New Forest, bears evidence to his passion for hunting, where he reduced many a happy

village to the condition of that one commemorated by my friend, Mr William Stewart Rose:

``Amongst the ruins of the church The midnight raven found a perch, A melancholy place; The ruthless

Conqueror cast down, Woe worth the deed, that little town, To lengthen out his chase.''

The disabling dogs, which might be necessary for keeping flocks and herds, from running at the deer, was

called lawing, and was in general use. The Charter of the Forest designed to lessen those evils, declares that

inquisition, or view, for lawing dogs, shall be made every third year, and shall be then done by the view and

testimony of lawful men, not otherwise; and they whose dogs shall be then found unlawed, shall give three

shillings for mercy, and for the future no man's ox shall be taken for lawing. Such lawing also shall be done

by the assize commonly used, and which is, that three claws shall be cut off without the ball of the right foot.

See on this subject the Historical Essay on the Magna Charta of King John, (a most beautiful volume), by

The severe accuracy of some critics has objected to the complexion of the slaves of Brian de BoisGuilbert,

as being totally out of costume and propriety. I remember the same objection being made to a set of sable

functionaries, whom my friend, Mat Lewis, introduced as the guards and mischiefdoing satellites of the

wicked Baron, in his Castle Spectre. Mat treated the objection with great contempt, and averred in reply, that

he made the slaves black in order to obtain a striking effect of contrast, and that, could he have derived a

I do not pretend to plead the immunities of my order so highly as this; but neither will I allow that the author

of a modern antique romance is obliged to confine himself to the introduction of those manners only which

can be proved to have absolutely existed in the times he is depicting, so that he restrain himself to such as are

plausible and natural, and contain no obvious anachronism. In this point of view, what can be more natural,

than that the Templars, who, we know, copied closely the luxuries of the Asiatic warriors with whom they

fought, should use the service of the enslaved Africans, whom the fate of war transferred to new masters? I

am sure, if there are no precise proofs of their having done so, there is nothing, on the other hand, that can

entitle us positively to conclude that they never did. Besides, there is an instance in romance.

John of Rampayne, an excellent juggler and minstrel, undertook to effect the escape of one Audulf de Bracy,

by presenting himself in disguise at the court of the king, where he was confined. For this purpose, ``he

stained his hair and his whole body entirely as black as jet, so that nothing was white but his teeth,'' and

succeeded in imposing himself on the king, as an Ethiopian minstrel. He effected, by stratagem, the escape of

the prisoner. Negroes, therefore, must have been known in England in the dark ages.*

* Dissertation on Romance and Minstrelsy, prefixed to Ritson's Ancient * Metrical Romances, p. clxxxvii.

The realm of France, it is well known, was divided betwixt the Norman and Teutonic race, who spoke the

language in which the word Yes is pronounced as oui, and the inhabitants of the southern regions, whose

speech bearing some affinity to the Italian, pronounced the same word oc. The poets of the former race were

called Minstrels, and their poems Lays: those of the latter were termed Troubadours, and their compositions

called sirventes, and other names. Richard, a professed admirer of the joyous science in all its branches, could

imitate either the minstrel or troubadour. It is less likely that he should have been able to compose or sing an

English ballad; yet so much do we wish to assimilate Him of the Lion Heart to the band of warriors whom he

A great topographical blunder occurred here in former editions. The bloody battle alluded to in the text,

fought and won by King Harold, over his brother the rebellious Tosti, and an auxiliary force of Danes or

Norsemen, was said, in the text, and a corresponding note, to have taken place at Stamford, in Leicestershire,

and upon the river Welland. This is a mistake, into which the author has been led by trusting to his memory,

and so confounding two places of the same name. The Stamford, Strangford, or Staneford, at which the battle

really was fought, is a ford upon the river Derwent, at the distance of about seven miles from York, and

situated in that large and opulent county. A long wooden bridge over the Derwent, the site of which, with one

remaining buttress, is still shown to the curious traveller, was furiously contested. One Norwegian long

defended it by his single arm, and was at length pierced with a spear thrust through the planks of the bridge

The neighbourhood of Stamford, on the Derwent, contains some memorials of the battle. Horseshoes, swords,

and the heads of halberds, or bills, are often found there ; one place is called the ``Danes' well,'' another the

``Battle flats.'' From a tradition that the weapon with which the Norwegian champion was slain, resembled a

pear, or, as others say, that the trough or boat in which the soldier floated under the bridge to strike the blow,

had such a shape, the country people usually begin a great market, which is held at Stamford, with an

entertainment called the Pearpie feast, which after all may be a corruption of the Spearpie feast. For more

particulars, Drake's History of York may be referred to. The author's mistake was pointed out to him, in the

most obliging manner, by Robert Belt, Esq. of Bossal House. The battle was fought in 1066.

This horrid species of torture may remind the reader of that to which the Spaniards subjected Guatimozin, in

order to extort a discovery of his concealed wealth. But, in fact, an instance of similar barbarity is to be found

nearer home, and occurs in the annals of Queen Mary's time, containing so many other examples of atrocity.

Every reader must recollect, that after the fall of the Catholic Church, and the Presbyterian Church

Government had been established by law, the rank, and especially the wealth, of the Bishops, Abbots, Priors,

and so forth, were no longer vested in ecclesiastics, but in lay impropriators of the church revenues, or, as the

Scottish lawyers called them, titulars of the temporalities of the benefice, though having no claim to the

Of these laymen, who were thus invested with ecclesiastical revenues, some were men of high birth and rank,

like the famous Lord James Stewart, the Prior of St Andrews, who did not fail to keep for their own use the

rents, lands, and revenues of the church. But if, on the other hand, the titulars were men of inferior

importance, who had been inducted into the office by the interest of some powerful person, it was generally

understood that the new Abbot should grant for his patron's benefit such leases and conveyances of the

church lands and tithes as might afford their protector the lion's share of the booty. This was the origin of

* A Tulchan is a calfs skin stuffed, and placed before a cow who has * lost its calf, to induce the animal to

part with her milk. The resemblance * between such a Tulchan and a Bishop named to transmit the

Bishops, being a sort of imaginary prelate, whose image was set up to enable his patron and principal to

There were other cases, however, in which men who had got grants of these secularised benefices, were

desirous of retaining them for their own use, without having the influence sufficient to establish their purpose

; and these became frequently unable to protect themselves, however unwilling to submit to the exactions of

Bannatyne, secretary to John Knox, recounts a singular course of oppression practised on one of those titulars

abbots, by the Earl of Cassilis in Ayrshire, whose extent of feudal influence was so wide that he was usually

termed the King of Carrick. We give the fact as it occurs in Bannatyne's Journal, only premising that the

Journalist held his master's opinions, both with respect to the Earl of Cassilis as an opposer of the king's

party, and as being a detester of the practice of granting church revenues to titulars, instead of their being

devoted to pious uses, such as the support of the clergy, expense of schools, and the relief of the national

poor. He mingles in the narrative, therefore, a well deserved feeling of execration against the tyrant who

employed the torture, which a tone of ridicule towards the patient, as if, after all, it had not been ill bestowed

on such an equivocal and amphibious character as a titular abbot. He entitles his narrative,

``Master Allan Stewart, friend to Captain James Stewart of Cardonall, by means of the Queen's corrupted

court, obtained the Abbey of Crossraguel. The said Earl thinking himself greater than any king in those

quarters, determined to have that whole benefice (as he hath divers others) to pay at his pleasure ; and

because he could not find sic security as his insatiable appetite required, this shift was devised. The said Mr

Allan being in company with the Laird of Bargany, (also a Kennedy,) was, by the Earl and his friends,

enticed to leave the safeguard which he had with the Laird, and come to make good cheer with the said Earl.

The simplicity of the imprudent man was suddenly abused; and so he passed his time with them certain days,

which he did in Maybole with Thomas Kennedie, uncle to the said Earl: after which the said Mr Allan passed,

with quiet company, to visit the place and bounds of Crossraguel, [his abbacy,] of which the said Earl being

surely advertised, determined to put in practice the tyranny which long before he had conceaved. And so, as

king of the country, apprehended the said Mr Allan, and carried him to the house of Denure, where for a

season he was honourably treated, (gif a prisoner can think any entertainment pleasing;) but after that certain

days were spent, and that the Earl could not obtain the feus of Crossraguel according to his awin appetite, he

determined to prove gif a collation could work that which neither dinner nor supper could do for a long time.

And so tho said Mr Allan was carried to a secret chamber: with him passed the honourable Earl, his

worshipful brother, and such as were appointed to be servants at that banquet. In the chamber there was a grit

iron chimlay, under it a fire; other grit provision was not seen. The first course was,`My Lord Abbot,'

(said the Earl,) `it will please you confess here, that with your own consent you remain in my company,

because ye durst not commit yourself to the hands of others.' The Abbot answered, `Would you, my lord, that

I should make a manifest lie for your pleasure ? The truth is, my lord, it is against my will that I am here;

neither yet have I any pleasure in your company.' `But ye shall remain with me, nevertheless, at this time,'

said the Earl. `l am not able to resist your will and pleasure,' said the Abbot, 'in this place.' `Ye must then

obey me,' said the Earl,and with that were presented unto him certain letters to subscribe, amongst which

there was a five years' tack, and a nineteen years' tack, and a charter of feu of all the lands (of Crossraguel,

with all the clauses necessary for the Earl to haste him to hell. For gif adultery, sacrilege, oppression,

barbarous cruelty, and theft heaped upon theft, deserve hell, the great King of Carrick can no more escape

hell for ever, than the imprudent Abbot escaped the fire for a season as follows.

``After that the Earl spied repugnance, and saw that he could not come to his purpose by fair means, he

commanded his cooks to prepare the banquet: and so first they flayed the sheep, that is, they took off the

Abbot's cloathes even to his skin, and next they bound him to the chimneyhis legs to the one end, and his

arms to the other; and so they began to beet [i.e. feed] the fire sometimes to his buttocks, sometimes to his

legs, sometimes to his shoulders and arms; and that the roast might not burn, but that it might rest in soppe,

they spared not flambing with oil, (basting as a cook bastes roasted meat); Lord, look thou to sic cruelty! And

that the crying of the miserable man should not be heard, they dosed his mouth that the voice might be

stopped. It may be suspected that some partisan of the King's [Darnley's] murder was there. In that torment

they held the poor man, till that often he cried for God's sake to dispatch him; for he had as meikle gold in his

awin purse as would buy powder enough to shorten his pain. The famous King of Carrick and his cooks

perceiving the roast to be aneuch, commanded it to be tane fra the fire, and the Earl himself began the grace

in this manner:`Benedicite, Jesus Maria, you are the most obstinate man that ever I saw; gif I had known

that ye had been so stubborn, I would not for a thousand crowns have handled you so; I never did so to man

before you.' And yet he returned to the same practice within two days, and ceased not till that he obtained his

formost purpose, that is, that he had got all his pieces subscryvit alsweill as ane halfroasted hand could do it.

The Earl thinking himself sure enough so long as be had the halfroasted Abbot in his awin keeping, and yet

being ashamed of his presence by reason of his former cruelty, left the place of Denure in the hands of certain

of his servants, and the halfroasted Abbot to be kept there as prisoner. The Laird of Bargany, out of whose

company the said Abbot had been enticed, understanding, (not the extremity,) but the retaining of the man,

sent to the court, and raised letters of deliverance of the person of the man according to the order, which

being disobeyed, the said Earl for his contempt was denounced rebel, and put to the horne. But yet hope was

there none, neither to the afflicted to be delivered, neither yet to the purchaser [i.e. procurer] of the letters to

obtain any comfort thereby ; for in that time God was despised, and the lawful authority was contemned in

Scotland, in hope of the sudden return and regiment of that cruel murderer of her awin husband, of whose

lords the said Earl was called one; and yet, oftener than once, he was solemnly sworn to the King and to his

The Journalist then recites the complaint of the injured Allan Stewart, Commendator of Crossraguel, to the

Regent and Privy Council, averring his having been carried, partly by flattery, partly by force, to the black

vault of Denure, a strong fortalice, built on a rock overhanging the Irish channel, where to execute leases and

conveyances of the whole churches and parsonages belonging to the Abbey of Crossraguel, which he utterly

refused as an unreasonable demand, and the more so that he had already conveyed them to John Stewart of

Cardonah, by whose interest he had been made Commendator. The complainant proceeds to state, that he

was, after many menaces, stript, bound, and his limbs exposed to fire in the manner already described, till,

compelled by excess of agony, he subscribed the charter and leases presented to him, of the contents of which

he was totally ignorant. A few days afterwards, being again required to execute a ratification of these deeds

before a notary and witnesses, and refusing to do so, he was once more subjected to the same torture, until his

agony was so excessive that he exclaimed, ``Fye on you, why do you not strike your whingers into me, or

blow me up with a barrel of powder, rather than torture me thus unmercifully?'' upon which the Earl

commanded Alexander Richard, one of his attendants, to stop the patient's mouth with a napkin, which was

done accordingly. Thus he was once more compelled to submit to their tyranny. The petition concluded with

stating, that the Earl, under pretence of the deeds thus iniquitously obtained, had taken possession of the

whole place and living of Crossraguel, and enjoyed the profits thereof for three years.

The doom of the Regent and Council shows singularly the total interruption of justice at this calamitous

period, even in the most clamant cases of oppression. The Council declined interference with the course of

the ordinary justice of the county, (which was completely under the said Earl of Cassilis' control,) and only

enacted, that he should forbear molestation of the unfortunate Comendator, under the surety of two thousand

pounds Scots. The Earl was appointed also to keep the peace towards the celebrated George Buchanan, who

had a pension out of the same Abbacy, to a similar extent, and under the like penalty.

``The said Laird of Bargany perceiving that the ordiner justice could neither help the oppressed, nor yet the

afflicted, applied his mind to the next remedy, and in the end, by his servants, took the house of Denure,

where the poor Abbot was kept prisoner. The bruit flew fra Carrick to Galloway, and so suddenly assembled

herd and hyreman that pertained to the band of the Kennedies; and so within a few hours was the house of

Denure environed again. The master of Cassilis was the frackast [i.e. the readiest or boldest) and would not

stay, but in his heat would lay fire to the dungeon, with no small boasting that all enemies within the house

``He was required and admonished by those that were within to be more moderate, and not to hazard himself

so foolishly. But no admonition would help, till that the wind of an hacquebute blasted his shoulder, and then

ceased he from further pursuit in fury. The Laird of Bargany had before purchest [obtained] of the authorities,

letters, charging all faithfull subjects to the King's Majesty, to assist him against that cruel tyrant and

mansworn traitor, the Earl of Cassilis; which letters, with his private writings, he published, and shortly found

sic concurrence of Kyle and Cunyngbame with his other friends, that the Carrick company drew back fra the

house: and so the other approached, furnished the house with more men, delivered the said Mr Allan, and

carried him to Ayr, where, publicly at the market cross of the said town, he declared how cruelly he was

entreated, and how the murdered King suffered not sic torment as he did, excepting only he escaped the

death: and, therefore, publickly did revoke all things that were done in that extremity, and especially he

revoked the subscription of the three writings, to wit, of a fyve yeir tack and nineteen year tack, and of a

charter of feu. And so the house remained, and remains (till this day, the 7th of February, 1571,) in the

custody of the said Laird of Bargany and of his servants. And so cruelty was disappointed of proffeit present,

and shall be eternallie punished, unless he earnestly repent. And this far for the cruelty committed, to give

occasion unto others, and to such as hate the monstrous dealing of degenerate nobility, to look more

diligently upon their behaviuours, and to paint them forth unto the world, that they themselves may be

ashamed of their own beastliness, and that the world may be advertised and admonished to abhor, detest, and

avoid the company of all sic tyrants, who are not worthy of the society of men, but ought to be sent suddenly

to the devil, with whom they must burn without end, for their contempt of God, and cruelty committed

against his creatures. Let Cassilis and his brother be the first to be the example unto others. Amen. Amen.''*

This extract has been somewhat amended or modernized in orthography, to render it more intelligible to the

general reader. I have to add, that the Kennedies of Bargany, who interfered in behalf of the oppressed Abbot,

were themselves a younger branch of the Cassilis family, but held different politics, and were powerful

The ultimate issue of this affair does not appear; but as the house of Cassilis are still in possession of the

greater part of the feus and leases which belonged to Crossraguel Abbey, it is probable the talons of the King

of Carrick were strong enough, in those disorderly times, to retain the prey which they had so mercilessly

I may also add, that it appears by some papers in my possession, that the officers or Country Keepers on the

border, were accustomed to torment their prisoners by binding them to the iron bars of their chimneys, to

It will readily occur to the antiquary, that these verses are intended to imitate the antique poetry of the

Scaldsthe minstrels of the old Scandinaviansthe race, as the Laureate so happily terms them,

The poetry of the AngloSaxons, after their civilisation and conversion, was of a different and softer

character; but in the circumstances of Ulrica, she may be not unnaturally supposed to return to the wild

strains which animated her forefathers during the time of Paganism and untamed ferocity.

The interchange of a cuff with the jolly priest is not entirely out of character with Richard I., if romances read

him aright. In the very curious romance on the subject of his adventures in the Holy Land, and his return from

thence, it is recorded how he exchanged a pugilistic favour of this nature, while a prisoner in Germany. His

opponent was the son of his principal warder, and was so imprudent as to give the challenge to this barter of

buffets. The King stood forth like a true man, and received a blow which staggered him. In requital, having

previously waxed his hand, a practice unknown, I believe, to the gentlemen of the modern fancy, he returned

the box on the ear with such interest as to kill his antagonist on the spot.See, in Ellis's Specimens of

It is curious to observe, that in every state of society, some sort of ghostly consolation is provided for the

members of the community, though assembled for purposes diametrically opposite to religion. A gang of

beggars have their Patrico, and the banditti of the Apennines have among them persons acting as monks and

priests, by whom they are confessed, and who perform mass before them. Unquestionably, such reverend

persons, in such a society, must accommodate their manners and their morals to the community in which they

live; and if they can occasionally obtain a degree of reverence for their supposed spiritual gifts, are, on most

occasions, loaded with unmerciful ridicule, as possessing a character inconsistent with all around them.

Hence the fighting parson in the old play of Sir John Oldcastle, and the famous friar of Robin Hood's band.

Nor were such characters ideal. There exists a monition of the Bishop of Durham against irregular churchmen

of this class, who associated themselves with Border robbers, and desecrated the holiest offices of the priestly

function, by celebrating them for the benefit of thieves, robbers, and murderers, amongst ruins and in caverns

of the earth, without regard to canonical form, and with torn and dirty attire, and maimed rites, altogether

When I last saw this interesting ruin of ancient days, one of the very few remaining examples of Saxon

fortification, I was strongly impressed with the desire of tracing out a sort of theory on the subject, which,

from some recent acquaintance with the architecture of the ancient Scandinavians, seemed to me peculiarly

interesting. I was, however, obliged by circumstances to proceed on my journey, without leisure to take more

than a transient view of Coningsburgh. Yet the idea dwells so strongly in my mind, that I feel considerably

tempted to write a page or two in detailing at least the outline of my hypothesis, leaving better antiquaries to

Those who have visited the Zetland Islands, are familiar with the description of castles called by the

inhabitants Burghs; and by the Highlandersfor they are also to be found both in the Western Isles and on

the mainlandDuns. Pennant has engraved a view of the famous DunDornadilla in Glenelg; and there are

many others, all of them built after a peculiar mode of architecture, which argues a people in the most

primitive state of society. The most perfect specimen is that upon the island of Mousa, near to the mainland

It is a single round tower, the wall curving in slightly, and then turning outward again in the form of a

dicebox, so that the defenders on the top might the better protect the base. It is formed of rough stones,

selected with care, and laid in courses or circles, with much compactness, but without cement of any kind.

The tower has never, to appearance, had roofing of any sort; a fire was made in the centre of the space which

it encloses, and originally the building was probably little more than a wall drawn as a sort of screen around

the great council fire of the tribe. But, although the means or ingenuity of the builders did not extend so far as

to provide a roof, they supplied the want by constructing apartments in the interior of the walls of the tower

itself. The circumvallation formed a double enclosure, the inner side of which was, in fact, two feet or three

feet distant from the other, and connected by a concentric range of long flat stones, thus forming a series of

concentric rings or stories of various heights, rising to the top of the tower. Each of these stories or galleries

has four windows, facing directly to the points of the compass, and rising of course regularly above each

other. These four perpendicular ranges of windows admitted air, and, the fire being kindled, heat, or smoke at

least, to each of the galleries. The access from gallery to gallery is equally primitive. A path, on the principle

of an inclined plane, turns round and round the building like a screw, and gives access to the different stories,

intersecting each of them in its turn, and thus gradually rising to the top of the wall of the tower. On the

outside there are no windows ; and I may add, that an enclosure of a square, or sometimes a round form, gave

the inhabitants of the Burgh an opportunity to secure any sheep or cattle which they might possess.

Such is the general architecture of that very early period when the Northmen swept the seas, and brought to

their rude houses, such as I have described them, the plunder of polished nations. In Zetland there are several

scores of these Burghs, occupying in every case, capes, headlands, islets, and similar places of advantage

singularly well chosen. I remember the remains of one upon an island in a small lake near Lerwick, which at

high tide communicates with the sea, the access to which is very ingenious, by means of a causeway or dike,

about three or four inches under the surface of the water. This causeway makes a sharp angle in its approach

to the Burgh. The inhabitants, doubtless, were well acquainted with this, but strangers, who might approach

in a hostile manner, and were ignorant of the curve of the causeway, would probably plunge into the lake,

which is six or seven feet in depth at the least. This must have been the device of some Vauban or Cohorn of

The style of these buildings evinces that the architect possessed neither the art of using lime or cement of any

kind, nor the skill to throw an arch, construct a roof, or erect a stair ; and yet, with all this ignorance, showed

great ingenuity in selecting the situation of Burghs, and regulating the access to them, as well as neatness and

regularity in the erection, since the buildings themselves show a style of advance in the arts scarcely

consistent with the ignorance of so many of the principal branches of architectural knowledge.

I have always thought, that one of the most curious and valuable objects of antiquaries has been to trace the

progress of society, by the efforts made in early ages to improve the rudeness of their first expedients, until

they either approach excellence, or, as is more frequently the case, are supplied by new and fundamental

discoveries, which supersede both the earlier and ruder system, and the improvements which have been

ingrafted upon it. For example, if we conceive the recent discovery of gas to be so much improved and

adapted to domestic use, as to supersede all other modes of producing domestic light; we can already

suppose, some centuries afterwards, the heads of a whole Society of Antiquaries half turned by the discovery

of a pair of patent snuffers, and by the learned theories which would be brought forward to account for the

Following some such principle, I am inclined to regard the singular Castle of ConingsburghI mean the

Saxon part of it as a step in advance from the rude architecture, if it deserves the name, which must have

been common to the Saxons as to other Northmen. The builders had attained the art of using cement, and of

roofing a building,great improvements on the original Burgh. But in the round keep, a shape only seen in

the most ancient castlesthe chambers excavated in the thickness of the walls and buttressesthe

difficulty by which access is gained from one story to those above it, Coningsburgh still retains the simplicity

of its origin, and shows by what slow degrees man proceeded from occupying such rude and inconvenient

lodgings, as were afforded by the galleries of the Castle of Mousa, to the more splendid accommodations of

I am ignorant if these remarks are new, or if they will be confirmed by closer examination ; but I think, that,

on a hasty observation, Coningsburgh offers means of curious study to those who may wish to trace the

It would be highly desirable that a cork model should be taken of the Castle of Mousa, as it cannot be well

``The castle is large, the outer walls standing on a pleasant ascent from the river, but much overtopt by a high

hill, on which the town stands, situated at the head of a rich and magnificent vale, formed by an amphitheatre

of woody hills, in which flows the gentle Don. Near the castle is a barrow, said to be Hengist's tomb. The

entrance is flanked to the left by a round tower, with a sloping base, and there are several similar in the outer

wall the entrance has piers of a gate, and on the east side the ditch and bank are double and very steep. On the

top of the churchyard wall is a tombstone, on which are cut in high relief, two ravens, or suchlike birds. On

the south side of the churchyard lies an ancient stone, ridged like a coffin, on which is carved a man on

horseback; and another man with a shield encountering a vast winged serpent, and a man bearing a shield

behind him. It was probably one of the rude crosses not uncommon in churchyards in this county. See it

engraved on the plate of crosses for this volume, plate 14. fig. 1. The name of Coningsburgh, by which this

castle goes in the old editions of the Britannia, would lead one to suppose it the residence of the Saxon kings.

It afterwards belonged to King Harold. The Conqueror bestowed it on William de Warren, with all its

privileges and jurisdiction, which are said to have extended over twentyeight towns. At the corner of the

area, which is of an irregular form, stands the great tower, or keep, placed on a small hill of its own

dimensions, on which lies six vast projecting buttresses, ascending in a steep direction to prop and support

the building, and continued upwards up the side as turrets. The tower within forms a complete circle,

twentyone feet in diameter, the walls fourteen feet thick. The ascent into the tower is by an exceeding deep

flight of steep steps, four feet and a half wide, on the south side leading to a low doorway, over which is a

circular arch crossed by a great transom stone. Within this door is the staircase which ascends straight

through the thickness of the wall, not communicating with the room on the first floor, in whose centre is the

opening to the dungeon. Neither of these lower rooms is lighted except from a hole in the floor of the third

story; the room in which, as well as in that above it, is finished with compact smooth stonework, both having

chimneypieces, with an arch resting on triple clustered pillars. In the third story, or guardchamber, is a

small recess with a loophole, probably a bedchamber, and in that floor above a niche for a saint or

holywater pot. Mr King imagines this a Saxon castle of the first ages of the Heptarchy. Mr Watson thus

describes it. From the first floor to the second story, (third from the ground,) is a way by a stair in the wall

five feet wide. The next staircase is approached by a ladder, and ends at the fourth story from the ground.

Two yards from the door, at the head of this stair, is an opening nearly east, accessible by treading on the

ledge of the wall, which diminishes eight inches each story ; and this last opening leads into a room or chapel

ten feet by twelve, and fifteen or sixteen high, arched with freestone, and supported by small circular

columns of the same, the capitals and arches Saxon. It has an east window, and on each side in the wall, about

four feet from the ground, a stone basin with a hole and iron pipe to convey the water into or through the

wall. This chapel is one of the buttresses, but no sign of it without, for even the window, though large within,

is only a long narrow loophole, scarcely to be seen without. On the left side of this chapel is a small oratory,

eight by six in the thickness of the wall, with a niche in the wall, and enlightened by a like loophole. The

fourth stair from the ground, ten feet west from the chapel door, leads to the top of the tower through the

thickness of the wall, which at top is but three yards. Each story is about fifteen feet high, so that the tower

will be seventyfive feet from the ground. The inside forms a circle, whose diameter may be about twelve

feet. The well at the bottom of the dungeon is piled with stones.''Gough's Edition Of Camden's Britannia.

Walter Scott: Ivanhoe =============================== a machinereadable transcription

version 1.0: 19930608 1.1: 19940209 48 errors fixed, most of which were reported by: Michael Larsen

This machinereadable transcription of Ivanhoe is based on the text printed as volumes 16 and 17 of the

introduction dedicatory.epistle chapter.0109 chapter.1019 chapter.2029 chapter.3039 chapter.4044

Endofline hyphenations have been removed, and the dehyphenated word has been brought up to the first

of the two lines. The text itself has been the main guide for keeping or removing hyphens; in some cases the

Centenary Edition of the Waverley Novels has been consulted. Small capitals in names have been replaced by

lowercase letters. In those cases small caps are used to denote extra emphasis, they have been marked up

Text in (? blackletter) used mainly for song titles has been changed to ordinary text, except in one case see

In the text, endnotes appeared immediately after each chapter. In this edition, all endnotes have been

collected and placed at the end of the 'book'. Also, the pages references of the notes have been replaced by

ch. 2, p. 20: an || athletic figure (althetic) ch. 6, p. 82: the approaching tourney (tournay) ch. 10, p. 159: there

is a dead loss too (to) ch. 14, p. 215: House of Anjou (Anjou`) ch. 18, p. 265: John of Anjou (Anjou`) ch. 20,

p. 292: hermit,'' replied the knight ('' missing) ch. 20, p. 295: called Cedric the Saxon (Cedric and Saxon) ch.

21, p. 301: ``That concerns thee (`That) ch. 21, p. 325: ``Thy daughter!'' (`Thy)

ch. 2, p. 33: their || own.'' (own,'') ch. 3, p. 64: Athelstane: ``deal with (missing ``) ch. 3, p. ???: of Anjou

confer not (Anjou`) ch. 8, p. 127: my own Trystingtree (trystingtree) ch. 8, p. 138: he of the Fetterlock

(fetterlock) ch. 8, p. 144: had not gotten to horse (gotton) ch. 10, p. 172: AllanaDale (dale) ch. 11, p. 200:

must be met withal.'' (missing '') ch. 15, p. 266: doth deny || the same; (den) ch. 16, p. 280: to the ocean. The

(oceean, The) ch. 17, p. 301: jaws of the brethren (brethern) ch. 17, p. 301: toothache (toothach) ch. 18, p.

338 (notes): irre||gular form, stands (form. stands) ch. 20, p. 364: AshbydelaZouche.'' (delaZouch.'')

ch. 20, p. 367: Brian de BoisGuilbert (BriandeBoisGuilbert) ch. 20, p. 373: had ap||peared to do. (do.'')

The word Anjou was spelled Anjou` in three places. Could the Anjou spelling be a editorial change that

My honest and neglected friend, Ingulphus, has furnished me with many a valuable hint;

There is no obvious indication to what or who Ingulphus refers to. There is, though, a mention of a purported

work by Dr Dryasdust about King Ulphus earlier in the epistle. I suspect that Ingulphus is a misprint for King

However, the same error (if it indeed is one) occurs in the Centenary Edition, so I have not made any

{ } placed around `The Wardour Manuscript', which according to the text should be in `some emphatic mode

ae the ae ligature a^ a circumflex e^ e circumflex e' e acute oe the oe ligature * asterisk used to indicate a

Footnotes in the text were placed at the foot of the page; in this edition they have been placed immediately

after the line in which they are referenced. The footnote callout is always an asterisk,* and the text of the

placed, slightly indented, between two empty lines, with an asterisk in the left margin as illustrated above. If

the footnote comes at the end of a paragraph, the first line of the following paragraph is indented two spaces,

In chapter 29 an additional note to a footnote was placed at the end of the chapter. This notenote has been

kept where it occurred, but the reference to the original page has been replaced by **. (In the centenary

edition both the note note and the note to which it refers were placed as endnotes.)

The transcription and proofreading was done by Anders Thulin, Rydsvagen 288, S582 50 Linkoping,

Now fitted the halter, now traversed the cart, And often took leave,but seemed loath to depart!*

* The motto alludes to the Author returning to the stage repeatedly * after having taken leave.

The Author of the Waverley Novels had hitherto proceeded in an unabated course of popularity, and might, in

his peculiar district of literature, have been termed L'Enfant Ga^te' of success. It was plain, however, that

frequent publication must finally wear out the public favour, unless some mode could be devised to give an

appearance of novelty to subsequent productions. Scottish manners, Scottish dialect, and Scottish characters

of note, being those with which the author was most intimately, and familiarly acquainted, were the

groundwork upon which he had hitherto relied for giving effect to his narrative. It was, however, obvious,

that this kind of interest must in the end occasion a degree of sameness and repetition, if exclusively resorted

to, and that the reader was likely at length to adopt the language of Edwin, in Parnell's Tale:

`` `Reverse the spell,' he cries, 'And let it fairly now suffice, The gambol has been shown.' ''

Nothing can be more dangerous for the fame of a professor of the fine arts, than to permit (if he can possibly

prevent it) the character of a mannerist to be attached to him, or that he should be supposed capable of

success only in a particular and limited style. The public are, in general, very ready to adopt the opinion, that

he who has pleased them in one peculiar mode of composition, is, by means of that very talent, rendered

incapable of venturing upon other subjects. The effect of this disinclination, on the part of the public, towards

the artificers of their pleasures, when they attempt to enlarge their means of amusing, may be seen in the

censures usually passed by vulgar criticism upon actors or artists who venture to change the character of their

There is some justice in this opinion, as there always is in such as attain general currency. It may often

happen on the stage, that an actor, by possessing in a preeminent degree the external qualities necessary to

give effect to comedy, may be deprived of the right to aspire to tragic excellence; and in painting or literary

composition, an artist or poet may be master exclusively of modes of thought, and powers of expression,

which confine him to a single course of subjects. But much more frequently the same capacity which carries a

man to popularity in one department will obtain for him success in another, and that must be more

particularly the case in literary composition, than either in acting or painting, because the adventurer in that

department is not impeded in his exertions by any peculiarity of features, or conformation of person, proper

for particular parts, or, by any peculiar mechanical habits of using the pencil, limited to a particular class of

Whether this reasoning be correct or otherwise, the present author felt, that, in confining himself to subjects

purely Scottish, he was not only likely to weary out the indulgence of his readers, but also greatly to limit his

own power of affording them pleasure. In a highly polished country, where so much genius is monthly

employed in catering for public amusement, a fresh topic, such as he had himself had the happiness to light

But when men and horses, cattle, camels, and dromedaries, have poached the spring into mud, it becomes

loathsome to those who at first drank of it with rapture; and he who had the merit of discovering it, if he

would preserve his reputation with the tribe, must display his talent by a fresh discovery of untasted

If the author, who finds himself limited to a particular class of subjects, endeavours to sustain his reputation

by striving to add a novelty of attraction to themes of the same character which have been formerly

successful under his management, there are manifest reasons why, after a certain point, he is likely to fail. If

the mine be not wrought out, the strength and capacity of the miner become necessarily exhausted. If he

closely imitates the narratives which he has before rendered successful, he is doomed to ``wonder that they

please no more.'' If he struggles to take a different view of the same class of subjects, he speedily discovers

that what is obvious, graceful, and natural, has been exhausted; and, in order to obtain the indispensable

charm of novelty, he is forced upon caricature, and, to avoid being trite, must become extravagant.

It is not, perhaps, necessary to enumerate so many reasons why the author of the Scottish Novels, as they

were then exclusively termed, should be desirous to make an experiment on a subject purely English. It was

his purpose, at the same time, to have rendered the experiment as complete as possible, by bringing the

intended work before the public as the effort of a new candidate for their favour, in order that no degree of

prejudice, whether favourable or the reverse, might attach to it, as a new production of the Author of

Waverley; but this intention was afterwards departed from, for reasons to be hereafter mentioned.

The period of the narrative adopted was the reign of Richard I., not only as abounding with characters whose

very names were sure to attract general attention, but as affording a striking contrast betwixt the Saxons, by

whom the soil was cultivated, and the Normans, who still reigned in it as conquerors, reluctant to mix with

the vanquished, or acknowledge themselves of the same stock. The idea of this contrast was taken from the

ingenious and unfortunate Logan's tragedy of Runnamede, in which, about the same period of history, the

author had seen the Saxon and Norman barons opposed to each other on different sides of the stage. He does

not recollect that there was any attempt to contrast the two races in their habits and sentiments; and indeed it

was obvious, that history was violated by introducing the Saxons still existing as a highminded and martial

They did, however, survive as a people, and some of the ancient Saxon families possessed wealth and power,

although they were exceptions to the humble condition of the race in general. It seemed to the author, that the

existence of the two races in the same country, the vanquished distinguished by their plain, homely, blunt

manners, and the free spirit infused by their ancient institutions and laws; the victors, by the high spirit of

military fame, personal adventure, and whatever could distinguish them as the Flower of Chivalry, might,

intermixed with other characters belonging to the same time and country, interest the reader by the contrast, if

Scotland, however, had been of late used so exclusively as the scene of what is called Historical Romance,

that the preliminary letter of Mr Laurence Templeton became in some measure necessary. To this, as to an

Introduction, the reader is referred, as expressing author's purpose and opinions in undertaking this species of

composition, under the necessary reservation, that he is far from thinking he has attained the point at which

It is scarcely necessary to add, that there was no idea or wish to pass off the supposed Mr Templeton as a real

person. But a kind of continuation of the Tales of my Landlord had been recently attempted by a stranger, and

it was supposed this Dedicatory Epistle might pass for some imitation of the same kind, and thus putting

enquirers upon a false scent, induce them to believe they had before them the work of some new candidate

After a considerable part of the work had been finished and printed, the Publishers, who pretended to discern

in it a germ of popularity, remonstrated strenuously against its appearing as an absolutely anonymous

production, and contended that it should have the advantage of being announced as by the Author of

Waverley. The author did not make any obstinate opposition, for he began to be of opinion with Dr Wheeler,

in Miss Edgeworth's excellent tale of ``Manoeuvring,'' that ``Trick upon Trick'' might be too much for the

patience of an indulgent public, and might be reasonably considered as trifling with their favour.

The book, therefore, appeared as an avowed continuation of the Waverley Novels; and it would be ungrateful

not to acknowledge, that it met with the same favourable reception as its predecessors.

Such annotations as may be useful to assist the reader in comprehending the characters of the Jew, the

Templar, the Captain of the mercenaries, or Free Companions, as they were called, and others proper to the

period, are added, but with a sparing hand, since sufficient information on these subjects is to be found in

An incident in the tale, which had the good fortune to find favour in the eyes of many readers, is more

directly borrowed from the stores of old romance. I mean the meeting of the King with Friar Tuck at the cell

of that buxom hermit. The general tone of the story belongs to all ranks and all countries, which emulate each

other in describing the rambles of a disguised sovereign, who, going in search of information or amusement,

into the lower ranks of life, meets with adventures diverting to the reader or hearer, from the contrast betwixt

the monarch's outward appearance, and his real character. The Eastern taleteller has for his theme the

disguised expeditions of Haroun Alraschid with his faithful attendants, Mesrour and Giafar, through the

midnight streets of Bagdad; and Scottish tradition dwells upon the similar exploits of James V., distinguished

during such excursions by the travelling name of the Goodman of Ballengeigh, as the Commander of the

Faithful, when he desired to be incognito, was known by that of Il Bondocani. The French minstrels are not

silent on so popular a theme. There must have been a Norman original of the Scottish metrical romance of

Rauf Colziar, in which Charlemagne is introduced as the unknown guest of a charcoalman.*

* This very curious poem, long a desideratum in Scottish literature, * and given up as irrecoverably lost, was

lately brought * to light by the researches of Dr Irvine of the Advocates' Library, * and has been reprinted by

In merry England there is no end of popular ballads on this theme. The poem of John the Reeve, or Steward,

said to have turned on such an incident; and we have besides, the King and the Tanner of Tamworth, the King

and the Miller of Mansfield, and others on the same topic. But the peculiar tale of this nature to which the

author of Ivanhoe has to acknowledge an obligation, is more ancient by two centuries than any of these last

It was first communicated to the public in that curious record of ancient literature, which has been

accumulated by the combined exertions of Sir Egerton Brydges. and Mr Hazlewood, in the periodical work

entitled the British Bibliographer. From thence it has been transferred by the Reverend Charles Henry

Hartsborne, M.A., editor of a very curious volume, entitled ``Ancient Metrical Tales, printed chiefly from

original sources, 1829.'' Mr Hartshorne gives no other authority for the present fragment, except the article in

the Bibliographer, where it is entitled the Kyng and the Hermite. A short abstract of its contents will show its

King Edward (we are not told which among the monarchs of that name, but, from his temper and habits, we

may suppose Edward IV.) sets forth with his court to a gallant huntingmatch in Sherwood Forest, in which,

as is not unusual for princes in romance, he falls in with a deer of extraordinary size and swiftness, and

pursues it closely, till he has outstripped his whole retinue, tired out hounds and horse, and finds himself

alone under the gloom of an extensive forest, upon which night is descending. Under the apprehensions

natural to a situation so uncomfortable, the king recollects that he has heard how poor men, when

apprehensive of a bad nights lodging, pray to Saint Julian, who, in the Romish calendar, stands

QuarterMasterGeneral to all forlorn travellers that render him due homage. Edward puts up his orisons

accordingly, and by the guidance, doubtless, of the good Saint, reaches a small path, conducting him to a

chapel in the forest, having a hermit's cell in its close vicinity. The King hears the reverend man, with a

companion of his solitude, telling his beads within, and meekly requests of him quarters for the night. ``I

have no accommodation for such a lord as ye be,'' said the Hermit. ``I live here in the wilderness upon roots

and rinds, and may not receive into my dwelling even the poorest wretch that lives, unless it were to save his

life.'' The King enquires the way to the next town, and, understanding it is by a road which he cannot find

without difficulty, even if he had daylight to befriend him, he declares, that with or without the Hermits

consent, he is determined to be his guest that night. He is admitted accordingly, not without a hint from the

Recluse, that were he himself out of his priestly weeds, he would care little for his threats of using violence,

and that he gives way to him not out of intimidation, but simply to avoid scandal.

The King is admitted into the celltwo bundles of straw are shaken down for his accommodation, and he

``For certainly, as I you say, I ne had never so sorry a day, That I ne had a merry night.''

But this indication of his taste for good cheer, joined to the annunciation of his being a follower of the Court,

who had lost himself at the great huntingmatch, cannot induce the niggard Hermit to produce better fare

than bread and cheese, for which his guest showed little appetite; and ``thin drink,'' which was even less

acceptable. At length the King presses his host on a point to which he had more than once alluded, without

``Then said the King, `by Godys grace, Thou wert in a merry place, To shoot should thou lere When the

foresters go to rest, Sometyme thou might have of the best, All of the wild deer; I wold hold it for no scathe,

The Hermit, in return, expresses his apprehension that his guest means to drag him into some confession of

offence against the forest laws, which, being betrayed to the King, might cost him his life. Edward answers

by fresh assurances of secrecy, and again urges on him the necessity of procuring some venison. The Hermit

replies, by once more insisting on the duties incumbent upon him as a churchman, and continues to affirm

``Many day I have here been, And fleshmeat I eat never, But milk of the kye; Warm thee well, and go to

It would seem that the manuscript is here imperfect, for we do not find the reasons which finally induce the

curtal Friar to amend the King's cheer. But acknowledging his guest to be such a ``good fellow'' as has

seldom graced his board, the holy man at length produces the best his cell affords. Two candles are placed on

a table, white bread and baked pasties are displayed by the light, besides choice of venison, both salt and

fresh, from which they select collops. ``I might have eaten my bread dry,'' said the King, ``had I not pressed

thee on the score of archery, but now have I dined like a princeif we had but drink enow.''

This too is afforded by the hospitable anchorite, who dispatches an assistant to fetch a pot of four gallons

from a secret corner near his bed, and the whole three set in to serious drinking. This amusement is

superintended by the Friar, according to the recurrence of certain fustian words, to be repeated by every

compotator in turn before he dranka species of High Jinks, as it were, by which they regulated their

potations, as toasts were given in latter times. The one toper says fusty bandias, to which the other is obliged

to reply, strike pantnere, and the Friar passes many jests on the King's want of memory, who sometimes

forgets the words of action. The night is spent in this jolly pastime. Before his departure in the morning, the

King invites his reverend host to Court, promises, at least, to requite his hospitality, and expresses himself

much pleased with his entertainment. The jolly Hermit at length agrees to venture thither, and to enquire for

Jack Fletcher, which is the name assumed by the King. After the Hermit has shown Edward some feats of

archery, the joyous pair separate. The King rides home, and rejoins his retinue. As the romance is imperfect,

we are not acquainted how the discovery takes place; but it is probably much in the same manner as in other

narratives turning on the same subject, where the host, apprehensive of death for having trespassed on the

respect due to his Sovereign, while incognito, is agreeably surprised by receiving honours and reward.

In Mr Hartshorne's collection, there is a romance on the same foundation, called King Edward and the

* Like the Hermit, the Shepherd makes havock amongst the * King's game; but by means of a sling, not of a

bow; like the * Hermit, too, he has his peculiar phrases of compotation, the * sign and countersign being

Passelodion and Berafriend. One * can scarce conceive what humour our ancestors found in this * species of

as illustrating manners, is still more curious than the King and the Hermit; but it is foreign to the present

purpose. The reader has here the original legend from which the incident in the romance is derived; and the

identifying the irregular Eremite with the Friar Tuck of Robin Hood's story, was an obvious expedient.

The name of Ivanhoe was suggested by an old rhyme. All novelists have had occasion at some time or other

to wish with Falstaff, that they knew where a commodity of good names was to be had. On such an occasion

the author chanced to call to memory a rhyme recording three names of the manors forfeited by the ancestor

of the celebrated Hampden, for striking the Black Prince a blow with his racket, when they quarrelled at

``Tring, Wing, and Ivanhoe, For striking of a blow, Hampden did forego, And glad he could escape so.''

The word suited the author's purpose in two material respects,for, first, it had an ancient English sound;

and secondly, it conveyed no indication whatever of the nature of the story. He presumes to hold this last

quality to be of no small importance. What is called a taking title, serves the direct interest of the bookseller

or publisher, who by this means sometimes sells an edition while it is yet passing the press. But if the author

permits an over degree of attention to be drawn to his work ere it has appeared, he places himself in the

embarrassing condition of having excited a degree of expectation which, if he proves unable to satisfy, is an

error fatal to his literary reputation. Besides, when we meet such a title as the Gunpowder Plot, or any other

connected with general history, each reader, before he has seen the book, has formed to himself some

particular idea of the sort of manner in which the story is to be conducted, and the nature of the amusement

which he is to derive from it. In this he is probably disappointed, and in that case may be naturally disposed

to visit upon the author or the work, the unpleasant feelings thus excited. In such a case the literary

adventurer is censured, not for having missed the mark at which he himself aimed, but for not having shot off

On the footing of unreserved communication which the Author has established with the reader, he may here

add the trifling circumstance, that a roll of Norman warriors, occurring in the Auchinleck Manuscript, gave

Ivanhoe was highly successful upon its appearance, and may be said to have procured for its author the

freedom of the Rules, since he has ever since been permitted to exercise his powers of fictitious composition

The character of the fair Jewess found so much favour in the eyes of some fair readers, that the writer was

censured, because, when arranging the fates of the characters of the drama, he had not assigned the hand of

Wilfred to Rebecca, rather than the less interesting Rowena. But, not to mention that the prejudices of the age

rendered such an union almost impossible, the author may, in passing, observe, that he thinks a character of a

highly virtuous and lofty stamp, is degraded rather than exalted by an attempt to reward virtue with temporal

prosperity. Such is not the recompense which Providence has deemed worthy of suffering merit, and it is a

dangerous and fatal doctrine to teach young persons, the most common readers of romance, that rectitude of

conduct and of principle are either naturally allied with, or adequately rewarded by, the gratification of our

passions, or attainment of our wishes. In a word, if a virtuous and selfdenied character is dismissed with

temporal wealth, greatness, rank, or the indulgence of such a rashly formed or ill assorted passion as that of

Rebecca for Ivanhoe, the reader will be apt to say, verily Virtue has had its reward. But a glance on the great

picture of life will show, that the duties of selfdenial, and the sacrifice of passion to principle, are seldom

thus remunerated; and that the internal consciousness of their highminded discharge of duty, produces on

their own reflections a more adequate recompense, in the form of that peace which the world cannot give or

It is scarcely necessary to mention the various and concurring reasons which induce me to place your name at

the head of the following work. Yet the chief of these reasons may perhaps be refuted by the imperfections of

the performance. Could I have hoped to render it worthy of your patronage, the public would at once have

seen the propriety of inscribing a work designed to illustrate the domestic antiquities of England, and

particularly of our Saxon forefathers, to the learned author of the Essays upon the Horn of King Ulphus, and

on the Lands bestowed by him upon the patrimony of St Peter. I am conscious, however, that the slight,

unsatisfactory, and trivial manner, in which the result of my antiquarian researches has been recorded in the

following pages, takes the work from under that class which bears the proud motto, Detur digniori. On the

contrary, I fear I shall incur the censure of presumption in placing the venerable name of Dr Jonas Dryasdust

at the head of a publication, which the more grave antiquary will perhaps class with the idle novels and

romances of the day. I am anxious to vindicate myself from such a charge; for although I might trust to your

friendship for an apology in your eyes, yet I would not willingly stand conviction in those of the public of so

I must therefore remind you, that when we first talked over together that class of productions, in one of which

the private and family affairs of your learned northern friend, Mr Oldbuck of Monkbarns, were so

unjustifiably exposed to the public, some discussion occurred between us concerning the cause of the

popularity these works have attained in this idle age, which, whatever other merit they possess, must be

admitted to be hastily written, and in violation of every rule assigned to the epopeia. It seemed then to be

your opinion, that the charm lay entirely in the art with which the unknown author had availed himself, like a

second M`Pherson, of the antiquarian stores which lay scattered around him, supplying his own indolence or

poverty of invention, by the incidents which had actually taken place in his country at no distant period, by

introducing real characters, and scarcely suppressing real names. It was not above sixty or seventy years, you

observed, since the whole north of Scotland was under a state of government nearly as simple and as

patriarchal as those of our good allies the Mohawks and Iroquois. Admitting that the author cannot himself be

supposed to have witnessed those times, he must have lived, you observed, among persons who had acted and

suffered in them; and even within these thirty years, such an infinite change has taken place in the manners of

Scotland, that men look back upon the habits of society proper to their immediate ancestors, as we do on

those of the reign of Queen Anne, or even the period of the Revolution. Having thus materials of every kind

lying strewed around him, there was little, you observed, to embarrass the author, but the difficulty of choice.

It was no wonder, therefore, that, having begun to work a mine so plentiful, he should have derived from his

Admitting (as I could not deny) the general truth of these conclusions, I cannot but think it strange that no

attempt has been made to excite an interest for the traditions and manners of Old England, similiar to that

which has been obtained in behalf of those of our poorer and less celebrated neighbours. The Kendal green,

though its date is more ancient, ought surely to be as dear to our feelings, as the variegated tartans of the

north. The name of Robin Hood, if duly conjured with, should raise a spirit as soon as that of Rob Roy; and

the patriots of England deserve no less their renown in our modern circles, than the Bruces and Wallaces of

Caledonia. If the scenery of the south be less romantic and sublime than that of the northern mountains, it

must be allowed to possess in the same proportion superior softness and beauty; and upon the whole, we feel

ourselves entitled to exclaim with the patriotic Syrian``Are not Pharphar and Abana, rivers of Damascus,

Your objections to such an attempt, my dear Doctor, were, you may remember, twofold. You insisted upon

the advantages which the Scotsman possessed, from the very recent existence of that state of society in which

his scene was to be laid. Many now alive, you remarked, well remembered persons who had not only seen the

celebrated Roy M`Gregor, but had feasted, and even fought with him. All those minute circumstances

belonging to private life and domestic character, all that gives verisimilitude to a narrative, and individuality

to the persons introduced, is still known and remembered in Scotland; whereas in England, civilisation has

been so long complete, that our ideas of our ancestors are only to be gleaned from musty records and

chronicles, the authors of which seem perversely to have conspired to suppress in their narratives all

interesting details, in order to find room for flowers of monkish eloquence, or trite reflections upon morals.

To match an English and a Scottish author in the rival task of embodying and reviving the traditions of their

respective countries, would be, you alleged, in the highest degree unequal and unjust. The Scottish magician,

you said, was, like Lucan's witch, at liberty to walk over the recent field of battle, and to select for the subject

of resuscitation by his sorceries, a body whose limbs had recently quivered with existence, and whose throat

had but just uttered the last note of agony. Such a subject even the powerful Erictho was compelled to select,

gelidas leto scrutata medullas, Pulmonis rigidi stantes sine vulnere fibras Invenit, et vocem defuncto

The English author, on the other hand, without supposing him less of a conjuror than the Northern Warlock,

can, you observed, only have the liberty of selecting his subject amidst the dust of antiquity, where nothing

was to be found but dry, sapless, mouldering, and disjointed bones, such as those which filled the valley of

Jehoshaphat. You expressed, besides, your apprehension, that the unpatriotic prejudices of my countrymen

would not allow fair play to such a work as that of which I endeavoured to demonstrate the probable success.

And this, you said, was not entirely owing to the more general prejudice in favour of that which is foreign,

but that it rested partly upon improbabilities, arising out of the circumstances in which the English reader is

placed. If you describe to him a set of wild manners, and a state of primitive society existing in the Highlands

of Scotland, he is much disposed to acquiesce in the truth of what is asserted. And reason good. If he be of

the ordinary class of readers, he has either never seen those remote districts at all, or he has wandered through

those desolate regions in the course of a summer tour, eating bad dinners, sleeping on truckle beds, stalking

from desolation to desolation, and fully prepared to believe the strangest things that could be told him of a

people, wild and extravagant enough to be attached to scenery so extraordinary. But the same worthy person,

when placed in his own snug parlour, and surrounded by all the comforts of an Englishman's fireside, is not

half so much disposed to believe that his own ancestors led a very different life from himself; that the

shattered tower, which now forms a vista from his window, once held a baron who would have hung him up

at his own door without any form of trial; that the hinds, by whom his little petfarm is managed, a few

centuries ago would have been his slaves; and that the complete influence of feudal tyranny once extended

over the neighbouring village, where the attorney is now a man of more importance than the lord of the

While I own the force of these objections, I must confess, at the same time, that they do not appear to me to

be altogether insurmountable. The scantiness of materials is indeed a formidable difficulty; but no one knows

better than Dr Dryasdust, that to those deeply read in antiquity, hints concerning the private life of our

ancestors lie scattered through the pages of our various historians, bearing, indeed, a slender proportion to the

other matters of which they treat, but still, when collected together, sufficient to throw considerable light

upon the vie prive'e of our forefathers; indeed, I am convinced, that however I myself may fail in the ensuing

attempt, yet, with more labour in collecting, or more skill in using, the materials within his reach, illustrated

as they have been by the labours of Dr Henry, of the late Mr Strutt, and, above all, of Mr Sharon Turner, an

abler hand would have been successful; and therefore I protest, beforehand, against any argument which may

On the other hand, I have already said, that if any thing like a true picture of old English manners could be

drawn, I would trust to the goodnature and good sense of my countrymen for insuring its favourable

Having thus replied, to the best of my power, to the first class of your objections, or at least having shown my

resolution to overleap the barriers which your prudence has raised, I will be brief in noticing that which is

more peculiar to myself. It seems to be your opinion, that the very office of an antiquary, employed in grave,

and, as the vulgar will sometimes allege, in toilsome and minute research, must be considered as

incapacitating him from successfully compounding a tale of this sort. But permit me to say, my dear Doctor,

that this objection is rather formal than substantial. It is true, that such slight compositions might not suit the

severer genius of our friend Mr Oldbuck. Yet Horace Walpole wrote a goblin tale which has thrilled through

many a bosom; and George Ellis could transfer all the playful fascination of a humour, as delightful as it was

uncommon, into his Abridgement of the Ancient Metrical Romances. So that, however I may have occasion

to rue my present audacity, I have at least the most respectable precedents in my favour.

Still the severer antiquary may think, that, by thus intermingling fiction with truth, I am polluting the well of

history with modern inventions, and impressing upon the rising generation false ideas of the age which I

describe. I cannot but in some sense admit the force of this reasoning, which I yet hope to traverse by the

It is true, that I neither can, nor do pretend, to the observation of complete accuracy, even in matters of

outward costume, much less in the more important points of language and manners. But the same motive

which prevents my writing the dialogue of the piece in AngloSaxon or in NormanFrench, and which

prohibits my sending forth to the public this essay printed with the types of Caxton or Wynken de Worde,

prevents my attempting to confine myself within the limits of the period in which my story is laid. It is

necessary, for exciting interest of any kind, that the subject assumed should be, as it were, translated into the

manners, as well as the language, of the age we live in. No fascination has ever been attached to Oriental

literature, equal to that produced by Mr Galland's first translation of the Arabian Tales; in which, retaining on

the one hand the splendour of Eastern costume, and on the other the wildness of Eastern fiction, he mixed

these with just so much ordinary feeling and expression, as rendered them interesting and intelligible, while

he abridged the longwinded narratives, curtailed the monotonous reflections, and rejected the endless

repetitions of the Arabian original. The tales, therefore, though less purely Oriental than in their first

concoction, were eminently better fitted for the European market, and obtained an unrivalled degree of public

favour, which they certainly would never have gained had not the manners and style been in some degree

In point of justice, therefore, to the multitudes who will, I trust, devour this book with avidity, I have so far

explained our ancient manners in modern language, and so far detailed the characters and sentiments of my

persons, that the modern reader will not find himself, I should hope, much trammelled by the repulsive

dryness of mere antiquity. In this, I respectfully contend, I have in no respect exceeded the fair license due to

the author of a fictitious composition. The late ingenious Mr Strutt, in his romance of QueenHooHall,*

* The author had revised this posthumous work of Mr Strutt. * See General Preface to the present edition,

acted upon another principle; and in distinguishing between what was ancient and modern, forgot, as it

appears to me, that extensive neutral ground, the large proportion, that is, of manners and sentiments which

are common to us and to our ancestors, having been handed down unaltered from them to us, or which,

arising out of the principles of our common nature, must have existed alike in either state of society. In this

manner, a man of talent, and of great antiquarian erudition, limited the popularity of his work, by excluding

from it every thing which was not sufficiently obsolete to be altogether forgotten and unintelligible.

The license which I would here vindicate, is so necessary to the execution of my plan, that I will crave your

He who first opens Chaucer, or any other ancient poet, is so much struck with the obsolete spelling,

multiplied consonants, and antiquated appearance of the language, that he is apt to lay the work down in

despair, as encrusted too deep with the rust of antiquity, to permit his judging of its merits or tasting its

beauties. But if some intelligent and accomplished friend points out to him, that the difficulties by which he is

startled are more in appearance than reality, if, by reading aloud to him, or by reducing the ordinary words to

the modern orthography, he satisfies his proselyte that only about onetenth part of the words employed are

in fact obsolete, the novice may be easily persuaded to approach the ``well of English undefiled,'' with the

certainty that a slender degree of patience will enable him to enjoy both the humour and the pathos with

To pursue this a little farther. If our neophyte, strong in the newborn love of antiquity, were to undertake to

imitate what he had learnt to admire, it must be allowed he would act very injudiciously, if he were to select

from the Glossary the obsolete words which it contains, and employ those exclusively of all phrases and

vocables retained in modern days. This was the error of the unfortunate Chatterton. In order to give his

language the appearance of antiquity, he rejected every word that was modern, and produced a dialect

entirely different from any that had ever been spoken in Great Britain. He who would imitate an ancient

language with success, must attend rather to its grammatical character, turn of expression, and mode of

arrangement, than labour to collect extraordinary and antiquated terms, which, as I have already averred, do

not in ancient authors approach the number of words still in use, though perhaps somewhat altered in sense

What I have applied to language, is still more justly applicable to sentiments and manners. The passions, the

sources from which these must spring in all their modifications, are generally the same in all ranks and

conditions, all countries and ages; and it follows, as a matter of course, that the opinions, habits of thinking,

and actions, however influenced by the peculiar state of society, must still, upon the whole, bear a strong

resemblance to each other. Our ancestors were not more distinct from us, surely, than Jews are from

Christians; they had ``eyes, hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions;'' were ``fed with the same

food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, warmed and cooled by the same winter and

summer,'' as ourselves. The tenor, therefore, of their affections and feelings, must have borne the same

It follows, therefore, that of the materials which an author has to use in a romance, or fictitious composition,

such as I have ventured to attempt, he will find that a great proportion, both of language and manners, is as

proper to the present time as to those in which he has laid his time of action. The freedom of choice which

this allows him, is therefore much greater, and the difficulty of his task much more diminished, than at first

appears. To take an illustration from a sister art, the antiquarian details may be said to represent the peculiar

features of a landscape under delineation of the pencil. His feudal tower must arise in due majesty; the figures

which he introduces must have the costume and character of their age; the piece must represent the peculiar

features of the scene which he has chosen for his subject, with all its appropriate elevation of rock, or

precipitate descent of cataract. His general colouring, too, must be copied from Nature: The sky must be

clouded or serene, according to the climate, and the general tints must be those which prevail in a natural

landscape. So far the painter is bound down by the rules of his art, to a precise imitation of the features of

Nature; but it is not required that he should descend to copy all her more minute features, or represent with

absolute exactness the very herbs, flowers, and trees, with which the spot is decorated. These, as well as all

the more minute points of light and shadow, are attributes proper to scenery in general, natural to each

situation, and subject to the artist's disposal, as his taste or pleasure may dictate.

It is true, that this license is confined in either case within legitimate bounds. The painter must introduce no

ornament inconsistent with the climate or country of his landscape; he must not plant cypress trees upon

InchMerrin, or Scottish firs among the ruins of Persepolis; and the author lies under a corresponding

restraint. However far he may venture in a more full detail of passions and feelings, than is to be found in the

ancient compositions which he imitates, he must introduce nothing inconsistent with the manners of the age;

his knights, squires, grooms, and yeomen, may be more fully drawn than in the hard, dry delineations of an

ancient illuminated manuscript, but the character and costume of the age must remain inviolate; they must be

the same figures, drawn by a better pencil, or, to speak more modestly, executed in an age when the

principles of art were better understood. His language must not be exclusively obsolete and unintelligible; but

he should admit, if possible, no word or turn of phraseology betraying an origin directly modern. It is one

thing to make use of the language and sentiments which are common to ourselves and our forefathers, and it

is another to invest them with the sentiments and dialect exclusively proper to their descendants.

This, my dear friend, I have found the most difficult part of my task; and, to speak frankly, I hardly expect to

satisfy your less partial judgment, and more extensive knowledge of such subjects, since I have hardly been

I am conscious that I shall be found still more faulty in the tone of keeping and costume, by those who may

be disposed rigidly to examine my Tale, with reference to the manners of the exact period in which my actors

flourished: It may be, that I have introduced little which can positively be termed modern; but, on the other

hand, it is extremely probable that I may have confused the manners of two or three centuries, and

introduced, during the reign of Richard the First, circumstances appropriated to a period either considerably

earlier, or a good deal later than that era. It is my comfort, that errors of this kind will escape the general class

of readers, and that I may share in the illdeserved applause of those architects, who, in their modern Gothic,

do not hesitate to introduce, without rule or method, ornaments proper to different styles and to different

periods of the art. Those whose extensive researches have given them the means of judging my backslidings

with more severity, will probably be lenient in proportion to their knowledge of the difficulty of my task. My

honest and neglected friend, Ingulphus, has furnished me with many a valuable hint; but the light afforded by

the Monk of Croydon, and Geoffrey de Vinsauff, is dimmed by such a conglomeration of uninteresting and

unintelligible matter, that we gladly fly for relief to the delightful pages of the gallant Froissart, although he

flourished at a period so much more remote from the date of my history. If, therefore, my dear friend, you

have generosity enough to pardon the presumptuous attempt, to frame for myself a minstrel coronet, partly

out of the pearls of pure antiquity, and partly from the Bristol stones and paste, with which I have

endeavoured to imitate them, I am convinced your opinion of the difficulty of the task will reconcile you to

Of my materials I have but little to say They may be chiefly found in the singular AngloNorman MS., which

Sir Arthur Wardour preserves with such jealous care in the third drawer of his oaken cabinet, scarcely

allowing any one to touch it, and being himself not able to read one syllable of its contents. I should never

have got his consent, on my visit to Scotland, to read in those precious pages for so many hours, had I not

promised to designate it by some emphatic mode of printing, as {The Wardour Manuscript}; giving it,

thereby, an individuality as important as the Bannatyne MS., the Auchinleck MS., and any other monument

of the patience of a Gothic scrivener. I have sent, for your private consideration, a list of the contents of this

curious piece, which I shall perhaps subjoin, with your approbation, to the third volume of my Tale, in case

the printer's devil should continue impatient for copy, when the whole of my narrative has been imposed.

Adieu, my dear friend; I have said enough to explain, if not to vindicate, the attempt which I have made, and

which, in spite of your doubts, and my own incapacity, I am still willing to believe has not been altogether

I hope you are now well recovered from your spring fit of the gout, and shall be happy if the advice of your

learned physician should recommend a tour to these parts. Several curiosities have been lately dug up near

the wall, as well as at the ancient station of Habitancum. Talking of the latter, I suppose you have long since

heard the news, that a sulky churlish boor has destroyed the ancient statue, or rather basrelief, popularly

called Robin of Redesdale. It seems Robin's fame attracted more visitants than was consistent with the

growth of the heather, upon a moor worth a shilling an acre. Reverend as you write yourself, be revengeful

for once, and pray with me that he may be visited with such a fit of the stone, as if he had all the fragments of

poor Robin in that region of his viscera where the disease holds its seat. Tell this not in Gath, lest the Scots

rejoice that they have at length found a parallel instance among their neighbours, to that barbarous deed

which demolished Arthur's Oven. But there is no end to lamentation, when we betake ourselves to such

subjects. My respectful compliments attend Miss Dryasdust; I endeavoured to match the spectacles agreeable

to her commission, during my late journey to London, and hope she has received them safe, and found them

satisfactory. I send this by the blind carrier, so that probably it may be some time upon its journey.*

* This anticipation proved but too true, as my learned correspondent * did not receive my letter until a

twelvemonth after * it was written. I mention this circumstance, that a gentleman * attached to the cause of

learning, who now holds the principal * control of the postoffice, may consider whether by some mitigation

* of the present enormous rates, some favour might not be * shown to the correspondents of the principal

Literary and Antiquarian * Societies. I understand, indeed, that this experiment * was once tried, but that the

mailcoach having broke down under * the weight of packages addressed to members of the Society * of

Antiquaries, it was relinquished as a hazardous experiment. * Surely, however it would be possible to build

these vehicles in a * form more substantial, stronger in the perch, and broader in the * wheels, so as to

support the weight of Antiquarian learning; * when, if they should be found to travel more slowly, they

The last news which I hear from Edinburgh is, that the gentleman who fills the situation of Secretary to the

* Mr Skene of Rubislaw is here intimated, to whose taste * and skill the author is indebted for a series of

in that kingdom, and that much is expected from his skill and zeal in delineating those specimens of national

antiquity, which are either mouldering under the slow touch of time, or swept away by modern taste, with the

same besom of destruction which John Knox used at the Reformation. Once more adieu; vale tandem, non