Waverley Novels — Volume 12

by Walter Scott

  CHAPTER THE THIRD.

  This night, methinks, is but the daylight sick. It looks a little paler; 'tis a day Such as the day is when the sun is hid. MERCHANT OF VENICE.

  To facilitate the progress of the party on its way to Douglas Castle,the Knight of Valence offered the minstrel the convenience of a horse,which the fatigues of yesterday made him gladly accept. Any oneacquainted with equestrian exercise, is aware that no means ofrefreshment carries away the sense of fatigue from over walking soeasily, as the exchange to riding, which calls into play another set ofmuscles, and leaves those which have been over exerted an opportunityof resting through change of motion, more completely than they could inabsolute repose. Sir Aymer de Valence was sheathed in armour, andmounted on his charger, two of the archers, a groom of mean rank, and asquire, who looked in his day for the honour of knighthood, completedthe detachment, which seemed so disposed as to secure the minstrel fromescape, and to protect him against violence. "Not," said the youngknight, addressing himself to Bertram, "that there is usually danger intravelling in this country any more than in the most quiet districts ofEngland; but some disturbances, as you may have learnt, have broken outhere within this last year, and have caused the garrison of CastleDouglas to maintain a stricter watch. But let us move on, for thecomplexion of the day is congenial with the original derivation of thename of the country, and the description of the chiefs to whom itbelonged--_Sholto Dhu Glass_--(see yon dark grey man,) and dark greywill our route prove this morning, though by good luck it is not long."

  The morning was indeed what the original Gaelic words implied, adrizzly, dark, moist day; the mist had settled upon the hills, andunrolled itself upon brook, glade, and tarn, and the spring breeze wasnot powerful enough to raise the veil, though from the wild soundswhich were heard occasionally on the ridges, and through the glens, itmight be supposed to wail at a sense of its own inability. The route ofthe travellers was directed by the course which the river had ploughedfor itself down the valley, the banks of which bore in general thatdark grey livery which Sir Aymer de Valence had intimated to be theprevalent tint of the country. Some ineffectual struggles of the sunshot a ray here and there to salute the peaks of the hills; yet thesewere unable to surmount the dulness of a March morning, and, at soearly an hour, produced a variety of shades, rather than a gleam ofbrightness upon the eastern horizon. The view was monotonous anddepressing, and apparently the good knight Aymer sought some amusementin occasional talk with Bertram, who, as was usual with his craft,possessed a fund of knowledge, and a power of conversation, well suitedto pass away a dull morning. The minstrel, well pleased to pick up suchinformation as he might be able concerning the present state of thecountry, embraced every opportunity of sustaining the dialogue.

  "I would speak with you, Sir Minstrel," said the young knight. "If thoudost not find the air of this morning too harsh for thine organs,heartily do I wish thou wouldst fairly tell me what can have inducedthee, being, as thou seemst, a man of sense, to thrust thyself into awild country like this, at such a time.--And you, my masters,"addressing the archers and the rest of the party, "methinks it would beas fitting and seeming if you reined back your steeds for a horse'slength or so, since I apprehend you can travel on your way without thepastime of minstrelsy." The bowmen took the hint, and fell back, but,as was expressed by their grumbling observations, by no means pleasedthat there seemed little chance of their overhearing what conversationshould pass between the young knight and the minstrel, which proceededas follows--

  "I am, then, to understand, good minstrel," said the knight, "that you,who have in your time borne arms, and even followed Saint George'sred-cross banner to the Holy Sepulchre, are so little tired of thedanger attending our profession, that you feel yourself attractedunnecessarily to regions where the sword, for ever loose in itsscabbard, is ready to start on the slightest provocation?"

  "It would be hard," replied the minstrel bluntly, "to answer such aquestion in the affirmative; and yet, when you consider how nearlyallied is his profession who celebrates deeds of arms with that of theknight who performs them, your honour, I think, will hold it advisablethat a minstrel desirous of doing his devoir, should, like a youngknight, seek the truth of adventures where it is to be found, andrather visit countries where the knowledge is preserved of high andnoble deeds, than those lazy and quiet realms, in which men liveindolently, and die ignobly in peace, or by sentence of law. Youyourself, sir, and those like you, who hold life cheap in respect ofglory, guide your course through this world on the very same principlewhich brings your poor rhyming servant Bertram from a far province ofmerry England, to this dark country of rugged Scotland called DouglasDale. You long to see adventures worthy of notice, and I (under favourfor naming us two in the same breath) seek a scanty and precarious, butnot a dishonourable living, by preparing for immortality, as well as Ican, the particulars of such exploits, especially the names of thosewho were the heroes of these actions. Each, therefore, labours in hisvocation; nor can the one be justly wondered at more than the other,seeing that if there be any difference in the degrees of danger towhich both the hero and the poet are exposed, the courage, strength,arms, and address of the valiant knight, render it safer for him toventure into scenes of peril, than for the poor man of rhyme."

  "You say well," answered the warrior; "and although it is something ofnovelty to me to hear your craft represented as upon a level with myown mode of life, yet shame were it to say that the minstrel who toilsso much to keep in memory the feats of gallant knights should nothimself prefer fame to existence, and a single achievement of valour toa whole age without a name, or to affirm that he follows a mean andunworthy profession."

  "Your worship will then acknowledge," said the minstrel, "that it is alegitimate object in such as myself, who, simple as I am, have taken myregular degrees among the professors of the _gay science_ at thecapital town of Aigues-Mortos, to struggle forward into this northerndistrict, where I am well assured many things have happened which havebeen adapted to the harp by minstrels of great fame in ancient days,and have become the subject of lays which lie deposited in the libraryof Castle Douglas, where, unless copied over by some one whounderstands the old British characters and language, they must, withwhatever they may contain, whether of entertainment or edification, bespeedily lost to posterity. If these hidden treasures were preservedand recorded by the minstrel art of my poor self and others, it mightbe held well to compensate for the risk of a chance blow of abroadsword, or the sweep of a brown bill, while I am engaged incollecting them; and I were unworthy of the name of a man, much more ofan inventor or finder, [Footnote: The name of Maker stands for _Poet_(with the original sense of which word it exactly corresponds) in theold Scottish language. That of _Trouveur_ or Troubadour--Finder, inshort--has a similar meaning, and almost in every country the poeticaltribes have been graced with the same epithets, inferring the propertyof those who employ invention or creation.] should I weigh the loss oflife, a commodity always so uncertain, against the chance of thatimmortality which will survive in my lay after my broken voice andshivered harp shall no longer be able either to express tune oraccompany tale."

  "Certainly," said Sir Aymer, "having a heart to feel such a motive, youhave an undoubted right to express it; nor should I have been in anydegree disposed to question it had I found many minstrels prepared,like yourself, to prefer renown even to life itself, which most menthink of greatly more consequence."

  "There are, indeed, noble sir," replied Bertram, "minstrels, and, withyour reverence, even belted knights themselves, who do not sufficientlyvalue that renown which is acquired at the risk of life. To suchignoble men we must leave their own reward--let us abandon to themearth, and the things of earth, since they cannot aspire to that glorywhich is the _best_ reward of others."

  The minstrel uttered these last words with such enthusiasm, that theknight drew his bridle, and stood fronting Bertram, with hiscountenance kindling at the same theme, on whic
h, after a shortsilence, he expressed himself with a like vivacity.

  "Well fare thy heart, gay companion! I am happy to see there is stillso much enthusiasm surviving in the world. Thou hast fairly won theminstrel groat; and if I do not pay it in conformity to my sense of thymerit, it shall be the fault of dame Fortune, who has graced my laboursin these Scottish wars with the niggard pay of Scottish money. A goldpiece or two there must be remaining of the ransom of one Frenchknight, whom chance threw into my hands, and that, my friend, shallsurely be thine own; and hark thee, I, Aymer de Valence, who now speakto thee, am born of the noble House of Pembroke; and though nowlandless, shall, by the grace of Our Lady, have in time a fittingestablishment, wherein I will find room for a minstrel like thee, ifthy talents have not by that time found thee a better patron."

  "Thank thee, noble knight," said the minstrel, "as well for thy presentintentions, as I hope I shall for thy future performance; but I maysay, with truth, that I have not the sordid inclination of many of mybrethren."

  "He who partakes the true thirst of noble fame," said the young knight,"can have little room in his heart for the love of gold. But thou hastnot yet told me, friend minstrel, what are the motives, in particularwhich have attracted thy wandering steps to this wild country?"

  "Were I to do so," replied Bertram, rather desirous to avoid thequestion, as in some respects too nearly bordering on the secretpurpose of his journey, "it might sound like a studied panegyric onthine own bold deeds, Sir Knight, and those of your companions in arms;and such adulation, minstrel as I am, I hate like an empty cup at acompanion's lips. But let me say in few words, that Douglas Castle, andthe deeds of valour which it has witnessed, have sounded wide throughEngland; nor is there a gallant knight or trusty minstrel, whose heartdoes not throb at the name of the stronghold, which, in former days,the foot of an Englishman never entered, except in hospitality. Thereis a magic in the very names of Sir John de Walton and Sir Aymer deValence, the gallant defenders of a place so often won back by itsancient lords, and with such circumstances of valour and cruelty, thatit bears, in England, the name of the Dangerous Castle."

  "Yet I would fain hear," answered the knight, "your own minstrelaccount of those legends which have induced you, for the amusement offuture times, to visit a country which, at this period, is sodistracted and perilous."

  "If you can endure the length of a minstrel tale," said Bertram--"I forone am always amused by the exercise of my vocation, and have noobjection to tell my story, provided you do not prove an impatientlistener."

  "Nay, for that matter," said the young knight, "a fair listener thoushalt have of me; and if my reward be not great, my attention at leastshall be remarkable."

  "And he," said the minstrel, "must be a poor gleeman who does not holdhimself better paid with that, than with gold or silver, were thepieces English rose-nobles. On this condition, then, I begin a longstory, which may, in one or other of its details, find subject forbetter minstrels than myself, and be listened to by such warriors asyou hundreds of years hence."