Forest Days: A Romance of Old Times

by G. P. R. James

  CHAPTER XV.

  The greatest men that ever lived, if we were to examine accurately allthe actions that they have performed at different periods of theirexistence, and could try them with impartial and perfectlydiscriminating judgment, would be found to have committed more than onegreat mistake which in many instances did not lead to the evilconsequences that might have been anticipated. And, on the contrary,very often indeed, a trifling fault, a rash word, a thoughtless act, oreven an angry look, has produced more important results than one ofthese capital errors. Sometimes it has been conduct which has retrievedthe fault, but history shows us that the moment at which an act iscommitted more frequently decides whether the consequences shall begreat or insignificant than the nature of the act itself. At the periodof history of which we now speak, the famous Simon de Montfort, Earl ofLeicester--justly celebrated both as a soldier and a politician, one ofthe few men, with a prophetical spirit, to foresee the path in whichsociety will march, and forestall their age in choosing it--hadcommitted that grand mistake which led to his overthrow and death.

  Often, before this period, he had proceeded with inferior forces fromone end of the land to the other, and, supported by the strong popularfeeling in his favour, had overthrown all his enemies, holding his weakand tyrannical sovereign a mere prisoner in his hands, and keeping evenPrince Edward himself, one of the wisest men and best soldiers of theage, in a state of honourable captivity. No evil results had ensued--nogreat danger even had been incurred. But the times had changed. Many ofthose who had attached themselves to De Montfort, upon the lessvirtuous and honourable motives which affect the course of humanactions, had been treated by him with cold and most impolitic neglect.Others feared the consequences of his growing power, either forthemselves or their country, not taking in the vast range to which hisown political vision extended; and others were indignant at histreatment of their king, who, however weak, vicious, and tyrannical,they still looked upon with feudal respect. Many of the lords of themarches of Wales were actually in arms against his power; and thefamous Earl of Gloucester, a factious kinsman of the throne, had beenfor some time assuming loyalty, and displaying a thinly veiled enmityto the party of De Montfort.

  At this inauspicious moment, the Earl of Leicester had determined tomarch from the neighbourhood of London, by whose citizens he had alwaysbeen vigorously supported, and where his chief strength lay, and toadvance to the frontiers of Wales, with the purpose of punishing themalcontents who refused to submit to his authority. By thus removingfrom the proximity of his best resources, he rendered the power of hisadversaries and his own so nearly equal, that it wanted but one ofthose slight accidents which so frequently overthrow the best laidschemes, to turn the balance against him; and that accident was soondestined to occur.

  With the exception of this great mistake, not the slightest error hasbeen pointed out in his conduct, at least in a military point of view.His march was conducted with the circumspection; and, with a force byno means large--keeping the King and the Prince, eager for deliveranceand assisted by many friends, at his side, while he advanced in themidst of enemies, equal, if not superior in numbers to himself,--heproceeded, with slow and careful steps, to Gloucester, and thereentered into negotiations with Gilbert de Clare, his most formidableopponent, in order to induce him once more to join the party which hadso frequently asserted the rights of the people against the encroachingspirit of Henry III.

  Deceived; in some degree, by pretended advances on the part of the Earlof Gloucester, he agreed to refer their differences to arbitration, andrecommenced his march for Hereford; but still, with the most scrupulousprecaution, guarded his royal companions, and frustrated every effortmade by the Earl to take him at a disadvantage, and to set them free.

  At the same time, perceiving that, in order to attain the great objectshe had in view, he must strengthen himself to the utmost of his power,he notified to all his friends the absolute necessity of theircombining to give him support and marching to his assistance with allthe troops that they could levy. The effect of his messages andexhortations we have seen in the meetings held in Yorkshire, andgradually perceiving that there was no chance of recovering thefriendship of Gloucester, he prepared to compel that submission whichhe could not obtain, by gentler means.

  Men were gathering from all parts--arms were being manufactured inevery town--the land was agitated from end to end, and every one lookedforward to a great and decisive struggle--though there were few, itmust be confessed, who did not believe that De Montfort wouldtriumph--for the prestige of victory hung around his banner, and thewhole air and tone of the great leader were those of a man marked outby the hand of God for success.

  Such was the state of affairs, when Hugh de Monthermer, with his smalltroop, after having visited the town of Gloucester, and learned thathis uncle had proceeded at once to Hereford, arrived in that fair city.It was now filled with soldiers and with noblemen from different partsof the country, so that a lodging would have been difficult to obtain,had not the old Earl of Monthermer secured a portion of the inn calledthe May which we have once led the reader--for the dwelling of himselfand his nephew.

  Hugh found but small space, however, allotted to him and to those whoaccompanied him. A party of his own servants who had gone on with theEarl were already in possession, two having taken up their abode in thesmall ante-room leading to the chamber which had been assigned tohimself; and an adjoining room, not very large, with one somewhat less,at the side, was all that remained for the rest of his retinue, and thefive archers who had been left behind by his uncle. The other parts ofthe inn were completely filled; and for the poor boy, Tangel, no placehad, of course, been reserved, as every one had been ignorant of hiscoming.

  The dwarf, who had seemed to grow more sad at each day's journey fromSherwood, stood in the doorway of the ante-room, as the young lordentered, listening to the arrangements which had been made.

  "Where to put the maggot that you have brought, my lord," said the oldservant, who was explaining to Hugh the fullness of the rooms and thedisposition they had been obliged to adopt, and who did not appear atall well pleased at poor Tangel's addition to the party--"Where to putthe maggot you have brought, I cannot tell. The ante-room is scarcebig enough for the two yeomen, and----"

  "He shall sleep in my chamber," said Hugh, noting the poor dwarf'sdesolate look; "come hither, Tangel, thou shalt sleep on a bed at myfeet. Know him, and take care of him, Walsh; for he is a good andfaithful boy, true and affectionate to his master; and if any one doeshim wrong, he shall answer to me for it."

  The boy darted forward, and kissed his hand; and Hugh de Monthermer,after giving some farther directions, to ensure that he was protectedagainst insult as well as injury, proceeded at once, followed by twoservants, armed with sword and buckler, to the magnificent castle ofHereford, whither he found that his uncle had gone about an hourbefore.

  It was a gay and bustling scene that the court-yard presented, for asevery detail of military life was then complicated in the extreme, andthe taste for splendour and expense was at its height, the crowd offollowers, in gaudy dresses, who accompanied even the inferior officersof an army hither, caused the head-quarters of the general to appear ina constant state of flutter and pageantry. Forcing his way through thecrowd, and, from the scanty number of his attendants, attracting butlittle attention, Hugh de Monthermer ascended the steps into the greathall of the keep, which he found nearly filled with people, pacing upand down; and as he was not acquainted with the building, he asked agentleman, who seemed at his ease in the place, to tell him where hecould find the Earl of Leicester.

  The personage to whom he addressed himself pointed to a flight of stepsleading from the farther end of the hall, and replied, "At the top ofthe stairs you will meet with some one who will tell you where the Earlis: but you will not get speech of him, I think."

  "I think I shall!" replied Hugh, "but, at all events, I thank you;" andascending the stairs, he was stopped by
an officer with a partisan, whoasked him his business, and in the same breath told him he could notpass that way.

  Hugh gave his name, and demanded to see the Earl; upon which a page wassent to knock at the council chamber, and ask if the Earl would see theyoung Lord of Monthermer. In about three minutes the boy returned,bidding him follow, and Hugh was led along the dark and gloomycorridor, until his guide paused, and again tapped at a low narrow dooron the left hand side of the passage.

  After a moment's interval, a deep voice replied, "Come in!" and thenext instant Hugh entered the room, and found himself standing within astep or two of the chair in which De Montfort was seated.

  He was a tall, powerful, square-browed man, with a countenance full ofthought, but likewise full of confidence. There was great calmness alsoin his aspect, and an eye, not stern but grave, not so much shrewd assearching. There were but two other persons in the room, although hewas said to be holding council. One of those was the old Earl ofMonthermer, and the other a man considerably younger, but yetgrey-headed, and well known in the history of the times as the LordRalph Basset.

  De Montfort looked up, as Hugh de Monthermer entered, with a bland andpleasant smile, holding out his hand at the same time, and saying, "Howare you, Hugh? Right glad are we to see such friends as you arrive. Doyou bring us any farther tidings from Nottingham?"

  "None, my lord," replied Hugh, "except that levies of the yeomen andforesters are going on rapidly."

  "They had need be speedy," said De Montfort, "or we shall strike somegreat blow before they come. Heard you aught else by the way?"

  "In truth, my lord, I did, and no good news either!" replied Hugh. "TheEarl of Gloucester is daily gathering strength, and he renders the roadround his fair city somewhat dangerous to travel. Indeed, the reasonwhy I intruded on you now, was but to tell you that Alured de Ashby,his sister, and some twelve or fourteen archers, had been captured byDe Clare, between Gloucester and Charlton. I judge, my lord, that ifyou took speedy means to set him free, it might fix the house of Ashbysomewhat more firmly in the good cause."

  Both De Montfort and the Earl of Monthermer heard him with a smile, andRalph Basset muttered between his teeth--"Fix the sands of the sea!"

  "You have been forestalled, my young friend," said De Montfort; "someone else has already liberated Alured de Ashby, together with hissister and his archers."

  "Indeed!" exclaimed Hugh de Monthermer; "may I ask who?"

  "Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester," replied De Montfort.

  "Ay, and not without cause, be sure of that;" said Ralph Basset; "he iscoming hither now, will arrive to-morrow, with a smooth air and ahigh-carried head, and my Lord of Leicester here will receive him askindly and frankly as the truest of his friends."

  "I want not to multiply my enemies, Ralph," replied De Montfort; "andperhaps we may find some better way of attaching him to what is right,than by treating him as a foe, before we are well sure that he has doneaught to deserve the name. What say you, Hugh, will you be the link tobind him to our cause?"

  "Right willingly, my lord," answered Hugh de Monthermer; "but I ratherfear that I am more likely to separate him from it. He loves me not,that is clear; and though the good Earl, his uncle, is not so hot andfiery in his nature, yet I have those things to say about their nearrelation, Richard, which may breed ill blood before I have done."

  De Montfort mused for a minute or two. "Why, Richard," he said, atlength, "is apparently the most zealous in our cause of all the race!"

  "But did my uncle----" demanded Hugh.

  "Ay, he did,". said De Montfort, interrupting him; "and I spokewith Richard about it; but he assures me that the thing wasdone in ignorance, and that the man himself has since beendischarged.--However----"

  "He is a foul knave!" replied Hugh de Monthermer; "and at all events Ihave promised to demand, at the hands of the Earl, some reparation fora gross wrong which he has committed."

  "Well, well," said the Earl of Leicester, apparently desirous ofchanging the subject for the time; "if you must do so, Hugh, let it bedone before some friends as witnesses--before myself, perhaps, werebetter; and do whatever you do gently, for your uncle here has told meof hopes and wishes which you may go far to mar, if you act rashly inthe business."

  "I will be as calm and gentle as the south-west wind," replied Hugh,"for I would fain give neither Alured nor his father any matter foroffence; and if you will send and let me know when they are with you, Iwill come and speak to them in your presence. And now, my lord," hecontinued, "if such a thing be permitted, as I suppose it is, I wouldfain spend a short time with Prince Edward. You know we were swornfriends in youth."

  "I know you were," replied De Montfort; "but good sooth, Hugh, to havebeen his sworn friend is no good motive, in my eyes, for letting youconfer with him."

  The brow of Hugh de Monthermer grew somewhat dark, but the Earl ofLeicester added immediately--"I will tell you what is a motive,however, my young friend--your own honour and high name. We treat thePrince with every courtesy and due respect; we do not look upon him asa prisoner; but it is highly needful for the safety of the state, ay,and for our own lives and fortunes, that he should remain in closeattendance upon his father, the King. Now, my good friend, there aremen who would fain persuade him it were better for him to be away,consulting, doubtless, with this good Earl of Gloucester, and headingarmies to tear the kingdom with fresh strife, while others again wouldwillingly give him the means of carrying such designs into execution.None that we even suspect, therefore, do we permit to visit him; andthis very Richard de Ashby, whom we spoke of but now, though he gavegood reasons, as I have said, to make us believe him innocent, we have,on your uncle's information, forbidden to hold any farthercommunication with the Prince, and, moreover, warned him to quitHereford without delay. It is different, however, with a Monthermer,"continued the Earl, with a gracious but stately inclination of thehead--"you can be trusted."

  "Of this, at least, my lord, you may rest assured," replied Hugh;"that, although I own I wish to see the Prince at liberty, and onlybound by solemn vows to take no part against the cause of freedom andright----"

  "No wise man trusts to fetters of wind," interrupted the Earl, who hadtaken up a pen, and was writing at the table.

  "At all events," continued Hugh de Monthermer, "I would never baselyuse a permission you yourself had granted to thwart your dearestwishes."

  "I know it," said the Earl; "there is a pass. You will find the Princein the other court; but make what speed you may, for it is growingdusk, and the castle gates must soon be closed."

  "Haste away, Hugh," said his uncle; "in an hour I shall be at the inn."