by Walter Scott
CHAPTER XIV.
For I have given here my full consent To undeck the pompous body of a king, Make glory base, and sovereignty a slave, Proud majesty a subject, state a peasant. _Richard II._
The next day opened a grave scene. King Rene had not forgotten toarrange the pleasures of the day, when, to his horror anddiscomfiture, Margaret demanded an interview upon serious business. Ifthere was a proposition in the world which Rene from his souldetested, it was any that related to the very name of business.
"What was it that his child wanted?" he said. "Was it money? He wouldgive her whatever ready sums he had, though he owned his exchequer wassomewhat bare; yet he had received his income for the season. It wasten thousand crowns. How much should he desire to be paid to her?--thehalf--three parts--or the whole? All was at her command."
"Alas, my dear father," said Margaret, "it is not my affairs, but yourown, on which I desire to speak with you."
"If the affairs are mine," said Rene, "I am surely master to put themoff to another day--to some rainy dull day, fit for no better purpose.See, my love, the hawking-party are all on their steeds and ready--thehorses are neighing and pawing--the gallants and maidens mounted, andready with hawk on fist--the spaniels struggling in the leash. It werea sin, with wind and weather to friend, to lose so lovely a morning."
"Let them ride their way," said Queen Margaret, "and find their sport;for the matter I have to speak concerning involves honour and rank,life and means of living."
"Nay, but I have to hear and judge between Calezon and John of AcquaMortis, the two most celebrated Troubadours."
"Postpone their cause till to-morrow," said Margaret, "and dedicate anhour or two to more important affairs."
"If you are peremptory," replied King Rene, "you are aware, my child,I cannot say you nay."
And with reluctance he gave orders for the hawkers to go on and followtheir sport, as he could not attend them that day.
The old King then suffered himself, like an unwilling greyhoundwithheld from the chase, to be led into a separate apartment. Toinsure privacy, Margaret stationed her secretary Mordaunt, withArthur, in an antechamber, giving them orders to prevent allintrusion.
"Nay, for myself, Margaret," said the good-natured old man, "since itmust be, I consent to be put _au secret_; but why keep old Mordauntfrom taking a walk in this beautiful morning; and why prevent youngArthur from going forth with the rest? I promise you, though they termhim a philosopher, yet he showed as light a pair of heels last night,with the young Countess de Boisgelin, as any gallant in Provence."
"They are come from a country," said Margaret, "in which men aretrained from infancy to prefer their duty to their pleasure."
The poor King, led into the council-closet, saw with internalshuddering the fatal cabinet of ebony, bound with silver, which hadnever been opened but to overwhelm him with weariness, and dolefullycalculated how many yawns he must strangle ere he sustained theconsideration of its contents. They proved, however, when laid beforehim, of a kind that excited even his interest, though painfully.
His daughter presented him with a short and clear view of the debtswhich were secured on his dominions, and for which they were mortgagedin various pieces and parcels. She then showed him, by anotherschedule, the large claims of which payment was instantly demanded, todischarge which no funds could be found or assigned. The King defendedhimself like others in his forlorn situation. To every claim of six,seven, or eight thousand ducats, he replied by the assertion that hehad ten thousand crowns in his chancery, and showed some reluctance tobe convinced, till repeatedly urged upon him, that the same sum couldnot be adequate to the discharge of thirty times the amount.
"Then," said the King, somewhat impatiently, "why not pay off thosewho are most pressing, and let the others wait till receipts comeround?"
"It is a practice which has been too often resorted to," replied theQueen, "and it is but a part of honesty to pay creditors who haveadvanced their all in your Grace's service."
"But are we not," said Rene, "King of both the Sicilies, Naples,Arragon, and Jerusalem? And why is the monarch of such fair kingdomsto be pushed to the wall, like a bankrupt yeoman, for a few bags ofpaltry crowns?"
"You are indeed monarch of these kingdoms," said Margaret; "but is itnecessary to remind your Majesty that it is but as I am Queen ofEngland, in which I have not an acre of land, and cannot command apenny of revenue? You have no dominions which are a source of revenue,save those which you see in this scroll, with an exact list of theincome they afford. It is totally inadequate, you see, to maintainyour state, and to pay the large engagements incurred to formercreditors."
"It is cruel to press me to the wall thus," said the poor King. "Whatcan I do? If I am poor, I cannot help it. I am sure I would pay thedebts you talk of, if I knew the way."
"Royal father, I will show it you.--Resign your useless and unavailingdignity, which, with the pretensions attending it, serves but to makeyour miseries ridiculous. Resign your rights as a sovereign, and theincome which cannot be stretched out to the empty excesses of abeggarly court will enable you to enjoy, in ease and opulence, all thepleasures you most delight in, as a private baron."
"Margaret, you speak folly," answered Rene, somewhat sternly. "A kingand his people are bound by ties which neither can sever withoutguilt. My subjects are my flock, I am their shepherd. They areassigned to my governance by Heaven, and I dare not renounce thecharge of protecting them."
"Were you in condition to do so," answered the Queen, "Margaret wouldbid you fight to the death. But don your harness, long disused--mountyour war-steed--cry, Rene for Provence! and see if a hundred men willgather round your standard. Your fortresses are in the hands ofstrangers; army you have none; your vassals may have good-will, butthey lack all military skill and soldierlike discipline. You stand butthe mere skeleton of monarchy, which France or Burgundy may prostrateon the earth, whichever first puts forth his arm to throw it down."
The tears trickled fast down the old King's cheeks, when thisunflattering prospect was set before him, and he could not forbearowning his total want of power to defend himself and his dominions,and admitting that he had often thought of the necessity ofcompounding for his resignation with one of his powerful neighbours.
"It was thy interest, Margaret, harsh and severe as you are, whichprevented my entering, before now, into measures most painful to myfeelings, but perhaps best calculated for my advantage. But I hadhoped it would hold on for my day; and thou, my child, with thetalents Heaven has given thee, wouldst, I thought, have found remedyfor distresses which I cannot escape, otherwise than by shunning thethoughts of them."
"If it is in earnest you speak of my interest," said Margaret, "know,that your resigning Provence will satisfy the nearest, and almost theonly wish that my bosom can form; but, so judge me Heaven, as it is onyour account, gracious sire, as well as mine, that I advise yourcompliance."
"Say no more on't, child; give me the parchment of resignation, and Iwill sign it: I see thou hast it ready drawn; let us sign it, and thenwe will overtake the hawkers. We must suffer woe, but there is littleneed to sit down and weep for it."
"Do you not ask," said Margaret, surprised at his apathy, "to whom youcede your dominions?"
"What boots it," answered the King, "since they must be no more myown? It must be either to Charles of Burgundy, or my nephewLouis--both powerful and politic princes. God send my poor people mayhave no cause to wish their old man back again, whose only pleasurewas to see them happy and mirthful."
"It is to Burgundy you resign Provence," said Margaret.
"I would have preferred him," answered Rene; "he is fierce, but notmalignant. One word more. Are my subjects' privileges and immunitiesfully secured?"
"Amply," replied the Queen; "and your own wants of all kindshonourably provided for. I would not leave the stipulations in yourfavour in blank, though I might perhaps have trusted Charles ofBurgundy, where money alone
is concerned."
"I ask not for myself--with my viol and my pencil, Rene the Troubadourwill be as happy as ever was Rene the King."
So saying, with practical philosophy he whistled the burden of hislast composed ariette, and signed away the rest of his royalpossessions without pulling off his glove, or even reading theinstrument.
"What is this?" he said, looking at another and separate parchment ofmuch briefer contents. "Must my kinsman Charles have both theSicilies, Catalonia, Naples, and Jerusalem, as well as the poorremainder of Provence? Methinks, in decency, some greater extent ofparchment should have been allowed to so ample a cession."
"That deed," said Margaret, "only disowns and relinquishes allcountenance of Ferrand de Vaudemont's rash attempt on Lorraine, andrenounces all quarrel on that account against Charles of Burgundy."
For once Margaret miscalculated the tractability of her father'stemper. Rene positively started, coloured, and stammered with passion,as he interrupted her--"_Only_ disown--_only_ relinquish--_only_renounce the cause of my grandchild, the son of my dear Yolande--hisrightful claims on his mother's inheritance!--Margaret, I am ashamedfor thee. Thy pride is an excuse for thy evil temper but what is prideworth which can stoop to commit an act of dishonourable meanness? Todesert, nay, disown, my own flesh and blood, because the youth is abold knight under shield, and disposed to battle for his right--I wereworthy that harp and horn rung out shame on me, should I listen tothee."
Margaret was overcome in some measure by the old man's unexpectedopposition. She endeavoured, however, to show that there was nooccasion, in point of honour, why Rene should engage in the cause of awild adventurer, whose right, be it good be it bad, was only upheld bysome petty and underhand supplies of money from France, and thecountenance of a few of the restless banditti who inhabit the bordersof all nations. But ere Rene could answer, voices, raised to anunusual pitch, were heard in the antechamber, the door of which wasflung open by an armed knight, covered with dust, who exhibited allthe marks of a long journey.
"Here I am," he said, "father of my mother--behold yourgrandson--Ferrand de Vaudemont; the son of your lost Yolande kneels atyour feet, and implores a blessing on him and his enterprise."
"Thou hast it," replied Rene, "and may it prosper with thee, gallantyouth, image of thy sainted mother--my blessings, my prayers, myhopes, go with you!"
"And you, fair aunt of England," said the young knight, addressingMargaret, "you who are yourself dispossessed by traitors, will you notown the cause of a kinsman who is struggling for his inheritance?"
"I wish all good to your person, fair nephew," answered the Queen ofEngland, "although your features are strange to me. But to advise thisold man to adopt your cause, when it is desperate in the eyes of allwise men, were impious madness."
"Is my cause then so desperate?" said Ferrand. "Forgive me if I wasnot aware of it. And does my aunt Margaret say this, whose strength ofmind supported Lancaster so long, after the spirits of her warriorshad been quelled by defeat? What--forgive me, for my cause must bepleaded--what would you have said had my mother Yolande been capableto advise her father to disown your own Edward, had God permitted himto reach Provence in safety?"
"Edward," said Margaret, weeping as she spoke, "was incapable ofdesiring his friends to espouse a quarrel that was irremediable. His,too, was a cause for which mighty princes and peers laid lance inrest."
"Yet Heaven blessed it not--" said Vaudemont.
"Thine," continued Margaret, "is but embraced by the robber nobles ofGermany, the upstart burghers of the Rhine cities, the paltry andclownish Confederates of the Cantons."
"But Heaven _has blessed it_," replied Vaudemont. "Know, proud woman,that I come to interrupt your treacherous intrigues; no pettyadventurer, subsisting and maintaining warfare by sleight rather thanforce, but a conqueror from a bloody field of battle, in which Heavenhas tamed the pride of the tyrant of Burgundy."
"It is false!" said the Queen, starting. "I believe it not."
"It is true," said De Vaudemont, "as true as heaven is above us.--Itis four days since I left the field of Granson (_d_), heaped withBurgundy's mercenaries--his wealth, his jewels, his plate, hismagnificent decorations, the prize of the poor Swiss, who scarce cantell their value. Know you this, Queen Margaret?" continued the youngsoldier, showing the well-known jewel which decorated the Duke's Orderof the Golden Fleece; "think you not the lion was closely hunted whenhe left such trophies as these behind him?"
Margaret looked, with dazzled eyes and bewildered thoughts, upon atoken which confirmed the Duke's defeat, and the extinction of herlast hopes. Her father, on the contrary, was struck with the heroismof the young warrior, a quality which, except as it existed in hisdaughter Margaret, had, he feared, taken leave of his family. Admiringin his heart the youth who exposed himself to danger for the meed ofpraise, almost as much as he did the poets by whom the warrior's fameis rendered immortal, he hugged his grandson to his bosom, bidding him"gird on his sword in strength," and assuring him, if money couldadvance his affairs, he, King Rene, could command ten thousand crowns,any part, or the whole of which, was at Ferrand's command; thus givingproof of what had been said of him, that his head was incapable ofcontaining two ideas at the same time.
We return to Arthur, who, with the Queen of England's secretary,Mordaunt, had been not a little surprised by the entrance of the Countde Vaudemont, calling himself Duke of Lorraine, into the anteroom, inwhich they kept a kind of guard, followed by a tall strong Swiss, witha huge halberd over his shoulder. The prince naming himself, Arthurdid not think it becoming to oppose his entrance to the presence ofhis grandfather and aunt, especially as it was obvious that hisopposition must have created an affray. In the huge staringhalberdier, who had sense enough to remain in the anteroom, Arthur wasnot a little surprised to recognise Sigismund Biederman, who, afterstaring wildly at him for a moment, like a dog which suddenlyrecognises a favourite, rushed up to the young Englishman with a wildcry of gladness, and in hurried accents told him how happy he was tomeet with him, and that he had matters of importance to tell him. Itwas at no time easy for Sigismund to arrange his ideas, and now theywere altogether confused, by the triumphant joy which he expressed forthe recent victory of his countrymen over the Duke of Burgundy; andit was with wonder that Arthur heard his confused and rude butfaithful tale.
"Look you, King Arthur, the Duke had come up with his huge army as faras Granson, which is near the outlet of the great lake of Neufchatel.There were five or six hundred Confederates in the place, and theyheld it till provisions failed, and then you know they were forced togive it over. But though hunger is hard to bear, they had better haveborne it a day or two longer, for the butcher Charles hung them all upby the neck, upon trees round the place,--and there was no swallowingfor them, you know, after such usage as that. Meanwhile all was busyon our hills, and every man that had a sword or lance accoutredhimself with it. We met at Neufchatel, and some Germans joined us withthe noble Duke of Lorraine. Ah, King Arthur, there is a leader!--weall think him second but to Rudolph of Donnerhugel--you saw him evennow--it was he that went into that room--and you saw him before,--itis he that was the Blue Knight of Bale; but we called him Laurenzthen, for Rudolph said his presence among us must not be known to ourfather, and I did not know myself at that time who he really was.Well, when we came to Neufchatel we were a goodly company; we werefifteen thousand stout Confederates, and of others, Germans andLorraine men, I will warrant you five thousand more. We heard that theBurgundian was sixty thousand in the field; but we heard, at the sametime, that Charles had hung up our brethren like dogs, and the man wasnot among us--among the Confederates, I mean--who would stay to countheads, when the question was to avenge them. I would you could haveheard the roar of fifteen thousand Swiss demanding to be led againstthe butcher of their brethren! My father himself, who, you know, isusually so eager for peace, now gave the first voice for battle; so,in the grey of the morning, we descended the lake towards Granson,with tears in our eyes and weapons
in our hands, determined to havedeath or vengeance. We came to a sort of strait, between Vauxmoreuxand the lake; there were horse on the level ground between themountain and the lake, and a large body of infantry on the side of thehill. The Duke of Lorraine and his followers engaged the horse, whilewe climbed the hill to dispossess the infantry. It was with us theaffair of a moment. Every man of us was at home among the crags, andCharles's men were stuck among them as thou wert, Arthur, when thoudidst first come to Geierstein. But there were no kind maidens to lendthem their hands to help them down. No, no--There were pikes, clubs,and halberds, many a one, to dash and thrust them from places wherethey could hardly keep their feet had there been no one to disturbthem. So the horsemen, pushed by the Lorrainers, and seeing us upontheir flanks, fled as fast as their horses could carry them. Then wedrew together again on a fair field, which is _buon campagna_, as theItalian says, where the hills retire from the lake. But lo you, we hadscarce arrayed our ranks, when we heard such a din and clash ofinstruments, such a trample of their great horses, such a shouting andcrying of men, as if all the soldiers, and all the minstrels in Franceand Germany, were striving which should make the loudest noise. Thenthere was a huge cloud of dust approaching us, and we began to see wemust do or die, for this was Charles and his whole army come tosupport his vanguard. A blast from the mountain dispersed the dust,for they had halted to prepare for battle. Oh, good Arthur! you wouldhave given ten years of life but to have seen the sight. There werethousands of horse all in complete array, glancing against the sun,and hundreds of knights with crowns of gold and silver on theirhelmets, and thick masses of spears on foot, and cannon, as they callthem. I did not know what things they were, which they drew on heavilywith bullocks and placed before their army, but I knew more of thembefore the morning was over. Well, we were ordered to draw up in ahollow square, as we are taught at exercise, and before we pushedforwards we were commanded, as is the godly rule and guise of ourwarfare, to kneel down and pray to God, Our Lady, and the blessedsaints; and we afterwards learned that Charles, in his arrogance,thought we asked for mercy--Ha! ha! ha! a proper jest. If my fatheronce knelt to him, it was for the sake of Christian blood and godlypeace; but on the field of battle Arnold Biederman would not haveknelt to him and his whole chivalry, though he had stood alone withhis sons on that field. Well, but Charles, supposing we asked grace,was determined to show us that we had asked it at a graceless face,for he cried, 'Fire my cannon on the coward slaves; it is all themercy they have to expect from me!'--Bang--bang--bang--off went thethings I told you of, like thunder and lightning, and some mischiefthey did, but the less that we were kneeling; and the saintsdoubtless gave the huge balls a hoist over the heads of those who wereasking grace from them, but from no mortal creatures. So we had thesignal to rise and rush on, and I promise you there were no sluggards.Every man felt ten men's strength. My halberd is no child's toy--ifyou have forgotten it, there it is--and yet it trembled in my grasp asif it had been a willow wand to drive cows with. On we went, whensuddenly the cannon were silent, and the earth shook with another andcontinued growl and battering, like thunder under ground. It was themen-at-arms rushing to charge us. But our leaders knew their trade,and had seen such a sight before--it was, Halt, halt--kneel down inthe front--stoop in the second rank--close shoulder to shoulder likebrethren, lean all spears forward and receive them like an iron wall!On they rushed, and there was a rending of lances that would haveserved the Unterwalden old women with splinters of firewood for atwelvemonth. Down went armed horse--down went accoutred knight--downwent banner and bannerman--down went peaked boot and crowned helmet,and of those who fell not a man escaped with life. So they drew off inconfusion, and were getting in order to charge again, when the nobleDuke Ferrand and his horsemen dashed at them in their own way, and wemoved onward to support him. Thus on we pressed, and the foot hardlywaited for us, seeing their cavalry so handled. Then if you had seenthe dust and heard the blows! the noise of a hundred thousandthrashers, the flight of the chaff which they drive about, would bebut a type of it. On my word, I almost thought it shame to dash aboutmy halberd, the rout was so helplessly piteous. Hundreds were slainunresisting, and the whole army was in complete flight."
"My father--my father!" exclaimed Arthur. "In such a rout, what canhave become of him?"
"He escaped safely," said the Swiss; "fled with Charles."
"It must have been a bloody field ere he fled," replied theEnglishman.
"Nay," answered Sigismund, "he took no part in the fight, but merelyremained by Charles; and prisoners said it was well for us, for thathe is a man of great counsel and action in the wars. And as to flying,a man in such a matter must go back if he cannot press forward, andthere is no shame in it, especially if you be not engaged in your ownperson."
As he spoke thus, their conversation was interrupted by Mordaunt, with"Hush, hush--the King and Queen come forth."
"What am I to do?" said Sigismund, in some alarm. "I care not for theDuke of Lorraine; but what am I to do when kings and queens enter?"
"Do nothing but rise, unbonnet yourself, and be silent."
Sigismund did as he was directed.
King Rene came forth arm in arm with his grandson; and Margaretfollowed, with deep disappointment and vexation on her brow. Shesigned to Arthur as she passed, and said to him--"Make thyself masterof the truth of this most unexpected news, and bring the particularsto me. Mordaunt will introduce thee."
She then cast a look on the young Swiss, and replied courteously tohis awkward salutation. The royal party then left the room, Rene benton carrying his grandson to the sporting-party, which had beeninterrupted, and Margaret to seek the solitude of her privateapartment, and await the confirmation of what she regarded as eviltidings.
They were no sooner passed than Sigismund observed,--"And so that is aKing and Queen!--Peste! the King looks somewhat like old Jacomo, thevioler, that used to scrape on the fiddle to us when he came toGeierstein in his rounds. But the Queen is a stately creature. Thechief cow of the herd, who carries the bouquets and garlands, andleads the rest to the chalet, has not a statelier pace. And how deftlyyou approached her and spoke to her! I could not have done it with somuch grace--But it is like that you have served apprentice to thecourt trade?"
"Leave that for the present, good Sigismund," answered Arthur, "andtell me more of this battle."
"By St. Mary, but I must have some victuals and drink first," saidSigismund, "if your credit in this fine place reaches so far."
"Doubt it not, Sigismund," said Arthur; and, by the intervention ofMordaunt, he easily procured, in a more retired apartment, a collationand wine, to which the young Biederman did great honour, smacking hislips with much gusto after the delicious wines, to which, in spite ofhis father's ascetic precepts, his palate was beginning to beconsiderably formed and habituated. When he found himself alone with aflask of _cote roti_ and a biscuit, and his friend Arthur, he waseasily led to continue his tale of conquest.
"Well--where was I?--Oh, where we broke their infantry--well--theynever rallied, and fell into greater confusion at every step--and wemight have slaughtered one half of them, had we not stopped to examineCharles's camp. Mercy on us, Arthur, what a sight was there! Everypavilion was full of rich clothes, splendid armour, and great dishesand flagons, which some men said were of silver; but I knew there wasnot so much silver in the world, and was sure they must be of pewter,rarely burnished. Here there were hosts of laced lackeys, and grooms,and pages, and as many attendants as there were soldiers in the army;and thousands, for what I knew, of pretty maidens. By the same token,both menials and maidens placed themselves at the disposal of thevictors; but I promise you that my father was right severe on any whowould abuse the rights of war. But some of our young men did not mindhim, till he taught them obedience with the staff of his halberd.Well, Arthur, there was fine plundering, for the Germans and Frenchthat were with us rifled everything, and some of our men followed theexample--it is very catching--So I got into Charles's own pavilion,w
here Rudolph and some of his people were trying to keep out everyone, that he might have the spoiling of it himself, I think; butneither he, nor any Bernese of them all, dared lay truncheon over mypate; so I entered, and saw them putting piles of pewter-trenchers, soclean as to look like silver, into chests and trunks. I pressedthrough them into the inner place, and there was Charles'spallet-bed--I will do him justice, it was the only hard one in hiscamp--and there were fine sparkling stones and pebbles lying aboutamong gauntlets, boots, vambraces, and suchlike gear--So I thought ofyour father and you, and looked for something, when what should I seebut my old friend here" (here he drew Queen Margaret's necklace fromhis bosom), "which I knew, because you remember I recovered it fromthe Scharfgerichter at Brisach.--'Oho! you pretty sparklers,' said I,'you shall be Burgundian no longer, but go back to my honest Englishfriends,' and therefore"----
"It is of immense value," said Arthur, "and belongs not to my fatheror to me, but to the Queen you saw but now."
"And she will become it rarely," answered Sigismund. "Were she but ascore, or a score and a half years younger, she were a gallant wifefor a Swiss landholder. I would warrant her to keep his household inhigh order."
"She will reward thee liberally for recovering her property," saidArthur, scarce suppressing a smile at the idea of the proud Margaretbecoming the housewife of a Swiss shepherd.
"How--reward!" said the Swiss. "Bethink thee I am Sigismund Biederman,the son of the Landamman of Unterwalden--I am not a base lanzknecht,to be paid for courtesy with piastres. Let her grant me a kind word ofthanks, or the matter of a kiss, and I am well contented."
"A kiss of her hand, perhaps," said Arthur, again smiling at hisfriend's simplicity.
"Umph, the hand! Well, it may do for a queen of some fifty years andodd, but would be poor homage to a Queen of May."
Arthur here brought back the youth to the subject of his battle, andlearned that the slaughter of the Duke's forces in the flight hadbeen in no degree equal to the importance of the action.
"Many rode off on horseback," said Sigismund; "and our German_reiters_ flew on the spoil, when they should have followed the chase.And besides, to speak truth, Charles's camp delayed our very selves inthe pursuit; but had we gone half a mile farther, and seen our friendshanging on trees, not a Confederate would have stopped from the chasewhile he had limbs to carry him in pursuit."
"And what has become of the Duke?"
"Charles has retreated into Burgundy, like a boar who has felt thetouch of the spear, and is more enraged than hurt; but is, they say,sad and sulky. Others report that he has collected all his scatteredarmy, and immense forces besides, and has screwed his subjects to givehim money, so that we may expect another brush. But all Switzerlandwill join us after such a victory."
"And my father is with him?" said Arthur.
"Truly he is, and has in a right godly manner tried to set afoot atreaty of peace with my own father. But it will scarce succeed.Charles is as mad as ever; and our people are right proud of ourvictory, and so they well may. Nevertheless, my father foreverpreaches that such victories, and such heaps of wealth, will changeour ancient manners, and that the ploughman will leave his labour toturn soldier. He says much about it; but why money, choice meat andwine, and fine clothing should do so much harm, I cannot bring my poorbrains to see--And many better heads than mine are as muchpuzzled.--Here's to you, friend Arthur!--This is choice liquor!"
"And what brings you and your general, Prince Ferrand, post toNancy?" said the young Englishman.
"Faith, you are yourself the cause of our journey."
"I the cause?" said Arthur.--"Why, how could that be?"
"Why, it is said you and Queen Margaret are urging this old fiddlingKing Rene to yield up his territories to Charles, and to disownFerrand in his claim upon Lorraine. And the Duke of Lorraine sent aman that you know well--that is, you do not know _him_, but you knowsome of his family, and he knows more of you than you wot--to put aspoke in your wheel, and prevent your getting for Charles the countyof Provence, or preventing Ferrand being troubled or traversed in hisnatural rights over Lorraine."
"On my word, Sigismund, I cannot comprehend you," said Arthur.
"Well," replied the Swiss, "my lot is a hard one. All our house saythat I can comprehend nothing, and I shall be next told that nobodycan comprehend me.--Well, in plain language, I mean my uncle, CountAlbert, as he calls himself, of Geierstein--my father's brother."
"Anne of Geierstein's father!" echoed Arthur.
"Ay, truly; I thought we should find some mark to make you know himby."
"But I never saw him."
"Ay, but you have, though--An able man he is, and knows more of everyman's business than the man does himself. Oh! it was not for nothingthat he married the daughter of a Salamander!"
"Pshaw, Sigismund, how can you believe that nonsense?" answeredArthur.
"Rudolph told me you were as much bewildered as I was that night atGraffs-lust," answered the Swiss.
"If I were so, I was the greater ass for my pains," answered Arthur.
"Well, but this uncle of mine has got some of the old conjuring booksfrom the library at Arnheim, and they say he can pass from place toplace with more than mortal speed; and that he is helped in hisdesigns by mightier counsellors than mere men. Always, however, thoughso able and highly endowed, his gifts, whether coming from a lawful orunlawful quarter, bring him no abiding advantage. He is eternallyplunged into strife and danger."
"I know few particulars of his life," said Arthur, disguising as muchas he could his anxiety to hear more of him; "but I have heard that heleft Switzerland to join the Emperor."
"True," answered the young Swiss, "and married the young Baroness ofArnheim,--but afterwards he incurred my namesake's imperialdispleasure, and not less that of the Duke of Austria. They say youcannot live in Rome and strive with the Pope; so my uncle thought itbest to cross the Rhine, and betake himself to Charles's court, whowillingly received noblemen from all countries, so that they had goodsounding names, with the title of Count, Marquis, Baron, or suchlike,to march in front of them. So my uncle was most kindly received; butwithin this year or two all this friendship has been broken up. UncleAlbert obtained a great lead in some mysterious societies, of whichCharles disapproved, and set so hard at my poor uncle, that he wasfain to take orders and shave his hair, rather than lose his head.But though he cut off his hair, his brain remains as busy as ever; andalthough the Duke suffered him to be at large, yet he found him sooften in his way, that all men believed he waited but an excuse forseizing upon him and putting him to death. But my uncle persists thathe fears not Charles; and that, Duke as he is, Charles has moreoccasion to be afraid of him.--And so you saw how boldly he played hispart at La Ferette."
"By St. George of Windsor!" exclaimed Arthur, "the Black Priest of St.Paul's?"
"Oho! you understand me now. Well, he took it upon him that Charleswould not dare to punish him for his share in De Hagenbach's death;and no more did he, although uncle Albert sat and voted in the Estatesof Burgundy, and stirred them up all he could to refuse giving Charlesthe money he asked of them. But when the Swiss war broke out, uncleAlbert became assured his being a clergyman would be no longer hisprotection, and that the Duke intended to have him accused ofcorresponding with his brother and countrymen; and so he appearedsuddenly in Ferrand's camp at Neufchatel, and sent a message toCharles that he renounced his allegiance, and bid him defiance."
"A singular story of an active and versatile man," said the youngEnglishman.
"Oh, you may seek the world for a man like uncle Albert. Then he knowseverything; and he told Duke Ferrand what you were about here, andoffered to go and bring more certain information--ay, though he leftthe Swiss camp but five or six days before the battle, and thedistance between Arles and Neufchatel be four hundred miles complete,yet he met him on his return, when Duke Ferrand, with me to show himthe way, was hastening hitherward, having set off from the very fieldof battle."
"Met him!" sai
d Arthur--"Met whom?--Met the Black Priest of St.Paul's?"
"Ay, I mean so," replied Sigismund; "but he was habited as a Carmelitemonk."
"A Carmelite!" said Arthur, a sudden light flashing on him; "and I wasso blind as to recommend his services to the Queen! I remember wellthat he kept his face much concealed in his cowl--and I, foolishbeast, to fall so grossly into the snare!--And yet perhaps it is aswell the transaction was interrupted, since I fear, if carriedsuccessfully through, all must have been disconcerted by thisastounding defeat."
Their conversation had thus far proceeded, when Mordaunt appearing,summoned Arthur to his royal mistress's apartment. In that gay palace,a gloomy room, whose windows looked upon some part of the ruins of theRoman edifice, but excluded every other object, save broken walls andtottering columns, was the retreat which Margaret had chosen for herown. She received Albert with a kindness more touching that it was theinmate of so proud and fiery a disposition,--of a heart assailed withmany woes, and feeling them severely.
"Alas, poor Arthur!" she said, "thy life begins where thy father'sthreatens to end, in useless labour to save a sinking vessel. Therushing leak pours in its waters faster than human force can lightenor discharge. All--all goes wrong, when our unhappy cause becomesconnected with it--Strength becomes weakness, wisdom folly, andvalour cowardice. The Duke of Burgundy, hitherto victorious in all hisbold undertakings, has but to entertain the momentary thought ofyielding succour to Lancaster, and behold his sword is broken by apeasant's flail; and his disciplined army, held to be the finest inthe world, flies like chaff before the wind; while their spoils aredivided by renegade German hirelings, and barbarous Alpineshepherds!--What more hast thou learned of this strange tale?"
"Little, madam, but what you have heard. The worst additions are, thatthe battle was shamefully cowardlike, and completely lost, with everyadvantage to have won it--the best, that the Burgundian army has beenrather dispersed than destroyed, and that the Duke himself hasescaped, and is rallying his forces in Upper Burgundy."
"To sustain a new defeat, or engage in a protracted and doubtfulcontest, fatal to his reputation as defeat itself. Where is thyfather?"
"With the Duke, madam, as I have been informed," replied Arthur.
"Hie to him, and say I charge him to look after his own safety, andcare no further for my interests. This last blow has sunk me--I amwithout an ally, without a friend, without treasure"----
"Not so, madam," replied Arthur. "One piece of good fortune hasbrought back to your Grace this inestimable relic of yourfortunes."--And, producing the precious necklace, he gave the historyof its recovery.
"I rejoice at the chance which has restored these diamonds," said theQueen, "that in point of gratitude, at least, I may not be utterlybankrupt. Carry them to your father--tell him my schemes areover--and my heart, which so long clung to hope, is broken atlast.--Tell him the trinkets are his own, and to his own use let himapply them. They will but poorly repay the noble earldom of Oxford,lost in the cause of her who sends them."
"Royal madam," said the youth, "be assured my father would sooner liveby service as a _schwarzreiter_, than become a burden on yourmisfortunes."
"He never yet disobeyed command of mine," said Margaret; "and this isthe last I will lay upon him. If he is too rich or too proud tobenefit by his Queen's behest, he will find enough of poorLancastrians who have fewer means or fewer scruples."
"There is yet a circumstance I have to communicate," said Arthur, andrecounted the history of Albert of Geierstein, and the disguise of aCarmelite monk.
"Are you such a fool," answered the Queen, "as to suppose this man hasany supernatural powers to aid him in his ambitious projects and hishasty journeys?"
"No, madam--but it is whispered that the Count Albert of Geierstein,or this Black Priest of St. Paul's, is a chief amongst the SecretSocieties of Germany, which even princes dread whilst they hate them;for the man that can command a hundred daggers must be feared even bythose who rule thousands of swords."
"Can this person," said the Queen, "being now a Churchman, retainauthority amongst those who deal in life and death? It is contrary tothe canons."
"It would seem so, royal madam; but everything in these darkinstitutions differs from what is practised in the light of day.Prelates are often heads of a Vehmique bench, and the Archbishop ofCologne exercises the dreadful office of their chief as Duke ofWestphalia, the principal region in which these societiesflourish.[11] Such privileges attach to the secret influence of thechiefs of this dark association, as may well seem supernatural tothose who are unapprised of circumstances of which men shun to speakin plain terms."
"Let him be wizard or assassin," said the Queen, "I thank him forhaving contributed to interrupt my plan of the old man's cession ofProvence, which, as events stand, would have stripped Rene of hisdominions, without furthering our plan of invading England.--Oncemore, be stirring with the dawn, and bend thy way back to thy father,and charge him to care for himself and think no more of me. Bretagne,where the heir of Lancaster resides, will be the safest place ofrefuge for its bravest followers. Along the Rhine, the InvisibleTribunal, it would seem, haunts both shores, and to be innocent of illis no security; even here the proposed treaty with Burgundy may takeair, and the Provencaux carry daggers as well as crooks and pipes. ButI hear the horses fast returning from the hawking-party, and the sillyold man, forgetting all the eventful proceedings of the day,whistling as he ascends the steps. Well, we will soon part, and myremoval will be, I think, a relief to him. Prepare for banquet andball, for noise and nonsense--above all, to bid adieu to Aix withmorning dawn."
Thus dismissed from the Queen's presence, Arthur's first care was tosummon Thiebault to have all things in readiness for his departure;his next, to prepare himself for the pleasures of the evening, notperhaps so heavily affected by the failure of his negotiation as to beincapable of consolation in such a scene; for the truth was, that hismind secretly revolted at the thoughts of the simple old King beingdespoiled of his dominions to further an invasion of England, inwhich, whatever interest he might have in his daughter's rights, therewas little chance of success.
If such feelings were censurable, they had their punishment. Althoughfew knew how completely the arrival of the Duke of Lorraine, and theintelligence he brought with him, had disconcerted the plans of QueenMargaret, it was well known there had been little love betwixt theQueen and his mother Yolande; and the young Prince found himself atthe head of a numerous party in the court of his grandfather, whodisliked his aunt's haughty manners, and were wearied by the unceasingmelancholy of her looks and conversation, and her undisguised contemptof the frivolities which passed around her. Ferrand, besides, wasyoung, handsome, a victor just arrived from a field of battle, foughtgloriously, and gained against all chances to the contrary. That hewas a general favourite, and excluded Arthur Philipson, as anadherent of the unpopular Queen, from the notice her influence had ona former evening procured him, was only a natural consequence of theirrelative condition. But what somewhat hurt Arthur's feelings was tosee his friend Sigismund the Simple, as his brethren called him,shining with the reflected glory of the Duke Ferrand of Lorraine, whointroduced to all the ladies present the gallant young Swiss as CountSigismund of Geierstein. His care had procured for his follower adress rather more suitable for such a scene than the country attire ofthe count, otherwise Sigismund Biederman.
For a certain time, whatever of novelty is introduced into society ispleasing, though it has nothing else to recommend it. The Swiss werelittle known personally out of their own country, but they were muchtalked of; it was a recommendation to be of that country. Sigismund'smanners were blunt--a mixture of awkwardness and rudeness, which wastermed frankness during the moment of his favour. He spoke bad Frenchand worse Italian--it gave naivete to all he said. His limbs were toobulky to be elegant; his dancing, for Count Sigismund failed not todance, was the bounding and gambolling of a young elephant; yet theywere preferred to the handsome proportions and courtly moveme
nts ofthe youthful Englishman, even by the black-eyed countess in whose goodgraces Arthur had made some progress on the preceding evening. Arthur,thus thrown into the shade, felt as Mr. Pepys afterwards did when hetore his camlet cloak--the damage was not great, but it troubled him.
Nevertheless, the passing evening brought him some revenge. There aresome works of art the defects of which are not seen till they areinjudiciously placed in too strong a light, and such was the case withSigismund the Simple. The quick-witted though fantastic Provencauxsoon found out the heaviness of his intellect, and the extent of hisgood-nature, and amused themselves at his expense, by ironicalcompliments and well-veiled raillery. It is probable they would havebeen less delicate on the subject, had not the Swiss brought into thedancing-room along with him his eternal halberd, the size and weightand thickness of which boded little good to any one whom the ownermight detect in the act of making merry at his expense. But Sigismunddid no further mischief that night, except that, in achieving a superb_entrechat_, he alighted with his whole weight on the miniature footof his pretty partner, which he well-nigh crushed to pieces.
Arthur had hitherto avoided looking towards Queen Margaret during thecourse of the evening, lest he should disturb her thoughts from thechannel in which they were rolling, by seeming to lay a claim on herprotection. But there was something so whimsical in the awkwardphysiognomy of the maladroit Swiss, that he could not help glancing aneye to the alcove where the Queen's chair of state was placed, to seeif she observed him. The very first view was such as to rivet hisattention. Margaret's head was reclined on the chair, her eyesscarcely open, her features drawn up and pinched, her hands closedwith effort. The English lady of honour who stood behind her--old,deaf, and dim-sighted--had not discovered anything in her mistress'sposition more than the abstracted and indifferent attitude with whichthe Queen was wont to be present in body and absent in mind during thefestivities of the Provencal court. But when Arthur, greatly alarmed,came behind the seat to press her attention to her mistress, sheexclaimed, after a minute's investigation, "Mother of Heaven, theQueen is dead!" And it was so. It seemed that the last fibre of life,in that fiery and ambitious mind, had, as she herself prophesied,given way at the same time with the last thread of political hope.
FOOTNOTES:
[11] The Archbishop of Cologne was recognised as head of all the FreeTribunals (_i.e._ the Vehmique benches) in Westphalia, by a writ ofprivilege granted in 1335 by the Emperor Charles IV. Winceslausconfirmed this act by a privilege dated 1382, in which the Archbishopis termed Grand Master of the Vehme, or Grand Inquisitor. And thisprelate and other priests were encouraged to exercise such office byPope Boniface III., whose ecclesiastical discipline permitted them insuch cases to assume the right of judging in matters of life anddeath.
