by Walter Scott
CHAPTER X
Thus, like the sad presaging raven, that tolls The sick man's passport in her hollow beak, And in the shadow of the silent night Doth shake contagion from her sable wings; Vex'd and tormented, runs poor Barrabas, With fatal curses towards these Christians. --Jew of Malta
The Disinherited Knight had no sooner reached his pavilion, than squiresand pages in abundance tendered their services to disarm him, to bringfresh attire, and to offer him the refreshment of the bath. Their zealon this occasion was perhaps sharpened by curiosity, since every onedesired to know who the knight was that had gained so many laurels, yethad refused, even at the command of Prince John, to lift his visor orto name his name. But their officious inquisitiveness was not gratified.The Disinherited Knight refused all other assistance save that of hisown squire, or rather yeoman--a clownish-looking man, who, wrapt in acloak of dark-coloured felt, and having his head and face half-buriedin a Norman bonnet made of black fur, seemed to affect the incognitoas much as his master. All others being excluded from the tent, thisattendant relieved his master from the more burdensome parts of hisarmour, and placed food and wine before him, which the exertions of theday rendered very acceptable.
The Knight had scarcely finished a hasty meal, ere his menial announcedto him that five men, each leading a barbed steed, desired to speak withhim. The Disinherited Knight had exchanged his armour for the long robeusually worn by those of his condition, which, being furnished with ahood, concealed the features, when such was the pleasure of thewearer, almost as completely as the visor of the helmet itself, but thetwilight, which was now fast darkening, would of itself have rendereda disguise unnecessary, unless to persons to whom the face of anindividual chanced to be particularly well known.
The Disinherited Knight, therefore, stept boldly forth to the front ofhis tent, and found in attendance the squires of the challengers, whomhe easily knew by their russet and black dresses, each of whom ledhis master's charger, loaded with the armour in which he had that dayfought.
"According to the laws of chivalry," said the foremost of these men, "I,Baldwin de Oyley, squire to the redoubted Knight Brian de Bois-Guilbert,make offer to you, styling yourself, for the present, the DisinheritedKnight, of the horse and armour used by the said Brian de Bois-Guilbertin this day's Passage of Arms, leaving it with your nobleness to retainor to ransom the same, according to your pleasure; for such is the lawof arms."
The other squires repeated nearly the same formula, and then stood toawait the decision of the Disinherited Knight.
"To you four, sirs," replied the Knight, addressing those who had lastspoken, "and to your honourable and valiant masters, I have one commonreply. Commend me to the noble knights, your masters, and say, I shoulddo ill to deprive them of steeds and arms which can never be used bybraver cavaliers.--I would I could here end my message to thesegallant knights; but being, as I term myself, in truth and earnest, theDisinherited, I must be thus far bound to your masters, that they will,of their courtesy, be pleased to ransom their steeds and armour, sincethat which I wear I can hardly term mine own."
"We stand commissioned, each of us," answered the squire of ReginaldFront-de-Boeuf, "to offer a hundred zecchins in ransom of these horsesand suits of armour."
"It is sufficient," said the Disinherited Knight. "Half the summy present necessities compel me to accept; of the remaining half,distribute one moiety among yourselves, sir squires, and divide theother half betwixt the heralds and the pursuivants, and minstrels, andattendants."
The squires, with cap in hand, and low reverences, expressed their deepsense of a courtesy and generosity not often practised, at least upon ascale so extensive. The Disinherited Knight then addressed his discourseto Baldwin, the squire of Brian de Bois-Guilbert. "From your master,"said he, "I will accept neither arms nor ransom. Say to him in my name,that our strife is not ended--no, not till we have fought as well withswords as with lances--as well on foot as on horseback. To thismortal quarrel he has himself defied me, and I shall not forget thechallenge.--Meantime, let him be assured, that I hold him not as one ofhis companions, with whom I can with pleasure exchange courtesies; butrather as one with whom I stand upon terms of mortal defiance."
"My master," answered Baldwin, "knows how to requite scorn with scorn,and blows with blows, as well as courtesy with courtesy. Since youdisdain to accept from him any share of the ransom at which you haverated the arms of the other knights, I must leave his armour and hishorse here, being well assured that he will never deign to mount the onenor wear the other."
"You have spoken well, good squire," said the Disinherited Knight,"well and boldly, as it beseemeth him to speak who answers for an absentmaster. Leave not, however, the horse and armour here. Restore them tothy master; or, if he scorns to accept them, retain them, good friend,for thine own use. So far as they are mine, I bestow them upon youfreely."
Baldwin made a deep obeisance, and retired with his companions; and theDisinherited Knight entered the pavilion.
"Thus far, Gurth," said he, addressing his attendant, "the reputation ofEnglish chivalry hath not suffered in my hands."
"And I," said Gurth, "for a Saxon swineherd, have not ill played thepersonage of a Norman squire-at-arms."
"Yea, but," answered the Disinherited Knight, "thou hast ever kept me inanxiety 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 mostknave or fool. Yet I could scarce choose but laugh, when my old masterpassed so near to me, dreaming all the while that Gurth was keeping hisporkers many a mile off, in the thickets and swamps of Rotherwood. If Iam discovered---"
"Enough," said the Disinherited Knight, "thou knowest my promise."
"Nay, for that matter," said Gurth, "I will never fail my friend forfear of my skin-cutting. I have a tough hide, that will bear knife orscourge as well as any boar's hide in my herd."
"Trust me, I will requite the risk you run for my love, Gurth," said theKnight. "Meanwhile, I pray you to accept these ten pieces of gold."
"I am richer," said Gurth, putting them into his pouch, "than ever wasswineherd or bondsman."
"Take this bag of gold to Ashby," continued his master, "and find outIsaac the Jew of York, and let him pay himself for the horse and armswith which his credit supplied me."
"Nay, by St Dunstan," replied Gurth, "that I will not do."
"How, knave," replied his master, "wilt thou not obey my commands?"
"So they be honest, reasonable, and Christian commands," replied Gurth;"but this is none of these. To suffer the Jew to pay himself would bedishonest, for it would be cheating my master; and unreasonable, for itwere the part of a fool; and unchristian, since it would be plundering abeliever to enrich an infidel."
"See him contented, however, thou stubborn varlet," said theDisinherited Knight.
"I will do so," said Gurth, taking the bag under his cloak, and leavingthe apartment; "and it will go hard," he muttered, "but I content himwith one-half of his own asking." So saying, he departed, and left theDisinherited Knight to his own perplexed ruminations; which, upon moreaccounts than it is now possible to communicate to the reader, were of anature peculiarly agitating and painful.
We must now change the scene to the village of Ashby, or rather to acountry house in its vicinity belonging to a wealthy Israelite, withwhom Isaac, his daughter, and retinue, had taken up their quarters; theJews, it is well known, being as liberal in exercising the duties ofhospitality and charity among their own people, as they were alleged tobe reluctant and churlish in extending them to those whom theytermed Gentiles, and whose treatment of them certainly merited littlehospitality at their hand.
In an apartment, small indeed, but richly furnished with decorations ofan 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 Spaniar
ds, instead of chairs and stools. Shewas watching the motions of her father with a look of anxious andfilial affection, while he paced the apartment with a dejected mienand disordered step; sometimes clasping his hands together--sometimescasting his eyes to the roof of the apartment, as one who laboured undergreat mental tribulation. "O, Jacob!" he exclaimed--"O, all ye twelveHoly Fathers of our tribe! what a losing venture is this for one whohath duly kept every jot and tittle of the law of Moses--Fifty zecchinswrenched from me at one clutch, and by the talons of a tyrant!"
"But, father," said Rebecca, "you seemed to give the gold to Prince Johnwillingly."
"Willingly? the blotch of Egypt upon him!--Willingly, saidst thou?--Ay,as willingly as when, in the Gulf of Lyons, I flung over my merchandiseto lighten the ship, while she laboured in the tempest--robed theseething billows in my choice silks--perfumed their briny foam withmyrrh and aloes--enriched their caverns with gold and silver work! Andwas not that an hour of unutterable misery, though my own hands made thesacrifice?"
"But it was a sacrifice which Heaven exacted to save our lives,"answered Rebecca, "and the God of our fathers has since blessed yourstore and your gettings."
"Ay," answered Isaac, "but if the tyrant lays hold on them as he didto-day, and compels me to smile while he is robbing me?--O, daughter,disinherited and wandering as we are, the worst evil which befalls ourrace is, that when we are wronged and plundered, all the world laughsaround, and we are compelled to suppress our sense of injury, and tosmile tamely, when we would revenge bravely."
"Think not thus of it, my father," said Rebecca; "we also haveadvantages. These Gentiles, cruel and oppressive as they are, are insome sort dependent on the dispersed children of Zion, whom they despiseand persecute. Without the aid of our wealth, they could neither furnishforth their hosts in war, nor their triumphs in peace, and the goldwhich we lend them returns with increase to our coffers. We are like theherb which flourisheth most when it is most trampled on. Even this day'spageant had not proceeded without the consent of the despised Jew, whofurnished the means."
"Daughter," said Isaac, "thou hast harped upon another string of sorrow.The goodly steed and the rich armour, equal to the full profit of myadventure with our Kirjath Jairam of Leicester--there is a dead losstoo--ay, a loss which swallows up the gains of a week; ay, of the spacebetween two Sabbaths--and yet it may end better than I now think, for'tis a good youth."
"Assuredly," said Rebecca, "you shall not repent you of requiting thegood deed received of the stranger knight."
"I trust so, daughter," said Isaac, "and I trust too in the rebuildingof Zion; but as well do I hope with my own bodily eyes to see the wallsand battlements of the new Temple, as to see a Christian, yea, the verybest of Christians, repay a debt to a Jew, unless under the awe of thejudge and jailor."
So saying, he resumed his discontented walk through the apartment; andRebecca, perceiving that her attempts at consolation only served toawaken new subjects of complaint, wisely desisted from her unavailingefforts--a prudential line of conduct, and we recommend to all who setup for comforters and advisers, to follow it in the like circumstances.
The evening was now becoming dark, when a Jewish servant entered theapartment, and placed upon the table two silver lamps, fed with perfumedoil; the richest wines, and the most delicate refreshments, were at thesame time displayed by another Israelitish domestic on a small ebonytable, inlaid with silver; for, in the interior of their houses, theJews refused themselves no expensive indulgences. At the same time theservant informed Isaac, that a Nazarene (so they termed Christians,while conversing among themselves) desired to speak with him. He thatwould live by traffic, must hold himself at the disposal of every oneclaiming business with him. Isaac at once replaced on the table theuntasted glass of Greek wine which he had just raised to his lips, andsaying hastily to his daughter, "Rebecca, veil thyself," commanded thestranger to be admitted.
Just as Rebecca had dropped over her fine features a screen of silvergauze which reached to her feet, the door opened, and Gurth entered,wrapt in the ample folds of his Norman mantle. His appearance was rathersuspicious than prepossessing, especially as, instead of doffing hisbonnet, he pulled it still deeper over his rugged brow.
"Art thou Isaac the Jew of York?" said Gurth, in Saxon.
"I am," replied Isaac, in the same language, (for his traffic hadrendered every tongue spoken in Britain familiar to him)--"and who artthou?"
"That is not to the purpose," answered Gurth.
"As much as my name is to thee," replied Isaac; "for without knowingthine, how can I hold intercourse with thee?"
"Easily," answered Gurth; "I, being to pay money, must know that Ideliver it to the right person; thou, who are to receive it, will not, Ithink, 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 each other. And from whom dost thou bringit?"
"From the Disinherited Knight," said Gurth, "victor in this day'stournament. It is the price of the armour supplied to him by KirjathJairam of Leicester, on thy recommendation. The steed is restored to thystable. I desire to know the amount of the sum which I am to pay for thearmour."
"I said he was a good youth!" exclaimed Isaac with joyful exultation. "Acup of wine will do thee no harm," he added, filling and handing to theswineherd a richer drought than Gurth had ever before tasted. "And howmuch money," continued Isaac, "has thou brought with thee?"
"Holy Virgin!" said Gurth, setting down the cup, "what nectar theseunbelieving dogs drink, while true Christians are fain to quaff ale asmuddy and thick as the draff we give to hogs!--What money have Ibrought with me?" continued the Saxon, when he had finished this uncivilejaculation, "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 richarmours with the strength of his lance, and of his right hand--but 'tisa good youth--the Jew will take these in present payment, and render himback the surplus."
"My master has disposed of them already," said Gurth.
"Ah! that was wrong," said the Jew, "that was the part of a fool. NoChristians here could buy so many horses and armour--no Jew exceptmyself would give him half the values. But thou hast a hundred zecchinswith thee in that bag," said Isaac, prying under Gurth's cloak, "it is aheavy one."
"I have heads for cross-bow bolts in it," said Gurth, readily.
"Well, then"--said Isaac, panting and hesitating between habitual loveof gain and a new-born desire to be liberal in the present instance, "ifI should say that I would take eighty zecchins for the good steed andthe rich armour, which leaves me not a guilder's profit, have you moneyto pay me?"
"Barely," said Gurth, though the sum demanded was more reasonable thanhe 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! eightyzecchins is too little. It leaveth no profit for the usages of themoneys; and, besides, the good horse may have suffered wrong in thisday's encounter. O, it was a hard and a dangerous meeting! man and steedrushing on each other like wild bulls of Bashan! The horse cannot buthave had wrong."
"And I say," replied Gurth, "he is sound, wind and limb; and you maysee him now, in your stable. And I say, over and above, that seventyzecchins is enough for the armour, and I hope a Christian's word is asgood as a Jew's. If you will not take seventy, I will carry this bag"(and he shook it till the contents jingled) "back to my master."
"Nay, nay!" said Isaac; "lay down the talents--the shekels--the eightyzecchins, and thou shalt see I will consider thee liberally."
Gurth at length complied; and telling out eighty zecchins upon thetable, the Jew delivered out to him an acquittance for the horse andsuit of armour. The Jew's hand trembled for joy as he wrapped up thefirst seventy pieces of gold. The last ten he told over with muchdeliberation, p
ausing, and saying something as he took each piece fromthe table, and dropt it into his purse. It seemed as if his avarice werestruggling with his better nature, and compelling him to pouch zecchinafter zecchin while his generosity urged him to restore some part atleast to his benefactor, or as a donation to his agent. His whole speechran nearly thus:
"Seventy-one--seventy-two; thy master is a good youth--seventy-three,an excellent youth--seventy-four--that piece hath been cliptwithin the ring--seventy-five--and that looketh light ofweight--seventy-six--when thy master wants money, let him come to Isaacof York--seventy-seven--that is, with reasonable security." Here he madea considerable pause, and Gurth had good hope that the last three piecesmight escape the fate of their comrades; but the enumerationproceeded.--"Seventy-eight--thou art a good fellow--seventy-nine--anddeservest something for thyself---"
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 hisfinger, and made it ring by dropping it upon the table. Had it rung tooflat, or had it felt a hair's breadth too light, generosity had carriedthe day; but, unhappily for Gurth, the chime was full and true, thezecchin plump, newly coined, and a grain above weight. Isaac could notfind in his heart to part with it, so dropt it into his purse as if inabsence of mind, with the words, "Eighty completes the tale, and I trustthy master will reward thee handsomely.--Surely," he added, lookingearnestly at the bag, "thou hast more coins in that pouch?"
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,--"Perilof thy beard, Jew, see that this be full and ample!" He filled himselfunbidden, a third goblet of wine, and left the apartment withoutceremony.
"Rebecca," said the Jew, "that Ishmaelite hath gone somewhat beyond me.Nevertheless his master is a good youth--ay, and I am well pleased thathe hath gained shekels of gold and shekels of silver, even by the speedof his horse and by the strength of his lance, which, like that ofGoliath the Philistine, might vie with a weaver's beam."
As he turned to receive Rebecca's answer, he observed, that during hischattering with Gurth, she had left the apartment unperceived.
In the meanwhile, Gurth had descended the stair, and, having reached thedark antechamber or hall, was puzzling about to discover the entrance,when a figure in white, shown by a small silver lamp which she held inher hand, beckoned him into a side apartment. Gurth had some reluctanceto obey the summons. Rough and impetuous as a wild boar, where onlyearthly force was to be apprehended, he had all the characteristicterrors of a Saxon respecting fawns, forest-fiends, white women, andthe whole of the superstitions which his ancestors had brought with themfrom the wilds of Germany. He remembered, moreover, that he was in thehouse of a Jew, a people who, besides the other unamiable qualitieswhich popular report ascribed to them, were supposed to be profoundnecromancers and cabalists. Nevertheless, after a moment's pause, heobeyed the beckoning summons of the apparition, and followed her intothe apartment which she indicated, where he found to his joyful surprisethat his fair guide was the beautiful Jewess whom he had seen at thetournament, and a short time in her father's apartment.
She asked him the particulars of his transaction with Isaac, which hedetailed accurately.
"My father did but jest with thee, good fellow," said Rebecca; "he owesthy master deeper kindness than these arms and steed could pay, weretheir value tenfold. What sum didst thou pay my father even now?"
"Eighty zecchins," said Gurth, surprised at the question.
"In this purse," said Rebecca, "thou wilt find a hundred. Restore tothy master that which is his due, and enrich thyself with the remainder.Haste--begone--stay not to render thanks! and beware how you passthrough this crowded town, where thou mayst easily lose both thy burdenand thy life.--Reuben," she added, clapping her hands together, "lightforth this stranger, and fail not to draw lock and bar behind him."Reuben, a dark-brow'd and black-bearded Israelite, obeyed her summons,with a torch in his hand; undid the outward door of the house, andconducting Gurth across a paved court, let him out through a wicket inthe entrance-gate, which he closed behind him with such bolts and chainsas would well have become that of a prison.
"By St Dunstan," said Gurth, as he stumbled up the dark avenue, "thisis no Jewess, but an angel from heaven! Ten zecchins from my brave youngmaster--twenty from this pearl of Zion--Oh, happy day!--Such another,Gurth, will redeem thy bondage, and make thee a brother as free of thyguild 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 tothe death, without hiding either my face or my name."
